FIC: The Road Diverged, Chapter 10
Title: The Road Diverged, Chapter Ten
Author: The Plaid Slytherin (plaid_slytherin)
Characters/Pairings: Bill/Saul, Laura/Lee
Rating: M
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 | Eight | Nine
Saul didn't think he could have felt more ridiculous if he tried.
"Ellen, are you sure this is working?"
"Well, it can't hurt you, can it? Plus, you want to look nice for tomorrow afternoon, don't you?"
Saul supposed so. But he still felt ridiculous.
They were on Cloud Nine's famous spa deck, in the waiting area. Ellen was flipping through an already well-thumbed issue of Colonial Stars (despite the fact that most of the celebrities were dead) and hoping to spot some of the ones who were alive. Saul was just hoping not to be spotted by anyone from Galactica
He'd already been plucked, massaged and exfoliated to within an inch of his life and now he was waiting for the goop they'd rubbed on his head to set. Thank the gods they'd wrapped a towel around his head; the stuff stank.
"Guess so." He paused in scratching at the towel-it itched, too. "So, did you end up finding anything out?"
Ellen was examining her new manicure. "He's really not all that bad, Saul. I talked to him, let him get me a drink-he seemed concerned."
"You told him what you were there for?"
"Of course not." She looked offended. "I just brought it up. He said how concerning it was that they couldn't keep the place secure." She smirked. "Then, he said no disrespect was intended as he was sure my husband was doing a fine job."
Saul rolled his eyes. "He was leading you on."
"It doesn't make sense anyway," she said. "He's going to be Vice President. Why kill Roslin before that's in place? Why not wait 'til after?"
"Yeah and he might not be Vice-President now." Saul crossed his arms over his chest. "Roslin's nominated Gaius Baltar."
Ellen raised her eyebrows. "Really? Our neighbor on Galactica?"
Saul snorted. "If that's what you want to call him."
She seemed to consider this. "Do you think he can do it?"
"Hell no. But I'd rather have him than Zarek."
She made a skeptical noise.
"So," she added, after a pause. "Do you know what's going on with Lee?"
"What do you mean with Lee?" Saul had heard nothing unusual about him, and as XO, he was curious about something on his ship he may have missed.
"I mean Lee and Laura Roslin." Ellen had a mischievous glint in her eye. "Aren't they acting awfully… cozy?"
"What?" Saul sat up straighter. "The hell are you talking about?"
She laughed. "You never notice these things. They were whispering to each other the other night at dinner… of course, you were staring at-"
"Shh," Saul hissed. "Don't talk about that in here! Anybody could hear you."
"Nobody's in here but us," she said. A moment later, a young woman walked by from around the corner, smiling politely at them.
Saul scowled at Ellen.
"Was that Playa Palacios?" Ellen craned her head to look at the woman. "It was!"
"Saul Tigh? We're ready for you."
"That's you," Ellen said, nodding to the empty chair at the front.
Scowling, Saul got up and tightened the belt on his robe. Did they have to blurt his name all over the place? At least he wasn't wearing his uniform.
"Ready for round two?" the attendant asked him as he sat down.
"If it gets this stuff off my head."
"Well, you're in luck." As she tilted his chair back so his head was in the basin, the last thing Saul saw was Ellen talking to Playa Palacios. Almost immediately, he forgot all about Lee and Laura Roslin.
**
For the second day of meetings, Laura insisted on going into the chamber alone.
Lee was reasonably certain she was safe in there, so he allowed it. It was locked and under armed guard. Now that he was sure of that, he was going to track down the shooter.
"You're not going alone, you know," Kara said, crossing her arms across her chest. She was standing in the doorway to his room in the suite they'd been put up in. "I know you. If you had your way, you'd go off on your own and track this guy down-probably getting yourself shot in the process. You need backup."
Lee paused, looking at the supplies he had spread out over the bed.
"And I know you're too close to this." She came over and sat down next to him. "You didn't think I'd notice you didn't come back last night?"
"It's not what you think, Kara."
"Come on, Lee, we know that's not true." She squeezed his arm. "And I don't care. But I don't want you to run off playing the hero and getting yourself killed because you want to impress her."
"I don't-"
"Then don't," she said firmly. "We do this together."
Lee frowned, but inside, he was grateful. While he didn't like that Kara knew about Laura, he was resigned to it-after all, it was Kara. If anyone figured it out eventually, it would be her.
