Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica belongs to Ronald D. Moore and the Sci-Fi channel. (A/N: The time period for DS9 is directly after the war with the Dominion).

Chapter 9: Troubled waters

When Adama left the other Bill, he found Laura talking to the other Cottle. "He's got about two days."

She turned as Adama approached. "I need to stay here with my husband."

"Understandable," he replied. He glanced over at Cottle's office and then back to her. "Could I have a word with you?"

Cottle offered to take the baby. Then Laura followed Adama into the doctor's private office. "What did he say to you?" she asked.

Adama sighed heavily before facing her. "He wants me to take his place."

Laura opened her mouth to say something, but then stopped, pausing to think. After a long silence, she turned back to him. "He told me nothing about this. But then the last few weeks he's been making decisions without talking to me much. He wanted to personally make sure that his affairs were in order."

Adama paced the small room. "Since he didn't tell you, it's only fair if I ask you. How would you feel about me staying here?"

She folded her hands in her lap. "I wouldn't have considered it, but I can understand why he's asked you. Zack's not ready to lead the military."

"That wasn't what I asked though," he reminded.

"It would be the best scenario for Charlotte," Laura responded.

Adama cleared his throat. "But how do you feel about it?"

Laura's eyes misted as she took a deep breath. "I was ready to let him go. And then I met you, and everything's changed."

Same here. "If you don't want me here, I'll go back, despite what I've told him," Adama remarked.

She choked back a sob. "I don't want you to go. I can't lose you twice."

Seeing her cry, he pulled her into a hug. Her body shook with sobs as she grasped his uniform, holding on to something sturdier than she felt. Then she regained her breathing and pulled back to smooth the wrinkles from her clothes.

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "I need to take care of a few things on Galactica. Then I'll be back."

After he had flown the Raptor back to Deep Space Nine, Adama spoke with Kira, telling her of the change in plans. Kira was surprised, but agreed, also giving him a couple of replicators to take back with him to help with their food problem. She walked him to the Raptor, but stopped him before he opened the door.

"There's another group you need to be aware of. They're called the Borg. I don't know if the president's told you anything about them, but long range sensors have indicated brief appearances of cubes," Kira mentioned.

Adama shot her a puzzled expression. "I haven't heard anything about them."

"They're part organic, part machine, similar in some ways to your Cylons, but their machinery is visible from the outside. They take a normal person and assimilate him or her, which means they implant the person with machinery and everyone's minds are linked together. What I'm trying to say is that they're dangerous and it could be very bad if they get to your universe," she explained.

He nodded. "Thanks for the warning."

Then he took the Raptor back through the hole to his Galactica. He arranged to have Saul and Lee meet him in his quarters. The two men arrived to see him packing. "Dad, what's going on?" Lee asked.

Adama turned to face them. "In order to close the hole, someone has to shoot at it from the other side."

"This has something to do with her, doesn't it?" Saul assessed.

Adama slowly answered, "Yes. Here is what we'll do: I'll take the Raptor back through the hole and fire at it while at the same time the rebel Cylons on this side will also fire at it." He handed the XO a piece of paper. "They need to set their weapons to this frequency in order for this to work."

Hearing a knock at the door, the admiral turned and opened it. Tory stood, looking from him to the others. Tigh spoke. "I forgot to mention that the baseship arrived after you left."

"We would like some answers," Tory mentioned.

Not wanting to make a scene in the hall, Adama ushered her into his quarters and shut the hatch. Then he glared at Tory. "After what you did, I don't owe you, or the Cylons anything."

The woman sighed, physically taking a step back. "I suppose I deserved that. However, D'Anna is demanding an explanation for what I've reported to her. She doesn't believe the 'prank' story."

Tigh handed her the piece of paper. "Then tell her to set her weapons to that frequency and wait for the admiral to give the command."

"We're closing a hole between universes so the Cylons on the other side who have nothing better to do than attack the humans don't get through," Adama admitted.

The former aide sighed, studying the paper. "Alright, I'll tell her. She won't be happy about being left out of the loop for so long though."

She exited the room with the colonel glaring after her. "Should've put that one in the brig."

Adama placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Maybe so, but we're trying to coexist, and that wouldn't have helped."

"Doesn't mean I have to like it," Saul grumbled. "I should be getting back to CIC."

"The two of you can see me off at the docking bay later," Adama suggested.

After Tigh had left, Lee crossed his arms, leaning back against the bulkhead. "I know it's redundant to ask this again, but I'm going to anyway. Why are you doing this?"

Bill sighed heavily as he studied his son. He can hold his own, and someday he'll understand. "Because I can't live without her."

"But dad, our Laura is gone. You can't just- I mean the fleet needs you. You're the admiral. You can't seriously be considering this," Lee argued.

