Title: Just One Dance - J is for Jealousy
Pairing: Laura Roslin/Kathryn Janeway
Fandom: Battlestar Galactica/Star Trek Voyager
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 982
Summary: Kathryn watches Laura dance with Adama
Prompt: J is for Jealousy from
xlittle-rubyxDisclaimer: Not mine
A/N: Written for the ABC fics challenge on tumblr
She looked beautiful, even when she was just wearing one of her suits, one that Kathryn had seen dozens of times, both on the woman and on the floor of her makeshift bedroom. It had that strange mossy green color that made Laura’s eyes look even greener. It wasn’t particularly dressy, not something Laura would normally wear to a function like this, but then like, most people, she hadn’t packed a gown.
Kathryn looked down at her own attire, at the uniform that she wore on a daily basis. The basic black and red. She didn’t think that the few civilian clothes she had on her ship would be appropriate for a captain of a starship in the Colonial fleet on Colonial day. The uniform was better. It showed people who she was, what she was. Her ship, however small it was, was part of the fleet and she wanted people to know it, like Laura knew.
Kathryn sipped her ambrosia as she watched the woman who was playing a role she had no desire to play sit at a table and look at the dancing people with an amusing little smile playing on her lips. But there was a distant look in her eyes, like she wasn’t really present on Cloud Nine, but somewhere far away. Home maybe or something else, something that made her look happy, a look that was utterly unfamiliar with Kathryn.
She had seen Laura as the president, as a deathly ill woman, she had seen her almost vulnerable, close to tears, she had seen her naked and practically out of control, she’d even seen her playful side, but happiness was something she had never seen on Laura’s face. What they had, the frakking and the conversations to forget about their burdens just for a moment, it wasn’t a relationship and it wasn’t a friendship either. Nobody knew about it. It was just something they had, something that existed, that had started right after they had jumped away from Ragnar and that still continued.
Something that Kathryn had gotten too attached to.
It wasn’t something that she had expected to happen. She always considered herself to be a rational thinker. She hadn’t been made captain of a starship for nothing, but thinking about Laura and being with her, it changed her. She just didn’t know if she liked it yet.
She watched as the commander joined Laura, started talking to her. Laura’s uninhibited smile turned into a politically correct one, surprise clearly written on her face, but the amused glint never left her eyes as she had what looked like the first not work-related conversation with the commander. She looked a little uneasy, but that soon changed. Her shoulders appeared less tense and Adama even managed to make her laugh.
Had she ever made Laura laugh? She couldn’t recall that she had. But then that wasn’t what their thing was about. It was more like an escape for the both of them. For Laura to forget her cancer, the presidency, the near 50,000 people depending on her and for Kathryn it was a way to not think about her crew and the way they were at each other’s throats. They suddenly weren’t just a science vessel anymore. Now they had to fight for survival.
With wide eyes she watched how Adama offered his arm to Laura and how she accepted it, gracefully sliding into a somewhat awkward dance with the commander. Kathryn closed her eyes and downed her ambrosia, quickly ordering another. She could already hear the rumors starting to buzz around the fleet. The president and the commander, dancing together. Before they could blink everybody would assume they were sharing more than just political meetings.
For the briefest of moments Kathryn wished she could do the same thing, that she too could do something as simple as ask the president for a dance. But the consequences of that would be much larger than the commander asking the president. If she were rejected, everybody would think her a drunk idiot and her reputation would take a hit, if Laura were to say yes, it would probably ruin both their reputations. A female president frakking a female captain. No, that wouldn’t work.
The uneasiness seemed to slip away from both Adama and Laura as their dance continued. Kathryn could see it, how well-suited they were for each other, if they’d only overlook their differences. Unlike herself and Laura. That was just convenience, easy, enjoyable. She wished she could be in the commander’s position. To simply smile with Laura and have a dance in public.
It was ridiculous. She drank the last of her ambrosia and felt her head spin. Too much. She quickly ordered a cup of coffee just to ensure that she would be clear-headed when she went to meet Laura in the room she had booked on Cloud Nine. It was utterly preposterous. She was jealous of the commander for being able to dance with Laura while she was the one who was going to kiss Laura, undress her, frak her until her throat was dry from her moans.
She turned her gaze back towards the dancing couple, taking a sip from her coffee, allowing the hot liquid to glide down her throat. There was truly nothing that beat the taste of freshly brewed coffee. She was going to miss this when they ran out.
Laura caught her looking and for a moment she appeared to stiffen in the commander’s arms, her relaxed smile disappearing. Kathryn felt as if she had been caught doing something she wasn’t supposed to. She forced a smile on her face and nodded. Laura frowned before she nodded too and gave her a tentative smile. She meant well, but Kathryn just didn’t feel that familiar warmth that usually accompanied Laura’s smile anymore. Everything had changed. Just not necessarily for the better.
