FIC: The Road Diverged, Chapter Seven
Title: The Road Diverged, Chapter Seven
Author: The Plaid Slytherin (plaid_slytherin)
Characters/Pairings: Bill/Saul, Laura/Lee
Rating (this chapter): T
Spoilers (this chapter): Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down
Summary: As Lee begins to explore his new relationship with Laura, Bill starts to realize his feelings for Saul may go deeper than mere friendship. Two relationships develop in parallel, with ramifications not only for each other, but for the entire fleet.
A/N: Written for deborah_judge for the help_japan auction, who wanted Bill/Saul and Laura/Lee in the same fic. This is an AU spanning the entire series, beginning, of course, at the beginning. Thanks to astreamofstars for betaing and much input.
Previously: One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six
"Ellen," Saul murmured. "You're… alive." Gingerly, he reached out to touch her arm. She didn't react to him. Well, he didn't blame her. Coming to see him only to find him just out of bed with Bill. Saul pulled his hand away and tried to recover by reaching for the coffee pot. He poured them two cups. "How?" he finally managed.
She accepted the cup he offered her. "I was at the spaceport on Picon. It's all fuzzy after the Cylons hit. The next thing I knew I was on the Rising Star. Someone must have put me on a ship…" She trailed off, looking haunted. "I could have died, Saul."
"I'm glad you're okay," he said.
"Are you really?"
"Ellen…"
"You seemed to be getting on pretty well without me," she went on. "I'm sorry I spoiled things for you and your boyfriend."
Saul set his mug down with a thunk. "Ellen," he said again. He was trying to compose himself. He wasn't sure what exactly his objective here was. He still couldn't quite believe Ellen was alive. But he needed to explain about Bill. "Why didn't you come over here before?"
"I was unconscious," she said sharply, "for weeks. And if you think it's easy getting transport, you clearly haven't left Galactica. And then when I finally get here, I find out my husband's been cheating on me…"
"I thought you were dead," Saul snapped, which he realized was the wrong thing as soon as he'd said it.
"Oh, so you just couldn't wait to jump into bed with another man as soon as I'd died?"
An alarm sounded and Saul resisted the urge to look at the monitors on the wall. He could have kicked Bill for telling him not to come to CIC unless summoned.
"It's not like that and you know it. We were separated for two years on top of that."
"So what are you saying?" She looked wary, and Saul felt his heart begin to beat faster.
What was he saying? Ellen was alive. He and Bill were together now, but Ellen was right here.
He remembered the last big blowup they'd had, where he'd stormed off after Bill. That had gotten him kicked out and in the two years since, he'd nearly resigned himself to the fact that he and Ellen probably weren't going to get back together.
"Saul?" she prompted.
"Look," he said. He took a deep breath and steepled his hands. "Ellen."
She crossed her legs. "How long has this been going on?" she asked. "Because I know you've always had that little crush, Saul, but I didn't mean the part about your lover literally."
Saul shifted. "Just since the attacks, actually."
"Well, congratulations," she said. "I had no idea he felt the same way you did."
Saul rubbed his chin. "Yeah, well, neither did I."
"So where should I send the wedding present?"
"I understand you must be upset…"
"Upset?" Her voice was rising. "Upset? Saul, I wanted to try again. I came over here ready to start clean and then I find you and Bill…"
"Oh, like you never had other guys."
"Not when you wanted to start again."
Saul stood up and crossed over to Bill's drinks cart. He knew it was early, but he needed something. He poured two glasses and stalked back over to the couch. She accepted her drink without a word.
"Look, I'm sorry," he said. He took a swig. "But it's been two years. If you wanted to try again, why now? You had two whole years and not a word…"
She looked down at the floor.
"Hey, it's my fault, too," he went on. "I'm sorry you had to find out this way, and I'm sorry I never called you. It's a two-way street and I… sure wasn't pulling my weight, either. I could have been a better husband. "
She nodded. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "It was just… after the attacks and everything… things changed, Saul. I just… I knew that I really meant it this time."
Saul sighed heavily. "I know. Because that's what I told Bill. Things changed. Had to get it off my chest. So I told him how I felt and he… well, it took a bit, but he wanted to try something."
They both sat, drinking in silence, for several minutes.
"Are you happy?" she asked suddenly. "You looked happy. This morning, when you came out of the bathroom. You were smiling. You're happy being with him."
Saul shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, I guess I am. It's only been a little while, but… yeah. I'm happy."
"I'm glad. At least you're happy."
"Oh, Ellen." He set his drink down. "I wish you wouldn't do that."
"What? You wish I wasn't upset that you're leaving me?"
