FIC: The Road Diverged, Chapter Eight
Title: The Road Diverged, Chapter Eight
Author: The Plaid Slytherin (plaid_slytherin)
Characters/Pairings: Bill/Saul, Laura/Lee
Rating (this chapter): T
Spoilers (this chapter): Colonial Day
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 | Seven
"So," Saul murmured, after he and Bill had left off kissing for a while. "What did you find out on Rising Star?"
"Just got a sample of Ellen's blood." Bill rested his head on Saul's shoulder, smiling as he began stroking his hair. "Gave it to Baltar for testing."
Saul grinned. "What, you think she's a Cylon?"
Bill opened his eyes. "No. But it's better to be safe than sorry."
"Yeah. I guess." Saul swallowed hard. He hadn't considered this possibility and the idea made him cringe. Ellen couldn't be a Cylon. There was no way.
"Are you boys talking about me again?"
They both looked up. There she was, standing by the hatch, an amused smile on her face.
"You really should lock the hatch if you're going to make out," she added. "It could have been someone else." She made her way over to the couch and sat down next to Bill. "No one else knows, do they?"
"No," Bill said quickly. He cut his eyes over to Ellen.
"Don't worry," she said. "I won't tell. I know how you worry about your rules and regs."
"Thanks," Bill said thinly. Saul elbowed him.
"Anyway," Ellen continued, ignoring Bill's look, "I just ran into Lee and the President. What's going on with them?"
Bill's scowl deepened. "He's her advisor."
"Oh, really?" Ellen's eyebrows rose. Saul was about to ask where this was going-it was best to get her to cut right to the point. "When I saw them, they were on their way to the lab."
Bill and Saul exchanged glances.
"The lab?" Saul asked.
Bill paled, then pushed himself off the couch. "Excuse us," he said to Ellen.
Ellen had no intention of being excused, though, because she followed them out of Bill's quarters. Bill looked irritated, but he didn't tell her to leave.
The lab door was open and Roslin and Lee were inside, talking to Baltar.
"What's going on here?" Bill asked.
Roslin and Lee looked up, rather guiltily in Saul's opinion. "Commander," Roslin said. She sounded disappointed.
"Doctor Baltar," Bill said, ignoring her.
Baltar threw up his hands. "I'm not changing it again! I'm sorry, but I can't work under this kind of pressure. I don't think any of you understand what it's like, getting orders from three sides at once."
Everyone froze.
"Right then," Baltar said briskly, "I'm testing your sample first, Commander." It was the calmest voice Saul had ever heard him use and he seemed to be smirking at someone, but Saul couldn't figure out who.
"Why?" Bill asked.
"Because it's first in the line. By order of the President."
Bill whipped around to face Roslin. "What?"
She crossed her arms over her chest. "Exactly what he just said."
"You know I'm not a Cylon." Bill's voice was clipped.
"No, not really, I don't."
Saul looked at Ellen. She was smirking.
"If I were a Cylon," Bill said darkly, "we'd be in a lot of trouble."
"I know," Roslin said coolly. She wasn't dropping his gaze; he had to give her credit for that.
"And I will allow myself to be tested. Just not right now."
"Why not right now?"
Bill looked over at Ellen. "Because I want her tested first."
"What?" Ellen's eyebrows flew up. "When did you decide this? I didn't realize you were so petty."
"What's a blood test if you have nothing to hide?"
"I could say the same about you," Baltar said. Bill and Ellen both looked at him.
"What?" they said together.
"Now, look," he said, looking at each of the five of them in turn (though Saul noticed he seemed to also look at the empty space next to Ellen, as though there was another person there. He really was a few coconuts short of a Libran beach party.) His voice sounded very high and strained. "You're all going to leave. I'm going to run two tests. I'll call you when the tests are done. You'll get the results at the same time but you won't know which one I've done first. All right?"
They all exchanged glances.
"All right," Bill agreed.
"Now, out you go! All of you."
Together, they trooped outside into the hallway.
There was a long moment of awkward silence before Ellen said, "I have an idea!"
"What's that?" Roslin asked.
"Why don't we break open that bottle of ambrosia?" Ellen smiled. "Over dinner."
"What bottle of ambrosia?" Bill asked.
Ellen looked surprised "Oh, did I forget to mention that? I brought it over from Rising Star."
Saul grinned. "Where did you manage to get a bottle of ambrosia on a medical transport?"
Ellen just beamed. Over her shoulder, Bill scowled.
**
Laura couldn't believe they were actually having dinner. It was far too… mundane… for what was going on behind the scenes.
"This is wonderful, Bill," Ellen enthused from her position next to him. It wasn't lost on Laura how she'd slid in between her husband and the Commander and how she was lavishing most of her attention on the latter. She almost felt sorry for Tigh. "How long are we going to have steak?"
