Alpha Station: A Battlestar Galactica Fantasy Reboot

by LeoLovesAries

200,000 years after the Colonial Fleet touched down, Earth is in a state of disaster. Its inhabitants have fled to orbiting space stations. An ancient cylon couple helps them work to fulfill a prophecy; The leaders who brought the people to earth must return. Roslin & Adama arrive first and find more than just a new task awaiting them. EPILOGUE POSTED. 3rd NEW FICLET ADDED!

20. Chapter 20

LOCATION: ALPHA SPACE STATION; approximately 200 miles above the surface of planet Earth

CORRIDOR B

MILITARY QUARTERS

CABIN 119B: ASSIGNMENT; TIGH

YEAR: 2315

"Katya won't go to Laura on her own," Saul explained. "We're sure of that, and to be honest, Bill, we won't force her," He went on as he leaned over in his seat. "Not after what's happened. We're sorry, but it's how we feel. Ellen and I have each spoken with Kat and though she's still upset and hurt we know that she would listen to what Laura had to say if ever she decided to go to her."

"It's true, Bill," Ellen added, hovering behind Saul's armchair. "Katya won't turn her away. I can't promise much else, but I know that she's at least willing to see her again."

"That's just it," Bill said with a groan. "I can't get Laura to even consider it. She's convinced that staying away from that girl is what's best but it's not. It's killing her inside. She hardly eats. She can't sleep. She wakes up every night from these intense dreams and now she's starting to have full blown nightmares. I'm sure that they're from all the damn stress over what happened between them."

Saul raised his brow at Bill's mention of the nightmares. He looked over his shoulder toward his wife. Her expression proved intrigued as his own.

Bill observed the exchange with narrow eyes. He was on edge around the couple. He felt as if they were always just about to lay another mind blowing revelation on him and he didn't know if he could take another.

"Did you talk to Laura about what we discussed?" Saul prompted. "Ya know, about the…unique genetics she's passed down to Kat?"

Bill looked down at his lap and puffed out his breath.

"Yeah. I did," He nodded.

"And?" Ellen urged, annoyed with his vague answer. "What was her reaction? Did she give you any indication that she might recognize some cylon facets within herself?"

Bill shook his head.

"She hardly had a reaction, Ellen. She heard me but she wouldn't respond to it. She froze up. She wouldn't talk about it. She had a hell of a nightmare last night though. I think the news might have scared her and now she wants that centurion away from our cabin ASAP, Saul. When I left this morning I told her I was coming over here to tell you to get rid of it. Do me a favor and don't make a liar out me."

When Bill told Laura what he'd leard about their daughter's cylon attributes she'd gone rigid in his arms. She'd calmly excused herself and escaped into the privacy of the head. She'd come out almost an hour later, seemingly composed. She said nothing to Bill except for her firm request that he see to it that Vladi be removed from their security detail as soon as possible. Without another word she'd gone to bed. Her delayed reaction came in the middle of the night when her trembling cries roused Bill from his sleep.

"It's strange that you mention her dreams, Bill," Saul said with some intrigue. "The nightmares, I mean. Katya can't sleep through the night worth a damn lately either. She's doing a lot better physically, but she's having awful dreams too. Ellen wakes up with her sometimes twice a night. It's just like when she was little."

Learning that both Katya and Laura were experiencing similar terrors at night gave Ellen an uneasy feeling.

"We thought it was her medication," She started to explain. LBut now she's lessened her dosage and they seem to be getting worse instead of better."

"Where is she anyway?" Bill asked picking up his water from the coffee table and leaning back on the sofa cushion before taking a sip."More PT?"

"Sort of," Ellen answered with a sigh. "She went to meet her old ballet instructor. Blaze thought a training session would help her to regain her balance and range of motion. She's over on the civilian side of the station at the Alpha Theater."

"Is that really wise?" Bill posed looking skeptical, as if he thought that someone should have stopped her. For a brief moment he thought Ellen looked embarrassed for having let her go. Her expression made Bill internally cringe. He was angry at her, but the last thing he wanted to was insult the Tigh's parenting anymore than it already had been. If nothing else they were devoted to his child. He couldn't judge them so harshly; especially since Katya was supposed to be an adult. He tried to remove the accusation from his tone."I mean is she really up for that sort of thing already?"

"She says she is," Saul answered. "I was against it. She nearly frakkin' fainted after dinner last night. She got up from her chair to clear he plate and down she went. She tossed her cookies too. She got sick all over the godsdamn place. Elle spent half the damn night cleaning up. I thought for sure Kat would sleep in today after the night she had, but this morning before either of us was awake she had a new pair of toe shoes printed and pinned her hair up. She was all ready to go by the time we rolled outta bed. She had her mind set on it. Neither one of us could stop her. Alexi wasn't here."

Ellen groaned loudly and ran a frustrated hand through her hair.

"I know for a fact that Blaze told her to wait until the dizzy spells were gone for more than a day or so, but she got it in her head that ballet would help and so that's where she is now. She says it hurts to stay still, whatever that means," She complained with an exasperated shrug.

Saul gave a low groan in response.

"If she passes out on that stage I might actually break her neck this time," He grumbled. "We have a download in just about forty-eight hours and she better be there. I don't need a sick kid in the ward while I'm over on Beta helping you suck people back from the great beyond," He said turning to look at his wife.

Ellen grimaced at his harsh use of words.

Bill shook his head.

"That girl doesn't listen to anyone does she?" He remarked, unable to stop himself.

Both Tighs shot Bill a defensive glare, but it wasn't as if they could claim otherwise.

"Alexi sure lost his temper when she got sick after dinner last night," Saul recounted after a thoughtful pause. "I'm not sure what upset him so much. I couldn't understand half of what he was shouting at her. They always fight in E-Fed so we can't butt in. He kept yelling 'I told you, I told you'. It's hard to get any kind of reaction out of that kid good or bad, but I'll tell you what he was mad as hell last night. He's insisting that Kat go to the infirmary for a follow up today. He told her that if she refuses he'll just pick her up and drag her there. That's one way to deal with her."

Ellen frowned but nodded in agreement.

"She was supposed to go in tomorrow morning to get cleared for the Beta trip anyway, but Alexi doesn't want her to wait. He's right. It's probably best."

The previous night Saul and Ellen had returned home from the basestar not long after Katya and Alexi's hurried union. Ellen found the young couple napping in Katya's room. Though Saul was oblivious Ellen had her suspicions as to what had transpired not long before their homecoming. When she saw Alexi's temper flair over his wife's after-dinner illness Ellen considered her hunch confirmed. Katya was pushing her limits left and right. Alexi was understandably angry at her for it and he probably felt more than a bit guilty for giving into their desires before Katya was well enough. Like Saul, Ellen had only caught every other word of the couple's E-fed infused argument. She was hardly paying attention to their bickering as she worredly attended to Katya who was dizzy and sick to her stomach after their late supper.

"About the download," Bill interrupted, "Laura's still insisting on going to Beta Station and I really want you both to reconsider. She wants to be there for Helo and Sharon and I agree with her. We know what it was like. Think about it. You may need us there," He proposed.

Though Laura was remaining silent on certain topics she'd stayed steadily insistent on the trip to Beta Station. She said that she didn't want anyone else going through what she had without the support of someone who understood. The people of Earth Orbit wanted their help and Laura saw the next download as their first chance to start.

Saul scowled at Bill's request.

"After what you just told me about Laura's current state of mind do you really think she's in any shape to be flying to another station and watching all of that go down?" He challenged.

"Is Katya?" Bill retorted. "You're all but demanding that she goes."

Saul's face fell.

Protocol had never allowed more than two of the bodies to be on any one station at any given time. It was a safety precaution and suddenly stopping the practice with the recent combat in Orbit would be frowned upon by the EOC to say the very least.

"The kids really want to be there for each other, Bill. It's different," Ellen earnestly attempted to explain. "Blaze was there for Katya during your resurrection and she very much wants to be there for him in return when he finally meets his birth parents. All four kids are expected to attend each resurrection as representatives of their home stations; even Alexi, though he unfortunately doesn't have his own parents download to attend any longer. Katya will be fine but staying put on Alpha is for your safety."

"Ellen you're keeping us on lockdown like we're prisoners," Bill argued. "Besides, how do you know that whatever our purpose is won't be realized until we're together? Did you ever think of that?" He challenged in an irritated tone.

"Of course," Ellen sighed. "There are plans to safely unite the six of you once everyone is conscious. Until then it's just too risky," She explained. "Anyway, Saul's right. Maybe Laura shouldn't witness the download process. I know that she's had a lot of issues with her own resurrection. Katya's situation is different. These kids have been waiting their whole lives for this. Saul and I won't have Kat go if she's not well enough, but as long as she's up to it then she's expected to be there. Saul and I are going to do our best to make sure that Katya rests before the trip. Maybe you should encourage Laura to take it easy too while we're away for a few days," Ellen proposed as her husband suddenly got up out of his seat and walked toward the hatch with purpose. "Where the hell are you going, Saul?" She scowled in his direction.

"I'm going to make sure that Kat and Laura both have some godsdamn peace of mind before the download," Saul gruffly stated in a determined voice.

"How the frak are you going to do that?" Bill called after him as he opened the hatch.

"I'm taking Ms. Roslin to the ballet."

LOCATION: BETA SPACE STATION; approximately 200 miles above the surface of planet Earth

CORRIDOR B

BETA MILITARY LABORATORY FACILITY

YEAR: 2315

The facility was typically frigid and Blaze wished that his name was enough to warm his hands as he stood looking through the cold glass of the Beta stasis chambers. He'd arrived aboard the station early in the morning, but he'd taken his time getting to the lab as his nerves began to dominate his usually positive outlook. Once in the lab Blaze felt oddly out of place. Unlike Katya, he was only an occasional visitor of his parents. As a child he spent time with his father in the lab much like Katya had with Isakoff, but after Dr. Bishop's death Blaze moved to Gamma Station to live with the Petrovs. After the move his attendance became far less frequent; visiting only when Dr. Petrov traveled to Beta and dragged him along. After Petrov was murdered and Blaze moved to Alpha to live under the supervision of the Tighs visiting Beta had become his own decision and one he found many excuses to avoid. He had always been excited to meet his birth parents, but watching their bodies floating lifeless on display held little appeal to him.

As the day drew near the lieutenant found his excitement turning to anxiety and suddenly he wished that he'd really taken time to prepare himself for what was about to happen. According to the Tighs and several passages from the history found recorded on the Quartz Tablets, Helo and Athena were champions of love and unity. Their union were a symbol of the joining of two races. They sired the dawn of a new race of human on Earth. Ellen had once told him that the fleet would never have made it to Earth without the couple's bravery, love and message of trust. He was honored to be the son of two such souls. He just didn't know if they would feel the same way about him.

"Happy to be home?" A mild voice came from behind the pilot startling him out of his thoughts.

Blaze turned to see Dr. Le Blanc coolly smiling at him.

"Doc. I didn't know you were here already," He said returning her smile.

"I came in on the last shuttle from Delta yesterday evening," She said, joining him and glancing toward the tanks.

"Margot with you?" He asked silently hoping that his friend might already be on station.

Le Blanc shook her head.

"She will be first thing in the morning," The doctor said crossing her arms. "She traveled to the basestar yesterday. She needed time to catch up on a few things back on Delta before she joined us."

Blaze nodded with some disappointment. He knew that they would all be there with him the next day, but he found himself wanting the company of the only four people in the world he knew would understand. With his friends by his side there were jokes to be made and laughs to be had. He could make light of his sudden apprehension if he only had his target audience by his side.

"Everything alright over on the baseship?" He asked knowing that he wouldn't get a truthful answer out of the woman.

A call from Alexi the previous night told him that even the Tighs had been tight lipped on the subject when they returned from the cylon ship. Blaze knew that if they weren't talking then Le Blanc sure as hell wouldn't.

