Word Count:
Date: 10/16/05
Series: Season 2
Rating: K+
Category: Relationships
Pairing/Focus: Adama/Roslin with hints of Kara/lee
Warnings: none
Summary: A slightly amusing idea that grew and grew......
Spoilers/Disclaimers: up to and Including Home part 2;
Chapter 1 -Overtures
Bill Adama was definitely having a bad day, but then that was nothing unusual; bad days had become the norm since the moment Laura Roslin walked into his life.
Their first meeting had taken place some months before the decommissioning was due. Initially it had been a brief visit from the Minister of Education to the site of her latest proposed project.A Museum in Space. She had flown into Fleet head quarters from Caprica City. Bill had snorted derisively when he first heard the news; whilst he had no problems with kids being taught about the cylon war and the lessons to be learned from the past, he'd been dubious about the success of this particular project.. To begin with, it had meant the end of the road for his beloved ship. Yes, she was old and didn't have the latest technology of the newer models, but that didn't mean she was ready for mothballing. Mind you, it hadn't helped that he was being put out to pasture too; he hadn't been ready for retirement either. They had both served their people faithfully over the years and his crew were one of the best in the fleet. He had been biased of course, but fate had proven him to be correct on both counts when the Cylons had attacked. He had known there was life in the old girl yet if someone just had the imagination to see it; and she had lived up to his expectations, just as his crew had. They had survived against all odds; the only Battleship to do so, the very faults which had lead to her being selected for decommission becoming her saving grace.
The master plans for his ship had been bad enough, but then there had been the attitude of the minister herself. She might be a brilliant teacher, but she knew squat about the military, and she clearly hadn't bothered to do her homework--otherwise she would have known that it was non integrated systems that had saved humanity during the first cylon war. If she was so fired up about teaching history, why create a model of the past that used the very technology which had caused humanity's downfall: integrated systems. And for what? Just to make teachers lives easier. Peoples' willingness to sacrifice security for the sake of convenience had always struck Bill as the height of hypocrisy, though he hadn't expected or desired to be vindicated in quite such a spectacular way.
In spite of her mor infuriating attributes, he had realised from the start that she was a very beautiful woman--it was hard to miss, and honesty forced him to admit that had they met under different circumstances, he might have liked to get to know her better..which didn't help his frustration levels, then or now.
Their interactions on the day of the attack had started out in what was soon to become the usual way; after five minutes in each others company they were at daggers drawn. It hadn't helped matters that he was uptight before she even arrived.
He was due to retire; he was reaching the age where it became compulsory. With that in mind, Fleet head quarters were reluctant to offer him another command. That gave him the choice of a teaching position at head quarters or acting as a military aide for his remaining time. Either option put him a little too close to the big brass for his liking. So he had chosen reluctantly to retire early. The Admiralty were putting on a publicity show by combining his retirement with the Ship's decommission from active service..two old Warriors put out to grass together, so to speak. It made a great story for the press--.Bill bet they just loved it. Trouble was, he just knew someone in the corridors of power would have figured it would add to the attraction to have the young, handsome successor present at the send-off. He knew they would send Lee to attend- happy families made for a great public image of the military. Unfortunately, the term"happy family" was very far removed from the truth in his case. He had never had a close relationship with Lee; they were much too alike for that--both private people who found it hard to express their emotions to those closest to them. It had cost him his marriage years ago, and cost him his eldest son since. Zack was the complete opposite, bright, funny and outgoing, people loved him. Bill never had to guess what Zack was feeling..he had always been informed immediately. Even when contact with Caroline and Lee had dwindled to a weekly duty call, Zack had still persisted. He was convinced his dad wanted to know the intimate details of his life, and that required a daily update from him. Bill had lived for those calls. No matter how busy his day, he had always made a point of replying back.
After Zack's death, the careful standoff with Lee had disintegrated into outright hostility on Lee's part and self-doubt and guilt on his. Had he unknowingly pushed Zack into a career he wasn't suited to? He didn't think so, but he could never be sure. The uncertainty would certainly have killed him slowly inside if it hadn't been for Kara. She was his saving grace; if she, who had been closest of all to Zack, didn't hold him to blame, maybe he could forgive himself someday.
Laura Roslin had been straight to the point when she arrived, once more pushing for networking. It had puzzled him a bit, he had always thought of politicians as being subtle and manipulative in the approach they used. She was anything but, or maybe he just wasn't important enough in her scheme of things to warrant the effort. Either way, he felt no remorse about being equally abrupt in his refusal.
