Author's note: I've been MIA for over a year but still lurking furtively around. I know that I haven't finished my other stories yet but my little brain got working in overdrive from my ever increasing hypotheses on the final Cylon and from some recent comments made by cast members that I've read. It just would not go away until written and this is the result. This first chapter is mainly set up – more revelations coming later – so please be kind.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of this – I'm just borrowing

A sense of déjà vu

Chapter 1

Lee Adama gazed out of the window of Colonial One at the shiny green-blue planet below. They had reached this lump of rock that they believed was the mythical Earth eight days ago and after days of intense negotiations over the radio he would soon be part of the first delegation to actually meet their Earth brethren face to face. The people of Earth had been rather circumspect in their greeting of their long lost cousins. Lee could hardly blame them: the Colonials' story was as fantastical one and, despite the welcoming appearance from here in orbit, all was not what they had hoped to find on the planet below. From the information they had gleaned from their initial discussions and from their scientific analysis of the atmosphere, it was clear that earth had suffered a similar fate to the colonies, albeit several millennia earlier. The results of the nuclear holocaust that had occurred in their 21st century were still apparent in the vast desolate, uninhabitable areas of the planet, the unpredictable climate and the decimated human population. Still, the planet did still offer a mostly breathable atmosphere, food and water and, more importantly for both sides, a boost to their dwindling populations. The earth population was substantially larger than theirs: several million in fact, but they had indicated that they would welcome the introduction of some genetic diversity after all of the issues they had experienced as a result of the massive radiation exposure of the population back in the holocaust. It was looking hopeful that an agreement for the people of the colonial fleet to settle on Earth could be reached.

Lee could not help but think that the sooner they reached such an agreement the better. Everyone in the fleet was tired: tired of running, tired of living in metal tin cans in space, tired of the endless search for sufficient supplies to sustain their flight and tired of the battle against the Cylons. The Lords only knew what they were going to tell the Earthers about that. Lee himself was just about running on empty, emotionally and physically drained by all that had happened over the past year. He should feel some excitement about the coming meeting, and indeed there were some butterflies in his stomach, but he was just so frakking weary that the sooner all this political pontificating was over the better. He was going to find himself an isolated spot, preferably on a beach lapped by a warm ocean, and just sleep in the sun for days and days and days. But he could not do that yet. He had to play his part and support the president through the discussions. Since the revelation that Tory Foster was a Cylon, he had become her assistant and general right-hand man and she, along with along with over 30,000 other people, was relying on him.

"At least I know you're not a Cylon: I have it on very good authority from an excellent eye-witness that you were conceived and born in the normal way," Laura Roslin had quipped with a wry smile when offering him the job. He did not think that it was a particularly ringing indictment of his skills that the only reason he seemed to have been given the job was because his father could confirm that he was human, but then beggars could not be choosers when it came to re-establishing his relationship with Roslin after Baltar's trial. It had been like walking on eggshells at first but over the months, as her health continued to deteriorate and he proved his worth, she had come to rely on him heavily. He was Mr Adama in public but Captain Apollo again in private.

At least one of his personal relationships had been repaired. His ex-wife refused to speak to him and only communicated through lawyers and his relationship with his father could be described as strained at best. Although again he had made more of an effort to repair the damage since the discovery that Saul Tigh was a Cylon, as he knew that his father struggled to understand how his friend of such long standing could actually be one of their enemy. It had aged his father visibly and Lee suspected that he too was bone-weary of their flight. He also suspected that his father was more affected than most by Laura Roslin's illness. He could not help but soften his attitude towards his father after he observed him watching Laura with such desperation and longing in his eyes. A look that Lee well understood from his own emotional attachment to a woman he could not have. This naturally brought his thoughts to Kara. She had completely lost her shit over Sam being a Cylon, but then again that was really nothing new. He was trying to be there for her as a friend but it was so difficult. Their relationship was still so fragile. It had taken her a while to accept his reasoning behind helping with Baltar's trial and giving up his wings, but they had both come to accept their mistakes. He loved her and he knew that, in her own way, she loved him, but neither of them had been in the right place emotionally to explore whether that love could ever be taken further than a profound friendship. Of course they would not have reached Earth at all if it had not been for Kara. He knew that his support in the face of general scepticism and some outright hostility about her claim to know the way to earth had been very important to her.

He sighed and reached for his tie. All this personal introspection was not getting him anywhere: he knew he needed to keep his head in the game today if they were to conclude the negotiations with the Earthers successfully. He shrugged into his jacket and walked purposefully towards the president's quarters. He hardly had time to knock before she was stepping through the hatch.

"How do I look? This has been my best suit for so long that it's starting to fall apart at the seams!" She straightened her jacket and pinched her cheeks to try and restore some colour to them. He noticed that the jacket belt was on the tightest notch yet it was still loose. She looked so fragile that Lee's breath caught in his throat: he wondered what was keeping her going and suspected that it was only her iron will and determination to get the colonial people to safety.

"You look very presidential ma'am," he replied.

"Liar, I look like a tired, sick old woman, but it's nice to be buttered up by a handsome young man so you have my permission to do it as often as you think necessary!" She laughed and caught her arm through his as they walked towards the hanger bay. Lee would not have told anyone how heavily she needed to lean on him for the worlds.

They were met on the shuttle by the rest of the delegation which consisted of vice-president Zarek, the quorum representative from Aerilon and Major Gaeta, who was representing his father. It had been agreed that his father should not participate in this first meeting: if something went wrong then the admiral would be able to lead the fleet away to safety. The journey down to the planet was accomplished in a rather nervous and uncomfortable silence. They had spent many hours agreeing their strategy for the negotiations on the previous night so no one felt the need to re-hash the details. Thankfully it was just a short trip and then they were being ushered onto a landing platform. They were greeted by what was obviously a junior flunky and shown into a large room. They were a little surprised by the lack of ceremony but that quickly dissipated as they were served coffee: real coffee.

"OK, I don't care what we agree to, Lee, as long as we get lots more of this," Laura whispered to Lee on a blissful sigh after her first sip. The flunky gave an amused laugh at their obvious enjoyment.

"I see that we have certain tastes in common. Please have some more, there is plenty. The Yangshi and her official delegation will join you shortly."

During the initial discussions they had learned that the earth peoples were lead by a figure known as the Yangshi. She seemed to be a kind of combined political and spiritual leader and Laura was anxious to meet her as this role seemed to be akin to what hers had become during their journey from the colonies. They turned as the doors at the far end of the room opened and an entourage came through, at its centre a woman in a simple tunic. A twinge of memory prickled down Laura's neck as she watched the woman come closer. She wished that she had not been so vain and had kept her glasses on so that she could get a closer look at this woman before she had to shake hands with her. Beside her, Laura felt Lee tense. She turned to him to see a look of abject horror spreading across his face.

"Ahh, Gods no. It can't be……it can't be," he whispered through clenched teeth before falling to his knees, his anguished gaze riveted to the approaching woman.

TBC