Word Count: 3,776
Date: 2004
Series: One
Rating: M
Category: Relationships
Pairing/Focus: William, Laura
Warnings:
Summary:
Spoilers/Disclaimers: You Can’t Go Home Again. BSG belong to Ronald D. Moore and Universal Studios. ‘Gravometric
distortion’ I got from ST: Voy. The title belongs to Keane. I own my
imagination, but sadly not Apollo or Roslin. Please don’t sue.
Apollo sits opposite Roslin on the flight to Colonial One; they haven’t exchanged a word since boarding; both reflecting on the council assembly they have just attended. A precedent had been set by the rescue attempt of Kara Thrace’s and Roslin wanted to ensure there were measures in place if similar circumstances were to occur.
The ships cabin is filled with shadows and they’re suffering slight turbulence. Apollo stares out of the window, lost in thought and feeling drained: it's been a long, difficult day.
Roslin watches him carefully, this uneasy silence between them keeps growing… but the shift in alliance from Lee to Tigh was forced and it’s made her question Apollo for the first time. Laura has always considered him to be her sounding board and now she knows Lee’s feelings can get in the way and she’s worried, because maybe her own feelings blinded her to his ability to be human… to make mistakes. Now Roslin is questioning everything and she isn’t in a position to do that; that’s why she had called together her councillor’s and the military today – a new article was needed.
“Captain Apollo?” she says softly.
He turns his attention to her. “Yes Ma’am?”
“I think that we should – that we need to discuss what happened when Kara Thrace- ”
Lee holds up his hands to silence her. “I’ve been meaning to apologise,” he says. “I’m sorry if I put you in an awkward position. You were right from a military standpoint - but I was also right, she’s family and you don’t give-up on one of your own.”
Laura smiles. “Have you noticed how you’re always apologizing to me? Even when I think you’re right.”
Apollo looks surprised by this disclosure. The craft begins to shake again. Laura ignores it and fixes him with a steady gaze; she wants him to know she’s sincere. “I think what you were trying to do for Lieutenant Thrace was admirable – I know she’s important to you… and if I had been in your place I would have done the same, but I’m the President and I have to think of the good of the majority. I’m not in a position to stand back and allow the fleet to be endangered…”
The Captain nods his understanding and Laura falls silent.
After a moment, Apollo smiles mischievously. “Despite everything - you know you’ve still got my vote, don’t you?” he jokes.
Roslin laughs. “That was always foremost on my mind!”
Lee is about to respond when a jolt runs through the shuttle; the lights dim to emergency back up and the craft shakes violently. Roslin’s eyes widen in alarm. Lee gets to his feet and heads towards the cockpit. The shuttle suddenly lunges sideways, throwing Roslin and Apollo to the floor and the craft starts to plummet downwards, and then everything fades to black…
* * * * * *
Roslin stirs from unconsciousness. Her eyes flicker open and pain courses through her body. Slowly she sits up, unscathed apart from some bruising. The shuttle is shrouded in darkness; Lee lies on the floor beside her. She gets to her knees and leans over him, checking for a pulse; he’s still alive. She feels a surge of relief.
“Captain Apollo… wake up,” she calls gently.
He starts to groan and his eyes open. “What happened?”
“I’m not sure,” Roslin says and gets shakily to her feet. She moves towards the cockpit and opens the door to find the pilot’s lifeless body slumped over the destroyed helm control. She turns away from the sight with distress.
Lee sits up slowly and sees the expression on her face. “At least we’re still alive,” he says.
She closes the door and moves beside Apollo. She slips a hand under his arm and helps him get to his feet. He’s still sluggish, so he lets her lead him over to a seat.
“Do you think this is divine retribution or just irony?” Roslin asks.
“Crashing the same day as you decree a limited time-window to find crash victims?”
Laura nods.
Apollo wants to laugh but his head hurts. “I’d say it was just bad luck.”
