Caprican Times Chapter 3
So lacklusterfic has something to read at work....
Graphic by the ever-amazing sczep84Chapter 1 is here, chapter 2 here.
"Billy? Adama. Tell your boss 11:30 tonight, corner of Herakles and Ninth. And not to wear one of her fancy suits; it's nothing like her ritzy neighborhood."
"One minute, Mr. Adama, I'll put you through to her."
"No, don't. Some of us have work to do."
He knew she'd be fashionably late, so he was surprised to see her lounging against the wall of a corner market when he strolled up at 11:25. Her back was to him, but from the movement of her head and the sway of her hips he could tell she was taking in what passed for nightlife in Little Tauron.
He snuck up behind her, pushed her against the wall. Her surprised yelp he smothered with the flat of his hand against her mouth. "Are you crazy?" he whispered in her ear.
He felt something warm and wet on his palm. She's licking my hand. The thought sent his mind places he had no business going during work hours. Get a grip, Adama. She's licking her lips. She always does that when she's nervous. The thought of Laura Roslin licking his skin was quickly chased away by the triumph of having made his publisher nervous.
He leaned into her a little harder, her ear cold against his lips. "I'm going to let you go now, OK? And you're not going to yell at me or raise your voice. We don't want to draw attention to ourselves."
For a breath or two there was no answer, and then he felt the tiniest nod of her head. He removed his hand from her mouth but didn't step back from where he pressed her against the bricks. "What were you thinking, coming here dressed like that? You looking for trouble?"
"I don’t know what you're talking about."
He pulled away, looked her up and down and up again. The loosely curled hair, the perfect makeup, the low cut red sweater, the tight jeans. The high heeled boots. "I think you do. Come on, we're going to be late." He took off with a wide stride, forcing Roslin to trot along behind him.
"You going to tell me something about this source?"
He walked a little faster. He could hear her heels on the pavement, beating fast as his heart.
"Mr. Adama?"
"In here." He grabbed her hand and pulled her into a dark building. The door closed behind them, cutting off the light from the street.
"Bill?"
He took the hand he still held and placed it on his hip. "Just hold on. There'll be light in the next room." He could feel her shuffling along awkwardly behind him, bumping in to him on every other step.
"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" she whispered.
"No more than you are." He fumbled in the dark, leaning forward and pulling her off-balance. "OK, here's the door. It's going to be bright in there."
"Just open the door, Adama. I don't plan to spend the night alone with you in a dark room."
"Don't knock it until you've tried it, Laura." He pulled the door open and blinked in the sudden flood of light. "You okay?"
"Aside from temporary blindness, just fine."
He led her across to another door. He tapped three times, then three times more. A small window opened, they were scrutinized, and the door swung inward.
"What is this, your little secret Tauron clubhouse?" Roslin asked.
"You really don't want to be talking like that." He led her across the bar toward a dimly-lit table.
She kept turning her head back they way they'd come.
"Don't worry, Roslin. You haven't checked your Caprican virtue at the door."
"I think that boy who let us in is watching me, is all."
"Sean? Yeah. He has a thing for older women."
"Older women?" she protested.
"'Reporting the truth without fear or favoritism.' That's what you pay me for, Mrs. Adar."
"Since you're not publishing this, I think you might consider a little more favoritism and a lot more fear."
"Oh, there'll be fear, all right," Bill chuckled. "Only it's not going to be mine."
"The day you can make me fear you, William A--" her voice choked off suddenly as Bill pushed her forward, bringing her face to face with a harsh looking woman.
"Cain." Bill said.
"Adama," she answered. "And I see you brought her. Good."
"Brought her?" Laura whispered to Bill. "Brought her?"
"Cain wanted to meet you."
"She's your source? I wanted to meet her," Laura reminded him.
"Cain wanted to meet you," Bill repeated. "Luckily, you also wanted to meet her."
"You mean luckily she also wanted to meet me."
Cain interrupted. "As much as I'm enjoying the show, I have other things to do tonight. Mrs. Adar -- "
"My name's Roslin. And if you don't mind, please ask someone to bring us some chairs."
