Disclaimer: I do not own Battlestar Galactica, the characters, or ideas. I own only original characters and ideas.

Rating: BSG was rated TV-PG when it came out in the US; some episodes would probably be considered PG-13. This story will follow the series in regards to profanity, violence, and intimacy.

Characters: The entire cast of BSG, plus some originals.

Pairings: The story will follow pairings of the show. A few surprises here and there.

Author's Note: I am an enormous BSG fan, but I am not perfect. I welcome any constructive criticism, whether it be about my story or some errors in continuity. I have tried to keep the story as true to the series, but if you notice any mistakes, plus help me to correct them. (In a polite manner.) And yes, I have seen the show, and, yes, I know what I am doing in regards to my own story. If something seems off, chances are, it's a plot device. Trust me. Oh, and SPOILERS. Don't read this if you haven't seen the frakking show yet, you motherfrakker. Most of all, please enjoy and please let me know if you enjoy.

xxx

"In other news this morning, our very own battlestar Galactica will have its decommissioning ceremony tomorrow morning. Galactica is one of the veteran star ships from the Cylon Wars and has been used only recently for minor, non-military functions. As you all know, Galactica was one of twelve ships constructed by the colonies and a representative of our very own Caprica. Seats to the ceremony have been limited and only distributed to those with a history of service on board the battleship, current personnel, high ranking political officers, and members of the press. I can assure you that Galactica will be missed in service, but generations of children to come will enjoy marveling at her since she is to be converted to a museum and educational center detailing the events of the Cylon Wars. That's all from me on this lovely Caprica day; but our evening news anchor Dineese Kula will be with you, live, at the ceremony tomorrow morning. I'm Evangeline Cross for Carpica Three news; live well and love all."

"And that's it!" a voice shouted from the studio booth. "Good job, Evy!"

"Good job everyone!" a second voice shouted from the studio floor. Immediately, the staff of the Carpica Three news team began bustling around for their next broadcast, leaving their morning anchor sitting at the news desk.

With a sigh, Evangeline Cross removed her ear piece and rubbed her eyes. The six o'clock morning news slot was not a coveted position and Evangeline was tired by the early morning work. She rose from the desk and crossed the floor to the break room, emitting another long sigh as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

Sipping from her mug, she watched curiously as her boss approached her with a file full of papers. "Good job on the morning news, Evy. I think you're making some good head way with the early show."

Evangeline smiled. "Thank you, sir. I think my long standing status in the public eye at Caprica Three has helped with the ratings, but it is nice to hear you say so."

James Thomson waved his hands. "I'm not giving you false praise here, Evy: I'm serious. The ratings of the morning show have never been higher, your rapport with your followers has been outstanding, and the response of your work has definitely turned some heads from the higher ups."

Evangeline's brow furrowed suspiciously. She could tell by the pace of James' speech that he was hiding something. "All right, Jimmie. Cut the crap: what do you want?"

James looked at Evangeline for a moment, then lowered his shoulders, defeated. "Dineese Kula; she can't come in to cover the decommissioning ceremony. You have to do it tomorrow morning."

"What? Why?" Evangeline retorted. "You're going to send me up there? I don't even know the briefings or my way around that thing, Jimmie! The closest I've ever been to a battlestar has been a television screen! Please don't make me do this!" With a frustrated scoff, she added, "Ty and I are supposed to go on vacation after tomorrow's morning broadcast!"

"I'm sorry, Evy, but Dineese is still covering the shootings at Delphi; she won't make it back in time. The boss has his mind made up that you're to cover, since you are the morning news anchor. I promise I'll make it up to you. How's two weeks' of vacation sound as soon as you get back?"

Evangeline was visibly angered, but two weeks on Picon with Ty would be the longest vacation the two had ever had together. Four months ago, their relationship had reached a point where they had declared exclusivity and everything in Evangeline's life had been getting better by the day. Evangeline put her hand out. "Two weeks, I do the decommissioning ceremony and the post-party. For two weeks," she stressed.