"I don't know," he said, seeming to savor the bite he took. "But it's nice to have it and it's nice to share it with friends."
"I'll drink to that!" Ellen laughed and held up her glass. "What do you say, Saul? A toast? To new relationships."
Tigh looked flustered. "Yes. Right." He raised his glass perfunctorily, then took a long, hearty sip.
"These two," Ellen added, leaning conspiratorially across the table toward Laura, "they've always been thick as thieves."
Laura smiled politely at her and looked back down at her plate.
Adama looked suddenly startled. "Ellen, why don't you tell us about what people are saying on Rising Star?"
She sat back in her chair, looking disappointed. "Well, there's Earth, of course. Everyone's wondering about that. Where it is, when you'll take us there."
Something briefly flashed between Adama and Tigh, but Laura thought she might have been imagining it. There was far too much going on. She turned to Lee.
"Is this worth it?"
He sighed. "It better be."
"Come on, don't keep secrets." Ellen grinned. "Share it with the class."
"Oh, it was nothing." Laura lifted her glass to hide her smirk. "Nothing at all."
**
Bill thought this dinner would never end. He didn't really have an appetite, but was trying valiantly to finish his dinner-after all, their food supplies wouldn't last forever and, he heard his grandmother's voice in his head saying he shouldn't waste food.
But there was a lot to occupy his mind.
There was Lee and the President, for one-conspiring against him? No, that was too harsh. But it definitely merited keeping an eye on. He didn't entirely trust her, especially not if she'd managed to convince Lee of all people that Bill was a Cylon. That was the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard.
And then there was Ellen. Saul had reported that she understood about his and Bill's relationship but Bill wasn't quite confident that Saul had assessed the situation correctly. Ellen seemed to be flirting equally with all three of them. Trying to get a rise out of somebody, Bill decided.
Well, it wasn't going to work on him, he was sure. The last thing he needed on top of all this Cylon suspicion business was for Ellen to out him and Saul through one of her stupid little comments.
The look on Saul's face when Ellen was paying attention to Bill was almost enough to give them away right off the bat. Did he have an ounce of discretion?
No, he realized, remembering the thirty years he'd known Saul. He didn't.
And truthfully, Roslin wasn't much better at hiding the look on her face when Ellen was flirting with Lee. That wasn't something that was usually present in professional relationships, now, was it? Maybe this was the reason she'd taken a special interest in Lee; it would certainly explain things.
Not that Bill didn't think Lee was a good officer… it was just decidedly odd for the President of the Colonies to be paying so much attention to a junior officer.
Bill was startled from his reverie by the comm buzzing.
For a moment, the five of them just stared at each other, then Bill got up.
"Adama," he said, holding it up to his ear.
"I have the results if you'll join me in the lab." Bill wondered how long Baltar's sudden bout of confidence would last.
"Well, Bill," Ellen said when he'd hung up. "Our moment of judgment has arrived." She took both his hands and started to lead him to the hatch. "I guess we'll find out if one of us is a Cylon." She caught Saul's eye deliberately then. "I suppose if one of us was…"
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Saul muttered. "Let's go."
He looked just like Bill felt-eager to get it over with. Roslin and Lee seemed somewhat more subdued-good, Bill thought petulantly. They had started it.
Probably.
He couldn't remember anymore. It had been a long day and he was tired.
"We're here, Doctor!" Ellen announced as she opened the hatch to the lab.
"Splendid," Baltar said. "As it so happens, I have your results right here." He placed two sheets of paper face down on the table.
Suddenly, Bill was gripped by a moment of panic. What if by some chance-however ridiculously unlikely-he was a Cylon?
Ellen was smirking at him. "Well, Bill, do you want to do it together? I'll look at yours and you look at mine?"
"Mm." Bill was looking at Saul-he looked very nervous.
Well, he thought. If one of us turns out to be a Cylon, that makes your decision easier.
He reached over, took the sheet in front of Ellen and flipped it over.
"Human," he said.
Saul visibly relaxed.
"Oh my gods," Ellen murmured. "Bill…" Her hands shook as she gripped the paper. "You're…"
"What?" Saul barked.
"Human." She grinned, flipping over the page so they could see it. "Got you."
Saul scowled.
"There," Baltar said, sitting down heavily. "You're both human. Happy?"
"Very," Bill said. He looked at Roslin. "Are you?"
"I'm very glad the fleet is safe," she said.
Bill smirked. "Well, we haven't tested you yet."
"And that can come later," Baltar cut in. "Right now, I'm going to have to ask everyone to leave so I can.. get back to testing the rest of the samples."
