"An Act of Faith" - Adama/Roslin fic
Title: An Act of Faith
Pairing: Adama/Roslin
Rating: T
Word Count: 1, 244 words
Disclaimer: Not my characters or television show.
A/N: Written forafrakaday's birthday. She wanted a fic that explored politician!Laura, either as the Secretary of Education, a "what-if" had she stolen the election before NC, or around when she named Lee as her sucessor. I tried to combine as many of these prompts as possible, as well as throw in some AR, and finally, I selected a post-mutiny setting. Thanks toredrockcan for all of her help.
A/N#2: I am posting this a day early, due in part to the big election tomorrow, and also, I do not have access to my laptop all day. Happy early birthday afrakaday! :D
He was pacing again, rearranging books and stacks of paper on his desk for no reason, walking around the desk, pushing things into imaginary places. He was stalling, she was familiar with this tactic of his.
“Lee said that you spoke with him today,” he said finally. “Said that he ran into you on Colonial One.”
Laura smiled, part grimace, part grin; leave it to her Captain Apollo to inform Bill of her whereabouts today.
“Yes, I did,” she said simply. She glanced up at him. She could see how hard he was clenching his jaw with the effort not to bombard her with a million questions and concerns.
“Bill, please sit down,” she sighed, “and just ask what you want to ask me.”
He did not hesitate to sit next to her, nor did he hesitate to wrap his one arm around her and pull her into a comfortable embrace; she sighed contently as he wrapped her in his warmth. This was easy for them, comfortable; they’d never found it difficult to communicate with their bodies, with their actions, it was words that still sometimes failed them, that still sometimes hurt them.
“Just get it out,” she said teasingly. He arched his brow at her in that way that made her heart swell.
“I wish you would have told me that you wanted to go there, I can’t stand thinking of you being there alone, after - “ his sentence hung in mid-air. He didn’t need to finish, there was no need to give voice to the tragedy that so recently consumed them.
“I wasn’t alone, thanks to your son,” she said pointedly. “I know you’re worried, but I needed to be there, I needed to pay my respect to those people. Gods Bill, all those people.” She choked back a sob as he rubbed her back soothingly. “It felt right, being there. I don’t regret it, perhaps I should have been there more often.” Bitterness filled the spaces between her words.
His lips descended on the deep blue of her kerchief, she felt the tips of his eyelashes against the material and shivers danced along her spine.
“There was something else that happened, something that you and Lee discussed, wasn’t there?” he asked. “I’m asking because he wouldn’t tell me, but he just told me to keep an eye on you, that he’s worried.”
Laura smiled, this time wide and happy. “You men need to find another hobby,” she teased, “trailing after me must get tiresome.”
“Never,” he said, his tone resolute. She caressed his heart through the worn material of his uniform.
“I told him that I wasn’t ready, to give it up just yet.” She didn’t need to clarify what she was referring to. Sometimes he could read the spaces between her words better than the words themselves.
His grip on her tightened.
“No, you’re not,” he acknowledged slowly, recognizing the iron will of the woman in his arms.
“Does that bother you?” she asked.
“No, I wouldn’t expect any less of you.”
“You know, I really do hate politics,” she said dryly.
“Oh, is that so?” he chuckled ruefully. He doubted anyone could hate politics more than he.
“Really Bill.” The look she gave him challenged his assumption.
“Can I ask you a question?” At her nod he continued, “Why did you ever get involved then?”
“It felt like the right thing to do at the time,” she said, taking her time, “the schools in Caprica were a mess. The Secretary of Education at the time, Morris, if you recall, was a total idiot. Never worked an honest day in his life, he had no clue how the recession a few years earlier had destroyed the middle class, how high the drop out rate was, how much debt kids were accumulating before they even hit twenty.”
She turned so that she could encircle his sturdy chest and belly, burying her face in the crook of his neck.
“I loved my students so much,” she said, her voice thick with emotion, “it broke my heart that our own government had given up on them so easily, that they had abandoned them without any hesitation. Colleagues had been begging me to get involved for years, but I just never had the time or the patience. I ran a few after school programs and book clubs for my kids, and felt that I was really making a difference with that.”
