Onward we go…same disclaimers as always…the little purple button at the bottom helps me when I have a block. Thanks again!

XOXOXOXOXLOLLOLLOLXOXOXOXOXOLOLLOLLOLLOLXOXOXOXOXOLOL

19:00 hours. She'd been waiting patiently for nearly an hour in the company of two of the Galactica's finest. Not that there was anything wrong with waiting. The longer she sat there, the longer it was before she had to go be shut up in the brig.

Sharon sat down in one of the burgundy chairs. She'd never personally been there before, but thanks to Boomer's vivid memories, it felt so familiar, so right. Her untwin had sat right here, listening to pre-flight briefings every day that she had been on duty. To actually have had those experiences…it must have been fascinating.

"Attention! Commander on deck!"

The marines stood at attention, as did she, when Adama entered the room.

"As you were."

He stopped in front of Sharon, looking at her with a serenity that few humans she had met ever had.

"You did us a valuable service today. I am not going to lie to you and say that I fully trust you. That would be a disservice to both you, and the uniform that I am in. But I would be a fool not to acknowledge what you have done for us, time and again."

He sighed. He really didn't know what to do with her. Lt. Agathon trusted her implicitly, with his life. The discussion he'd had with Tigh minutes earlier didn't help the situation.

'You can't trust that thing, Bill! She's a Cylon! Better to throw her out the airlock like the President did with that other one. You know I don't like the schoolteacher very much, but at least she's willing to show a little backbone where these things are concerned.'

"On occasion, with your continued cooperation, you will be allowed certain privileges. You will not be allowed to leave the brig without an armed escort. That's as much for your safety as it is for the safety of my crew."

Sharon thought about what had happened to Boomer, and agreed that she didn't want to be on the end of a smoking gun, either.

"I see you understand where I'm coming from. Also, Lt. Agathon will be allowed to visit more often, and for longer than 5 minutes, when scheduling permits."

Adama turned to the first marine nearby.

"Marine, I want one guard posted on the door to the ready room at all times, and another on the door to the Executive hallway. There is no other way in or out. Is that understood?"

The marine nodded his head.

"Yes sir."

"Sharon?"

He motioned for her to come to the doorway.

"Go down the hall. It's approximately 19:00 hours. You have until 21:00."

The door closed softly behind her as she began walking down the long hallway. There was no sound save the reverberation of her footsteps on the tiled floor. At the end of the hall were three doors; one to the left, one to the right, and one in the middle that was open.

As she stepped in the room, she was greeted by the soft glow of candlelight. Now where did those come from? This was a battlestar, not a civilian transport. The door to the room shut, and a familiar voice greeted her from behind.

"Hello, Sharon."

Helo stood there, a broad smile on his face. It was her home. He was her home. Never in her life had she felt like she belonged, except for when she was with him. She understood now why humans fought so hard to hold onto the things and people they loved.

"Oh Helo."

The steps between them were quickly crossed as he pulled her into his embrace. Her small frame was slightly dwarfed by his athletic one. She had lost a little bit of her muscle tone since being caged in down in the brig. But her eyes were shining as she looked up at her lover.

"You okay? Mmm-hmm?"

He tilted her chin upward.

"Good."

Their lips met. It had been a long time since he had felt their warmth. Karl had no idea when they would be able to do it again. He took her by the hand.

"Come on."

He showed her to the table, carefully pulling out her seat.

"Where did you get all this?"

She gestured to the table, the candles, the food. It definitely was not military-issue fare. He grinned, knowing already that she liked it.

"Let's just say…I owe a few favors here and there. Eat up. We need to take advantage of this while we have the chance."

They sat together to eat. He prayed softly to his gods and she silently to her God. They might not agree on semantics, but they still loved each other.

The food felt good on her palate. It tasted much better than the chow sent down to her from the ships galley. By the time it usually got to her, it was stone cold. She looked at him again and smiled. It was all very warm and inviting.

He returned her smile, and stopped between bites to ask her.

"What Sharon? Is it okay?"

Sharon reached across the table and took his hand.

"More than okay, Helo. More than okay. Every time I even get to be near you, I feel at home."

Helo nodded. He understood. He felt that she was his home, too. She was, and their child would be. A few of the crew had become accepting of his decision to stay by her, but the majority still held resentment, just because she wore the label of Cylon.

They finished their meal in silence; stealing looks at one another now and again. It was like a new couple, going out for their second or third date, completely and utterly in love.

Helo got up and cleared the table, then pointed to a sofa on the other side of the room.

"You want to sit for a while?"

She nodded.

"Can you just hold me, Helo? For a little while?"

He sat down, and Sharon laid her head in his lap. Stroking her hair, he thought about the time they had spent on Caprica together. Even though they had been constantly running from the Cylons, it had been relative to this: spending all that time alone with one human being. He missed that time alone.

"I do, too."

Sharon had been watching him; watching the expressions pass over his features, and the far-off look in his eyes. She knew what he'd been thinking. And it never surprised him when she read his thoughts like that. He'd become so used to it.

"Helo, do you ever think they'll let us be together?"

His jaw set, as he worked it over in his mind.

"Who knows, Sharon? Who knows? At least the Commander doesn't seem to hate you as much as before. Maybe one day, they'll let us alone. Even if we have to go far away, we'll be okay as long as we're together. Right?"

He ran his finger over her bottom lip, and bent down to kiss her again.

"Everything will be fine, Sharon. Didn't I tell you? Everything will be fine, in time."

They passed the time like that, warm in each others arms, thinking of a future that neither one of them knew was possible or not. Barely moving, they embraced until one of the guards knocked on the door that there time was up. It was time to go back to her cell, to be without Helo.