Laura ran her fingers over the cool metal of the bulkhead as she walked absentmindedly down the corridor towards the bathroom. She dawdled idly while her brain creaked with the thoughts that forced their way into her mind. She was tired. The day had been long. At this point in the evening her mind was always fuzzy with the ever-pressing tiredness that made it hard for her to think. Tonight was no different. The weeks of sleep deprivation were now beginning to act against her, making it hard to take in information, to stay awake and get all of her work done and most of all, to keep herself alert and fresh faced for her meetings with Bill.

Bill Adama.

A small smile spread across Laura's lips as she opened to door to the bathroom, her mind pictured his rough looking face and she sighed. There were things about this man that never ceased to amaze her and yet she felt as if she had known him for an age. His time-worn features, were to her, friendly and welcoming in so many ways, but to others were hard and strong. She admired him for all of the things that he had accomplished in his life and all of the things she had witnessed him do. All the dramatic decisions that had saved the fleet. In so many ways she was alive because of him- mentally and physically.

Laura had attended a meeting earlier that day in Adama's quarters so that military and government could discuss the fleet's current affairs. As she pondered the events she moved herself infront of the small mirror in the bathroom and slightly traced the darkening bags which seemed to overpower her face. It actually frightened her how she was able to run on a daily basis with hardly any sleep. Although she felt it was her duty to maintain a routine, she knew that she was coming to a halt. It seemed her body couldn't take anymore and she knew that it wasn't just her that seemed to be noticing. She smiled briefly as she remembered the caring expression Bill Adama had given her earlier that day. Her mind drifted back to the days events.

The meeting began at 0500 hours, and Laura arrived in good time, not having slept well the night before. When she stepped out of the Raptor she was greeted by Colonel Tigh who escorted her to Bill's quarters where all of the other faces were waiting. She was early, but it always surprised her how punctual everybody else seemed to be. After greeting everyone she casually took her seat and picked up the paper that was lying on the table next to her and skimmed its contents. Although Laura strived to always keep herself fully involved with every aspect of the fleet, it was hard, and with her current situation it was even more difficult. She tried her hardest to keep herself in full control of her concentration so as to keep on top of the agenda. Her self-control had wavered at almost a quarter of the way through whilst Adama had been talking about the fuel situation across the fleet. Laura felt her eyes grow heavy and her head fill with cotton wool as she drifted off into a sleep deprived haze. She wasn't quite sure if she was asleep or just day dreaming but she heard the cold voice of Colonel Tigh swearing about something she hadn't heard. Her eyes snapped open, refocusing on the beige piece of paper at her side. She mentally scolded herself when she realised that she had in fact fallen asleep, her eyes heavy from the brief spell of half-hearted slumber. Sleep was calling on her in such an aggressive fashion that she suddenly became aware that she might not make it through the whole meeting. It was things like this which made her angry with herself. She wanted to do the best she could to keep the fleet in a safe state and she felt as if she was letting the whole human race down. She had to keep herself awake.

When she raised her glance back to the surrounding men she fell into the eyes of the man sitting opposite her. Bill was looking at her, his brow wrinkled with curiosity and his eyes sparkling under the dim light of his quarters. His eyes were questioning her, probing her features and taking in her posture, expression and general state. She could see that he had noticed her brief doze and she felt a little heat as her cheeks filled with blood.

"Well I think that those frakking cylon worshippers should give it a rest!" Colonel Tigh yelled, breaking Bill's gaze from Laura's face. "I can't believe after all the frakking mess we have been through, they haven't realised that they aren't cuddly fluffy animals. They are murdering toasters out to destroy the human race." He made a face, his eyes narrowing and his tense posture signalling his rising temper.

"Calm yourself down, Tigh," Bill said sternly, watching his long-time friend let out a harsh puff of air, pulling himself back into a calm state. "It is a cause for concern, I agree. I think we should watch them for now."

"Watch them? Why the frak would we want to do that? They took out two officers who were down on that ship for a routine inspection. Both of them were nearly killed." Tigh paused, his eyes growing hard and cold. "It is getting out of hand, Bill, you have to see that. We can't let them continue bashing the military and endangering the human race. Next time, it could be worse."

Bill returned his gaze to Laura, his eyes questioning and thoughtful. "Madam President, what do you suggest?"

Laura sat herself upright and fiddled with the piece of paper in front of her. She had missed the whole topic of conversation, only taking note of the comments that had erupted from Tigh's mouth. She didn't have a clue and she began to feel flustered, bashing herself for not paying more attention and not being able to control the fatigue that was washing over her. Her eyes rested on Bill, watching his curious expression, feeling slightly suspicious that he might be testing her to see how well she was listening. "Well," she hesitated. "I think that it is down to you, Admiral."

Bill didn't say anything for a few moments, watching her as she smiled vacantly at his face.

"Well, if that's the case, we can arrest these Cylon worshippers and put them in the brig and interrogate them for answers."

"I object!" Gaius Baltar had ceased his doodling on the pad of paper infront of him and leaned forward in his chair. "Madam President, I don't think that this is the best option. Surely it would be more adequate for us to merely warn them. Surely what the Admiral is suggesting would cause an uproar across the fleet!" He paused, watching as Laura moved her eyes to his. "These people need to be reasoned with before we do anything of the sort. You've seen what they are capable of, who knows how many others are out there. I myself think that it would be wise, Madam President, if we perhaps have a meeting with them."