"Of course," Saul said. He sounded skeptical.
Once they were in the corridor, it seemed to take a moment for everyone to decide what to do.
"I guess you're going back to Colonial One," Bill said to Roslin.
"I guess I am."
"Madam President," Lee said. "I'll walk you down to the hangar deck."
"Well, thank you, Captain." She took his arm gingerly. "Good night, Commander, Colonel, Mrs. Tigh."
The three of them murmured their good-nights and watched as Roslin and Lee left.
"Well," Ellen said. "That was interesting." She eyed Bill and Saul critically. "Do you boys have plans for the rest of the evening?"
"Some rack time," Saul said.
"Oh? Whose rack?"
Saul gave her a pointed look. "I don't want to get in your way."
"Fair enough. Good night, Saul." She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. Then, to Bill's great surprise, she kissed him on the cheek, too, and turned down the hall to Saul's quarters.
When she had gone a few paces, she stopped and looked back at them. "You didn't really think I was a Cylon, did you, Bill?"
Bill allowed himself an easy smile. "Not at all."
She gave him one last lingering look and then she was gone.
Bill and Saul didn't speak on the way back to Bill's quarters. When the hatch was closed, Saul slumped against the wall.
"Godsdamnit," he muttered. "What a day."
"You can say that again." Bill unbuttoned his jacket, trying not to look at the detritus from their abandoned dinner.
Saul crossed over to the table and popped one of the untouched strawberries into his mouth. "Still good."
"Are we?"
Saul stared at him for a moment before realization struck. "Oh, don't be ridiculous, Bill. We're fine."
Bill came over to him, and on a whim, slipped his arms around Saul. "Did you mean that about rack time?"
Saul smirked. "Well, I wanted to spend some time in your rack," he said, letting his hand trail up Bill's chest. "What we do there depends on you. Do you have any ideas?"
Bill kissed him slowly. "I think I have a few."
Saul made a noise low in his throat-a very sexy noise-and kissed Bill back fiercely. "What were they?"
"Mm." Bill lazily wrapped his arms around Saul's neck, pulling him in for another kiss. There was a lot of heat in it and all of Bill's tiredness from earlier seemed to evaporate. He was definitely ready for some rack time. "I'll let you know."
**
The following afternoon, Bill was working on some papers at his desk when the comm buzzed.
"Adama," he said, answering it.
"Sir, the President to see you."
Bill frowned. He hadn't asked to speak with Roslin, hadn't wanted to after the events of yesterday. He'd wanted to give them at least a few days to cool off first. Obviously, she wanted to make the first move. "Send her in."
He kept his hands busy tidying papers until Roslin rounded the corner. He rose to greet her.
"Madam President. Can I get you anything to drink?"
She smiled. "I'm fine, Commander. And, please, do call me Laura." She took the seat he offered her opposite him.
"Well, if I'm going to do that, I'm going to ask you to call me Bill."
"All right, it's a deal." She paused, clearly trying to see if he would start speaking first. "I wanted to talk to you about yesterday."
"Yes, yesterday." Bill took his glasses off. "I'd been meaning to ask to meet with you myself. I think we need to clear the air a bit."
"Yes, we do," she said. She paused. "I will say I'm glad you're not a Cylon, and I hope you understand I had the best interests of the fleet at heart. I hope there are no hard feelings."
"None at all." Bill rested his hand on his book, in order to give himself something to do. He noticed her eyes straying to read the title. He filed that away as something to build on later. "We should each be able to be certain that the other's not a Cylon."
"Absolutely. Dr. Baltar is testing the rest of the samples as we speak, so we'll soon be sure of the rest of our staffs."
"Good." Bill leaned back in his chair. "You know, I really can't blame you. If the situations were reversed, I'd have done exactly the same thing." Because I did, he thought, his mind going back to Ellen. Not that he'd really thought she was a Cylon.
"And this is exactly what they want from us, Bill." It surprised him a little to hear her use his first name. It was odd that there were only three people left in the universe who did that. "They want us to suspect each other, to lose our trust in each other."
"You're exactly right." And she was. He should trust Roslin. After all, if he didn't, things would be a lot harder. His job was stressful enough without having her as an enemy, too. "Truce?" He offered her his hand.
She took it. "Truce."
**
As the next few weeks passed, Adama definitely got easier to deal with. Maybe it was the confirmation that he wasn't a Cylon that made her more inclined to deal with him-or maybe she was just getting more confident in her relationship with Lee, more sure of herself, which translated to feeling better about dealing with his father.
"So," Lee said, tapping the file in front of her. "This is your security for next week."
Laura shifted on the bed and wrapped the blanket more securely around her shoulders. "Oh, Lee, is this really necessary?"
