Bill Adama stood in Galactica's hangar bay seeing the rescued people leaving the shuttles that had arrived. They had been split between all the fleet – a few dozens for each. Obviously, the battlestars were the ones that would be receiving more.

A few feet away, he saw his former XO, Saul Tigh, helping is wife out of a raptor and approached the pair.

"Saul," he greeted his friend when he reached him.

The colonel turned around and after a moment of silence, shared a manly hug with the Old Man. "It's good to see you again."

Adama took a step back. "You saved a lot of people down there."

"Not all of them," Tigh whispered in a sad voice.

The Admiral nodded. So far, it was predicted that they had lost over four thousand souls down there. A huge loss, considering that the human race was reduced a number of less than fifty thousand…

"Bill," Ellen greeted him with her usual smile, despite all the destruction. "How nice of you to return to save us."

Adama immediately noticed the sarcasm in the woman's voice. "It was my duty as the Admiral of the fleet," he told her coldly.

Tigh pretended to cough. "Do you have some place we can stay? I think my wife needs some rest," he said, obviously not happy about his wife's tone.

"You can use you old quarters. They are free," the Admiral said, happy to get rid of Mrs. Tigh.

"Thanks. I'll be right back," Tigh announced. He nodded at someone behind the Admiral and all but dragged Ellen behind him.

The Old Man turned around to check who Tigh had directed his nod to and saw Laura Roslin standing in there. Relief washed over him – he had been afraid she had been one of the people who hadn't survived the exodus…

"Bill," she murmured. Then, taking quick steps in his direction, she enveloped him in a tight hug.

He didn't respond at first, still fighting to stay stoic, but it was stronger than him and he finally gave up, letting his arms surround her too.

"I was wrong," she told him. If Hera had been down there during the exodus, gods knew what could have happened to her. The fact was that she was safer with her parents… "I'm sorry, Bill. I'm so sorry."

He sighed, unable to stay mad at her anymore. He was just happy to have her back. The Old man looked at her when he pulled away from the hug. "I'm glad you recognize that," he told her. "But it is not me you have to apologize to…"

"I know." She knew that and it terrified her. But apologizing to Sharon and Captain Agathon was something she needed to do. Just not now. "But are we okay now?"

Bill Adama stared at her for a while. They had been apart for too long. It was time they made amends. "Yes, we are."

---

Pegasus' sickbay was completely full of patients – there were more in that day than in the past full year…

Jean Barolay, member of the resistance and former Caprican Buccaneer, was sitting on one of the beds waiting to be attended. She had dislocated her shoulder after a physical fight with one of the blond skinjobs. Of course, the bitch had ended up worse.

The curtain surrounding her bed was opened and she just couldn't believe her eyes.

"Oh my gods, Erin?" she asked in disbelief. Erin Decker stood right in front of her. Erin Decker, who used to be her team's physical therapist; Erin Decker, who used to be her friend but that had just vanished one day; Erin Decker, who was supposed to be dead due to the attacks…

"Jean?" Decker asked, sitting on a chair in front of her, also surprised to see her. "I thought you were dead!"

Barolay laughed. "I was going to tell you the same." She still couldn't believe that Decker was alive. "What happened? I mean, we were lucky to be in the mountains and survive. How did you?"

"I was already up here," she explained. "Working in one of the ships."

"Hum," Barolay mumbled. "So, wow long as it been? Three years?"

"Almost four," Erin added in a low voice. Three years and eight months, to be exact, she thought. The circumstances of her departing weren't something she wanted to remember. She proceeded in examining the other woman's arm. "It's a little swollen but it could be worse. Clearly dislocated, not broken."

"Thank go…" she wasn't able to finish the sentence because Decker, with a sudden movement, put her shoulder back in its place. "Frak! I should have known you were gonna do that!"

"It hurts less if you don't see it coming," she pointed out.

Barolay glared at her. "My ass it does," she murmured as Erin gave her an ice pack she had brought earlier. "Son of bitch!"

"Watch the cursing. We're in a respectable sickbay," the intern joked.

"Sure you are," she told him sarcastically. "So… big time medicine, that's what you've been up to recently?"

"Yep," Erin said. Among other things, she thought.

Then, finally Barolay had the guts to say what she wanted from the beginning. "He's alive you know?"

The intern tensed and she patched up her friends shoulder. She knew exactly who Jean was talking about – her ex. "Good for him," she said coldly. She didn't want to talk about him, at all. Gods knew she had enough reminders. How could she love and hate someone so much at the same time?

"He was devastated when you left. Worse when he thought you were dead."

"It was his own fault that I left. Now, can we stop talking about him?" she pleaded.

Barolay nodded. There would be other times to talk about that. "Alright. But don't be a stranger, Erin. Go out with me and the rest guys someday. Like old times."

"I'll think of that," she replied dismissivly. It would be rude to say no right away… "Okay, you're all patched up and ready to go."