"Nothing that couldn't be handled," She answered, but Blaze knew better than to trust her sincerity. "The tanks have already begun to depressurize," She gestured in an obvious attempt to steer the conversation.

She glanced in Blazer's direction when he only nodded silently in response

"You don't seem yourself, Lieutenant," She observed.

Blaze shrugged.

"I'm sorry to be so quiet, Doc. I'm just thinking, I guess."

"I suppose you feel you have a lot to consider," She said with a smirk.

Blaze glanced back at her with his peripheries. Her tone was slightly condescending and he didn't appreciate it.

"You know, Lt. Bishop," She continued, "it's important that you and your peers are there for the download. The same will be true on Delta when the time comes. It's important for you to be...seen."

Blaze narrowed his eyes. He'd heard it all before. He knew what was expected of him and the other three descendants, but something about the way Le Blanc said it this time put him off.

"Be seen?" He asked.

"Yes. It's important that the EOC and other system officials see the four of you at the briefing and know that you will be supportively in attendance through the download just the way you were on Alpha. It's also good to have the media report on your fellowship," The doctor added with a small smile.

"I'm not sure I get it," He grimaced as he watched Le Blanc move closer to the monitors between the tanks and read whatever it was that they were outputting.

"Your attendance shows that the four of you harbor no lasting internal negativities from the project offshoot. The citizens should see that. It will help them feel the same way as we move into this next phase."

Over twenty-years later the project offshoot, as their creation had come to be known, still left a bad taste in the mouths of the citizens of Earth Orbit. The revelation of the four children's existence had been a political nightmare at the time and incited distrust of the government in an already fearful people. Many still had lingering resentments toward their leaders who had approved the use of their potential savior's bodies in such a strange manner. When officials admitted that the attempt had also been a huge failure it caused an uproar. It had lead to a commission to remove the sacred Quartz Tablets from the protective guard of the government. The vote had passed and their conservation was put into the hands of the people. The tablets now sat on Gamma station under the guard of private civilian security. It was only a symbol, but it made the people feel like their fate was at least partially under their own protection.

"No lasting internal negativities…" Blaze repeated. Katya and Alexi were going to love that one. "I'm not sure that's entirely true, Doctor," He said moving his eyes from tank to tank.

"Well it's important that it be seen that way," She answered, turning from the monitors. "The people should see that nothing resulted from that error other than four perfectly nice children who all grew up to be fine young soldiers."

"With all due respect, Ma'am, that's a pretty sugar coated version of the truth."

She nodded in agreement.

"You should know that your obligation only goes that far, Blaze. You live on Alpha. I'm sure you've gotten wind of the recent familial unpleasantness that followed the first download. There is no need for you to involve yourself any further after the Agathon's resurrection. Maybe you should take a lesson from your friend's experience."

Blaze squinted his eyes. The Captain's ordeal had worried him. It might have even cast a few doubts his way, but he wasn't Katya Isakoff. His experience didn't have to be the same as hers.

"I won't lie to these people, Ma'am," Blaze insisted, keeping his eyes focused firmy on the tanks.

"I'm not suggesting that you do. I'm just proposing that it might be best not to…distract them. At the end of the day the Agathons might be better off without the unfortunate distraction that Roslin and Adama have dealt with."

"Unfortunate distraction? You're talking about Katya, Dr. L," Blaze scowled. "She's not a distraction, she's a person. She's your daughter's best friend. Why would you…"

"I know it sounds harsh, Blaze," Le Blanc interrupted him with a hand to his forearm. "But Katya was a distraction to Mikhail Isakoff, she's been a distraction to the Tighs and now she's a distraction to Roslin and Adama. We don't need these people occupied with anything other than finding their purpose," The doctor insisted.

"You know I doubt Colonel and Mrs. Tigh see Katya as a distraction. She's their daughter the same as Margot is yours…unless that's how you see her too? You do remember that you and your colleagues created us unfortunate distractions."

It took a lot to get Blazer angry but Le Blanc was testing his patience and his manners.

"Of course. So in lies my advice to you. Sometimes it's best to let things just fade away. I'm perfectly aware of my own missteps. Thankfully nature and science always seem to eventually find a way to make up for the mistakes of mankind. Fortunately, the error of your lineage will likely begin and end with the four of you. Your inability to leave a genetic legacy should help the collective memories of the people to fade in time. Your own resentments as well," Le Blanc added.

"How'dya figure?" Blaze returned with a disgruntled expression.

"The burden of who you are doesn't have to be passed down for anyone else to bear," Le Blanc clarified.

Blaze was taken off guard by the callous severity of the scientist's theory.

"No more little distractions," He said as he shook his head in frustration. "I get it."

Blazer bit the inside of his lip. The doctor's talk was the opposite of what he needed. He wanted Katya by his side to distract him with her snide little quips, he wanted Alexi there to rib him, he wanted Margot there to tell him that everything was going to be alright. Instead he received the cold and bitter outlook of a woman whose career had been permanently damaged by his very existence.

"Are you going to give Margot the same advice?" He asked.

"I already have," She said curtly and without missing a beat.

Blaze had never felt worse for poor Margot. She was there on Delta every day to remind Le Blanc of her mistakes. They'd all envied her to a point. She was the only one whose foster parent hadn't been brutally taken from her, the only one who'd never been orphaned. Now Blaze could see she that Margot had probably shouldered her own unique burden.

"Lieutenant, my hope is that soon a solution to our biggest problems will be found. Then any discomfort felt by the people due to four little bumps in the road two decades ago will have been made obsolete and eventually forgotten, but until then..." She trailed off when she noticed the appalled look on the young man's face. She cleared her throat before going on. "Your people should see you at the download; supportive of the government you serve to protect, but once these two souls have arrived...well they might do better if you just let them be," She said turning to leave. "Think about it."

"I will, Doc," Blaze called over his shoulder," "Thanks a lot."

LOCATION: ALPHA SPACE STATION; approximately 200 miles above the surface of planet Earth

CORRIDOR A

CIVILIAN SECTOR

ALPHA THEATER AND CONCERT HALL

YEAR: 2315

"Saul, where the frak are you taking me? Laura complained as they made their way well into the civilian side of the station. "I swear we've already taken three tramways and two elevators. I didn't know this was going to be a hike."

When Saul had come to her cabin asking that she join him Laura was so close to turning him away. As they ventured further and further without reaching a destination she was beginning to wish that she had. He'd been so convincing, even charming when he asked. It was unlike him. It should have been her first clue.

With Bill gone for the morning she'd forced herself to read a few chapters in her book. She'd made the rack though no one went in the bedroom but them. She'd cleaned the kitchen even though it didn't need it. The tasks didnt matter. The mental avoidance and distraction they provided did. Since Bill's newest revelation Laura had become even more desperate to ignore her thoughts. She simply couldn't process what he'd revealed about her bloodline. She wouldn't; not if she could help it.

"Saul, what are you doing here?" She'd said in a less than welcoming tone.

"Good morning to you too, Laura," Saul caustically greeted in return.

"Are you here to remove that thing?" She'd asked nodding over to where Vladi stood outside the hatch.

The centurion's head suddenly turned a few degrees in their direction and she had to fight the urge to slam the door shut in both of their cylon faces.

"No, I'm not," Saul sighed. "But if you want I can replace Vladi with another centurion. Though, I don't know what the difference is if you can't tell one from the other," He squinted.

Laura didn't care for his suspicious tone.

"This one seems to have a little too much...interest in me."

"He's just trying to treat you like family, Laura," Saul smirked, enjoying her disturbed expression. "I'll switch him out if it means so much to ya, but I'm still keeping a centurion posted outside this hatch."

Once Bill told Laura about what she'd supposedly passed down to Katya her fear of the machine irrationally increased. She'd immediatly tossed away every little trinket it had given her. She began to over analyze just why it was always so friendly to her. It never so much as looked at Bill. Could it really somehow sense her? Did it know? Laura didn't want it around any longer. She wasn't interested in finding out.

"And what if I don't want a frakking toaster on my doorstep?" She'd challenged, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well then, this just isn't your morning is it?" Saul answered bravely taking a deliberate step forward.

"You know what I mean Saul," She'd defended, rolling her eyes at his implied equivalency.

"Laura, that isn't why I'm here. Now why don't you stop worrying about being some sort of second cylon once removed and just forget about it for a while?" He'd teased, making sure that she knew they were on the same page. "I came because I was wondering if you'd take a walk with me this morning."

"A walk?"

"Yes. I thought we could talk a bit. There's something I wana show you," He said gaining a wary look from her. "Bill told me that you were hoping to attend the Beta download this weekend. It's coming up. I know we told you both no before, but maybe you and I can discuss it a little further?" He attempted, trying to lure her out of the doorway.

Saul thought Laura seemed just about as tired as Katya had that morning. He could see the effects of the nightmares that Bill had told him about. Despirte her aparent fatigue her general appearance actually gave Saul an unexpected sense of comfort. He couldn't help but remember how he'd last seen her on the surface of the planet below; far too thin and unable to even stand on her own. As Saul looked at Laura standing within her doorway on Alpha he thought that she looked damned good. She was a little sleepy, but she was healthy and beautiful. Her pond green eyes were clear and her skin was bright, the way he remembered her on New Caprica. They'd worked together back then toward a common goal. Maybe they could work together again.

"Bill's not with you," She'd observed.

"No ma'am. He was but I sent him off to find something to keep himself occupied. Besides, I've already spoken to the Old Man. I want to speak to you. C'mon make an old toaster happy, Roslin," Saul smiled with confidence.

After another minute of apprehension Laura had nodded unsure of what she was agreeing to and she'd left with the Colonel.

After a longer trek than she'd expected she was starting to get annoyed. Saul hadn't spoken much as they walked and they had walked an awful lot.

"Can I at least know where you're taking me? For all I know you're going to walk me right out of an airlock."

"Relax, Laura. We're here now and besides, that was your signature move, not mine," Saul winked. "Right this way," He said, gesturing to a set of large double doors at the end of an open lobby-like area.

Laura looked at the unusual entrance and was surprised to see that its doors were far more ornate than any hatchways she'd seen on station before. Though the civilian side of Alpha did have more character to it the doors still looked out of place on aboard the vessel. Glancing upward she read the words that were projected on the wall over the doorway;

'The Alpha Theater and Concert Hall, est. 2200.'

"A theater?" She said squinting at Saul.

"Yes ma'am," He affirmed. "Let's go."

Saul backed himself up against one of the large auditorium doors and started to lean in to open it when Laura abruptly grabbed his hand and pulled him back.

"Colonel, wait," She said pointing to a small image screen beside the door. "The screen says that it's closed for a private lesson."

Saul rolled his eye and pushed back on the door again.

"Yeah, well I've paid for so many of those private lessons over the years I think I'm entitled to view as many as I want. C'mon, Laura," He said opening the door for her.

As the entrance opened Laura could hear the sounds of a symphony coming from the concert hall and she hesitated to enter. Saul gestured with his hand encouraging her to hurry through. When she finally did he quickly let the door close extingushing the lobby light that had followed them in.

Once inside Laura could tell that the music was playing through speakers and far too low and flat to have been coming from the orchestra pit. The seats were empty and the house lights were on but dimmed. On the stage stood two dancers; a man and a woman under the bright lights.

"Keep going," Saul instructed in a low voice as he walked behind Laura.

She turned back and looked at him as if she were about to stop, but she kept her stride for a few more paces.

"Here's good," He said directing her to stop as they made it just past the halfway point between the back row and the pit.

Saul leaned against the wall of the aisle guiding Laura to do the same and promptly gave his attentions to the dancers on the stage.

Laura was still confused but she took his lead and looked toward the performers as she too settled against the wall.

