Laura opened up the monitor of her laptop computer.
The doctor had given her a clearance today. She could start back at work in the morning.
She had just pulled up a blank document when her telephone rang.
"Roslin," she answered.
"Hi," said a now familiar husky voice.
She settled back into her chair more comfortably. "Hi," she said.
"How'd it go?"
"All clear. He wants to see me again next month for another scan, but it looks like I got off lightly."
"I don't call that chunk of flesh he removed from you as getting off lightly. You been eating breakfast since I left?"
She giggled. No doubt him bringing her breakfast would become a long-running joke between them just as him falling over her shoes had.
"Yes, sir," she said in a mock serious tone. "How are you, Bill? It's only three weeks until the decommissioning." She was concerned about how he was going to cope with his looming retirement.
"We weren't talking about me. That means it's also only three weeks until I see you again. Did the doctor give you the green light on all normal activities?"
"Yes, he did, sir. You should have seen his face, Bill. He obviously doesn't think women my age have sex."
"Little did he know you'd just spent three days fighting me off."
She smiled. She hadn't had to fight him off at all. Bill Adama had behaved like a complete gentleman the entire time he had stayed with her.
Regardless of the doctor's warning, as much as she'd wished otherwise, she hadn't felt physically capable of engaging in sexual activities during Bill's impromptu visit. She did have the fleeting idea of performing oral sex on him, but dismissed it almost immediately. She wanted their sex to be about mutual pleasure. Bill wasn't a teenager who couldn't control himself for a few days. Besides, in her heart she knew that they would have ample opportunities to explore their sexual relationship further in the future.
They had still slept together each night, thoroughly enjoying the feel of each other's body. It was intimate yet chaste. She knew, without a doubt, he still wanted her. His lingering glances and gentle touches had been telling.
"Don't overdo it in the office," he said. "I know you're about to go into full campaign mode, but take it easy, okay?"
"I didn't realise I'd enlisted and you'd become my Commanding Officer," she said, keeping her tone light so that he would know she was joking. She probably didn't need to. He understood her sense of humour. He could tell if he'd insulted her or if she was angry with him. Sometimes his knowledge of her mood and temper was unsettling, other times it gave her a heady thrill.
"I think, Ms Roslin, if you were a member of my crew, you would end up in the brig for insubordination."
"Really, Commander? I wonder if I could convince my superior officer to change his mind about any charges. Or if there might be one or two things I could do to negotiate a release."
"Laura," he growled, "I'm an old man. You're going to give me a heart attack."
She snorted. "Not over the phone. In three weeks time when I'm fully recovered and in the same room with you, maybe, yes."
She smiled like an idiot when she heard his rich chuckle over the line.
"I look forward to it, Madam Secretary."
"I do too, Commander."
"Better go. Let you get some sleep before your first day back."
"Yes."
"Goodnight, Laura."
"Goodnight, Bill." Slowly she hung up the phone.
She thought about the three days they had spent together. He had fulfilled his promise and looked after her. He had prepared all their meals, insisting that he always enjoyed cooking while on shore leave, something that he never had a chance to do on a battlestar. He had also fully stocked her pantry and refrigerator before he left.
On the second day, he had taken her down to the harbour for some fresh air. They'd strolled along the concrete path that followed the shore, his hand holding her elbow, or occasionally pressed against the small of her back, in a protective manner. When she had tired, they sat side by side on a bench, and simply enjoyed the view. He appeared at home near the water and she had been content to just sit and listen to the sound of his voice as he pointed out the various species of seabirds and explained their habits. He seemed to know them all, from the gulls swooping for fish, to the sandpipers burying their heads in the sand to catch crabs.
On the third day of his visit, he had left her alone for a few hours to call on his son. His mood was sombre when he'd returned, but he hadn't confided in her and she hadn't probed. She knew he would tell her about it in his own time, if he wanted to. She had too many personal secrets of her own to hold silence against him.
Over the course of three days, they had chatted about a variety of topics, including those that were usually taboo - politics and religion. Despite the fact that their views on both subjects were opposing, they still managed to respect each other's opinion. They didn't argue, they debated. Neither of them won and they laughed afterwards.
He had read to her from a murder mystery novel he had picked up at a small neighbourhood bookstore. His gravelly voice made each character come to life in new ways.
The first night she sat beside him on her sofa. He wove magic with his narration. On the second night, she lay with her head in his lap, his hand absent-mindedly stroking her hair. On the third night, they had taken the book into the bed with them. She moulded into his side as he read to her by the light of the bedside lamp.
Over the course of his visit, she had become relaxed enough to call him 'Bill' instead of her usual 'Commander'. He hadn't commented when she did the first time, but the look he gave her had been proof enough that he hadn't missed this new advancement in their relationship.
The curser blinking on the screen distracted her from her reverie. She started to compose her letter. It was a resignation letter, addressed to the President, citing a date one month away as her last working day.
She printed it out and turned off her computer.
Now, all she had to do was decide whether or not she would courier it over to Richard in the morning.
