Disclaimer: This story is based on the original series of Battlestar Galactica and the characters from the book series, and I make no claim of ownership over any existing characters (I only claim to own the extra characters I have made up myself! hehehe)

By the way, this is my first fanfic, so please don't expect miracles, but I would love all readers to review...pleease!

Reviews: To Aynot: Yeah, I write fast and as the ideas come to me, so I get that they won't always flow in sync … unfortunately, I can't seem to fix them the way I'd like, so they usually end up sounding a little awkward. Sorry; I'll try to work on that! I think I answered most of your review in my email – but thanks for sending it to me, because it was very helpful!

To Herald Tamara: Thanks for the uplifting review, and I hope this chapter answers some of your questions!

Chapter Four: Freedom at a Price.

The air around Athena seemed pleasant and if she relaxed her grip, it seemed as if her body floated easily through the warmth. There were voices surrounding her; voices that were familiar, but Athena didn't want to focus on them. Her body felt tenuous, and if she stretched out through the bright warm light that enveloped her she could touch freedom – a safety she had searched for all her life.

Suddenly, feather light strokes travelled down her cheek, and she opened her eyes. She knew the face before her – the edges were blurred by the fierce brightness of the light, but once she squinted she could see the familiar smile of her brother. As if she were watching through a distorted screen, she could see his smile widen and shift, and she gasped in fear. Her body moved to pull away, but blinking her eyes, his face cleared and all she could remember was that this was Zac – her lost brother was with her once more.

Athena couldn't throw himself into his arms more forcefully, and Zac's warm chuckle echoed in her ears. He squeezed her frame in a tight embrace, before releasing her to laugh aloud. It was Athena's turn to cup her brother's face as she returned his joy with a delighted giggle, shaking her head as another shadow passed overhead. Pulling away to hold his hands firmly in her grip, she bent her head to take in as much of her surroundings as she could for the first time. They seemed to be standing in a large open field, the tall green grass waving placidly in a slight breeze. The sky was coloured a deep indigo blue, and the only shadows seemed to be cast by the wide tree that stretched out welcoming branches across the landscape. The whole scene buzzed with a calm serenity that relaxed Athena's mind even more.

"Where are we?" Spoken words seemed almost profane, but Zac merely placed a forefinger on Athena's forehead, his slight frown fading as if it had never marred his fixed smile. His voice echoed in her mind as he answered without speech.

"This is the end, Athena. The eternal rest for those who deserve to be here."

"A field?" His answering chuckle was as warm in its amusement as it had always been.

"It is whatever you want it to be – but for some reason, the tree is always involved in the first step for everyone. I guess people associate that tree with the afterlife. What do you think, little sister?" Athena smiled at his dramatically widespread arms.

"It's too quiet – there's no one else here. Where's Mother?"

Zac tilted his head. "Mother? I thought Castor would be the first person you would ask for!" A sudden flash passed behind Athena's eyes as one word pushed itself forward into her mind, screaming in its fury for being forgotten. Orin. Athena's smile faded, and she pulled away, her hand slipping from her brother's suddenly dicey grip. Afraid, she wanted to kick herself for allowing that thought to leave her, to allow it to be forgotten. How could this place hold that much power over her?

"How do you know about Castor? I never had the chance to tell you anything about him or …" Her thoughts trailed off as a deeper darker shadow passed by overhead. Raising her eyes up almost reluctantly, she was too slow to catch what had passed by, but lowering her gaze back to her brother's face as the shadow faded, she could feel the buzz around her shift with her mood, and become almost threatening. Zac's unchanging grin no longer belonged, and it took on a sinister edge as he tried to catch her hand once more. Athena eluded his grasp, her voice ripping though the relaxed façade.

"What is this place? Who are you?"

Zac's grin finally dropped, and his hands clenched into fists. Risking a quick glance towards the tree, he ducked his head and when she met his gaze, she was startled to find swirling depths that pushed forward from his eyes.

"You shouldn't be here yet, Athena. It is before your time, just as it was before mine. You don't belong here …"

Whatever else he was about to say was cut off by a melodious voice that danced towards her from close by.

"Athena, my little one, don't listen to him. You do deserve to be here."

Athena raised her eyes, and under the receptive shade of the thick braches yonder, she could make out the familiar frame of her beloved mother. Her curls shined in the flickering sunlight that filtered down through the wide leaves. Her voice was compelling, drawing Athena towards her.

"You deserve this rest more than most. Come to me, little one, and enjoy this – it is what you deserve."

As she moved to pass by him, Zac's hand shot out and yanked her feet to a stop, and the force of his grip pulled her out of the dangerous trance she had fallen into. Startled, she looked back to meet his gaze; but this time he voiced his urgency.

"No, Athena! You shouldn't be here! If you get too close, you won't escape and there will be no hope for us. Turn around; run! Get out of here, or it will all be too late. Run, Athena; RUN!"