Laura took her glasses off and pondered Baltar's remarks, suddenly curious by his participation. He usually kept himself quiet, not saying anything unless the topic was science related. She dismissed this thought and continued to think about this new threat. These people had, in fact, caused a threat to the fleet. It only made sense to punish them which would ultimately spread a message around that such behaviour would not be tolerated. But, on the other hand, they were a movement that was causing a lot of immediate destruction on various ships in the fleet. These Cylon followers had even tried to wreak havoc upon Galactica in an attempt to break the Cylon, Sharon Valerie, out of her cell, Because of this, simply talking to them seemed much more political and equally wise.

"Madam President, I really do think that something should be done about it, but violence and other…military ideas should be more of a last resort. They did request a meeting with you too, if you remember. They sent you a letter a week ago asking for a meeting. They outlined that their behaviour was mainly due to not being heard. I think…"

"Letter?" Laura mumbled, rubbing her eyes as she sat forward and started intently at Baltar.

"Yes, Madam President. Do you not remember?"

Laura drifted to the previous week, her mind sifting through all the letters she had received and how many telegrams and notes had been passed onto her by Billy. The week before had been one of her worst for sleepless nights and she was pretty sure that it was playing tricks on her memory. The sleep deprived cotton wool that was filling the inside of her mind was preventing her from remembering any such letter.

"I'm sorry, Dr Baltar, I don't remember any letter," she paused her eyes avoiding the pressing look of the Admiral.

"I was there when you read it, Madam President…"

"I don't remember," she said strongly, her voice raising a few decibels, making Baltar shrink back slightly.

"My apologies, maybe I was mistaken."

"Dr Baltar, I'm inclined to agree with you on this occasion, maybe it would be more beneficial if we had a word with these people. I think that if it were a joint government and military meeting then all areas would be covered. Warnings will be made and ideas will be heard," Bill said as he picked up one of the leaflets that the movement had been spreading around.

"I don't frakking think so! These sons of bitches have been causing us so much hassle. Security has had to be tightened three-fold on that Cylon's cell. No, Bill, I think they should be put in the brig and left to rot. Cylon worshippers, what a load of…"

"That's enough of that, Saul. Now, I think that the meeting should be set for two days from now. The President and I, along with a few others, will be present at the meeting. We will get this sorted. We can't have anymore people jeopardising this fleet. Now, I think that's everything isn't it?" The room filled with a small murmur and there was some shuffling of papers before Colonel Tigh stood up.

"Well, I better go make sure that things are ok down at the Cylon's cell. Who knows if those stupid Cylon worshipers have attempted to break her out again." Tigh walked quickly out of the room, his hand at his hip-flask in a flash, taking a drink as he exited the room.

"Yes, well, I have something to do in the lab. If you would excuse me, Madam President…Admiral Adama."

Laura watched as Baltar wrapped his hand around something invisible and her face tensed, wondering if she had seen that or if her mind was playing tricks on her. After a few moments she saw movement out of the corner of her eye, a dark coloured object seating itself in the chair next to her, she raised her head and looked to her left, a pair of blue eyes watching her.

"Is everything ok, Madam President?"

"Yes, everything is ok, thank you, Admiral," Laura said, watching as Bill eyed her suspiciously. She smiled weakly before picking up the piece of paper and placing it in her folder as she always did.

"Laura, I don't mean to pry but you don't seem yourself. Is something going on that I should know about?" Bill's voice was unusually light and although Laura wasn't looking at him she could tell that his expression was mild and caring, how it always was when she had needed him to talk to. During and after her cancer he had been a great source of comfort to her, always watching out for her and listening to whatever she had to say. It wasn't common knowledge that Bill was as close to her as he was, she had always thought it a good idea to keep that quiet. Apart from Billy, there were few who knew what went on between them. They were a solace to each other even though Bill was usually the listener. Not much got passed his strong façade but Laura knew him as well as anyone, if not more. She knew what he was feeling even if he didn't. It was all down to how she read people, and although he was a pretty emotionally enclosed man, she pretty much always knew how he felt and always knew when he needed comfort.

"Laura?" he pressed again.

She was trying hard not to let on that anything was wrong. After all it was only lack of sleep that was troubling her, nothing else. She didn't want to seem as if she was losing herself, she didn't want to let anyone think that she was losing control. She was strong. The human race depended on her and her decisions.

The human race.

Those three words hit her hard in the chest as she realised that she was doing more damage by pretending that everything was ok. It may only be sleep deprivation but it could cost her and the people she was trying to protect. She sighed and placed her briefcase on the floor, putting her head in her hands as she resisted the urge to curl up in a ball and sleep.

"Are you ok?" Bill said again, rising to his feet and walking over to her bent over body, resting his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm just tired, Bill. Just tired," she sighed, rubbing her temples and leaning back into her chair, her whole body limp with exhaustion.

"It's not hard to miss that. You fell asleep earlier, didn't you?"

"Yes, and frankly I'm appalled at that fact."

"How have you been sleeping recently?"