Who would have thought that 24 hours later they would be forced to work together as co-leaders of what remained of humanity. So the old warrior and the teacher had been force to learn to compromise..they had been forced to learn to talk to and trust each other, the latter had been the hardest lesson of all. It hadn't proved an easy process, just when they seemed to be making progress something would happen that set them back to square one.or further.
Of course, he now had the added complication. Somewhere along the way he had managed to fall head over heels in love with the woman. which was not exactly a smart thing to do. He had been physically aware of her from the moment they met; she was beautiful, smart and sassy; all the things he most admired in a woman, and she challenged him. Normally, when he realised a woman attracted, he would have backed away from the situation -fast. He had been burned too badly in the past to risk any kind of lasting commitment; hell, he knew he was lousy at relationships; you only had to look at his shattered family life to know that. Casual encounters just weren't his style either-he'd tried it after the divorce, but was always left feeling more alone inside once the physical need was met.
Unfortunately, there was no way he could avoid Laura Roslin, they were trapped together trying to keep this crazy fleet alive. Added to which, it was essential they build a working relationship. Which gave him a problem, the more time he spent with Laura, the more she fascinated him. Sure, she angered him just as much; there were times when throwing her out of the airlock seemed a very viable and desirable option. However, the brief glimpses he saw of the woman, rather than the consummate politician drew him ever closer, like a moth to a flame. Not that he kidded himself it could ever lead anywhere, like the moth, he was destined to be burned. Their relative positions made such a relationship unwise, assuming she would even have been remotely interested in pursuing it. Though he was sure she wasn't; why would a woman such as her be interested in an old war horse like himself? Not with so many young and handsome men around to pick from, like his son Lee.
Therein lay the rub-her relationship with Lee tore at him more than their other conflicts combined. He could accept her picking another man; in fact he expected her to, she would not want to spend her life alone. But how did he deal with the man in question being his son, with whom he was taking very tentative steps towards peace? She had shown a clear preference for Lee's company from the start. The heroic "Captain Apollo" was chosen to be her advisor on things military.and gods knew what else! Lee seemed equally as taken with her, which was giving him a major headache.either he cut off all social contact with his son, or he had to find a way to get over his feelings for Laura before either of them realised the truth, otherwise it was going to be a living hell being around the two of them.
He had to be the most irritating, annoying, baffling man she had ever met! Just when she thought they were making some progress towards understanding each other he suddenly went cold as ice on her! What was it with him? Laura Roslin sighed. Just why did she care so much?
She had met many stubborn, opinionated men in her time as a politician, all of them interested in pursuing their own agendas.but none of them had ever affected her the way Adama did. He could send her from calm reason to uncontrollable anger in a matter of minutes, seemingly without even trying. How many times since they met had she made decisions she had later regretted, just because she was reacting to something he had said or done; something she would normally have ignored completely, reacting in ways she would never have considered if she had thought it through. Like the business over retaining quarters on Galactica, she had refused outright on the pretext that the government needed to be separate. Yes, it was a valid point, but then so was his, that there would be times, when as President, she should be on Galactica because it was the safest place and having a place to work from there would be logical. But oh no, she had to jump straight on her high horse and refuse because it would give him authority over her. The stupid thing was, she had managed to cut off her own nose in the process, it was necessary for her to see Cottle regularly; if she had quarters on Galactica no one would query her comings and goings. Now she had to lie to cover up her visits. Laura sighed.stupid!
She would love to be able to blame the Chamella for her reduced emotional control, but honesty forced her to admit it had been happening from the first moment she met Bill Adama in that briefing room all those months ago.
She could remember the meeting as if it were yesterday. A routine get together to allow the project managers to meet key personnel to iron out details of how to begin the adaptations needed whilst the vessel was still in service to minimised the transitional period. She had felt it would improve the tone of the venture if, as the minister involved, she chaired the first meeting. It would give the impression that the project was of high importance to the department, which in fact it was- in an election year a good publicity event was never to be ignored, and new educational ventures always led to favourable headlines. Additionally, it would smooth any ruffled military feathers if they felt she considered it important.
She had been aware of Adama from the moment he entered the room, even though there had been more senior officers present. His innate air of energy and strength stood out in sharp contrast to his bland colleagues. And yet he held this energy close to him with a rigid intensity, that was strangely compelling, it had made her wonder what he would be like when he let go of his control.and she had to admit, the circumstances under which it might happen. The man positively exuded power.
Laura had been aware of felt a pang of dismay when she realised he was the officer she would be dealing with; he clearly would not be easy to influence. Even more worrying was her strong, physical attraction to the man. Laura certainly hadn't been expecting that! He wasn't a handsome man, the kind to turn a woman's head-- his face had too much character for that; nor was he the warm, sympathetic type she was usually drawn too. But from that first moment she had been unable to get him out of her mind.