He sighed. "No, no, I understand you're upset. Can't really begrudge you that." He paused. "But I do…" He swallowed hard. It felt weird to say it first to Ellen of all people, but he needed to say it. "I love him."
She was quick to respond to that. "More than me?"
This threw him. He couldn't say that, couldn't say that he did love Bill more. He'd loved Bill longer, yes, had waited longer for him. His and Ellen's courtship had lasted just a few months-weeks, even, before they'd gotten married in a fit of spontaneity. But he'd loved Bill for thirty years…
"No," he said softly. "Not more. Just… different. And now that I've got a chance with him, I just… I have to take it." He hated how wobbly his voice was as he said this. He drained his glass and set it on the table. The burn at the back of his throat helped somewhat.
Ellen was watching him, her expression unreadable. Finally, she sighed and said, "I suppose I'm the last one to object if you want a little break, Saul." She ran her hand over his chest, pausing to toy with his top button. "I have missed you, though." She leaned in to kiss him, and he couldn't help himself from kissing her back. It brought back a flood of memories, of the time when they'd just met and he could lose himself in Ellen to relieve the ache of pining after the newly-divorced (and uninterested in dating) Bill.
Bill.
Saul pulled back, feeling his pulse quicken. He and Ellen stared at each other for several second before she said, "You really are serious, aren't you?"
All Saul could do was nod.
"Well," she said briskly, "I know the drill. I can certainly amuse myself while I'm waiting around for you. I haven't even been over to Cloud Nine yet, and I hear that's amazing."
Saul resisted the urge to tell her that she didn't have to wait for him-if Bill would have him, he was planning to be with Bill… well, for as long as the Cylons would let him.
Ellen got to her feet and made her way toward the hatch. "I would like to use your quarters if you don't mind," she was saying. "It would be nice to have a base here on Galactica."
"Sure, sure." Saul was beginning to get distracted. It had been a while since the alarm ended and he would have appreciated an update from Bill. He needed to get to CIC himself, it seemed.
"I'll see you later." She kissed him on the cheek and left, leaving Saul to slump back onto the couch, feeling very worn out for such an early hour. He needed another drink.
**
Laura found Baltar in his lab, staring into space.
"Hello, Doctor," she said, trying to sound casual.
Baltar jumped. He really was going to give himself a heart attack one of these days. "Madam President!" he said. "What brings you here?"
She crossed her arms over her chest. "I wanted to check on your progress with the Cylon tester. Whose are you running first?"
Baltar, looking addled, glanced down at the list in front of him. "Oh, it seems to be Commander Adama's."
She smiled and turned to go. "Perfect. Test away."
**
Bill strode into CIC, ready to face whatever was out there. He needed to do his job; he'd worry about Ellen and Saul later.
"What is it, Mr. Gaeta?" he asked.
"Lone Cylon Raider, sir. Apollo got him."
Bill put his hands behind his back and looked around. "Just one?"
"Just one, sir." Gaeta looked at his monitor again. "Probably a scout ship, but he never got our position back to the Cylon fleet."
Bill frowned. Well, there went his distraction.
"Was… that okay, sir?" Gaeta was looking at him funny.
"Yeah," Bill said. He was still working the idea of Ellen over and over in his mind. He needed to find out where she'd come from. "You have the deck, Mr. Gaeta."
**
The civilian shuttle Ellen had come over on revealed her ship of origin-the Rising Star. She'd been given medical treatment and they confirmed they still had a blood sample they had used to run some tests.
Bill thought about going to tell Saul he was leaving Galactica, going about this the official way, but somehow, his feet carried him down to the hangar deck without doing that.
"I'm going to borrow a Raptor, Chief," he said, not even waiting for a response.
"O-Of course, sir," the Chief said, looking more confused than anything else. "You need a pilot?"
"No." Bill stepped up onto the bird. "That's not necessary." He wanted to keep this quiet and the quieter he kept it, the less likely it was to reach Saul before Bill could explain it himself, in private, hopefully once they'd figured out where they stood.
He didn't know what to hope for. It had been two years, but Ellen had always had this hold over Saul. They'd never had a separation this long before, but every time they'd been apart before, it had only taken him one look at her before it was like nothing had happened, them both promising things would be different. Then, they'd retire together with the bottle, leaving Bill by himself at whatever bar they'd agreed to meet at.
He frowned as the memories rushed back. He supposed he had been jealous, even back then. He sighed as he piloted the Raptor out of Galactica's airspace. No use dwelling on it now, he supposed. He was likely to return to Galactica to find them wrapped up in each other like old times. He took a deep, steadying breath as he remembered waking up with Saul that morning. Maybe if they'd moved faster, gone further…
He shook his head. Nothing he could do would change things. He could only move forward and he needed to set his mind at ease about something first.
