Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica belongs to Ronald D. Moore and the Sci-Fi channel.

Chapter 3: Non-negotiable

Laura paced as she waited for Cottle to release her. "That's not going to get your results processed any faster," he reminded.

"Then give me something to do," she retorted.

The doctor smirked. "You are the most impatient patient I've ever had."

Sighing, she sat down as he disappeared into the side room with the testing equipment. I hope Bill's having better luck in CIC, she thought to herself. At last Cottle came back to her, still looking perplexed. "Your test results indicate that the cancer is just gone."

Laura crossed her arms as he showed her the results. "What about the vial?"

Cottle sighed as he faced her. "That's the most puzzling part of it all. It's mostly cancer cells. It doesn't make any sense how all the cancer cells in your body could've migrated like that. It's like your body decided to purge itself of the cancer."

"Do you think there's anything I should keep an eye on?" she inquired.

He shrugged. "Other than the fact that this should be a medical impossibility, at this point I can't even tell you if the results will last any length of time. I might as well release you though. I'm still waiting on the results on your blood test, but I should have that by some time tomorrow. "If you feel any different than you do right now, get back here immediately." She nodded and left for CIC.

The admiral snorted at the read-out of the latest planetary scans: it was still a radioactive mess. Why had it all come to this? Was humanity just doomed? Bill's gaze left the disheartening viewscreen as he leaned on the console. Then his ears picked up a pair of boots making their way down the ladder, over to him. Neither had changed their clothes since their trip to Earth.

He looked up to find Laura as she lightly touched his forearm. "Anything?"

"I wish. It's uninhabitable," he told her quietly.

Her eyes skimmed the reports. "I see. I know they'll want a press conference before the day is out. I just don't know what to tell them."

As his eyes met hers, the planet was temporarily forgotten. "How are you? Did Cottle find anything else?"

She leaned closer to him, whispering "No. The test results revealed everything as clear. Somehow it's just gone."

"The vial?" he asked.

Her next response caused his brow to furrow. "Mostly cancer cells."

"And he just release you? You didn't sneak out?" Bill questioned.

She smirked. "He only told me to come back if I feel any different."

Adama returned to examining data while Roslin studied the viewscreen. An hour later he received a phone call. "It's from Colonial One," Dee informed him.

The admiral reached for the phone. "Adama."

"Dad, it's Lee. How's the president?" his son asked.

Adama looked over his shoulder at her. "She's fine. I'm sorry we forgot to call you sooner."

"Good, I'm glad she's alright," there was a pause on Lee's end of the line. "The Quorum wants to talk with her to discuss the situation of Earth."

The admiral sighed, looking toward the president. "The Quorum wants to talk to you, today by the impression Lee's giving me."

She crossed her arms in front of her, staring down at nothing in particular as she mentally ran through her options. After taking a moment's pause, she turned back to Adama. "Then tell him I'm on my way."

He eyed her with concern. "Are you sure that's what you want to do?"

Matching his stare, she squared her shoulders. "Bill, I'm their president. It's what I have to do."

Adama spoke to Lee again. "She'll be there, but I'm coming too."

As he hung up, she watched him, raising an eyebrow. "What?"

"You don't need to come. I will say what needs to be said and one way or another, I'm the one they'll be most upset with. You don't need to be part of that," she expressed.

He folded his hands together, looking back at her calmly. "Last time I checked, it took more than just a president to run a fleet. Whatever comes of this, I'm their leader too, and that means I'm partly responsible for this."

She sighed, knowing that she was not going to dissuade him. "Let's go."

He sat across from her in the Raptor, almost seeing the wheels turn in her mind as she glanced out of the window quietly. "You're planning something."

She blinked, as if he had awakened her from a dream. "I might have an idea that could buy us a little time. Do you remember when I suggested that we have some archaeologists go down to the planet? If we go ahead with that, they might help us figure out what happened, and more importantly, if there were survivors that somehow left the planet."

"And found a new home," Bill finished. "What if the archaeologists don't find anything?"

Laura sighed heavily. "Then we come up with a new plan."

"We'll be lying to them again," he reminded dryly.

"Yes, well, it seems that we're back to survival in this case," she responded as the Raptor docked.

The president walked into the boardroom flanked by the admiral and Lee. The Quorum members sat around the table, as expected. But ten press members flashing cameras were also present. Adama turned his head toward his son. "You didn't say the press was here."

"They showed up right before you did," Lee mentioned.

The first questions came from the press. "Madame President, is it true that Earth is uninhabitable?"

"Ma'am, why did the Pythia prophecy lead us to a waste land?"

"Madame President, was this all part of a trap by the Cylons?"

"What will we do with the Cylons that are supposedly our allies?"

"Where the hell are we supposed to live now?"

"Enough!" the voice came from Vice President Tom Zarek. "I'm sure no one here is happy with the current situation, but since our president was kind enough to grace us with her presence, let's hear what she has to say."

The president took a deep breath. "What I have to say, I don't want to repeat, so please don't interrupt me. It is our greatest regret that Earth is not what we had hoped it to be, what we were convinced by the Pythia prophecies that it would be. However, we are not giving up. There have to have been survivors. They have to have gone somewhere. What I recommend is that we assemble a group of archaeologists and send them to the surface to investigate. As for the Cylons, they are giving us their cooperation and for now I intend to maintain the alliance. That is all."

Ignoring the murmur from the press as well as the Quorum, she disappeared behind the curtained area, followed by Adama and then Zarek. Lee stayed behind to find out which of the Quorum members had job lists from their constituents. Zarek walked over to Roslin, ignoring Adama.

"You know you're politically frakked right now. They aren't going to find anything except fried dirt," Zarek spat.

"Maybe, but at least we've bought ourselves some time," she mentioned.

He rolled his eyes. "What makes you think that they'll still follow you? Do you really think they'll trust you again, especially when those archaeologists come up empty-handed?"

A wry smirk appeared on her face. "Have a little faith, Tom."

"Faith? You want to talk to me about faith? You mean chamalla. Or have you found a stash of New Caprican weed recently?" Zarek sneered.

Laura watched him calmly. "If you want to say something to me, just say it."

"Your loony, drugged out visions led us a nuclear wasteland. You sure as hell shouldn't be in charge anymore." He glanced toward the curtain. "They're blind and deaf if they can't see the dictator you've become. You think your word is law, that you can get away with something like this. I don't give a frak what you say. You, Laura Roslin, are finished as president."

"Watch it," Adama growled, grabbing him sharply by the upper arm. "That sounded suspiciously like a threat. Vice president or not, I can still airlock your ass."

Zarek looked between Roslin and Adama. "I should've known this would come out. On top of drugs you can add sex scandal to this little-"

Adama's grip tightened. "Why you two-bit, sorry excuse for a-"

"Gentlemen! I know this hasn't been the ideal day for anyone, but you two duking it out over me, for whatever reason, is not going to solve anything," Laura scolded.

The admiral released the vice president. "Excuse me," Zarek spat, leaving the room.

Bill walked over to Laura. "He's dangerous. I've always said you need to keep an eye on him. I'm not leaving you alone with him. For all we know, he's planning an assassination."

She sank down into a chair, rubbing her neck with one hand. "Him and how many others? Much as I hate to admit it, he's got a point. If we don't find something in the next few days…"

"What happened to your earlier optimism?" Bill inquired, sitting in the chair next to her.

"It got left behind in the Raptor when I walked out and got a dose of reality," she said, fiddling with her left sleeve.

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Let's go home. We haven't even had time to change."

She stood. "Okay."

(My thanks to carolann, McGonagallFan, Mamabella, and WonderfallsonDaisies for reviewing :D)