With a relieved smile, James sfhook Evangeline's hand and said, "You'll enjoy yourself. Perhaps you'll learn something useful. Something life changing." With another smile, he passed the large file to Evangeline and exited the room. Evangeline looked at her empty coffee cup and promptly refilled it.

xxx

Evangeline Cross was born in the Caprican city of Argos twenty seven years ago. She attended the Melpomene University, majoring in journalism and public relations. At the time of her graduation, she was offered a temp job at Caprica Three, located just inside of Caprica City and was eventually promoted to prompter, camera operator, head of publicity, roving reporter, and co-anchor of the morning news before she was finally awarded head anchor of the six o'clock Caprica Three morning broadcast. Evangeline delighted in believing that she brought about a sense of order and well being to the people of Caprica City, never imagining another job she would prefer to do.

Eight months ago, she interviewed a geneticist who had been doing work with a team that was researching matrine-mitochondrial reproduction. His work was a heated debate that sparked across Caprica: reproduction with only the use of the mother's DNA. The work was mostly theory, but it was a project that divided the masses. Evangeline hated the whole idea of the matrine-mitochondrial reproduction, but she was ordered to perform the interview, despite her opposition. The geneticist she interviewed was Tylin Gai, a twenty eight year old man originally from the religiously fundamentalist Gemenon. He had short, black hair with deep brown eyes and a dimpled chin. His hair curled at the top and his serious expressions amused Evangeline. When her eyes met his, Evangeline wanted him to ask her to dinner. He did. As the days passed, Evangeline and Tylin spent more time together, engaging in a relationship that became more than just mere attraction as their bond deepened and the two moved in together in a town home outside Caprica City. Evangeline called him Ty and Ty loved her red hair.

Every morning, Evangeline got up at four to get ready for work: shower, dress, breakfast. Tylin would get up with her, join her in the shower, seduce her into making love, and then fix her breakfast. Tylin would go to work at his laboratory two hours after Evangeline, with a satisfied grin on his face that made his co-workers nod knowingly. Evangeline would get home hours before Tylin and spend the afternoon going over the next days' news, preparing for trips out of town or in town to perform interviews, catching up on paperwork, or making phone calls to various sources, hoping to get the lead on any good story for the station.

On this particular afternoon, Evangeline spent her time reading over the files James had given her for the decommissioning ceremony. As she thumbed through the papers, she spoke, "Commander William Adama, currently in command of Galactia to make a speech, Viper squadrons lead by Captain Lee Adama to be flown overhead, processional fanfare… yadda, yadda…" She threw the perused papers on the table and focused on the list detailing the attendees. "'The Colonial government has chartered an Eversun starliner to ferry various political attendees and press members to the decommissioning ceremony…'" A ticket fell from the packet Evangeline was reading and she looked at her press pass to board the starliner. "Colonial Heavy 798... What a piece of junk. 'Education Secretary Laura Roslin' is on the list," she mused aloud. "With no one more exciting than this, I'll never make evening news anchor." Letting out a disgusted sigh, Evangeline noticed the time on the clock and she stood, making her way to the kitchen. Tylin would be home soon and she had made a habit of trying to have a good dinner waiting for his arrival.

While preparing, the apartment phone rang and Evangeline crossed the room to pick it up. "Hello? Oh, hey Ty!"

"Hey!" There was a pause. "It's good to hear your voice, Evy."

Evangeline noticed Tylin's voice sounded… different. "Ty… is everything okay?"

"Yes and no," came the reply. "I'm not going to be able to make it to dinner tonight. We've had a very small breakthrough and we need to work all night. I'm really sorry."

Evangeline was disappointed, but she knew that after the ceremony tomorrow, she would have Tylin to herself for two weeks. "That's okay. Listen, about tomorrow-"

"I really can't talk right now. I have to go. I'll see you soon."

"Wait-!" The line clicked and there was nothing. To say Evangeline was confused and hurt would be true, but she didn't want to seem like a paranoid girlfriend. A small voice scratched at the back of her head: But he's never stayed late before…

Evangeline shook her head. "No, that's ridiculous," she spoke aloud. "He just had important work to do. This is good, not bad. We'll talk about the ceremony in the morning."

