Previously:

"And what's the price?" Adama asked.

"The child Hera Agathon and the woman Laura Roslin," Cavil said.

"No frakking way," Adama said. Evelyn shivered in Laura's arms at the terrifying tone she heard in her father's voice.

"Then you've got a problem, Adama. Hera's rather important to the continuation of the Cylons and your wife and I have a conversation to finish," Cavil said. Laura shook her head, not remembering what Cavil was talking about.

"All ships ready to jump," Dee said.

"Look at the little humans running away."

"You can't keep them from me, Adama. And if anyone else in the Fleet is listening, the offer stands. Hera and Roslin for your freedom and lives."

Twenty years ago

"I can be domestic!" Bill growled, giving Laura a commanding look that warned her she better keep her pregnant butt in its seat. Throwing her hands up in mock surrender, she pursed her lips to let him know that he'd get away with only so much of such behavior. Messages received, Laura leaned back in her chair out on the patio, resting her hands on the now showing bump. She watched Bill adjust the apron he wore with the same determination with which he put on a uniform while he gave the chrome grill the infamous Adama glare. He sighed. "You know, I used to be pretty good at this."

Laura only hummed in reply, knowing many things she too used to be good at, but long ago and in a different life. Driving. Cooking. Singing. Now, in Laura's new reality, things like simply seeing her new husband in civilian clothes jarred her. Despite being married and pregnant, she'd only seen Bill out of uniform a handful of times, so Laura found the red apron rather intriguing and the grey sweater paired with jeans that stretched over the well-formed rear of a man still in his hot-shot Viper pilot days intriguing.

Damn hormones, she thought and watched him fiddle with the dials on the grill again until flames leapt to life. At Laura's slow clap, he turned and gave her a mock glare with absolutely no true irritation heating the look.

"Admiral Adama, scourge of the Cylons and grill master extraordinaire. Sorry there's not a whole hangar deck to slow clap with me here," Laura said, laughter bubbling up in her voice. She looked far too amused, but Bill remained too grateful to see teasing and laughter return to Laura's life as they relaxed into being back on the Colonies.

You're going soft old man, he warned himself silently. Huffing in mild indignation at her teasing, he kept his attention on putting the hot dogs on the grill; Laura had been craving hot dogs and potato chips like crazy lately, so with Saul Tigh coming over later, Bill decided to cook them properly.

Laura heard the ring of her—their doorbell. Curious, she rose gracefully from her seat, wondering if this strange reality would cause Saul Tigh to arrive on time. She'd never known him to know the meaning of "prompt." She rubbed her stomach, feeling a slight cramp as she reached the sliding porch door.

"Laura…"

"You need to calm down," Laura said. He'd already dragged her to the hospital over the minor cramps, but she tolerated his neurosis with as much patience as she could muster. She marched inside and through the house to the entrance. Swinging the door open, an unexpected sight greeted her.

"Hello, Carolanne," she said kindly. With a warm smile, she greeted the two boys standing with her as well—her stepsons. However, Zak appeared ready to break into tears at any moment and Lee glowered at the ground. Suddenly Laura needed to remind herself that she'd faced down Centurion firings squads before. She fell back on her old teacher's politeness, putting sunshine itself in her voice, and opened the door wider. "Come in. Bill's out back, but he'll be thrilled to see you boys."

"No thanks," Carolanne said as she nudged the boys inside.

"Laura?" Bill asked, coming into the foyer, barely containing his overbearing side. When he noticed who was at the door, his whole face broke out into a smile. "Boys!"

The boys trudged in, giving their apron-wearing father a disbelieving look. They had their weekend bags slung over their shoulders, but Bill hugged them anyway.

"Is it alright if you take the boys tonight too?" Carolanne asked the pair. "Since you are actually taking your shoreleave, and Laura seems fine."

"Of course," Bill said with a slight frown. "We wanted them for the whole weekend…"

"Really?" Zak asked, looking up at his father in surprise.