**
Once he'd fortified himself, Saul went to CIC to check up on Bill. He wasn't there.
"Well, where the hell is he?" Saul barked at Gaeta, feeling his agitation rise. He hadn't had a good start to the day and he definitely didn't need any more trouble.
"I don't know, sir." The younger man looked nervous and somewhere in the back of his mind, Saul knew he shouldn't be too hard on him, but godsdamnit he was worried. What did Bill think now that Ellen was back? He really needed to talk to him as soon as he could. He wasn't even going to let himself consider the possibility that something had happened to Bill.
He shook his head firmly. No.
He was just about to leave CIC when the alarm started to bleep.
"Dradis contact!" Gaeta shouted. "One Cylon raider."
Saul looked around, as though expecting Bill to appear out of nowhere. "Where the frak is the old man?"
**
Bill drummed his fingers irritably on the control yokes of his borrowed Raptor. Apparently, another Raider had appeared and here he was waiting in Rising Star's landing bay for the all clear. If it was another lone bird like earlier, Bill trusted his crew to take care of it like they'd handled the first one, especially if his absence was noticed and Saul took command.
Mostly, Bill just wanted to get back over there to drop off his blood sample.
It wasn't that he really thought Ellen was a Cylon. He definitely wasn't doing this out of any kind of… jealousy… or anything like that.
But it definitely paid to be cautious. All of Galactica's crew had had to submit blood samples, and it only made sense that spouses of high-ranking officers should be made to do the same.
The comm line crackled. "You're clear, Husker," the voice said.
"Finally," Bill muttered.
When he touched down on Galactica, he barely acknowledged Cally when she came up to him for the postflight checklist. The sooner Baltar could start with those tests, the better.
When Bill opened the hatch to the lab, Baltar jumped two feet.
"Commander!" he exclaimed. Bill didn't like that distracted look on his face. He didn't want to think about what he'd just interrupted.
"Doctor," he said, giving Baltar a curt nod. "How are the tests coming?"
"Oh, well, you see President Roslin was just in here asking me the exact same thing, coincidentally." Baltar made a great show of shuffling papers around on his lab table. "The tests are coming… quite well, actually. It's a very time-consuming process, but I assure you it's… it's certainly coming."
Bill frowned. He was certainly skeptical of that. He withdrew the vial from his pocket. "There's one more sample for you," he said evenly. "Make it priority one."
Baltar frowned. "You see, Commander, President Roslin has just asked me to…"
"Priority one," Bill said and turned to go.
He hadn't taken two steps out of the lab before he ran right into Lee.
"Dad!" Lee exclaimed. "Where have you been?"
Bill frowned. Surely he hadn't been missed that much?
"The XO's looking for you," Lee went on. He was still looking at Bill in puzzlement. "What were you doing in the lab?"
"I needed to speak with Doctor Baltar," Bill said. "Thanks for letting me know Saul's looking for me." He pushed past Lee, his stomach once again a bundle of nerves.
Thankfully, Saul was in Bill's quarters. There was no sign of Ellen and Saul had a half-finished drink in his hands.
"Hey," Bill said, trying to test the waters.
"Hey?" Saul looked mad. "Where have you been?"
"Rising Star," Bill said.
Saul looked baffled. "Rising Star? Why?"
Bill wasn't sure how to answer that. He sat down on the couch and tentatively put his hand on Saul's knee. He didn't push it away. Good sign.
"I just wanted to talk to the doctor there," he said. "About Ellen."
Saul's head bobbed in acknowledgement.
"How did it go?" Bill didn't need to clarify what 'it' was. Saul slumped against him, burrowing closer when Bill put an arm around his shoulders.
"It went okay." Saul's voice was quiet. "She thinks this is still like it was before, so I don't know. But I told her about us."
"Good." Bill kissed Saul's forehead, feeling relief wash over him. Saul was in a sulky state, which Bill would need to coax him out of, but at least they were still together. "I'm sorry for running off on you earlier."
"It's okay." Saul tilted his head up so Bill could kiss his lips. "I'm glad you're back."
Bill knew the professional thing to do would be to talk about these lone Raiders that had been jumping in, but he couldn't resist Saul in his arms. He cupped Saul's cheek, drawing him into a deeper kiss. Business would just have to wait.
**
Laura was just about to go to her shuttle when Lee approached her, looking breathless.
"What's the matter?" she asked, trying not to let her face show what a pleasant surprise she thought this was.
