So much could change in just one day. It had always mystified Adama how sectons could pass in rapid succession, holding little or no meaning, and then one day, just one, everything could change. How did the gods decide which days to make more important than others? Was it written in the stars as some on Virgon would believe, or was it in the sun as the Gemonese insisted as based on their rituals? Stars and suns were the same he knew, but did they? Did God decide things upon a whim? He doubted that, some days were just fated to be more important than others.

He remembered back to his early days of his military career, the long sectars where he would count down the cycles until he could be with his wife and children again. The long boring days in space when his heart longed to be home, and then the long-awaited day would come, the rush of emotions as he disembarked into the loving arms of his wife. When the children were young, time seemed to stand still for him. He didn't feel their passing until the day he would be reunited with them. It seemed in one day Apollo had gone from crawling to running. In one day, Athena was nothing more to a babe in swaddling to a mouthy toddler telling everyone "No!" In one day, his wife had gone from a shy new wife to a mature woman who told him how things were going to be in their household, and he could accept it or he could go back to his battlestar where he was undeniably in command.

In one day, he had lost his youngest son, his wife, his home, his world, his whole existence. One day is all it took for yahrens of labor to be obliterated. No, he would not let his thoughts go down that dark road today. In the morning, when he had to officially face the loss of his son and the other pilots, he would take that path, but not tonight. Tonight, he would hold out hope. For wasn't it in one day he'd also found Kobol and the clues to their salvation. It was in just one day that they had the Cylons on the run as they took out a base star. In one day, his capital ships had expanded from one battlestar protecting 226 civilian ships to an additional two battle cruisers and two light cruisers.

In one day, the fleet had shifted from desperation and lacking in fuel and supplies, to being infused with hope and resources. The addition of the Dilmun warriors had changed the fleet from hopeless to hopeful, not just for his own people but for those from Dilmun. They had been liberated from an oppressive commander, forced to labor and meet quotas regarding breeding, to free will and choices. Adama was working hard at increasing those freedoms. He had dealt with numerous transfer requests of warriors shifting to duties and careers more to their liking, rather than being randomly assigned based on need, not just from the Dilmun contingent, but also his own. The Dilmun warriors had brought along their different way of thinking, creative problem solving born out of desperation to create promise for the fleet. Food was plentiful as hydroponics had been set up in almost every corridor of every ship. With the extra pilots, the fleet could range farther on patrols and scouting missions for supplies. For the first time since the destruction, no one seemed to be going without the basic necessities. In one day, the future had changed.

But in the morning, it would be two days and he would have to make it official that Apollo, Starbuck, his new wife, Rene, her friend Jake, Boomer and his cousin Max were missing and presumed deceased. In the morning he would have to answer to the Council of Twelve for his actions and try to explain why he had believed a young woman could leap across space to the Colonies. It would be the day that Adama would have to admit his failures and face another loss to his family.

Adama wasn't sure what he would tell the council and the fleet. He sat at his desk in his darkened office staring out at the stars praying he wouldn't have to compose that report, that by some miracle his comm would chime and he'd be told that there was an unknown contact that might be his son returning to the fleet from the dead. It had happened before. Conceivably it could happen again. In the morning, he would accept the facts and face the future, but tonight he held out hope for that miracle and that chime of his comm.

He almost didn't react when his door chirped thinking he must have imagined it. Could the miracle show up on command? Was Adama losing his grip on reality? Were prayers answered that quickly? May the Lords bless us, but it chirped again in insistence and his heart leapt. He keyed the door to open, getting up from his chair, buoyed by the hope.

He was not prepared for the young man that was at his door, one of Rene's teens she had rescued from Caprica. Adama couldn't recall his name at the moment, only that he was under guardianship of Lt. Rene and Lt. Jake and he hoped to become a viper pilot when he came of age. Lt. Crius was accompanying him. The Lieutenant spoke, his words were those of apology. Adama realized it should have been his place to apologize. Adama had not thought to inform the family of the loss of their friends, partly due to the fact they were more aware than he was as to the dangers the pilots faced returning to Caprica, many of them having been back recently on the mission to steal fuel for the fleet to aid their departure from the Dilmun quadrant. Also, partly due to the fact that he wasn't ready to admit they were gone and the realities that would mean for the family. Guardianships would need to be reassigned. What of little Leia, left to Adama with the first death, now orphaned again? This time he felt there was no other choice than for him to step in and raise the child. What of the teens and other children? He didn't know the arrangements Rene and Jake had made for their families. Adama had been too involved in his duties when he should have asked before sending parents out into the oblivion.

