Word Count: 10,502
Date: 02/08/05
Series: One
Rating: T
Category: Relationships
Pairing/Focus: Laura/Lee, Laura/Adama (Yep, it’s the triangle!),
Warnings: language and violence
Summary:
Spoilers/Disclaimers: Through “Acts of Contrition” but nothing really spoilery.
Chapter 1
"You force me to tell you yet again, Madame President, how much I object to this" Adama said with much irritation.
Laura Roslin sighed and rolled her eyes at the three men in the room. She and Commander Adama had been having this argument for nearly an hour, with Apollo and Tigh looking on; round and round in circles they'd gone and it was starting to give her a headache.
"And again, your objection is duly noted, Commander, but I am still going" she told him.
It was not something to even argue about, in Roslin's view. Some children on one of the ships had organized a play. With a fleet of bored civilians needing something, anything, to latch onto, the idea had grown into a complete event. There was going to be singing and dancing and poetry and stories. The show had grown so large that the venue had had to be changed to Cloud Nine, a luxury liner, because it was one of the largest ships in the fleet. The children had extended a request that President Roslin attend the event as the honored guest. She'd immediately agreed.
Only to have Commander Adama rescind her acceptance because he objected to her attending the event without proper security. He had been having an ongoing argument with Roslin about the need for security forces among the civilian population. The commander was reluctant to send military personnel from Galactica out on police duty under the best of circumstances. For this event, where several thousand people were going to be congregated in one place, there was no way he would be able to commit enough troops even if he had them to send. Not with the threat of a Cylon attack still hanging over their heads and the possibility of needing to jump rapidly. So, Adama had decided that there was no way the President of the Twelve Colonies was going to attend an event where she was surrounded by thousands of people with no security.
Of course, this was all the ammunition that Tom Zarek had needed. Despite getting the promise of elections he wanted, the man seemed on a never-ending crusade to undermine their fragile government. Or maybe just Roslin herself. He immediately started a smear campaign and in less than 24 hours, the word of the backlash among the fleet had reached Galactica. It didn't seem to matter that Roslin had sent word that she would indeed be attending as soon as she'd heard what Adama had done. She'd stormed into his office, with Apollo hot on her heels, and interrupted the commander and Tigh while they were in conference.
After an hour of "discussion", neither one of them would budge.
Commander Adama slammed his hand down on his desk angrily. "You're putting yourself into unnecessary danger to prove a damned point."
She was unfazed. "Look, I need to go." She sighed. "Tom Zarek has been running around telling everyone who will listen that I've declared myself Queen of What's Left of Humanity and that I think I'm too good to rub elbows with my lowly subjects." Roslin put her hands on her narrow hips, just under her jacket. "I can't let him paint the people's perception of me at a time when half of them already believe that they shouldn't be taking orders from a schoolteacher."
Adama at least had the grace to look away at that comment. Over the past two months since the Cylon attacks, she'd proven her mettle more than once and though it had been slow in coming, he had come to realize that her leadership was an asset to them all; which was precisely why her safety was an issue. Despite the fact that they were going to be having an election in 5 months, in the commander's opinion no one had come forth as a candidate who was anywhere in her league in the leadership department. Certainly not that anarchist, murdering convict Tom Zarek.
"So this is a political move" he asked her. "A campaign stunt for votes" He'd never understand politicians.
"I don't give a damn about the fracking election" she exploded, anger blazing from her blue-grey eyes. "The people need to feel connected to the government that makes the decisions that can mean if they live or die." She closed her eyes, willing her feelings back into her control. She put her hand into her right pocket and appeared to be fingering something there. There was a troubled look on her face and after a moment, she added"They need to know that I know that they have faces and names and that they dance and sing and love."
He wasn't prepared for her reaction. The men stared at her, unaccustomed to her displaying any kind of temper, yet alone enough of one to raise her voice and use profanity. She was much too controlled for that. Still, her outburst had helped him to understand her point of view ... a little. Adama wasn't used to dealing with civilians and their needs and wants, but he did know that every now and then, even his soldiers needed to have some kind of personal contact with their commander; he supposed that it wouldn't be any different for the civilians.
And she was their commander.
Adama sighed and made his decision.
"Fine, Madame President" he said folding his hands behind his back. "You get to go to your little party "
"Thank you for your permission, Commander" she said snidely. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate it."
"You're taking a security detail" he went on ignoring her interjection, but she interrupted again.
"I will not "
"You will or you don't go"
"I will not go there surrounded by troops like I'm afraid of my own people"
"You will or you don't go" he repeated.
She stared at him, her nostrils flaring as she fought to rein in her anger. She didn't succeed. "You’re trying to make me look weak. Maybe you're planning that military coup after all."
"I'm trying to make you safe " Adama broke off and shook his head. "For a smart woman, you can be really damned stupid."
Apollo stepped forward. "Commander, that's not necessary."
Adama didn't even turn to his son. "She doesn't need you to defend her honor, Captain, and it is necessary." He continued, ignoring the President's attempt to say something in return. "Wake up, Ms. Roslin. There are nearly fifty thousand people in this fleet and not all of them like you or the office you hold. There's danger and you know it. You're just being fracking stubborn."
"And you're being a short-sighted, inflexible bastard" the President shot back.
Adama nodded. "That may be but you take guards or you don't go. Period."
They stared at each other, both tense and angry for long moments. The commander knew she was furious but for all intents and purposes this was a military decision and per their agreement, it was his to make. He'd made it and now she had to live with it.
After what seemed like forever, Apollo stepped forward and leaned into the President slightly. "Madame President" he began gently. "I have to agree with Commander Adama. Your safety has to be one of our main concerns here."
The commander fought the urge to chuckle as he saw Roslin's eyes shift to his son. Her look was incendiary. He was proud that to see Lee's back straighten as he met the woman's livid glare evenly, without blanching. Truthfully, he hadn't really fully expected Lee to take his side on this, though he knew that his son also had concerns about her attending the event. Still, more often than not, whenever Lee was dragged into their arguments, he sided with the President. Adama like the way it felt to have his son on his side for a change.