They were a good distance away but their position gave them a clear enough view. Laura could see the lean muscular arms of the male dancer as he lifted up his partner and placed her back down with ease. She could see the blush satin of the woman's shoes wrapped tightly around her delicate ankles. They looked almost impossible to even stand in but the dancer moved with superb grace as if she were floating on air. She wore a simple black leotard and sheer white tights that emphasized the impressive lines of her body. Her dark hair was pinned up into a large bun and Laura had to smile at the fact that it was almost half the size of her head. When the young woman stopped abruptly amidst her performance to rub at a crick in her neck Laura's smile quickly faded. As the dancer resumed her posture and continued Laura finally realized who she was looking at.

"Why did you take me here?" She asked softly but with anger quite aparent in her voice.

"Because I thought you might like to watch," Saul answered without taking his eyes off of the dancers. "Classy gal like you, I thought you might appreciate this sort of thing."

Laura's mouth went dry and she could feel her pulse starting to quicken.

"You know what I mean, Saul. That's Katya up there, isn't it?"

"Sure is," He smiled proudly, still watching her dance.

Laura was growing more and more anxious as she stood there. Saul seemed so at ease. He looked happy. He didn't seem to care at all that she was upset with him

"You lied to me," She accused.

"Cool your jets and keep your voice down, Laura. I did not. I told you I wanted to show you something," He said glancing at her and then back to the stage.

"You said you wanted to talk about the Beta download," She shot back harshly, careful to keep her volume low in spite of its heated inflection.

"And I still do," Saul added, beaming as the arrangement ended.

He had to stop himself from applauding out of habit.

Laura frowned at Saul's totally distracted expression and then nervously looked back at the stage where the young man and woman seemed to be standing at ease and talking amongst themselves now that the music had ceased.

"I'm leaving," She announced, uncaring of whether she had Saul's attentions or not.

"You shouldn't," He said as he finally turned to face her.

"Why the hell not?"

"We came all this way. Besides these are two of the most talented kids in the Orbit system. There isn't a lot of art like this left in the world. I thought you might like to experience some of it," He shrugged.

Laura chanced another look toward the young pair. Her pulse was throbbing in her ears. She tried so hard to stop the thoughts from rushing through her mind but they were rushing in like a flash flood on Leonis.

She'd been blocking the girl's image from her mind for days, slipping now and then only to wind up in the head in tears or sick to her stomach. Katya looked like a porcelain doll as she stood up on stage; a far cry from the uniformed officer whose mouth spit deadlier bullets than the weapon she toted.

"What if she sees me?" She asked weakly.

Saul reached for Laura's wrist and gently pulled her back against the aisle wall by his side.

"Don't worry about that, Laura. I promise you she won't," He said placing his hand on her shoulder to reassure her. "She can't see this far out with those lights on her. That's why Ellen always made sure that we sat right up front so Katya could see us if she ever glanced down at the audience," He explained. "Trust me. I didn't take you here to start a scene."

Laura looked back at the stage. Katya seemed to be laughing at something the young man had showed her his station cuff. The scene sent a rush through her that she couldn't explain at first. Then she realized what it was. She'd never seen a genuine smile on the girl's face before.

"That's Yuri Petrov. He's Alexi's cousin," Saul said gesturing to the light haired young man. "He used to be one of Katya's partners back when this was one of the biggest parts of her life."

Laura swallowed hard and nodded.

"You see that old crone sitting way in the front there?" He asked as he pointed toward an elderly woman who sat alone in the first seat of the front row.

As if on cue the woman shouted something at the two dancers.

Laura cringed. She and Saul were too far away to hear clearly, but she didn't think she'd be able to understand the woman's shrill alien words anyway. The old lady sat so low in her chair that had Saul not pointed her out Laura didn't think that she would have ever noticed her.

"That's Madame Oksana Lobanova. She was Katya's ballet instructor from the time she could walk until she was seventeen and she enlisted in the military. I hate that old bat with a passion. She's about a hundred and fifty years old and one of the meanest ladies you'll ever meet," Saul said with a chuckle. "But she's one of the only people to have ever tamed our little Koshka. She taught her discipline and dedication. She also sent her home crying and with her toes bleeding half the time, but Katya wouldn't have had it any other way. She didn't give this up until she had to," Saul finished as the music started again and the two dancers took their places.

Laura's lips parted as she watched the stunning positions that Katya was twisting herself into. She did it with even breaths and a smile on her face as if it were the easiest thing in the world.

"I told Bill that she's got your legs for sure" Saul teased as he looked back at Katya's arabesque penché.

Laura's eyes widened at his statement and at the impossible balance exhibited in front of them.

"I don't know, Saul. I've never done anything like that with mine," Laura said marveling at the near pin straight lines and fluid movements.

Saul chuckled at her comment.

"Yeah, well she's had years of training. You should see her when she's well. Right now she's only giving it about fifty percent."

The climbing tempo of the music gave Laura the chills.

"Should she really be doing this right now, Saul? I mean…she looks better but…"

"No, she shouldn't," He said cutting her off. "It was suggested to her as a form of physical therapy to help with her injuries and balance. She was supposed to wait until she felt better but if you haven't noticed, she's a stubborn brat," Saul smirked.

"I've noticed," Laura said flatly.

"But…she's also an angel when she wants to be, when she's happy," Saul started in a more genuine voice than Laura thought she'd ever heard him use. "She was the sweetest thing I think I ever laid my sight on when she was a little girl. I remember coming to see her dance for the first time. She looked like a little firefly prancing around that big stage. I never cared for this sort of thing, but after seeing her a few times I couldn't get enough of it. I came to every recital and every show she was in as long as my duty allowed. She's captivating when she's up there," He said glancing at Laura as she watched the duo. "She's also quiet when she's up there, so that helps with the appeal," He joked trying to get a smile out of her, but as her eyes began to water he knew that his humor had been lost to her ears.

"I shouldn't be here," Laura whispered as her throat tightened.

"I wanted to take you," Saul said looking over at her, but Laura's eyes were as stuck on the stage as his had been before. "When Bill first knew about Kat and he was still trying to find a way to tell you... there was a day he took you to the observation deck on this side of the station. I had told him that Katya would be on patrol. I don't know if he ever shared that with you later on. He knew that she was out there while you two sat and looked at the view. Bill got to watch her fly. I thought maybe you'd like to see her dance," He admitted.

Laura took a deep breath that shook the whole way down. Bill hadn't told her. He probably had no idea of what he should and shouldn't share with her anymore. She didnt blame him for it.

"I wanted to show you this side of her," Saul went on. "Kat isn't what she seems most of the time, Laura. That's part of her; the stubbornness, the attitude. You're right about that to a degree…but she can also be sweet and gentle and she's loyal to a fault. When she loves someone she loves them for life no matter what," He said with a sigh as he recalled every trial and experiment that Isakoff had ever involved his daughter in.

Saul wished that he'd been there to stop it. He wished that he and Ellen had raised her from the time she was born so that he could have spared her all of it. He wished he could have been there from the start and given her the father that she deserved instead of one who used her like a tool. Still, Saul knew that she'd loved the awful man and that she always would. He understood it. It was the same way he loved Ellen even through times when she didn't deserve it.

"I guess I lost the chance to know that side of her," Laura said watching the weightless leaps and jumps and the way Katya nearly floated in Yuri's arms. "I probably messed it up for Bill too," She added as her eyes filled to the brim once more.

She rubbed away the threatening tears when they blurred her view of the site before her.

Saul could see the emotion on her face and for a moment he eased up on the sentiment.

"I think this piece is from their biggest performance together. It was a winter ballet performed during the holiday season. I guess you could compare it to our Saturnalia or Winter Solstice back on the Colonies," He said attempting explain the festive time of year. "When they were young they danced the children's leads. Kat played a little girl whose toys come alive at night and Yuri played her doll, a handsome prince. Once they were old enough they starred in it together again in the lead adult roles. Opening night was one of the proudest nights of my life, Ellen's too. She still insists on watching the video every winter even though it embarrasses the hell out of Katya. Lobanova used to tell us that had our kitten been born during different times she could have made a shining career of this. She said that she could have been a true prima ballerina, that she had a gift, but…well, we just don't live in that kind of world anymore. She's made a fine pilot instead," Saul affirmed with a smile, but Laura's face was frozen with a mix of pain and awe.

She couldn't believe that the graceful woman on stage was the same little baby who was haunting her dreams. Watching her impressive strength and obvious talent made it hard to imagine that she was actually once the scrawny little bundle that she'd given birth to.

"Gods, she's beautiful," Laura said shaking her head and flicking away some fallen tears.

"She is," Saul agreed. "And...I want to thank you for her, Laura. You and Bill really made us a true treasure. Ellen and I will always be grateful for that."

He saw her breath catch a bit, but when she seemed to be keeping her composure well enough he went on.

"Laura, I want to explain some things to you about Katya," Saul said looking back at the stage. He grimaced trying to remember everything that he'd wanted to say. "We let her enlist a year early because it was all she wanted to do with her life. She even gave up this passion to do it. She grew up hearing about her father and brothers and Starbuck and she never wanted to do anything else but follow in their footsteps. All four kids decided to serve their people. Alexi says it was the least they could do after their creation turned out to be a big disappointment. It's a shame that they think that way but I guess I understand it."

Laura looked over at Saul and narrowed her eyes in confusion over his sudden list of justifications.

"And we approved her marriage license last year when they applied because Alexi was almost of age anyway. We knew that they would do it as soon as they were both old enough. They wanted housing together and that's the only way to do it in the service. I know she's young but they've loved each other for a long time. Alexi and Katya both have dangerous jobs, dangerous lives. She goes out every day and risks her life. We never know if she's coming back. I know that's sort of a morbid way of looking at it, but we didn't want her to miss out on something she wanted so badly," He said with a quaking grimace. "The night of their wedding I just kept asking myself how the frak I was going to explain to Laura Roslin that I'd let her daughter marry Gaius Baltar's son, but believe me when I tell you this, Laura; that boy is not his father, not even close."

Laura suddenly realized what Saul was trying to do. He was trying to account for everything she'd admonished Ellen for the night of their confrontation. Her words had obviously effected him.

"Saul, you don't have to explain yourself to me. I was out of line. I shouldn't have said any of that. Ellen was right; you're her parents. I don't know what it's like and I don't have any right to judge the choices that you made with her. Please don't feel like you have to explain every decision to me. It doesn't matter what I think," She said shaking her head.

"It does to me. Every time I made one I did it with you and Bill in mind, wondering what you two would do, wondering if you would approve. I just wanted you both to be proud once you met her. I know we didn't do things the way either of you probably would have. I know she took on my temper and Ellen's flair for dramatics…But she's also funny and kind and exceptionally bright. She's great with the kids aboard the station and she's helpful and giving. We spoiled her; we gave her as much love as we possibly could and I know we made mistakes but if you really knew her, Laura…"

"That's not what she wants, Saul," Laura interrupted, finally seeing exactly where he was leading.

Saul shook his head.

"That's just it; Kat doesn't know what she wants. She's confused and it's making her angry. You don't understand how much she used to want that. You don't know how many times I had to recite the same old stories over and over again; the time Mommy went to Kobol, the time Mommy commandeered a cylon basestar, the time Mommy and Uncle Saul almost stole an election but then Daddy screwed it up," Saul attempted to joke but he only saw a glimmer of amusement shining back at him in Laura's wet eyes. "She loved every story I had about you and she was just waiting until the day she would meet you for herself. When she got older she started to understand that her existence might not go over that well once you arrived. That put a damper on things. She started to really grasp what had been done to you and it tinged every hope she had with the fear of rejection. Still, I don't think she ever stopped wanting to know you for herself."

Laura closed her eyes for a moment unable to keep her sights on the girl in question. . Katya had lived with the painful knowledge of how she'd come to be. It was too big of a burden for such a young life to bear. Laura understood the anger that seemed to follow her. It was the same anger she now carried herself.