"Yes." He kissed her hair. "It is. You may not think so, but thankfully you're not in charge of your own security."
Laura smirked. "Well, as I recall, neither are you."
"I talked it over with your detail," he said, looking somewhat embarrassed. "I managed to convince them that this was a matter for someone experienced in military matters. After all, they're not trained Presidential Security agents-just a couple of cops and security guards."
"Mmhm." Laura ran her hand up Lee's bare arm. "I think you're just overprotective."
"Maybe. If I am, it's because I care about you."
"I know." She lay back, picking up the dossier on the new Quorum members. "Honestly, I'm more concerned about Tom Zarek."
Lee sighed. "I do feel partially responsible for that."
"No, don't. It's not your fault. You made the right decision back there." She removed her glasses and set them aside. "We'll have to be thinking about elections."
"Well, know that I support you one-hundred percent, Madam President." He lay down beside her and she pressed herself against him, reveling in the feeling of his young, strong body. "I'll do everything in my power to get you reelected."
Laura let him pull her head onto his shoulder. "Well, we still have six months. Zarek's somewhat limited in the trouble he can cause until then. He's just one out of twelve."
"That's right," Lee murmured. "He has support among the Sagittarons, of course, but I think beyond that and Aerilon, maybe, Virgon, his influence will be limited."
"You sound like you've been reading up."
"Well." Lee looked embarrassed. "Just the commentary in some of the news sheets. Just because I'm your military advisor doesn't mean I have to be clueless about politics. Plus." He stopped.
She brushed a lock of his hair back from his face. "Plus what?"
"Well." Lee shifted. "When I was in college, I was pretty interested in politics. I read a lot of stuff, some of it pretty radical, but I just wanted to get all the viewpoints. I think it's important to take them into account."
Laura nodded. "It certainly is."
"My grandfather-my father's father-was a public defender. When I was growing up, I really admired him, and actually, I entertained the idea of going into law myself."
"Really." Laura sat up, surprised. "Knowing what I do of your father, I can't picture him as the son of a lawyer."
Lee made a face. "They didn't exactly get along. In fact, that might be why I got along so well with my grandfather; he was so different from my father."
"Well, I will say this. You continue to impress me by how well-rounded you are." She slipped her arms around his neck. "Thank you for reminding me why I hired you."
He kissed her. "You didn't exactly hire me."
"A minor detail."
**
"I'm sending you to Cloud Nine for a few days."
"What?" Saul looked up from the flight logs he was skimming, as he sat on the couch with Bill. "Why?"
"I need a senior officer over there and you're all I can spare."
"So…" Saul ran his stocking-clad foot up the underside of Bill's thigh. "It's not just because you want to get rid of me? Trying to curb a raging sex addiction?"
Bill looked at Saul over the tops of his glasses. "If I could send someone else, I would."
"Good." Saul tucked his feet back under Bill's and went back to his file.
Bill snickered, right as realization hit Saul.
"Hey, wait a minute…"
"Seriously." Bill took his glasses off. It had torn him up to do this-it was just three days, sure, and he needed to prove to himself that he could still put their jobs ahead of their relationship when he had to. He wanted him and Saul to be equals as much as possible, but he also wanted to retain his authority as Commander when the situation called for it, the little voice in the back of his mind telling him to send someone else be damned. "You need to go."
"Okay." Saul looked petulant. "What do I have to do, anyway?"
"Greet people. Be a representative of Galactica. You don't get a vote or anything, but you're there to serve as a reminder of the military branch of the government."
"Aw, frak, Bill." Saul tossed his folder onto the table. "You know I don't do politics."
"I know. I hate it, too. But it doesn't change the fact that it's necessary. We have to show solidarity with Roslin…"
"Solidarity with Roslin." Saul chuckled. "Who was it that accused you of being a Cylon a couple weeks ago?"
"That's in the past," Bill murmured, expertly pushing Saul's wandering hand away until he got to the end of this report from Tyrol. "Things have really been going well between us."
"Yeah, and why's that?"
Bill thought it would be cliché to admit that getting laid regularly had done wonders for his mood. He had spent years resisting Saul's attempts to hook him up with various women-which he, of course, now had to be glad had failed, but Bill could never put an opportunity for an I told you so past Saul.
"I don't know." He flipped another page. "She's just seemed more willing to compromise on some things."
Saul snickered. "Should I be jealous?"
"No."
"Good." Saul slid up the couch so Bill's view of his report was obstructed. "Because if I'm going to spend the next few days lazing around by the pool…"
"You're not."
"…sitting in on some boring policy meeting, then I could do with a good-bye frak."
Bill checked his watch. "Your shuttle leaves in two and a half hours."