The corners of her eyes stung as she tried to concentrate on his face and how the skin folded in various places. The way that his glasses sat on his nose. It seemed to be a rather repetitive question of his recently. She had mentioned a little over two weeks ago that she was having trouble sleeping and since then he had inquired on that topic of conversation often. It was more of a frequent line now then it had ever been. It must be so obvious that she was restless. She knew that it was her stubbornness that initially prevented her from sleeping well. She always liked to be on top of her work, making sure things were running smoothly and efficiently. She had to make sure that everything was in order. She felt that this duty was more important then her getting some sleep. The fleet depended on her being thorough and strong so that they could make it to Earth. Nights she had spent at her desk working on outlines for fleet plans and various other paperwork. Now, after so many weeks it had seemed to have taken its toll. That was her theory anyway. Sleep came in small intervals- if at all sometimes. There was also a dark feeling of foreboding she experienced ever since her dream involving the Cylon Leoben. All of this had fallen into place simultaneously, weighing heavily on her mind and forbidding her to sleep .

Laura stiffened and collected her thoughts, remembering his question."Not well."

"When was the last time you have had a decent nights rest, Laura?"

"Weeks ago. I barely sleep two hours a night if I sleep at all. I feel my body working against me now. I'm tired enough to sleep for a solid day but no matter how tired I am I wake up after about an hour or so, feeling worse than I did before. Even now, my eyes are heavy and I know that if I lie down I won't sleep long but then I won't be able to sleep later."

"Have you spoken to Doc' Cottle?"

"No, he's busy enough without me to add to his worries as well."

"I think that you should, he might be able to help you, He-"

"Bill, stop, please. You know as well as I that he is bogged down with a lot of work, especially after all that's been going on. It's just a little lack of sleep. I'll be ok." Laura had considered seeing the Doctor only two days ago but, after seeing how busy he was, she had abandoned the idea, not wanting to make things any harder for him.

"I think you should go back to your ship and see if you can get some more rest."

"No, the raptor isn't due to leave for another few hours yet, the meeting finished early." Laura rubbed her temples again as she began to feel the dull throbbing sensation of a painful headache that was on its way. It was pretty usual for her to get headaches after not getting as much sleep as she should, and she knew it was going to hit hard by the way it pulsed behind her eyes and at her temples.

"I'll get one sent out now for you. I think you really need to get some rest. You look pale and it's obvious that it is catching up on you. Lack of sleep does funny things to people. You remember what happened during the first week, the way people got." Bill swiftly moved over to his phone and Laura watched as he mumbled into the receiver, not wanting to argue, her headache beginning to make her whole head hurt. Although the lights were dim in this room, her eyes were beginning to complain at its presence so she closed her eyes and continued the pressure on her temples. The overwhelming force of the tiredness crept up on her again, and the sudden darkness that her eyelids had created began to enhance the sleepy state that she was already in. Sleep wanted to come and she was fighting it as hard as she could, the pain in her head making it quite easy.

"Laura, I have a raptor ready for you now, if you want to go."

Laura heard the faint buzz of the phone again and the shuffling of his feet as he moved back towards it, another few mumbles and then he was in the seat next to her.

"That was a message from Billy. He said that there are a group of people on Colonial One that have come to see you. Tom Zarek is with them, requesting to speak to you. Did you arrange a meeting with him?"

"Frak," she cursed, opening her eyes slowly. "I knew there was something else I needed to do this morning. I forgot to tell Billy to cancel for me" She sat herself up and picked up her bag, taking a quick look inside before closing it swiftly and standing up, ready to leave. "I think I better go then," she said quietly, not feeling completely confident with herself as she stood. She moved her eyes down to Bill who had seemed to notice how unsteady she was on her feet. His hand was on her wrist before she even had chance to blink, taking her briefcase out of her hand and placing it on the floor.

"I think that you should rest. You're in no fit state to be talking to a group of people, let alone Tom Zarek. I'll let Billy know you won't be able to make it and I'll cancel your raptor."

"No, I'll be fine, Bill. You don't have to do any of that."

"I'm not asking you, I'm telling you. You are going to stay here and rest, it's an order."

A faint smile worked its way across her face and a small laugh erupted from her mouth. It didn't happen very often but Laura decided that she couldn't argue, she had to try and rest, it was getting ridiculous how tired she was and how frequent she was getting these headaches. Even if it were an hour it would do her some good, and maybe tonight she could get another. What she wouldn't give for a decent nights sleep. A small sigh escaped her mouth and Bill took that as resignation and sat her down on the chair before going back over to the phone.

As Laura listened to him mumble again, giving his orders and messages she closed her eyes, ready to let sleep take her away, even if only for a brief time. She was thankful sometimes at the way Bill seemed to look out for her, how he cared for her and how he managed to be there. She remembered when she was not at her best, the cancer taking hold of her, the way he had looked into her eyes and kissed her gently. She didn't know what to make of it, and until now, she was sure it was just a friendly peck. Bill's feelings towards her were the only part of him that she was unable to read. She was just thankful for his presence. The haze crept up on her once more, even the dull pain of her headache was not going to help her much anymore. It didn't help that Bill's room was warm and that brought with it another factor to help her sleep. She felt comfortable and safe here. She was pretty sure that in any other room on the great Battlestar this feeling of ease wouldn't be so strong.