"Does anybody else know?"
"I doubt it." She grinned. "I think I'm the only one who'd notice you were acting differently. If it weren't for you going to Colonial One all the time, I don't think I'd have even noticed myself. I would have just assumed you had somewhere better to be last night."
"Well, I'm just glad you're on my side."
**
"Are you nervous about your speech?" Ellen had walked Saul as far as the Quorum chamber and was presently making sure the sash on his dress uniform was straight.
"It's not a speech. It's just a talk. A rundown of our policies, our objectives. These people aren't military experts-hell, most of them wouldn't even have won a Quorum election in a million years back home. We want them to understand what we're doing here."
"Well, good luck." She patted his shoulder. "I think your hair looks fuller already."
Saul doubted that somehow, but he couldn't stop himself from reaching up to feel.
"You coming in?"
She looked surprised that he'd asked. "I'm sure you won't say anything I don't already know…"
He smirked. "You have a date."
Ellen smirked back. "A lady doesn't tell."
"As long as it's not Tom Zarek."
Ellen smirked again.
The door opened.
"Colonel, we'll ready for you," Roslin's aid said. It was that kid-Billy.
"Good luck," Ellen said.
Saul grimaced and looked down at his notes again. "Same to you."
**
Kara and Lee were about to leave when the door banged open and one of the Marines who'd been assigned to tail Zarek burst in.
"Captain Adama!"
"What is it?"
"Sir, he's gone. He ditched the tail."
"Zarek?" Kara snapped. "He's not in the Quorum meeting?"
"No, he's in there. But he met with two men this morning. One of them went back to the Astral Queen. Decker was tailing the other one and he lost him."
"When was this?" Lee asked.
"Twenty minutes ago."
Kara and Lee exchanged glances.
"Frak me," she said.
"Where's the President?" Lee asked.
"With the Quorum, sir. Colonel Tigh's in there, too."
"Why the frak did you wait so long?"
The Marine looked terrified. "I was looking for you, sir, and-"
Kara put her hand on his arm. "Lee. Leave it. Let's go."
They were both off running, leaving the Marine behind.
"He can't get into the chamber," Kara said. "It's locked and guarded and Tigh handpicked those Marines."
"Well, one of Tigh's Marines let this guy get away."
"It wasn't on purpose. This guy's a pro."
They reached the door to the Quorum chamber. "Has anyone gone in or out?" Lee asked the guard.
"No, sir, not since Colonel Tigh."
Kara looked at Lee. "Is there another way in?"
"I don't…" Lee paused. "There's a catwalk and a lighting booth." He pulled out his gun and Kara did the same.
"Let's go."
**
It wasn't that Saul was bad at public speaking. It was that this was a stupid speech.
"Galactica is crewed by over two-thousand people," he read from the note cards covered in Bill's neat handwriting. "This crew is comprised of command staff, tactical officers, helmsmen, gunners, Viper and Raptor pilots, deckhands and maintenance crew and many more whose contributions keep our fleet safe." He frowned, hunting for the next card. "My name is Wi-Saul Tigh and I am lucky enough to be her Executive Officer, alongside her Commander, William Adama."
Couldn't he have at least updated these? When did he use these last?
"She is one of the original twelve battlestars and is the only one to be in continuous service since the Cylon War." Well, she's now the only battlestar still in service, so of course she is.
The people looked bored, so Saul skipped the card about Galactica's size, and how many potatoes her crew could eat in a year. He was beginning to think these things had been intended for the museum.
"One of the most integral parts of any battlestar's crew are her…"
**
The door to the lighting booth was locked.
"He's in there," Lee said. "He's got to be."
"Come on," Kara said, holstering her weapon. "Let's break it down."
Working together, it took one try. The first thing they noticed was that the guy in the booth had already been shot. The booth was otherwise empty.
"Catwalk." Kara barked.
They both darted for the door, holding their weapons in front of them. Lee went first. Below them, they could hear Tigh addressing the Quorum, describing the procedures on Galactica.
"Condition Two is one of most heightened readiness, when the threat of Cylon attack is immediately present-"
There were two branching sections of catwalk and Lee motioned for Kara to take one while he took the other.
"…Condition One indicates attack is imminent or underway. During Condition One, it is highly likely that the civilian fleet will begin to jump away and Galactica's alert fighters will scramble…"
That was when Lee saw him. He was on Kara's side of the catwalk, but he couldn't get her attention without alerting the shooter to their presence. Lee crept forward and knelt down, raising his sidearm.