"I do mind. And, Mrs. Adar, I find it puzzling -- no, I find it troubling -- that you seem to question the information I gave Adama."
"Ms Cain, my paper's reputation, and quite a lot of cubits, are resting on that information. I'd be a very bad businesswoman if I didn't try to assess the reliability of Adama's sources."
"And now?"
"I don’t think meeting you for a few minutes in the back of a dark bar is much of a testimony, is it?"
Cain barked a laugh. "You have more balls than most Tauron men." She cut a glance at Adama, standing off to the side, hands clasped at his waist, before looking back at Laura. "You have questions?"
"You don't strike me as the type to give it away for free. So what's in it for you?"
"I don’t like terrorists."
"No one does. What's in it for you?"
"I appreciate law and order."
Laura gave a disbelieving snort. Adama moved to her side. With a wave of Cain's hand, he stood down.
"I have reached an -- understanding -- with the Caprican police force. I don't like outsiders making trouble."
"Eliminating the competition?"
Cain nodded.
"And I'm supposed to use my paper to help you."
"No, Ms Roslin. You're supposed to use your paper to tell the people of Caprica the truth. If it happens to coincide with my interests? Well, isn't life sweet."
Laura held her hand out to Cain. "I'll have Adama let you know." Her hand hung there in mid-air, untaken, unwanted.
"Adama, it's been a pleasure seeing you," Cain said, dismissing them both.
Laura opened her mouth, but Bill's hand, insistent on her lower back, convinced her that a few minutes of silence would hurt no one, least of all herself. When they were once again outside she turned to him. "You live around here, don't you? We need to talk."
"Talk? You expect me to take a suicidal woman back to my apartment to talk?"
"Once again, Mr. Adama, I have no idea what you're talking about. It seems that Little Tauron has a remarkably bad influence on your ability to make sense."
"You went toe to toe with Cain."
"I asked your source some questions, yes."
Adama looked around, noticed people noticing them. He pulled her close, arms around her waist, and whispered into her ear. "You just questioned the integrity of the head of the Ha'la'tha, Laura Roslin."
He felt her shiver all along his body.
Graphic by the ever-amazing sczep84Chapter 1 is here, chapter 2 here.
"Billy? Adama. Tell your boss 11:30 tonight, corner of Herakles and Ninth. And not to wear one of her fancy suits; it's nothing like her ritzy neighborhood."
"One minute, Mr. Adama, I'll put you through to her."
"No, don't. Some of us have work to do."
He knew she'd be fashionably late, so he was surprised to see her lounging against the wall of a corner market when he strolled up at 11:25. Her back was to him, but from the movement of her head and the sway of her hips he could tell she was taking in what passed for nightlife in Little Tauron.
He snuck up behind her, pushed her against the wall. Her surprised yelp he smothered with the flat of his hand against her mouth. "Are you crazy?" he whispered in her ear.
He felt something warm and wet on his palm. She's licking my hand. The thought sent his mind places he had no business going during work hours. Get a grip, Adama. She's licking her lips. She always does that when she's nervous. The thought of Laura Roslin licking his skin was quickly chased away by the triumph of having made his publisher nervous.
He leaned into her a little harder, her ear cold against his lips. "I'm going to let you go now, OK? And you're not going to yell at me or raise your voice. We don't want to draw attention to ourselves."
For a breath or two there was no answer, and then he felt the tiniest nod of her head. He removed his hand from her mouth but didn't step back from where he pressed her against the bricks. "What were you thinking, coming here dressed like that? You looking for trouble?"
"I don’t know what you're talking about."
He pulled away, looked her up and down and up again. The loosely curled hair, the perfect makeup, the low cut red sweater, the tight jeans. The high heeled boots. "I think you do. Come on, we're going to be late." He took off with a wide stride, forcing Roslin to trot along behind him.
"You going to tell me something about this source?"
He walked a little faster. He could hear her heels on the pavement, beating fast as his heart.
"Mr. Adama?"
"In here." He grabbed her hand and pulled her into a dark building. The door closed behind them, cutting off the light from the street.
"Bill?"