Saul plucked the report out of his hands. "Plenty of time."
Next Chapter
Author: The Plaid Slytherin (plaid_slytherin)
Characters/Pairings: Bill/Saul, Laura/Lee
Rating (this chapter): T
Spoilers (this chapter): Colonial Day
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 | Seven
"So," Saul murmured, after he and Bill had left off kissing for a while. "What did you find out on Rising Star?"
"Just got a sample of Ellen's blood." Bill rested his head on Saul's shoulder, smiling as he began stroking his hair. "Gave it to Baltar for testing."
Saul grinned. "What, you think she's a Cylon?"
Bill opened his eyes. "No. But it's better to be safe than sorry."
"Yeah. I guess." Saul swallowed hard. He hadn't considered this possibility and the idea made him cringe. Ellen couldn't be a Cylon. There was no way.
"Are you boys talking about me again?"
They both looked up. There she was, standing by the hatch, an amused smile on her face.
"You really should lock the hatch if you're going to make out," she added. "It could have been someone else." She made her way over to the couch and sat down next to Bill. "No one else knows, do they?"
"No," Bill said quickly. He cut his eyes over to Ellen.
"Don't worry," she said. "I won't tell. I know how you worry about your rules and regs."
"Thanks," Bill said thinly. Saul elbowed him.
"Anyway," Ellen continued, ignoring Bill's look, "I just ran into Lee and the President. What's going on with them?"
Bill's scowl deepened. "He's her advisor."
"Oh, really?" Ellen's eyebrows rose. Saul was about to ask where this was going-it was best to get her to cut right to the point. "When I saw them, they were on their way to the lab."
Bill and Saul exchanged glances.
"The lab?" Saul asked.
Bill paled, then pushed himself off the couch. "Excuse us," he said to Ellen.
Ellen had no intention of being excused, though, because she followed them out of Bill's quarters. Bill looked irritated, but he didn't tell her to leave.
The lab door was open and Roslin and Lee were inside, talking to Baltar.
"What's going on here?" Bill asked.
Roslin and Lee looked up, rather guiltily in Saul's opinion. "Commander," Roslin said. She sounded disappointed.
"Doctor Baltar," Bill said, ignoring her.
Baltar threw up his hands. "I'm not changing it again! I'm sorry, but I can't work under this kind of pressure. I don't think any of you understand what it's like, getting orders from three sides at once."
Everyone froze.
"Right then," Baltar said briskly, "I'm testing your sample first, Commander." It was the calmest voice Saul had ever heard him use and he seemed to be smirking at someone, but Saul couldn't figure out who.
"Why?" Bill asked.
"Because it's first in the line. By order of the President."
Bill whipped around to face Roslin. "What?"
She crossed her arms over her chest. "Exactly what he just said."
"You know I'm not a Cylon." Bill's voice was clipped.
"No, not really, I don't."
Saul looked at Ellen. She was smirking.
"If I were a Cylon," Bill said darkly, "we'd be in a lot of trouble."
"I know," Roslin said coolly. She wasn't dropping his gaze; he had to give her credit for that.
"And I will allow myself to be tested. Just not right now."
"Why not right now?"
Bill looked over at Ellen. "Because I want her tested first."
"What?" Ellen's eyebrows flew up. "When did you decide this? I didn't realize you were so petty."
"What's a blood test if you have nothing to hide?"
"I could say the same about you," Baltar said. Bill and Ellen both looked at him.
"What?" they said together.
"Now, look," he said, looking at each of the five of them in turn (though Saul noticed he seemed to also look at the empty space next to Ellen, as though there was another person there. He really was a few coconuts short of a Libran beach party.) His voice sounded very high and strained. "You're all going to leave. I'm going to run two tests. I'll call you when the tests are done. You'll get the results at the same time but you won't know which one I've done first. All right?"
They all exchanged glances.
"All right," Bill agreed.
"Now, out you go! All of you."
Together, they trooped outside into the hallway.
There was a long moment of awkward silence before Ellen said, "I have an idea!"
"What's that?" Roslin asked.
"Why don't we break open that bottle of ambrosia?" Ellen smiled. "Over dinner."
"What bottle of ambrosia?" Bill asked.
Ellen looked surprised "Oh, did I forget to mention that? I brought it over from Rising Star."
Saul grinned. "Where did you manage to get a bottle of ambrosia on a medical transport?"
Ellen just beamed. Over her shoulder, Bill scowled.
**
Laura couldn't believe they were actually having dinner. It was far too… mundane… for what was going on behind the scenes.
"This is wonderful, Bill," Ellen enthused from her position next to him. It wasn't lost on Laura how she'd slid in between her husband and the Commander and how she was lavishing most of her attention on the latter. She almost felt sorry for Tigh. "How long are we going to have steak?"
