Chapter 5 Notes: To all my lovely readers - we have now come to the end of this short fic. Enjoy reading Dualla throw the rule book out of the airlock. This is the last chapter and it is set during the season 3 'Unfinished Business' episode. I noticed that Adama and Dualla arrived at the boxing ring together at the beginning of the episode. I have just got the hang of the line breaks now as it has been such a long time since I wrote anything that I had not realised that these had been added as a feature. Thank-you for reading and if you enjoyed the story then reviews are always welcome.


Chapter 5: Dancing towards the Truth

They were both late for 'The Dance'.

She was too distracted in her own thoughts and missed her footing on the small step leading down to platform level. She lost her balance and just as she thought her face was going to make contact with cold steel, a large hand closed around her arm to steady her. Guarded green eyes looked up to see concerned bespectacled ones peering down at her.

"Thank-you, Sir." she said quietly.

He nodded in acknowledgement, looking at her expectantly but she said no more. "You were lost, Lieutenant." It was more a statement than a question. The noise of the crowd made replying impossible. She tried to smile to reassure him but failed miserably so she took a breath in and made her way ring-side, acutely aware of his scrutiny as they walked towards the ring together.


Her mind emptied of all her own personal worries as she watched him in the ring; goading the Chief for more of a pounding like a glutton for punishment.

She was ready to pull herself up to help him when the buzzer rang out for the end of the round but was beaten to it by Cottle and President Roslin so she hung back, watching fearfully as the blood dripped from his painfully distorted face. Gods, she hated these things as a person but as an officer, she understood their necessity.

She left shortly after the Admiral's bout had ended with the Chief, unable to watch her husband and a certain blonde-haired viper pilot 'dance' together and exorcise whatever demons they felt they had with each other.

She mulled over the Admiral's speech he had given ringside. It had been so unlike him. Her concern for him made her decisive so she changed direction and made her way to his quarters to check on him. Her pace was brisk and purposeful. She lost herself in her thoughts as her mind briefly flashed back to the memory of her timid steps the first time she had made her way to his quarters to talk about the Olympic Carrier.

She met Cottle at the hatch. He almost looked relieved to see her, "Good! maybe you can talk some sense into him and get him to come to sick bay, Lieutenant. Gods, if I had a cigarette for every frakking stubborn patient on this ship, I'd be in a much better mood!" he muttered before thrusting a pack of painkillers at her and stalking off.


She entered his quarters and a disgruntled look was sent her way, "I come in peace, Sir." she said, trying to keep her tone as light as possible.

He sighed, adjusting from his sprawled position on the large leather sofa and beckoned her forward.

She sat on the low table beside the sofa and put her hand over his to taker over holding the large icepack against the blossoming bruises on his face. A low moan of pain escaped from him as his hand slipped away. She continued to keep up the pressure on his jaw. His eyes lost focus for a moment with the intensity of pain but then his gaze sharpened on her.

"I've been expecting you." he murmured before closing his eyes.

Her eyes widened in surprised at his statement. How the hell did he know she would come to him?

"Are you ok?" he asked.

"Sir, the more pertinent question is 'are YOU ok?', I wasn't the one who just got the frak pounded out of me by the Chief of the Deck." She saw him wince at the sting in her words and she immediately felt regret. She had not meant it that way. She exhaled slowly, waiting.

His right eye opened and focused on her, "Don't fence with me, Anastasia." he said huskily, "Just because I had the shit kicked out of me, it doesn't make me blind and especially not when it comes to you."

She shivered at the effect his tone and words had on her. She felt like he was staring straight through her. Gods, how could this man read her so well when her own husband could not? Was she such an open book to him? There was a rising tide of panic as she desperately struggled to free herself from his gaze before she broke down completely in front of him with insecurities. She could feel the moisture gathering in her eyes. She had come to check on him, not have her own fresh wounds salted. She tried to quash her inner conflict by fussing with the ice pack.

She cleared her throat and stood up to get him a glass of water and popped the painkillers out of the blister pack to dissolve in the glass of water. "Sir, I am fine. I just got distracted with work, that's all."

He raised an eyebrow in disbelief and she knew immediately that her words had failed to convince him, "Continue to fence with me Lieutenant and I won't be responsible for the consequences."

She gulped, "I know you have my back. I am fine, please trust me."

He sighed discontentedly, "This isn't over Dee."

She knelt down and helped support his head as he downed the contents of the glass. His face grimaced again, "I'm sure Cottle gave me the nastiest tasting painkillers on purpose." He pouted and for a moment she pictured him perfectly as a child and she laughed.

"Promise me that you will see Cottle in sick bay?"

He smiled good-naturedly or at least tried to before the pain took over again and he collapsed back against the couch, "You know...I never could say 'No' to you, just don't let the others know, otherwise Cottle will ask you to be seconded to Sick Bay."

A small smile graced her features as she picked up the icepack again to hold against his face.

"That's my girl." he chuckled, his body visibly relaxing at the sight of her smile.

The blue eyes closed and she kept watch over him; He was still half-dressed in his tunic, which enveloped the right shoulder but his left side was bare. His arm was warm against her. She relaxed herself against him and took a moment to enjoy the warmth and safety of their close proximity.

She remembered watching him ringside: the rippling muscles in his arms delivering another blow to the Chief's abdomen that had him doubling over and sure, perhaps he was a little soft in the gut but that did not detract at all from his physical presence as her eyes slid down his frame to narrow hips that flared out into sturdy, strong legs. She recalled those same strong legs straining against the stiff fabric of the navy uniform as he repeatedly changed positions during the bout and it was from there that her imagination just ran away with her with the thought of warm skin on skin and the husky voice in her ear calling out her name as she arched against him. A sigh escaped her and a hot warmth flooded her cheeks when she realised she was stroking the side of his face in a gentle caress as if trying to soothe away the pain and much to her surprise he was leaning into her touch. Her thumb gently ran over his lips.

He let out a contented rumble, his own hand moving to cover hers.

"Stay a bit longer?" he asked, eyes still closed, his hand gently squeezing hers. "Promise I will see Cottle later," he mumbled to her, his voice laden with exhaustion.

She squeezed his hand back in response and began to stroke the back of his hand to try and soothe him further.

She waited until he fell asleep and then removed the icepack. The swelling to the side of his face had improved dramatically. His chest rose and fell and her mind travelled back to when she sat by his sickbed and she reflected that things were vastly different, she was very different; stronger and more than capable of sorting out things with Lee. Gods! if she had survived an apocalypse, she could certainly survive a pining heart, except at this stage it was difficult to work out who her heart was pining for whispered the traitorous voice in her head.

She stood up and stretched unwilling to pursue this line of thought further. She retrieved one of his blankets and gently laid it over him. Frak the rules and no regrets, she thought as she leaned over in a moment of weakness to brush her lips against his forehead before leaving him to rest.


-FIN-