"Of course. Why did you…" Bill watched his eyes unconsciously flicker to his mother. Bill's face hardened as he considered the unkind words with which Carolanne must have been filling their heads, but he decided not to comment in front of the boys about how Carolanne had initially fought against them coming for the whole weekend. Plus, his ex had known about him taking Laura to the hospital just that morning. What was she hoping for arriving unannounced like this?

"Boys, why don't we go upstairs to put your things in your rooms while your parents talk," Laura suggested when she saw the look in Bill's eyes. As they made their way upstairs, the three of them could hear Bill and Carolanne's bickering over the games Carolanne wanted to play.

"What does she have that I don't?" Carolanne asked. "Why do you suddenly care about your family?" Laura didn't hear Bill's response, but she didn't need it. She knew what Bill felt and trusted him to handle that situation, so she followed the boys upstairs.

Her warm, smooth voice spoke over the arguing exes downstairs as she told the boys some of their plans for this weekend. At their quiet questions, she assured them both that she and their new sibling were doing alright. Both of them seemed disappointed they wouldn't be able to feel the baby moving yet. They also seemed far more subdued than usual, with Zak in particular looking upset. Laura's instincts told her it was more than their parent's turbulent interaction. Laura gently tried to learn more, but Zak refrained from adding any extra details.

"The kids in his class bullied him again today. They make fun of him for being small and call him dirt-eater," Lee offered from the doorway to his brother's room.

"What?"

"Because we're Tauron decent and Zak looks…"

Like his father, Laura thought.

"What did your teacher do?"

"Nothing. She doesn't care and sometimes laughs too. Mom and Dad say to just not let it bother me," Zak said, explaining why he didn't want to talk about it. It clearly did bother him. Laura saw red. It took all her willpower to refrain from yanking out her phone and firing Zak's teacher on the spot or giving his parents a piece of her mind. She was still learning her own place in this arrangement, and Bill was trying to be a better father now.

"You know how your dad is a CAG and in charge of the other pilots on his ship?" Laura asked and the boys nodded. Gods, teaching wasn't an easy job, but she expected more from the teachers in her schools. "Well, I'm in charge of all the teachers in Caprica City. If it's alright with you Zak, I can call your teacher and remind her that allowing bullying to take place in her classroom is against the rules. She has to listen to me."

"Really?" Zak's face brightened up a little bit. "You'd do that?"

"Of course." Zak threw his arms around his stepmother, thanking her profusely. Lee gave what he supposed was a mature, approving nod. He clearly loved his younger brother and was protective of him. Oh how like your father you are, Laura thought as she looked at Lee.

After they heard the door slam, they made their way downstairs. Zak's face was red from crying, but he looked much happier. As they joined Bill outside, the acrid smell of burned dinner assaulted their noses. They winced, and the boys watched their father warily as he looked between ruined dinner and them. Bill's shoulders slumped.

"Why don't you boys throw the pyramid ball around," Laura said, making her way to her husband. "Not a good conversation?"

"No. Although she enjoyed reminding me of how I couldn't be what she needed," Bill said, shaking his head angrily. He turned, directing his anger at the charred dinner he scrapped off the grill. "What's up with Zak?"

"Bullies at school. Something your wife who is the Director of Education can easily take care of."

"Thank you, Laura. I don't know what I'd do without you."

She slipped her arms around his waist as he worked, feeling the tension slowly seep from his body.

"I will never leave you, you know that? You are going to be a cranky ninety-something-year-old complaining about your knees and back and I'm going to be right there at your side loving you still. When we die, it will be after a long day of grandchildren running circles around us. After enjoying the sunset, we'll go to bed side-by-side, grumbling about how loud the kids are down the hall, and we'll wake up together on the shore. Together."

Bill's movements stilled as she spoke. In his heart, he still remained deeply unsure of his ability to be a good husband and father. The vision she shared was everything he wanted, and she laid it out so factually like there was no other option. When he turned around, Laura's understanding eyes found his, and she bestowed a loving smile on him. He leaned forward and kissed her gently, grateful for her again.

