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Day 12
The mess hall, the officers quarters, the CIC, even the news casts over the wireless were all buzzing excitedly over two subjects. Earth was one. The other was the kiss between the fleet's President and Admiral, caught on film by a number of reporters, which beat out Earth as front page news in some quite respectable papers. Everyone seemed to feel the excitement. Everyone, that is, except Kara Thrace.
How dare Anders ruin her happiness by asking her for a divorce? Not that she was happy with him, but it was the principle of the matter. She gave him one, of course, because she really didn't have any other choice. And this way he was the one that would be damned eternally, not her. She never cheated on him. Now with her newly acquired freedom and Anastasia Dualla's tragic death…certain possibilities suddenly opened up.
Kara avoided being anywhere that Lee might be, which is why she found herself sitting in the office just outside the President's office on Colonial One.
Starbuck still had her pride and she wouldn't let anyone take that away from her, especially not some pencil pushing bureaucrat named Tory Foster. If Anders really wanted a high strung, briefcase for a wife he could have her, but after Kara got back some of her pride.
Roslin's assistant had been on the phone since Kara entered the office over fifteen minutes ago. She was arguing with some representative about the legitimacy of the jump coordinates Roslin risked her life to find. Kara was beginning to lose patience and nerve the longer she waited.
Right before Kara was about to stand up and dash out of the room, Roslin emerged from her office and greeted Kara with a warm smile. Why of all time did she have to talk to the President now?
"Good morning, Captain Thrace," Roslin began cheerfully, "What brings you here?"
"Uh…" was the only answer Starbuck could manage.
Roslin glanced from her assistant to Starbuck and the look made Kara feel like a small insignificant bug.
"I wanted to thank you," Roslin began, sitting down carefully in the plush chair next to Kara's, "for everything you did on the planet. For volunteering to go in the first place."
"We should thank you, Madame President, for finding Earth," Kara responded.
Roslin tilted her head toward Tory still on the phone arguing.
"I do have my critics. We haven't seen Earth yet. Many think I was coerced by the cylons. I'm not sure what I believe," Roslin explained, looking at the ground in front of her.
Kara snorted softly.
"Yes, you are. You know you found Earth. Like I know it, like the old man knows it. The critics can go frak themselves," Kara responded.
Roslin smiled at Kara and nodded.
"Lee and I aren't having an affair," Starbuck suddenly blurted and then cursed herself under her breath for having an unexpected attack of conscience.
"You needn't confess to me. I'm hardly one to judge," Roslin said with secrets hidden in her eyes.
Kara still felt the need to explain her relationship with Lee.
"Your opinion is important to him. I just didn't want you to think—"
Kara was cut short by Roslin's waving hand.
"I don't want to hear it," she said firmly.
Kara still didn't give up.
"But the old man—" she again tried to speak but this time Roslin stood up and walked across the room.
For the life of her, Kara couldn't figure out the President's strange behavior. Roslin must have seen Kara's confusing because she explained herself.
"I'm sorry Starbuck. I just can't let myself get involved personally."
Kara stood up as Tory finally hung up the phone. Kara wasn't one to go toe to toe with Roslin in a staring match, as that was better left to Adama, but right now she took up the challenge.
"Frak, lady, you already are. The Adamas are good men, stop hurting them," Kara ordered the President.
She was flying high on adrenaline. Never in her life did she think she would order the President to do anything. Kara left the President standing clench jawed and approached Tory's desk.
"If you ever cross my path again, wonder-witch," Kara said with a harsh smile, "I will pull a Roslin and chuck your ass out the airlock."
Tory dropped her jaw and looked sufficiently afraid. Her eyes maneuvered around Kara and seemed to beg the President for help. Both women in the room were glaring at her with contempt.
"My work here is done," Kara announced happily and sauntered out of the room.
"What does she mean, pull a Roslin?" Starbuck heard the President demand of her aid.
Kara laughed all the way to the shuttle bay. Now she could find Lee.
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Day 8
"That's enough," Lee yelled.
Apollo scowled at Adama and Roslin as if they were delinquents, standing in the principles office instead of Adama quarters.
"Admiral, Madame President, you know I respect both of you even if I sometimes don't agree with you. I may lose my wings for this but what the hell. It seems to me the problem here is that Laura and Bill are in love but Admiral Adama and President Roslin can't be. It's really quite painful to watch. Kara and I have discussed it quite a few times. We wondered when you wouldn't be able to fight it anymore. Kara said, and her exact words where 'the old man still has some fight left and someday he will frak Laura Roslin upside down, mark my words.' Which is just really disturbing and something I never want to think about again but there you go," Lee explained matter-of-factly.
Adama was too shocked to say anything but Roslin obviously had not been affected the same way.
"Is that what the fleet is saying about us?" She asked Lee, her voice as natural as if she were asking for a ration list update.
"No," Lee shrugged, "That's what Kara says, and what I think."
Roslin nodded slightly and looked up at Bill. He was beginning to feel like he was in some strange alternate world.
"Well, then, no need to delay Kara's prophesy any longer," Roslin said and practically jumped into Adama's arms.
Her normal grey business suit was replaced by a long red dress with a split up the side. She began kissing him fiercely and Adama felt her leg wrap around his as he gave into her embrace.
Lee gave out a strange loud laugh and then started to speak.
"Admiral…admiral," came a faint voice.
Suddenly Bill was lying in his quarters stretched out on the couch with a book lying across his chest. When he opened his eyes he was more than a little alarmed to see Laura Roslin standing over him, gently touching his shoulder.
