Fic: Eye of the Beholder: Chapter Three
Title: Eye of the Beholder: Chapter Three
Rating: T
Word Count: ~1609
Disclaimer: don't own them
Summary: As Laura makes a major decision and life change, Sam is there every step of the way.
Pairing: Laura/Sam
A/N: Thanks to lanalucy and laura_mayfair for the beta work.
A/N: First Chapter
She took a hard look in the mirror. She’d left Sean in her bed; he was probably wondering what she was doing. Maybe if she stayed long enough, he’d just leave. No. He was a gentleman - he’d say she’d taught him better - He wouldn’t go without making sure she was okay. Which would be worse. Even more embarrassing.
She turned out the light and exited the bathroom.
“Laura? Is everything okay?”
She nodded. “I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
“Did I do something wrong?”
She shook her head. “No. You didn’t,” she said. “Don’t call me again.”
He got the hint and scrambled out of her bed. She returned to the bathroom with her wireless phone and a cigarette. She sat on the floor against the cabinets as she called Adar’s campaign manager. She was in. All the way to the end. She took a final drag of her cigarette and thought of what she would say to Sam.
///////////////////////////////////////////
When Sam arrived, she was already there. A coffee sat at his place. He kissed her cheek. They could do that, right? That was a ‘friend thing.’ “Mmm. You smell great,” he said. “I mean, not that you don’t always…”
“I took a shower,” she said, grinning mischievously.
He chuckled. “Must be it, then.”
Something was off. There were circles under her eyes. “Is everything okay?” he asked.
“Yeah, I’m afraid you were right.” She forced a smile. “I joined Adar’s campaign last night.”
“Oh. Great,” he said. “And the, um, date?”
She shrugged. “Nice guy, but we don’t suit.”
“Oh, no? That’s too bad.”
“Not really. I agreed to the date under protest,” she said. “And I had a much better time than I expected.”
Yet it was bad enough to push her into politics. “Well, that’s something.” He smiled. “It’s good to see you getting out there, Laura.”
“Now you’re sounding like Marcia.”
He put up his hands. “Oh, no. Don’t want that.”
She laughed. Then she sipped her coffee. “Hmm. Perfect.” She popped open the lid. “Yup, that’s ‘coffee colored’ to me. You can tell a lot about a person by their perception of ‘coffee color’,” she said.
“You’re someone with impeccable taste, clearly,” he said.
“You too.”
“Nah. Just wanted to be sure it was up to your standards. Anyway, Jenny knows your order really well by now.”
They shared a laugh. That was one thing Sandy had never mentioned - how easy Laura’s laugh was, how infectious. Sandy had always described her as a workaholic, serious, efficient. All true, of course, but Laura always seemed to find the lighter side of a situation.
“What about you? Anyone special?”
Talk about a loaded question. “I’m not dating anyone at the moment.” True enough. “One of the few things my coach is pleased about.”
“Why’s that?”
He shrugged. “The old man thinks a girlfriend would be a distraction.”
“Probably.”
“Pyramid is one giant distraction,” he said. “Fast plays. Sudden switch-ups. Collisions on the court. Injuries.” He shook his head. “The ability to play through all of that. To make the perfect pass. The perfect shot. That’s what makes a player great.”
“Like you.”
“I guess, yeah,” he said. “I just mean, if anything, a partner could help keep all that straight.”
“The right partner could, sure.”
“Yeah.”
They sipped their coffees.
“I can’t believe I’m looking at the future leader of the Twelve Colonies here. I’ll see you on the vidscreen and say, ‘I remember when we used to have coffee together’.”
“It’s really not a big deal, Sam. I’ll probably drive Adar crazy within the week with my binder system.” She laughed. “That’ll be a swift end to my political career,” she said. “Besides, I’d never want to leave education.”
“Maybe you won’t have to.”
///////////////////////////////////////////////////
Within moments of arriving, Laura understood why Adar had been pressing her to join his campaign. The office was a frakkin’ mess. The staffers worked under little to no direction, and Richard Adar was barricaded in his office.
She clapped her hands and rolled up her sleeves. She put everyone to work cleaning and organizing. Then it was time to make a plan. For that, she needed Mayor Adar.
/////////////////////////////////////////////
“How is it?” Sam asked.
“Busy. Very busy,” she said. “But it’s good. Yeah.”
“Adar hasn’t kicked you to the curb, then.”
She laughed. “No. He couldn’t afford to do that,” she said. “Actually, we work well together. Somewhat unexpectedly.”