Roslin huffed a sigh and relented. "Four guards and they keep their distance."
"I'm escorting you" Apollo said immediately and when she opened her mouth to say something, he added"That's not up for discussion."
Her eyes narrowed on his face. "So you're giving me orders now, too"
Apollo smiled at her. "Madame President, I wouldn't dream of it. I'm merely escorting you to an event."
But she refused to be charmed. "Just stay the frack out of my way" she told him coolly.
Apollo's grin disappeared in an instant. "Yes, Sir."
She turned her attention back to Commander Adama. "Fine. You get your way this time. But I want to tell you something, Commander and I'm going to tell you only once." She stepped up and into his personal space. "If you ever go behind my back again, I will kick your ass all the way back to Caprica and let the Cylons deal with you. Do I make myself clear"
The ire in her eyes and the tenor of her voice activated the soldier in Adama and he found himself standing more-or-less at attention before his commander-in-chief. "Crystal clear, Sir" he said.
Roslin turned on her heel and swept out of his office in a cloud of fury so palpable that Adama thought the ship shook with it.
Tigh gave a low whistle. "Whoa, that is one pissed off female. Who knew she had a temper like that on her"
Adama unbuttoned his jacket and collapsed into his chair. These skirmishes with Laura Roslin always took a lot out of him. "She's a stubborn one" he said, flicking his glasses onto his desk and looked up at his son. "Lee, don't let her out of your sight. She may think she's invincible... "
His son gave him a small, almost sad smile. "She knows she's not invincible" he said quietly"But I will see that no harm comes to her." With that he nodded and left the Commander's office.
When they were alone, Colonel Tigh eased into the chair opposite his longtime friend. After a moment, he asked"Does it bother you that Lee is taking her to this thing"
Adama looked annoyed for a second. "It's not a damned date, Saul. He's going to protect her. Besides, he's a member of her staff."
"Uh-huh" Tigh said, rising from his seat. "Whatever you say."
"Don't you have something better to do" the commander asked him.
Tigh turned to leave the office with a smile on his face. "That, I do. Let me just say one thing, though."
"I think you've said enough" Adama put in quickly.
"Yeah, but Bill, don't let her be the straw" Tigh said cryptically.
"The straw"
Tigh's brow furrowed slightly as he considered how to put his next words. "You and Lee ...well, you're still healing. Don't let Laura Roslin come between"
"That's enough, Colonel" Adama said briskly, replacing his glasses on his face and picking up some papers on his desk. "Get back to your post."
Knowing that the discussion was over, Tigh gave a crisp"Yes, Sir" and left the office.
Chapter 2
If she could have slammed the door she would have.
But the doors aboard star ships didn't slam, so Laura had to settle for throwing a book against the wall.
It gave her some small pleasure to note that it was "Dark Day" the gift from Commander Adama.
She found herself pacing the small space of her office, allowing the anger to work itself out of her. It was something that she'd learned to do years and years ago, when she first found herself involved in politics. Back then, so many more seasoned politicians looked at her as an untried, ignorant kid who was so wet behind the ears that she left a trail behind her. Laura had had to prove herself then and she found it ironic that now, as President, she found herself back in the same position.
There was a small knock at the door.
Without turning, she said"Not now, Billy. Whatever it is can wait until I'm in a better mood."
"It's not Billy" came Captain Apollo's voice behind her.
She whirled around and shook her head. "And I am most definitely not in the mood to talk anyone with the last name Adama."
"Madame President" Lee began, coming into the room anyway. "Ma'am...I'm not your enemy."
Laura looked at him incredulously then gave a dry chuckle. "Not my ... Is that all you came to say? If so, thanks. I'll see you tomorrow."
He frowned. "So you're mad at me because I was concerned about your safety or because I didn't take your side against my father"
She put her hands on her hips and faced him squarely. "Nobody asked you to choose sides" she told him. "I've never asked that of you."
Apollo nodded. "No, no you haven't." He sighed and approached her. "Are you alright"
For some reason, his question took her aback. She stared at him, into his crystal blue eyes and saw compassion so profound that a lump formed in her throat. From the beginning she had found it so easy to talk to this young man and this time, even though she was angry, was no different.
"I never wanted this" Laura said with a hollow voice. "I was the Secretary of Education. I was never supposed to be President. Sometimes...it's so hard. Some days, sometimes I want to let someone else do this and just go away and die in peace." The last came out as a sob and she dropped her head, feeling naked before him but still unwilling to let him see the tears.
So she was surprised to feel Lee Adama's strong arms pull her to him, but he didn't let her pull away when she would have. Instead, he threaded one large hand into her hair while his other arm wound around her back. Laura's head settled onto his shoulder almost against her will.
Though she didn't cry anymore than she already had, she accepted the comfort nonetheless.
The President and the captain stayed that way for long minutes. Now her arms were about him as well and his hand combed through her hair gently. But as the seconds ticked by, she became acutely aware that she was pressed full length against his body. His scent enveloped her and against her cheek, his pulse throbbed rapidly and the air seemed to thicken.
Too long.
Too tempting.
Laura pulled back against Apollo's arms, which seemed reluctant to let her go. As it was, she managed only to put only a couple of inches between them. But it was enough to look into his eyes...and what she found there made her hands clench convulsively against his shoulders.
His gaze dropped to her mouth and she knew she had to stop this and stop it now.
"Lee." It came out as nothing more than a whisper, but her warning was clear.
And he got the message.
Apollo closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he had composed himself, he smiled at the woman still in his arms and brushed her hair back from her face, smoothing it tenderly.
"Are you sure you're alright" he asked softly. He was looking at her hair, still. Avoiding her eyes.
Laura nodded and found her fingers tapping almost absently on his shoulders. She was startled when he leaned towards her again, but quickly relieved when he placed a soft kiss on her forehead and then released her altogether.
Apollo made his way to the doorway. "So, I'll see you tomorrow. 1100."
Laura smiled. "1100."
He turned to go but she called out to him. "Captain Apollo"
"Yes, Madame President"
And Laura found she couldn't speak; couldn't articulate what she felt at all, so she simply repeated"I'll see you tomorrow."
