Battlestar Galactica, three months earlier, a week after Cally's talk with Apollo.

Waking up on her cot, Cally wiped her eyes as she stared at the bunk bed above her, and then she turned her head and stared at the dark brown curtain that provided a modicum of privacy from the outside world. The young woman listened hard, but couldn't hear any breathing or snoring or sounds of Seelix and her new beau having early morning sex. With a soft sigh of relief, Cally slowly pulled the curtain back and squinted her eyes when the bright white overhead lights shone down on her. She covered her eyes and then slowly sat up while at the same time twisting her body until her feet was on the cold deck on the Galactica. She shook her head, and then sighed upon remembering that today was the day.

The day she would be taking a leap of faith and helping both of her superiors.

'The Commander said that I'll going to be alright,' thought Cally to herself as she got up, and then raised her arms over her head, stretched, and then yawned. All the while she was thinking to herself, and the woman who's supposed to do this… this ritual will be there to answer any questions.'

Cally then lowered her arms and walked to her locker while thinking, 'huh… rituals. Magic. Blood Demons. Witches. All of them are true and do exist. Or do they? Maybe Major Adama really is a blood demon, but the existence of magic?' Or… oh frack me, the Majors a blood demon who had his soul restored and you're arguing with yourself over the possibility of magic being real?'

Cally chuckled as she put a towel over her shoulder while wearing a grey tank top and a pair of shorts. She then walked out of the large room of twenty bunk beds and stepped into the hallway. She then headed for the washrooms when she passed by several officers and enlisted personnel. She knew many of them were still undergoing training under one of the other pilots; the hope being that Apollo would be able to take over those duties once he's cleared to come up to the massive ship.

She then stepped into the washroom where several men and women were changing and taking showers. With it being an unisex environment, it wasn't unusual to see both genders in the nude. Cally looked away as she entered one of the shower stalls and hung her towel outside. He closed the curtain just as Dee, who was unaware that Cally had already agreed to the joining ritual waked by with a towel wrapped around her body.

Back in the stall, Cally took off her clothes, and hung them on the hanger next to where her towel was being hung. She then turned on the shower and revelled under the warm water. As the stream of water hit her face and her hair, she thought back to the conversation she had with Apollo and Commander Adama nearly a week ago when she first found out about the Major's 'condition'.

Apollo's Cell, a week earlier.

Apollo and the Commander looked at each other, and then at the nervous Cally once again after he said that she wanted to hear more about what was going to happen, what it meant for her, and if others would find out. She stated shooting off more questions, which stopped when the Commander gently placed a hand on her shoulder. He watched as she closed her eyes, took in a deep breath, and then shook her head before asking, once again, she'd like to know more.

"A handful of people know about Lee," said the Commander, "some in the Quorum are aware, Helo, Starbuck, and a few others know. Racetrack knows, so does Kat, and Dee. And I'd like to keep it that way."

"The Marines know too," said Cally as she looked back at the Marines in the hallway while they tightly ground their weapons. She then looked back at the Commander who nodded his head.

"And you get to live your life," said Apollo while she stared at Cally, "after the ritual, you're free to do what you want to do. You're under no obligation to… I mean…" Cally could see that Apollo was getting nervous while he was rubbing the back of his head. And she knew what he was talking about even if he never completed what he wanted to say, partly because his father was in the room; 'he wanted to say that the both of us don't have to be a couple. We can be with whoever we want.'

Cally then nodded her head before saying that she understood what Apollo was trying to say, "but will this affect my work?"

"You'll be living your life as normal," the Commander reassured her. "The woman, Tara, she said that the people she had done this for already had feelings for each other. So the ritual was used to make the already existing bond between them stronger… it was done for her safety since they were in a relationship. If you're concerned about somehow falling in love with Lee because of the ritual that'll anchor his soul, I was told it does not work like that. They both of you will remain friends unless the both of you make a decision to become more than friends."

"Again, this is your choice, Cally," Apollo said while Cally looked over a the floor for a few seconds, and then looked up. She was worried that the ritual would somehow force her to somehow fall in love with Apollo, but hearing that it wouldn't made her feel a little better. Apollo then told her that Tara would be telling her the exact same things. After several more questions, Cally made a leap of faith and agreed to anchor Apollo's soul.