Jean got up and, with Decker's help, redressed her coat. "Do you want me to tell him something for you?" she asked.

"No. Don't tell him that you saw me," the doctor said.

"Erin…"

"Please, Jean," Decker almost implored.

Barolay sook her head in disbelief. "You can't hide from him forever. I won't tell, but he'll find out that you're here sooner or later."

"Yeah." She was pretty aware of that. "But I'll go for the later…"

---

CAP's timetables were a nightmare… that was the conclusion that Starbuck reached after three hours arranging them. They had just freed the frakking planet half a day before and she was already drowning in paperwork. There was just no way she would be able to handle all the CAG work, fly her CAPs and spend time with Lee and her daughter all in the same day if she kept headed that way…

"It's great being a kid, isn't it? Being CAG sucks," she told Jamie, who was in her baby carrier that rested on a chair by her mother's side as Lee was also busy, dispatching the rescued people that had been brought to Pegasus to other ships.

The little girl seemed to be trying to fit her whole fist inside her mouth as a distraction, covering her little hand with drool. Funny how kids entertain themselves with little things, she thought. Suddenly, her daughter removed her hand from her mouth and gave her mother what seemed to be a toothless smile.

Kara dropped the pencil and completely turned her attention to her daughter. "You smiled, Baby," she told the little girl as she removed her from the carrier. It was the first time she saw Jamie smile. "Do that again for Mommy," she pleaded. "Come on, Kid. You did it once, you can do it twice."

The baby gave her mother a confused look, clearly not realizing she had done something important. She simply waved an arm in order to catch a strand of Kara's long hair.

By that moment, Kara had already forgotten what a pain in the ass it was to be a CAG and had her whole attention concentrated on her daughter. She had made her kid smile… the day was already won for sure.

"That's gonna be one spoiled kid," she heard a familiar voice say by the door. "Never once I thought I would see Kara Thrace wrapped around a kid's finger."

She looked up to see Helo grinning at her. "Says the guy who can't say 'no' to his own kid," Starbuck pointed out. If she was wrapped around Jamie's finger, he most definitely worshiped Hera… "Oh, and it's Adama for you. One would think you would have gotten used to the name after a few months, Karl."

He shrugged his shoulders as he approached his friend. "It's just a name. Now, give me my godsdaughter," the XO told her, reaching for the baby.

"Now, who say she was your godsdaughter?" Kara asked with an eyebrow raised. She was mostly joking. Helo had deserved the title of godfather way before the kid was even born…

"It is implied. I'm your oldest friend after all, who else would be?" he pointed out, tickling the baby, who kicked him lightly in return. The look on her face screamed 'don't mess with me'… just like her mommy.

"I had thought of Ellen Tigh to her godsmother," she joked. "But if you insist… I guess little Jamie won't have anyone to teach her the slutty moves, after all…"

Helo laughed. "I'm sure Apollo will be relieved. Gods know it would be hard to keep Ellen Tigh's pupil under his wing… Lots of boys around."

Starbuck snorted. "I can picture him scaring them away with a stick," she said. What an overprotective father her little girl had…

"Yeah. But speaking of boys and girls, I have news," he informed her, giving Jamie back to her mother, who put her back in the carrier, as the baby seemed tired.

"News?"

"I asked Sharon to marry me," he said in a nervous voice. "She said yes."

The corners of her lips curved. "Really?" she asked. Kara had wondered how long it would take him to pop the question… the way they lived together and all made it an undeniable fact.

"Yep," he told her. "So, what do you think of it? You know, with her being a… er… you know what."

Kara was taken aback by that one. "Are you frakking serious?" she asked. "After what Sharon just done on New Caprica, I'm tempted to say that I don't give a frak if she's a cylon. I mean, she helped saving thousands of humans! That's a lot more than other people can say… Frak, Helo, you know me better than that!"

The XO sighed in relief. "I was just checking," he told her. "No need to be all touchy."

She shook her head in disbelief. "Good old Karl getting married… your mum would be proud." Gods knew Leah Agathon had spent the last five years of her life trying to fix him up with girls… Kara herself included, although both her and Helo had laughed on the older woman's face when she had suggested it.

"Mum would have made a colonial event out of my wedding," he pointed out, smiling at his mother's memory.

"So, when is the big day?" she asked.

"We'll give it a few months," he told her. His grin was almost bigger than the damn office.

"Well, what more can I say? Mazal Tov. I would give you a bottle of Ambrosia as an engagement gift but someone," she said, glaring at her friend, "stole my whole stash."

He pretended to be hurt. "I was just helping you following the doctor's orders."

"Yeah, I'll make sure I do the same when you knock up Sharon."

A/N: Now, does anyone guess what's the deal with Decker? Yeah, I know, pretty guessable. I hope you liked the chapter. Remember: 10 reviews will get you a preview in my livejournal page.