He gave her another small smile and left her alone with her troubled thoughts.
Captain Lee Adama stared out of the port window of what had been one of the crew cabins aboard the Astral Queen. The stars looked like tiny dots of white against the black canvas of space and ever so often, one of the fleet ships would pass in and out of his view. Lee sighed, wondering not for the first time, just how long they'd be able to hold this all together. Especially with his father and the President always at each other's throats.
Lee's thoughts invariably drifted to what had happened in the President's office. Or, more specifically, what had almost happened. It hadn't been his intention to take advantage of her moment of weakness. His respect for her was too great. But Lee was honest with himself. He wanted her and had almost from the very beginning.
That first day, he hadn't known what to make of her. When he'd boarded Colonial 798 during the Cylon attack, he'd discovered that there was more to the Secretary of Education than met the eye. She'd calmly taken charge when everyone else was reeling from the enormity of the attack. The only time Lee had seen her fear was when Mother Elosha swore her in as President. Then he'd looked on and seen her trembling, her voice breaking as she took the oath of office, barely able to make it through to the end. It was as if then and only then, did she realize that all of this was real and not some horrible dream.
But almost immediately after taking the oath, she was back in control of herself and arguing with his father, giving him orders even. Lee still smiled at the thought of it.
He had often wondered over the last several weeks if that was when his feelings for her changed from admiration and respect to something else, something more personal and intimate. He had no doubt it was a bad idea, but had been helpless to stop himself as he spent more and more time with her. Yes, she was older than he was. Maybe even old enough to be his mother, he knew, but it didn't matter. There was something about her strength and courage that drew him to her like he'd been drawn to no other woman before. Perhaps it was her age that gave her these things, an insight one only got by living. It didn't matter how or why he felt the way he did, Lee told himself over and over. It only mattered that he did.
But his father also mattered to him and though the old man tried hard to hide it, on more than one occasion he'd seen the commander looking at the President with more than friendly eyes. And, though Lee hated to admit it, Roslin had a certain chemistry with his father that was obvious to everyone who bothered to look. He had taken to avoiding the showers during busy times because he was tired of listening to the bets being taken on how long it would take for the commander to get the uptight schoolteacher President into the sack.
Lee had nearly busted one of the rooks in the face when he heard the boy say that the President probably was a wildcat in bed. Lee wasn't certain if he'd reacted so badly because of what the kid said was so disrespectful or was it because Lee had wondered the same thing about her night after night in an endless string of fantasies.
Today, he had very nearly crossed the line, though, and he chastised himself for it. If she had let him, he would have kissed her and Lee didn't know that once he had gotten that far if he could stop. She wanted him, too; he had known that she was attracted to him from the beginning. But she was still the President and she was still sick and right now she didn't need him to distract her. If keeping his distance was the best thing Lee could do for her, then that was what he'd do.
His thoughts were interrupted by noise at the door. He turned to see Tom Zarek ducking into the room.
"Captain" Zarek said in greeting. "I'm sorry to keep you waiting. Please, have a seat. What can I do for you"
Apollo remained standing. "I trust you've heard that President Roslin will be attending the event aboard Cloud Nine tomorrow."
Zarek inclined his head slightly, regarding the younger man with some amusement. "Ah, yes, I had heard that she'd decided to grace the rabbles with her presence."
"Don't do that" Apollo snapped.
"Do what" Zarek asked coyly.
"Pretend to know anything about her. Do you even understand that you owe her your life? Why don't you think about that the next time you go shooting your mouth off"
Zarek's eyebrows rose. "My goodness, Captain Adama. So I guess it's true that you're Roslin's fan forever. Her greatest defender."
Lee fought the intense urge to grab Zarek around his neck. Instead, he leveled the man with a serious gaze. "That's right, Zarek. I am her defender because she's worthy of my loyalty. She's a good leader; none of us would be alive if not for her." He took a step forward. "If anything happens to her over there - and I mean a scratch, a broken fingernail, a hair out of place - and there's even a whisper that you're responsible, you will wish that I'd let Starbuck put a bullet through your head. You got me"
Zarek regarded the young man evenly for a long, long moment, before he finally nodded. A small, disturbing smile formed on his lips. "Oh, yes, I've got you, Captain" he said softly.
Apollo looked at him through narrowed eyes before he stepped around him to leave. He was nearly out the door when he heard Zarek's voice. He paused without turning around.
"Give the President my best, Captain."
Apollo left without a comment.
The photo was already worn around the edges, though he did try to keep it flat so that it didn't crease. The people indelibly captured on the paper were happy: two smiling little boys and a beautiful woman with flowing red hair. The picture had captured what a perfect, beautiful day it had been. Full of sunshine and warm breezes...he could still feel the wind on his cheeks.
But that was all gone now.
The Cylons had destroyed days like that one, possibly forever.
Someone else had destroyed the three smiling faces, and while he couldn't do anything against the might of the Cylons, he could get retribution from the one who had taken his family.
Chapter 3
Laura tapped her foot impatiently on the flight deck.
"Madame President" Starbuck said"Apollo is only a couple of minutes late. Because the commander wanted me to accompany you to Cloud Nine, Lee had to take the rooks out on maneuvers this morning. They ran a little late."
Laura sighed. "I understand the circumstances, Lieutenant" she said"I really do. But I've been waiting her for him for twenty minutes. He knows I'm on a schedule. He was the one who was so insistent that he accompany me. If he was otherwise engaged, he should have said so." She paced a small circle around the flight deck, checked time once more and muttered"I've had enough of this. Chief, are we ready to take off"
Tyrol nodded from his position nearby. "Yes, sir, your shuttle is ready whenever you are."
"I'm ready now." She headed for her shuttle at a brisk pace, her steps echoing across the deck. Starbuck and Boomer struggled to keep up, both wondering how the woman could move so fast in heels so high.
"Sir" Boomer said, when she's caught up. "I think we should wait for Apollo."