"I don't know," he said, seeming to savor the bite he took. "But it's nice to have it and it's nice to share it with friends."
"I'll drink to that!" Ellen laughed and held up her glass. "What do you say, Saul? A toast? To new relationships."
Tigh looked flustered. "Yes. Right." He raised his glass perfunctorily, then took a long, hearty sip.
"These two," Ellen added, leaning conspiratorially across the table toward Laura, "they've always been thick as thieves."
Laura smiled politely at her and looked back down at her plate.
Adama looked suddenly startled. "Ellen, why don't you tell us about what people are saying on Rising Star?"
She sat back in her chair, looking disappointed. "Well, there's Earth, of course. Everyone's wondering about that. Where it is, when you'll take us there."
Something briefly flashed between Adama and Tigh, but Laura thought she might have been imagining it. There was far too much going on. She turned to Lee.
"Is this worth it?"
He sighed. "It better be."
"Come on, don't keep secrets." Ellen grinned. "Share it with the class."
"Oh, it was nothing." Laura lifted her glass to hide her smirk. "Nothing at all."
**
Bill thought this dinner would never end. He didn't really have an appetite, but was trying valiantly to finish his dinner-after all, their food supplies wouldn't last forever and, he heard his grandmother's voice in his head saying he shouldn't waste food.
But there was a lot to occupy his mind.
There was Lee and the President, for one-conspiring against him? No, that was too harsh. But it definitely merited keeping an eye on. He didn't entirely trust her, especially not if she'd managed to convince Lee of all people that Bill was a Cylon. That was the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard.
And then there was Ellen. Saul had reported that she understood about his and Bill's relationship but Bill wasn't quite confident that Saul had assessed the situation correctly. Ellen seemed to be flirting equally with all three of them. Trying to get a rise out of somebody, Bill decided.
Well, it wasn't going to work on him, he was sure. The last thing he needed on top of all this Cylon suspicion business was for Ellen to out him and Saul through one of her stupid little comments.
The look on Saul's face when Ellen was paying attention to Bill was almost enough to give them away right off the bat. Did he have an ounce of discretion?
No, he realized, remembering the thirty years he'd known Saul. He didn't.
And truthfully, Roslin wasn't much better at hiding the look on her face when Ellen was flirting with Lee. That wasn't something that was usually present in professional relationships, now, was it? Maybe this was the reason she'd taken a special interest in Lee; it would certainly explain things.
Not that Bill didn't think Lee was a good officer… it was just decidedly odd for the President of the Colonies to be paying so much attention to a junior officer.
Bill was startled from his reverie by the comm buzzing.
For a moment, the five of them just stared at each other, then Bill got up.
"Adama," he said, holding it up to his ear.
"I have the results if you'll join me in the lab." Bill wondered how long Baltar's sudden bout of confidence would last.
"Well, Bill," Ellen said when he'd hung up. "Our moment of judgment has arrived." She took both his hands and started to lead him to the hatch. "I guess we'll find out if one of us is a Cylon." She caught Saul's eye deliberately then. "I suppose if one of us was…"
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Saul muttered. "Let's go."
He looked just like Bill felt-eager to get it over with. Roslin and Lee seemed somewhat more subdued-good, Bill thought petulantly. They had started it.
Probably.
He couldn't remember anymore. It had been a long day and he was tired.
"We're here, Doctor!" Ellen announced as she opened the hatch to the lab.
"Splendid," Baltar said. "As it so happens, I have your results right here." He placed two sheets of paper face down on the table.
Suddenly, Bill was gripped by a moment of panic. What if by some chance-however ridiculously unlikely-he was a Cylon?
Ellen was smirking at him. "Well, Bill, do you want to do it together? I'll look at yours and you look at mine?"
"Mm." Bill was looking at Saul-he looked very nervous.
Well, he thought. If one of us turns out to be a Cylon, that makes your decision easier.
He reached over, took the sheet in front of Ellen and flipped it over.
"Human," he said.
Saul visibly relaxed.
"Oh my gods," Ellen murmured. "Bill…" Her hands shook as she gripped the paper. "You're…"
"What?" Saul barked.
"Human." She grinned, flipping over the page so they could see it. "Got you."
Saul scowled.
"There," Baltar said, sitting down heavily. "You're both human. Happy?"
"Very," Bill said. He looked at Roslin. "Are you?"
"I'm very glad the fleet is safe," she said.
Bill smirked. "Well, we haven't tested you yet."
"And that can come later," Baltar cut in. "Right now, I'm going to have to ask everyone to leave so I can.. get back to testing the rest of the samples."
"Of course," Saul said. He sounded skeptical.