Lt. Crius interrupted his thoughts, "Sir, I'm sorry. He insisted on speaking with you and I…if he can just have a moment of your time, we will not bother you again. He wouldn't calm down and I…"

The young man interrupted Lt. Crius. "You have to stop the fleet. You have to wait for them. She will come back. You have to!"

Adama was struck by the courage it must have taken for this young man to insist on speaking with a commander. Dante's recruits were still very skittish of command, many taking physical steps back whenever Adama approached, some going so far as dismissing themselves from any room someone in command entered. It was why he had seen little of the older children. His uniform alone frightened them. His best success at interacting with the children had been on Starbuck's community service project when Adama had donned a maintenance technician's coveralls. Then the children were still hesitant, but at least they didn't flinch in fear when he raised a hand or spoke.

To have come into this room, one that represented for them yahrens of abuse and torture, must have required courage and recklessness that rivaled Starbuck's. He wished he could reward that bravery, but unfortunately, he had no good news to deliver.

"Son, I'm sorry, but the fleet must move forward. I understand your loss, but…" Adama began, but Lt. Crius reached for the boy's arm to pull him from the room.

"Jason, he heard you, alright? We should go, I'm sorry, sir.

"No, it's quite alright. I should have come to speak with all of you. I was hoping to bring good news but…"

Jason interrupted him, "NO! She's coming back. Rene always makes it back. We have to be here for her when she does. We have to!"

Adama was at a loss as to what he could say to reassure the young man. There was nothing he could offer.

The teen looked to Lt. Crius and then back to Adama. "You have to wait! The Cylons aren't close and she will come back. She…" The young man looked up in fright as another of the family came through the door. Lt. Nik brushed past Crius, a stern look of determination on his face. Jason hastily took several terrified steps away from Nik and further into the room as Adama stood trying to intervene. Jason's hands came up to block a blow and Adama cringed. He would not have his office play out a scene of violence.

"It's quite alright. He's welcome here. He's done no harm." But Lt. Nik ignored his commander's words. His hand reached out for the teen. He gripped the back of the boy's neck, bringing him forehead to forehead, a pose Adama had witnessed before with those rescued from Caprica. Jason shook in fear, but Lt. Nik gripped him hard and didn't say a word, just holding the teen still for several microns.

Jason's voice broke in a sob. "He has to wait Nik. He has to." Nik held the boy in the same position, his eyes boring into the boys until Jason gained some control. Adama felt it was best to let the scene play out for now, but he had no intention of letting it become violent, and certainly would not be letting the three young men leave his office, at least not until they knew that he agreed with Jason. The Cylons were not close, and his warriors deserved the time they needed to return. He would deal with the fleet and the council. He was in command after all.

Adama spoke, hoping to defuse the tension. "Lieutenants, it's alright. He has a right to speak his mind. I am not angry at the intrusion. Let him have his say. You might find I agree with him. Where Starbuck and Apollo are concerned, miracles have been known to happen. They have often pulled off the impossible with very little resources."

While Lt. Crius seemed to latch on to Adama's words, Lt. Nik ignored him and waited until the boy gained some control before he spoke, so low Adama barely heard him despite being only a few paces away. "Would you have him put Lara in danger? Kiff or Kalea?"

The boy wailed. "No, but …"

Nik continued his voice almost a whisper. "He has the whole fleet to think about and the kids. We can't stop, Jason, and she will find us. This is Rene we are talking about. It does not matter where you are, she will find you. You understand?" Nik gripped the boy tighter and his voice rose higher in volume and intensity. "What did she teach you, huh? What did we learn on Caprica? She pulled you out of that sewer and that slave camp for no reason, huh? What did she teach you?"

Jason pulled in an uneven breath and his voice was quieter and calmer. "We are not alone."

"We are not alone," Nik echoed. "All those who went before us, are still with us. We keep the love. She loved you. And what did she teach you about fear?"

Jason heaved a deep breath. "It will wash over me."