The President smiled at her over her shoulder and headed up the ramp the shuttle. "He can catch up to us over there. Chief, I'm ready to roll."
"Yes, sir. Have fun, Madame President."
She turned and poked her head back out of the shuttle and gave him a bright smile. "Thanks, Chief. I will."
"The President's shuttle is away, sir" Tyrol reported to Adama a few minutes later.
"Is Apollo with her" the commander asked, taking a report from Gaeta.
"No, sir" said the chief. "She left without him."
Adama sighed and cut the line. "Damned woman" he muttered. "How many people are over there" he asked Tigh.
The colonel looked up from his latest report on the situation on Cloud Nine. "The ship's captain said that they're near capacity with shuttles still requesting permission to offload passengers."
"What's their capacity"
"Forty-five hundred."
"Damn." Adama removed his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Notify the fleet that we're going to be doing a formation change. Bring us alongside Cloud Nine. If anything goes wrong over there, we can get in fast and get her out. And someone find Apollo."
"Yes, sir" Tigh said and turned to relay the notification.
"Damned woman" the commander said again.
Aboard Cloud Nine, amid all of the chaos of visitors, no one noticed the man with light brown hair wearing the green suit. He was sweating and slightly twitchy and his right hand was bandaged heavily. There was a square bulge in his left jacket pocket. He made his way to the front of the "parade route" that the President of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol would be walking through the atrium and positioned himself carefully in front of the entrance to the corridor.
Elsewhere, deep in the ship, there were small devices against the outer bulkhead walls. But everyone was on the upper decks to watch the show and the President's arrival and no one noticed them.
Starbuck's hand twitched slightly as she covered her sidearm. She exchanged a glance with Boomer and the two Marines behind them. There were a hell of a lot of people out there.
The President's shuttle had landed on Cloud Nine twenty minutes before. As they came in, Kara could see the assembled crowd on the outer deck. Hundreds of people were standing around, necks craning, waiting for the President to emerge.
The passenger liner itself was huge. The previous day, Starbuck and Apollo had toured the vessel, canvassing terrain and assessing the situation before the President arrived. There were 48 decks, most containing long stretches of corridors lined with passenger cabins. The upper five decks of the aft half of the ship ringed a square atrium on deck six. Balconies on all five decks overlooked the area below and it was here that the pageant was to be held.
The shuttles landed in the bay on deck two. Prior to their landing, the captain of the liner had radioed to say that the people had gathered to watch the President's arrival. Starbuck hadn't liked that news one bit and now, seeing the crowd, she had feeling that things were going to become fracked very, very soon.
Laura Roslin was unprepared for the reception the refugees gave her aboard the Cloud Nine. They clapped and waved as she'd exited her shuttle and moved through along the pre-planned route. She spotted a couple of "Power-Hungry Dictator" and "Unqualified to Lead Us" signs along the way, but there were so few that she largely chalked that up to Tom Zarek's latest work. Most of the faces she saw were smiling.
The cheers that greeted her as she walked into the atrium were deafening. Laura paused on the second deck overlook and waved at the crowds all around her before Starbuck herded her off towards the lift to take her down to deck six.
In the lift's relative privacy, she allowed herself a moment. Laura closed her eyes and leaned against the back wall.
"Madame President, are you alright" Starbuck asked, her look concerned.
Laura blinked at her. "Yes, it's just...” She sighed. “Secretary of Education. I'm not used to this."
The Viper pilot grinned at her in understanding. "Yeah, it's pretty wild, isn't it"
"Yeah. That's a good word for it." The lift came to a smooth halt and Laura pushed herself away from the wall. "Showtime" she murmured and put on her best smile.
Magnus Appleman saw the President moving down the receiving line towards him. She was flanked by soldiers. Carefully, he checked his position and put his left hand into his pocket. If not for the noise of the crowd cheering Roslin, the beeping might have been heard. Instead, it went unnoticed.
Serendipitously, the President paused right in front of him, her back to him and knelt down to greet some children. He looked down at the top of her head, her dark hair glowing auburn in the artificial sunlight. It would be so easy, he knew; her head was nearly level with his right hand. It would be so easy.
But he needed her to know why she was going to die. He would give her the courtesy that she had denied his family.
And her soul would be pure when she went to meet the Lords of Kobol.
Appleman looked around and knew that the time had come.
He stepped forward and flipped the switch in his pocket.
Damned woman, Lee Adama thought as he landed his viper on the flight deck of the luxury liner. Why couldn't she wait five more minutes? He was incredibly late. Shuttles were in short demand because of the pageant and the traffic trying to land on the luxury liner was near gridlock.
He scrambled down out of the cockpit, almost ignoring the docking officer completely, as he made his way towards the door that lead to the atrium overlook. He'd just hit the stairs when he heard the first explosion.
And the screams.
Laura Roslin wasn't sure what registered with her first: the terrible sound of the breaking glass and rending metal in the atrium or the fact that she was being yanked to her feet.
For a few long seconds, everyone in the atrium was frozen in shock...then everything dissolved into utter chaos. People began running and screaming and then there was another explosion.
Laura was being pulled away from the blasts and in the confusion, she had assumed briefly that it was Starbuck or Boomer or one of the Marines dragging her out of danger. But then she turned...
"Commander" Dualla called out in the Galactica CIC. "There are reports of two explosions aboard the Cloud Nine."
Adama's head snapped up from the charts laid out before him. "Get me Starbuck."
Even through the bandages, Laura could see he held a gun. Having let her go, he brought it up and pointed it directly at her face.
"I've got another bomb" he told her, shouting over the noise. "You come willingly or I blow the ship."
Heart pounding, Laura's eyes looked around at the pandemonium around her. There were thousands of people ... children ...
Sidearm drawn, Apollo pushed his way through the crowds rushing towards the flight deck. It took him a few long minutes to reach the overlook. He scanned the crowd below, on the atrium floor, looking for Roslin and her security detail.
Some instinct told him to look towards the port side corridors and he spotted the President ... and a man pointing what looked like a bunched towel at her head.
No, Lee thought and ran as fast as he could for the stairs.