The sound of breaking glass filled the air. The two of them whirled around to see two very shocked looking boys looking between the adults and a window that now had a ball-shaped hole in it. The nervous look returned to Lee and Zak's eyes as they prepared to endure their father's once-terrifying temper. Just then, in the distance, the sound of a car door closing announced Saul Tigh's arrival. They could hear his inebriated voice commenting on the swanky house Bill now lived in his inebriated voice could be heard commenting on the swanky house Bill now lived in. Saul appeared at the backyard fence gate.

"She must really like your—"

Laura's giggles filled the air. The Adama boys watched her curiously, unused to amusement being the response to situations spiraling out of control like this.

"Boys, come inside with me. Zak, you find the boxing championships on TV. Lee, we'll clean up the glass and order pizza. Bill, you finish up out here and then bring Saul inside to properly introduce us. We're going to have a fun night." The boys looked incredibly relieved and moved to obey.

"That easy, huh?"

Laura shrugged. "One day our problems might not be so easy to solve. 'Til then, we move forward."

Back in the present

Well, at least we didn't have Cavil on speakers, Laura thought with a sort of dry, macabre detachment that mixed with her now instinctive fear of Cavil. Around her CIC fell quiet, and the unnaturalness of it pervaded the air. The ringing of Adama yelling for them to jump still seemed to echo against the bulkheads. Despite how rarely he raised his voice, the very second the last Viper hit the deck the order to jump erupted from him. After jumping, the crew shared looks of subdued curiosity as they wondered what had happened that could prompt such a reaction.

A jittery-like relief swelled through the ranks as the crew realized their luck in escaping Fallback Omega unscathed. Their fate could have been much darker, and more than one person felt the creeping sensation of someone walking over their grave. Thank gods the president didn't let us settle here, they thought. But, how did she know? In the silence, crewmen cast furtive glances toward their president standing at the command station looking cold and aloof, and they wondered at the truth of the visions their scriptures promised she'd be given from a dying leader. Prophetic warning or not, their hearts pounded as if they'd just avoided a long fall, and a growing gratitude took root in their hearts.

On the other hand, Bill stared at his station while the consuming anger he had not allowed himself to feel until after the Fleet jumped away ignited in him. How dare Cavil even ask for Laura and Hera, he seethed at the bombshell request the One Cylon model had dropped on them. Somehow able to keep his face a mask of stone, all Bill's thoughts started and ended with a resounding refusal to hand either Hera or Laura over to that sadistic Cylon bastard. It would never happen.

Laura remained frozen, conflicting instincts warring in her head as her PTSD clashed with rational president. She watched her husband, as concerned with his reaction. He was fierce and loved her deeply, and when it came to protecting the people he loved there were things he was prepared to do that still surprised her. Now the shadow of his well-founded fear of losing her rested heavily on him again, and the reassurances Laura wanted to give him died in her throat. She thought of her old dream of growing old at his side, something she'd harbored after being reunited with her beloved and seeing the timeline change. Why does it always seem like such a pipe dream, Laura thought cynically.

Move forward, Laura ordered herself, and don't let the PTSD control you. She held her daughter tightly in her arms. Evelyn still needed her to be strong. She imagined cold iron in her spine and stood up straighter the second Gaeta confirmed all ships were present. Like rapidfire, she worked through the necessary political machinations in her head instead of letting herself feel fear.

"Before this spirals out of control, we need to get ahead of this situation, and we need to do it now," Laura said to Bill, looking toward Caprica and Leoben, who were surrounded by guards and remaining as out of the way as possible, wary of the suspicious humans. Sam Anders stood next to them, silently challenging anyone to question their presence onboard the Colonial warship. It was an explosive situation that needed only the tiniest match.

"I'll vouch for them, Madame President," Sam said, motioning toward the Cylons. "So will others. There are thousands of humans on the Bellerophon that wouldn't have made it off the Colonies without them."

Laura gave the good-hearted man a small nod of acknowledgment. Even so, she knew she couldn't simply add the rebel Cylons into the Fleet using only a dash of hope, some executive orders, and a lot of expectations. Their democracy still survived, and Laura couldn't act like a dictator, not this time; her people weren't quite so desperate anymore. It was a better outcome of New Caprica, yes, and Laura had never wanted to be a dictator. There were always trade-offs. Now, they had a delicate situation.

