Eileen Lehane's mindscape.
Eileen was sitting on a park bench as she watched her little girl playing on the swing in the playground. She knew this was a dream; it had to be a dream because she was happy, she was clean, and she had Faith in her life. Eileen looked down at her milky white arms and noted the lack of any track marks – signs indicating she was using hard drugs by injecting them into her body. And then there was the other reason as to how she knew she was in in a dream – Faith was happy.
Her daughter. Her little girl was happy. She was laughing a childish giggle while she was seated on the swing with several other children running about on the sand. Eileen looked up at the laughing girl as the swing went to and from, the woman giving her little girl a wave. A gentle warm breeze brushed past, causing the leaves on the trees around her to rustle gently while the branches swayed. She looked up at the bright blue sky before looking back once again at her little girl getting off the swing and chasing the other children.
Eileen knew that she didn't deserve forgiveness, not after everything that she put Faith through in the latter's childhood. As Eileen continued to stare at her daughter, a smile formed on her face as she wondered if Faith made any friends after she was taken away from her. She wondered if her little girl was doing well, if she was happy, and if she had someone significant in her life. Eileen knew that she had no right to know anything about her daughter's life, but she needed to see her… she needed to say her peace before the end.
It was six months ago that Eileen was granted parole. She still remembered the day that she gave up Faith, the day she demanded a hundred thousand dollars from the woman known as Professor Dormer to take the little girl out of her hands. At the time, all she was looking forward to was cashing the cheque the woman had given her and spending it on booze. Oh, she would have her clients as well… of course she would continue to have her clients who would pay to do things to her. Eventually, the new younger ones hooked her onto the hard drugs that made her feel as if she was floating high up into the sky. It would be a year later that she was arrested during a drug sting by the Boston Police Department.
She would later find out that the police had evidence and testimony she sold drugs, that she was a junkie, that she prostituted her daughter away, and a variety of other charges. It would be a week after she was imprisoned that she received a visit from Dormer. It was that day that Dormer told her she didn't tell the police about the money Eileen accepted to sell Faith off to her. Instead, Dormer simply told her, in a cold voice, that she hoped prison would teach her a lesson.
In addition, there was news that she said Eileen needed to hear.
"Faith is not yours, not anymore," Dormer whispered into the phone as she glared at Eileen, "you will be given some paper work to sign that'll remove you permanently from Faith's life. If you don't sign it, I'll make sure everyone in your wing knows what you did while Faith was being attacked." Eileen looked away, the hand holding the phone receiver to her ear trembling as Dormer continued, "and before you even think that I cannot spread that disgusting fact, know that I have resources that you can not imagine. If you do not sign that document, by the next day you see what happens when even prisoners have a sense of honour when it comes to hurting children."
Eileen gulped as she looked back into those cold eyes. She imagined herself being beaten to an inch of her life by the women in her wing before nodding her head.
"The money's yours," Dormer said, but it didn't make Eileen feel any better for some reason. She would later admit to herself that she sold off her only child, and that would be the reason behind the intense hurt she felt that day talking to Dormer, "after you get parole, do what you want. Get a new life, or continue your old one. I don't care what happens to you, and neither does Faith."
"How… how is she?"
"You lost all right to even ask," Dormer hissed that day, sitting across from Eileen, the glass partition between them. Eileen looked away again and hung her head, "never contact Faith after you get out… well, IF you get out. If you do, I will find out. And I swear to whatever God you worship that I will kill you."
Eileen looked back at Dormer with a look of defeat on her face.
"You'll be getting the documents tomorrow, make sure you sign it," Dormer coldly said before she slammed the phone back into its cradle and getting off the chair. She glared at Eileen for one last time before she turned around and walked away. Eileen didn't know how to feel as she watched Dormer's back before she got of her chair and was escorted away by a guard back to her cell. Eileen smply knew that she had lost everything in her life, and she didn't know how to feel.
And she still didn't know how to feel when a lawyer handed her a few sheets of paper the next day; she stared at the words. But they didn't make sense to her. It wasn't that she didn't understand the words on the paper, it was that she was finally getting what she had wanted for years and it felt wrong somehow. However, she didn't know how to feel… she was giving up all rights to her daughter. She was giving up all rights to Faith. She was giving up everything. The hand holding the fancy pen was trembling as she looked up at the lawyer who was staring at her without any outward expression. However, Eileen was an expert on body language.. she had to be for what she used to do to make sure that her clients were pleasured enough that they would continue to come back.
"I…" Eileen whispered as she looked back down at the papers on the table. She was getting what she wanted, she thought to herself. She was getting rid of the girl she believed ruined her life, the girl who she told a complete stranger that she was her meal ticket.