Chapter 4
"Hang on there, hotshot" came Starbuck's voice from behind the President. "Drop the gun or there'll be a big empty space where your head used to be." Laura could see that she pointed her sidearm at the man with both hands.
"I've got another bomb" he repeated, his eyes shifting rapidly between Roslin and Starbuck. He pulled the detonator out of his pocket with his free hand. "I'll blow the ship and we’ll all go to meet the Lords." His finger started to depress the switch.
"Wait" Laura cried out. She swallowed hard and her hand came to her mouth briefly. She turned to Starbuck. "We can't risk it."
Starbuck's eyes narrowed, her bead between his eyes clear. "Madame President, I can take him."
"Before he hits the switch"
She saw the young woman's eyes flicker just briefly and knew that Starbuck wasn't sure. If they took the chance and they were wrong ...
"Lieutenant, I'm not going to endanger the lives of all of these people, not for one person."
"Madame President "
"No, Lieutenant, not even for me." Laura stared at Starbuck until the young woman met her eyes. "Find the bomb."
Starbuck started shaking her head, reading the President's intent clearly.
"Find the bomb, Starbuck" Laura ordered again and turned to the man with the gun. Backing away, his eyes still on Starbuck, he motioned for Roslin to follow him through the low maintenance doorway just to his right. His finger was still half-depressing the detonator trigger in his hand.
Just before she moved through the doorway, Laura turned and looked at Starbuck one last time. With a nod, she ducked through the door and out of sight. The man quickly followed and closed the door behind them.
"Oh, frack me" was all Kara Thrace could say. The commander and Lee were both going to kill her.
After running for what seemed like forever through indistinguishable grey corridors, Appleman pushed Laura into the room roughly. She slipped and fell to her knees on the tiles, vaguely registering that she was in the pool deck. As she breathed rapidly to fill her over-taxed lungs, she noted that the air was quite damp.
Appleman pulled her to her feet and up against the wall next to some pipes. He grabbed her wrist up and secured it before going back to the door. He dug through a bag briefly and pulled out a pair of dark goggles. Donning them, he struck up the welding torch. Laura had to look away from the brilliant light but she knew he was welding the metal door shut because the other three doors to the room were charred about the edges.
She tried pulling on her restraint, all the while scanning the room for a possible escape route.
After long minutes, her captor returned to her, sitting down heavily in a deck chair opposite her position by the wall.
"They'll find us, you know" she told him.
He nodded and took a long pull from the water bottle he'd produced from his bag. "I know they will."
Licking her dry lips, Laura tried again. "It won't work. Whatever it is that you want, Adama won't negotiate. Especially not for me." That part, she knew, wasn't entirely true, but he didn't need to know that.
"That's okay, Madame President" he told her affably. "I don't have any demands."
Laura pushed back the fear that suddenly gripped her. "You have what you want" she said softly. She cleared her throat. "Why"
He regarded her with a look that resembled concern. "My name is Magnus Appleman." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a slightly worn photograph. Standing, he brought over to where the President stood shackled to the wall. "This is my family." He showed her the picture of a woman with beautiful red hair and two grinning little boys. "That's my wife, Tina. And those" he pointed"those are my boys, Daniel and Jacob."
Laura stared at the picture, her fear gripping her at his nearness. "That's a - that's a very nice family" she whispered.
He smiled at her. "Every year, our church sponsors a trip from Picon - that's where we live - to one of the other colony worlds. This year, we were going to Caprica." His smile faded and he looked at his captive. “You’re from Caprica, aren’t you?”
She nodded.
“I knew it.” His smile faded suddenly. "Do you know what ship we were on"
Laura's stomach sank. She fought the tears that were threatening to spill out of her eyes. "No" she whispered.
"Our ship was the Olympic Carrier."
"What's the situation, Apollo" Adama asked over the wireless.
"Chaos, sir" came back the staticky report. "There were two detonations of small explosives in the atrium; there are some serious injuries but no casualties so far."
"And the President"
There was a long pause. "Taken, sir."
Adama couldn't keep the flash of fear off of his face. Briefly, just for a second he was laid bare in CIC and anyone looking could see his soul ... and his heart. He didn't need to turn to his left to know that Tigh has been watching him.
Composing himself, he listened as Lee relayed Starbuck's report about how the suspect had said he had another bomb on board, one capable of destroying the ship. Roslin had gone with him willingly in order to keep him from detonating.
He asked"I don't suppose we have security footage."
"No, sir" Apollo's voice came back. "According to Starbuck, he took her into the maintenance corridors and those are equipped with surveillance. And even if they were, nobody would have been watching. Everyone was at the parade."
Adama sighed. "What's the situation now"
"We've got teams looking for the bomb. We could use some help from Galactica."
"It's already on the way."
"Starbuck and I are going after the President."
"Find her, Lee."
"I will, sir." There was a pause and then"I'll bring our girl home."
Starbuck knew that Apollo was pissed. He'd barely spoken to her when he'd finally appeared at her side on the atrium floor. He just demanded to know what had happened. After they're reported to Galactica they'd set off to the ship's bridge to get the layout of the maintenance corridors. Now, with the plans spread out in front of them, Lee looked up at her.
"He took her through this door here" He pointed and Starbuck nodded. Apollo started rolling up the plans but she stopped him.
"So are you going to chew my ass or what" she asked brusquely.
Apollo's jaw twitched but he said nothing.
"Okay, I messed up" she said plaintively. "I didn't protect her."
Only now did he turn to her. "No, you didn't" he said heatedly. "She's the President, Starbuck. Don't you know how much she means to the fleet"
"I know how much she means to you."
Apollo froze and though his anger covered it well, for a brief moment, he looked like the little boy with his hand caught in the cookie jar.
"Let's go, Lieutenant" he said icily and marched out of the room.
Starbuck followed, wondering dejectedly if a day would ever come when she could control her damned mouth.
"Commander, three shuttles have just left the passenger liner" Dualla reported.
Tigh turned to Adama. "If there's a mass exodus off that ship, whoever's got her can disappear her into the fleet."