He took the hand he still held and placed it on his hip. "Just hold on. There'll be light in the next room." He could feel her shuffling along awkwardly behind him, bumping in to him on every other step.
"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" she whispered.
"No more than you are." He fumbled in the dark, leaning forward and pulling her off-balance. "OK, here's the door. It's going to be bright in there."
"Just open the door, Adama. I don't plan to spend the night alone with you in a dark room."
"Don't knock it until you've tried it, Laura." He pulled the door open and blinked in the sudden flood of light. "You okay?"
"Aside from temporary blindness, just fine."
He led her across to another door. He tapped three times, then three times more. A small window opened, they were scrutinized, and the door swung inward.
"What is this, your little secret Tauron clubhouse?" Roslin asked.
"You really don't want to be talking like that." He led her across the bar toward a dimly-lit table.
She kept turning her head back they way they'd come.
"Don't worry, Roslin. You haven't checked your Caprican virtue at the door."
"I think that boy who let us in is watching me, is all."
"Sean? Yeah. He has a thing for older women."
"Older women?" she protested.
"'Reporting the truth without fear or favoritism.' That's what you pay me for, Mrs. Adar."
"Since you're not publishing this, I think you might consider a little more favoritism and a lot more fear."
"Oh, there'll be fear, all right," Bill chuckled. "Only it's not going to be mine."
"The day you can make me fear you, William A--" her voice choked off suddenly as Bill pushed her forward, bringing her face to face with a harsh looking woman.
"Cain." Bill said.
"Adama," she answered. "And I see you brought her. Good."
"Brought her?" Laura whispered to Bill. "Brought her?"
"Cain wanted to meet you."
"She's your source? I wanted to meet her," Laura reminded him.
"Cain wanted to meet you," Bill repeated. "Luckily, you also wanted to meet her."
"You mean luckily she also wanted to meet me."
Cain interrupted. "As much as I'm enjoying the show, I have other things to do tonight. Mrs. Adar -- "
"My name's Roslin. And if you don't mind, please ask someone to bring us some chairs."
"I do mind. And, Mrs. Adar, I find it puzzling -- no, I find it troubling -- that you seem to question the information I gave Adama."
"Ms Cain, my paper's reputation, and quite a lot of cubits, are resting on that information. I'd be a very bad businesswoman if I didn't try to assess the reliability of Adama's sources."
"And now?"
"I don’t think meeting you for a few minutes in the back of a dark bar is much of a testimony, is it?"
Cain barked a laugh. "You have more balls than most Tauron men." She cut a glance at Adama, standing off to the side, hands clasped at his waist, before looking back at Laura. "You have questions?"
"You don't strike me as the type to give it away for free. So what's in it for you?"
"I don’t like terrorists."
"No one does. What's in it for you?"
"I appreciate law and order."
Laura gave a disbelieving snort. Adama moved to her side. With a wave of Cain's hand, he stood down.
"I have reached an -- understanding -- with the Caprican police force. I don't like outsiders making trouble."
"Eliminating the competition?"
Cain nodded.
"And I'm supposed to use my paper to help you."
"No, Ms Roslin. You're supposed to use your paper to tell the people of Caprica the truth. If it happens to coincide with my interests? Well, isn't life sweet."
Laura held her hand out to Cain. "I'll have Adama let you know." Her hand hung there in mid-air, untaken, unwanted.
"Adama, it's been a pleasure seeing you," Cain said, dismissing them both.
Laura opened her mouth, but Bill's hand, insistent on her lower back, convinced her that a few minutes of silence would hurt no one, least of all herself. When they were once again outside she turned to him. "You live around here, don't you? We need to talk."
"Talk? You expect me to take a suicidal woman back to my apartment to talk?"
"Once again, Mr. Adama, I have no idea what you're talking about. It seems that Little Tauron has a remarkably bad influence on your ability to make sense."
"You went toe to toe with Cain."
"I asked your source some questions, yes."
Adama looked around, noticed people noticing them. He pulled her close, arms around her waist, and whispered into her ear. "You just questioned the integrity of the head of the Ha'la'tha, Laura Roslin."
He felt her shiver all along his body.