"Make it easier on yourself," the lawyer said calmly as he leaned forward, his arms on the table in front of him, "just sign the document. Or, as my client has already mentioned, news will spread amongst the general population of what you did to your daughter."
Eileen looked up and stared at the man, before she looked back down at the papers on the table. She didn't know how to feel as she signed the areas on the papers that needed to be signed. She didn't know how to feel when the lawyer thanked her and then walked away. She didn't now how to feel when she was escorted to her cell by a guard while her body was trembling. She didn't know how to feel as the cell door shut and she walked, in a daze, to her cot. She didn't know how to feel as she sat down and then put her hands over her face.
And it was then that the feeling that had been festering in her chest simply exploded from within, causing a metaphorical crash of motions to fall onto her shoulders. The largest being a feeling of loneliness. And Eileen sobbed into her hands.
As she sat on the park bench watching her little girl at the top of a slide preparing to 'swish' down to the sand below, Eileen thought back to six months ago. She was just paroled with a heart condition that required her to take a pill three times a day.
The woman had to thank her previous lifestyle for her current problems. Eileen even saw it as a punishment from above for what she did to her only daughter. Within a week of her parole, she had a small studio apartment thanks to the money she had stuffed away in the bank from selling her only daughter. Being in prison had changed her, being told a month before her parole that she was dying changed her even more. She mentally told herself that she needed to make amends with Faith, she knew that her daughter would never want to see her again; even so Eileen decided to contact Professor Dormer after she got out.
Imagine her surprise to hear that Dormer was dead, murdered by a gang a few years after taking Faith away from her. Eileen sat at the small dining table in her small apartment while looking out the window, she was wondering what she could do to find Faith. Her daughter was supposed to be with the professor, but now Faith was in the wind. Using most of the money she had left, she hired a Private Investigator after she joined an Alcoholics Anonymous group.
Her life went on as usual until a few days ago when the investigator found Faith in Colorado Springs. He said that Faith was working at the Air Force Academy which in reality was, unknown to Eileen and anyone else, a cover for Faith's real work at the SGC. Eileen couldn't help but be impressed when she was reading the brief the investigator had sent her, which included pictures of Faith taken via telephoto lens. Her little girl had grown up to look like a younger version of herself, and immediately Eileen felt her heart racing. After she took a pill, Eileen calmed down and then looked at the last sheet of paper that included Faith's cell phone number and address.
She stared at the number for hours every day, her hand hovering over the phone in her small apartment. But every time she had the will to pick it up and call Faith, she lost it just as fast. She was afraid of what Faith might say. She was afraid of what she may do. A part of her screamed she had no right to call her daughter, and another part of her reminded her that she needed to make amends.
'I don't have too long,' Eileen thought to herself as she sat on the bench. She watched her little girl crouch down at the side of the playground after going down the slide. She picked up some flowers, brought it up to her nose and took in a deep breath before a smile formed on her face. Eileen then leaned forward as Faith stood up and rushed towards her with a smile on her face.
"Mom!" the little girl squealed before her lips formed a wide grin as she stopped and held out the flower towards Eileen. Smiling, Eileen took the flower while using the other hand to ruffle Faith's hair. As Eileen messed up Faith's hair, she was bombarded with memories of Faith calling out for help as she cried. Eileen closed her eyes and shook her head before memories of one of her clients laughing as she took a hit of cocaine came to the forefront of her mind.
Opening her eyes again, Eileen took in a deep breath at the sight of the flower in her hand and Faith running back towards the playground. She went onto the swings once again while Eileen could only watch with a heart full of sorrow and regret.
While she was watching the daughter she would have had if she was a better mother, Faith had just parked her car in the hospital parking lot. The young woman turned off the engine and then leaned back onto her seat as she stared at the building in the distance. She didn't know which one was her mother's room, and she was debating mentally if she even needed to confront Eileen.
'She doesn't deserve to hear anything I have to say,' Faith thought to herself. She turned off the engine and leaned back on the driver seat, her eyes fixed onto the hospital. Faith closed her eyes while feeling her heart 'thump' rapidly in her chest. She wanted to say so many things to Eileen, 'but that would mean I give a damn what happens to her.'
Shaking her head and reaching for the key, Faith restarted the engine once again, reversed the car, and then drove away. Her lips were pressed together as she left the hospital behind her. She wasn't going to cry, nor was she going to even wonder about Eileen anymore. Faith was done – all she would do was report to General Landry that Eileen was in the hospital, and then he would take care of everything else.
'I have a good life now,' Faith thought to herself as she imagined Willow in her mind, 'hell, I have a wife; a woman who loves me, and someone I love in return. That's something that I never had before… but it's something I have now.' Tears came to her eyes as Faith recalled how she was when Willow offered to help after the call came in about Eileen, 'I should apologize. She was just…' Faith then sighed.