"My father," Lee said and despite herself, Laura's heart sank a bit. She had been hoping Lee wanted to see her on more than official business. "He's acting strange."
Laura frowned. He really did look concerned. "Strange, how?"
Lee cut his eyes to the side to see if there was anyone else in the corridor. "Can we talk somewhere private? Here, I mean, not on Colonial One?"
"I suppose," she said. "If you have somewhere in mind."
"I do." With his hand on her elbow, he led her around the corner to the currently-empty pilots' ready room. When they entered, he removed his hand and she missed it instantly. She was about to say something when Lee started talking without preamble.
"He disappeared today." Lee looked like the implications of all this were just starting to sink in. "He was off-ship for a couple hours and nobody knows where he went. The Chief says he just took a Raptor; didn't give any kind of flight plan or anything."
"But he's back now?" Laura sank into one of the seats in the front row. "Have you seen him?"
Lee nodded.
"What did he say?"
"Not much." Lee ran a hand through his hair. "He basically gave me the brushoff." He paused. "It was right outside the lab. He'd been to see Baltar."
Laura pursed her lips. "I wonder if he's tested your father's sample yet."
"Hrm?"
"I had Doctor Baltar put your father's blood sample ahead of anyone else's."
Lee's mouth opened. "You mean for running through the Cylon detector? Why?"
Laura shifted uncomfortably. Lee was exactly the last person she wanted to confess her suspicions to.
"You don't think he's a Cylon?" Lee asked.
"I don't know," she said. She went on to explain what Leoben had said-leaving out the matter of the strange dream.
Lee steepled his hands and thought for a moment. "It doesn't make any sense," he finally said. "I mean, if he's a Cylon, then…"
"That's right, he can't be," Laura said quickly. She fely slightly embarrassed for having even brought it up. "But that still doesn't change his odd behavior."
Lee surprised her by being the one to bring up the next point. "He could have been replaced, though, you know. If the Cylons look like us now, what's to keep them from…" He paused, swallowing hard. "You know… copying someone. I mean… I hate to think it, but he was alone with a Cylon down in the armory…"
Laura didn't want to think about it either. As hard as it was to work with the elder Adama, she certaintly didn't want him to be a Cylon, not the least because he was Lee's father.
"We'll get to the bottom of this," she said, placing what she hoped would be a soothing hand on his arm. "I'm going to talk to Baltar and see if he's done the test yet. Then we'll know."
Lee nodded. "Right. I'll go with you."
**
Ellen made her way through Galactica's hallways, trying to get a sense of the ship. She'd never really liked being cooped up in a tin can for weeks on end, which was why she'd never taken cruises or come with Saul when he was in space. She liked her freedom of movement and the ability to go where she wanted.
However, she also liked to know her surroundings, which was why she was currently working on her mental map of Galactica. Being the XO's wife had its perks and Ellen hoped she would at least be able to keep some of those, even if Saul continued to play house with Bill. (She really couldn't see what he saw in him-and Saul's taste in men had usually been quite compatible with hers, if those strip club conversations had been anything to go by.)
Plus, if she was honest with herself, she hoped she might run into someone who could keep her company while Saul snuggled with his favorite sourpuss.
And there was a likely candidate approaching her now… Ellen made good use of the distance remaining between him to admire his stride. There was just something about pilots she'd learned to appreciate. But who was the woman with him, she wondered? Not military…
Oh! Ellen recognized her from the news sheets. That was the President-the former Secretary of Education.
And she was now close enough to notice that the handsome pilot she'd been admiring was Lee, of all people.
He seemed to recognize her just as she recognized him.
"Ellen?" he asked incredulously.
She beamed. "Lee!" She moved toward him. "It's so good to see you. It's been ages." She reached out and took his hand in both of hers.
His companion-she was sure it was Roslin-was looking at Lee curiously. If Ellen didn't know better, she'd say she was almost jealous.
"What are you - how did you?" Lee was sputtering.
Ellen grinned. "Oh, it's a long story. Some good soul saved my life on Picon and I've only just now made it to Galactica."
Lee still looked lost and Ellen released his hand. "You haven't introduced me to your lady friend." She extended her hand to Roslin.
Lee seemed to regain his composure instantly with that comment. Interesting. "This is the President of the Colonies," he announced, in a formal voice. "Laura Roslin." Okay, then, she'd been right.
Lee turned to Roslin. "Madam President, this is Ellen Tigh. Colonel Tigh's wife."
Roslin's face lit up in a way that didn't quite meet her eyes. She needed to work on that expression.
"It's nice to meet you," she said.
They shook hands perfunctorily and already Ellen was revising her game plan. There was definitely something going on here.