"My rack is pretty comfortable you know," Bill said quietly.

"Hmm?" Laura mumbled in return, not feeling completely coherent as she dozed lightly on his chair. But before she had even tried to decipher much of what he said, he had pulled her to her feet and had helped her to his rack and gently tucked her between the sheets. Nothing more was said, and the whole room was quiet. She slept for a solid three hours.

Laura opened her eyes slowly wishing that she could curl up and sleep for another few hours at least. Her eyes were burning as she looked around, realising slowly that she wasn't in a completely familiar bed. She sat up and smoother her hair, looking around at the empty space that was Adama's quarters. It was obvious what had happened, and although annoyed at the current time, she was deeply thankful for Bill's decision in letting her rest here. Even though she was still ridiculously tired, it felt as if a small amount of the weight had been lifted from her mind, making her feel slightly fresher.

"How are you feeling," came the husky voice of Bill who had just appeared from behind a bulkhead, a book in his hand and a quizzical look on his face. At first his eyes didn't look to her, still engrossed in whatever he was reading. But, when he had finished his line, Laura could see the way his eyes watched her, the deep blue telling her that he was worried. The way that his brow scrunched together and his eyes were wide as he waited for her reply.

"Better, thank you," she said, consciously trying to flatten her hair again. It annoyed her greatly when her hair refused to flatten on one side after sleeping. She also didn't want to look too scruffy when she had to leave this room. People would talk.

"You have a bit more colour to your face, I see. Still feeling tired?"

"Yes, but I do feel better. It's a wonder what three hours sleep can do to you."

"Yes, well, I was a little worried that you were going to wake up. You moved around a lot, you seemed very restless."

Laura nodded, knowing exactly what he meant. Billy had pointed out to her not too long ago that recently she had been very restless when she did sleep, as if always on the brink of waking up. He had been able to hear her through the curtain of her room. She wasn't sure if it was due to bad dreams or just a general feeling of restlessness. If she did dream, she had no recollection of them whatsoever, which she supposed was a good thing. She didn't need anything else keeping her awake. Then the image of Bill, sitting by her side and watching her sleep, noticing how restless she was came into her mind. "You stayed the whole time?"

Bill smiled and nodded his head. "I had to keep an eye on you."

Laura blushed slightly before grinning. "Well, I think that maybe you helped me sleep."

"How so?" He moved to the chair that was situated next to the bed.

"Oh, I don't know, Bill," she sighed. "I just feel so much safer here. Your quarters…I don't know what it is, but I feel at ease here. It's comfortable." Laura avoided his gaze and straightened her clothes, not feeling happy that she had slept in them.

"Well, you are more then welcome to drop by anytime, Laura. If it helps you get some rest then my rack is yours." His face wrinkled as he grinned that slightly goofy smile that she loved. He didn't do it as often as she had liked, but when it did come, it always made her smile in return, no matter how bad she was feeling.

Laura placed her hand on his arm and shook her head. "Bill, I can't use your bed again. I couldn't put you out like that. And anyway, people would talk."

Bill's face scrunched up slightly, contemplating her words. "Let them talk, Laura. Words, that's all they are. Meaningless speculation. Something to keep the people's idle brains busy. Seriously though, if it means that you get some rest and start feeling better then I don't care. You are a very important person to the fleet and the more this continues the more likely you are going to do something drastic like make a mistake. A costly mistake."

Laura nodded her head. She knew he was right and although she had thought it herself earlier she was glad that it wasn't just her that knew what was at stake. It took her a while to concoct an answer or at least a small retaliation but she couldn't, her mind drawing a blank, another downfall of being so tired. Instead she nodded her head weakly and diverted her attention to the book that he had placed down on the table nearest to them. "What was that you were reading?"

At first he didn't reply, intent on making her see that what he had suggested was what he thought was right. He also didn't want her to think that her random comment was going to throw him off course. "Parables of the day, one of my favourite books. Do you know it?"

"I know it very well. It's an excellent book, one of the classics."

"Yes, it is…Laura…" he said, pausing to get her attention. "I know what its like not to sleep often, and although you think that it'll pass and sleep will come back to you. It won't, not unless you start getting more and more sleep until your body is accustomed to longer hours of rest again. You will work yourself into a state. Even now, you can see it in your face that you are struggling. How many more times do you want to fall asleep in meetings and conferences? The people need their president, Laura."

A long sigh erupted from Laura's mouth. She knew that she hadn't evaded his previous statement as well as she thought she had. It was all true, of course, but she was feeling a little stubborn, not particularly wanting to agree with him. Giving in was always a sign of weakness to her, but in this case she couldn't argue. He was right. "Yes, I know, Bill. I know."

"So, do you want me to get a raptor to pick you up from your ship later?"

"Let me see how I feel. I might even be able to sleep a bit more. Your rack has enabled me to sleep longer then I have had in weeks. I am really going to consider your offer, but I want to see how I feel later on."

Bill seemed content with her answer and nodded his head. "Ok, I can get a raptor to take you back to your ship now, if you want. I'm sure Billy is getting a little restless with your absence."

Laura nodded. "Thank you, Bill."