Evangeline finished cooking dinner and ate by herself, watching the Caprica Three evening news. She chuckled to herself at the evening anchor's new haircut and flipped the channel, settling on Caprica Five to see what Kellan Brody had to say. She talked about the decommissioning ceremony and the shootings at Delphi. Evangeline had known Kellan Brody from the university, but they were never friends; merely acquaintances. After dinner, Evangeline flipped through channels and settled on a replay of an old Picon Panthers game, trying to remember the last time she had sat and watched pyramid. Years?

When the replay was finished, Evangeline performed her nightly routine and crawled into the bed she shared with Tylin. The pillows and sheets still retained his scent and Evangeline grabbed his pillow from the other side of the bed and snuggled into it, drifting into a sleep filled with nightmares of a large gray cloud…

xxx

The alarm awoke Evangeline with a start and she grabbed it from the dresser, hitting the disarm button and falling back in bed, groaning aloud. Three thirty in the morning. She needed to shower and get ready to leave to meet the Colonial Heavy 798 for transport to the ceremony.

Ty.

Turning swiftly, she found the bed beside her empty and stared at the spot for a moment. Work must have been extremely important if he still wasn't home yet. She shrugged it off and made for the bathroom. Humming quietly, she showered in a warm bath.

Once dressed, Evangeline grabbed her keys from the dresser and stepped into the living room, surprised at what she saw on the sofa.

"Ty!"

Tylin rose from the sofa and stretched out his arms. "Hey kiddo!"

Evangeline ran into his arms and collided with him, knocking him onto the sofa. "I thought you weren't home yet! I missed you!"

Tylin kissed Evangeline on the forehead, then the lips and said, "I'm sorry. I got home a little while ago, but I didn't want to wake you; I know how early you have to get up everyday."

Evangeline smiled. "Even earlier this morning."

Tylin's grin faded and he looked at her quizzically. "What's going on this morning?"

"I tried to tell you on the phone last night; Dineese is stuck in Delphi. Jimmie wants me to cover the decommission ceremony on Galactica."

Tylin sat up quickly, looking Evangeline in the eyes. "What?"

Evangeline stared back with a perplexed look. "What's the matter…? I know it will put our vacation back a bit, but-"

"No, it's not that… it's just…" Tylin ran his finger up and down her arm. "Evy-"

"Tylin," she stressed, "what is wrong?"

Tylin grabbed Evangeline's face with his hands and stared deep into her golden brown eyes. "Don't go."

Evangeline raised her lip, her irritation mounting as Tylin refused to give her a straightforward answer. "What are you talking about? I have to: its my job."

Tylin moved his hands down to rest on her collar bone, tracing the outline his fingers found there. "I just have a bad feeling. Call it… instinct, I feel like something is going to go wrong tomorrow at the ceremony. I don't want you go be there."

Evangeline cracked a half-smile and ran a hand through his curly black hair. "Oh, Ty… Everything will be fine. The remaining ship's crew and security will be at the ceremony. Nothing is going to happen."

Tylin spoke nothing, but stood and crossed the room, running a hand across his face. "Evy…"

Evangeline sighed, eyeing the clock. She needed to make something to eat if she was going get to the transport on time. "Ty, I have to make breakfast." She made for the kitchen, but was intercepted by Tylin. "You hungry?"

Tylin pushed Evangeline against the wall and kissed her passionately, running his hands down the length of her body and back up to her face, which he held tightly. He broke the kiss and placed his hands on either side of her, against the wall. Looking deep into her eyes once again, he asked: "Do you love me?"

Evangeline emitted a small gasp. Despite their bond, Evangeline and Tylin had never committed their love to one another. It was such a simple question, but the answer was more complicated than Evangeline had ever imagined. Tylin was everything to her: she would travel the Twelve Colonies of Kobol just to be with him. Despite her disdain for his work, she still became elated when he came home everyday. He made her feel complete. He made her happy. It must be love. Evangeline was surprised to find that perhaps the answer was easy after all. "Yes. Yes, of course I do."