**
Laura shifted in her seat, uncrossing and re-crossing her legs as she listened to Colonel Tigh brief the Quorum.
"Galactica's alert fighters are a Viper squadron specifically designated at any one time to-"
Suddenly, two shots rang out.
Everyone screamed and ran for cover. Everything blurred for Laura and she was belatedly aware of Billy covering her body with his. Tigh had drawn his weapon and was looking to see where the shots had come from. The Marine guards from outside burst in, weapons drawn.
"Up here!" a voice shouted.
Tigh's gun jerked skyward. "Apollo, is that you?"
"All clear up here, sir." That sounded like Lieutenant Thrace. "He's dead."
"Same down here, sir," said the Marine.
Slowly, Laura got to her feet. This didn't entirely feel real. She reached for the podium for support. "Billy, are you all right?"
"I'm fine, Madam President."
"That's good. Captain Apollo," she called up to Lee. It was a struggle to keep her voice from shaking. Lee had to be okay. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine."
Relief washed over her. She knew he had to be reserved in public, simply informing her of his condition, and she couldn't wait to get him alone.
"Ma'am." One of the Marines approached her. "The area's secure. We're going to have to get these people out of here so security can take their statements."
"Yes, of course." She turned back to the podium. Where was her gavel? "I suppose this session is adjourned."
**
They all gathered in Roslin's suite-Kara, Lee and Tigh, along with a few presidential aides.
"So, you think this is over?" Roslin asked.
"We can't be absolutely positive," Tigh said. "There's always the chance that this is not the same guy who took a shot at you yesterday."
"We also can't be sure if this is the same guy who was meeting with Tom Zarek." Kara looked down again at the statements the Marines had given. "I have conflicting reports here about whether or not this was someone we had under surveillance this morning."
"So we can't connect the shooter to Tom Zarek."
"No."
"We all know he's involved," Tigh cut in. "Can't we grab him?"
Inwardly, Kara agreed with him, but she couldn't say that. "We need evidence, sir."
Tigh glared at her.
"What do you want to do, Madam President?" Lee asked her. Kara rolled her eyes. He really wasn't doing a good job of being discreet at all.
Roslin raised her head in thought. "I think," she said slowly, "that now that the immediate threat is over, we simply carry on with the selection of the Vice President and let the public know that the situation has been dealt with. We don't have any proof at all of this man's association with Tom Zarek, and even if we did, there would be no way to know whether or not he acted under Zarek's orders. I say we simply declare the matter closed and carry on as normal."
"That's fine by me," Tigh said. "We'll still keep up the security, though."
"Yes, Colonel, I think that would be a good idea."
When the meeting was finished, Roslin dismissed her staff. Kara and Tigh stood to go. Lee remained seated.
"Coming, Apollo?" Tigh asked.
"I just thought I'd run through her schedule one more time," he said. "Don't worry about me, Colonel. I'll be along soon."
No, Kara thought. He really wasn't doing a good job.
When they got out into the hallway, the Old Man was waiting for them.
"Didn't think you were coming 'til tomorrow," Tigh said, eyebrows raised.
"I wasn't," Adama said. "But then I heard you got shot at."
Tigh smirked. "Wasn't really me that got shot at. I think they were aiming at the President."
"Sir?" Kara decided to get his attention.
"Kara." Adama greeted her warmly, but she could tell his mind was somewhere else.
"I think the situation's under control here," she said.
Adama nodded. "Good." He smiled. "You're dismissed. Thank you."
She struggled to hide her smirk as she turned and headed down the hall. Well, at least it was obvious where Lee got it from.
**
"So, how was your date?" Saul asked, as he positioned his hands on Ellen's waist.
She grinned. "It was very nice actually. I met him on Rising Star. He's a doctor. He's going to be a bit late; something came up."
Saul nodded. "So I guess you're stuck dancing with me."
"Oh, it's not too much of a hardship." She looped her arms around his neck as they moved in time with the music. "You wouldn't have a partner, otherwise, would you?"
"Doubt it." He leaned in to mutter in her ear. "Bill said no."
Ellen laughed. "Did you even bother asking?"
"'Course I did. I want to dance with him; he's my…" He trailed off. He still didn't know what to call Bill.
