I'm in the process of rewriting this entire fic with the help of my beta reader NicolinaN. She's wonderful, and you'll be amazed at what we've been able to do with this story. It's the same story, but completely different in so many ways. In her words, we've given it bones to go with the pounds of flesh that already exist. I didn't just change a few things here and there. I've added entire sections and changed key elements to make things clear, seamless, and more interesting.

If you've read SoG before, I hope you'll at least read the first section of the new first chapter. I’ve included that section below, but you can find the entire rest of the chapter as well as chapter 2 of the revised fic on my profile page under the title Stars of Gemini: New Horizon.

I'm sorry for taking down all of the chapters of the old version, but I think it's better this way because the new story is a better read.

—Joy

Stars of Gemini
Chapter 1: New Horizon
(first section only)

A quiet field lay beneath a sky of fading stars, complete in its simplicity. Yet, more of the landscape slowly came into view when the light of morning spread across it from the sun on the distant horizon. Massive pillars of stone were revealed, arranged in a wide circle amid an endless sea of thick grass. The ruins, conjured into existence to give definition to the half way world between shadow and light, were all that was left of what was once considered to be the garden of the Gods. Kara Thrace was one of few who held a memory of it.

She opened her eyes, lying naked and alone in the center curled on her side in a patch of flattened grass, waking because of the stillness. The transition from sleep was brief, and her eyes brimmed with tears because she knew what waited for her with the daylight.

It had never been her way to run from duty, so she pushed herself up with one arm and got to her feet, then paused and turned in a slow circle, allowing her gaze to take in every part of her illusory world—the world her mind had created to keep her safe. But, something was missing from it. Someone was missing.

The mysterious stranger who had been her companion the whole way was nowhere to be seen, so she set off, traveling beyond the stone monument until she found what seemed like the edge of the world, something that existed only in myth and legend. It was a rocky cliff that overlooked an ocean of blue water. She finally spotted him sitting on a low shelf of petrified wood that was set back away from the ledge. Droplets of water clung to the pale skin of his bare body, and his short hair was still damp making it obvious that he had been swimming before she had arrived. Out of curiosity, she gave a quick glance back at the water knowing that there was no way of easily reaching it, but this scene was one of his memories, so she couldn't be sure.

He rose and took a step towards her. "This is the other side, Kara."

She turned away and stood at the cliff's edge, struggling just as she had at the beginning of the journey, even though she had known the whole way that this was how it would end. Her gaze lifted, and she remained silent while she watched the clear sky before her. Without invitation, he approached from behind and slipped his arm around her waist. "I'm not ready yet," she whispered as she leaned back against his body, pulling both of his arms around her, savoring the touch of his hands on her skin.

"We're torn apart and made into something new with every breath."

"Just give me more time!" she pleaded while she broke free of him and moved away from the ledge to take up the seat he had abandoned.

"Don't do this, Kara. This is your life, your destiny, and you can't stop because you're afraid."

"I'm not ready!" she hissed as she looked up at him. "I didn't say I was afraid."

"You need to cross over now so you'll be able to meet up with the fleet. They'll arrive soon."

She dropped her head and looked at the ground, hugging her arms around her waist. It was difficult for him to watch her struggle with a pain he shared. He walked towards her, knelt down, and tipped her chin up so she would look into his eyes. "Kara, there's no other way."

"I can't accept that. I won't!" she said in defiance, her temper flaring out of desperation. "I've lost so much throughout my life, but nothing like this. Memory is sacred! I want to keep every part of what I've experienced on this journey, not just the road that brought me to Earth and back to the fleet."

"That's your destiny. You can't change it."

She leaned forward in challenge. "What if you're my destiny?"

He raised and lowered his shoulders with a simple movement; sitting back on his heals in a posture of surrender, unable to disagree with her any longer.

She suddenly jumped up and slapped her palm over a long white scar on the left side of her abdomen. "It was painful to lose this, but I would rather lose a part of my body than a part of my mind."

"There are limits to what the human mind can endure," he said calmly. "No human has inhabited this dimension of space for as long as your journey has required you to."

She stared down at him and laughed. "Was that an admission that you aren't really human?"

"I'm many things, but I've always told you the truth. I was only meant to guide you through this."

"I still want to remember you."

He raised his hands and rubbed them against her thighs as he pulled her closer, kissing her belly and wetting her skin with his tongue. "I love you," he finally said, "…and I'm sorry. You have to leave. Earth is more important than your memories of me."

Her hands dropped to his shoulders. "Please Castor, if you love me you won't let me forget you."

He glanced up and saw in her fearful expression that she knew what she was asking of him. With the loss of her memory of their day together, he would have to risk his life to help her remember what had happened between them. He climbed to his feet and gazed down at her, giving a resolute reply. "I love you."

She threw her arms around his neck, and he held her. The journey had taken her across a bridge that spanned both space and time, and now she had crossed back to the side she had first come from.

They broke the calm, kissing each other, over and over, gasping at the release of every touch, wanting more. Her fingers pressed deep into the muscles of his back as she clung to him, while he held her face with both hands, each kiss sincere and slow. With every breath and touch she prayed that her lips and hands would remember him even if her mind didn't. Time had come and gone, and he was the one to finally force the separation.

"I'll hold onto you if you let me go," he promised.

Her fingertips trailed along his jaw line while she stepped away. "Look at me," she said, even though he was already giving her his full attention. It was his eyes she wanted to see. The window to his soul… She let her body calm and traced her heartbeat to where another part of her existed. It was the part of her being that had imprinted the map of the road to Earth to where it could not be lost or forgotten. Willing herself to keep one part of him, she took the memory of his eyes and hid it among the other impressions.

They stood peacefully, feeling the warmth and breath of each other one last time, and then let go in agreement, ready to face whatever waited for them on the other side where Kara's memories would be lost when her mind would once again join with her body. It was a sacrifice for her to let him be the one in control, but for him, it was a quiet victory that he had finally reached the point where he was willing to give everything, risk everything to love her. His thoughts turned to Leoben as he broke away, feeling the divide that had always existed between them grow a little less. Yes, brother, I'm finally learning to make the sacrifice.

Kara tugged on Castor's hand, and he allowed her to draw him to the edge. No words remained for them to say, and together, they turned and let themselves fall, trusting fate to catch them.