"I think I built you up in her head, Laura," Saul admitted, interrupting her thoughts. When she looked at him he was staring right at her, his one eye sullen and apologetic. "So much so that you couldn't possibly live up to the image she had of you. You're an impressive woman. I'll give you that but I shouldn't have made you out to be some sort of infallible being. She was just so in love with the idea of you. It was nice to see the look in her eyes when we talked about you and Bill. I'll take the blame for that part," He confessed.

Laura was stunned at his words. She'd been so angry and so filled with resentment that she'd hardly taken much time to consider what Katya's life with the Tighs was really like. She'd been blaming all of Katya's faults on them; everything that she couldn't stand about a daughter who she and Bill had conceived. It hurt too much to believe they'd produced a child whose personality she just couldn't handle. It was easier to blame it on Ellen, to think that she'd been a poor influence on the girl, but Laura knew it was mostly an excuse. The Tighs loved her daughter unconditionally and she was angry and bitter that she didn't feel the same way.

"Katya shared something with me once that her foster father used to tell her about religion. He told her that people lost their faith when they looked to gods and found them to be but men. I think she's finally starting to understand what he meant by that. I think we all are…" Saul trailed off looking back at the stage distracted by the crescendo. "I really wish she wouldn't spin like that just yet," He said clearing his throat as he watched Yuri turn Katya by her ribcage.

Laura sighed.

"I don't know what it is you think I'm supposed to do. She doesn't want me anywhere near her, Saul. Did you take me here to just observe from afar? Because I don't think I can take this much longer. I'm not going to stand here and torture myself," She said holding back more threatening tears.

Saul shook his head.

"Go to her. Talk to her," He said simply. "Laura, she won't turn you away. I promise you that."

Saul's expression was honest. Laura could see that he believed what he was telling her, but she didn't have much faith in his words.

"Even if that were true…I can't face her. I insulted her. I insulted Ellen...she seems to love her so deeply," Laura said letting another tear make its way down her cheek without chasing it off with her thumb.

"She does. They love each other," Saul affirmed. "So much so that I'm sure if I were to fall off the face of the station tomorrow they'd both be just fine without me," He teased. "So apologize to Katya. It's a good way to start and you better believe she'll want it from you before you say much else. But don't you worry about Ellen. Believe it or not she's rooting for the two of you in her own way. It's just been hard for both of them. Katya's the closest thing Ellen's ever had to a daughter and Ellen's the only mother Katya's ever known. Ellen's afraid of losing her and Katya's afraid of disappointing Ellen. My wife doesn't want your apology, Laura. She doesn't need it. What she needs is for her little girl to be happy and if that means connecting with you then she won't try to stop it…not anymore."

"I wouldn't know where to start."

They both winced as they saw Katya stop again and painfully roll her neck from side to side with Yuri's help. She was obviously pushing herself.

"She's a kid Laura. She looks all grown up and she tries to act the part, but she's still got a long way to go. Be a mom, teach her something, show her it's okay to swallow your pride and give in once in awhile. Lords know it's a lesson she needs to learn," Saul suggested.

Laura didn't know if she could truly face Katya. There was so much wrapped up in the young woman's presence. When Laura looked at her she didn't just see what she'd missed in her current lifetime but her last as well. She already felt like a failure. After seeing the picture of her baby and knowing the feeling of recognizing her own child she had started to hate herself for not instinctively knowing the moment she first met her. Shouldn't she have realized? Shouldn't she have felt it? Sometimes she thought that she had deep down, but she couldn't be sure. The fact that she might have known on some level and repressed it made her feel even worse. Perhaps she was never supposed to be a mother. Maybe she just didn't have it in her. Maybe Ellen was right. The more that she learned about the girl the harder it was to look at her. She felt the sting of failure seeping in deeper as she watched Katya's lithe body elegantly perform. She looked so strong and beautiful, but Laura knew now that she'd failed her even from conception. She'd made her baby with cylon blood and passed down an almost certain battle with an awful illness in her future. How could she face Katya knowing that?

"I don't know if I can do that Saul. I don't know if I want to."

"I think you do. I see it in your eyes when you look at her. I know that look because it's the same way Ellen looks at her; like that's your baby girl and no one else in the room matters near as much...Do it, Laura. Do it for Kat, do it for Bill, do it for yourself. Just frakking do it. If you don't you might regret it. You've seen what it's like to wait at home while she's out in combat. Soon she'll be recovered and back out there. Can you sit through another night like the one we just had without at least trying?"

Laura was too afraid to try. She was too afraid of what it might mean to actually know her daughter. What if they tried and it still turned out they couldn't stand each other? What if Katya did turn her away again? Could she even handle it once more?

Saul and Laura were both caught off guard when the sharp shouting of Madame Lobanova came screeching from the front row. She stayed seated but brandished what looked to be a cane in the air.

"See? I told you. She's evil," Saul whispered, grimacing in the old woman's direction.

A glance toward Yuri and Katya showed that they weren't fazed by the crone's outburst as they followed whatever harsh instruction or critique the old lady had just shouted their way.

Saul moved in front of Laura making sure that he had her full attention.

"Laura, I want to make you an offer. I told you that we would talk about the download. I understand why you want to go to Beta. Bill explained it to me and I think you're right. It would be good to have you there for Helo and Athena," He relented.

"So we can go?" She asked peeking passed his shoulder to get a look at the stage.

"Well, there's a catch. If you manage to at least try and visit Katya tomorrow then I'll make sure that you and Bill are on the last shuttle out to the Beta quadrant by the end of the day. I don't care if I have to take on Michelle Le Blanc or the entire EOC. If they need some convincing well then Ellen can just hold the raiders, the centurions and the whole stream ransom if that's what it takes. We'll get you there and make sure that you're safe. You understand how dangerous it is out there right now. If you're brave enough to want to make the trip then you're brave enough to take on that ballerina up there," He said gesturing back toward the stage.

Laura's eyes narrowed at the Colonel.

"That's not fair, Saul."

"I know it, but that's my offer. It will do you both a lot of good. It will do us all a lot of good. No one wants to live like this anymore, Laura. It's hurting all of us. I told Katya and Ellen that we all need to find a way to be a family. That includes you. We need your help."

A family, Laura thought as she looked back at the stage.

"She's moving back to her cabin tonight," Saul added. "If you go to her there tomorrow morning before she leaves for Beta you won't have to worry about Ellen and I being around to interfere. It'll be just you and her."

The thought gave Laura chills. Had she ever even been alone with Katya? Maybe long ago back when they still shared blood and breath, before the problems of the world came along to force them apart, back when their hearts still beat together, before either of them was aware enough to know it. With a deep sigh she looked toward the stage again. Yuri held Katya with one hand on her ribs and the other clasped with hers high in the air, but they suddenly didn't seem to be moving.

"Saul," Laura called in a louder voice than she should have.

He turned his head in time to see Katya's legs give out and watch her sink to the stage floor with Yuri's help.

"Damn it," He said under his breath. "I frakkin' knew it."

Katya sat slunk over with her head in her hands and her knees bent. Yuri crouched next to her rubbing her back and obviously trying to comfort her. The old woman slowly got up and started hobbling her way to the front of the stage with her cane as if she were climbing a mountainside with a staph.

"She looks sick," Laura worriedly said grabbing on to Saul's arm.

He nodded.

"She's okay," He tried to assure her, though he wasn't exactly convinced himself. "She probably got a little dizzy."

Saul looked at his cuff and started tapping away.

"You should go to her," Laura insisted but the Colonel shook his head.

"I'm messaging Alexi. He planned on taking her to the doctor once she came home. He can just come get her right from here," Saul said knowing that his alert would have Alexi there shortly and no doubt angry at his stubborn wife.

Saul needed to get Laura out of the theater before Katya noticed them.

"C'mon, Laura," He said starting back up the aisle.

"Saul, we can't just leave her like that," She said trying to keep her voice down as she walked after him.

"She'll be fine. Yuri is family. He won't let anything happen to her. Alexi will be here in no time. We need to go," He said reaching back and taking her by the hand.

Laura looked over her shoulder the whole way to the door.

LOCATION: ALPHA SPACE STATION; approximately 200 miles above the surface of planet Earth

CORRIDOR B

MILITARY QUARTERS

CABIN 119B: ASSIGNMENT; TIGH

YEAR: 2315

Katya felt numb. She hardly felt like she was in her own body as she sat at the dinner table staring into space. She shouldn't have attempted to handle a family dinner, not so soon after what she'd just learned. Alexi had wanted to skip it. She should have listened, but it was her last night at home so she'd forced herself to stay for Ellen.

"Katya, sweetie, you're not eating," Ellen said as she passed a bowl to Saul.

The typical dinner time nagging went in one ear and out the other. As if on auto pilot Katya stabbed some food onto her fork; a move that always bought her some time.

"Katya," Ellen called again, frowning at the distant look on the girl's face.

"Kit!" Saul shouted across the table.

"Huh?" Katya said finally looking up from her plate.

After escorting Laura to her cabin Saul returned home. When he shared with Ellen what had transpired between he and Laura at the theater he left out Katya's dizzy spell to save her the worry. Alexi was taking care of it and Saul didn't want to alarm her. Ellen was already aware of Katya's plans to visit the doctor anyway. Saul figured that there was little point in further stressing his wife, especially with the trip she had coming up.

"Ellen's talking to you," He barked.

"Sorry," Katya mumbled softly before looking back down and continuing to poke at her food.

Alexi watched his wife intently. Her mind was elsewhere and she couldn't hide it. He couldn't blame her after the bombshell that had just been dropped on them during their visit to Med Ward. He was having his own trouble getting through the meal, but for Katya's sake he felt as if he had to cover for the both of them.

"Yehst, myshka," He told her.

She nodded and took a bite.

"Sweetie, what did Tawny say?" Ellen asked as she folded a napkin in her lap.

When Alexi and Katya had arrived at the cabin for dinner they'd both gone straight into her room and close the door after a couple of half hearted greetings. They hadn't come out again until Ellen called them to the table. When she'd asked them what they were up to they both claimed to have been busy packing up Katya's things.

"She's fine," Alexi answered catching both Saul and Ellen by surprise. Katya answered for him all of the time, quiet as he was, but it was a strange occurrence to hear him do so for her. "She's cleared for the trip tomorrow afternoon," He added hoping to erase the perturbed expressions on the Tigh's faces.

Ellen looked back at Katya and addressed her once again.

"That's good, baby. Did Tawny do another cranial scan?" She asked, still worried about the lingering effects of the concussion.

Katya's symptoms should have been lessening by now and the fact that some were still plaguing her had Ellen on edge.

Katya glanced at her husband before answering.

"Yeah," She said avoiding Ellen's eyes. "Everything's fine."

"What's with you?" Ellen sighed, shaking her head.

Katya glanced up in her direction.

"Nothing. Why?"

"You've been acting like a zombie since you got home," Ellen accused.

"She's tired," Alexi answered again. This time Ellen shot him a nasty look, but he ignored it. "She shouldn't have gone to the theater this morning," He went on. "That's all. She wiped herself out. She pushed herself too damn far," He explained while casually reaching for a second helping from the center of the table.

Saul nodded in agreement and took the explanation without doubt. He'd seen the way Katya had danced earlier. Though she handled it well at first she'd eventually overdone it. He wasn't surprised to see her acting a little aloof as they ate. Alexi was probably right. She had to be exhausted.

Saul wasn't going to share the on-stage tumble with Ellen unless Katya brought it up first and both kids seemed to be avoiding it. He assumed they too were attempting to spare Ellen the stress. Everyone understood the responsibility that she had in the upcoming download on Beta.

"Did Tawny say when you can return to active flight duty?" Saul asked before taking a sip of his drink.

Katya silently shook her head.

Saul frowned at her minimal response. He'd expected some follow up, some comment about how Tawny didn't know what she was talking about or how pissed Katya was that she'd still have to wait to fly, but she almost looked uninterested. He looked to Ellen and saw growing the concern on her face.

"Why didn't you see Xao?" He grumbled, becoming a little more suspicious. "He's your doctor."