"Boyfriend," Ellen supplied.
"That's as good as anything. So, what's your guy like?"
"He's nice. You should meet him sometime. We ought to all go to dinner or something, you and me and Steve and Bill. I could try to get us in at the Stellarium."
Saul let out a low whistle. "The Stellarium? Guess that'll be a challenge for you." The Stellarium was one of the most expensive restaurants in the Colonies. "They're not out of their stores yet?"
She beamed. "Nope. I'll see what I can do. Oh, look! There's Steve!"
Saul craned his head. "Him? He's hot."
"Do remember who's over there watching us like a hawk."
Saul turned again and caught a glimpse of Bill's face. He winced. Bill was wearing an expression that could curdle milk.
"Someone's not happy," Ellen said.
"I think we ought to let Steve cut in," Saul said, nodding to who was making his way toward them.
"Lovely." She stepped away from him and Saul headed to the table with the punch bowl and Bill.
**
"How do you feel?"
"I feel fine, Lee. When are you going to stop asking me that?"
"When I get over you getting shot at twice."
"Shot at being the operative term here."
Lee turned her in time with the music. "I just don't like how close I came to losing you." He pulled her as close to him as he dared.
Laura bit her lip. She knew he'd have to get used to the idea of losing her-the cancer was still a looming presence over their relationship, even though they rarely talked about it.
"Don't worry about that," she finally said. "Your job is far more dangerous than mine. Plus, aren't we supposed to be celebrating tonight?
"You're right." He smiled, but it looked like it was difficult for him. "It's Colonial Day. We should be celebrating continuity of government."
"I was thinking maybe a little bit more than that," she said, whispering in his ear. When Lee shivered, she grinned and began to wonder how long she had to stick around here.
**
"Hey."
Bill looked up from his punch. "Hey yourself."
"Oh now don't get that way. You know this was a for-show thing right? She's gone off with somebody else."
"No idea what you mean."
Saul gave an exasperated sigh. He was never going to get Bill to say anything potentially incriminating. That was that.
Bill's eyebrow lifted. "Colonel, can I see you in private?"
"Right away, sir"
**
“I thought the threat was over,” Laura said. “Why are you checking my room?”
Lee holstered his weapon and shut the bathroom door. “Just doing my job, Madam President.”
Laura slipped her arms around him from behind. “But now you’re off duty, right?”
He turned in her arms, bringing their lips together. He had thought about this and thought about this all evening and he now wanted to take his time and enjoy the situation.
“Definitely off duty,” he murmured against her parted lips.
The noise she made next was practically a purr as she guided him to the bed. He cupped her face in his hands, kissing her deeply. He couldn’t believe their good fortune to have a moment like this together. And how close had he come to losing her?
“I’m right here, Lee,” she whispered in his ear.
That was all the reminding he needed.
**
Saul woke in a very pleasant position, Bill's hair tickling his nose. Slowly, he spread his fingers wide against the smooth soft skin of Bill's stomach. Oh, he could get very used to this.
"Mm," Bill said sleepily. "Where are my clothes?"
"All over the floor."
"Didn't mean to do that." Bill finally opened his eyes. "I meant to go back last night."
"Who cares? No one was watching us. Nobody knows we're here."
“Mm.” Bill sounded as though he’d like to go back to sleep. Saul took the opportunity to kiss him slowly, drinking him in. He could probably convince Bill to stay a little while longer. He twitched the sheet aside and straddled Bill as they kissed, sliding his hand down over his hips...
At that moment, the door to the stateroom opened and they both moved into action, simultaneously trying to get out of bed and cover themselves.
"Relax," Ellen said, "it's just me."
Bill lowered the duvet he'd yanked over his head. "Can we have a little privacy?"
"I'm not sure you'd rather frak than read this." She was holding a news sheet in her hand. "It's about your son and the President."
Bill dove for it, taking the sheet with him, apparently not caring about exposing Saul. It didn’t matter, however, as Ellen’s eyes were following what Bill was just barely successful in covering with his sheet.
Bill didn’t seem to care. Still holding the paper in one hand, he reached for his shorts and put them on with the other. “I need to talk to him,” he said levelly.
“Weren’t you meeting him anyway?” Saul asked, rolling over on his side.
“Yeah.” Bill finished dressing quickly and put the paper in his pocket without letting Saul see what it said. “I am.”
Saul and Ellen exchanged glances as the door shut. He hoped she would fill him in.