Roslin moves over to the shuttle hatch and peers out of the window, they’re surrounded by woodland. She turns and looks at Lee. “I think we’re well-and-truly frakked!”
* * * * * *
Adama stands beside Tigh on the Bridge of Battlestar. Both peering over the information that Dualla’s console is producing, the young Petty Officer looked regretfully at the Commander. “I've tried to locate the co-ordinates of Shuttle Mk I on the planet’s surface but the gravometric distortion which pulled them into the planets atmosphere is interfering with out sensor readings - it’s near impossible to pin-point their position, Sir.”
“At least we have their last known coordinates before they were sucked into the planets atmosphere,” pointed-out Tigh, he could see Dualla was tired but they were all exhausted, none of them had rested since the shuttle’s disappearance twelve hours ago.
Adama rubbed his hand against his temple, hoping the sensor readings would miraculously change the harder he rubbed. He was trying to remain hopeful – they has landed on an M-class planet, oxygen wasn’t a problem… they had enough water to last a day or two… but no food supplies – rations had been scarce and emergency supplies aboard shuttles had been recalled for general consumption.
“We are going to find them, no matter what it takes,” Tigh assures his friend, patting the Commander on the back.
Adama looked at his second in command, he felt relieved at Tigh’s optimism; the crew were already over-fraught with emotion from Kara’s disappearance and retrieval – and now this! Adama has already taken into consideration the possibility that everyone aboard the shuttle was dead, but he’s not willing to accept it and nor are the crew. Not yet. “I want another raptor sent down to the planet,” the Commander decided, rubbing the beard growth that had formed since his son and Roslin had vanished.
He has various horrific images of what could be happening to Lee. His fear is great and no matter how hard he tries, he can hear his son calling for help… hear Lee calling his name… and he hated to admit it, but with Roslin gone, to all intense purposes, he was their leader and he hadn’t realized how much he had depended on her. Then her words from yesterday’s council assembly echo in his memory, ‘We cannot afford to waste precious resources by continuing to look for missing crewmember after a 48 hr window. I know it’s difficult… but we cannot allow our personal feelings to dictate our actions. You and I have a responsibility to this crew and that responsibility must override any individual feeling.’
Tigh looks uncertain. “Another search team is inadvisable, there are already - ”
“I know how many there are and I'll send as many as it takes until they’re found! Now dispatch another,” Adama snaps. He will get them back. He must.
* * * * * *
Lee stands over the remains of the engine, shaking his head in hopelessness. Roslin stands beside him.
“Not good, huh?” she asks.
He gives a humourless chortle. “That would be an understatement Ma’am.”
“Can you repair it?”
“No.”
Laura looks surprised, as if she thought he could fix anything.
Sensing her despondency, Apollo than adds. “But I can use parts from the engine to create a radio transmitter – our one was destroyed in the crash. We can send a signal to Galactica and they’ll be able to use that to trace us.”
Laura nods. “Okay – so while you’re doing that, I’ll go hunt and gather.”
Lee looks at her in astonishment. “Hunt and gather?”
“We have no food supplies Captain,” she reminds him.
He continues to stare at her in disbelief.
“What?” she asks, straightening her suit jacket.
“Hunt and gather?” he repeats dubiously.
“I’ll have you know, Captain Apollo, that before I was the President I was a girl scout.”
Lee laughs, thinking she’d probably look cute in the uniform. “Okay – but don’t go too far – I don’t wanna have to build a radio transmitter and go in search of you…”
“Girl Scout… did I mention that?” she retorts.
He nods. Roslin mock-salutes him, mumbling something about chauvinist opinions as she wanders off in search of food.
* * * * * *
Laura stands motionless, thigh-deep in a river, her skirt hitched up to her waist. Her shoes sit on the riverbank next to her jacket which is filled with fruit and roots she has gathered, lying next to it are the fish she has already caught. She watches the large speckled fish take her bait and with a quick movement, she snaps up her improvised rod and pulls the wriggling fish out of the water triumphantly. She throws it onto the bank, deciding that three fish are enough.