"Galactica is the most secure location for the Quorum to meet with the Cylons. I'd like both the Quorum and military represented there so that the Cylons can present their offer on destroying the Hub and so we can discuss Cavil's terms," Laura said. "Billy, would you—"

"Discuss Cavil's terms?" Bill demanded, cutting her off.

"Yes," Laura said, her cool green eyes meeting his own. His blazing gaze held the memory of what Cavil had done to her and his promises to her that she'd be safe. His hands gripped the console so hard his knuckles turned white as his substantial self control threatened to slip. You aren't going anywhere, he told her silently.

Laura was too focused on remaining level-headed and rational and so didn't let herself even process Cavil's offer fully. Unable to keep his gaze, she turned to Billy. "Ask the Quorum to come aboard and escort them to the starboard flight pod. That museum will have enough space for us to meet. The first thing we need to do is bring them and representatives from the military up to date on our newest arrivals. We'll also discuss the Cylons' offer to completely destroy resurrection," Laura said, and the distinct pause in crewmen's work could be heard as they processed the Cylons' offer. The tactical advantage of destroying resurrection was obvious to even the greenest rook. Frakking transparency, Laura thought, but the happy rumors would spread like wildfire. "And we will discuss Cavil's offer."

Before anyone could argue, she turned on her heels and left CIC.

"Cain, Ziegler, and…" Bill said to his right-hand man.

"I'll take care of it," Saul said, grabbing the comm off the hook to summon the most important ranking officers in the Fleet to Galactica. His voice lowered to a barely audible growl. "She hasn't thought it through. You go talk some sense into that woman."

"Escort our guests to the starboard flight pod," Bill ordered the marines as he rushed past them and out of CIC. Bill caught up with Laura in seconds, the little girl in her mother's arms slowing Laura's normally purposeful gait. Bill's hand closed around her elbow, marching them down a different corridor, and Laura quickly realized he was taking her to their quarters.

"We'll discuss Cavil's terms?" Bill asked in complete disbelief the second the hatch closed.

Breaking away from Bill, she walked over to their rack and laid Evelyn down, the girl having finally fallen into an exhausted sleep after everything that happened. Is there anything I wouldn't do to protect her or my sons? Laura asked herself as she tucked a blanket around the small toddler. Not so long ago she'd nearly died to bring Evelyn into the world in a frightening nightmare of blood and pain.

Evelyn shifted in her sleep, light and shadows playing across her face, which caused Laura to see echoes from the past. More and more, Laura noticed in Evelyn a trace of her long lost sisters and mother whom she'd loved so very much; Evie smiled like Sandra once did and her green eyes sparkled intensely like Cheryl's. Evelyn continued on the Roslin women's legacy; an echo of three girls playing dolls together, three girls ripping open presents on Saturnalia morning, three girls listening to their mother's stories.

She'd known the joys of motherhood in this timeline, felt her body change as they grew in her. Laura tried and failed to ignore the pain in her chest. All her children were special: tangible, living, beautiful beings who combined the very best of her and the man she loved most in the universe.

"Laura, you can't ask me to even consider that offer," Bill said. And he refused to consider it—every fiber of his being screamed against the idea. Hand her over to Cavil? How could she ever ask it of him? He suddenly realized she was probably coping by not fully processing Cavil's conditions and what handing herself over to him would mean, and he softened a bit.

"Is this the Admiral talking? Or Bill?"

"Take your pick," he said, and his hands grasped her shoulders, turning her to face him. A current of searing emotion surged through him as he felt her warmth under his palms; he wanted nothing more than to protect and love her, especially when he felt the slight trembling in her body as she fought not to react to everything that was happening. She was trying so hard to keep it together, and he respected her strength, but it let the twisted logic of indulging Cavil's request seep into her mind. Part of him wanted to dig his fingers in and shake her until her real sense returned to her, or lock her in their quarters until she saw reason. Desperate impulses from a desperate man, who maintained his self control and refused ever to act on such dark thoughts, as uncharacteristic as Laura listening to Cavil. Trauma makes people react in unusual ways.