"I am considering this, Lee. Their fleet needs an admiral more than ours does. With you, Saul, Helo, and Starbuck, this fleet will be fine. The other fleet has more enemies. And," he paused, hoping that Lee could grasp what he was telling him, "she can't live without him either. In their universe, he's the dying leader."

Lee rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I can't say I agree with this, but I won't try to stop you."

The older man drew his son into a hug. "When you come to the docking bay, bring Starbuck," he said as they parted.

Before Lee left, Bill told him about the replicators and how to use them. Two hours later, as Bill was about to head toward the docking bay, Tory stopped him. "What do you want, Miss Foster? I don't have much time."

She faced the floor as she answered. "I owe you an apology. I have done a great deal of thinking lately. Though I do not regret what I am, I do regret that I betrayed Laura. Let me come with you. I owe Laura Roslin."

Adama eyed her incredulously. "You really think I'd trust you enough to let you betray more humans to more Cylons?"

Tory shook her head. "I'll help you destroy them. Infect me with the Cylon virus."

"Why would you destroy your own kind?" he drilled.

"Because they are defective. We were designed to coexist with humans, not to destroy them. The problem must be corrected," she expressed.

A chill shot up his spine at the implications of 'corrected.' I don't trust her at all, but if she's with me, then she's no longer a threat to the fleet. "Very well, Miss Foster. You may board the Raptor when I do."

Before leaving, Adama had one more visit to make. He slipped quietly into the morgue, walking toward the familiar drawer. Slowly he pulled it out, noting that the preservation elements in the cool air were still doing their job. "I know if you could, you'd question me too. But the fact is that they don't need me here nearly as much as she will. I will always love you. Nothing will ever change that. But I have to do this. She needs my help in ways that you never did."

He did not realize that he had been crying until a tear feel onto her suit. He wiped his face with one hand and brushed off the damp spot with the other. "Sorry." He sat in the room for a moment longer before he felt a slight prickling sensation at his neck, causing him to look from her to the door. A feeling of relief descended on him as he thought, she's telling me 'It's okay, you can go.'

At the docking bay Saul, Kara, and Lee stood to see Adama off. The three glared at Tory as they spotted her near his Raptor though. "What's she doing here?" Kara whispered.

Adama glanced back at her. "I'm taking her with me to keep an eye on her. I think she's up to something and if she's with me, then she won't be a problem to you anymore."

Kara sighed and crossed her arms. "I don't like it, sir. But then I don't like you leaving us either. Lee filled me in and, sure, I can see why you'd want to go, but we'll really miss the 'Old Man.'"

He smiled kindly at his almost-daughter, brushing a piece of hair back behind her ear as he had done on Kobol. "I'll miss you too. Keep an eye on Lee here, and make sure his head doesn't get too big, being president."

She smirked as Adama faced his son. "Take good care of our people. And you have my instructions on where to bury our Laura. I'm proud of you, all of you, and she would be too."

Kara and Lee hugged Bill and then stepped back as Bill spoke with Saul. "Take care of the fleet."

Saul nodded. "I'll keep an eye on those two as well," he mentioned, nodding back toward Lee and Kara.

"Thank you," Bill stated. Then he placed a hand on his old friend's shoulder. "I'm trusting you to make the right decisions."

"I know. And I'll do the best I can, sir. With Caprica and the baby, I'm learning a whole new definition of responsibility," Saul remarked.

Bill grinned. "Family will do that to you."

As the Raptor left the deck, Bill took one last look at his family. They'll be okay. Then he took the controls while Tory took the other seat. "Now, Miss Foster, what is this really about?"

Tory folded her hands in her lap. "What do you mean, sir?"

He faced her and raised an eyebrow. "I know this isn't wholly out of guilt. Why are you really here?"

She looked at the baseship as the Raptor headed toward the hole. "The Cylons dislike traitors even less than the humans. You see, they discovered that I helped to hide the Agathons' child from them. They consider it an unforgivable betrayal and refused to have me on their ship anymore."

"So D'Anna made sent you to Galactica as a liaison because the Cylons don't want you on their ship?" Adama questioned.

Tory nodded. "At first, they were pleased that I joined their side, but then a Six told them that I had helped Roslin hide Hera."

"That doesn't explain why you'd rather come with me," Adama reminded.

"I can't stay with your people either. They all know what I've done," she expressed.

He glanced at the controls as they drifted through the hole. "What about Baltar?"

"Gaius has all those other women around him. Even though he would accept me, they want to kill me," she told him.

Adama reached into his pocket and pulled out a glace vial. "I know you didn't inject yourself with the virus because I stopped by Life Station before heading to the docking bay. Just what were you intending to do, Miss Foster?"

(My thanks to Mamabella, GimmeABeat, McGonagallFan, Alecandrain2, max72, Mariel3, carolann, and Vehiek for reviewing :D)