She wades through the water and carefully climbs the rocks back onto the bank. She pushes her skirt down and then realises that for the first time since the Cylon wars started – she is alone. Completely alone. Overcome with a sense of liberation, Laura lifts her hands in the air and spins. She throws back her head and starts singing a song her mother taught her… that she and her sisters used to sing around the campfire on summer vacation. She laughs with joy at the freedom.
After a moment, she calmly puts her shoes back on, picks up the bundle of food and fish and follows the trail back to the shuttle, hoping Captain Apollo has made progress with the transmitter.
* * * * * *
Kara Thrace arrives back from her failed rescue mission; despite her injuries, she had been the first out on the hanger deck when news of Lee’s disappearance broke. The blonde sees Adama standing alone at the operations table on the Bridge of Galactica and joins him. The Commander attempts a smile as she approaches.
“How are you holding up, Sir?” she asks.
“I’m holding. What about you?”
“The whole crew's taking it badly,” she replies, trying not to show how deeply it’s effecting her. She’s already lost Zak; the idea of losing Lee as well is unbearable.
“We have to stay positive,” Adama says.
“I can't help it. It just keeps running through my mind, what if we don't find them? What if they're dead? The crew won't recover from something like this. The President and Lee… We’ve lost so much already.”
He avoids her eye. “That’s exactly why we can’t give up hope – we got you back, didn’t we? Besides, Lee wouldn't give up on either of us that easily. I'm sure he'll make it – and Roslin, she’s a gutsy lady.”
They study each other for a moment and then Billy, looking completely out-of-place, enters the Bridge and heads over to them. Roslin’s aide looks weary. “Any news?” he asks hopefully.
Adama shakes his head. “No, the newly dispatched away teams haven’t reported back yet,” the Commander has a distant look in his eye as he adds. “But they’re alive, I can feel it.”
Billy remembers the day the world ended - the day Roslin was sworn in and it’s the way she changed ‘I take the position of President’ to ‘I accept the position of President’ during the inaugural ceremony that makes her unique. He misses her; she’s his friend, his only real friend – they started this journey together and he doesn’t know if he can do it alone. “Commander, I’d like to help in any way that I can,” he says.
Adama studies the young man for a moment and catches a look of desperation that he recognises. “Sorry son – I can’t be worrying about your safety as well - you’ve got to look after the civilian fleet in the President’s absence, that’s how you can help,” and he nods at Kara, she puts her arm around Billy and leads him away.
* * * * * *
Roslin sits on a log next to Apollo, staring longingly at the sky; she’s started a campfire while Lee continues to work on the radio transmitter. She watches the stars and wonders where the Galactica is now. How much time would they spend looking for the shuttle before they moved on? She pictures Billy worrying about her; he’s a sensitive soul and she imagines Adama pacing the Bridge and barking orders – desperate to get Lee back, she knows he won’t give up easily.
The fish is gently smouldering over the fire on a piece of metal she’s using as a makeshift oven plate. She eats another piece of fruit; keeps telling herself it’s a starter. She smiles to herself, glad her father had insisted on making her and her sisters join the scouts, his philosophy had always been: rely on no one but yourself. She looks over at Lee who is working steadfastly… well, maybe she could rely on one other person: her Captain Apollo.
She reaches out and tastes a piece of fish. “It’s ready!” she tells Lee.
Apollo stops working and sets the radio transmitter to one side. He rubs his temples, his eyes hurt from straining to work in the dark.
“Are you alright?” she asks.
“Just a little… dizzy…” he says. She hands him a large leaf that’s a makeshift plate, with the fish on it and he takes it eagerly. “Thank you.”
She watches him carefully. “Maybe you should rest – ”
He shakes his head resolutely. “It’s almost done.”
* * * * * *
They’ve landed in another location and Boomer scans the woodlands area. Starbuck stands beside her and glances anxiously at the monitor.
“Well?” Kara presses.