"Bill—"

"I'm not handing my president over to the enemy, and I'm not allowing my wife to come to harm." Understanding relaxed Bill's rugged face when she glanced at Evelyn. "Laura, honey, nothing would hold Cavil to his word. Besides, if he thinks there's strategic value in taking you, that's reason enough to keep you in the Fleet where you belong. No one would be safer. Think about it."

The second he said it she knew he was right. She hadn't the time to think it through, too busy trying to keep her PTSD under control and thinking of her children. Her ice walls crumbled.

"Why would he even want me? What even is the conversation we need to finish?" she asked in a shaking voice as her emotions broke. The rigor in her muscles unclenched and waves of relief and fear rushed through her veins as she leaned against her husband who gently clasped her to him. Relieved tears escaped as the weight lifted off her shoulders—she wouldn't have to consider Cavil's offer. It had no worth, and she knew that. She'd been trying to do the right thing by bringing the offer to the Quorum, but still kicked herself for even being open to Cavil's offer for a moment. She knew better.

Bill slid his fingers through her hair and cradled the back of her head as she leaned against him. He felt like he'd aged a year over these mere minutes himself.

"We'll get through it together," he said, because that was the promise they'd made to each other.

Laura shifted slightly so that she could look at him without craning her neck too badly. She laid her palm flat against his face again, her thumb making gentle movements against his cheek. "Are you alright?" Her voice was soft and her eyes were still shining with tears.

Of course she would ask about him. He shook his head a fraction, no longer trusting himself to be able to speak. She studied him as he silently fought with his own emotions, torn between needing to let them go and being strong for her. She knew the battle he was fighting, having gone through it many times herself. She knew when he pressed his eyes shut, he saw memories behind closed lids. But he would try to stay focused and controlled. Greater than her negative emotions, love swelled in her for her husband and she was suddenly very grateful they'd so quickly married in this timeline.

She kissed him. An affirmation of life and togetherness, they kissed until Bill could feel the thundering of her heart in time with his own and Laura couldn't concentrate on anything else. They kissed until both were dizzy from lack of air, at which point they broke apart and looked at each other with dazed eyes.

"You're a stubborn man, Admiral," Laura said lightly, thankful he had a will strong enough to match hers.

Bill snorted in an almost laugh, although his voice still had a slight edge to it. "And you've got some nerve, Madame President. Listening to enemy bullshit."

"Sorry, sir, won't happen again, sir."

"Hell of a lot of sass too." And there was her smile, small but there.

"Thank you," she said. Her tears were clearing and she was feeling strong again. Oh yes, she was very thankful she'd married him the very day he'd asked.

He understood why she might have considered Cavil's offer in the heat of the moment, but with it firmly off the table Bill decided it would do them no good to dwell on it. He moved on to the upcoming meeting. Ships would be ferrying the Quorum and his officers over to Galactica even as they spoke. But it felt good to strategize together, to be on the same page and coming at a problem together. With the rebel Cylons' offer to destroy resurrection, they'd encourage the Fleet to accept their newest arrivals.

There was a knock on the hatch and a nervous looking Maya appeared. She carried Hera on her hip and appeared rather shaken and unnerved at how her day was going.

"Madame President, Admiral, I'm so sorry. I turned around for just a moment to get some art supplies for the girls to play with and they were gone. I've been looking everywhere…"

Laura held up a hand, fully aware of the antics young children were capable of. Besides, she was too worn to rake Maya over the coals, and she knew the young woman was already self-flagellating enough. So she asked Maya to watch over Evelyn and Hera while she and the Admiral attended the meeting.

Sitting among the other humans, Helena Cain clenched and flexed her fingers, allowing herself only this small movement as she processed the pretty Cylon's words. Cain's intense brown eyes bored into the honey-haired Cylon who was now wrapping up her briefing. She'd had a lot of fine words for the jointly assembled Quorum and military leadership. Cain wondered if the attractive Cylon was designed with human pleasure in mind: the perfect body, the rose-colored lips, and tempting skin. She stood before them presenting a tempting picture of the potential end of Cylon resurrection. It painted an irresistible picture.