The breeze whipped up around her, and as the braches of the tree swayed out and stretched towards her, her mother's voice became shrill in its pleadings. The shadows grew as the sky darkened, but Athena ignored the strong urge to run for the only sheltered offered in this open field and kept her gaze locked on the dark pools that shimmered with fear and determination in her brother's face. There was a sudden roar, and the distorted screen returned.

The colours merged and the sky dripped a crimson red as the grass beneath their feet withered a sickly brown. The branches of the tree twisted into grotesque shapes as the leaves died and disappeared when they dropped off. It's roots rippled against the surface to slither with deadly intent towards the two siblings. The form of their mother melded into pure shadow, and the only feature left visible across the clearing were the diamond shaped eyes that glowed a sinister green.

With a yell, Zac pushed his sister behind him as he turned to face his punishment, yelling again above the roar for her to run. With an equally determined, "NO!" Athena interlaced her fingers with her brother's, dragging him after her as she began to sprint across the dying ground as she tried to escape whatever force determined to have her within its grasp.

The boundaries around the field dropped away into darkness, and a swirling vortex of black energy flickering with a brilliant blue opened up ahead of her. Screaming out her brother's name, she thought she could hear Chandra's voice chanting softly beneath the roar that seemed impossibly to increase in sound, calling out to her. Allowing her body to go limp as she was pulled toward the darkening void, Athena tried to keep her grip on her brother's hand, but the force of the pull intensified and Athena's fingers were ripped from his. The last thing she heard before the darkness fully enveloped her, was the sound of her brother's voice calling out her name, the edges of his call frantically sharp in desperation.

Chandra pushed aside a loose strand of dark hair from Athena's forehead as she leaned forward over the operating table. The room around her lay in shambles as the emergency lighting sent flickering shadows across the prone form and the now eerily calm psionic. Placing both hands on either side of Athena's face, she closed her eyes and her forehead creased in concentration. Calling out across the astral planes required a great deal of power, and she still felt slightly drained from her emotional outburst earlier.

Stretching past her normal boundaries, she searched for Athena's presence in the beyond. The veins around her eyes stood out as they glowed a bright blue from her exertion, and finally a white radiance flowed from her fingertips like beams of pure sunlight, passing into Athena's temples and travelling through her entire body. The group huddled against the glass partitions watched in confused awe even as the security detachment fought to beat their way through the barricaded doors, the broken security locks to each door fizzled with electricity through the live wires. The air seemed to still and grow heavy as if the very atmosphere surrounding them was charged with the powers Chandra was using to pull Athena back, and they held their breath in shock as, with a strong gasp, Athena opened her eyes.

"Zac!"

Her breathing was a ragged echo as Adama felt as if a cold hand had entered his chest and gripped at his heart to hear his dead son's name ripped from Athena's hoarse throat. Chandra moved down the bed to hold one hand over her deep wound and the other moved to hold above her forehead, as Athena's eyes focused on her surrounds, frowning at the white and clear walls and strewn equipment. She tried to wriggle away in her weakened condition as she whispered, " … no, …" but Chandra kept her grip firm and her voice sounded weary past the harshness as she responded firmly.

"Not this time, Athena. Listening to you could cost too high a price."

This time, the blue glow from beneath her skin spread further down the veins of her face as the power surged from her open palm into Athena's wound and Athena's whole body gave a sudden jolt before arching up as she grimaced and gasped in pain. Apollo slammed his fists against the partition, but his growled out orders were muffled, and the only clue anyone inside the room might have had of what he had commanded was a small explosion that rattled the doors of the far end of the theatre. Smoke wafted from the edges as they slid opens a crack, and pairs of fingers could be seen wedging through the opening to try and prise it open through brute force.

Athena bit back a scream as the power flickered and died, and Chandra stumbled, slipping to her knees, her head banging against the bed as she tried to gain some control of her shaking limbs. The blue glow had spread to her hands, and she gripped her fingers into a palm to hide the evidence of her fatigue. Athena gasped and wiping a hand over her face as she tried to calm her breathing she pushed herself into a sitting position, her left fingers wandering across her abdomen to stroke the newly whole skin. With a louder explosion, the door to the outside corridor to their right ceased to be a barrier of protection.

Chandra pulled herself up off of the floor and Athena swung her legs around and off the bed, hastily moving to get between her friend and captain, and the security forces that charged their way into the room. Apollo and Adama followed in their wake, Adama calling out in a voice even he didn't recognise for his daughter to move away. Athena's only movement was to reach behind her to grab Chandra's hand in her own grip, keeping the younger girl bodily behind her. With a sharp clang, the far door behind them also slid back into place, and a second security force pushed their way in behind them.

Athena heard the words they shouted as if the room had suddenly been set to slow motion. She could see the concerned and mystified faces of Dr. Salik and his team somewhere behind her father, and his determination to keep her in the Life Centre "for observation". She could hear Starbuck somewhere close by, and Sheba calling out to reassure themselves that she was alive and out of danger. Suddenly, she was tired of the charade her life had become, and all she wanted to do was to drop the façade, and be away from all these voices and with the one person she had fought so hard to return for.