"I'm only getting you a raptor-"

"No, I mean for this. Letting me stay here, making sure I'm ok. You don't know how much that means to me." She was truly appreciative of his actions. He had helped her see the light of the truths that she was ignoring. He had come to her rescue yet again. She stood and moved closer to him, wrapping her arms around his torso, showing her appreciation through a warm hug, something she didn't get to do often.

Bill pulled away after a few moments, the edges of his lips sitting in an awkward grin. "I'll get you your raptor."

Laura nodded and put her shoes on, suddenly becoming aware that he had even taken them off while getting her into bed. It gave her a warm feeling inside. She felt so much lighter and at ease now. She was sure that it wouldn't last long, but was happy that it had arrived, no matter how small. "I'll make my way down to the hangar," she said, walking towards the door, picking up her briefcase as she did. She saw the smile on this face and watched as he nodded his head towards her as a sign of goodbye, his mouth talking down the receiver, his deep blue eyes locked onto her face, giving her a last glance before she closed the door behind her.

"Madam President?" came the voice of Billy, snapping her back to the present. She wasn't sure how long she had been in the bathroom, but she was sure that it must have been a long time, otherwise Billy wouldn't be checking on her.

"I'm ok, Billy," she mumbled, washing cool water over her face in an attempt to wake her up a little more.

"Madam President, Admiral Adama is on the phone for you. He says it's urgent."

"Oh, I see," Laura said to herself, a quirky grin set on her face as she wondered why he was phoning her. Well, she supposed she did know, he was checking to see if she was sleeping. Obviously, with Billy coming to get her, she wasn't, and he was going to question her and tell her that his rack was free if she wanted it. Sometimes he was very easy to read. She dried her face and opened the door, the warm air of her cabin hitting her face as she walked back outside. Billy's expression was set with concern as he peered at her face. "Is there anything I can get you, Madam President?"

"No, everything's fine, thank you." She smiled weakly at him and turned towards her desk, the phone lay off the hook, waiting for her to pick it up.

Billy watched as she sat down. When he looked at her face he could see how tired she was. The half smile she had given him and the vacant look that occupied her eyes. It was difficult for him to even think about what she was going through. The light above her made the red tint in her hair glow, highlighting the paleness of her skin and the dark shadows under her eyes. He had to agree with Admiral Adama, something had to be done. Before he had gone to get the President, Adama had told him of his intentions to get Doc' Cottle involved, and Billy had agreed. Her batteries were running on empty.

"Admiral Adama," she said, staring out of the porthole to her right, looking out to the great big Battlestar outside. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

Even Billy could see her evasive tactics at work, trying to divert Adama's topic of conversation. She always wanted to appear as strong as possible. He remembered what she went through when she had cancer. The days spent working hard, answering questions and getting things done. It made him think that maybe she had never fully recovered. It had taken a lot out of her to maintain herself and keep the fleet and government on the move whilst battling such a horrid disease. Always selfless and thinking about others. He wondered if she had considered what all this was going to do her. His eyes glanced over her again, the light reflected off of her eyes showing him that she was looking at him politely, a subtle statement that he was excused. He nodded his head and exited, closing the curtain behind him.

"You want to come over to Colonial One? Whatever for?" Laura's eyes were wide as she listened to Bill at the end of the phone.

"There's something I need to do and I need your co-operation. I will be over shortly." Bill's voice was forceful and slightly secretive. He wasn't going to make her aware that Doc' Cottle was standing a mere two feet away from him, cigarette in his mouth, putting things in his medical bag. It was obvious that she wasn't going to get any rest soon and he had asked that Doc' Cottle go with him to Colonial One so as to see to her. Make sure that there wasn't any underlying illness that was preventing her from sleeping. One could never be too cautious.

"Bill," she chided, getting comfortable in her chair. "Is there something you're not telling me?" The way his voice pounded huskily down the phone made her question his intentions. If she was right, he had something up his sleeve, something she wasn't going to like. She waited patiently for his answer.

"I have something I must deliver to you, Madam President…and on another note, have you had any rest at all?"

Laura's jaw tensed as he diverted the conversation, just as she had. "No, I haven't. I tried but sleep didn't come. Bill, seriously, why are you coming over?"

The line was quiet for a few moments. "I wanted to discuss with you the meeting we are going to have with the Cylon worshippers, a day or so from now. I've got a few things you might be interested in."

Laura shook her head, not completely convinced by his explanation. However, when she thought about it, his company might not go amiss at the moment. The hours she spent awake were relatively lonely as she always ordered Billy to go and get some rest, although he protested often, she didn't want him to get bogged down as much as she was. Even if Bill's reason to visit was for a different one, it might do her some good. "OK, Bill. I'll make sure I don't fall asleep before you get here," she joked, mocking her own current situation. They said their goodbyes and the line went dead.

She stared absently for a few more moments, trying to figure out what he was up to. What he was hiding from her. She knew that at times he had to be secretive, but in this case when she was sure that the topic of his secrecy was her, she wanted to be informed. Nothing sprang to mind as she thought about reasons so she decided to busy herself whilst she waited.

The papers infront of her were in a shabby pile, ordered in a completely random way as she hadn't had chance to go through them yet. She moved her hands over the pieces, looking for something to distract herself with until Bill arrived with whatever stunt he was trying to pull. As she sifted through the pages her fingers landed on a bright red flyer, the face of a hand-drawn cylon on its surface, staring intently at her. Her brow scrunched up as she looked down at the menacing look of the character, making her feel slightly uneasy at the prospect of people worshipping these things. The large white writing was distinct against the crimson red background, shouting up to her its message.