“The signal is still scrambled… we’ll just have to plough our way through the woods.”
“Okay, lets go!” Starbuck enthuses, opening the hatch to the raptor.
* * * * * *
They’re in the shelter of the shuttle’s cabin, both Laura and Apollo are tired but Lee has completed the transmitter and set it up to send out a recurring signal, with any luck, a rescue team would soon be on it’s way.
Apollo is lying across two chairs, his uniform jacket draped over him as a blanket. Roslin sits opposite him. Neither can sleep and they’ve been talking for the last hour – non sequitur, everything from how to get a good tan, to architecture, to childhood memories.
“I was never close to my father either – we had different ways of going about things, we argued a lot. He was a difficult man,” Roslin confides. “But it makes you strong, having that kind of force in your life – it makes you a fighter…”
Lee grins.
“I’m waffling, aren’t I?” she laughs. “You’re humouring me because I’m the President and can have you consigned to toilet-cleaning duty if you don’t.”
“I like to hear you waffle,” he says good-humouredly.
“Ah – I see you get your charm from your father!”
Lee’s smile fades; Roslin’s touched a nerve. “People used to say I got my charm from my mother - she was big on manners... and she always used to say I had my fathers sense of duty.”
They fall quiet at this reference to the dead.
“She sounds like an astute woman,” Laura says after a few moments.
“She was. I miss her,” he takes a pained breath and then asks. “How’s your treatment going?”
And normally she would change the subject, but Apollo has just shared something personal with her, so she feels obliged to be honest. “Well, my appetite comes and goes, but I still have my hair – so it could be worse…” she says and she hates being maudlin, so she fills her head with random reasons why she’s glad to be alive: their right as a species to exist, civil liberty, music, literature, pancakes…
They’re silent. Her expression is distant and he watches her fingers tap a tune he doesn’t recognise on her armrest.
“You know, you never did tell me how you got into politics,” Lee says, drawing her out of her reverie.
“I thought I had,” Laura states.
“No. You said that one day you’d tell me.”
Roslin gives him a despondent smile. “It was a combination of things really.”
He looks intrigued. “Did your father encourage you?”
Roslin restrains a laugh. “Lords, no! My father would never have approved, he thought the government was a tool of oppression… and my mother was against any political aspirations I had - she thought I should concentrate on finding a husband and starting a family, because she didn’t want me to end up alone once she was gone. But I wanted to change the world, wanted to make an impact – at that point it seemed everything in my life just ‘happened’ to me… as if I had no say in the matter and I didn’t want to be ineffectual anymore,” she pauses. “My parents taught us to have the courage of our convictions… and that’s what drove me on.”
Lee studies her, there’s a flicker in her eye, like a painful memory has resurfaced. Unconsciously, she rubs her arms, as if cold.
“Madame President?”
She looks directly at Lee. “I met Adar at university, I was training to be a teacher – help shape young minds as my contribution to revolutionizing the world,” she laughs. “He was young, idealistic – unrelenting! He had a way of talking, you know. Made people sit-up and listen, made you believe… I would have followed him anywhere! Would have laid down my life…” she trails off. Laura takes a pained breath, aware that Lee is watching her closely. “You know, Captain Apollo, even after everything we’ve been through - I still believe that good can come from the most desperate circumstances. Triumph of hope over experience.”
He nods. “I lost so much in the Cylon war... I’ve tried to… my father wasn’t around much when we were growing-up and when he was, Zak was afraid of his disapproval and I was always tying to prove that I was better than him. It just seems so pointless now… stupid and pointless.”
Roslin shakes her head. “But without that experience you wouldn’t be who you are now, and for what it’s worth, I think you’re a remarkable person.”
Apollo gazes at her in wonder. “Thank you,” he says. “Your opinion is always…” he pauses and sits up, tucking his jacket around him for warmth. “When I look back on my life, I seem to have spent it seeking other people’s approval - but serving you is the first time I’ve ever felt a sense of purpose.”