"Don't do this, Father, please. She saved my life – she bought me back from the dead. There are some things you can't control!"

Squeezing her grip, Chandra raised her head to stare out at Athena's family, knowing instinctively what Athena wanted of her. Breathing in deeply through her nose as she allowed her senses to absorb everything in the room and gave in to the blue glow that shrouded her eyes after a visible effort, the room suddenly changed back into normal speed and the two girls disappeared from the emotionally strewn theatre.

As soon as they had rematerialised in a more familiar room that would keep them safe from the search party long enough to recover, Chandra slumped to the floor in complete exhaustion. Athena kneeled beside her, pushing a fallen lock away from her hallow, luminescent blue eyes. Behind her, the bustling of footsteps reached them and other hands helped lift Chandra to a more comfortable position. Athena searched the occupants of the room for the one person she wanted most to see, and when she found the pair of amber eyes grinning mischievously back at her, she pushed her way gently through as her heart swelled with a mother's love. A gorgeous blonde toddler reached out chubby hands, his husky, "Mama …," filled with a happy joy. Athena's face broke into a real smile and she wrapped her little boy in her arms to sit with her beside Chandra, who lay back limply, watching Athena as her head rested against her right shoulder in concern. That gaze told Athena more than anything that could have been said that Chandra had seen glimpses of her memories of that place she had seen after her death, and with a few quick orders, the room quickly emptied of other listeners.

"What was that place, Chandra?"

Chandra blinked at her, her bright violet eyes now returned to their natural colour slowly glazing over as her thoughts travelled back to a place she was sure she had left behind to never see again.

"It is a different plane of existence; one that few are chosen to enter. The beings there have abilities; gifts you will not see again on any other plane. Power beyond what is in this realm. It is a great honour to share that power. But, … sometimes, … they try to take power from others – to increase their own. It is against the Code, but …," her voice trailed off, and Athena waited patiently while Orin played with her fingertips as he lay snugly against her torso. It was hard to keep herself from the hugging the boy too tightly in her fear of letting him go to far from her grasp again. Chandra hesitated before continuing.

"They wanted you for a reason, Athena. They could feel the extracts the little one has left behind. You are right to be afraid; they don't have the ability to leave that plane on their own power, but if they can trick an outsider to enter before their time, they can gain entry to our plane of existence when that one is returned. I don't know which one they wanted from you more – access to the power they could smell on you or to the outside realms."

Athena's gaze grew smouldering as she turned to stare stonily at the wall opposite her seat. Orin could feel her tension and let out a distressed whimper, and Athena quickly moved her attention to jiggle her son out of his ill humour and most of her own. Chandra, however, knew whom she was thinking about even as her friend turned to ask.

"Zac?"

Chandra closed her eyes with a deep sigh. "I don't know if it was him. Maybe they've been planning this a longer time than … maybe it is him – he did try to warn you." She sounded so tired that Athena's eyes flickered back to rest on the younger girl, trying to make sense out of the unspoken words missing from her broken sentences.

"Then how can I free him? I can still hear his fear when he called my name. I can't leave my brother behind. If I can save him, I have to – or at least, try!"

Chandra's breathing deepened as she listened, her senses flickering a warning as her friend spoke. She could feel a presence that was growing stronger, drawing nearer. She could almost feel the burn of a pair of eyes watching her with feelings closer to the human emotion of hate. Her voice weakened as she slipped into a restorative deep slumber, her last words wavering a warning.

"You bought something back with you when you returned, Athena. Pray to your gods that it was Zac; or our problems have only just begun!"

Next Chapter:

Things are about to change dramatically - not just for Athena but also for the entire crew. A strange epidemic of short-term amnesia is growing that have many questions building as to whether the mysterious events a lot remember witnessing really happened or were the result of strange dreams no one wants to repeat. In the meantime, Chandra needs to keep a low profile of she wants to discover who it is that followed Athena back through the portal she opened; but all Athena is interested in finding out is whether that really was her brother she met on the other side, and what was he so afraid of. Perhaps they should question what "they" wanted from Athena – or whether she may have been the wrong victim …

AN: I just wanted to apologise for the last chapter – there are probably heaps of spelling mistakes, since it was typed at racing speeds in the early hours of the morning (as is this one, but I will make an effort to read through it more carefully before I upload it …) and the teaser for the next chapter was a little too blunt – but then when you don't get enough sleep in so many days you either lose any subtlety or you go the other way and have totally whacked-out-psychedelic daydreams (like this chapter evidently was born from!) If I have any time this week I may go back in and fix it, but then again, I may be too lazy!

Hope you semi-liked this one, and hopefully it has given you more reason to hold out for chapter five … thanks again to those who have reviewed; your support has reawakened my muse! (Is that incentive to review again or to run the other way, screaming? Hmm …)

Ciao ciao