"Cylon's are not our enemy. To make the war stop we must bow down to them and make them our leaders. They are not the enemy, the government and the military are."

Anger seemed to rise in her chest as she re-read the words. They bashed her and Bill, making it out as if it was their fault that the Cylon's were after them. It was ridiculous. Absurd. It made her blood boil. She knew that people had the right to their own opinion, she had always believed that. Sometimes, however, it made her question the mentality of certain figures in the human race. These mechanical enemies had inflicted so much pain and suffering on their remaining numbers. They had killed nearly 100 of the human race in one aggressive bang. All the people she had known, loved and been close to were pretty much gone. Except for a handful of comrades she had now, pretty much her whole past was gone, because of them.

"When the two leaders fall, we will once again be able to worship what we were meant to worship. On the 28th day of bombardment, the people will understand what we know to be true."

Strange. She read the paragraph again and again, trying to interpret the words that lay at the bottom of the paper, small and hardly legible. It looked like a quote from a book, but there was no reference. It was very strange indeed.

There was a small muttering of voices coming from close by and she placed the flyer on the desk again, raising her gaze to the entrance to her office area. It took her only a moment to realise that Bill was not on his own. The distinct voice of a certain doctor was coming from close by, muttering something about sleep meds. Laura's jaw was rigid as her eyes narrowed. It upset her that Bill would bring Doc' Cottle with him when she had expressed her wish that he shouldn't be involved. The anger pulsed through her, topping off what was already coursing through her veins from the flyer. When the men walked in, her eyes were hard through her glasses, meeting with the eyes of Bill.

"Madam President," Doc' Cottle said, his bag at his side and his hand in his pocket.

"Doctor Cottle, what a pleasant surprise," Laura said sweetly, looking at Bill with accusing eyes, her mouth set in a thin white line, camouflaging itself against her unusually pale skin. His face was emotionless apart from his eyes, they looked cautious and protective. He had really annoyed her. It was almost like betrayal, but not in such a defined sense. She had spoken to Bill regarding her current state of affairs in confidence. She hadn't wanted to see the Doctor. There wasn't anything drastically wrong with her. It was a puzzle why he couldn't just stick to her wishes like she always did for him. She shifted uncomfortably in her chair and she could see the doctor shuffle around nearby, but her eyes stayed sharply on Bill, not breaking eye contact with him as he watched her.

Bill could see the small shimmer of contempt in here eyes, shining out at him like the eye of a cylon. He knew she wouldn't be pleased but he had to risk her being upset with him just so he knew that she was going to be ok. He had good intentions as always. Even though it hadn't been long since the morning he could see that her eyes were red and framed with dark shadows, an obvious result of her plagued insomnia. Her usually well kempt hair was limp at the side of her face, having been pretty much neglected for most of the day, adding to her generally off demeanour. It wasn't what he was used to seeing, not that it made any difference, she was still the same beautiful woman. He could see that she was a strength, a beacon of hope to nearly every human on the fleet and it was difficult to watch her go though this downward spiral. She was someone who he had grown very fond of and he didn't like seeing her this way.

"Madam President, I thought it wise to bring Doc' Cottle to see you, as he would be able to help you sleep better."

Laura gritted her teeth and blinked slowly. "You thought it wise? How very intriguing, AdmiralAdama." Her voice was littered with bitterness, biting out at him as he stood before her.

Bill grimaced at the use of his formal title which she only ever used infront of the crew and when she was annoyed at him. The lack of familiarity that was associated with that name was like a low blow to him. The man named Bill was a confidant and friend, the man, Admiral Adama, was a stranger, someone different that she didn't talk to or share feelings with. She must really be pissed.

"I'll need to take a sample of your blood, if that's ok, Madam President," Doc Cottle said distantly, watching the tension get thicker between the two people infront of him.

At first Laura said nothing, keeping her blank expression on the man before her. She was feeling uncharacteristically angry, for many reasons. The main culprit was the lack of sleep, it made her cranky and if someone pushed the right buttons it made her snappy and slightly aggressive. If she had the energy she would have stormed out of the room leaving the two men in her office. They would either follow her and in that case she would get Billy to sort them out, or they would have stayed where they were. Her supply of energy however, was low and she didn't even want to move. Instead, she watched as the doctor fiddled around with his bag, pulling out needles and vials. "I can assure you, Doc', that I am fine. You really don't need to do anything like that."

Cottle looked at Bill and then back to the President. "You're finding it difficult to sleep. Have you been losing your appetite? Has your energy been waning? Have you been finding it difficult to concentrate?"

Laura's jaw tensed again, fighting against her rising anger. So what if she had been feeling all of these? She knew it was down to the being tired, she knew that well enough. If they were worried about her lack of sleep then they could leave her some sleep meds and get off of her ship. In some way it was like a bombardment. They didn't trust her as well as she had thought. As a person, you knew your body well and for people to question your judgement was annoying and frustrating. What did she have to do to make them stop?