Cain prided herself on not being taken for a fool, and wasn't going to be taken in by a package clearly designed to make any red-blooded human forget themselves. No, she had the guts to ask if the Cylons were simply saying what the humans wanted to hear alongside presenting what the humans wanted to see. Cain flexed her hand again, feeling the small but powerful muscles stretch. She couldn't help but imagine her hand on the Cylon, skimming over her curves and wrapping around her throat. Would she look as desperate as the human survivors felt?

Cain looked around to gauge other people's reactions. After all, what an offer; to bring the enemy back down to mortal status was as good as it got. Genocide for genocide. Even as her head warned caution, the blood sang in her veins at the thought of such retribution. The idea of vengeance made her feel light. How did the others feel?

Of course, the twelve members of the Quorum sat together, and Cain spared them only a passing glance. They looked predictably conflicted while each of them looked at the others to gauge their reactions against their own. Sheep, Cain huffed, but they had their uses. Civilians were a gods-damned troublesome lot who lacked the capacity even to follow simple orders. Thankfully, the Quorum kept the unruly civvies in line and Roslin managed the Quorum. No doubt, the twelve delegates would huff and puff and then, for the most part, follow Roslin's lead. Cain's eyes lingered on the President who looked impressively cold and calculating. Cain now realized she could be delightfully ruthless at times, and was surprisingly sensible as presidents go. Cain couldn't tell what Roslin was thinking, but at least she'd brought in the military for this decision as well. It was damn useful having their president sleeping beside an Admiral.

She noted her fellow soldiers present, the Commanding Officers of the Battlestars, might represent a vague attempt at the Colonial Joint Chiefs of Staff. With the thousands of men and women under their command to consider, they sat on the edges of their seats as they processed the briefing. Suppressed anger creeped into their faces alongside anticipation; they all lost people under their command and saw a chance to strike back. Adama might have cautioned her against her so-called bloodlust, but it glimmered in many an eye present, including the more mild milk-drinker Commander Ziegler.

Mortal enemies. Permanently dead enemies. Oh, that sounded pretty to the military. Too pretty.

"So what's the catch?" Cain asked, giving the Cylon her unique smile that was both sickeningly sweet and terrifyingly cynical. It warned the too-perfect Cylon morsel only to mess with Cain and the human military at its own risk. Several members of the Quorum nodded at the question, proving they weren't empty heads when Cain questioned the motivation of the Cylon.

"We're offering this intelligence and our help in destroying the Hub in exchange for joining the Fleet," the Cylon who called herself Natalie said to the group. Her twin stood behind her with a man named Leoben and another Boomer. Mr. Anders remained near them, having already depicted his rather impressive resistance back on the Colonies and their daring escape. A man with guts, Cain thought, who vouched for the Cylons. The Cylon party all noticed the disgruntled noises from the assembled humans when Natalie expressed their desire to join the Fleet.

"And after destroying the Hub, you'll continue fighting your people with us?" Commander Pertinax of the Prometheus asked. He had a point, if these rebel Cylons wanted to join the rag-tag fugitive Fleet then they'd be expected to defend it.

"Yes," the blonde Cylon confirmed. "We've already turned against our brothers and sisters by helping the survivors and bringing them here."

"What about other intelligence? You'll share Cylon perspectives? Military weaknesses and strengths?" Pertinax pushed.

"Yes."

"What can you tell us about those two new ships that jumped into orbit of Fallback Omega? I've never seen a configuration like that… it looked massive," Commander Libera piped up, looking for solid confirmation of their offer. She represented her ship the mobile spacedock Icarus, and was a veteran of the First Cylon War.

The Cylons looked at each other nervously.

"We don't know anything about those," Leoben admitted.

"Convenient," someone muttered as the humans exchanged disbelieving looks. Cain herself huffed; their promises of help were going well so far.

"It's the truth," Natalie protested. "Cavil, the first of the humanoid Cylon models, he must have built them in secret. He's always been suspicious and… devious."

"Not at all like the rest of you?" Wally asked as the delegate representing Caprica.

"We will share what information we can, but since the Cylon civil war began there are things we might not know anymore."