She took a deep, unsteady breath. “After the - I had no one to go home to, suddenly I had all the time in the world to throw myself head-first into a cause, so I did. I had nothing, nothing left,” her voice faltered, “I needed something to fight for. Something to believe in, I needed a reason to get up in the morning,” she said softly.
He held her tighter, rubbing circles against her back as silent, hot tears stained the front of his tunic.
“I can’t abandon them,” she whispered, “I can’t leave them, not yet. Not when I’ve made peace with my life, and they haven’t, when I’ve found happiness and all that they know is grief. I know that I can’t do any of the heavy lifting anymore, I know that, but I’m not ready Bill, not yet.”
He knew, maybe even more than she did, how she felt, he knew of the overwhelming sense of responsibility that crushed her. It was the same weight on his shoulders, the same force that crushed, twisted, pushed, and pulled him everyday. It was the same force that cut into him like a knife each time he lost a good soldier, each time he discovered a new crack in Galactica’s hull, each time the trembling in her hands worsened.
It was the same force that drew him to her, that tied their lives together so intimately.
“Lee’s such a good man at heart, just like his father,” she smiled proudly, “I know that I can trust him, and I know that he will always do what is right, but I’m not ready to give it all up to him just yet. There is still so much that I want to do.” Her tone was resolute, and he knew better than to argue with her on this point.
She studied the varied emotions as they played out across his face, noting how deeply his brow furrowed now. She smoothed her hand across his rough cheek, caressing his strong jaw.
“I’m proud of you,” he said into the palm of her hand. “I’m proud to have you as my President. And I know that Lee will do his best, he’ll do what’s right.”
She smiled warmly as he kissed her delicate hand repeatedly. “Just as your President?” she teased.
“Well, there’s that too,” he said with the beginnings of a grin. She chuckled and rolled her eyes as he waggled his eyebrows at her.
“Were going to find it,” he assured her softly. “You’ll give them a place to call home, I know it.”
She shivered at the conviction in his tone. She remembered the last time they had this discussion, she recalled the faith that seemed to radiate from him. She remembered the look in his eyes and the words that fell from his lips.
You, you made me believe.
It was his turn now.
He made her believe with the purity of his love, with his act of unwavering faith in her.
Pairing: Adama/Roslin
Rating: T
Word Count: 1, 244 words
Disclaimer: Not my characters or television show.
A/N: Written forafrakaday's birthday. She wanted a fic that explored politician!Laura, either as the Secretary of Education, a "what-if" had she stolen the election before NC, or around when she named Lee as her sucessor. I tried to combine as many of these prompts as possible, as well as throw in some AR, and finally, I selected a post-mutiny setting. Thanks toredrockcan for all of her help.
A/N#2: I am posting this a day early, due in part to the big election tomorrow, and also, I do not have access to my laptop all day. Happy early birthday afrakaday! :D
He was pacing again, rearranging books and stacks of paper on his desk for no reason, walking around the desk, pushing things into imaginary places. He was stalling, she was familiar with this tactic of his.
“Lee said that you spoke with him today,” he said finally. “Said that he ran into you on Colonial One.”
Laura smiled, part grimace, part grin; leave it to her Captain Apollo to inform Bill of her whereabouts today.
“Yes, I did,” she said simply. She glanced up at him. She could see how hard he was clenching his jaw with the effort not to bombard her with a million questions and concerns.
“Bill, please sit down,” she sighed, “and just ask what you want to ask me.”
He did not hesitate to sit next to her, nor did he hesitate to wrap his one arm around her and pull her into a comfortable embrace; she sighed contently as he wrapped her in his warmth. This was easy for them, comfortable; they’d never found it difficult to communicate with their bodies, with their actions, it was words that still sometimes failed them, that still sometimes hurt them.
“Just get it out,” she said teasingly. He arched his brow at her in that way that made her heart swell.
“I wish you would have told me that you wanted to go there, I can’t stand thinking of you being there alone, after - “ his sentence hung in mid-air. He didn’t need to finish, there was no need to give voice to the tragedy that so recently consumed them.
“I wasn’t alone, thanks to your son,” she said pointedly. “I know you’re worried, but I needed to be there, I needed to pay my respect to those people. Gods Bill, all those people.” She choked back a sob as he rubbed her back soothingly. “It felt right, being there. I don’t regret it, perhaps I should have been there more often.” Bitterness filled the spaces between her words.