“Not to me.” He took a sip. “I’m glad it’s working out.”
“Me too.”
/////////////////////////////////////////////
When victory was imminent, Laura began to extract herself from the campaign office. Let the kids have their fun..
Adar looked up from his victory speech notes. “Where are you going?”
She smiled. “Congratulations, Mr. President Elect. You know where to find me if you need me.”
“Stay, Laura. Celebrate with me...with us.”
She shook her head. “I’ll be with you in spirit.”
“You’re exhausted, aren’t you?” He nodded. “I understand. You...I couldn’t have done this without you.” He reached out his hand for her to shake. “Congratulations, Madame Secretary."
“Secretary?” she asked.
“Of Education. If you want, that is. Transportation is available too, if you’d rather.”
She snorted. “No. I think Secretary of Education is more my speed. I’m honored you think I’m up for the task.”
He nodded. “I know this means you’ll have to leave the district. But,” he said, “think of how many children’s lives you’ll shape, Laura. The good work you’ve done for Caprica City you can duplicate across the Colonies. And you’ll have the full power and support of the Office of the President behind you.”
She smiled. “In that case, I’ll need some rest. Sounds like I’ll have a busy four years.”
He grinned and wished her well.
She hurried home to a ringing phone. “Laura Roslin’s residence,” she said as she answered.
“Hey! Congratulations,” Sam said.
“How’d you know I’d be home?”
“Stay for a party? You? Nah. I bet you snuck out as soon as the final district was calculated.”
She smiled. “I didn’t sneak, I’ll have you know. I said goodbye to the President Elect and left after he offered me a job.”
“After you won the Office for him, a cabinet position is the least he could do.”
“He won it, Sam. I just...helped a bit.”
“Yeah, it was a little more than that. So how will you spend your night?”
“I have a bottle I’ve been saving,” she said. “I’ll sip it as I listen to the victory speech.”
“Which you wrote, right?”
“Yes, but it’s all in his performance,” she said. “Would you like to join me?”
“Be right over,” he said. Click.
She replaced the phone in its cradle and prepared for her guest.
///////////////////////////////////////////
She poured their glasses as he turned on the vidscreen. “I’m not sure which channel,” she said.
“All of them,” he said. “Are you sure you wanna watch?”
She nodded. “The speech gets better with wine.”
He laughed. “Not your best work?”
She shrugged. “It’s quite a balance. Being firm, confident, charismatic, humble, supportive. Likable even,” she said. “I’m afraid Adar’s predecessors didn’t provide suitable examples on this front - their speech writers were rather...I had to wing it.” She laughed. “I’ll probably be doing that a lot.”
He lifted his glass to clink with hers. “To the Secretary of Education.” She gave a small smile. “May she whip the Colonies into shape the way she runs her school,” he said. She snorted. “And keep President Adar in line too.”
“So say we all.”
“I never met your mother. Or your father, for that matter. But I know they would be proud.”
“I don’t know. Maybe. I think my mother would be sorry to see me leave the classroom--”
“--The Colonies are your classroom. Endless possibilities.”
“Can you remind me that every time I have doubts?”
He smiled. “Always.”
The MC announced Adar’s victory and Richard Adar took center stage. His posture was perfect: triumphant yet humble. He’d crushed his opponent, but it wouldn’t do to rub it in. In politics, you were only as strong as your connections. And one’s connections were invariably enemies and opponents. Tim Sheehan hadn’t been the right person for the Office of the President of the Twelve Colonies, but he’d had powerful allies - and Richard would need them in the next four years.
“He’s off to a good start,” Sam said.
She rested her head against his shoulder and took a sip. “Yes, he is,” she said. “Couldn’t have done it better myself.”
//////////////////////////////////////////////////
After the fireworks, a tradition since the unification of the Twelve Colonies, he switched off the vidscreen. Laura snored softly, her head against his chest. He kissed her hair; then he debated his options: wait ‘til she awakened or carry her to bed. A good night’s sleep in her own bed would be worth the risk of disturbing her. He maneuvered off the couch and leveraged her into his arms: She was light. She needed to eat more.
Her eyes flickered open. “Sam?”
“Yeah.”
“G’night.” She closed her eyes and didn’t reopen them.
He found his way to her room and laid her on the bed. It was unmade - nice to see she wasn’t perfect, even if he'd already technically known that - so he pulled up the covers and tucked her in. He kissed her forehead and exited the room.
He went into the kitchen and washed and dried their wine glasses and the dishes from the cheddar bacon ranch dip she insisted they’d eat. He returned everything to its proper place and left the apartment.