Lt. Nik pulled at the boy, almost knocking their foreheads together. "We will come out the other side. Don't let it be the mind killer. She will find us! It doesn't matter where we are, in the dark, in the black, she will find us!"

Jason seemed to break at the words, unable to hold back the tears. "Are you sure? But what if she can't? What am I supposed to do? What if…and Starbuck…what if he isn't as good as he says?" Jason could not speak above the sobs that now were wracking his chest.

But Lt. Nik held on, ignoring everything in the room but the young man in his hold. He murmured low, "We go forward. We are not alone. Kiff, Kalea, Leia," the young warrior began listing off the names of the children. Adama knew the Lieutenant was trying to remind the young man of those depending on him, and he found himself recalling his own list of names that needed him, Athena, little Ila, Boxey, Bojay, and yes, even Tigh, Omega and all those in command that relied on his experience and wisdom.

Adama keyed his door to close and then realized his mistake as Lt. Cruis jumped, almost leaping for the doorway. Their fear of Dante was still ingrained in them, but now was as good a time as ever to change those experiences and instincts.

"Please, Nik, Crius, it is alright. I am here to listen. I have an open-door policy and no harm will ever come to you in this room, ever." Adama's instinct was to come around his desk, to approach them, to place a hand on their shoulders in reassurance, but he knew such a move would not be interpreted as supportive based on their past encounters with Dante. Rather it would terrify them, so Adama stayed behind his desk, very purposefully taking his seat, leaning back as casually as he could. "Please, have a seat. Let's talk. I want to hear what you have to say. I have no experience with what Rene can do, what she has done in the past, but I do where it comes to my son, Apollo, and his friend, Starbuck. They earned those gold clusters for a reason. Starbuck is very experienced and he would lay down his life for the sake of the fleet. Rest assured, Jason, he is as good as he says he is, although perhaps his modesty could use some work." He smiled and was rewarded to see a flicker of a grin briefly light the boy's features. "Starbuck and Apollo have snatched victory from the jaws of defeat many a time. I do not know what Rene can do. Can you tell me? Maybe together we can find a way to bring them back to us. But first..." Adama opened the comm to the bridge. "Col. Tigh, bring the fleet to a full stop."

Tigh's voice filled the silence of the room. "Are you sure, sir?"

"Are the scanners free of contact?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then I am sure. Bring the fleet to a full stop. Prepare to remain at these coordinates for at least a secton. Increase patrols for the rear of the fleet, and send out long range patrols near where Apollo and his team left the quadrant."

"Yes, sir!" Tigh seemed just as pleased with the command as the young teen did as Jason peeked around Lt. Nik to gaze in hope at Adama.

Lt. Nik looked over his shoulder at Adama, an astonished look upon his features.

"Please, have a seat, or stand, whatever makes you more comfortable." Adama looked to Lt. Crius, the academy trained Warrior in the room. Crius had a slight grin and a wistful look upon his face as he took the steps into the room, placing a hand on Nik's arm that was still gripping the teenager hard.

"See, he's different. Not many were like Dante. I'm telling you, my Commander was a decent guy. Played cards with us and everything. See, Starbuck's right."

Nik still looked suspicious, but he relaxed his grip on the boy, but still didn't let go as he guided Jason into a chair. Crius took the one next to him, reaching out a hand to the arm of the boy's chair before he spoke. "Rene can find things. She's always known how to get us what we need, just needs time at a scanner and…ya need fuel, she finds it. Ya need water, it rains. And then there's the whole going anywhere. She's jumped back and forth to the colonies a lot, just in the last sectar. I think Nik might be right, I mean if we stay on these coordinates and don't take any crazy-astrum Sagan turns…"

Crius talked rapidly in an effort to avoid his exaggerated drawl, saying more about his trepidation of being in this office than he probably intended to.

"She should find us, if she can get in the air, that is. They have to have lost their vipers is my guess, but that's no big deal for her. She can pilot a raider just as well. I mean, Dante made sure they had the basics of flight and I personally filled in the rest. The Rats do have an aptitude for flight, not sure why, their math ain't…isn't what it should be, neither are their study skills, but they get the concept of how to make a space vessel fly."

"And what of the rift she creates?" Adama asked, pouring drinks for all three of the men in his office, even one for Jason who was now scrubbing at the tears on his face in embarrassment. Crius took the drinks one by one, handed his to Nik, and put one in Jason's hand before he drank his own. Nik held his awkwardly, and by the end of their meeting, Adama would note did not even take a sip. Jason's hand shook as he drank his and did not seem surprised at finding it to be alcoholic.