Apollo's Room/Cell, a week later.

It was only an hour after she woke up, took a shower, put on her regulation uniform and made some changes to the schedule before sending it to the Chief to be approved did Cally climb into a Raptor and was flown down to the surface. Once there, she was met by Commander Adama who then escorted her to the tower which contained Apollo's room. He told her, while they leisurely walked, that Tara arrived a few minutes ago, "there's something you should know."

"Sir?" Cally said as she stopped walking and stared at the Commander who stopped as well and stood in front of her. He looked at the worried expression on her face, and then smiled before saying that what Tara told him wasn't anything that was bad.

"You were told of the side-effects being the both of you would have some sense of feeling each other's emotions, and then there is the fact that if one of you should perish then the other would be able to feel it in their heart and soul," the Commander asked as Cally nodded her head. He then went on to say, "she said that your aging would slow down."

"O…k," trailed off Cally shaking her head, "that… is that even possible, sir?"

"I can't say if it's true, or not," the Commander admitted, "it sounds unbelievable, but then I believed blood demons were unbelievable. Or that restoring souls were unbelievable."

Cally shook her head as she and the commander stepped on the grass while gravel trails were being set down by Colonials themselves. She turned and stared at the Commander who was staring at the grass while deep in thought. She then looked away while they continued walking, their boots crushing the grass beneath their feet as they silently walked into the tower. They strode through the lobby and headed for the ring platform.

Stepping onto the platform, the Commander the pressed a series of buttons, and the both of them were transported to the basement. Stepping down first, the Commander then turned to help Cally off the pedestal and then the both of them walked down the hallway. It would be a few minutes later that Cally laid her sights on Riley, Dr. Burke, and two other women she didn't recognize as part of the Earther team on New Kobol.

Once of them, a blonde woman, stopped talking to Riley and looked at her before a smile appeared on her face. The small group of Earthers then wtopped whispering to each other while the two Colonial Marines still guarded the closed door to Apollo's room. The Commander approached the Earthers with Cally who had a little bit of nervousness showing on her face while she was clasping her hands behind her back. And thanks to the translation disk on Dr. Burke's collar, Riley had no problem in introducing Tara and Kennedy.

"Tara would be the one handling this… unique situation," said Dr. Burke as Tara approached Cally and extended her hand out. Cally, with a still trembling hand, reached out and gently grasped Tara's, before the both of them shook hands together.

"I know this seems on the unbelievable side," said Tara, "and I'll only do this, connecting your souls, if you're willing. So, maybe we could speak in private? You can ask me whatever question you want, and I'll give you honest answers."

Cally looked at Tara, and then glanced at the Commander who was looking away at the floor, before looking at her. He then said that it was completely her decision and if she wanted to back out now, he would understand.

"Before you say anything," Tara said just as Cally was about to say something, "let us speak in private. Perhaps we could go to the end of the hall?"

"Or to one of the room on the far end of the hall," said the Commander, "this entire floor has been rendered a secure wing for only those with military clearance. All the rooms are empty. If you wish, you can use the room we just passed by." The Commander then asked the both of them to follow him to a room that was at the end of the hallway. He then pressed a few buttons before the doors slid open and the light turned on in the room automatically. Tara asked the Commander to give her and Cally some privacy, and the older man nodded his head, before the two young women walked in.

After the door slide shut behind them, Tara motioned towards a chair and asked Cally to take a seat while she sat down at the edge of a cot.

"So," Tara said, the both of them still in range of the translator, "what would you like to know?"

"So, you… you really… I mean… so, magic really exists?" asked Cally as she knitted her eyebrows.

Tara smiled while leaning forward and nodding her head. She explained that mystical energy is everywhere, and that there are some people who are naturally adept at wielding mystical energy, "and there are others who have to train for years before they can cast their first spell."

"So, basically, anyone can wield this so-called mystical energy?" asked Cally with one side of her lips arched upwards, and her eyebrows pulled upwards, "even someone like me?"

"Anyone can," Tara chuckled, "I mean you can be trained, but that doesn't mean you'll be able to use it effectively."

"Oh," replied Cally as she leaned back on her chair. She then sighed, leaned forward again and asked if using her soul to anchor Apollo's would mean she'd be tainted, "the Commander already assured me that it won't. But.. but I would like to hear it from you."