Next Chapter
Rating: T
Word Count: ~1609
Disclaimer: don't own them
Summary: As Laura makes a major decision and life change, Sam is there every step of the way.
Pairing: Laura/Sam
A/N: Thanks to lanalucy and laura_mayfair for the beta work.
A/N: First Chapter
She took a hard look in the mirror. She’d left Sean in her bed; he was probably wondering what she was doing. Maybe if she stayed long enough, he’d just leave. No. He was a gentleman - he’d say she’d taught him better - He wouldn’t go without making sure she was okay. Which would be worse. Even more embarrassing.
She turned out the light and exited the bathroom.
“Laura? Is everything okay?”
She nodded. “I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
“Did I do something wrong?”
She shook her head. “No. You didn’t,” she said. “Don’t call me again.”
He got the hint and scrambled out of her bed. She returned to the bathroom with her wireless phone and a cigarette. She sat on the floor against the cabinets as she called Adar’s campaign manager. She was in. All the way to the end. She took a final drag of her cigarette and thought of what she would say to Sam.
///////////////////////////////////////////
When Sam arrived, she was already there. A coffee sat at his place. He kissed her cheek. They could do that, right? That was a ‘friend thing.’ “Mmm. You smell great,” he said. “I mean, not that you don’t always…”
“I took a shower,” she said, grinning mischievously.
He chuckled. “Must be it, then.”
Something was off. There were circles under her eyes. “Is everything okay?” he asked.
“Yeah, I’m afraid you were right.” She forced a smile. “I joined Adar’s campaign last night.”
“Oh. Great,” he said. “And the, um, date?”
She shrugged. “Nice guy, but we don’t suit.”
“Oh, no? That’s too bad.”
“Not really. I agreed to the date under protest,” she said. “And I had a much better time than I expected.”
Yet it was bad enough to push her into politics. “Well, that’s something.” He smiled. “It’s good to see you getting out there, Laura.”
“Now you’re sounding like Marcia.”
He put up his hands. “Oh, no. Don’t want that.”
She laughed. Then she sipped her coffee. “Hmm. Perfect.” She popped open the lid. “Yup, that’s ‘coffee colored’ to me. You can tell a lot about a person by their perception of ‘coffee color’,” she said.
“You’re someone with impeccable taste, clearly,” he said.
“You too.”
“Nah. Just wanted to be sure it was up to your standards. Anyway, Jenny knows your order really well by now.”
They shared a laugh. That was one thing Sandy had never mentioned - how easy Laura’s laugh was, how infectious. Sandy had always described her as a workaholic, serious, efficient. All true, of course, but Laura always seemed to find the lighter side of a situation.
“What about you? Anyone special?”
Talk about a loaded question. “I’m not dating anyone at the moment.” True enough. “One of the few things my coach is pleased about.”
“Why’s that?”
He shrugged. “The old man thinks a girlfriend would be a distraction.”
“Probably.”
“Pyramid is one giant distraction,” he said. “Fast plays. Sudden switch-ups. Collisions on the court. Injuries.” He shook his head. “The ability to play through all of that. To make the perfect pass. The perfect shot. That’s what makes a player great.”
“Like you.”
“I guess, yeah,” he said. “I just mean, if anything, a partner could help keep all that straight.”
“The right partner could, sure.”
“Yeah.”
They sipped their coffees.
“I can’t believe I’m looking at the future leader of the Twelve Colonies here. I’ll see you on the vidscreen and say, ‘I remember when we used to have coffee together’.”
“It’s really not a big deal, Sam. I’ll probably drive Adar crazy within the week with my binder system.” She laughed. “That’ll be a swift end to my political career,” she said. “Besides, I’d never want to leave education.”
“Maybe you won’t have to.”
///////////////////////////////////////////////////
Within moments of arriving, Laura understood why Adar had been pressing her to join his campaign. The office was a frakkin’ mess. The staffers worked under little to no direction, and Richard Adar was barricaded in his office.
She clapped her hands and rolled up her sleeves. She put everyone to work cleaning and organizing. Then it was time to make a plan. For that, she needed Mayor Adar.
/////////////////////////////////////////////
“How is it?” Sam asked.
“Busy. Very busy,” she said. “But it’s good. Yeah.”
“Adar hasn’t kicked you to the curb, then.”
She laughed. “No. He couldn’t afford to do that,” she said. “Actually, we work well together. Somewhat unexpectedly.”
“Not to me.” He took a sip. “I’m glad it’s working out.”