She looked beautiful, even when she was just wearing one of her suits, one that Kathryn had seen dozens of times, both on the woman and on the floor of her makeshift bedroom. It had that strange mossy green color that made Laura’s eyes look even greener. It wasn’t particularly dressy, not something Laura would normally wear to a function like this, but then like, most people, she hadn’t packed a gown.
Kathryn looked down at her own attire, at the uniform that she wore on a daily basis. The basic black and red. She didn’t think that the few civilian clothes she had on her ship would be appropriate for a captain of a starship in the Colonial fleet on Colonial day. The uniform was better. It showed people who she was, what she was. Her ship, however small it was, was part of the fleet and she wanted people to know it, like Laura knew.
Kathryn sipped her ambrosia as she watched the woman who was playing a role she had no desire to play sit at a table and look at the dancing people with an amusing little smile playing on her lips. But there was a distant look in her eyes, like she wasn’t really present on Cloud Nine, but somewhere far away. Home maybe or something else, something that made her look happy, a look that was utterly unfamiliar with Kathryn.
She had seen Laura as the president, as a deathly ill woman, she had seen her almost vulnerable, close to tears, she had seen her naked and practically out of control, she’d even seen her playful side, but happiness was something she had never seen on Laura’s face. What they had, the frakking and the conversations to forget about their burdens just for a moment, it wasn’t a relationship and it wasn’t a friendship either. Nobody knew about it. It was just something they had, something that existed, that had started right after they had jumped away from Ragnar and that still continued.
Something that Kathryn had gotten too attached to.
It wasn’t something that she had expected to happen. She always considered herself to be a rational thinker. She hadn’t been made captain of a starship for nothing, but thinking about Laura and being with her, it changed her. She just didn’t know if she liked it yet.
She watched as the commander joined Laura, started talking to her. Laura’s uninhibited smile turned into a politically correct one, surprise clearly written on her face, but the amused glint never left her eyes as she had what looked like the first not work-related conversation with the commander. She looked a little uneasy, but that soon changed. Her shoulders appeared less tense and Adama even managed to make her laugh.
Had she ever made Laura laugh? She couldn’t recall that she had. But then that wasn’t what their thing was about. It was more like an escape for the both of them. For Laura to forget her cancer, the presidency, the near 50,000 people depending on her and for Kathryn it was a way to not think about her crew and the way they were at each other’s throats. They suddenly weren’t just a science vessel anymore. Now they had to fight for survival.
With wide eyes she watched how Adama offered his arm to Laura and how she accepted it, gracefully sliding into a somewhat awkward dance with the commander. Kathryn closed her eyes and downed her ambrosia, quickly ordering another. She could already hear the rumors starting to buzz around the fleet. The president and the commander, dancing together. Before they could blink everybody would assume they were sharing more than just political meetings.
For the briefest of moments Kathryn wished she could do the same thing, that she too could do something as simple as ask the president for a dance. But the consequences of that would be much larger than the commander asking the president. If she were rejected, everybody would think her a drunk idiot and her reputation would take a hit, if Laura were to say yes, it would probably ruin both their reputations. A female president frakking a female captain. No, that wouldn’t work.
The uneasiness seemed to slip away from both Adama and Laura as their dance continued. Kathryn could see it, how well-suited they were for each other, if they’d only overlook their differences. Unlike herself and Laura. That was just convenience, easy, enjoyable. She wished she could be in the commander’s position. To simply smile with Laura and have a dance in public.
It was ridiculous. She drank the last of her ambrosia and felt her head spin. Too much. She quickly ordered a cup of coffee just to ensure that she would be clear-headed when she went to meet Laura in the room she had booked on Cloud Nine. It was utterly preposterous. She was jealous of the commander for being able to dance with Laura while she was the one who was going to kiss Laura, undress her, frak her until her throat was dry from her moans.
She turned her gaze back towards the dancing couple, taking a sip from her coffee, allowing the hot liquid to glide down her throat. There was truly nothing that beat the taste of freshly brewed coffee. She was going to miss this when they ran out.
Laura caught her looking and for a moment she appeared to stiffen in the commander’s arms, her relaxed smile disappearing. Kathryn felt as if she had been caught doing something she wasn’t supposed to. She forced a smile on her face and nodded. Laura frowned before she nodded too and gave her a tentative smile. She meant well, but Kathryn just didn’t feel that familiar warmth that usually accompanied Laura’s smile anymore. Everything had changed. Just not necessarily for the better.