"No, your soul won't be tainted," Tara replied before asking, "is Major Adama a good man?"

"I…"

"is he a good man?" asked Tara once again, "at his core, is he a good man?"

"Yes," Cally replied.

"Then you have nothing to worry about," Tara smiled while Cally released a breath she didn't realise she was holding back, and hung her head down towards the floor. "A human soul becomes tainted when the soul being anchored is full of evil. I could feel that the Major is a good man, just as the friend whose soul I helped anchor is a good man."

"The Commander and Major Adama told me about that," said Cally as she raised her head and stared into Tara's eyes, "he was a blood demon who had his soul restored and.. well, his soul is anchored to the woman he loves."

"But he wasn't always this way," Tara said as she leaned forward, "he was a human who died, and was then raised up as a vampire, what you call a blood demon. He was the evillest vampire that ever existed."

Cally's eyes went wide in shock at that admission. She was about to asked how it was that the woman Angel loved could be taken in with someone so evil. But Tara interrupted her before she could say anything.

"He murdered thousands upon thousands of people," said Tara as Cally listened in stunned silence, "beginning with his family."

"By the gods," Cally said as she got up from the chair and turned around before pacing the floor with her arms wrapped around her body. Tara saw that Cally was becoming more nervous and uneasy, but this was something that needed to be said. She, Angel, and Cordelia had already discussed that full disclosure be made to the Colonial woman before she made her final decision.

"Then he killed the favourite daughter of a tribe of people on our world," said Tara "hey cursed him with his soul. He remembers everything he has ever done in his hundred years of being a soulless monster. Their memories punishes him each and every moment of his life; whether he's awake or asleep."

"But…."

"You're going to say that he's a monster," Tara said nodding her head while Cally stopped pacing and stared at the witch, "and you're right. He'll be the first one to tell you that he's a monster. That he killed men, women, and children. And you'll see the regret in his eyes when he tells you what he did. But the soul? The should restored him to how he used to be. A good man at his core who has been doing good for the past several years. He answered a calling to help people… to protect them from demons and vampires. To protect the innocent so that they don't experience what he used to do… so that they don't experience the pain he used to cause. When he was alive, he used to be a drunk. But now? With his soul back and all those memories? He's better than he ever was when he was alive."

"You shouldn't have told me that story," said Cally as she sat back down and put her head in her hands, "you shouldn't have told me that story, and…"

"And you need to know everything," Tara said gently, "you have to do this out of your own free will. It doesn't matter if you love the Major, or not. You need all the information so that you can use your own free will to become an anchor."

"Tell… tell me," stammered Cally as she looked back up and leaned back on her seat. Tara could see the woman's lips were starting to tremble as she continued, "what.. what happens if… if he kills me, or what if he loses control, or…"

"That's why I asked you if he is a good man," Tara said as she reached out and held Cally's hand, "if he was a good and fair man in life, then the Major is a good and fair man now. What makes my friend who he is now? It's the souls he's taken when he was a vampire. It's the memories of the deaths he caused, that pushes him to do good. To bring out the good man that he should have been if he wasn't such a drunk."

"But Major Adama didn't have to deal with all those deaths, and.."

"And he won't be tortured every single day," Tara said, "he'll be who he used to be when he was alive."

Cally stared at Tara searching for any signs of deceit, but she wasn't able to find any. The younger woman then got up again and ran her hands through her hair while she paced around on the floor as she sifted through the information that was just given to her.

"What.. what about my aging slowing down?"

"Yeah, it's another side effect," said Tara, "I found out about it a week ago when the friend he was anchored to started having dizzy spells. I checked, and found that her aging had been slowing down over time. And the dizziness was her body's way of getting used to that change. She's fully healthy, make no mistake. But her aging slowing down means that she's live longer than us, but she'll grow old very, very slowly."

"So, she is safe?" asked Cally as she covered her mouth with her hand while the other hand rested on her hip.

"Yes," replied Tara, "but of course, the downside is that she would not be able to have a child with him. They'll most likely adopt but… I mean if you and Major Adama intend on being a couple down the line, then…"

"I don't think that's going to happen," Cally shook her head.