“Me too.”
/////////////////////////////////////////////
When victory was imminent, Laura began to extract herself from the campaign office. Let the kids have their fun..
Adar looked up from his victory speech notes. “Where are you going?”
She smiled. “Congratulations, Mr. President Elect. You know where to find me if you need me.”
“Stay, Laura. Celebrate with me...with us.”
She shook her head. “I’ll be with you in spirit.”
“You’re exhausted, aren’t you?” He nodded. “I understand. You...I couldn’t have done this without you.” He reached out his hand for her to shake. “Congratulations, Madame Secretary."
“Secretary?” she asked.
“Of Education. If you want, that is. Transportation is available too, if you’d rather.”
She snorted. “No. I think Secretary of Education is more my speed. I’m honored you think I’m up for the task.”
He nodded. “I know this means you’ll have to leave the district. But,” he said, “think of how many children’s lives you’ll shape, Laura. The good work you’ve done for Caprica City you can duplicate across the Colonies. And you’ll have the full power and support of the Office of the President behind you.”
She smiled. “In that case, I’ll need some rest. Sounds like I’ll have a busy four years.”
He grinned and wished her well.
She hurried home to a ringing phone. “Laura Roslin’s residence,” she said as she answered.
“Hey! Congratulations,” Sam said.
“How’d you know I’d be home?”
“Stay for a party? You? Nah. I bet you snuck out as soon as the final district was calculated.”
She smiled. “I didn’t sneak, I’ll have you know. I said goodbye to the President Elect and left after he offered me a job.”
“After you won the Office for him, a cabinet position is the least he could do.”
“He won it, Sam. I just...helped a bit.”
“Yeah, it was a little more than that. So how will you spend your night?”
“I have a bottle I’ve been saving,” she said. “I’ll sip it as I listen to the victory speech.”
“Which you wrote, right?”
“Yes, but it’s all in his performance,” she said. “Would you like to join me?”
“Be right over,” he said. Click.
She replaced the phone in its cradle and prepared for her guest.
///////////////////////////////////////////
She poured their glasses as he turned on the vidscreen. “I’m not sure which channel,” she said.
“All of them,” he said. “Are you sure you wanna watch?”
She nodded. “The speech gets better with wine.”
He laughed. “Not your best work?”
She shrugged. “It’s quite a balance. Being firm, confident, charismatic, humble, supportive. Likable even,” she said. “I’m afraid Adar’s predecessors didn’t provide suitable examples on this front - their speech writers were rather...I had to wing it.” She laughed. “I’ll probably be doing that a lot.”
He lifted his glass to clink with hers. “To the Secretary of Education.” She gave a small smile. “May she whip the Colonies into shape the way she runs her school,” he said. She snorted. “And keep President Adar in line too.”
“So say we all.”
“I never met your mother. Or your father, for that matter. But I know they would be proud.”
“I don’t know. Maybe. I think my mother would be sorry to see me leave the classroom--”
“--The Colonies are your classroom. Endless possibilities.”
“Can you remind me that every time I have doubts?”
He smiled. “Always.”
The MC announced Adar’s victory and Richard Adar took center stage. His posture was perfect: triumphant yet humble. He’d crushed his opponent, but it wouldn’t do to rub it in. In politics, you were only as strong as your connections. And one’s connections were invariably enemies and opponents. Tim Sheehan hadn’t been the right person for the Office of the President of the Twelve Colonies, but he’d had powerful allies - and Richard would need them in the next four years.
“He’s off to a good start,” Sam said.
She rested her head against his shoulder and took a sip. “Yes, he is,” she said. “Couldn’t have done it better myself.”
//////////////////////////////////////////////////
After the fireworks, a tradition since the unification of the Twelve Colonies, he switched off the vidscreen. Laura snored softly, her head against his chest. He kissed her hair; then he debated his options: wait ‘til she awakened or carry her to bed. A good night’s sleep in her own bed would be worth the risk of disturbing her. He maneuvered off the couch and leveraged her into his arms: She was light. She needed to eat more.
Her eyes flickered open. “Sam?”
“Yeah.”
“G’night.” She closed her eyes and didn’t reopen them.
He found his way to her room and laid her on the bed. It was unmade - nice to see she wasn’t perfect, even if he'd already technically known that - so he pulled up the covers and tucked her in. He kissed her forehead and exited the room.
He went into the kitchen and washed and dried their wine glasses and the dishes from the cheddar bacon ranch dip she insisted they’d eat. He returned everything to its proper place and left the apartment.
Next Chapter