"Launch a squadron to guide those shuttles here so they can be searched" Adama ordered. "Let's get some troops over there. Bomb or no bomb, no one leaves that ship until President Roslin has been found."
"The Olympic Carrier," Laura nearly choked on the words. "You weren't with them ... "
She jumped when he started laughing. "No" he told her indulgently. "Then I would be a ghost, wouldn't I" He went back to his chair and sat down again, staring at the picture. "I'm an engineer" he said quietly. "When the Cylons attacked, I wanted to help out as much as I could. You know, be a productive member of what's left of society."
He looked at her expectantly and Laura swallowed hard, trying to get the words out of her throat. "That's very - That's very good of you."
His eyes narrowed. "Yeah. Well, at Ragnar I went over onto another ship to help fix one of the engine coolers ... my family stayed behind, of course." Again, he looked at her.
"Of course" Laura whispered, tears slipping out of her eyes.
"With all the jumps, I didn't get a chance to make it back ... so when we jumped without the Olympic Carrier I was safe with the rest of the fleet."
Laura couldn't hold back the tiny sob that escaped her. Ever since it happened, she had relived the demise of the Olympic Carrier. Over and over, until some nights she wanted to scream with the guilt of it.
"Did Adama kill my family" He asked her suddenly.
Laura stared at him, unable to speak.
"Did he do it on his own, just shoot them out of the sky"
She shook her head slowly and even now, she found it ironic that for all the choices that Adama did run off and make on his own, the decision to destroy a civilian ship was the one he had laid at her door. It was one more thing for which she'd never forgive him.
Clearing her throat, she stood up straight and forced herself to look Appleman in the eye. She felt she did owe this man that much.
"No, I gave the order to destroy the ship."
Appleman closed his eyes and nodded. "Thank you, Madame President, thank you for telling me the truth."
Laura fought not to tremble at his calm demeanor. "You're welcome" she said.
"Bill, I don't think this is a good idea" Tigh said, nearly running to keep up with Adama's brisk stride as he headed for the hanger bay. "Roslin could be dead already. The fleet will need you to "
"I'm going, Colonel" Adama cut him off. "Get back to CIC and monitor the situation from there. The way this damned day is going, the fracking Cylons will probably attack."
"They'll find us soon" Appleman told Laura quietly. In a gesture almost heartbreakingly tender, he approached her and moved her hair from where it fallen over her left eye. "We should begin our prayers."
Chapter 5
Things were still chaotic on the passenger liner when Adama arrived. He ignored the angry shouts of the people trying to get off the ship. He knew that there were going to be serious ramifications from his order to seal the ship with a possible bomb on board but he couldn't think about it right now.
Right now, Laura Roslin dominated his thoughts. She did that a lot lately, he noted to himself. He knew he shouldn't be thinking the thoughts he had of her. He knew that it would lead to nothing but trouble. Their positions, their views, the fact that she was a politician and he hated politicians, were all things that should have a discouraged him from feeling anything but contempt for her.
Those things and the fact that he knew that his son was also deeply attracted to her.
But instead of contempt, Adama had found himself thinking about her all the damned time. He wondered what her skin smelled like, what her hair felt like, what her kiss tasted like.
Most of the time, when his thoughts for her headed in that direction, he cursed himself for being a lonely old man. It had been a long time since anyone had invaded his mind in the way Laura Roslin had moved in and set up camp. Even when he was fighting with her (which, he had to admit, was most of the time), he was drawn to her. She infuriated him, but Lords, did he want her.
But then, so did Lee. Tigh had been right. Adama's relationship with Lee was still tenuous and fragile. And try as he might, he felt jealous when he saw them together. She was constantly seeking Lee out, asking him things, confiding in him. He knew that most people thought their relationship was purely professional and if they thought anything else, it was that the President considered Lee to be her pupil or maybe even her son. But Adama would watch them with a lump of ice in his belly as she looked upon his son with eyes that were in no way maternal. Lee appealed to Roslin physically in a way that Adama no longer could. He accepted that.
But that didn't stop him from hating the situation and he knew that one day this was all going to blow up in their faces.
They only had to find her first.
The young private had been told to search the swimming pool deck for signs of the explosive device. It took her some time to locate the area on the unfamiliar ship but when she finally arrived, she noticed that the door in the right corridor was sealed shut.
She tried the left corridor on the port side. That door was also sealed. Noting her blueprints of this section of the ship, she saw that there was another door on starboard side.
It took her long moments to navigate the long corridors, but when she arrived at that deck, the door was also sealed.
Perplexed, she wondered if something had been left off the plans. One of the ship's crew had said that the pool had been emptied during the water crisis weeks back. Perhaps that was why the deck was sealed ... but no, he had said that the pool had been refilled once water was located ... something about using it as an extra reservoir.
Why was the deck sealed?
She decided to call it in.
Tyrol nearly shouted when he found them, two small boxes affixed to the bulkhead on deck 32.
He radioed in"This is Tyrol. I've found the bomb."
"There were two calls" Tigh told Apollo over the wireless. "Tyrol says he found the bomb on deck 32 about the same time a call came in that the pool deck is sealed."
Apollo took off running, dropping the wireless to check the map briefly that they were indeed headed in the right direction to reach the pool deck. Satisfied, he pressed the handset again. "He's got her in the pool. We're going to need some cutters down there."
"Already on the way" Tigh told him. "And the Commander has been notified. He'll meet you in the portside corridor.
Lee's step faltered slightly. "He's here"
"I couldn't keep him away, Lee" Tigh told him tiredly.
"Apollo out."
"The commander is here" Starbuck asked as they hit the stairs.
"Yeah" Lee responded absently. Somehow he wasn't looking forward to seeing his father, not wanting to see the condemnation in his eyes. If he hadn't been late, none of this would have happened. He would have been able to protect the President.
"You wouldn't have been able to prevent it, Lee" Starbuck told him in a slightly winded voice. "She would have made the same decision even if the commander had been with her."
Choosing not to comment, Apollo knew that she was right on some levels, but his heart, currently gripped in icy fear, kept telling him that none of this would have happened if he had been with her. His orders had been to stay by her side and he'd completely blown it.