Once they were in the corridor, it seemed to take a moment for everyone to decide what to do.
"I guess you're going back to Colonial One," Bill said to Roslin.
"I guess I am."
"Madam President," Lee said. "I'll walk you down to the hangar deck."
"Well, thank you, Captain." She took his arm gingerly. "Good night, Commander, Colonel, Mrs. Tigh."
The three of them murmured their good-nights and watched as Roslin and Lee left.
"Well," Ellen said. "That was interesting." She eyed Bill and Saul critically. "Do you boys have plans for the rest of the evening?"
"Some rack time," Saul said.
"Oh? Whose rack?"
Saul gave her a pointed look. "I don't want to get in your way."
"Fair enough. Good night, Saul." She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. Then, to Bill's great surprise, she kissed him on the cheek, too, and turned down the hall to Saul's quarters.
When she had gone a few paces, she stopped and looked back at them. "You didn't really think I was a Cylon, did you, Bill?"
Bill allowed himself an easy smile. "Not at all."
She gave him one last lingering look and then she was gone.
Bill and Saul didn't speak on the way back to Bill's quarters. When the hatch was closed, Saul slumped against the wall.
"Godsdamnit," he muttered. "What a day."
"You can say that again." Bill unbuttoned his jacket, trying not to look at the detritus from their abandoned dinner.
Saul crossed over to the table and popped one of the untouched strawberries into his mouth. "Still good."
"Are we?"
Saul stared at him for a moment before realization struck. "Oh, don't be ridiculous, Bill. We're fine."
Bill came over to him, and on a whim, slipped his arms around Saul. "Did you mean that about rack time?"
Saul smirked. "Well, I wanted to spend some time in your rack," he said, letting his hand trail up Bill's chest. "What we do there depends on you. Do you have any ideas?"
Bill kissed him slowly. "I think I have a few."
Saul made a noise low in his throat-a very sexy noise-and kissed Bill back fiercely. "What were they?"
"Mm." Bill lazily wrapped his arms around Saul's neck, pulling him in for another kiss. There was a lot of heat in it and all of Bill's tiredness from earlier seemed to evaporate. He was definitely ready for some rack time. "I'll let you know."
**
The following afternoon, Bill was working on some papers at his desk when the comm buzzed.
"Adama," he said, answering it.
"Sir, the President to see you."
Bill frowned. He hadn't asked to speak with Roslin, hadn't wanted to after the events of yesterday. He'd wanted to give them at least a few days to cool off first. Obviously, she wanted to make the first move. "Send her in."
He kept his hands busy tidying papers until Roslin rounded the corner. He rose to greet her.
"Madam President. Can I get you anything to drink?"
She smiled. "I'm fine, Commander. And, please, do call me Laura." She took the seat he offered her opposite him.
"Well, if I'm going to do that, I'm going to ask you to call me Bill."
"All right, it's a deal." She paused, clearly trying to see if he would start speaking first. "I wanted to talk to you about yesterday."
"Yes, yesterday." Bill took his glasses off. "I'd been meaning to ask to meet with you myself. I think we need to clear the air a bit."
"Yes, we do," she said. She paused. "I will say I'm glad you're not a Cylon, and I hope you understand I had the best interests of the fleet at heart. I hope there are no hard feelings."
"None at all." Bill rested his hand on his book, in order to give himself something to do. He noticed her eyes straying to read the title. He filed that away as something to build on later. "We should each be able to be certain that the other's not a Cylon."
"Absolutely. Dr. Baltar is testing the rest of the samples as we speak, so we'll soon be sure of the rest of our staffs."
"Good." Bill leaned back in his chair. "You know, I really can't blame you. If the situations were reversed, I'd have done exactly the same thing." Because I did, he thought, his mind going back to Ellen. Not that he'd really thought she was a Cylon.
"And this is exactly what they want from us, Bill." It surprised him a little to hear her use his first name. It was odd that there were only three people left in the universe who did that. "They want us to suspect each other, to lose our trust in each other."
"You're exactly right." And she was. He should trust Roslin. After all, if he didn't, things would be a lot harder. His job was stressful enough without having her as an enemy, too. "Truce?" He offered her his hand.
She took it. "Truce."
**
As the next few weeks passed, Adama definitely got easier to deal with. Maybe it was the confirmation that he wasn't a Cylon that made her more inclined to deal with him-or maybe she was just getting more confident in her relationship with Lee, more sure of herself, which translated to feeling better about dealing with his father.
"So," Lee said, tapping the file in front of her. "This is your security for next week."
Laura shifted on the bed and wrapped the blanket more securely around her shoulders. "Oh, Lee, is this really necessary?"