Katya wanted to sink into floor and dissapear.

"Because Tawny was the one who treated her after the collision," Alexi explained on her behalf. "So she had to follow up with her."

"What else did she say?" Ellen pressed, glancing at Alexi as if to tell him to shut up before he even tried to open his mouth again.

Usually they could hardly get two words out of him at a time. Suddenly he was Katya's spokesman.

"Nothing," Katya shrugged.

She kept having to remind herself to breathe. She felt like she was in a dense fog. She and Alexi should really go. They had so much to discuss. She would miss being back home and getting to sleep in her old bed with Ellen's doting care, but they needed to leave. After what they had just found out they needed to be alone.

"Nothing?" Ellen tested in disbelief. "What about your neck?"

"She said to keep going to PT," Katya answered.

"Then that's not nothing," Ellen countered.

Katya dropped her fork causing it to clatter loudly on her plate.

"Please, Ellen, it's fine. I'm tired. Alexi's right. I was stupid this morning. I'm an idiot. I was wrong to go dance. You were all right. I'm sorry. I have a bad headache. Can we talk about something else, please?" She ranted, unleashing the many frustrations that she had unknowingly built up as she sat there.

She really couldn't feel anything. Numb was an understatement.

As Ellen glanced around the table she saw that Alexi's eyes were glued to his wife. Something was up with them but for now she would let it go.

"Fine," She said with some ice in her tone. "I'm leaving for Beta at 0600. I want you three there by the afternoon," She told the table.

Alexi nodded.

"I have a tutoring session in the morning and Katya has PT with Buck," He answered. "We can head out right after that, Colonel, unless you and Kat want to take off early. I can take a later shuttle. "

"No, that's fine. I'll schedule our flight tonight," Saul added. "I'll send you the itinerary before bed and I'll meet you two on deck."

"Yes, Sir," Alexi replied.

"That alright with you, Kat?" Saul asked, but his daughter was zoned out yet again. "Kat?" He called more forcefully.

Ellen shook her head and reached over the table. When she placed her hand over Katya's the girl jumped at her touch as if someone had just snuck up on her.

"Kit, what the frak is wrong with you?" Ellen demanded.

"Nothing," Katya insisted with a roll of her eyes. "I'm sorry, Aunt Ellen. Really, I'm just so damn tired. I don't feel good. I just need some sleep. Alexi, when you're done can we get going?"

"Of course," The Sergeant answered.

He began shoveling food in his mouth to clear his plate.

Ellen glanced at Saul but he looked as confused as she felt. She let out a relenting huff.

"Will you at least call me in the morning when you wake up, kit?" She asked. "Put my mind at ease while I'm away?" She said, playing to her guilt.

Katya nodded.

"Yeah, first thing," She assured, hoping that her quick agreement would be enough.

Alexi stood up from the table and pushed his chair back in.

"I'll go get your things, myshka," He said excusing himself.

Saul pushed his plate away and rested both hands on the table top.

"You better rest up tonight, kit. You'll need it tomorrow," He vaguely warned, pushing his chair out and standing up. "Trust me," He added before retiring to his bedroom.

Ellen bit her lip at his underhanded reference. He'd told all about how he'd left the ball in Laura's court. She knew all about their little deal. She would be far away on Beta when and if Laura actually showed up at Katya's cabin. It killed her to know that she wouldn't even be on the same station while the two of them were together in the same room. On top of it all she had to worry about contending with the EOC if Saul really did decide to honor his promise to bring Bill and Laura to Beta. She was angry with him for making a promise that she would have to fulfill.

Once Saul was out of earshot Ellen gave Katya a knowing look.

"Are you going to tell me the truth now that we're alone?" She asked.

Katya looked back at her remaining silent and stone faced.

"Guess not," Ellen said before pressing her lips together in a hard line.

"Da'vai," Alexi's voice broke the tension as he returned to the kitchen.

He held a few of Katya's bags and had her uniform slung over his shoulder on a hanger.

Katya got up from her chair slowly and walked over to Ellen.

"Thank you for taking care of me," She said leaning over and kissing her on the cheek.

Ellen's anger melted with the sweet gesture, but her concern stayed solid.

"Just promise me that you'll take care of yourself, kitten," She said reaching for the girl's hand and giving it a squeeze.

Katya nodded.

"I promise."

Ellen stood and took her into her arms.

Katya returned the hug and took a deep breath inhaling her perfume.

"Love you," Katya said tightening her arms.

She was sure that she would wake in the middle of the night wishing that Ellen were there to hold her, but Alexi would be with her instead and it was time that she looked to her husband for comfort.

"Love you more," Ellen answered.

As Katya moved toward the door Ellen tried to study the girl. Often she could get a feel of what Katya was thinking as long as she wasn't actively blocking it; another gift from the cylon stream. At the moment she couldn't read a damn thing.

"Good luck, Aunt Ellen," Katya called as she went through the hatch.

"You too, kit," Ellen said after the door was closed.

If Laura showed up she'd need it and something told Ellen it was needed all around.

LOCATION: ALPHA SPACE STATION; approximately 200 miles above the surface of planet Earth

CORRIDOR B

MILITARY QUARTERS

CABIN 139B: ASSIGNMENT; ISAKOFF/PETROV

YEAR: 2315

The night had been more peaceful than either Alexi or Katya had expected. They were able to find some comfort in the privacy of their own home and in each other's arms. They'd even managed to get some sleep. Katya only woke once and Alexi was relieved when he was able to soothe her back to sleep in a matter of minutes. They hadn't spoken much of the day's events, mostly because they were still too stunned. It was something that would be dealt with later. They both agreed that it would have to take a back seat for a few days. They had places to be and they had a friend in need. Once they returned home to Alpha they would figure things out for themselves.

Eager to occupy her thoughts Katya woke early and headed to physical therapy. Mindful of Ellen's concern she called her as promised.

Ellen was relieved and happy to hear from her. They spoke as Katya walked to the gym and as Ellen passed the time in the shuttle on her way to Beta.

Though she was worried Ellen was careful not to probe too deeply while talking to her daughter. She was glad to hear that Katya sounded much better over the call than she had the night before during dinner. She took comfort in knowing that they would be together again by the afternoon. She had stayed up half the night worrying about Katya's strange behavior and about Laura's potential visit. Just because she'd told Katya that she wanted her to be accepting toward her birthmother didnt mean that it would be easy to deal with on her end. She would be fighting a constant battle to keep her jealously from getting the best of her.

Once Ellen's shuttle was about to dock they said their goodbyes, promising each other a more pleasant dinner on Beta later on.

Done with her PT Katya returned home to shower and pack for the trip. When she arrived Alexi was still in the middle of his tutoring session. He sat with a little boy that they both regularly taught; the son of another military couple on station of Eastern Federalist decent. Alexi had Tchaikovsky softly playing through the cabin speakers. He always insisted that they play classical music while their students were there. He said that it stimulated the mind and helped them learn. As Katya walked up to where they were seated at the kitchen table the sight of Alexi with the young boy made her smile. He was usually so serious, but when he spoke to the children on station she got to see a completely different side of him.

"Hello boys," She greeted, throwing her gym bag off to the side.

Alexi just waved in her direction, obviously concerned with whatever he was grading on the boy's tablet. She laughed and shook her head at the intensity he used even in marking a seven-year-old's homework.

"Privheyt, Katya," The boy greeted, rushing out of his seat and running to hug her hips.

"Hello, Maksim," She smiled down and tousled his sandy blonde hair with her hand. "Are you working hard this morning?" She asked.

"Dah," He happily replied .

"Oh yeah? How 'bout you?" She teased, poking at Alexi's shoulder while he busily scanned the screen he was on.

He waved her off in dismissal.

"Alexi is helping me with algebra," Maksim proudly announced to Katya.

"And how is it going?" She asked trying to feign as much excitement as the child obviously felt.

"Kah roh'shoh," He beamed.

"Oh really? That's nice to hear, but Maksim, what's with all the E-fed? You know better than that when you're at a lesson."

The boy shrugged.

"Alexi does it," He deflected looking over at his teacher.

"Does he?" Katya remarked with exaggerated wide eyes. "Well, Alexi knows better than that too."

Katya looked over at her husband, goading for an explanation.

"His parents speak it at home, Kat," He grumbled. "What's the difference?"

"The difference is, Alexi; that you are a certified instructor within the Earth Orbit Education System. You've promised to uphold their standards and that means using a universal language," She said matter-of-factly. "Doesn't it Maksim?" She prompted, looking back at the grinning boy.

"Yes?" He shrugged.

"That's right," She winked. "Now sometimes Alexi forgets. When he does you remind him okay?"

"But Katya, you have E-fed right here," Maksim said reaching up to point at her bare ribs.

She'd forgotten that the midriff tank she'd worn to PT exposed her tattoos.

Alexi finally looked up at her, amused that she'd been caught by the precocious kid.

Katya squinted her eyes at her husband and then smiled back at Maksim. She bent down on her knees so he could get a better look.

"That's right, Maks. I do. Can you read that? It's in old Cyrillic writing," She told him.

The boy ran a chubby finger over the black characters that were inked onto the skin of Katya's ribcage. When he seemed to be having trouble with the old text she helped him out.

"Dochka," She told him.

"Daughter?" He asked looking up at her.

She nodded and smiled.

"Very good."

"Why do you have that?" Maksim asked poking at the letters with his little finger and making her giggle.

"My Uncle Saul took me to get it a few years ago on the anniversary of my father's birthday. He passed away a long time ago. I have it to help me remember him. Sometime that's okay. We shouldn't forget about the old language. It's fine if your parents speak E-fed at home, but when we're in class we should try to follow the Orbit rules. Don't you think?"

She ignored Alexi as he chuckled quietly at the table enjoying her explanation.

"Yes," Maksim agreed.

"Good," She smiled.

"Then…why do you have this one?" The little boy asked, moving his finger to poke at her ribs on her right side where she sported the silhouette of a cat against the full moon.

Alexi was blatantly grinning while he watched the display.

"Well, uh, the cat is for my call-sign when I fly and the moon behind it is for my squadron; Luna Force," Katya explained as the child continued to trace the shape of the cat against the moon. "I got this one when I made the first air group because I was proud of it."

"Your callsign, Katya…isn't it…Koshka?" Maksim asked.

"Yes. That's why I got the cat. Understand?"

"Yes…but…Katya, that's more E-fed," The boy said innocently.

Alexi finally let out a hearty laugh and Katya just palmed her forehead at a loss.

"You're not going to help me out at all are you, Lex?" Katya said standing back up and squinting at her husband. He shook his head unable to speak as he held back more laughter. "I guess that's good to know for the future," She chided.

"You did very well, little man," Alexi said, handing the boy his tablet and distracting him from the impromptu lesson on tattoo symbolism.

Katya wasn't sure if Alexi's compliment was about the boy's course work or getting one over on her, but she had a feeling that he was proud of both.

"We're done for the morning," He said giving the boy a pat on the shoulder.

"Katya, my sister needs help with her science," Maksim reminded.

"Oh, that's right. Tell your parents to message me and I'll set something up with Dasha when I come back from Beta Station, okay?"

"Okay," He agreed.

"I'm taking a shower, Lex," She told her husband as she walked toward their bedroom.

"Alright. I'm gunna walk him home. I'll finish packing when I get back," He called after her. "The colonel's message said to be on deck at 1400 or he's leaving without us."

"I'm really worried," She mocked with a roll of her eyes as she looked back over her shoulder. "Bye, Maksim."

Katya turned to blow him a kiss and then continued into the room.

The little boy immediately blushed at the gesture and looked up to the towering sergeant.

"Let's go, Maks," Alexi smirked, shaking his head and taking Maksim's hand.

"Should we turn the music off, Alexi?"

"No way. Let's make it louder so Koshka can hear it all the way in the head," He said, making the boy laugh as he turned the volume up using his cuff. "C'mon. Let's go."