The two pilots ran down what seemed to be an endless flight of stairs until they saw the signs read "Swimming Pool". They burst through the bulkhead door and ran down the corridor to the portside door.
A soldier whose name Lee couldn't remember was standing at the door.
"Private, report" Lee huffed, completely out of breath.
"Yes, sir" the soldier said. "I found the pool deck sealed off from the rest of the ship. I've tried listening for voices but the doors are pretty solid."
"Where are the fracking cutters" Starbuck said, examining the sealed door. It was solid steel. It was going to take a couple of minutes to cut through and she couldn't help but wonder if the President had that much time left.
"Come with me" Appleman said quietly. He'd unchained Laura's wrist from the pipe on the wall and was leading her by the hand towards the water. His other hand held the gun steadily at her chest.
The pool was massive. The depth on one side of it read “12 ft” while at the other it shallowed gradually until it was only a few inches deep. On one side, there were stairs that stepped down into the deep middle of the pool and it was here that Magnus Appleman guided the President.
She kicked off her shoes, really for no reason. It was just something you did before you stepped into water. Laura moved carefully down the stairs, the cool water lapping at her legs. She turned to look at Appleman, who was smiling at her placidly. He prodded her with his gun and she descended the steps until she was chest deep in the water. He followed her down, still holding the gun.
"I'm going to cleanse you now" he told her but they both knew he meant "kill".
Trembling, Laura nodded. "I know."
Then she startled at the noise at one of the doors.
Adama struggled to catch his breath. He'd arrived at the pool deck only a few minutes after Lee and Kara and just before the crew with the metal gear. They'd brought heavy cutters from the Galactica but it was still taking too damned long to cut through the door. He noted that both Starbuck and Apollo had their side arms drawn once the first cut was made. Behind the team, he peered through the slit, trying to see inside. It wasn't until they cornered up to the second cut that he got a view into the room.
And what he saw made him cry out. "Damn it! Starbuck, can you hit him"
Kara raised her weapon and trained her eye on the slit in the door. It was only a couple of inches wide but she could see the man from earlier through it. His head was inclined towards the ceiling, his lips murmuring. Kara looked down briefly and finally saw what the commander had.
The man was holding the President's head under the water.
Squinting her eye and holding the gun as steady as she could, Starbuck held her breath and took her shot.
Appleman's neck burst open with the impact of the bullet. He was dead before he slumped forward, over Roslin's body, pushing her completely under the water, now rapidly coloring with his blood.
"He's down" Starbuck yelled. "So is the President."
The cutting crew worked furiously and the smell of melting metal was acrid in the corridor. Making a third cut, they started kicking at the door, bending the heated melted enough to make a hole.
Apollo launched himself through this opening. Starbuck followed him in, dropped her gun and dove into the water. Her mind was racing as she sliced through the pool, her focus on reaching the President. Remotely, she heard and felt Lee entering the water right after her.
Kara broke the surface next to Roslin's limp form. She was floating face down in the pink water, her dark hair spread out like a halo. Starbuck turned her over, and hooked her arm around the unconscious woman's chest. She started paddling towards the shallow edge of the pool.
Apollo reached her and hooked his arm around Roslin as well. The two of them kicked and paddled furiously, and Kara couldn't help but notice there was no movement, no rise and fall of breathing under her arm.
As they approached the shallow end, another pair of hands pulled the President from their grasp. Kara looked up through her wet hair to see Commander Adama, waist deep in the pool, dragging Laura Roslin's body up onto the shallow ledge, where the water was barely two inches deep.
Starbuck and Apollo quickly scrambled up and knelt in the shallow water. Gently as she could, Starbuck brushed the President's long, wet hair away from where it covered her face.
"She's not breathing" she said, panic in her voice. Her fingers pressed on Roslin's neck. "No pulse."
Commander Adama was already moving to tilt the still woman's head back, opening her airway. He bent over her and sealed his lips over her's. Kara watched Roslin's chest rise up with the Commander's expelled breath even as she noted Lee's hands getting ready to compress her chest.
Adama leaned up while Lee did the compressions.
"She was down when we came into the room" Starbuck gasped out, still out of breath herself.
"Damn" Adama said and bent over to breathe into the President's mouth again.
They went on like that for what seemed like several long minutes. The commander breathing into Roslin's mouth and Lee trying to get her heart to beat. Numbly, Starbuck noted how they worked together, father and son ... so well choreographed.
And it didn't seem to be doing a damned bit of good.
Kara heard a sob and was shocked to realize it had come from Lee. Tears were spilling out of his eyes freely as he repeatedly compressed Roslin's chest.
Her heart sank at the sound of his quiet sobs but her attention was drawn to Commander Adama, who was bending over Roslin again. He breathed into her but this time, he didn't sit back up. He kept his face down, close to hers, and said quietly"Come on, baby, you can do this. Come back."
Baby!
And then something that should have been so obvious hit Kara Thrace like a punch to the face. Holding the President's head between her palms, Starbuck looked back and forth between the two men struggling to save the woman's life. She had known about Lee; she found him a fairly easy read. But she wondered why she didn't see it before in the commander. It was obvious, really, to someone who knew him well. The shift in his feelings, when he went from despising the woman, to tolerating her, to respecting her, to ... this. Both of them ... if it had happened to two men that she loved less, Starbuck would have laughed her ass off.
But she did love them both and at that moment, knowing what she knew and caring for both men as much as she did, Kara hoped that Laura Roslin was dead.
Starbuck couldn't help but jump when the President jerked and look in a rattled, thin breath. Almost immediately, she started to cough and gag and the three soldiers quickly turned her over. Despite her feelings only seconds before, Kara was so relieved that the woman was alive that she didn't even care that Roslin was vomiting pool water all over her lap as Lee and the commander both held the President in their arms.
As always, Starbuck's eyes were drawn to Lee. He was tenderly rubbing Roslin's wet hair, murmuring to her that she'd be alright as the woman continued to cough. After a moment, she stopped coughing and collapsed exhausted against the commander's chest. Adama gathered Roslin up into his arms and lifted her from the water. He carried her around the pool and moved through the large crowd that had gathered to watch the tableau near the now gaping hole of the door.