"Answer the Doc's question, Laura. He needs to know. There could be an underlying cause for your insomnia." Bill, who hadn't said anything since his cold reception from the president knew he was pushing his luck, he could tell by the way her eyes were narrowed. The way her fingers drummed off of her desk signalled her impatience. He just had to make sure she was ok.

Laura raised her eyebrow at Bill's words, folding her arms across her body as an act of defence. "I'm fine!"

"I'm sure you are. It would be wise just to rule anything else out. If it is just the case of not being able to sleep I can prescribe some meds and it will help you sleep. Please, Madam President, Admiral Adama was right to come to me. Sleep deprivation alone can cause a lot of problems. If it isn't just sleep deprivation then it is important we know what it is. Things are only going to get worse if you ignore them and for someone who has to lead a whole fleet of people…well I'm sure you can understand why I came." Cottle moved himself closer to her chair, needle ready.

Laura nodded her head. She knew that he did have a point, but she was still angry and feeling stubborn. She would rather have done this on her own accord. It was very frustrating and enraging to have people conspire against you just so they can get some blood. Whatever happened to trust? Her arms unfolded and she pushed her right arm out towards the doctor, giving him permission to do whatever he had to do. After a moment, her eyes moved from her arm and into Bill's eyes, both averting their gaze almost instantly. She put her head in her hand and closed her eyes waiting for the impending prick in her arm. A small sigh escaped her lips as she tried to control the anger that was pulsing inside of her. She knew she shouldn't be mad but she couldn't help it. Cylon worshippers and now this. Why couldn't a day go by where nothing major happened.?

"All done. Now, I think I better get going. I'll run this under the 'scope as soon as I get back onboard Galactica. It shouldn't take me too long, I've seen a heck of a lot of blood in my time and the broader tests don't take very long at all anymore," he nodded, filling his bag up and within less than a minute he had left the room, not wanting to be in the line of fire for any longer.

Bill took a seat in front of her desk, keeping his eyes firmly planted on her face. He watched as she touched the plaster on her arm, examining the area that Doc' Cottle had placed the needle, as if she was making sure that was the only thing he had done. Then he watched as she gazed outside of the porthole, her eyes following the raptor that was moving towards Galactica. Blatant ignorance, was the first thought that popped into Bill's head as she began working. She started moving pieces of paper on her desk into three distinct piles. From what it looked like to Bill, it was like a mail system. Junk mail in one pile, important documents in another. The third, he noted, was compiled of leather-bound books, with a bright red piece of paper on top. Astounded by what the ragged old books and a cylon flyer had in common he moved his head closer to see if there was anything distinct about them.

She moved everything from his line of sight.

Bill rolled his eyes, waiting patiently for her to talk to him. She would come around soon enough, so in the meantime he just sat and watched. He could sit for hours if he had to, two could play the stubborn game.

Laura could see him out of the corner of her eyes, gazing at her with a blank expression on his face. It had occurred to her once before that he was waiting for her to talk to him and she had laughed to herself, finding this concept funny. At this point in time she didn't want to say anything to him. She just wanted to be left alone.

"Madam President?" Billy said quietly, popping his head inside the curtain.

Laura raised her head, smiling at Billy as he stared, completely taken aback by the total silence in the room. "Yes, Billy, what is it?"

"I have a message from Tom Zarek. He's requesting a meeting with you tomorrow. He hoped that you would be able to reschedule the meeting you weren't able to make today. What would you like me to tell him?"

"Of course," she said picking up her diary. "Tell him to come over tomorrow at noon, that's when I'm free."

"Yes, M'am," he said politely, looking at Admiral Adama before closing the curtain behind him.

Bill took off of his glasses before resuming his patient watch over the president. The meeting with Tom Zarek was troubling him. For one, he didn't trust the man as far as he could throw him, and for another, with all the current goings on you could never know who to trust. Fair enough he was pretty sure that Zarek of all people was no Cylon worshipper, but people he associated with could be. He was sure that he wouldn't be alone tomorrow for the meeting.

"I'd like to be present at that meeting tomorrow, Madam President." Bill watched her curiously, waiting for her to make some kind of signal that she had heard him.

Nothing.

"I was just thinking, with all the bad things that are going on, that it would be wise if there was a military presence. Just so we know that no harm will come to you."

Again, Nothing.

"Laura, I do think that it is the right decision."

A cold, unfamiliar expression fell over Laura as she looked up from her paperwork. "You think? Well, I haven't heard that one before. At this present moment in time I don't particularly care what you think. It's obvious that you seem to disregard my decisions and what I want to do. You have made that perfectly clear." Her voice was sharp and venomous and it knocked Bill back slightly. In the time had he known her had he never heard such a vicious tone behind her words. It was unnerving, even to him.

Anger cursed through her veins like a poison, putting her on a slight edge as she again began diverting her attention to other things on her desk. She felt strange. Strange in a sense she didn't fully know what she was doing. When thinking about what Bill had done, her heart would thump harder in her chest and make her have to bite her tongue. Boy how she wanted to shout at him. She wanted to make him understand what she was feeling. The anger she wanted to expel towards him was strong. At the same time, this anger didn't make any sense to her. Not being familiar with the combined feeling of deep fatigue and a bubbling anger. It seemed to twine together and turn her into something horrible. Being mad at Bill was a hard feat in itself, but she was taking a small situation to the next level.