Next Chapter
Author: The Plaid Slytherin (plaid_slytherin)
Characters/Pairings: Bill/Saul, Laura/Lee
Rating: M
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 | Eight | Nine
Saul didn't think he could have felt more ridiculous if he tried.
"Ellen, are you sure this is working?"
"Well, it can't hurt you, can it? Plus, you want to look nice for tomorrow afternoon, don't you?"
Saul supposed so. But he still felt ridiculous.
They were on Cloud Nine's famous spa deck, in the waiting area. Ellen was flipping through an already well-thumbed issue of Colonial Stars (despite the fact that most of the celebrities were dead) and hoping to spot some of the ones who were alive. Saul was just hoping not to be spotted by anyone from Galactica
He'd already been plucked, massaged and exfoliated to within an inch of his life and now he was waiting for the goop they'd rubbed on his head to set. Thank the gods they'd wrapped a towel around his head; the stuff stank.
"Guess so." He paused in scratching at the towel-it itched, too. "So, did you end up finding anything out?"
Ellen was examining her new manicure. "He's really not all that bad, Saul. I talked to him, let him get me a drink-he seemed concerned."
"You told him what you were there for?"
"Of course not." She looked offended. "I just brought it up. He said how concerning it was that they couldn't keep the place secure." She smirked. "Then, he said no disrespect was intended as he was sure my husband was doing a fine job."
Saul rolled his eyes. "He was leading you on."
"It doesn't make sense anyway," she said. "He's going to be Vice President. Why kill Roslin before that's in place? Why not wait 'til after?"
"Yeah and he might not be Vice-President now." Saul crossed his arms over his chest. "Roslin's nominated Gaius Baltar."
Ellen raised her eyebrows. "Really? Our neighbor on Galactica?"
Saul snorted. "If that's what you want to call him."
She seemed to consider this. "Do you think he can do it?"
"Hell no. But I'd rather have him than Zarek."
She made a skeptical noise.
"So," she added, after a pause. "Do you know what's going on with Lee?"
"What do you mean with Lee?" Saul had heard nothing unusual about him, and as XO, he was curious about something on his ship he may have missed.
"I mean Lee and Laura Roslin." Ellen had a mischievous glint in her eye. "Aren't they acting awfully… cozy?"
"What?" Saul sat up straighter. "The hell are you talking about?"
She laughed. "You never notice these things. They were whispering to each other the other night at dinner… of course, you were staring at-"
"Shh," Saul hissed. "Don't talk about that in here! Anybody could hear you."
"Nobody's in here but us," she said. A moment later, a young woman walked by from around the corner, smiling politely at them.
Saul scowled at Ellen.
"Was that Playa Palacios?" Ellen craned her head to look at the woman. "It was!"
"Saul Tigh? We're ready for you."
"That's you," Ellen said, nodding to the empty chair at the front.
Scowling, Saul got up and tightened the belt on his robe. Did they have to blurt his name all over the place? At least he wasn't wearing his uniform.
"Ready for round two?" the attendant asked him as he sat down.
"If it gets this stuff off my head."
"Well, you're in luck." As she tilted his chair back so his head was in the basin, the last thing Saul saw was Ellen talking to Playa Palacios. Almost immediately, he forgot all about Lee and Laura Roslin.
**
For the second day of meetings, Laura insisted on going into the chamber alone.
Lee was reasonably certain she was safe in there, so he allowed it. It was locked and under armed guard. Now that he was sure of that, he was going to track down the shooter.
"You're not going alone, you know," Kara said, crossing her arms across her chest. She was standing in the doorway to his room in the suite they'd been put up in. "I know you. If you had your way, you'd go off on your own and track this guy down-probably getting yourself shot in the process. You need backup."
Lee paused, looking at the supplies he had spread out over the bed.
"And I know you're too close to this." She came over and sat down next to him. "You didn't think I'd notice you didn't come back last night?"
"It's not what you think, Kara."
"Come on, Lee, we know that's not true." She squeezed his arm. "And I don't care. But I don't want you to run off playing the hero and getting yourself killed because you want to impress her."
"I don't-"
"Then don't," she said firmly. "We do this together."
Lee frowned, but inside, he was grateful. While he didn't like that Kara knew about Laura, he was resigned to it-after all, it was Kara. If anyone figured it out eventually, it would be her.