Laura goes to say something but feels unable to. She wants to tell him how important his friendship and support has been to her. How fearful she was of the future for the people in the wake of the Cylon attacks, how her own illness has terrified her… but words fail her and she wants him to know, but she never seems able to express it properly.
Lee’s gaze intensifies, she’s so unguarded, so natural and he wants to protect her – wants to turn to her for protection. His eyes run the length of her body, beginning at the finely crafted ankles that lead to an expanse of leg that threatens to go on forever. Then to thin hips, which curve elegantly up to a flat stomach, his eyes continue their journey upwards, across her breasts and up to her slender neck, finally resting on her face.
As the silence lingers, they can’t ignore the obvious anymore.
“Don’t look at me like that…” she entreats, her breath catching.
“I can’t help it,” he says, suddenly tired of containing his feelings, of always being in control.
She grips her armrest because she’s spent too much time in recent days thinking of him, thinking of his piercing blue eyes, imagining the feel of his hands against her skin and now he’s looking at her like that… and she doesn’t want to be selfish or irresponsible or any number of things she could call herself if she lets this attraction come to anything…
Lee discards his jacket and moves beside her. “Ask me to keep your secrets and I will. Tell me you’ll put duty before me and I’ll understand. Ask me for anything and if it’s in my power, I’ll grant it…”
She stares at him. “I think that… I’m not sure what - ” she says, looking flustered and he’s never seen her flustered before.
Tentatively, Apollo leans forward and presses his lips to hers. When he draws back from the kiss, Roslin’s eyes are closed and he wants to frame her in that moment.
She opens her eyes. “That was…”
“Crossing-the-line?” he offers.
Roslin nods. “Definitely. Definitely crossing-the-line and I should probably report you or something, but there isn’t anyone to report you to and I - ”
Apollo kisses her again; this time Laura slips her arms around his waist and returns the force of his kiss. He runs his fingers through her dark locks and presses his body forcefully against her. Lee feels her pulse quicken and after a moment, he draws back from her; locking her gaze and she sees his eyes are dark with lust.
A loud noise outside the shuttle interrupts their intimacy. Startled, they pull apart and exchange a cautious glance. Lee stands up and moves to the shuttle hatch, Laura at his side.
“Sounds like an animal of some kind,” Lee whispers, gazing out of the oval-shaped window, but it’s too dark to see anything clearly.
“Great,” Roslin mutters. “A busy day at the office followed by a shuttle crash, then eaten alive by an unknown predator – this day sucks!”
Lee smiles. “Not all of it…” he corrects.
Laura gives him a half-smile and then their attention is drawn back to the hatch window as a low growl resonates in their ears and the shuttle is rocked by something impacting with it’s hull.
“What the hell is that thing?” Lee exclaims.
~End Of Part One~
Somewhere Only We Know (Part Two)
By Socket
Rated R / 2,543 words
Billy and Dualla sit opposite each other in the Mess hall. The room is full and a general air of despondency hangs over everyone.
“Looks like it's all down to the CAG now,” Dualla states.
“I still feel like I should be doing more…” Billy says sadly.
She looks at him, compassion on her face. “You’re doing what you can. I know she’s your friend, but you’re not responsible for this.”
“I should have been with her – but no, I had to make-up some excuse to stay here in order to spend time with you. I’m so pathetic.”
Dualla looks surprised by this. “You did?”
Billy looks uneasy by his lapse. “Uh – no, I just… I, uh - ” he looks into her eyes. “Yes,” he admits.
Dualla leans across the table and grabs his shirt collar. She kisses him hard. After a moment, she draws back and takes a sip of her drink.
The young aide looks shell-shocked. “What, uh - ” he begins.
Dualla gives him a look that silences him. “Don’t spoil the moment by speaking,” she warns.
Billy smiles and nods in agreement.
* * * * * *
Kara runs forward excitedly; Sharon’s scanner has picked up a signal being sent out by a radio transmitter. It has to be Lee. Boomer is close on Starbuck’s heel as they move speedily towards the origins of the signal.