"Let's go a little further, shall we?" Cain continued, her threatening voice rising above the others. "Why do you want to join us? Why leave your people?"

"We're rebels. We can't go back."

"So we just… fold them into the Fleet too?" Wally asked in strained disbelief.

"My constituents would never approve of this, Madame President," Councilman Bagot warned her.

"How can they expect us to welcome them?" the Libran representative asked.

"Admiral, Madame President, surely—"

"Officially, we are listening to a request for 'Asylum after Defection,'" Roslin's voice rose over the cacophony before it could discened into a yelling, chaotic mess of disgruntled delegates. "This is a legal process with historic precedence on the Colonies, especially before the Twelve Colonies united." Laura remembered learning about defectors during her own high school history lessons on the many agents who changed sides during the war between the Virgon Empire and the Leonis Empire. Extra details and timelines aside, defection was exactly what the Cylons were proposing here. "If the military thinks the information presented here is valuable and actionable, the Quorum will vote on the rebel Cylons being granted Asylum in the Fleet."

Normally this was a more drawn out procedure—a single defector debriefing alone could take weeks or months and was overseen by the military who ascertained whether or not the potential defector possessed critical intelligence of operational value. On the Colonies this would be handled with psychologists, briefing packets, interviews, and probably a polygraph test. The military would note any handling problems with and submit the defectors petition for asylum to the government.

Well, no polygraph tests survived and the whole damn situation was a handling nightmare.

Still, Laura hoped that the official nature of the proceedings smoothed the Cylons' potential transition into the Fleet. Maybe if the Sixes, Eights, and Twos were officially labeled as defectors and Cylon asylum-seekers it would be a step toward their acceptance. Even Laura cringed at the idea that she was humanizing them, but if it answered her prayers and avoided mutinies or uprisings then she'd swallow the bitter taste in her mouth and move forward. She glanced at Bill, who agreed with walking this careful path, as if being extra cautious with the rebel Cylons in an attempt to make up for the mistakes in the previous timeline. That inelegant smushing of the rebel Cylons into the Fleet was one motivation for the failed mutiny on Galactica.

Laura forced herself to take a deep breath, anticipating a restless night curled up with Bill where they struggled with old memories and tried to comfort each other.

"Still… why?" Wally asked, his voice strong and accusing with a sour note of cynicism coloring his words. "I assume you have a damn good reason for wanting to betray your own kind to help the people you attempted to wipe out of existence." His eyes flashed with challenge, daring them to explain why now humanity was worth helping.

"Our models voted against the attacks. We genuinely wanted peace…" Leoben trailed off when he saw the less-than-impressed expressions on everyone's faces. Intentions or not, billions of people were dead and simply having voted against the act was a small thing now.

"Your Cylon pal over there at least had the good grace to defect before the attacks and at least prevent a little of the destruction rained down on us," Cain said, gesturing to the original Boomer who stood behind Adama. Boomer had proven herself and was clearly motivated by loyalty to Adama and his crew. These new Cylons certainly had nothing to gain by joining the rag-tag fugitive humans, and Cain wasn't impressed by their motivations yet. "So let's try this again. Why now? Why come promise pretty plans of retribution against your own kind? And give me a response I'll believe." Cain smiled, knowing she'd once again mixed just the right amount of venom into her voice and smile. It let the Cylons know she meant businesses without sending them running in panic. Adama seemed content to let her ask the hard questions and she was pleased he trusted her enough to be his hard hitter. He, like Roslin, remained impressively detached, reassuring them that they remained impartial to the Cylons and open to how the government would vote.

The rebel Cylon leader shifted uncomfortably. She couldn't just explain that her Cylon sister, Caprica Six, who stood behind her shooting glances at Baltar, had experiences of another timeline. She couldn't explain that she simply knew this was the right choice. She squared her shoulders and looked many of the humans in the eye in turn, her doe eyes promising that she was telling the truth.

"We have come to believe our people's fates are connected. The experiences of many of our models on the Colonies told us that even though humans might be flawed, they taught us things we'd have never known; love, compassion, guilt, anger, and revenge. We want to join humanity and become whole. But, we've come to know that for our existence to hold any value it must end."