"Does anybody else know?"
"I doubt it." She grinned. "I think I'm the only one who'd notice you were acting differently. If it weren't for you going to Colonial One all the time, I don't think I'd have even noticed myself. I would have just assumed you had somewhere better to be last night."
"Well, I'm just glad you're on my side."
**
"Are you nervous about your speech?" Ellen had walked Saul as far as the Quorum chamber and was presently making sure the sash on his dress uniform was straight.
"It's not a speech. It's just a talk. A rundown of our policies, our objectives. These people aren't military experts-hell, most of them wouldn't even have won a Quorum election in a million years back home. We want them to understand what we're doing here."
"Well, good luck." She patted his shoulder. "I think your hair looks fuller already."
Saul doubted that somehow, but he couldn't stop himself from reaching up to feel.
"You coming in?"
She looked surprised that he'd asked. "I'm sure you won't say anything I don't already know…"
He smirked. "You have a date."
Ellen smirked back. "A lady doesn't tell."
"As long as it's not Tom Zarek."
Ellen smirked again.
The door opened.
"Colonel, we'll ready for you," Roslin's aid said. It was that kid-Billy.
"Good luck," Ellen said.
Saul grimaced and looked down at his notes again. "Same to you."
**
Kara and Lee were about to leave when the door banged open and one of the Marines who'd been assigned to tail Zarek burst in.
"Captain Adama!"
"What is it?"
"Sir, he's gone. He ditched the tail."
"Zarek?" Kara snapped. "He's not in the Quorum meeting?"
"No, he's in there. But he met with two men this morning. One of them went back to the Astral Queen. Decker was tailing the other one and he lost him."
"When was this?" Lee asked.
"Twenty minutes ago."
Kara and Lee exchanged glances.
"Frak me," she said.
"Where's the President?" Lee asked.
"With the Quorum, sir. Colonel Tigh's in there, too."
"Why the frak did you wait so long?"
The Marine looked terrified. "I was looking for you, sir, and-"
Kara put her hand on his arm. "Lee. Leave it. Let's go."
They were both off running, leaving the Marine behind.
"He can't get into the chamber," Kara said. "It's locked and guarded and Tigh handpicked those Marines."
"Well, one of Tigh's Marines let this guy get away."
"It wasn't on purpose. This guy's a pro."
They reached the door to the Quorum chamber. "Has anyone gone in or out?" Lee asked the guard.
"No, sir, not since Colonel Tigh."
Kara looked at Lee. "Is there another way in?"
"I don't…" Lee paused. "There's a catwalk and a lighting booth." He pulled out his gun and Kara did the same.
"Let's go."
**
It wasn't that Saul was bad at public speaking. It was that this was a stupid speech.
"Galactica is crewed by over two-thousand people," he read from the note cards covered in Bill's neat handwriting. "This crew is comprised of command staff, tactical officers, helmsmen, gunners, Viper and Raptor pilots, deckhands and maintenance crew and many more whose contributions keep our fleet safe." He frowned, hunting for the next card. "My name is Wi-Saul Tigh and I am lucky enough to be her Executive Officer, alongside her Commander, William Adama."
Couldn't he have at least updated these? When did he use these last?
"She is one of the original twelve battlestars and is the only one to be in continuous service since the Cylon War." Well, she's now the only battlestar still in service, so of course she is.
The people looked bored, so Saul skipped the card about Galactica's size, and how many potatoes her crew could eat in a year. He was beginning to think these things had been intended for the museum.
"One of the most integral parts of any battlestar's crew are her…"
**
The door to the lighting booth was locked.
"He's in there," Lee said. "He's got to be."
"Come on," Kara said, holstering her weapon. "Let's break it down."
Working together, it took one try. The first thing they noticed was that the guy in the booth had already been shot. The booth was otherwise empty.
"Catwalk." Kara barked.
They both darted for the door, holding their weapons in front of them. Lee went first. Below them, they could hear Tigh addressing the Quorum, describing the procedures on Galactica.
"Condition Two is one of most heightened readiness, when the threat of Cylon attack is immediately present-"
There were two branching sections of catwalk and Lee motioned for Kara to take one while he took the other.
"…Condition One indicates attack is imminent or underway. During Condition One, it is highly likely that the civilian fleet will begin to jump away and Galactica's alert fighters will scramble…"
That was when Lee saw him. He was on Kara's side of the catwalk, but he couldn't get her attention without alerting the shooter to their presence. Lee crept forward and knelt down, raising his sidearm.