Faith: Hey, Red. You asleep?
Faith was hopeful Willow was still awake; or at least hadn't fallen into a very deep sleep yet. And a small smile formed on the dark hared Slayer's face when her love replied.
Willow: Not yet, Faith. Are you okay? Did you talk to your mom?
Faith: Not going to.
She then took a deep breath before continuing.
Faith: I wash my hands off her, Red. I know you want me to talk to her, I can feel it through our link, but I can't. That part of my life is over, and I don't want to get back to it.
Willow: I'm not going to force you, honey. But one day, maybe not now, you need some closure. And when you're ready, I'll be by your side.
Faith: I know.
Faith formed a small smile before mentally telling Willow not to hold her breath. Before finishing up their mental conversation, Faith said that she was returning to the SGC. It would be moments later that Faith walked through the double doors and into the infirmary. Everything was dimly lit, especially since the majority of the injured were asleep. Faith gently closed the doors before turning towards Dawn and her team, all of whom were completely out. She then turned towards Willow who had put her tablet down after turning off the screen. The redhead and Faith smiled at each other before the latter strode towards the bed.
Faith grabbed a hold of the privacy curtain and slowly, so as not to make a lot of noise, pulled it around Willow's bed. The whole time, the two of them were staring at each other. Once she was done, their eyes still locked, Faith walked up to the bed, lowered the railings while Willow moved the blanket covering her to one side and exposing the white linen that covered the matrasses.
The dark haired slayer took off her jacket and hung it on the chair next to the bed before she slipped into the bed. Faith lay next to her wife, her head on Willow's shoulder while her arm was draped across the redhead's abdomen. Faith leaned in and then kissed the left side of Willow's neck before the latter turned her head. The two kissed, their lips locked for a few seconds, before pulling away.
"I love you," Faith whispered as she lay her head on Willow's shoulder once again.
"I love you too," Willow replied, her right hand now rested on the arm that Faith draped across her abdomen, "I love you so much."
Faith smiled before she closed her eyes, and soon the dark haired Slayer was asleep. Willow looked down at the peaceful expression on her wife's face and smiled. Once part of her knew that Faith would one day have to face Eileen one way or another. The other part knew that if Faith did encounter her, then she would be there by her side.
Battlestar Galactica, now.
Despite having his own apartment on the surface of New Kobol, Admiral Adama was still more comfortable in his quarters on the Galactica. It was cramped, but there was a cosy feeling to it even though many of his belongings were transferred to the surface. In a way, he felt as if he and the Galactica were one and the same when spending the night on the ship – and he liked that feeling. As he slowly opened his eyes to the constant ringing from the alarm clock next to his cot, the Admiral took in a deep breath before he reached out and shut off the alarm clock.
Pushing the blanket that was covering him to one side, Adama then slowly sat up before releasing a yawn. Sitting on the cot, he stared at the greyish wall in front of him before he got up and made his way to his private washroom. As he turned on the tap and reached for his shaver, Adama mentally went through his day.
'More shield tests – there were a few power surges hours after the tests were finished, so hopefully we've managed to work with the Earthers on those issues,' he though as he lathered the shaving foam on his face, 'then I'll go see Starbuck, then Lee, and then I have to catch a shuttle to the surface for a meeting with the President. Then there's the thing with Starbuck's trial, and not to mention the fear among the Council on Lee's condition.'
Adama sighed when he thought about his oldest son. Apollo was feeling great, at least for a dead man. He was a whole lot stronger now and drank blood in the privacy of his room, but he was still the same Apollo that was once the CAG. He was the same Lee 'Apollo' Adama who was his son.
The Admiral was also grateful for everything that Cally had done for Apollo; specifically being an anchor for Apollo's soul. She had been instrumental, together with the Chief, on working alongside the Earthers in improving the power efficiency of the shield generators.
Meanwhile, in the lower decks of the Galactica, Apollo was starting to wake up. Even though he didn't need to sleep, going through the motions of what he did when he was alive made him feel more comfortable with his new situation. The only downside was that this time he didn't dream. Hell, he didn't even need to breath but his chest still expanded and contracted as if he did. He asked BUffy before the latter left why he acted as if he was breathing, and the answer he got from Buffy was that the undead wanted to fit in, so he was acting on reflex.
Sighing, Apollo opened his eyes to the grey of his quarters before he slowly sat up. Turning his body, Apollo hung his legs off the edge of his bed before hopping off. He eyed the fridge in the corner which contained blood packs that would last him the next two weeks before getting a new shipment from Earth. Shaking his head, he then turned and walked towards the washroom door in the other corner of the room.
Just as he reached the washroom door, there was a knock on the main door to his quarters. Apollo stopped, and sniffed the air before a small smile formed on his face. Turning around, he walked over to the door and then opened it to find Cally in her deckhand uniform holding three clipboards in one hand.