"If it does," said Tara emphasizing the 'if' while getting off the cot, "then you should know that if you want any children, the only thing to do is adopt."

"And if any of us dies then…"

"The other would feel it," Tara said. "But what matters more in your decision is if you believe that the Major was a good man before he was turned. With his soul back, he'll be that same person. Your soul won't be tainted if that's the case."

"Good and evil is a subjective, isn't it?" asked Cally.

"It is," admitted Tara, "which is why I asked what you believe. Do you believe that the Major is a good man?"

"Yes," whispered Cally.

"Then I've given you everything you need to know," Tara said, "the decision? Well, that's all yours now."

Cally looked away thoughtfully, and leaned back on her chair, pulled her head back and closed her eyes. Tara simply looked away and wondered what the young woman in front of her was going to say. She could see that the Commander was hiding his deep concern and fear that there would be no one who would be willing to be an anchor for Apollo. Tara then heard a sigh as Cally slowly got off her chair. She stood up without an expression on her face, but Tara read her aura- the young woman was nervous, but there was determination in her as well..

"I know what I want to do." Cally then nodded her head and repeated herself once again, "I know what I want to do."

Infirmary, New Kobol, at that same time.

While Cally was telling Commander Adama that she would be Apollo's anchor, Gaeta was looking out the window to his left in complete silence as he recalled in his mind what happened that fateful day on Kobol. He recalled the snarls behind him when he, a few colonials, and some of the humanoid Cylons were examining ruins. They heard snarls and turned around only to see monsters running towards them. Gaeta remembered everyone panicked and screamed as, one by one, the people were being killed… their blood being drained or bodies being cut down. He then remembered running until he and one other humanoid Cylon was left alone.

But no matter how much he tried, Gaeta couldn't remember the man's face. All the Colonial officer remembered was the human-form Cylon pushed him into a ditch, and then pushed a stone column over the ditch to hide him from the monsters. Gaeta remembered crying out in pain since his foot broke when the column fell on him while the Cylon yelled in pain. Gaeta heard the man's scream, which faded after a few seconds.

And then, all Gaeta saw was darkness all around him before being rescued.

Back in the present day, Gaeta shook his head before he looked down at the heavily bandaged foot sticking out from under the blanket, and then he turned to his left and stared at the nurses and doctors treating another Colonial male. He didn't speak to them, mainly became he didn't know what to say.

He had seen real life monsters. Real life blood demons, and he felt his life changing before his eyes. Gaeta closed his eyes and tried to push back the scene where he saw one of the Earthers with them had her guts ripped out while he continued to run.

She was screaming, and he just ran. The Colonials were screaming, and he just ran. The Cylons were screaming, and he just ran. That's been his nightmare ever since returning from Kobol; Gaeta just kept on running away while the dead called out to him for help. But he didn't wasn't to tell anyone. He didn't know how to tell anyone about the nightmares.

Gaeta looked back out the window at the other towers outside, and remembered his fear. A great fear that pulled him away from being a Colonial officer. He had faced human insurrectionists before on the fringes of Tauron space, he faced Cylons before, he survived the Cylon apocalypse. But this? What had happened on Kobol was different.

He felt that the experience scarred him.

The more he thought about that day, the more tears welled in his eyes as he remembered the screams all around him while he continued running. And then there was the darkness after the column was pushed down on him… and in that darkness, the screams were magnified.

And he was alone.

"Lt. Gaeta?" The female voice was enough to break the young Colonial officer out of his reverie. He turned his head to find a woman looking back at him while simultaneously grabbing a nearby seat. He watched her place the seat close to his bed, and then close the curtain around the bed in the shared room for some privacy. The woman then, once the curtain covered the window, walked back to her chair, "Lt. Gaeta, I presume?"

"Yes," he replied questioningly.

"My name is Dr. Vivian Redfield," the woman said in fluent Colonial Standard with an accent Gaeta didn't recognize. The woman, with dark red hair, brown eyes, and wearing blue blouse and trousers reached for, and held onto the bedside railing. She arrived with Tara earlier that day, and was briefed on the situation back on Earth at the SGC. Once she arrived with Tara, the witch accessed the planet's magic, and downloaded an 'Ancient Greek language pack' into Dr. Redfield's mind so that she could talk to Gaeta and the other survivors of the Kobol massacre, "I have experience with what happened to you and the people on Kobol."