Evangeline's response prompted a large grin from Tylin. His eyes drifted towards the bedroom, then back at Evangeline, a seductive smirk strewn across his face. Pulling at her shirt, he lifted her off the ground and wrapped her legs around his waist. "You've got time," he answered before she could speak. Tylin turned her sharply and slammed his mouth upon hers. Evangeline felt a shock rip through her body at the ferocity of his longing and she tightened her legs around his waist. Hands roving and tongues twisting, Tylin carried her into the bedroom. He groaned when her mouth found his neck, sucking and playing at the spot she knew would add fuel to the game. He placed her back down on the floor and broke the kiss, staring at her with a grave look.

Evangeline smiled. "What?"

Eyes smoldering and with the serious expression Evangeline knew well, he spoke austerely, "Know that I love you." He rubbed her cheek gently with his thumb and continued, "Nothing that ever happens will change that. I need you to remember."

Confused, but elated that Tylin had admitted his love to her, she responded, "I love you. And I promise… I will never forget, Ty."

Smiling, he wrapped one arm behind her neck and brought her forward to kiss him. Tylin's hands went to her chest and in one motion, he had slipped her shirt off. Evangeline's passion flamed and she tugged at the zipper on his pants, unsnapping the button and sliding them to the floor. She slipped out of her pants and grabbed Tylin's shirt, discarding it carelessly. Evangeline's hands roved across his chest, her fingers tracing the hard muscle and defining lines. Tylin backed up to the bed and lay on his back, pulling her down so she was straddling him.

"I love you, Ty."

"I love you, Evy." Their lips locked once more as their bodies rocked in a rhythm of passion and ecstasy that, surely, only humans could understand.

xxx

A loud noise woke Evangeline and she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. With a gasp of terror, she saw the sun had risen through the window. "Frak!" She leapt from bed and quickly dressed in the clothes from the early morning. Running a hand through her hair, she hurried into the living room. Tylin was standing, looking at the television screen with his hands in his pockets.

"Ty! Why didn't you wake me? I'm going to miss my shuttle now!" she shouted with anger.

Tylin turned to her without expression and said, "Yes, I know. It's better this way." His attention went back to the television.

Evangeline scoffed. "What the frak is wrong with you?" She crossed the room to stand beside him, but his eyes never left the television. "Answer me, Tylin!"

"Look at the television, Evy," he ordered.

Ire mounting, she rolled her eyes and turned her interest towards the screen. "What…?"

Kellan Brody was talking swiftly, her eyes filled with fear. In the background and to the side of her was footage of explosions: nuclear explosions. Buildings were being leveled and people blown away. Kellan Brody jumped with a start as a roving reporter was cut out by an enormous explosion, sending him flying towards the cameraman as the broadcast went black. Kellan Brody continued reporting, "It seems explosions and destruction has been reported from cities all across Caprica, all across the Twelve Colonies of Kobol. We have been told that retaliation is being planned."

Tylin turned the television off and stood motionless. Evangeline felt her stomach heave and she turned to Tylin. "Ty, what is going on?"

Tylin turned and looked at Evangeline. "Today, man's children are coming home."

"…What…?" she breathed out quietly.

Tylin crossed the room and grabbed the blinds at the kitchen window. With one quick jerk, he pulled the blinds from the wall and revealed a dark gray sky. As Evangeline walked to the kitchen, she could barely make out the outline of a mushroom cloud in the distance, grey and orange, as it plumed out beyond Caprica City. She could see another one in the distance, to the right, and another to the left towards Delphi. Evangeline turned and ran back into the living room, spinning around sharply. Another look at the mushroom clouds robbed Evangeline of her balance and she stumbled backwards, grabbing onto the sofa to keep herself from falling down. "…Why… Who?"

Tylin walked back into the living room, staring at Evangeline as he stopped inches away from her. "The Cylons."

Fear and nausea clawed at Evangeline's composure and she looked at Tylin. "How do you know…?"

Tylin looked down, then back up at Evangeline as he lightly placed his fingertips across her cheek. "Don't you see, Evy?" He cupped her face in his hands, kissing her softly before revealing, "I'm a Cylon."