Six months and a few life-changing events later, nothing had changed. Bill Adama still had the same magnetic effect on her whenever he was around..even when she was trying to decide how best to murder him, Laura grinned, which was an all too common impulse where he was concerned. He had proven to be just as stubborn and strong willed as she had expected--something she now daily thanked the gods for. She had been frustrated by his attitude over the integrated computer systems. She couldn't understand where the man coming from. He was acting like a troglodyte afraid of the light. Yet without the fight he had put up, the Galactica would have been destroyed just like the rest of the battleships, and the few survivors that had made the break to freedom would be sitting ducks for cylon patrols. He had literally saved the lives of every one of them.
His story about Earth was another thing; just when she thought she had his measure, he did something totally unexpected that left her gasping. She had felt furious and bemused by him when she had boarded the Galactica for the funeral service.Just a teacher indeed! She was the new President of The Colonies whether he liked it or not.and he would damn well show respect for the office! How dare he and his officers make her virtually beg for supplies for the wounded. As the President she had the right to command equipment if she chose, she should not have had to beg when it was a matter of life or death. His attitude proved just how little respect he had for civilians in general and politicians in particular. It had seemed as though the war was all he cared about, yet he had listened to her and left the fight. The anomalies confused her, she did not know what to make of him.
The ceremony had been harrowing, leaving everyone full of despair and doubting they had a future. Then Adama took control, his charismatic performance drawing all eyes. He filled everyone who witnessed his speech with a sense of pride in being human, and even more importantly; with a reason to continue the fight and a hope for the future.
Even she had been moved. Against her better judgement, she had been grudgingly impressed by him. Over the years she had witness many great political speeches. Adar was an impassioned orator capable of rousing a fever of devotion in his listeners, but even he would have been hard pressed to match Adama on the flight deck. The man would have made a formidable politician.
While she was convinced he was lying about Earth, watching the spark he ignited spread from person to person bringing with it belief in the future and courage to face the days ahead, even she couldn't help the flame of hope that lit inside her, giving her renewed strength to carry on..for that she would always be grateful to him. It didn't matter that she didn't believe in Earth, clearly the people around her did, and watching the change in them from quiet despair to hope and determination restored her faith in the human spirit. Somehow, they would find a way to survive.
Later she had challenged him about it. She needed to understand why he had made such a statement-did he truly believe what he was telling them, or was it a lie of colossus proportions. There was no doubt in her mind that Earth was just a myth. She had expected bluster or dissembles from him. He gave her the truth: it was a lie, but one with the best intentions. Her respect for him had grown. It was a dangerous risk to take, one that could rebound on him badly,. He knew this, but the personal cost was irrelevant to him compared to the needs of the people. It was at that moment that she felt it might be possible to truly work together with this man. His actions were something she could see Adar advocating under similar circumstances. The need for survival was paramount at this point, whilst she might not have made the same choice herself-she knew all too well how quickly public opinion could change; she could respect his reasons.
The trouble was, as her sense of empathy grew, it became harder to remember all the reasons why it was such a bad idea to have a relationship with him. Not that she thought he was interested in her-quite the contrary. Whenever they even came slightly close to connecting on a personal level, he backed off, becoming remote and unreachable. It was infuriating! She honestly didn't know what she had done to cause him to act like that. She knew she had certainly not given any hints that she might be interested in something more personal between them. There was no need for him to recoil as if she disgusted him. But frankly, she had no right to pursue any sort of romantic relationship. All her energy had to be devoted to the task of finding a home for their people, plus there was her cancer to take into consideration. If she genuinely cared about someone, it was not fair to drag them into that mess. Besides, she felt Bill Adama was naturally a loner. The only people he seemed truly at ease with were his XO Tigh and Lieutenant Trace. Even his son Lee was held at a careful distance. At first she had been surprised at that, Captain Apollo was so easy to get on with; she had felt a connection between them from the start. And after the incident with the cylon ship, he had become her personal hero. Now she understood more about the rift between father and son, thanks to the information Colonel Tigh had felt obliged to give her when Lt Thrace went missing. Lee had given her a few more details when they discussed it later. He had seemed determined that she understood the reasons behind his father's action.
Why couldn't he have been the Adama man who intrigued her so much? He was a very handsome man, and while her taste did not normally run to younger men, she might have been tempted to make an exception in his case. Problem was, every time she looked at him, she found herself comparing him to his father..and against Bill Adama any man came up short where she was concerned. Prickly and difficult as he might be, he still fascinated her. Laura sighed. She had even found herself being envious of Starbuck- what must it be like to have Bill Adama care about you enough to risk everything on the faintest chance of finding you alive? She wished she knew, she had a feeling it would be worth almost any price. Not that she was likely to ever be in a position to find out.