Alexi moved to open the hatch and was surprised to hear a startled gasp on the other side as he yanked it open.

Laura Roslin stood with her hand over her heart looking as if she'd been scared half to death. Alexi was sure that he wasn't too far from looking just as shocked. They both stared at each other for a few seemingly endless moments before Laura finally spoke.

"I'm so sorry, Sergeant. You took me by surprise. I was just about to knock," She lied.

In truth she had been about to walk away before he'd opened the door. She'd been standing outside the hatch trying to convince herself to knock for the last few minutes but just couldn't find the courage. She'd considered telling Saul that she went and that no one was home. He couldn't say that she hadn't tried so she would still get to go to Beta. She would just have to deal with feeling like a complete coward and a liar. She'd finally decided to leave and tell him the truth. She hoped that the colonel would have some pity on her and allow she and Bill attend the Agathon's download anyway. Alexi had opened the hatch just as she was about to turn to leave.

Laura hadn't dreamed the night before. For once she wasn't plagued with awful nightmares or painful false memories, but it was only because she hadn't slept a wink. She'd stayed up half the night trying to decide if she would even go to Katya as Saul has asked and the other half trying to plan out what she would do or say if she did. As she stood there she couldn't remember any of it.

Alexi nodded at the marine guard behind her. The corporal fell back a few paces giving them some privacy and taking guard close by.

"Ms. Roslin," Alexi greeted flatly not knowing what else to say.

Laura didn't know what to do. The door was already opened. Could she really just walk away? She was standing there feeling completely stupefied and the Sergeant was looking at her like she was crazy. Inside she was filled with quiet panic. What was she thinking? She shouldn't have come.

"Is everything alright, Ma'am?" Alexi asked, worried that she might possibly be in some kind of trouble. She sure looked as if she was. "Is something wrong?"

"No," Laura finally forced the word from her mouth. " No. I just…I came…"

Why had she come? She wasn't even sure anymore.

"You're looking for Katya," Alexi offered, noticing the woman's obvious distress.

He had no interest in watching her squirm no matter what feelings he had toward her.

She sighed looking slightly alleviated.

"Yes. I was, but if the Captain isn't in I can just come back another time," She offered, hoping that Alexi would tell her that was the case.

At least then she wouldn't have to lie to Saul. She had technically tried.

Alexi chewed at the inside of his lip wondering how he should answer, or more importantly how Katya would want him to answer. He wasn't sure that he wanted her to have another interaction with Laura Roslin, at least not at the moment. She didn't need the stress.

"She's in the head," A little voice came from below eye level.

Maksim smiled up at Laura feeling as though he'd been quite helpful.

Laura attempted to smile back, surprised to see the small boy at the sergeant's knee. She hadn't even noticed him there. She could feel her smile quivering as she looked down at him. She was sure that the child had just made a decision for his companion without meaning to.

"Sha, Maks," Alexi whispered down at him.

"No E-fed, Alexi," Maksim reminded.

"Class is over Maks," He mumbled to the child.

"I can go, Sergeant. I understand. It's alright," Laura offered, but as she did Katya's voice called from the other room.

"Lex, are you still here?! Why is the music so loud?!" She shouted.

She was walking in their direction and Alexi didn't have time to stop her.

"Hey, where did you put my uniform?" She groused rushing through doorway of their bedroom. She was still in her gym clothes but her hair was down and a little wild from the steam in the head. "You better not have left it at my parent's ca-" She nearly choked on her words as she looked up to find Laura standing in the hatchway.

"Yekaterina, you have a visitor," Alexi announced knowing that his choice in the matter was gone.

He lowered the music a few clicks while he watched his wife frozen and staring mouth agape in their direction. He wondered how he should intervene. He was almost certain that he'd never felt a more awkward tension in his life and he was including all of the times the Tighs had caught he and Katya in the act.

"I can go," Laura offered with her palms up.

Alexi thought she looked like she was trying to ward off some kind of predatory animal. Katya said nothing. She'd closed her mouth but she seemed to be breathing rather quickly. He didn't like it. He couldn't risk letting her get worked up. Tawny's words kept echoing in his mind. Katya was supposed to avoid extra stress. He needed to keep her as calm as possible.

"Maybe that's best, Ms. Roslin," He started in the other woman's direction. "We have a flight soon and…"

"No, Alexi," Katya abruptly stopped him. He looked back at her in disbelief. "It's fine. Just take Maks home."

Laura's eyes darted between the young couple. She felt like running but her feet wouldn't move.

"Uspokoysya, Katya, pozhaluista," Alexi warned. He didn't want to leave her. If he came back and they were in the middle of another shouting match he would blame himself. Tawny had told him to keep her relaxed. "Please, Katya," He implored her.

"Dah, Alexi. Just go," She told him while keeping her eyes locked on Laura.

He nodded reluctantly and bent down on his knee.

"Hop on, Maks," He told the little boy who happily took the offer to ride on the sergeant's broad back.

"I'll be back shortly," He assured, standing up with Maksim on his shoulders.

Katya nodded and gave them a half wave.

"Bye, Katya," Maks called and blew a kiss over Alexi's shoulder mimicking her earlier gesture.

Despite her nerves she was able to smile at his sweet face as Alexi ducked through the hatch.

"Goodbye, Ms. Roslin," Alexi murmured as he walked passed her.

He hoped that she would be gone by the time he got back.

Laura nodded in return and the young man took off down the hall with the little boy in tow. Once they were alone her eyes met Katya's again.

"I'm here to apologize..."She attempted. "If you'll let me."

Laura could feel that her eyes were as wide as a stunned deer's caught in the front beams of car. She could remember nights when she would leave her parents' home in suburbs after a visit and see the animals on the side of the roads as she drove back into Caprica City. A few times she had to swerve out of the way just to avoid hitting ones that darted in front of her car only to halt dead in their tracks. She could never understand why they stopped, why they didn't just keep running. It was like they wanted to be hit. She suddenly understood the feeling.

As Katya eyed her Laura felt as if the young woman's gaze was searing through to the back of her skull. They were Bill's eyes, but she'd never seen his look so distrustful.

Finally the girl nodded.

"Come in."

As Laura closed the hatch she felt her hand shaking against the metal of the door. She had to get a hold of herself. She'd faced governors and ambassadors and cylon agents and yet she'd never been more frightened than she was facing this twenty-two year old girl with a chip on her shoulder.

When she turned around to look at Katya she balled both hands into fists by her side in an attempt to hide her tremors. She could hardly believe that she'd actually made it through the door. Katya was watching her like a hawk and she was obviously not willing to speak first.

"I'm sorry, Captain. I know that you have a flight that you need to catch," Laura started but Katya stopped her and shook her head.

"Alexi's just being overprotective. I have time," She said simply with little emotion in her voice.

Laura nodded.

"I thought maybe we could talk about a few things…or I could talk and you could listen…I won't stay long if you don't want me to," She rambled.

Katya bit her lip in consideration. She'd made a promise. Ellen had pleaded with her to give Laura a chance. She'd asked her to give the woman the gift that the two of them could never give themselves. Katya's stomach rolled as she recalled her words. She'd do it for Ellen. At least she would try.

"Sit," Katya said motioning to the sofa. "If you want to," She added. "I'll…be right back."

Katya retreated toward the bedroom leaving Laura frozen in place.

Should she sit?

She didn't know if it would be a standing or sitting kind of conversation. She supposed that standing would make it easier to leave, but it would also make it look as if she were too eager to leave. She shook her head entirely disgusted with herself. Bill didn't even know where she was. She'd told him that she was going to the gym. He knew about Saul's proposition, but they hadn't discussed it much. Bill seemed to assume that she just wouldn't do it. It hurt her to see how much faith he'd lost in her but she was shocked she'd made it there herself. She couldn't blame Bill for doubting her.

With a huff Laura forced herself to sit down on the sofa. She ran both hands down her face in frustration hating the person she'd become. Her cold fingers actually felt good on her cheeks that seemed to burn with a mix of shame, fear and anxiety as she waited.

Katya had left only to turn off the shower in the head but she found herself leaning against the sink afraid that she might become sick to her stomach. Her hair was hot on the back of her neck so she tied it up again hoping that it would help. It had been a mistake to leave the living room. She was having trouble convincing herself to return. Despite the fact that Laura claimed that she wanted to talk she looked as if she'd rather be anywhere else but in Katya's presence.

Katya swallowed hard. The only thing worse than returning to face her birthmother would be returning to find that she had already left. With Ellen off station and the happenings of the last few days Katya didn't think that she could take it. That would be it. She would never speak to Laura Roslin again if she found her gone from the room. With a deep breath she pushed down the queasiness that had been brewing inside and decided to return as if she were walking into battle. She gave herself a disgusted look in the mirror and left the confinement of the head.

Laura turned when she heard Katya walk back into the room. She was surprised when the girl paused in her tracks.

"Are you alright?" She asked tentatively.

Laura thought Katya looked a little pale. After seeing the young woman collapse on stage only a day before she was worried that she would just be making things worse by showing up unannounced. When Saul messaged her the cabin number later that night it was with the assurance that Katya had seen the doctor and that all was fine. Laura wasn't so sure that he was right. Something about the girl seemed off. If she wasn't ill then could it be possible that she was just nervous too? Laura didn't think so. Not with the iron glare she was wearing.

"I'm fine. I guess I just didn't think that you'd still be here," Katya admitted.

"Were you hoping that I wasn't?" Laura followed.

Katya gave a purposely apathetic shrug and walked over to the sofa. She opted to sit atop the arm of the L-shaped sofa as far away from Laura as she could get while still technically on the same piece of furniture. She crossed her arms and waited.

Laura watched her. The captain truly did seem like a cat the way she balanced her weight with ease on the end of the chair. She only hoped that the girl wouldn't pounce. She understood that she would have to speak first. She'd made the decision to come. Katya was doing as Saul promised she would. She'd let her in but she wasn't offering much else.

Laura swallowed hard before speaking.

"I told you that I came to apologize...and I really want to," She began.

When Katya's expression went unmoved she continued.

"I don't expect you to forgive me for what went on over at Saul and Ellen's, but I still want you to know that I'm very sorry for what happened." Laura licked her lips unsure of where to go from there.

She was almost certain that Katya hadn't taken much personal offence to anything she'd overheard about herself. Everyone kept saying how thick skinned and resilient she was. It was almost certainly the insults made toward Ellen that had enraged Katya the most. Laura had to appeal to that.

"I was very angry and I let my temper dictate my words. I'm very sorry for what I said to Ellen," Laura paused waiting for any change in Katya's expression, but there was nothing. She considered her next words carefully. "I had a mother who I loved very dearly too and If I'd ever heard someone speaking to her that way I probably would have had the same sort of reaction as you did."

Katya held her breath as Laura spoke. She wasn't sure what she'd been expecting but hearing Laura acknowledge Ellen as her mother surprised her. She was glad, even slightly impressed. At least the woman understood that much. Katya let her breath out and offered a nod.

"And I shouldn't have said the things I did about you," Laura added. "Ellen is right. I don't know you well enough."

Katya smirked cynically at Laura's hurried remark.

"No, that's where you're wrong," She finally answered. Though she spoke evenly her voice almost startled Laura who was starting to think the captain would be staying permanently and purposefully mute. "You were pretty dead on when it came to me. What was it that you said? Smart mouth, bad attitude?"

"Something like that," Laura answered sheepishly.

Katya nodded again taking her time to ponder her response.

"I can take that. I've been called worse…But I won't ever let anyone speak that way to Ellen."

"Katya I…"

"What was it you called her?" She asked rhetorically speaking over Laura's weak attempt. "Vulgar and manipulative? I think that was it. Hm? I won't even deny it. She's a person with a hundred faults just like me…But here's the thing; Ellen Tigh took me in when I didn't have a family. She loved me. She held me while I cried at night because for years I couldn't forget the sounds of my father's brains being blown out by a bunch of bots. She did my hair every damn morning and she stuck little bows on my head and she wiped my snotty little nose when I was sick. So nobody gets to speak to her that way in front of me, ever," Katya sharply finished.