**
Laura shifted in her seat, uncrossing and re-crossing her legs as she listened to Colonel Tigh brief the Quorum.
"Galactica's alert fighters are a Viper squadron specifically designated at any one time to-"
Suddenly, two shots rang out.
Everyone screamed and ran for cover. Everything blurred for Laura and she was belatedly aware of Billy covering her body with his. Tigh had drawn his weapon and was looking to see where the shots had come from. The Marine guards from outside burst in, weapons drawn.
"Up here!" a voice shouted.
Tigh's gun jerked skyward. "Apollo, is that you?"
"All clear up here, sir." That sounded like Lieutenant Thrace. "He's dead."
"Same down here, sir," said the Marine.
Slowly, Laura got to her feet. This didn't entirely feel real. She reached for the podium for support. "Billy, are you all right?"
"I'm fine, Madam President."
"That's good. Captain Apollo," she called up to Lee. It was a struggle to keep her voice from shaking. Lee had to be okay. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine."
Relief washed over her. She knew he had to be reserved in public, simply informing her of his condition, and she couldn't wait to get him alone.
"Ma'am." One of the Marines approached her. "The area's secure. We're going to have to get these people out of here so security can take their statements."
"Yes, of course." She turned back to the podium. Where was her gavel? "I suppose this session is adjourned."
**
They all gathered in Roslin's suite-Kara, Lee and Tigh, along with a few presidential aides.
"So, you think this is over?" Roslin asked.
"We can't be absolutely positive," Tigh said. "There's always the chance that this is not the same guy who took a shot at you yesterday."
"We also can't be sure if this is the same guy who was meeting with Tom Zarek." Kara looked down again at the statements the Marines had given. "I have conflicting reports here about whether or not this was someone we had under surveillance this morning."
"So we can't connect the shooter to Tom Zarek."
"No."
"We all know he's involved," Tigh cut in. "Can't we grab him?"
Inwardly, Kara agreed with him, but she couldn't say that. "We need evidence, sir."
Tigh glared at her.
"What do you want to do, Madam President?" Lee asked her. Kara rolled her eyes. He really wasn't doing a good job of being discreet at all.
Roslin raised her head in thought. "I think," she said slowly, "that now that the immediate threat is over, we simply carry on with the selection of the Vice President and let the public know that the situation has been dealt with. We don't have any proof at all of this man's association with Tom Zarek, and even if we did, there would be no way to know whether or not he acted under Zarek's orders. I say we simply declare the matter closed and carry on as normal."
"That's fine by me," Tigh said. "We'll still keep up the security, though."
"Yes, Colonel, I think that would be a good idea."
When the meeting was finished, Roslin dismissed her staff. Kara and Tigh stood to go. Lee remained seated.
"Coming, Apollo?" Tigh asked.
"I just thought I'd run through her schedule one more time," he said. "Don't worry about me, Colonel. I'll be along soon."
No, Kara thought. He really wasn't doing a good job.
When they got out into the hallway, the Old Man was waiting for them.
"Didn't think you were coming 'til tomorrow," Tigh said, eyebrows raised.
"I wasn't," Adama said. "But then I heard you got shot at."
Tigh smirked. "Wasn't really me that got shot at. I think they were aiming at the President."
"Sir?" Kara decided to get his attention.
"Kara." Adama greeted her warmly, but she could tell his mind was somewhere else.
"I think the situation's under control here," she said.
Adama nodded. "Good." He smiled. "You're dismissed. Thank you."
She struggled to hide her smirk as she turned and headed down the hall. Well, at least it was obvious where Lee got it from.
**
"So, how was your date?" Saul asked, as he positioned his hands on Ellen's waist.
She grinned. "It was very nice actually. I met him on Rising Star. He's a doctor. He's going to be a bit late; something came up."
Saul nodded. "So I guess you're stuck dancing with me."
"Oh, it's not too much of a hardship." She looped her arms around his neck as they moved in time with the music. "You wouldn't have a partner, otherwise, would you?"
"Doubt it." He leaned in to mutter in her ear. "Bill said no."
Ellen laughed. "Did you even bother asking?"
"'Course I did. I want to dance with him; he's my…" He trailed off. He still didn't know what to call Bill.
"Boyfriend," Ellen supplied.
