bibliodragon

Title: Personal Grooming
Characters: Laura, Ellen
Spoilers: Set sometime in season 1
Rating: Gen
Words: 629

Written for the

rememberlaura drabble challange, prompt was

nnaylime's "Roslin/Ellen - braiding each others' hair & talking about boys."

"You should do something with your hair."

At that moment in time Laura would have taken the Chamalla hallucinations over Ellen Tigh. But instead she was all too aware that she was sitting on a toilet seat in one of Cloud Nine's bathrooms, head practically in her lap while she focused on not throwing up while Ellen Tigh preened herself in the mirror while showing no signs of leaving, no matter how much she had tried to assure her that she was fine.

"I have had other things on my mind," she finally managed to utter while massaging her temples. Oh Gods, the woman probably thought she couldn't hold her drink. Which admittedly, would have been better than the truth, but still the thought of Ellen Tigh of all people thinking that rankled.

"Well, you are the President after all. You should look stylish, it's good for morale." Laura watched as the woman shot her appraising look in the mirror before going back to adjusting her lipstick. "I'm sure at least one hairdresser survived the attacks."

Was that woman criticizing her hair? She tried to ignore another rising wave of nausea as she lifted her head to give Ellen her best Presidential icy glare. "I hardly think my hair style is of interest to the fleet, there are much more pressing matters to be dealt with."

"Oh, you'd be surprised." To Laura's annoyance, she had produced a hairbrush out of her bag and was now advancing on her.

"Ellen..." She was in no state to ward off Ellen Tigh, and it looked like the other woman knew it.

"Oh lighten up Madame President, I'm doing this for your own good. Think of your approval ratings."

Laura wanted to retort that she doubted a change in hairstyle would have any affect on such a thing, though she could remember Richard bitching about how his approval ratings could get effected by the shallowest thing, which had quickly descended into a rant about the stupidity of the voting public. Not exactly what she looked for in pillow talk. And there was also the issue that if she tried to speak she was sure she would quite definitely throw up. So there was no other option but to submit to the other woman's ministrations.

To be fair, the hair brushing was proving to be quite relaxing, and Laura felt the nausea ease slightly with each stroke of the brush. She closed her eyes, and was idly wondering how long it would take for Billy to come find her with some crisis or another and rescue her when she became aware that the tickling sensation on her head was no longer due to the brush.

"Ellen, are you braiding my hair?"

"Shh, it looks nice. Makes you look younger."

"I haven't braided my hair since I was twelve years old!" Laura was distinctly getting the impression that the woman was taking advantaged of her currently weakened state.

"Well, not much point in looking younger than that." Ellen giggled, and Laura wished she could just march the woman to the nearest airlock, but then it probably would not be politically sensitive to execute the XO's wife just for making sly remarks and braiding her hair. Maybe if she put it as a matter of fleet security.

"Ellen, I can't go out there with braided hair."

"Oh shush, you can brush it out before you go out there if it bothers you too much." Ellen laughed again. "Oh Gods, I haven't braided another woman's hair since high school sleepovers. Now we have to talk about boys!" Laura sensed which turn the conversation was about to take and managed not to groan. "So, what about you and Bill Adama?"

"The relationship between the Commander and myself is perfectly professional." And none of your dammed business. Ellen laughed again.

"So he's still being the perfect gentleman is he? I swear the man's a eunuch. Not like my Saul. You'd never guess what we managed to do in CIC."

Oh Gods, she wasn't going to go on about there sex life, was she? Laura closed her eyes. The nausea was coming back.