"Yes." He kissed her hair. "It is. You may not think so, but thankfully you're not in charge of your own security."
Laura smirked. "Well, as I recall, neither are you."
"I talked it over with your detail," he said, looking somewhat embarrassed. "I managed to convince them that this was a matter for someone experienced in military matters. After all, they're not trained Presidential Security agents-just a couple of cops and security guards."
"Mmhm." Laura ran her hand up Lee's bare arm. "I think you're just overprotective."
"Maybe. If I am, it's because I care about you."
"I know." She lay back, picking up the dossier on the new Quorum members. "Honestly, I'm more concerned about Tom Zarek."
Lee sighed. "I do feel partially responsible for that."
"No, don't. It's not your fault. You made the right decision back there." She removed her glasses and set them aside. "We'll have to be thinking about elections."
"Well, know that I support you one-hundred percent, Madam President." He lay down beside her and she pressed herself against him, reveling in the feeling of his young, strong body. "I'll do everything in my power to get you reelected."
Laura let him pull her head onto his shoulder. "Well, we still have six months. Zarek's somewhat limited in the trouble he can cause until then. He's just one out of twelve."
"That's right," Lee murmured. "He has support among the Sagittarons, of course, but I think beyond that and Aerilon, maybe, Virgon, his influence will be limited."
"You sound like you've been reading up."
"Well." Lee looked embarrassed. "Just the commentary in some of the news sheets. Just because I'm your military advisor doesn't mean I have to be clueless about politics. Plus." He stopped.
She brushed a lock of his hair back from his face. "Plus what?"
"Well." Lee shifted. "When I was in college, I was pretty interested in politics. I read a lot of stuff, some of it pretty radical, but I just wanted to get all the viewpoints. I think it's important to take them into account."
Laura nodded. "It certainly is."
"My grandfather-my father's father-was a public defender. When I was growing up, I really admired him, and actually, I entertained the idea of going into law myself."
"Really." Laura sat up, surprised. "Knowing what I do of your father, I can't picture him as the son of a lawyer."
Lee made a face. "They didn't exactly get along. In fact, that might be why I got along so well with my grandfather; he was so different from my father."
"Well, I will say this. You continue to impress me by how well-rounded you are." She slipped her arms around his neck. "Thank you for reminding me why I hired you."
He kissed her. "You didn't exactly hire me."
"A minor detail."
**
"I'm sending you to Cloud Nine for a few days."
"What?" Saul looked up from the flight logs he was skimming, as he sat on the couch with Bill. "Why?"
"I need a senior officer over there and you're all I can spare."
"So…" Saul ran his stocking-clad foot up the underside of Bill's thigh. "It's not just because you want to get rid of me? Trying to curb a raging sex addiction?"
Bill looked at Saul over the tops of his glasses. "If I could send someone else, I would."
"Good." Saul tucked his feet back under Bill's and went back to his file.
Bill snickered, right as realization hit Saul.
"Hey, wait a minute…"
"Seriously." Bill took his glasses off. It had torn him up to do this-it was just three days, sure, and he needed to prove to himself that he could still put their jobs ahead of their relationship when he had to. He wanted him and Saul to be equals as much as possible, but he also wanted to retain his authority as Commander when the situation called for it, the little voice in the back of his mind telling him to send someone else be damned. "You need to go."
"Okay." Saul looked petulant. "What do I have to do, anyway?"
"Greet people. Be a representative of Galactica. You don't get a vote or anything, but you're there to serve as a reminder of the military branch of the government."
"Aw, frak, Bill." Saul tossed his folder onto the table. "You know I don't do politics."
"I know. I hate it, too. But it doesn't change the fact that it's necessary. We have to show solidarity with Roslin…"
"Solidarity with Roslin." Saul chuckled. "Who was it that accused you of being a Cylon a couple weeks ago?"
"That's in the past," Bill murmured, expertly pushing Saul's wandering hand away until he got to the end of this report from Tyrol. "Things have really been going well between us."
"Yeah, and why's that?"
Bill thought it would be cliché to admit that getting laid regularly had done wonders for his mood. He had spent years resisting Saul's attempts to hook him up with various women-which he, of course, now had to be glad had failed, but Bill could never put an opportunity for an I told you so past Saul.
"I don't know." He flipped another page. "She's just seemed more willing to compromise on some things."
Saul snickered. "Should I be jealous?"
"No."
"Good." Saul slid up the couch so Bill's view of his report was obstructed. "Because if I'm going to spend the next few days lazing around by the pool…"
"You're not."
"…sitting in on some boring policy meeting, then I could do with a good-bye frak."
Bill checked his watch. "Your shuttle leaves in two and a half hours."
Saul plucked the report out of his hands. "Plenty of time."
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