* * * * * *
The shuttle rocks with the second impact and Laura grabs Lee’s hand to steady herself. They’re defenceless: any weaponry they had has been destroyed in the crash. They hear the thing circling the shuttle and their eyes follow it’s trail.
Lee moves towards the hatch, he peers out into the night. “There’s got to be a way out of this,” he says. “We could make a run for it - ”
“We can’t go out there – we don’t know what that thing is or how many of them there are!” Roslin states, then pauses. “But if we stay here, we’re going to die anyway! The shuttle can’t take much more of this…”
The creature rams into the shuttle again – it rocks and a deafening creak reverberates through the interior: the hull is giving way.
Apollo looks at her. “What do you want to do?”
“Um – I was thinking of panicking,” she admits.
Lee smiles. “That’s not very constructive, Ma’am.”
Roslin nods. “I know – I just never imagined this was how I was going to die!”
“Don’t give up on us yet. I’ll think of something,” he says determinedly.
Laura wants to laugh. She doesn’t see how her ever-resourceful Captain Apollo can get them out of this one!
* * * * * *
Kara and Sharon slow when they hear the roaring noise followed by a thud. Boomer stands ready with her gun and they approach at a more cautious speed. They see the shadowy outline of a large feline type creature circling the shuttle wreck.
They exchange a nod and then open fire on the creature. Thrace hits it in the leg and Boomer aims above its head to scare it off. Startled by this unexpected assault – the menacing creature whimpers and slinks off into the forest. Starbuck and Boomer check that the area is secure before continuing. They reach the shuttle and Kara yells out. “Hey – Lee, get your wimpy butt out here!”
A moment later, the hatch to the shuttle opens and Apollo steps out. He grins at Thrace and when he reaches her, she gives him a high-five.
“I am so glad to see you, you have no idea!” he laughs.
Roslin stands in the shuttle doorway, she smiles appreciatively at the pilots. “Ah – the Calvary – just in the nick of time!”
“Madame President,” Kara and Sharon greet respectfully.
Lee turns to look at Roslin. “See, I told you there was nothing to worry about!”
* * * * * *
The Senior Officers are waiting anxiously on the hanger deck as Kara, Boomer, Lee and Roslin emerge from the Raptor, they smile wearily at their audience of Adama, Tigh and Billy. Adama steps forward and puts his hand on Lee’s shoulder while Billy rushes forward and embraces the President. Laura is touched by her aide’s concern and a little winded by the strength of his embrace.
Billy draws back from her and beams. “How are you?”
Roslin smiles warmly. “I've had better days,” she jokes.
Adama gazes at his son, sure that he’s in one piece, he turns to the President. “I thought we'd lost you.”
“You won't get rid of me that easily!” she teases, then adds. “Thank you.”
“For what?” the Commander asks.
“For not leaving us there.”
“The thought never crossed my mind,” Adama smiles sincerely, then shrugs his shoulders. “Well, maybe for a moment…”
* * * * * *
It’s been a week since their rescue; a week since Laura has seen Apollo. Truth be told, she’s been avoiding him. Been hiding because she’s dreading that conversation… where he says the kiss they shared meant nothing and they should put it behind them. So, she’s more than a little surprised and perplexed when he shows up on the flight deck of the Galactica as she’s preparing to leave.
“Madame President,” he greets.
She doesn’t look at him. “Captain.”
“I need to talk to you, privately.”
And there are people about, so when he takes her arm and guides her onto the shuttle, she doesn’t argue. She doesn’t want a scene, doesn’t want a confrontation, doesn’t want to think about him… them… the whole mess.
Once inside the cabin, she says. “Could we do this some other time, I’m feeling particularly tired today and I just want to rest. Would you kindly vacate the shuttle so I can be on my way and I’ll get Billy to make an appointment for you.”
“I’m coming with you,” he states.
“What?” she exclaims.