"Oh," the lieutenant said in surprise.

"I am a trauma counsellor with an organization on Earth that deals with situations such as yours," said the woman, "especially when it comes down to demons, and other monsters."

"I…."

"Have you had the nightmares yet?" asked Dr. Redfield as Gaeta looked at her in surprise. The expression on his face indicating that he had been having nightmares, "the woman then nodded her head before taking a seat. "So, tell me what you saw. And we can go on from there."

Battlestar Galactica, three months later, initial testing of shield emitters.

"Sir," said Cally while she kept up with Apollo when they strode towards Raptor 118, the Raptor that would be used to test the shield emitters on the 'alligator head' section of the ship, "all ordinance has been loaded. Missiles, heavy ammunition, name it.. you have it. Well… all except for nukes."

"Yea," he replied as he checked his flight suit seals while passing several pilots who wished him good luck, "this is going to be real fun."

The both of them then made their way up into the rear of the Raptor where Skulls was already waiting on him in the ECO's seat. The man was supposed to take readings and pictures of the test while Apollo would be doing the heavy lifting. As Cally patted Skulls on his back, the man nodded his head at him before watching her and Apollo head towards the cockpit. He then turned back to his console and bean pre-flight checks.

Looking back over her shoulder to make sure Skulls wasn't listening, Cally turned her head back to Apollo who was sitting on the pilot's seat, and leaned down before whispering in his ear.

"You've had your food?"

"Yeah," he whispered looking back up at Cally. He looked into her eyes, and then down to her lips. He could hear her heartbeat, and took in her body's scent, as well as the scent of the aviation fuel on her uniform. He opened his lips, as did she, before they suddenly pulled away. Cally took in a deep breath before patting Apollo on the shoulder, her last pat included a gentle squeeze as she remembered the moment three months ago when she and Apollo were sitting on the floor in his makeshift cell facing each other while holding hands. They looked into each other's eyes while Tara started to chant in a foreign language that the translator on Dr. Burke's collar did not recognize.

As she went on, Cally and Apollo followed what Tara instructed them to do. Stay calm, and just look at each other. It was to keep them focused as his sol connected to her, and she to him. It was a few seconds later that Cally started to feel a gentle warmth as the flames on the candles around them started to rise up slowly. Just then, her body started to glow white, while Apollo glowed blue. Cally remained calm and looked into his eyes before she started to feel exhausted. She could feel themselves joining together as the two lights merged in the middle of where they were sitting, before the white light branched out and pierced Apollo's body. In the meantime, the blue light from the merged lights pierced through Cally who took in a deep breath while she remained eye contact with Apollo.

When the flames on the candles extinguished themselves, the ritual was completed. Both Cally and Apollo then passed out, and fell sideways to the floor. And ever since then, ever since Apollo returned to the Galactica a week later, the both of them felt each other's loneliness. Even though Apollo would spend a lot of time training new pilots, or being with his father on the bridge, or even when he was in the brig talking to the imprisoned Starbuck; Cally felt his loneliness.

And it went the other way around too. Apollo felt how lonely Cally was feeling even though she was working on the shield emitters, the computers, the new consoles in the CIC, and working on the Raptors. He had seen her happy when working on the Vipers after each training mission… but he still felt her loneliness.

He talked to Starbuck about it a few weeks later. And she was the one who told him to ask Cally on a date, "and see how it goes, Lee." Apollo and Starbuck talked, the latter reminding him that he was already told about the side-effects on his soul being anchored.

"She's lonely, and tried to hide it, Kara," Apollo said leaning against the wall when he sat on her cot in the brig. The blonde Colonial officer would be going on trial in a month's time for Baltar's murder, and ever since returning to the Galactica, Apollo's been visiting her, "actually, she's still trying."

"Can you blame her?" asked Starbuck as she sat next to Apollo, whose arm lay across her shoulders while they leaned back against the wall, "she's feeling what everyone else is feeling." Apollo then turned and stared at Starbuck who looked back at him and chuckled while shaking her head, "do you really think people would be going 'hey long, we're on a new planet, so lets forget about my dead family and friends, or let's forget about the people who we left behind'."