"That's as good as anything. So, what's your guy like?"
"He's nice. You should meet him sometime. We ought to all go to dinner or something, you and me and Steve and Bill. I could try to get us in at the Stellarium."
Saul let out a low whistle. "The Stellarium? Guess that'll be a challenge for you." The Stellarium was one of the most expensive restaurants in the Colonies. "They're not out of their stores yet?"
She beamed. "Nope. I'll see what I can do. Oh, look! There's Steve!"
Saul craned his head. "Him? He's hot."
"Do remember who's over there watching us like a hawk."
Saul turned again and caught a glimpse of Bill's face. He winced. Bill was wearing an expression that could curdle milk.
"Someone's not happy," Ellen said.
"I think we ought to let Steve cut in," Saul said, nodding to who was making his way toward them.
"Lovely." She stepped away from him and Saul headed to the table with the punch bowl and Bill.
**
"How do you feel?"
"I feel fine, Lee. When are you going to stop asking me that?"
"When I get over you getting shot at twice."
"Shot at being the operative term here."
Lee turned her in time with the music. "I just don't like how close I came to losing you." He pulled her as close to him as he dared.
Laura bit her lip. She knew he'd have to get used to the idea of losing her-the cancer was still a looming presence over their relationship, even though they rarely talked about it.
"Don't worry about that," she finally said. "Your job is far more dangerous than mine. Plus, aren't we supposed to be celebrating tonight?
"You're right." He smiled, but it looked like it was difficult for him. "It's Colonial Day. We should be celebrating continuity of government."
"I was thinking maybe a little bit more than that," she said, whispering in his ear. When Lee shivered, she grinned and began to wonder how long she had to stick around here.
**
"Hey."
Bill looked up from his punch. "Hey yourself."
"Oh now don't get that way. You know this was a for-show thing right? She's gone off with somebody else."
"No idea what you mean."
Saul gave an exasperated sigh. He was never going to get Bill to say anything potentially incriminating. That was that.
Bill's eyebrow lifted. "Colonel, can I see you in private?"
"Right away, sir"
**
“I thought the threat was over,” Laura said. “Why are you checking my room?”
Lee holstered his weapon and shut the bathroom door. “Just doing my job, Madam President.”
Laura slipped her arms around him from behind. “But now you’re off duty, right?”
He turned in her arms, bringing their lips together. He had thought about this and thought about this all evening and he now wanted to take his time and enjoy the situation.
“Definitely off duty,” he murmured against her parted lips.
The noise she made next was practically a purr as she guided him to the bed. He cupped her face in his hands, kissing her deeply. He couldn’t believe their good fortune to have a moment like this together. And how close had he come to losing her?
“I’m right here, Lee,” she whispered in his ear.
That was all the reminding he needed.
**
Saul woke in a very pleasant position, Bill's hair tickling his nose. Slowly, he spread his fingers wide against the smooth soft skin of Bill's stomach. Oh, he could get very used to this.
"Mm," Bill said sleepily. "Where are my clothes?"
"All over the floor."
"Didn't mean to do that." Bill finally opened his eyes. "I meant to go back last night."
"Who cares? No one was watching us. Nobody knows we're here."
“Mm.” Bill sounded as though he’d like to go back to sleep. Saul took the opportunity to kiss him slowly, drinking him in. He could probably convince Bill to stay a little while longer. He twitched the sheet aside and straddled Bill as they kissed, sliding his hand down over his hips...
At that moment, the door to the stateroom opened and they both moved into action, simultaneously trying to get out of bed and cover themselves.
"Relax," Ellen said, "it's just me."
Bill lowered the duvet he'd yanked over his head. "Can we have a little privacy?"
"I'm not sure you'd rather frak than read this." She was holding a news sheet in her hand. "It's about your son and the President."
Bill dove for it, taking the sheet with him, apparently not caring about exposing Saul. It didn’t matter, however, as Ellen’s eyes were following what Bill was just barely successful in covering with his sheet.
Bill didn’t seem to care. Still holding the paper in one hand, he reached for his shorts and put them on with the other. “I need to talk to him,” he said levelly.
“Weren’t you meeting him anyway?” Saul asked, rolling over on his side.
“Yeah.” Bill finished dressing quickly and put the paper in his pocket without letting Saul see what it said. “I am.”
Saul and Ellen exchanged glances as the door shut. He hoped she would fill him in.
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