Next Chapter
Author: The Plaid Slytherin (plaid_slytherin)
Characters/Pairings: Bill/Saul, Laura/Lee
Rating (this chapter): T
Spoilers (this chapter): Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down
Summary: As Lee begins to explore his new relationship with Laura, Bill starts to realize his feelings for Saul may go deeper than mere friendship. Two relationships develop in parallel, with ramifications not only for each other, but for the entire fleet.
A/N: Written for deborah_judge for the help_japan auction, who wanted Bill/Saul and Laura/Lee in the same fic. This is an AU spanning the entire series, beginning, of course, at the beginning. Thanks to astreamofstars for betaing and much input.
Previously: One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six
"Ellen," Saul murmured. "You're… alive." Gingerly, he reached out to touch her arm. She didn't react to him. Well, he didn't blame her. Coming to see him only to find him just out of bed with Bill. Saul pulled his hand away and tried to recover by reaching for the coffee pot. He poured them two cups. "How?" he finally managed.
She accepted the cup he offered her. "I was at the spaceport on Picon. It's all fuzzy after the Cylons hit. The next thing I knew I was on the Rising Star. Someone must have put me on a ship…" She trailed off, looking haunted. "I could have died, Saul."
"I'm glad you're okay," he said.
"Are you really?"
"Ellen…"
"You seemed to be getting on pretty well without me," she went on. "I'm sorry I spoiled things for you and your boyfriend."
Saul set his mug down with a thunk. "Ellen," he said again. He was trying to compose himself. He wasn't sure what exactly his objective here was. He still couldn't quite believe Ellen was alive. But he needed to explain about Bill. "Why didn't you come over here before?"
"I was unconscious," she said sharply, "for weeks. And if you think it's easy getting transport, you clearly haven't left Galactica. And then when I finally get here, I find out my husband's been cheating on me…"
"I thought you were dead," Saul snapped, which he realized was the wrong thing as soon as he'd said it.
"Oh, so you just couldn't wait to jump into bed with another man as soon as I'd died?"
An alarm sounded and Saul resisted the urge to look at the monitors on the wall. He could have kicked Bill for telling him not to come to CIC unless summoned.
"It's not like that and you know it. We were separated for two years on top of that."
"So what are you saying?" She looked wary, and Saul felt his heart begin to beat faster.
What was he saying? Ellen was alive. He and Bill were together now, but Ellen was right here.
He remembered the last big blowup they'd had, where he'd stormed off after Bill. That had gotten him kicked out and in the two years since, he'd nearly resigned himself to the fact that he and Ellen probably weren't going to get back together.
"Saul?" she prompted.
"Look," he said. He took a deep breath and steepled his hands. "Ellen."
She crossed her legs. "How long has this been going on?" she asked. "Because I know you've always had that little crush, Saul, but I didn't mean the part about your lover literally."
Saul shifted. "Just since the attacks, actually."
"Well, congratulations," she said. "I had no idea he felt the same way you did."
Saul rubbed his chin. "Yeah, well, neither did I."
"So where should I send the wedding present?"
"I understand you must be upset…"
"Upset?" Her voice was rising. "Upset? Saul, I wanted to try again. I came over here ready to start clean and then I find you and Bill…"
"Oh, like you never had other guys."
"Not when you wanted to start again."
Saul stood up and crossed over to Bill's drinks cart. He knew it was early, but he needed something. He poured two glasses and stalked back over to the couch. She accepted her drink without a word.
"Look, I'm sorry," he said. He took a swig. "But it's been two years. If you wanted to try again, why now? You had two whole years and not a word…"
She looked down at the floor.
"Hey, it's my fault, too," he went on. "I'm sorry you had to find out this way, and I'm sorry I never called you. It's a two-way street and I… sure wasn't pulling my weight, either. I could have been a better husband. "
She nodded. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "It was just… after the attacks and everything… things changed, Saul. I just… I knew that I really meant it this time."
Saul sighed heavily. "I know. Because that's what I told Bill. Things changed. Had to get it off my chest. So I told him how I felt and he… well, it took a bit, but he wanted to try something."
They both sat, drinking in silence, for several minutes.
"Are you happy?" she asked suddenly. "You looked happy. This morning, when you came out of the bathroom. You were smiling. You're happy being with him."
Saul shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, I guess I am. It's only been a little while, but… yeah. I'm happy."
"I'm glad. At least you're happy."
"Oh, Ellen." He set his drink down. "I wish you wouldn't do that."
"What? You wish I wasn't upset that you're leaving me?"