He quirks his eyebrow at the high-pitched tone of her voice. “I’m staying aboard Colonial One tonight, in guest quarters. We have a very early start tomorrow – the communications summit…”
She doesn’t dispute him and when the pilot boards, she tells him to begin their journey back to Colonial One. The sooner they begin, the sooner she can escape Apollo’s scrutiny.
Laura takes a seat by the window as they take off. Lee sits beside her. She leans away from him, so he leans across the armrest separating them, his face close to hers. Roslin stands and moves to the seat opposite. Lee stands and moves to the seat next to her.
Laura sighs. “What are you doing?” she asks, finally looking at him.
“Trying to get your attention,” he replies. “You’ve been ignoring me all week.”
She looks irritated. “Captain Apollo – this sort of carry-on is not helping the situation.”
“What ‘situation’?” he asks innocently, trying to get her to put a name to it, give them – this thing between them - a definition.
Laura clears her throat and looks about the empty cabin. She lowers her voice. “You know very well.”
“We kissed,” he clarifies.
Laura rubs the back of her neck and looks awkward. “Yes we did. It was a mistake, now if you’ll excuse me - ” she stands and heads towards the cockpit.
Lee gets to his feet. “Ma’am - we’re not done!” he yells.
She stops dead, then spins on her heel and stares at him – she’s unaccustomed to be yelled at and questioned… well, with the exception of Commander Adama – but he’s entitled. Captain Apollo is not.
“Would you lower your voice please!”
Lee closes the space between them. “You owe me an explanation for why you’re refusing to acknowledge what happened,” he insists.
Laura looks taken back. “I don’t owe you anything!” she replies heatedly.
“Uh – Madame President – your lips were pressed to mine, I think you owe me an explanation.”
She looks deeply uncomfortable and folds her arms defensively across her chest. “A moment of weakness… lets put it down to that.”
“A moment of weakness?”
“Yes.”
“Nothing more?”
“No.”
“Okay…” he says.
Roslin looks relieved.
Lee reaches out and grips her forearms, he pulls her to him and kisses her passionately. After a moment, he releases her. Laura looks stunned.
“Just put it down to another moment of weakness,” Apollo says.
Her eyes are wide with surprise. “You can’t - ”
“Can’t what? Kiss you?”
“Yes.”
“Then stop me,” Lee says and kisses her again, but she doesn’t push him away. Instead, Roslin puts her arms about his neck and draws him closer to her. Apollo wraps his arms around her, his hands slide up her back and tug at her hair. Her heart beats erratically and he feels his body respond to the ragged sound of her breathing. Lee breaks the kiss; their faces are pressed close together. Her perfume encompasses him and she feels shivers run down her spine at the softness of his breath against her cheek.
“This is madness…” Laura whispers as he starts to unfasten the buttons of her blouse.
“The whole world’s gone mad,” Apollo says softly, kissing her temple. “You’re the only thing that makes sense to me anymore.”
Her lips trail his jaw as he removes her blouse and lets it drop to the floor. Laura tugs his uniform jacket open, he shrugs out of it and impatiently removes his undershirt. Their lips press ardently together and Lee’s fingers grip her waist as her hands caress his skin; the sensation of his bare flesh against hers sends tremors through them both and then everything’s like the day they met; a blur.
When the world was being obliterated they had found each other, had clung together. Life is so uncertain, neither of them takes anything for granted anymore and in the secluded cabin, as they make love, he knows he always wants to be who she turns to.
* * * * * *
When they exit the shuttle, Laura keeps running a hand through her hair, checking it isn’t dishevelled. Apollo walks silently beside her, keeping a distance between them.
Billy stands on the flight deck waiting for them. “Pleasant journey?” he asks when they reach him.
Roslin looks self-conscious and Lee smiles uneasily.
“Um, yes… very pleasant,” the President manages.
“You’re not too exhausted, I hope,” her aide enquires, worried about the effects of long flights on her health.
Lee conceals a grin.