"You want to die?" Commander Ziegler asked.

"To live meaningful lives we must die, and not return. The one human flaw that you spend your lifetimes distressing over—mortality—is the one thing… well, it's the one thing that makes you whole."

"We want to live," Boomer said from behind Adama. "To be really alive."

"We also have our own faith, our own prophesies. We believe Hera is the sign of where and who we are meant to be. Here, with you, coming together."

The humans frowned, surprised at the Cylon's eloquent reply. Even Cain fell into a surprised silence. The idea that mortality held such a draw to the Cylons, the concept of wanting to be more human, it all rang foreign to the young Admiral. She'd spent her career trying to be less human, and these machines wanted to give up their greatest advantage to be more human.

"Where is Hera now?" Delegate Reza Chronides asked.

"With my daughter here aboard Galactica," Laura replied, telling the Quorum much with a single statement; that she trusted Hera to be with her daughter, that Hera was protected, that they were just two little girls playing together. At the mention of Evelyn, many of the Quorum delegates hummed thoughtfully. The idea of an important, prophetic child wasn't new, so discovering a Cylon parallel wasn't as terribly strange as it might have been. Besides, even the non-religious among them (including the child's own stubborn father) recognized the power of myth that surrounded Roslin and the two girls.

Not bad motivations, Cain decided after pondering their words for a moment. She'd definitely heard some bad motivations in her time and had a few herself, but this didn't fit among them. Bettering their race, following a prophecy; it sounded intriguing enough to register as enough motivation to spit away from the other Cylons. Their own little rebel, the almost-forgotten Zarek, initiated his own rebellion to 'better' the Fleet.

"I believe in this mission and what it will mean for the Fleet's future. Boomer and Mr. Anders have professed their trust in these rebels, and we've heard their story. This plan has my support," Adama said, finally speaking up. He looked at his officers who all wanted to take a bite out of the Cylons and make it harder for them to strike back against their ships in the future. They nodded their agreement with the Admiral.

He turned to Roslin. "It's a solid plan to destroy resurrection permanently. If the Quorum agrees, we'll use their intelligence and mount an attack as soon as possible."

"Then it moves to the Quorum. We will now vote on whether the Cylons will be granted asylum status upon completion of the mission and allowed to join the Fleet," Roslin said. She appeared calm, but inside she was trembling. This was a big turning point, one she remembered well. It was a risk to allow the Quorum to vote on this, but Laura knew it was the most viable long-term option.

The Quorum sat up straighter, like they always did during a vote that made them feel important.

"All for?" Roslin asked. Watching for their hands, she felt like she'd over-caffeinated: amped up with nowhere she could go. One hand belonging to Reza Chronides from Canceron rose into the air. It was joined by Sarah Porter's vote. Then Jacob Cantrell. She counted six votes total. Frak.

"All opposed?" Wally's hand shot up into the air. It was quickly followed by five more. It was a gods-damned tied vote. Did half the Quorum really fear one Basestar full of Cylons so much they'd give up the chance to destroy resurrection?

"Now what?" Sam Anders asked. He was a pyramid jock, not a politician.

"The President casts the tie-breaking vote."

"Laura… this could be a trap," Wally said, urging her to consider voting against the Cylons.

"This is a chance we can't pass up. The Cylons will be granted asylum status with all its rights and privileges," Laura said, giving the vote to the ayes.

"After the Resurrection Hub is destroyed," Cain felt it necessary to remind them of the conditional nature of the arrangement, "what about Cavil's—"

"I've discussed it with the President. There's no need to discuss it further," Adama said, cutting off any discussion of Cavil's terms. Cain gave him a sharp, understanding nod.

"This session is now adjourned."

Author's note: Thank you for all the well wishes; you are such a nice group of readers. I know the updates have taken longer, but I will get back to once a week. Thank you for sticking with me and my 'well this got a little long' fic.

Shout out to Marcus S. Lazarus who created a page for this on the Tropes page. Go check it out! (Also a fun site to wander around). And lots of love to all you reviewers 3