He sighed. "No, no, I understand you're upset. Can't really begrudge you that." He paused. "But I do…" He swallowed hard. It felt weird to say it first to Ellen of all people, but he needed to say it. "I love him."
She was quick to respond to that. "More than me?"
This threw him. He couldn't say that, couldn't say that he did love Bill more. He'd loved Bill longer, yes, had waited longer for him. His and Ellen's courtship had lasted just a few months-weeks, even, before they'd gotten married in a fit of spontaneity. But he'd loved Bill for thirty years…
"No," he said softly. "Not more. Just… different. And now that I've got a chance with him, I just… I have to take it." He hated how wobbly his voice was as he said this. He drained his glass and set it on the table. The burn at the back of his throat helped somewhat.
Ellen was watching him, her expression unreadable. Finally, she sighed and said, "I suppose I'm the last one to object if you want a little break, Saul." She ran her hand over his chest, pausing to toy with his top button. "I have missed you, though." She leaned in to kiss him, and he couldn't help himself from kissing her back. It brought back a flood of memories, of the time when they'd just met and he could lose himself in Ellen to relieve the ache of pining after the newly-divorced (and uninterested in dating) Bill.
Bill.
Saul pulled back, feeling his pulse quicken. He and Ellen stared at each other for several second before she said, "You really are serious, aren't you?"
All Saul could do was nod.
"Well," she said briskly, "I know the drill. I can certainly amuse myself while I'm waiting around for you. I haven't even been over to Cloud Nine yet, and I hear that's amazing."
Saul resisted the urge to tell her that she didn't have to wait for him-if Bill would have him, he was planning to be with Bill… well, for as long as the Cylons would let him.
Ellen got to her feet and made her way toward the hatch. "I would like to use your quarters if you don't mind," she was saying. "It would be nice to have a base here on Galactica."
"Sure, sure." Saul was beginning to get distracted. It had been a while since the alarm ended and he would have appreciated an update from Bill. He needed to get to CIC himself, it seemed.
"I'll see you later." She kissed him on the cheek and left, leaving Saul to slump back onto the couch, feeling very worn out for such an early hour. He needed another drink.
**
Laura found Baltar in his lab, staring into space.
"Hello, Doctor," she said, trying to sound casual.
Baltar jumped. He really was going to give himself a heart attack one of these days. "Madam President!" he said. "What brings you here?"
She crossed her arms over her chest. "I wanted to check on your progress with the Cylon tester. Whose are you running first?"
Baltar, looking addled, glanced down at the list in front of him. "Oh, it seems to be Commander Adama's."
She smiled and turned to go. "Perfect. Test away."
**
Bill strode into CIC, ready to face whatever was out there. He needed to do his job; he'd worry about Ellen and Saul later.
"What is it, Mr. Gaeta?" he asked.
"Lone Cylon Raider, sir. Apollo got him."
Bill put his hands behind his back and looked around. "Just one?"
"Just one, sir." Gaeta looked at his monitor again. "Probably a scout ship, but he never got our position back to the Cylon fleet."
Bill frowned. Well, there went his distraction.
"Was… that okay, sir?" Gaeta was looking at him funny.
"Yeah," Bill said. He was still working the idea of Ellen over and over in his mind. He needed to find out where she'd come from. "You have the deck, Mr. Gaeta."
**
The civilian shuttle Ellen had come over on revealed her ship of origin-the Rising Star. She'd been given medical treatment and they confirmed they still had a blood sample they had used to run some tests.
Bill thought about going to tell Saul he was leaving Galactica, going about this the official way, but somehow, his feet carried him down to the hangar deck without doing that.
"I'm going to borrow a Raptor, Chief," he said, not even waiting for a response.
"O-Of course, sir," the Chief said, looking more confused than anything else. "You need a pilot?"
"No." Bill stepped up onto the bird. "That's not necessary." He wanted to keep this quiet and the quieter he kept it, the less likely it was to reach Saul before Bill could explain it himself, in private, hopefully once they'd figured out where they stood.
He didn't know what to hope for. It had been two years, but Ellen had always had this hold over Saul. They'd never had a separation this long before, but every time they'd been apart before, it had only taken him one look at her before it was like nothing had happened, them both promising things would be different. Then, they'd retire together with the bottle, leaving Bill by himself at whatever bar they'd agreed to meet at.
He frowned as the memories rushed back. He supposed he had been jealous, even back then. He sighed as he piloted the Raptor out of Galactica's airspace. No use dwelling on it now, he supposed. He was likely to return to Galactica to find them wrapped up in each other like old times. He took a deep, steadying breath as he remembered waking up with Saul that morning. Maybe if they'd moved faster, gone further…
He shook his head. Nothing he could do would change things. He could only move forward and he needed to set his mind at ease about something first.