0.0.0
"Commander," Aaron Doral said, giving Bill his usual limp-wristed handshake. "I just thought I'd give you the order of the proceedings today. The Priestess Elosha will be the first official I introduce. She will bless the outgoing crew of Galactica. Then I will introduce the Vice President, who will give her speech. Then it will be time for your speech, followed immediately by the flyover display of Galactica's antique Vipers. Lastly, Elosha will give another blessing. This time for the safety of the ship and the children who will visit it, and thus Galactica will officially be heralded in as a Museum."
"Antique? I'm not sure I'd describe the Mark II Vipers as antiques," Bill grumbled.
"After this official ceremony, you and your XO will be required to attend a dinner with selected dignitaries at your table."
"Who?"
"Your Executive Officer, Colonel Tigh."
"No, Mr Doral, I'm quite aware of who my XO is. Who are the dignitaries attending this dinner?"
"Myself, of course."
"Of course," Bill said. His sarcasm, as usual, went straight over Doral's head.
"The Vice President, the Priestess, a Quorum representative from Tauron and the Curator of the Delphi Museum."
"I see. Thank you, Mr Doral, I'll see you on the hangar deck."
After Doral left, Bill picked up his speech and read it through. The words were politically correct, but somehow sounded trite. Maybe he could tweak it here and there. He checked the time. One hour until the ceremony began. Not a lot of time to start thinking about changing his speech.
He pressed a button on his telephone.
"Yes sir?" Dee's voice answered.
"Dee, are all the civilians attending the Decommissioning Ceremony on board?"
"Yes sir."
"Could you please check if the name Lee Adama is listed?"
The line was silent for a moment while Dee checked her records.
"No, sir. There's no Lee Adama on my list of civilians."
"I see. And you're sure there aren't any others attending that haven't checked in yet?"
"Yes, sir, I'm sure. All the civilians have been processed and passed through Security."
"Thank you, Dee."
0.0.0
Bill began reading his prepared speech, then paused to look around the hangar deck. He didn't see many familiar faces. All these years and this is what he had to show for it? None of his family in attendance, other than Saul. Kara sat in the brig. Lee had ignored his invite. Carolanne was never interested in his life in the Fleet, despite her family's involvement in it long before he came onto the scene.
He looked down at the words on the sheet of paper propped up on the lectern. They weren't right. They weren't what he needed to say. He looked up at the see of faces in front of him and started his speech again - this one altogether different from his original. This one flowed from his heart and, he hoped, would salve some of his guilt.
He could see the Vice President out of the corner of his eye. She sat next to the Priestess Elosha and Doral. She had a fixed smile on her face, just like everyone else in the audience. The content of his speech was obviously shocking them. But he wasn't saying it for them. He was saying it for himself; for Lee; for Zak.
When he finished, he returned to his seat on the side of the podium. The audience remained silent. Then he heard one person clapping loudly. He looked up, but was unable to locate his lone fan. He could only tell they were sitting towards the back of the hangar deck, and then he had no chance of locating them, as the rest of the audience politely joined in with the applause.
0.0.0
The dinner party was on the Observation Deck. Bill arrived, and headed straight for the main table where he was required to make small talk with the VIPs. It would be his last official duty as an officer in the Colonial Fleet and he would soldier on through the tedium of the evening.
He was ushered to his chair by one of his Petty Officers from the galley. The Vice President was seated next to him and he gave her a polite smile.
"Interesting speech," she murmured.
"Thank you, Madam Vice President. I'll take that as a compliment."
She laughed softly.
"I expect you'll be giving quite a few speeches over the coming weeks," he said.
"Yes. I'm not fond of election campaigns, Commander. And, of course, winning isn't any guarantee to keeping the Vice-Presidency. It's quite common for Cabinets to be reshuffled in the first few weeks when a government is re-elected."
"You feel the knives in your back already, Madam Vice President?"
"Very much so, Commander."
Bill looked around at the seating arrangements. The seat the other side of him was still vacant. Saul was sitting in between Doral and Elosha. He smiled. He was sure Saul would enjoy the evening. He just hoped his XO never got the urge to drown his boredom with too much alcohol.
He tilted his head to catch one of the wait staff's eyes to order a drink, but was distracted by the woman approaching his table. His breath literally caught in his throat at her beauty.
"Commander," she greeted, her voice husky and so sexy that his groin immediately jumped to life at the sound of it.
"Madam Secretary? I never realised you were attending tonight."
She sat down beside him.
"Laura?" the Vice President said. "I thought the President ordered you not to attend the ceremony today. You know he felt it would be viewed as a waste of taxpayer funds for the soon to be ex-Secretary of Education to attend this ceremony. Especially during such a delicate stage of the campaign."
"Yes. Thank you for taking my place at the ceremony, Madam Vice President," Laura replied. "I paid for my own flight. My only official capacity here tonight is as Commander Adama's date." Laura leaned close to Bill. "I certainly hope it isn't presumptuous of me to say I'm your date, Commander," she whispered in his ear.
"Not at all, Madam Secretary. That sounds wonderful."