Which brought her back to her original question: what was it about him that despite her best intentions, managed to dominate her days, leaving her eager for the next skirmish between them; then filled her nights with erotic dreams that left her holding back a blush when she next encountered him? She wished she knew.
Chapter 2 Beginners
Pairing: Adama/Roslin Lee/Kara
Timeline: up to and Including Home part 2 so beware of spoilers
Normally Kara Thrace was the world's worst at picking up emotional subtext, she just wasn't interested.well except when it meant she could get a rise out of one of her fellow pilots about his love life that is. She enjoyed a good wind up as much as anyone but she couldn't be bothered to follow the twists and turns; frak she barely kept track of her own! Bill Adama was another matter however, she cared about him.
>From the first time she had met the Adama brothers, two handsome and very different young men, the eldest brother had drawn her. However the feeling was clearly not reciprocated. Lee had treated her like an unruly sister; it had been Zack who had asked her out. At first she had accepted to prove to his elder brother that some men found her attractive..but Zack had quickly changed all that. He turned on the famous Adama charm..that drop dead gorgeous smile that turned any woman to pure lust at fifty paces, then she was a goner..Zack was smart, funny, open and in love with her..she had never felt so special in her life. It was easy to fall in love with him too, and suddenly her feelings for Lee had seemed irrelevant to what she had found with his brother. She would have done anything for Zack if he had asked, and when he asked her to be his wife she had been ecstatic. Of course, that meant she had to meet his parents. She knew, from things he had told her, that he loved his mother, but wasn't to close to her; which had probably been just as well. Kara quickly realized when she met her that she and Caroline Adama would never be kindred souls. Zack's mother was elegant and poised; everything Kara had never been, and always wished she was. Caroline made her feel inadequate; not a feeling she enjoyed. Fortunately Zack made it clear that he wasn't bothered by it, and Caroline had reluctantly made her welcome. His father, who he clearly adored, was away, but due back two days before Zack's graduation. Zack was sure that she would get on well with him. Zack had been right, even though she had only met the old man after his son's death; he had immediately taken her under his wing. Back then, the old man had literally saved her life. She was wracked with guilt over her part in Zack's death. Bill had obviously been hurting too, but he had still found time to reach out and help her through it. Zack had been right; she did like his father a great deal. After the funeral service, he could have considered his duty done, or left her to Caroline to look after, and returned to his ship. He had little enough reason to hang around, Caroline made it perfectly clear he was not welcome; leaning on that smarmy accountant, the one she eventually decided to marry according to Lee, for support and Lee had been aggressively hostile. However, before leaving, he had taken the time to check up on her, and when he saw she was struggling, he had pulled a few strings and had her transferred to the Galactica with him. From then on, he had always been there for her, rough or smooth. He not only understood her, but like Zack, he genuinely seemed to like her just as she was. Over time, he had become the father she had always dreamed of having-oh she loved her own dad, she always had. He was a brilliant and talented man; trouble was, she wasn't the kind of daughter he had imagined having-he wanted an artistic, sensitive young lady, not a rough and tumble tomboy who was good at scrapping. Eventually, she had given up trying to be the person he wanted because she couldn't take the disappointment on his face when she failed to make the grade; instead she went overboard the other way. The old man understood her. He managed against the odds to bring out the best in her and to let her know when she did well, sometimes it was just a look, but it was enough. She had his trust and his affection; for that she would walk through fire, even when her secret was revealed, he had forgiven her. Oh, he had been angry; she could not remember him ever looking like that before; it had scared the hell out of her but, he loved her enough to get past his anger, love like that was a gift from the Gods. She could not understand how Lee could not see what he was throwing away by working so closely with Roslin. It made her so angry! Did he really not understand how he hurt his father when he chose Roslin over him? Did he not see how much his father needed his love? As for Roslin, clearly she was either a complete bitch or stupid where the old man was concerned; Kara couldn't honestly decide, she instinctively admired the woman- she had guts.but if it came to a choice between her and the old man there was no contest.
However, now she was really puzzled, she'd thought she had the situation all sussed. Roslin was pulling Lee away from Adama and he was unhappy about it, ergo there was flack flying around between the two of them. But in the light of new evidence, she was being forced to rethink things.