"Laura, I'm sorry that I got Doc' Cottle involved. I was, and still am, worried about you. I'm not the only one. Billy is frantic with worry. He says that you're not yourself, even with the tiredness…I thought I was doing you a favour."

"A favour? You call, going behind my back and going against my wishes, a favour? Bill, I think you're on a totally different page in the scrolls of life."

"Are we both wrong? Are you perfectly ok? No, Laura, you're not. I was not going to sit by and watch you get worse while your stubbornness got the best of you. You don't know what it could be that's stopping you sleeping. It could be a number of things….It could be cancer." Bill inched himself and the chair closer towards her, his face soft and worried. It was one of those things that plagued him when he thought there was something wrong with her. It could come back at anytime and it worried him that she would get ill again. It made him angry and annoyed that he might lose her.

Laura stopped and sat down, bringing her fingers up to her mouth. "It's not cancer."

"How do you know? How do you know for sure?"

"I don't think you realise what it was like when I had it. I felt it there. I knew it was eating me up inside, sucking the life our of me like a leech. I don't feel that way at all. I just feel…distant. I feel different within myself, but not in the same sense as what I felt before. It's all down to not getting enough rest. It started as a persistence within myself to always stay on top of things, to make sure I got it all right. Being dropped into a role like this was and is no easy ride. You of all people should know the stresses of leadership, having a whole civilisation relying on your decisions. I'm putting it down to pressure and stress. That's all it is. It will pass. It has to pass." Her sigh was one of frustration and she lowered her head in her hands. "I know you meant well, and I'm sorry I reacted in such a way, but, Bill, trust is important to me. I trusted you. I trusted you to do as I had wished."

An intense silence washed over the cabin as the pair of them wrapped themselves up in thought. Laura was contemplating how little a grasp she had on herself at that present moment in time, hoping that it would pass before she started crying. First anger and now sadness. It was absurd how many feelings were circling in her head.

Bill was thinking about his actions. Although he stood firmly by the idea of bringing Cottle aboard, he thought that maybe he could have gone about it in a better way. She was obviously very fragile, more so then he had first anticipated. Maybe he could have made things easier for her. It was apparent that if it wasn't an underlying illness, the erratic sleep patterns were down to stress. Maybe he could have helped her though that.

"I know you're upset with me, but I'd like you to hear me out," Bill waited for her to lift her head up from her hands before continuing. "You are a very important person in this fleet, to the people and to me. It is a priority that you stay in full health in body and in mind. I know that it is hard doing what we do. I know that sometimes it feels like the whole world is against you, but you have to stay on top of this. At least now, after Cottle has analysed your blood, we'll know what it is and we will sort this out. I know you're angry and I suppose that you have a right to be, but see it from my side, ok? See it from Billy's side. We worry about you. A few weeks ago, what would you have said if you had found out you were falling asleep in meetings? What would you have said if you weren't being fully prepared to take on the day? I know what you would have done, Laura, you would have gone mad. I'm sure you are annoyed with yourself, but at the same time can't you see that it could be your body telling you to stop? You have been through a lot these past few months, more than a lot of people in this fleet and you have to slow down."

A small tear flowed down Laura's cheek as she nodded her head. It seemed her emotions had made another uncharacteristic turn. "Oh, I'm all over the place aren't I?"

Bill pulled a tissue from a box that was sitting on the edge of her desk and handed it to her, watching as she wiped at her eyes. "We're going to take each day at a time. Sleep and rest is your number one priority at the moment, I can handle the fleet, you know that."

"We?"

"Of course."

The curtain moved and Bill looked over his shoulder, the face of Billy meeting his gaze. Billy would make a terrible poker player as his eyes always spoke what he was thinking, so it was obvious that something was bothering him as he entered the office.

"There's a call from the Galactica. Doc' Cottle wishes to speak to you, Madam President."

Laura's brow rose and she nodded her head, her stomach twisting into a tight knot as she thought about what he could want to say to her. It had been a little over half an hour since he had left. So either it was good news, or something wasn't right. Either way, it made her nervous. "Yes, I'll take the call in here, Billy, thank you." She didn't even bother dismissing him, sensing that he wanted to stay.

Bill watched as she reached out to the receiver that was nearby, her hands not completely steady as her slender fingers hooked around it. As she pulled it to her ear, she glanced at him, her nerves washing over him like a bad smell.

"Doc Cottle."

She listened intently and at first Bill found it difficult to interpret her facial expression. It remained rather blank, staring hard at the bulkhead behind him. Then, suddenly, her eyes dropped to her lap and he saw her pull her bottom lip in. "Anomalies?" she whispered, her voice shaking even under the light force of her voice. "Yes, yes of course." Her hand groped the secure surface of the desk, her knuckles turning white as she exerted pressure against them. Then, she handed the receiver to Bill, standing up and turning her body away from Bill and Billy.

Anomalies.

Anomalies could mean anything, she thought to herself as she bit back the tears that were welling in her eyes. It could be anything. Thoughts swam around in here mind, attacking her self-control. She rested herself against the bulkhead, letting the combination of the tiredness, worry and annoyance crash upon her. That single tear which trickled down her face was not her last.