“No…” Roslin replies and feels a blush rise in her cheeks.
The young aide nods and the trio make their way towards the exit; they reach the door and hesitate.
“So, I’ll see you tomorrow, Madame President,” Apollo says.
“Yes – tomorrow - ” Roslin agrees, she looks at him for the first time since they rushed to put their clothes back on. “For the thing.”
“The communications summit,” Billy clarifies.
“Yes – the communications summit,” the President amends.
Lee bites his lip. He doesn’t want them to part this way but there’s nothing he can do with Billy present. “Alright, see you tomorrow, Ma’am,” and he turns away from her and starts down the corridor.
Billy starts walking in the opposite direction; Roslin follows, stealing glances over her shoulder until Apollo is out of sight.
* * * * * *
Laura enters the room she now calls home and sits on the bed. She thinks of Lee, imagines him pacing his room, regretting their liaison. She closes her eyes, she feels guilty; her self-control seems to be slipping, it’s as if the cancer has given her an excuse to be reckless. When he first kissed her she should have pulled away from him, should have reprimanded him; set down boundaries… but she hadn’t. He had touched her and her resolve had evaporated.
She seems to have spent her life watching the people she loves die. They leave her and she has to go on alone, maybe that’s why she’s protected her heart for this long, because she knew it would break easily; knew that once her defences were down she would pay the price and Lee Adama is her price.
A knock at the door interrupts her thoughts. For a moment fear grips her; a visitor this late could only mean bad news. “Come in,” she calls out.
Lee draws back the curtain and enters.
She’s thrown by his arrival. “Captain Apollo?”
He closes the curtain. “I couldn’t leave it like that…” he says softly.
She stands up. “I was going to come and see you tomorrow,” Roslin begins to explain.
There’s something in her eyes that tells him she’s having second thoughts and he feared this would happen. He moves towards her. “Laura - ”
She can’t help but smile. “I guess we should be on first-name terms after…” Roslin trails off. She squares her shoulders and tries to shift her mind to ‘Professional’ mode. “I’m sorry I let the situation get out-of-hand. I mean – I’d understand if you wanted to resign as my personal advisor - ”
He reaches out and cups her face, gazing longingly into her eyes, then presses his lips to hers.
“I thought you regretted it,” she whispers as they draw apart.
“Not for a second,” he assures her and Roslin smiles with relief. “Can I stay?” Lee asks.
“We have to be careful…” she warns.
“I know,” he agrees. “But I promise I’ll leave early in the morning, no one will see me.”
Laura nods and he grins, their lips meet and they find their way to her bed.
* * * * * *
In the early hours, they stand in the middle of her room. His hands on her hips, hers about his neck. Their foreheads pressed together. They’re saying goodbye but the prospect of separation seems unthinkable. She wants to fly away with him, soar above responsibility and consequence; leave behind everyone else’s expectations.
“I have to go – ” he whispers.
Laura nods. “Back to reality,” she mutters.
Lee kisses her goodbye and starts towards the door, looks over his shoulder and gives a small wave of his hand. She waves back, grinning like a love-struck schoolgirl: he makes her feel unconstrained, untainted by life’s recent traumas. When he leaves, he closes the curtain behind him and her heart stops for a moment; he’s out of view and she wants him back, wants to bind him to her.
* * * * * *
When Billy arrives for her in the morning, she’s ready and wearing a broad grin.
“Good morning,” he greets.
“Yes it is!” she says cheerily.
They walk to the conference room and she’s teasing him about his forthcoming date with Dualla. When they reach their destination, Lee Adama is already seated at a desk, he looks up as they enter the conference room and immediately smiles at the President.
“Good morning, Ma’am,” he says warmly.
“Good morning Captain Apollo,” she says sweetly as she takes the seat beside him.
Billy pulls the summit files from his briefcase and sets them down on the desk in front of Roslin; she’s positively glowing and Billy can tell from her mood that it’s going to be a good day.
~The End~