Kara's eyes went back to Lee. He hadn't moved. He was still kneeling in the water staring at his now empty hands. Water or tears, Kara didn't know which, dripped off the end of his nose.
Mindful of the crowd now watching them, Starbuck urged him to his feet. "Come on, Lee" she whispered. "You need to hold it together until we get back to Galactica. Okay"
He looked up at her nodded. And as she guided him out of the pool, she realized that she couldn't wait to get off this damned ship. As she walked by, she noticed a pair of high heels shoes she recognized as the President's lying on the tile. She bent over and caught them with her fingers. She thought the President would probably want them back.
They were, after all, nice shoes.
Adama stared at her while she slept. Dr. Cottle had said that she'd most likely be tired and sore from nearly drowning and their efforts to save her life. The doctor had also said that they'd gotten her out of the water just in time. A couple more minutes and there would have been no reviving her.
But she was alive.
He reached out and allowed himself to do something that he never would if she had been awake. His fingers lightly touched her hair and discovered that his fantasies had been right. It was silky soft.
Laura startled him by smiling and opening her eyes.
Embarrassed, he would have withdrawn his hand but she caught it, clasping it in both of hers and resting it on her chest.
"Thank you."
"For what" he asked her.
She sighed. "For not saying 'I told you so' and for the rescue."
"Ah" he said. "Yeah, well somebody had to do it." He smiled at her briefly, then frowned.
"What's wrong" she asked, her fingers absently threading through his.
"Why weren't you fighting him" he asked her quietly. He hadn't really wanted to ask her right now, but it disturbed him greatly when he had looked through that crack in the metal to see Appleman pushing her head under the water without a fight. To Adama's eyes, it was almost as if she'd gone willingly to her death.
She averted her eyes.
"Laura" The word sounded strange on his tongue and it occurred to him that while in his mind he sometimes thought of her as "Laura" he'd never actually addressed her as such.
"Can we talk about it another time, William, please" Her voice was small and uncertain, something he was not accustomed to hearing.
So he let it go for now.
"Most people call me Bill" he said lightly, his fingers still entwined with hers just under her chin.
She turned her head on the pillow and looked back at him with an unreadable expression. "I like William" she said simply and then closed her eyes.
After a few long moments, he knew she was asleep. Carefully, he disengaged his hands from her's and placed a tender kiss on her cheek.
Straightening up, Adama took one last, long look at her and turned to leave.
He stopped short because Lee was standing in the doorway.
"We need to talk."
The silence between Lee Adama and his father stretched out interminably. Neither man had said a word to each other since they'd returned to the commander's office from the infirmary over 15 minutes before. At first they were both simply lost in their own thoughts, but as the time wore on, the fact that each now knew precisely where those thoughts lay became too obvious to ignore.
“Are you in love with her" Lee asked his father quietly.
"Are you" the commander responded roughly, still not facing his son.
Lee swallowed. "Why haven't you told her how you feel"
From his profile, Lee could see his father's jaw clench. "It would add to her burden" Adama said quietly. "She wasn't ready for this. The weight of the office is wearing her down. She doesn't need the complications."
There was another long silence.
"At first, I thought it was just ... loneliness" Adama began softly. He finally turned to half-face his son, his brow furrowed deeply. "She challenged me."
"And Lords know you're not accustomed to that" Lee couldn't help but put in.
His father glanced up at him and smiled briefly. "No. No, I'm not. But in walks this school teacher with all of her ideals and determination. She was probably the only one thinking clearly in the middle of the apocalypse and she stood up to me. Saved all our tails."
Lee nodded. "I was there when she took the oath of office. She was so scared she could barely say her own name. I'd known her for less than a day but I was somehow proud of her."
Adama looked at his son and asked carefully"Are you sure "
"I want her, dad,” he said simply, honestly. His father nodded. "At first, I thought it was just a crush, you know, like one you'd get on your teacher." Both father and son had to smile at the appropriateness of that statement. Lee continued. "But it's deeper than that ... I, I don't know how to explain it."
His father looked at him ruefully and eased himself into his chair. "You don't have to explain, son" said the older man. "Unfortunately, I'm in a unique position to understand exactly what you mean."
Lee closed his eyes and sighed. "Yeah."
“She talks to you,” the elder Adama said. “Do you have any idea how she feels?”
He sat in the chair opposite his father and regarded him closely. "It's not unrequited, if that’s what you’re asking" he said. "Your feelings for the President."
When Adama didn't comment, he went on.
"Even though you fight like you do, there's a connection between you; everyone can see it." Lee decided to keep the bit about the bets amongst the crew to himself.
"I could say the same about the two of you" Adama pointed out. "She's drawn to you, seeking your advice ... "
"A lot of it is about you" Lee put in. "She doesn't know what to make of you sometimes. You perplex her."
"And you understand her in ways I think I never could. You share her idealism, her dreams for the future. You finish each other's sentences."
Lee was taken aback. He hadn't realized that. And somehow, it made him sad that his father had noticed it first. "So what now" Lee asked in sudden frustration. "There's only one of her, dad. We can't split her in two." And I can't share her, he added to himself. Especially not with my own father.
Adama leaned forward in his seat, his eyes holding Lee's steadily. "No." He paused. "We can't ask her to choose, son."
Lee took a deep, long breath and let it out slowly. "No, we can't" he agreed. "She can never know."
His father nodded, having come to the same conclusion. "She can never know." He paused. "Can you live with that, Lee"
Could he? Lee didn't know, but the situation was impossible for all of them and there was no other choice. He nodded. "Yeah, I can live with it."
The End
End Author’s Notes:
The idea of Magnus Appleman covering the gun he held on the President with a bandage was taken from the actual events surrounding the assassination of U.S. President William McKinley in 1901. The assassin, Leon Czolgosz, approached McKinley with his hand wrapped in a bandage, concealing his gun.
There will probably be another story along this arc.