"She makes this device that focuses the beam of energy. She says something about mass and energy and it creates the rift. My astrophysics isn't what it should be, but it fits the description of a wormhole. The part she can't explain, no one can I think, is how she gets the wormhole to stay open and take her to the coordinates she sets. And maybe 'sets" is the wrong word. It's not really like she sets them. She says she just…" Crius hesitated looking to Nik before speaking again. "She uses the word 'wish', but I think she has always been able to find her way, like…. I don't know exactly how to describe it, but it's like a natural compass or something. I mean, they talk about the sewers and she just knew which way in the dark was north and south and towards the bay or towards the city. Out in a viper, she just understands orientation of space, you know, like some pilots just get that and some never do. In that black sea we crossed, she had no problems and maybe it's because they never had to memorize all their instruments, you know? Starbuck jokes they don't know what half of them do, and, man, that ain't too far from the truth on those first flights they took from the Zakar. Dante didn't spend a whole lot of time training the Rats. But the rest of us, we made sure they were trained after that, well versed in everything in the cockpit. I wouldn't let them twist in the wind like that, you know?"

"Yes, I understand." Adama kept his eyes on Crius hoping the focus would give Nik and Jason time to become more comfortable. "I was a pilot once myself. You are right; some pilots do not navigate as well as others, or rely too heavily on their instrumentation and not on their intuition while flying."

"Exactly! I think, she just knows which way is up and which way is down and then forgets what that means…I don't know. But I think if she really wanted to, she could find us no matter where we went and if she's not…" He paused and looked to Jason before looking back to Adama. "She's not dead. I think we would know. Can't explain it, but the rats are tight. I believe Jason when he says she's not dead. He claims he knew when Ari died and…they've been through a lot so, I gotta recognize that ability if nothing else, you know, to know if one of their own is alive or dead."

Adama acknowledged the comment as he understood the feeling all too well, and it was unexplainable. He just knew that Ila was dead even though he went down to verify for himself. Perhaps that is why he had to go, to understand why he just knew despite the distance separating them. "Do you think we could recreate what Rene can do? If we had her device?"

"That's the tough question. I don't know. I mean, we could recreate the device. It's simple actually, but…" Crius shook his head. "I'm not willing to try it, and I won't let Nik, or anyone else with kids, try it. Even if we could recreate the rift, I'm not sure we could do what she does with the precision of coordinates."

Adama nodded knowing they would have to await the return of Rene for those answers, and regretting that he didn't insist she speak again with Dr. Wilker before allowing her to take a team on her rescue mission.

"Understood, Lieutenant. Our options for now are to wait. So we will wait, and pray. In the meantime, is there anything you need that I can provide?"

"Uh, no sir. Uh…" Crius suddenly seemed uncomfortable. "Uh, no sir. I do appreciate you speaking with us. He…well, I…"

Adama smiled at the man's discomfiture. He hadn't meant to sound dismissive. He'd meant it to be sincere, but should have known they would deny needing the help. "It is quite alright, Lt. Crius. If nothing else, you are my warrior, as well as my corridor neighbor, and with the sealing the other night, we are now family, you understand? Starbuck is like a son to me. Rene, now a daughter-in-law, and that makes you a son to me as well. Jason is like my own grandson, and you can all speak to me anytime. I'm honored you felt comfortable enough to do so today."

The room grew quiet before Nik spoke soft and low as he set his drink on Adama's desk, "We should go. Thank you."

Crius filled the silence, thanking him as well, reminding him that the family would not forget. Adama let the three men leave his office while he kept his chair, conscious of not making a move in their direction. It felt so wrong. He wanted to stand, to embrace the teenager, to tell him that even if Rene did not return, he would see that everything was alright. Perhaps in time he could make such gestures, but for now, he had to give the Caprica recruits the time and space to find their comfort with him. He would make a point of stopping by the Council chambers in the morning to speak to them, and perhaps with Rene's return he could ask to spend more time with the Copper Squadron.

The thought struck him. He knew they would return. He had to believe it to make it come true. And he would believe so just as surely as he believed they would find Earth. His family would return.