"And just how did you get so deep?" asked Apollo jokingly.

"I've been in here for three months," Starbuck quipped before looking away, "I hear things when the guards talk to me, or when Dee comes in to talk, or the Old Man, the President, and.. yeah. I hear things. Even Gaeta came to see me when he heard what happened with Baltar after he returned to the ship. He was angry about what happened with Baltar since, well… he was Gaeta's hero or something. I told him about what Baltar admitted to me. And he was surprised, to tell you the truth. He's been coming to see me nearly every day after that."

"You've become the advice queen?" chuckled Apollo.

"I'm wise beyond my years," she answered dramatically while raising her hands high into the air, "and being in this cell, pondering the very intricacies of the universe itself has brought me a new respect for life itself, and…"

"You're just bored, aren't you?" deadpanned Apollo. Starbuck dropped her arms back down, and then turned glaring at Apollo. She narrowed her eyes and then smirked before looked away.

"You have no idea," she replied while Apollo laughed. It would be a few minutes later that Starbuck turned back towards Apollo, who stopped looking, and was just leaning back on the wall behind him. She then glanced at the guard seated at the table outside the cell, and was aware of the two guards who accompanied Apollo to the brig. She then looked back at Apollo and remembered the first time they met many years ago.

Remembered being attracted to him despite living with his brother, Zack. She remembered their first kiss when then both of them were drunk, and Zack was asleep. While they never had an affair while she was dating Zack, it still remained in the back of her mind. And now, Starbuck had a free hand to pursue Apollo. However, she made a conscious decision to not continue as she stared at Apollo who was looking at the floor, and then back at her.

"What do we do?" asked Apollo.

"You," she pointed at him, "talk to Cally. And…"

"I hear your heart racing," said Apollo, "I see your pupils dilating, and…"

"And… and I want to jump you," Starbuck admitted, while trying her best to hold back laughter, as the guard looked up and stared at the both of them, "I want to test your…. Equipment." Starbuck was referring to the man's soul, and she was aware that Apollo knew what she meant, and continued speaking while fully aware of the fact that not everyone on the ship knew about his condition, "I want to jump you, and frack you."

"I…. umm…."

"And since I'm stuck in here under heavy guard for another month, and then there's the whole trial thing, and who knows what happens after that?" said the blonde, "I can't jump you and frack you behind bars, with the Sarge over there looking at us. But what the hell? Let's frack." Starbuck's voice cracked a little in laughter before she regained her composure. Apollo, hearing the laughter escape for a second, started to chuckle as the guard began looking around nervously, "So… you know what you need to do, Lee."

"Jump you now in front of him?" joked Apollo before glancing at the guard who looked away nervously. The both of them then laughed out for a few minutes before calming down, and Starbuck reached out and held his hand.

"You don't deserve to be in here with me, Lee," Starbuck said shaking her head, "you should go talk to Cally. And as for me? Well, Anders sent me a message through a Earther video message. I haven't seen it yet, so.. yeah. I guess I'll see that."

It would be later that Apollo approached Cally after the CAP returned, and he was about to leave the ship on a training mission with four other trainees. She was the one assigned to his Viper, along with a few new knuckle-draggers who she was training. Pulling her away, Apollo asked the surprised young woman if she wanted to just talk later that day. Eventually, that talk turned to several talks between the both of them over the next few weeks. These talks turned to their first dinner date only last month in his quarters in the lower deck of the ship. It was something that Cally agreed to as well since she didn't know what it would look like if one of the deck crew was having dinner with the son of the Commander.

Over the next few days, the dinners became a regular thing between them.. with the other crew, except for the Marines guarding Apollo's room none the wiser. Back in the present day, Cally stepped back as she watched Apollo in the pilot's seat after they shared their first kiss last night. They both f then stared at each another as the Raptor was pulled out of its bay. Finally, she waved him off before stepping to one side as she recalled the feeling of warmth that went though her body as they kissed in his quarters last night.

Once the Raptor was on the elevator that would take it to the flight deck, Cally turned and then rushed to the CIC where Chief Laird was looking over the controls at the new console next to the FTL console. From there, they would be able to monitor the shield test, and discover any problems in the new Earther installed generators that powered the shield emitters.

TBC.