Laura felt her eyes growing wider and her teeth starting to chatter as if she were freezing cold. She forced herself to bite down hard to stop it. Her nerves were completely raw and Katya's words stung like salt in a fresh wound.

"I get it. I get it, Katya. I do- at least I do now. I see now how much you love her and even more so I see how much she loves you," She offered as emphatically as she could.

Katya was surprisingly satisfied by Laura's observation. She wanted her to know how much she loved Ellen. She wanted her to know that she had a mother in her absence. She wanted to prove to herself that no matter how much she'd ever wanted Laura Roslin in her life, she didn't need her.

"She's a good mom. She gave me everything she had to give. I shouldn't have wanted anything more…but I didn't know any better, so I did," Katya said looking Laura up and down with something like accusation, resentment and abhorrence all mixed together. "I probably made her feel worse than your insults ever could and she doesn't deserve any of it."

Laura didn't know how to respond. She'd expected to leave after the apology but she felt like Katya had just left the door open, albeit a scary and hostile door. She took a deep breath and noticed that the music in the cabin was still softly playing. Its soothing measure seemed to fight against the tension in the room.

"You were lucky to have her," She managed to say, eventually gaining Katya's nodding agreement. Laura couldn't imagine Ellen doing all of the motherly things that Katya spoke of, but it was painfully obvious that she had. "Saul too," She added. "He's so very proud of you."

The comment got a short facetious snort out of Katya.

"He used to be. I don't think I've made him very proud lately," She admitted.

"I don't know about that, Captain. Saul's pretty easy to upset but the way he speaks about you; it's like the sun rises and sets at your feet," Laura said with an uncertain smile.

Katya rolled her eyes in amusement.

"And I bet you're wondering why," Katya guessed with a raised brow.

Laura took her turn to quietly shrug. She certainly was wondering. Everyone seemed to love Katya in spite of her many faults. She wondered if she would ever feel the same way. Learning of Katya's true identity hadn't made the girl seem any less obnoxious or unpleasant. Laura still thought that she had a smart mouth and an awful attitude. She just didn't like her. She didn't like her own child and it made her feel absolutely terrible.

The two sat without speaking for a few long moments. The soft music was all that was there to fill the silence.

"This piece is very pretty," Laura remarked, a loss for what to say next.

The music had at some point started to calm her nerves. Something about the fluidity of the arrangement playing in the background was helping her to handle the interaction.

Katya nodded.

"It's one of my favorites. It's by a composer named Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. He lived on the surface of Earth over four hundred years ago in the Eastern Federation sector, back when it was called the Russian Empire. He wrote the most beautiful ballets that ever existed on the planet."

Laura almost couldn't believe the response that she'd gotten. It was the first non-hostile thing Katya had said to her since the time she taught her how to use the halo-dryer. It took her off guard. Katya looked sort of entranced by the music for a moment. Maybe it was helping her get through the conversation too. Laura recalled watching her graceful ballet performance the day before. She wondered if the music had been from the same composer, but she didn't dare ask. She had a feeling that Katya would never know how she'd watched her dance. For now it was better that way.

"Alexi likes to keep it on when we tutor students here. He says it helps them absorb information better and keep focused. That's why that little boy was here. We both tutor for the EOES…I can shut it off if you want."

"No, no. Please don't," Laura quickly answered."It's beautiful."

She wasn't sure if she and Katya could continue to sit there without its melody between them.

"Tchaikovsky's piano concerto 1, in B-flat minor," Katya rattled off as if she were speaking to herself.

She didn't know what she was supposed to do next. Laura had said that she'd come to apologize. She had and now it was done. Was she waiting for her apology to be officially accepted? The fact that Katya had even listened to it was pretty much all that she could offer. What was supposed to happen? Would she excuse herself? Did she expect an aplogy in return? That was something Katya was in no way willing to offer.

For a moment she thought of asking her to leave. Laura knew that she and Alexi had a flight coming up. It wouldn't be all that rude considering their plans but Katya suddenly found herself hesitating to make her go.

"The Eastern Federation," Laura started. "That's where your families are from? I mean you and the Sergeant? Bill tried to explain the old sectors to me."

"Yes...Well, our foster families, I suppose I should say," Katya huffed at the clarification. "Still, we've taken on their heritage as our own. We don't know anything else. Gamma was our sector station back when the people first started migrating to Orbit. Even though all four sectors had integrated long before I was born my father wanted me to keep the old traditions of the Eastern Federation alive so that someday I might be able to bring them back down to the surface again. I practiced ballet almost all of my life just trying to do that for him. Then I enlisted because, what good is a ballerina during wartime? At least as a soldier I have more of a purpose, but with the way things are I doubt that I'll live to bring a damn thing back to Earth."

The girl's solemn remark cut at Laura like sharpened blade. She remembered hearing young members of the colonial fleet saying the same sort of thing. They fought for a future they were convinced they would never see. It used to hurt her to hear those soldiers speak that way but hearing her daughter say it was brutal.

"You don't know that, Katya," Laura offered but the girl had no reaction.

"I still like to listen to the music though. My father shared it with me and I like to share it with the students," Katya continued as she looked off into nothing.

Laura wanted to speak. She wanted to tell Katya about how she used to play music for her own students. She wanted to tell her how she agreed with Alexi on his theory of how it stimulates young minds, but like a sharp turn on a winding road Katya caught her completely off guard.

"I know what you must think of my father," The girl said suddenly looking back at her, no longer lost and staring into space.

Laura was too shocked to respond.

"I don't blame you either," Katya went on. "Mikhail Isakoff was a complex man. He made many decisions that would make him seem like a monster to most, but he was trying to serve his people. He was trying make sure that they had a future by any means necessary...I know what he did to you," She said boring into Laura's eyes. "I've seen it all. Ellen says that now you know too." She paused for only a moment, waiting for some aknowledgment from Laura that never came. "I know that it was wrong just like I know that I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him. There have been times when I've been grateful for that and times when it's made me want to hate his guts for ever creating me."

Laura nearly lost her breath at the out-of-nowhere admission. When the shock faded away it was replaced by a new sense of grief. This young woman, her own child had grown up constantly torn between being grateful to be alive and wishing that she'd never been born. What kind of life could that have been for a little girl?

Katya couldn't stop herself. She wanted to but so much was suddenly flooding out of her and none of it was what she'd ever planned to say to the woman in front of her.

"I don't though…hate him, I mean. He loved me, no matter what Saul and Ellen think. I at least know that. He gave me a culture to claim as my own, a family history to look back on. He made me understand the importance of knowing where you come from and how it makes you who you are. That's why I tried to hang on to the traditions that I could. I did a pretty piss poor job…but I still try to hold on to the little things. Did you know that we aren't even supposed to speak the language anymore?" She asked not waiting for Laura's answer. "We don't comply of course, but it's been removed from the network along with the others in place of a universal one...It's such bull...They can't take the music away though. These sounds are about as universal as it gets. Everyone can understand them," Katya shrugged as she looked around the room.

Laura was flabbergasted. She wished so badly that she had something worth saying to the girl. When she'd first sat down she never imagined that she'd get more than two words out of Katya and now she had given her so much more. It was just that everything she'd said was all so heartbreaking that Laura couldn't begin to know how to respond. Even so, even with every awful little detail she just couldn't help wanting Katya to keep going. A switch had gone off as she spoke and Laura suddenly couldn't get enough of her. She couldn't hear enough of the sound of her voice, of the way she fiddled with the ends of her hair, even the way her dark lashes fell against her cheeks when she blinked. The feeling had snuck up on her. She didn't know how she'd gone from being totally afraid of her to completely enamored with everything she said and did. She was quickly becoming infatuated with something that scared the hell out of her. It was so very strange. She didn't understand it but even so, she knew that she would sit there taking it all in until she was finally forced to leave.

"That's a nice way of thinking of it," Laura finally offered. "Maybe you shouldn't be so hard on yourself when it comes to what traditions you keep. We all struggled with that when we left the Colonies. Some traditions stayed, some died along with all the people we lost. If you can even keep one thing alive, something like this music, then you're accomplishing a great deal."

Katya bit her lip as she took in Laura's words. She hadn't exactly been expecting her to respond. Since they met they'd really only exchanged short insults and now she was at least attempting something akin to civil conversation. Laura was getting brave. At least she'd finally lived up to that much of her reputation. Katya was impressed that Laura had taken all that she'd shoveled out so far but for some reason it just made her want to test the woman even further. Laura hadn't just come to apologize. Katya could see that now. She was looking for something more. Katya would give it to her, if only to see if she could handle it. Better they both know sooner rather than later.

"You know, it's funny…" Katya started.

She let her words hang in the air like bait.

"What is?" Laura asked, taking it readily.

"When I was younger listening to these compositions always made me think of the history of the place on Earth where my family came from. It made me think of the wars, the ever-shifting authority, the art, the people, the sounds and somehow I was able to lose myself in it while I danced…but...only for a while," Katya paused as the light in her eyes seemed to darken, "Because inevitably, without fail, some note or some tone of an instrument would snap me back into reality and I'd remember another family history…my true family history. And then I'd remember that none of it; not the sounds, not the notes, or the instruments, not even the people playing them would exist if you hadn't dragged your tired ass through the damn galaxy and landed here."

Laura's eyes shot open and her throat closed tight as Katya's words hit her like a fist.

"It always comes back to you," She continued with more ire, "Everything in my life has alwayscome back to you and I just can't get the hell away from it."

Laura couldn't stop her eyes from watering any longer so she just let them. She blinked away the tears and forced herself to look back into the molten colbalt eyes that were staring her down. She could only remind herself of one thing over and over; they were Bill's eyes.

"Do you want to?" Laura asked in a near whisper. "...Get away from it, I mean?"

They both sat holding their breath while the future teetered in front of them, each afraid of any direction that it might fall. Suddenly even the music wasn't enough to fill the space left.

"No," Katya answered simply.

Laura let her breath out and nodded over and over. She allowed the tears in her eyes quietly fall and she ran her hand through the crown of her hair. Something like relief washed through her, but she was no less afraid of future, she was just grateful that there might actually be one. When her vision cleared and she looked back up Katya was gone. For a split second she panicked before she heard the sound of the cooler door shutting. Soon Katya was behind her holding out a water bottle for her to take. She felt an odd sense of familiarity and then she remembered Ellen doing the same in the lab. She took it and nodded thankfully when she couldn't speak.

"You should try and calm down," Katya said plainly. "Drink some of that. I'll be right back."

When Laura was sure that Katya was out of the room she leaned over and let herself cry as softly as she could. She didn't even know exactly what she was crying over. She'd never felt such a cacophony of emotions at one time. It was as close to madness as she could imagine being, but she also knew at that moment she didn't want to be anywhere else.

In the bedroom Katya sat on the side of the rack trying to get her heart rate back to normal. She ran a hand over her chest. Her increased blood pressure was making the new soreness in her breasts worse and the stupid athletic bra that she was still wearing wasn't helping. The pain was the only thing distracting her from analyzing what had just gone on. She felt like she'd just been through some sort of strange purging. Gathering her composure she quickly sent a message to Alexi letting him know that they'd be through soon. The poor guy had sent about a half a dozen worried messages of his own asking what was going on inside of his cabin. He was sitting outside the hatch, having returned from bringing Maks home long ago. He'd been talking with Laura's guard and listening for trouble at the door ever since. She would let him in soon, but not yet. For some reason she wanted more time. Katya took a deep breath and stood from the bed.