She snatched her hand back quickly.
"I'm sorry," Roslin softly apologize, "Our meeting was scheduled for—"
"No, I'm sorry. I must have dozed off. I was going to—"
Adama suddenly stopped and looked up at Roslin. She stood above him but not like in his dream. She was much softer, peering over him with her arms folded in the glow of the soft light of his quarters. He remembered how good he felt just dreaming about kissing her and then pushed the thought as far away as it would go. It wasn't far.
"Admiral is something wrong," Roslin questioned.
"Bad dream," he replied.
She picked up the book he was reading and then sat down on the couch next to him.
"Care to talk about it? It does help," she offered with a genuine smile.
Adama tried to hide the momentary mortification that swept over him at the mere thought of telling her what he had been dreaming.
"No," was the extent of his answer.
He was sure his face was the color of Laura's deep red dress in the dream. He sent a sideways glance to her and saw the most beautiful devilishly delicious smile curve her lips.
"Bill Adama, were you having a naughty dream about me?" she asked, choking back giggles.
He liked her teasing. Since the return from the planet their entire relationship seemed changed for the better.
"You woke me up before I got to the good part," he said, his voice not wavering from its normal deep emotionless tone.
Roslin's giggles grew louder and filled the space of his quarters.
"I'm sorry, but my imaginary self will have to go. I was scheduled," she said, after the giggles stopped.
Adama noticed how frail she looked. He wasn't one to dare venture a comment on a woman's weight, but she did look like she had been losing some.
"The real thing is much better anyway," he told her.
A smile brightened her sad features.
"Do you think this is really it, Bill?" Laura asked him rapidly changing the subject much to his amusement.
He noticed that she often drew back when it came to more…physical matters. The inquisitive glint as she asked the question made her look like a little child.
"Why wouldn't it be?" he returned.
He was enjoying sitting so close to her on the sofa. The longer she talked about he-didn't-care-what the longer he could enjoy just being near to her after their long separation.
"Maybe this is just a cylon trick. Maybe the coordinates lead to a trap. Maybe what I thought I saw isn't what I saw," she reasoned.
For someone who just risked everything on a vision quest she was certainly full of self doubt. Adama felt privileged, however, because she was sharing with him her deepest anxieties. Her openness seemed to take their relationship back to where it used to be.
"Maybe I started the cylon war. Maybe Baltar is an innocent man," Adama explained drawing a snort from the President at the mention of Dr. Baltar.
"What I know is these coordinates are worth taking a chance on," he reassured her.
Though he hated leaving the sanctuary of her side he couldn't keep the scroll from her any longer. It seemed to be the last thing looming like a dark cloud over the trust they used to have in each other. He removed the brown paper from his desk under the scrutiny of Roslin's eyes. Though he might regret it later, he still sat next to her, unwilling to give up the closeness so soon. Of course, he was running the risk of being slapped if her reaction to the scroll was as he feared.
"What's this?" She asked as she pulled her glasses out of her pocket.
Adama watched her read the scroll entranced in the words. He resisted the urge to touch the hair resting on her shoulder.
"Bianca Marks gave this to Sharon, for your eyes only," Adama explained.
Roslin slowly placed the scroll in her lap and then removed her glasses. She brushed her hair over her shoulder and Adama's eyes followed it. Perhaps it wasn't the best time to focus on her hair at the expense of reading her reaction to his deceit.
"Why keep it from me?" She asked, looking forward instead of facing him.
He was relieved he didn't have to meet her scolding expression yet.
"The scroll says the leader will be lesser of species, a woman; will be of meek origin and rise with strength; will bear good fruit; will wed the war god. I was afraid you would read the signs in this scroll and—"
"Cause another military coup?" Roslin finished and brought her eyes to rest on Adama.
He had absolutely no idea what she was thinking. She didn't leave his side, however, and as long as she was near he didn't care what she thought. He lowered his eyes, unable to form a response without knowing how to read her.
"Two couldn't have known about Tyrol until I spoke of it on the planet," Roslin mused to herself.
Her eyes focused on something in front of her and she seemed to be remembering her time on the planet.
"Bill," she said turning to meet his gaze after snapping out of whatever memory she was in.
He saw a mischievous twitch pull at the corner of her mouth.
"Are you sure you didn't want to show me because you were afraid I might hold you to the part about wedding the god of war?" She questioned.
Though she didn't smile Adama knew he had been forgiven. Not only that, she had just given him the opportunity to bring up the subject of marriage. A subject he had wanted to broach for a long time.
"You know the moment we land on Earth I will marry you. I'll even build a cabin for you, near a lake with water as clear as glass," he said his voice very low and protective.
Roslin shook her head slowly and smiled a little sadly.
"It was never about the cabin."
The two of them smiled at each other, dumbfounded of what to do or say next. Adama wondered if he asked her to stay tonight, would she? Of course, he was still the Admiral of the fleet and the rules forbid him from making such a gesture. Instead he took her hand and held it to his face. Her fingers were a little cold but her touch was soft and filled him with loving gratitude for her safe return.
"I know," he replied after a long minute or two.
He let Roslin's hand fall away from him. Determination and fear suddenly washed over her face and Adama thought for a moment something was wrong. She reached out with both her hands, latched on the lapels of his uniform, and pulled his lips to hers.
Adama heard her shoes clunk to the floor and felt her legs snake up to rest on his lap. The real thing was definitely better than a dream. Maybe he wouldn't have to ask her to stay…