Celeste found herself seated on one of the couches in the officer's club, near her friends' table. Regardless of whether or not the violent senton at the Pegasus' officer's club had actually happened, she had a hard time sitting at any of the tables. Only half-listening to the conversation around her, Celeste looked around and marveled at the fact that she was indeed on the Galactica, sitting with her friends, and drinking the same weak ambrosia with not a single Pegasus officer in sight.

Boomer had been telling a shortened version of their adventure, "So anyway, there we were, in the Pegasus' maintenance bay…"

"Exploding," Jolly added.

"Yeah," Boomer nodded, "We exploded, and found ourselves floating in space, sitting in our Vipers as if nothing had happened."

Apollo shook his head, "That's incredible. The entire time, we were completely unaware. You guys dropped off our scope and didn't report back. Three sentons went by…"

"But here you are!" Starbuck declared.

Celeste looked thoughtful; "You know how we learned in the Academy that the universe had a pull on the things that belonged in it?"

Everyone nodded.

Celeste continued, "It's possible that when everyone went back through the hole, they returned to their reality just the way it was supposed to have been."

"Wouldn't that mean that the Pegasus is still out there?" Jolly asked.

Celeste shrugged, "I don't know. I can't help thinking that this has something to do with…" she trailed off.

"With what?" Apollo asked.

"Well," Celeste looked sideways, "when I first met Erebus, he showed me what the fleet would look like if it was destroyed. He was trying to make a point that if I didn't join him, that's what would happen. And…that's what it looked like when we were flying through the rubble."

"But Erebus is gone," Starbuck stated, then gave his sister a wary look, "right?"

"Yes," Celeste confirmed, "He is definitely gone. But some of the mess he made isn't. Some of the mess…he and I made…"

"That wasn't your fault," Apollo told her.

"No," Celeste shook her head, "I know that. I'm just saying, we made some things happen that shouldn't have. Maybe the Pegasus really was a ghost ship, brought back by something Erebus did, and when it exploded in limbosh, it set everything right again."

"How do you explain the three sentons we were missing?" Boomer asked.

Celeste shrugged again, "Probably had something to do with relativity, but that was a study class I was…preoccupied in."

Her guilty expression caused chuckles all around.

"Well, however it happened," Apollo smiled, "I'm glad everyone's back where they should be."

Boomer nodded, "And no matter what happens next, we're in it together."

"To what happens next!" Celeste raised her mug.

The others joined in the toast, and everyone began talking again, asking about the Pegasus and what had happened in the past three sentons.

"Celeste?"

She looked up, unaware that Apollo had joined her on the sofa, "Hey,"

He gave her a questioning look, "So what was that thought you wanted me to hold?"

"Huh?" Celeste's brain went blank at one look at Apollo's blue eyes staring into hers.

"Back in the landing bay."

"Ohh," she grinned, "that thought."

Apollo smiled knowingly, "Want to take a walk?"

Her heart thudding, Celeste stood up and followed him out, ignoring the good-natured ribbing coming from the tables. She glanced back and saw Starbuck give her a wink and surreptitious thumbs-up. She rolled her eyes at him and winked back.

She and Apollo ended up strolling to the observation lounge. Celeste couldn't help remembering when she'd looked out of that same room and seen a Cylon ship ready to attack. That senton seemed so long ago…

Apollo took her hand, bringing her back to the present. He looked at her questioningly, as though asking her if it was all right. Celeste squeezed his hand in return, leaning her head against his shoulder.

"Looks like we've got the place to ourselves." He led her to one of the couches looking out at the stars, and they sat down.

"You know," Celeste gazed out the viewglass, "I think the other Celeste was right. I want this second chance to be a good one."

"I have the feeling it will be," Apollo replied.

Celeste smiled a little, "Yeah. Hey, do you think…nah."

"What?"

"Well," Celeste hesitated, "do you think it's possible that some of the realities weren't actually other realities, but were different time periods of this one?"

"Anything's possible," Apollo shrugged, "You did say the commander version of you was older. Some of the realities had to be at least parallel to our time."

Celeste half grinned thoughtfully, "Interesting…"

"Now," Apollo turned to smile at her, "I get the feeling this wasn't the only thing you wanted to talk about?"

Celeste gazed into his eyes and found herself stuck staring into them, "Yeah." I'd forgotten how nervous he makes me feel. Good kinda nervous though.

Apollo looked like he was about to laugh, "Care to tell me what it is?"

Celeste giggled. Wow. I'm giggling. I've been around Sheba too much! She grinned at him, "Do you really really want to know?"

He gave her an amused and suspicious look, "Do I?"

"You do."

Now Apollo did laugh, "Then tell me!"

"Well," Celeste looked at her hands, "For however many sectons I was on the Pegasus, I was really thinking about what was missing in my life. I'd thought that flying Vipers was my life, but the whole time I was there, I didn't miss it as much as I thought I would."

Apollo nodded, his face not showing what he was thinking.

"I figured out," Celeste continued, "that there are things I have to have to live, and things I can live without if I have to. And the truth is, when I had the choice to spend the rest of my life flying vipers, or to go down with the Pegasus, I chose the latter. And I got to thinking, there had to be a reason for that. And I think," she hesitated, "I think that it's because I didn't want to spend the rest of my life without my family."

Apollo nodded solemnly.

Celeste nodded and bit her lip, "The truth is, as much as I missed Starbuck and Boxey and everyone, it was you that…you were constantly on my mind."

Okay, there. I said it. What's he going to do about it?

Apollo nodded solemnly again, and Celeste wished he'd stop nodding solemnly and get around to saying something.

She gave his eyes a steady gaze, "I don't ever want to be without you again, Apollo. I'll change squadrons if the whole chain-of-command thing is a problem, or stop flying altogether, but…"

Oh no, now I'm blushing! Agh! Shut up, Celeste!

"Hey," Apollo tilted her head up, though Celeste hadn't even realized it was down. He looked her in the eye seriously, "Don't even think about hanging up your helmet. The fleet needs all the good pilots it can get, and you're one of the best. It would be selfish of me if I let you stop on my account, and selfish of you to deprive us of your talent."

Celeste turned her head to look at nothing, "well…I guess if you put it that way…"

"I'm flattered that you'd give up flying for me," Apollo admitted, "but you were born to fly, and I need you in my squadron." He smiled, "I'm not making it an order, since you have a habit of doing exactly the opposite…"

Celeste chuckled, "I'm going to try to do better at obeying orders, Captain."

"I know you will," Apollo grinned, "I can see you've changed. You're not the same person I picked up on Vaga, but I don't love you any less than the day we met."

Same here, Apollo, same here.

"There's something I've been meaning to ask you," now Apollo looked down, "I was wondering if you'd call me something other than 'captain'."

"You mean…sometime soon?" Celeste asked.

Apollo nodded and looked at her again, "Would you consider it?"

Grinning, Celeste suddenly reached around his head and pulled his face to hers, kissing for all she was worth.

After a moment of recovering from his surprise, Apollo reached around her and held her close, kissing back.

When they finally sat back again, Apollo grinned, "I'll take that as a yes?"

"You bet your boot buckles!" Celeste laughed and hugged him tightly. She looked up into his handsome face as he gazed down at her with love in his eyes. Yup, I was right. She smiled and kissed him again.

I did die, and I found heaven.