When she walked into the living room Laura didn't notice. Katya was grateful to see that she looked a good deal more composed. She wasn't quite ready to handle the woman's tears. When she noticed that Laura was staring up at a shelf on the adjacent wall she took a moment to watch her from afar. It was strange, almost absured but ever since Laura resurrected Katya had been missing her hair. She missed the way she'd get to play with it and run her fingers through the long coppery locks back in the lab during chamber maintenance. Ever since she was a little girl she'd always had a weird affinity for it. It hadn't faded after Laura downloaded, not even when she was furious at her, though at those points she mostly wanted to pull it out of her head. She used to spend so much time brushing it when Laura was out of stasis and now she figured that she'd never get to touch it again. It was such a stupid thing to miss.

With a shake of her head Katya continued to walk toward the sofa.

"Matryoshka," She said, finally alerting Laura to her presence.

When Laura saw Katya's eyes she was relieved to see most of the darkness gone from them.

"What?" She asked unsure of what Katya had said.

For all Laura knew she'd just cursed in whatever language it was that she spoke.

"Matryoshka" Katya repeated, "The doll you were staring at; it's called a matryoshka," She clarified walking over to the shelf and reaching to retrieve it. "This is what you were looking it, isn't it?"

"Yes," Laura answered, somewhat relieved.

Katya quickly returned to the sofa with the object in hand. She took a seat beside Laura leaving some space for comfort and handed her the pear shaped little doll.

Laura took it and turned it slowly in her still shaking hands marveling at the beautiful colors and detail. Its vibrant hues had been what caught her eye in the first place.

"When my father died Dr. Petrov- Alexi's dad had it made for me to try and make me smile. It's a traditional doll from the Eastern Federation. Petrov shared my father's heritage and his pride of it. He painted it himself," Katya explained.

"It's beautiful," Laura said looking down as she held it within both hands.

"He had the model printed from composite resin. Traditionally down on the surface they were made of wood, but we don't really have much of that up here. We don't use a lot of tree bark products. We hardly have paper. I think I used half the station's supply when I had your books printed. Not too many trees around here as you can see," Katya said musingly gesturing around the cabin for emphasis.

Suddenly her last few words registered with Laura.

"Books? Those books in my cabin? They came from you?"

"Who'd you think put them there? Vladi?" Katya mocked with a bemused grin.

"I don't know. I guess I didn't really think about it," Laura admitted.

"Uncle Saul said that you and the Admiral used to like to read together. He even said that he saw him reading to you when you were sick. He told me that it was special to you. I knew that you read paper bound books but we don't have those here. I'd never even seen one before, except maybe once under glass in a museum on Delta Station. There wasn't even a preset for it on the merchandise printer. I had to format it myself. I'm sorry if they weren't exactly right. I tried to read them myself before you got here…It was a little awkward…all the page turning," Katya said mimicking the motion with her hands. "I'm sure they weren't near as good as what you used to have."

Katya didn't know how anyone ever read like that anyway. It seemed so bulky and primitive.

"No," Laura said breathily. "They were perfect."

At that point they could have been loose pages totally out of order and Laura would have considered them to be best books that she'd ever laid her hands on. She didn't know what she was feeling but it was overwhelming. She remembered the first time that Bill had ever put a book in her hands. The memory still filled her with warmth. The fact that their daughter had left them each a book as a gift completely took her breath away. She didn't know the girl in front of her at all, but now she knew that she wanted to.

"One of the stories that I had printed, The Maltese Falcon, it's over three hundred years old. I wanted to show you something that was written back on the surface. Dawn on Delta is modern. They're both mysteries though. Uncle Saul said that's what the Admiral liked. I'm sorry there aren't more. I can show you how to access the literature library on the network though. That's how I do my reading," Katya shrugged.

"I'd like that very much," Laura said smiling and letting her hands fall limply to her lap. As she did she felt something rattle around within the doll she still held. She picked it up and shook it giving Katya an inquisitive look.

"Open it," Katya smirked.

Laura furrowed her brow in confusion.

"Twist it in the middle," Katya mimed with her hands.

Laura hesitantly did as she was told and to her surprise the top separated from the bottom. Nested within the outer shell was a smaller doll of the same shape, also intricately painted in a similar pattern. Laura couldn't help when her smile grew over the odd little trinket.

"Now do it again," Katya told her with a little chuckle.

Laura handed over the first layer to Katya who reconnected the pieces and sat the rejoined doll beside them on the coffee table.

Laura then twisted the smaller doll's middle until it too separated in her hands revealing a third, equally as beautiful, hidden inside.

Laura laughed and Katya couldn't help but be amused at the look on her face. It was humorous to watch someone experience the dolls for the first time. Katya took the second layer from her, again rejoining it and placing it on the table next to the first.

"Keep going," She encouraged.

"You're kidding?"

"I might be but, don't you wana see?"

Katya bit her lip to quell her grin as she watched Laura eagerly open the next doll. She remembered showing them to Saul for the first time. He became quickly frustrated with the concept and quit halfway through.

Laura opened five more in a similar fashion, passing each to Katya until there were seven dolls of recessing size lined up in front of them on the table. She held the eighth and smallest in her hand sure that she was through.

"There can't be anything in this little one. It's too small," Laura said holding it between her thumb and index finger.

Katya shrugged smugly in response and Laura returned the look with a challenging squint. She looked at the little doll in her hands and carefully twisted once more until it popped open. Inside was a tiny figure of similar shape painted far more plainly than the rest. Its only details were a round cherubic face and the appearance of a painted blanket swaddling it from head to toe.

"Traditionally the last one is painted like a baby and it's always made from one solid piece. That's how you know that you're at the end," Katya explained.

Laura rolled it between her fingers. She was surprised to find herself suddenly swell with emotion instead of amusement at the end result of the demonstration. It was stupid, it was nothing. It was five minutes of playful distraction over a silly toy, but it was the first time that her daughter had really smiled right at her and it was amazing.

"Something wrong?" Katya asked.

Laura cleared her throat and shook her head.

"It's a beautiful keepsake," She said squeezing the peanut sized baby doll within her fist.

Laura watched as Katya took the dolls on the table and started to stack them one inside the other. She felt as if her heart was about to burst out of her chest and still she had to sit there and act composed. There were so many little things that she was starting to notice. Katya had her hands. It seemed like such a strange thing to have inherited but there they were. As she watched her nesting the toy back together it was almost as if she was watching her own hands at work; the bony fingers and the hyper extended pinky that seemed to jut out on its own no matter how she moved the rest of her digits. Logically she'd acknowledged that Katya was hers but something about seeing her hands made it sink in deep. She really was her daughter. She really had a child, her own flesh and blood. Her blood, Laura thought as she took a long shuddering breath. She'd been sitting there watching Katya, subconsciously trying to find anything that might allude to the sub-Cylon abilities that the girl was supposed to have, the ones she herself had apparently passed down, but she couldn't find a thing. Katya seemed like a normal girl, a troubled one, but very human. Laura chastised herself for trying to look so hard for something that shouldn't matter anyway. It wasn't as if she'd ever been able to tell that something was different about Tori or Saul or Ellen just by looking at them. She just wanted to know. She wanted to understand what it was that made Katya different. Since Bill had told her she'd been second guessing every dream, every vision, every little feeling and notion she'd experienced after Baltar's cure and since her resurrection on Alpha. She didn't know where she ended and the Cylon influence began. If she could observe it in Katya then perhaps she could better understand that part of herself. Though it made her shiver to think about Laura had a feeling that she'd been dealing with it without knowing for longer than she cared to admit.

"Oh, wait, Katya. You forgot to put the last one back in," Laura said holding out the tiny painted piece now warm from her hand.

She'd been gripping onto it so tightly, lost in thought.

"No I didn't," Katya said standing up and putting the matryoshka back on the shelf.

Laura held out the baby figure in confusion.

"Keep it," Katya told her.

"I couldn't. It'll ruin your set."

It was the last one, the tiny little surprise at the end. It seemed like a pretty important part of the tradition. Laura held it up for Katya to take but she shook her head.

"No it won't. You're the first person who's gotten any enjoyment out of it in years anyway. Besides, when I was little I used to feel bad for that little piece because it was always hidden so far inside. It took forever to get to and by the time it saw the light of day it was time to put it back in again. This way at least it's out in the open," Katya mused. "It made you smile. Keep it."

Laura felt her heart skip a beat imagining Katya playing with the dolls as a little girl and having such a sweet and innocent reaction to the state of the lonely little inner figure.

"What if you want to pass it down one day? Keep the tradition going?" Laura smiled.

Katya bit the inside of her lip as warmth surged into her cheeks. She tried hard to suppress the expression threatening to emerge on her face.

"Just…keep it," She repeated more forcefully than she meant to, "Please?" She added, hoping it would make up for her tone.

Laura nodded and tried to stop her eyes from welling.

"Thank you," She said softly.

A knock came from the hatch before it opened and Alexi stuck his head in.

"I'm sorry to interrupt but, Yekaterina, we should really get a move on," Alexi warned.

He hadn't been able to pack his bag yet and he was sure that Katya hadn't started either. If they were going to make their flight, or at least get to the deck in enough time to avoid pissing off the Colonel they would need to get going.

"Come on in, Alexi. Go ahead and go pack," Katya called to him, amused that he was keeping half of his body on the other side of the door.

He walked in and stopped to look his wife up and down.

"Uhtyebya vsyo v'aryadke?" He asked.

"Dah, Alexi. Go pack," She said waving him off and rolling her eyes.

He nodded to Laura before he left the room and she gave him a pleasant smile.

"I should go, Captain," Laura said standing up from her seat.

Part of her didn't want to. Part of her wanted to stay and listen to everything the girl had to say to her good or bad. She wanted to stay looking into her deep ocean eyes and at all of the expressions she made; some that were Bill's, some that were Lee's, she even thought that she saw her sister Sandra in the mix at one point when Katya really truly smiled. She could tell that Katya still didn't think much of her and she wasn't sure how she felt about her in return, but as they'd sat there together with no one else around to butt in Laura's biggest fear had been quelled. She did want to know her daughter. Even more so, she wanted to find a way to love her whether or not she ever learned to like her. She knew that much for certain and now she wanted to run to Bill and tell him.

Katya nodded and gestured to the door.

"I want to thank you for giving me some time," Laura said wondering just how they were going to leave things.

Katya quietly nodded again. She was wondering the same. She was nowhere near ready to hug Laura, nor did she want to, but she knew that she'd put her through the ringer and the woman had hung in there with her the entire time. She felt bad letting her leave without something to let her know that it hadn't all been for nothing, that it wasn't the last time they would speak.

"When I get back from Beta I'll show you how to access the library," She offered.

Laura smiled and nodded in a small gesture of gratitude but inside she was praising whatever was left in the universe to thank.

"I'd appreciate that very much, Captain," She said as she walked toward the door with Katya following close behind. "And thank you for this," She said holding out the little figure in her hands.

Looking down at the tiny baby again she was sure that she was going to burst into tears as soon as she left the cabin. She just had to keep it together for a few more moments.

"Well, now you have some Eeastern Federalist culture too," Katya teased.

"Maybe one day you'd like to hear about your other heritage…Caprican and Tauron," Laura attempted, but the wary look that immediately shown in Katya's eyes told her that she'd just overstepped a bit.

"Maybe," Katya answered.

Maybe was enough for now, for both of them.

"Safe flight, Captain," Laura said crossing over the hatch step.

Katya nodded in thanks and offered a barely there smile before closing the door. When it clicked shut she slunk down to the floor and began to cry her eyes out.

---

Requested apx. translations:

_"Yehst, myshka," He told her. She nodded and took a bite.(Eat, my little mouse)

_"Da'vai," Alexi's voice broke the tension.(Let's go.)

_"Privheyt, Katya," The boy greeted (Hello)

_"Dah," He said happily. (Yes)

_"Kah roh'shoh," He beamed.(Well/Good)

_Sha = Shhh

_"Uspokoysya, Katya, pozhaluista? (Keep calm/Stay settled, Please)

_"Uh tyebya vsyo v'aryadke?" He asked.(Are you alright/ Are you okay?)