**
Once he'd fortified himself, Saul went to CIC to check up on Bill. He wasn't there.
"Well, where the hell is he?" Saul barked at Gaeta, feeling his agitation rise. He hadn't had a good start to the day and he definitely didn't need any more trouble.
"I don't know, sir." The younger man looked nervous and somewhere in the back of his mind, Saul knew he shouldn't be too hard on him, but godsdamnit he was worried. What did Bill think now that Ellen was back? He really needed to talk to him as soon as he could. He wasn't even going to let himself consider the possibility that something had happened to Bill.
He shook his head firmly. No.
He was just about to leave CIC when the alarm started to bleep.
"Dradis contact!" Gaeta shouted. "One Cylon raider."
Saul looked around, as though expecting Bill to appear out of nowhere. "Where the frak is the old man?"
**
Bill drummed his fingers irritably on the control yokes of his borrowed Raptor. Apparently, another Raider had appeared and here he was waiting in Rising Star's landing bay for the all clear. If it was another lone bird like earlier, Bill trusted his crew to take care of it like they'd handled the first one, especially if his absence was noticed and Saul took command.
Mostly, Bill just wanted to get back over there to drop off his blood sample.
It wasn't that he really thought Ellen was a Cylon. He definitely wasn't doing this out of any kind of… jealousy… or anything like that.
But it definitely paid to be cautious. All of Galactica's crew had had to submit blood samples, and it only made sense that spouses of high-ranking officers should be made to do the same.
The comm line crackled. "You're clear, Husker," the voice said.
"Finally," Bill muttered.
When he touched down on Galactica, he barely acknowledged Cally when she came up to him for the postflight checklist. The sooner Baltar could start with those tests, the better.
When Bill opened the hatch to the lab, Baltar jumped two feet.
"Commander!" he exclaimed. Bill didn't like that distracted look on his face. He didn't want to think about what he'd just interrupted.
"Doctor," he said, giving Baltar a curt nod. "How are the tests coming?"
"Oh, well, you see President Roslin was just in here asking me the exact same thing, coincidentally." Baltar made a great show of shuffling papers around on his lab table. "The tests are coming… quite well, actually. It's a very time-consuming process, but I assure you it's… it's certainly coming."
Bill frowned. He was certainly skeptical of that. He withdrew the vial from his pocket. "There's one more sample for you," he said evenly. "Make it priority one."
Baltar frowned. "You see, Commander, President Roslin has just asked me to…"
"Priority one," Bill said and turned to go.
He hadn't taken two steps out of the lab before he ran right into Lee.
"Dad!" Lee exclaimed. "Where have you been?"
Bill frowned. Surely he hadn't been missed that much?
"The XO's looking for you," Lee went on. He was still looking at Bill in puzzlement. "What were you doing in the lab?"
"I needed to speak with Doctor Baltar," Bill said. "Thanks for letting me know Saul's looking for me." He pushed past Lee, his stomach once again a bundle of nerves.
Thankfully, Saul was in Bill's quarters. There was no sign of Ellen and Saul had a half-finished drink in his hands.
"Hey," Bill said, trying to test the waters.
"Hey?" Saul looked mad. "Where have you been?"
"Rising Star," Bill said.
Saul looked baffled. "Rising Star? Why?"
Bill wasn't sure how to answer that. He sat down on the couch and tentatively put his hand on Saul's knee. He didn't push it away. Good sign.
"I just wanted to talk to the doctor there," he said. "About Ellen."
Saul's head bobbed in acknowledgement.
"How did it go?" Bill didn't need to clarify what 'it' was. Saul slumped against him, burrowing closer when Bill put an arm around his shoulders.
"It went okay." Saul's voice was quiet. "She thinks this is still like it was before, so I don't know. But I told her about us."
"Good." Bill kissed Saul's forehead, feeling relief wash over him. Saul was in a sulky state, which Bill would need to coax him out of, but at least they were still together. "I'm sorry for running off on you earlier."
"It's okay." Saul tilted his head up so Bill could kiss his lips. "I'm glad you're back."
Bill knew the professional thing to do would be to talk about these lone Raiders that had been jumping in, but he couldn't resist Saul in his arms. He cupped Saul's cheek, drawing him into a deeper kiss. Business would just have to wait.
**
Laura was just about to go to her shuttle when Lee approached her, looking breathless.
"What's the matter?" she asked, trying not to let her face show what a pleasant surprise she thought this was.