"Cally," Apollo said as he stepped aside to let Cally though into his quarters. As Apollo shut the door, Cally placed the clipboard on the messy cot before turning around and taking a seat. Apollo turned around and strode over before taking a seat next to her while he was handed a clip board that listed out the duties he had to do for the next few hours which included testing the new shields, the power generators, and training some new viper and Raptor pilots.
"You know," he said putting the clipboards to his left before turning back towards Cally, "I could have just gotten these when I get to the hanger bay."
Cally shrugged her shoulders before saying, "I just wanted to bring it by myself."
"There's still two hours left before my shift, and you…"
"I changed my schedule," Cally said as Apollo opened the door to the washroom before stepping inside and turning on the tap, "I start the same time as you. Chief Laird approved the change."
"He did, did he?" Apollo replied while splashing water on his face. He then glanced at the mirror which didn't show his reflection, instead he was a reflection of Cally giving him a small smile as she sat on his cot. Turning around after turning off the flow of water, Apollo walked out of the washroom and headed straight for the fridge in the corner. He grabbed a pack of blood and sighed before saying, "Cally, I need to…"
"If the two of us are going to be seeing each other, if we're planning to be something more…," Cally then took in a deep breath as she stared at Apollo's back before gently saying, "then I need to be here when you feed. You've never fed in front of me, and…. Well, it's something I need to experience, Lee."
It sounded different calling the CAG of the Galactica by hi first name. Usually it would be 'Sir', or 'CAG', or 'Apollo', but with the two of them now seeing each other and never having gone further than a few dinners together in his quarters, Cally felt as if things needed to change. The two of them already kissed a few nights ago, and they had been continuing to kiss each other in the privacy of his quarters. But Cally needed to be in his presence when he fed, it was part of the reason why she was in his quarters… this was the time he would feed on the pigs blood.
She heard the growl as she looked on. She then saw him lower his head before there was the sound of his fangs biting down into the plastic pack. Taking a deep breath, she kept the bile that was threatening to flow up her throat when she heard the slurping sound. It would be a few minutes later that Apollo was finished, and then he walked towards a trash bin lined with a yellow coloured bag that was usually used to dispose of contaminated waste products in the infirmary. Once the top of the bin was closed shut, Cally watched as Apollo walked away, his back still towards her, and then into the washroom again.
He gargled for a while before walking out of the room and towards her. Cally gave him a small smile as he sat down next to her on the cot.
"I could hear your heart race, Cally," Apollo said. He noticed her eyes shifted away from his own ever so slightly before they locked eyes once again. Apollo thought she was nervous because she had seen him feeding, "I know it's something unsettling. It's still unsettling for me to be honest."
"I just thought I needed to be here when you fed," Cally whispered finally after shaking her head, "I mean, I want to spend more time with you. And if spending more time with you means being here when you have to feed, then that is what I will do."
Apollo wasn't going to stop her. The truth was that he liked Cally, and having someone around when he fed on blood made him feel a bit more human. He leaned in closer until the two of them kissed for a few seconds before pulling away.
"Dinner tonight?" Apollo asked, and Cally nodded her head.
"As long as I spend the night here this time," Cally replied, and Apollo nodded his head. It would be the first time they spent the night together, and the two of them were content on making it work.
The Ori Galaxy, now.
Adria's body was fully healed now; not even phantom pain from Willow's near fatal attack all those months ago. She was free to move around without using her powers as a crutch, and her power was formidable. She didn't have full access to the entire collected energy provided by the worship of the destroyed Ori; there were still several steps she needed to go trhough before achieving ascension. She hope that the steps could be completed by the time the Storm began.
Walking the dimply lit gravel pathway, thanks to the lights from the staffs of her Prior escorts. With three Priors on either side, Adria formed a small smile on her lips as she imagined the destruction of the one she recognized as Athena. She imagined the death of Daniel, and then the death of the team known as SG-1. She imagined standing on the bridge of the flagship as she watched the ships of the Milk Way burn for betraying the Ori. She wanted to see death and destruction until the people of the Milky Way had come to their senses.
She would see the birth of a new order before she ascended herself and went to war with the ascended Ancients.
"Orici," one of the Prior said once the escort stopped walking. He pointed out towards the edge of a cliff that looked down on a vast open space. Adria was shaking in excitement as she walked to the edge and looked down at the ongoing contruction. Construction which were nearly finished.
Fifty ships.
Fifty ships to bring the Milky Way to heel in eight months.
Fifty ships to bring Origin to a godless galaxy.
Adria's smile widened before she said, "Hallowed are the Ori."
"Hallowed are the Ori," chanted the Priests as Adria stared at the ships.
TBC.