Apollo had asked her to take some papers to the President aboard Colonial One, as he had to take watch. She'd taken great pleasure in riding him about using the pilots as errant boys for his new mistress; he had taken it for so long, and then turned the request into an order. Boy, did she enjoy winding up Lee, he was such a stuffed shirt, it was too irresistible to try and crack his perfect façade..besides he was so cute when he was ruffled and, well, a girl had to take her pleasures where she could. She'd arrived at Colonial One and was met by Billy what's-his-name, the guy Dee was interested in, who informed her that the president was resting but would see her in her bedroom. When she entered, Roslin was on the phone, so Kara glanced around while she waited. That's when she saw it..the book! It was lying open on the bedside table, the dent in its spin clearly visible, as was the scratch in the leather along the back. She'd recognise that book anywhere. It was the old man's. What was Laura Roslin doing with that book? She knew how much it meant to him. As soon as she left Colonial One she headed straight for Adama's quarters .She had never believed in tact and diplomacy..so she asked him outright where the book was.
. At first he had stalled. "Why do you want to know?" She wasn't going to let it go, however. "I saw it in the President's room." "Then you know where it is?" he countered calmly. "Why did you lend it to her?" Starbuck demanded," You never lend books." She really was genuinely puzzled by this; he was acting so out of character. "I didn't lend it to her," he replied. Starbuck gave him a look. "I gave it to her," he said in resignation, when it became clear she wasn't going to let it go. "What?" That was the last thing she expected him to say. "Because I wanted her to have It." he replied, and then held up his hand to stop further questions he clearly did not want to answer. Apollo knocked on the door at that point, and Adama jumped at the chance of changing the subject.
Apollo brought over some documents from the President, Kara watched with interest at the way the old man's demeanour changed when Lee started to argue the President's point. Frak me, she thought, he had feelings for the President, it was the only possible thing that explained his actions, and he thought Lee was interested in her too! It explained so many things, including the rise in tension between the two of them when Roslin came into their conversation. It also explained the friction between him and the President, if he thought she was romantically involved with his son, yet he wanted her himself, it would make being around her hell! What a frakking mess! And why wouldn't the President be interested in Lee? Let's be honest, he was very easy on the eyes, Kara mused, and she should know. She didn't envy the President her choice if they both wanted her; personally, Lee could jump her bones any day; he made her toes curl without even trying.
But the old man, well he had something all of his own. How would she feel if he wanted to sleep with her? OK, so she had never considered him in that light, he was Zack's dad for frak's sake and she loved him like a father, but now that she thought about it.Gods no! She wasn't going to go there; her life was complicated enough already where the Adama men were concerned. She didn't need to complicate things further by speculating what the old man might be like in the sack.she definitely wasn't going there. Nor, apparently, was Laura Roslin, which was a shame. She and the old man would make a cute couple. He needed someone who could stand up to him, but he also needed to be loved deeply.
Kara gritted her teeth; if Roslin and Lee wanted to use the old man as a punching bag, they would have to go through her first. He had been hurt enough already, she wasn't going to let it happen again, he deserved better.
Lee sighed, what was it with his father and the President? He'd felt the tension level rise the minute he had mentioned that he was bringing documents from her; the same thing happened when he spoke to her regarding his father, with everyone else she was calm consideration..his father made her see red. Lee groaned, sometimes he felt like a ping pong ball-- he seemed to have spent the greater part of his life being bounced between two people he cared about, with differing points of view. At the moment, he was trying to balance his role of presidential advisor with that of CAG and he wasn't always succeeding. It was ironic; the only reason he had taken the role in the first place was to try and make things easier for his father. In a way, it had been a bit of a peace offering. He was aware that his attitude towards his father since his younger brother's death had been a bit unfair; even if he had pushed his sons towards the military, Lee knew that flying would have been Zack's own choice. He had been crazy about planes from the moment he could talk, always asking for yet another war story and begging their father to take him on board the ship. If he could, Zack would have spent his life with his dad on the battlestar, but unfortunately families were not encouraged on military vessels. It would have been different if his father had continued in the merchant fleet, they could have all been together and Zack would have been in his element. He had seen early on that his father and the President clashed, partly through her lack of understanding of the military and his father in particular; and partly from his father's reluctance to explain his actions. So when she had offered him the post of advisor he had seen a way to try and bridge the gap between the two of them. Unfortunately, as was all too common in their relationship, his father had misunderstood and felt Lee was choosing the President's side over his, which couldn't be further from the truth. Yes he liked Laura Roslin; she had earned his respect and admiration for her stand after the Cylon attack. For someone thrust into a position of power, she had handled herself well, making the hard decisions when needed, but not losing her humanity in the process. But that was as far as it went. He did not necessarily agree with all her actions, and while she was a beautiful woman, she wasn't the type who attracted him physically; she was much too polished and controlled for his liking. No, his taste ran much more to blonde spunky pilots with tons of attitude.