"My father," Lee said and despite herself, Laura's heart sank a bit. She had been hoping Lee wanted to see her on more than official business. "He's acting strange."
Laura frowned. He really did look concerned. "Strange, how?"
Lee cut his eyes to the side to see if there was anyone else in the corridor. "Can we talk somewhere private? Here, I mean, not on Colonial One?"
"I suppose," she said. "If you have somewhere in mind."
"I do." With his hand on her elbow, he led her around the corner to the currently-empty pilots' ready room. When they entered, he removed his hand and she missed it instantly. She was about to say something when Lee started talking without preamble.
"He disappeared today." Lee looked like the implications of all this were just starting to sink in. "He was off-ship for a couple hours and nobody knows where he went. The Chief says he just took a Raptor; didn't give any kind of flight plan or anything."
"But he's back now?" Laura sank into one of the seats in the front row. "Have you seen him?"
Lee nodded.
"What did he say?"
"Not much." Lee ran a hand through his hair. "He basically gave me the brushoff." He paused. "It was right outside the lab. He'd been to see Baltar."
Laura pursed her lips. "I wonder if he's tested your father's sample yet."
"Hrm?"
"I had Doctor Baltar put your father's blood sample ahead of anyone else's."
Lee's mouth opened. "You mean for running through the Cylon detector? Why?"
Laura shifted uncomfortably. Lee was exactly the last person she wanted to confess her suspicions to.
"You don't think he's a Cylon?" Lee asked.
"I don't know," she said. She went on to explain what Leoben had said-leaving out the matter of the strange dream.
Lee steepled his hands and thought for a moment. "It doesn't make any sense," he finally said. "I mean, if he's a Cylon, then…"
"That's right, he can't be," Laura said quickly. She fely slightly embarrassed for having even brought it up. "But that still doesn't change his odd behavior."
Lee surprised her by being the one to bring up the next point. "He could have been replaced, though, you know. If the Cylons look like us now, what's to keep them from…" He paused, swallowing hard. "You know… copying someone. I mean… I hate to think it, but he was alone with a Cylon down in the armory…"
Laura didn't want to think about it either. As hard as it was to work with the elder Adama, she certaintly didn't want him to be a Cylon, not the least because he was Lee's father.
"We'll get to the bottom of this," she said, placing what she hoped would be a soothing hand on his arm. "I'm going to talk to Baltar and see if he's done the test yet. Then we'll know."
Lee nodded. "Right. I'll go with you."
**
Ellen made her way through Galactica's hallways, trying to get a sense of the ship. She'd never really liked being cooped up in a tin can for weeks on end, which was why she'd never taken cruises or come with Saul when he was in space. She liked her freedom of movement and the ability to go where she wanted.
However, she also liked to know her surroundings, which was why she was currently working on her mental map of Galactica. Being the XO's wife had its perks and Ellen hoped she would at least be able to keep some of those, even if Saul continued to play house with Bill. (She really couldn't see what he saw in him-and Saul's taste in men had usually been quite compatible with hers, if those strip club conversations had been anything to go by.)
Plus, if she was honest with herself, she hoped she might run into someone who could keep her company while Saul snuggled with his favorite sourpuss.
And there was a likely candidate approaching her now… Ellen made good use of the distance remaining between him to admire his stride. There was just something about pilots she'd learned to appreciate. But who was the woman with him, she wondered? Not military…
Oh! Ellen recognized her from the news sheets. That was the President-the former Secretary of Education.
And she was now close enough to notice that the handsome pilot she'd been admiring was Lee, of all people.
He seemed to recognize her just as she recognized him.
"Ellen?" he asked incredulously.
She beamed. "Lee!" She moved toward him. "It's so good to see you. It's been ages." She reached out and took his hand in both of hers.
His companion-she was sure it was Roslin-was looking at Lee curiously. If Ellen didn't know better, she'd say she was almost jealous.
"What are you - how did you?" Lee was sputtering.
Ellen grinned. "Oh, it's a long story. Some good soul saved my life on Picon and I've only just now made it to Galactica."
Lee still looked lost and Ellen released his hand. "You haven't introduced me to your lady friend." She extended her hand to Roslin.
Lee seemed to regain his composure instantly with that comment. Interesting. "This is the President of the Colonies," he announced, in a formal voice. "Laura Roslin." Okay, then, she'd been right.
Lee turned to Roslin. "Madam President, this is Ellen Tigh. Colonel Tigh's wife."
Roslin's face lit up in a way that didn't quite meet her eyes. She needed to work on that expression.
"It's nice to meet you," she said.
They shook hands perfunctorily and already Ellen was revising her game plan. There was definitely something going on here.
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