His lips descended on the deep blue of her kerchief, she felt the tips of his eyelashes against the material and shivers danced along her spine.
“There was something else that happened, something that you and Lee discussed, wasn’t there?” he asked. “I’m asking because he wouldn’t tell me, but he just told me to keep an eye on you, that he’s worried.”
Laura smiled, this time wide and happy. “You men need to find another hobby,” she teased, “trailing after me must get tiresome.”
“Never,” he said, his tone resolute. She caressed his heart through the worn material of his uniform.
“I told him that I wasn’t ready, to give it up just yet.” She didn’t need to clarify what she was referring to. Sometimes he could read the spaces between her words better than the words themselves.
His grip on her tightened.
“No, you’re not,” he acknowledged slowly, recognizing the iron will of the woman in his arms.
“Does that bother you?” she asked.
“No, I wouldn’t expect any less of you.”
“You know, I really do hate politics,” she said dryly.
“Oh, is that so?” he chuckled ruefully. He doubted anyone could hate politics more than he.
“Really Bill.” The look she gave him challenged his assumption.
“Can I ask you a question?” At her nod he continued, “Why did you ever get involved then?”
“It felt like the right thing to do at the time,” she said, taking her time, “the schools in Caprica were a mess. The Secretary of Education at the time, Morris, if you recall, was a total idiot. Never worked an honest day in his life, he had no clue how the recession a few years earlier had destroyed the middle class, how high the drop out rate was, how much debt kids were accumulating before they even hit twenty.”
She turned so that she could encircle his sturdy chest and belly, burying her face in the crook of his neck.
“I loved my students so much,” she said, her voice thick with emotion, “it broke my heart that our own government had given up on them so easily, that they had abandoned them without any hesitation. Colleagues had been begging me to get involved for years, but I just never had the time or the patience. I ran a few after school programs and book clubs for my kids, and felt that I was really making a difference with that.”
She took a deep, unsteady breath. “After the - I had no one to go home to, suddenly I had all the time in the world to throw myself head-first into a cause, so I did. I had nothing, nothing left,” her voice faltered, “I needed something to fight for. Something to believe in, I needed a reason to get up in the morning,” she said softly.
He held her tighter, rubbing circles against her back as silent, hot tears stained the front of his tunic.
“I can’t abandon them,” she whispered, “I can’t leave them, not yet. Not when I’ve made peace with my life, and they haven’t, when I’ve found happiness and all that they know is grief. I know that I can’t do any of the heavy lifting anymore, I know that, but I’m not ready Bill, not yet.”
He knew, maybe even more than she did, how she felt, he knew of the overwhelming sense of responsibility that crushed her. It was the same weight on his shoulders, the same force that crushed, twisted, pushed, and pulled him everyday. It was the same force that cut into him like a knife each time he lost a good soldier, each time he discovered a new crack in Galactica’s hull, each time the trembling in her hands worsened.
It was the same force that drew him to her, that tied their lives together so intimately.
“Lee’s such a good man at heart, just like his father,” she smiled proudly, “I know that I can trust him, and I know that he will always do what is right, but I’m not ready to give it all up to him just yet. There is still so much that I want to do.” Her tone was resolute, and he knew better than to argue with her on this point.
She studied the varied emotions as they played out across his face, noting how deeply his brow furrowed now. She smoothed her hand across his rough cheek, caressing his strong jaw.
“I’m proud of you,” he said into the palm of her hand. “I’m proud to have you as my President. And I know that Lee will do his best, he’ll do what’s right.”
She smiled warmly as he kissed her delicate hand repeatedly. “Just as your President?” she teased.
“Well, there’s that too,” he said with the beginnings of a grin. She chuckled and rolled her eyes as he waggled his eyebrows at her.
“Were going to find it,” he assured her softly. “You’ll give them a place to call home, I know it.”
She shivered at the conviction in his tone. She remembered the last time they had this discussion, she recalled the faith that seemed to radiate from him. She remembered the look in his eyes and the words that fell from his lips.
You, you made me believe.
It was his turn now.
He made her believe with the purity of his love, with his act of unwavering faith in her.