Title: At The World's End Part 3
Author: Athena13
Copyright: 1998-99

Disclaimer: This is a fiction story based on the series Battlestar Galactica and its characters created and owned by Glen A. Larson. This story is not being sold for profit and no infringement of any copyright rights are intended. All unrecognized characters and plot lines are mine and any resemblance to any person living or dead is purely coincidental.

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Chapter 11 (PG13)
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Cassi paced around her small quarters. She had replied to Biehn's message over half a centar ago and he still hadn't arrived.

'I'm restless and feeling guilty for lying to Starbuck,' she told herself adamantly. She certainly wasn't impatient to see Biehn. She could hardly stand the man and his arrogance. 'He's so sure that I desire him,' she thought with fulmination at the thought.

Cassi paused in her pacing and picked up a disk with the latest medical information Doctor Salik wanted her to study. She studied it for a few microns before tossing it back on the table and resuming her pacing. She couldn't concentrate on that now.

"The sooner this is resolved the sooner Biehn can return his attentions to Athena where they should be," she said to the empty room. He was Athena's boyfriend, or was until Bojay drugged him and stuck him in that room with the woman they were going to see that cycle. "He's just distracting himself with me."

"I do find you distracting," Biehn said from behind her.

Startled, Cassi spun around and spied the tall warrior standing just inside her open door. As she brought her heart back to its normal speed the door closed behind him. In passing she wondered when her room had gotten so claustrophobic.

"Don't you signal when you want entry into a room?" Cassi asked tersely.

"I did signal, you were too busy talking to yourself to answer," Biehn took a step towards her. He stopped in his tracks as he saw Cassi back away from him. "So you think I'm just using you because Athena isn't available to me?"

"Aren't you?" Cassi put her hands on her hips.

Biehn ran his eyes down her body, pausing perceptibly on her heaving bosom. "Why do you want to believe that?" he asked as his eyes returned to her face.

Cassi's breathing sped up as she recognized the lust in his gaze. "I don't want to believe that, it's the truth," she pretended not to notice.

In two quick steps Biehn was standing mere millimeters from her. "So you don't want to believe that?" he smiled arrogantly at her.

"That's not what I meant!" Cassi insisted as she tried to back away. It was a futile and stupid move, she quickly realized. There wasn't anywhere left to go and he was surrounding her with his broad body.

"What did you mean?" Biehn whispered in her ear. A chuckle escaped his lips as he felt her shiver in response to his breath in her ear.

"I...I didn't mean anything," Cassi whispered.

Biehn slid his hand around his waist and brought her flush against him. "This is for you, not Athena. Not anyone else," he murmured in her hair as he pressed his arousal against her.

"I..." Cassi broke off and tried to catch her breath. Her eyes closed against her will and she fought against the urge to press herself closer against him.

Silently their bodies warred with each other and Cassi warred against her own body's desire.

Just when she was about to lose the will to fight Biehn moved away.

"The woman's name is Celia, she lives on the Targus," Biehn said calmly, seemingly unaffected by the past centons.

"And why should I care?" Cassi's eyes narrowed into a glare and she crossed her arms across her chest.

"So you can be rid of me and get Athena back for me?" he suggested with an arched eyebrow.

"I can get rid of you now!" Cassi stormed around him towards the door to her chambers.

"And leave Athena in the hands of Bojay? You might have caused her grief in the past, but I don't think it's because you're cruel," Biehn told her.

"So you protect Athena and leave me out of it. And get out of here while you're at it!" Cassi's hand hovered over the door control.

"Athena would never believe me and Celia won't talk to me. She'll talk to you, maybe," Biehn said logically. "You're the only other person who knows the truth about what Bojay did."

"And you think that Athena will trust me after she caught us...and why would this Celia tell me anything?" Cassi still didn't open the door to throw him out.

"Because you have a way with people, if anyone could get her to say something against Bojay it would be you. I trust you to do this for us," Biehn said simply.

Cassi dropped her hand in defeat. Biehn might be an arrogant jerk, but he was right. They had to get Athena away from Bojay. Then what to do with Bojay would be Biehn's problem. "Fine, let's go. The sooner I'm out of your company the better!" Cassi now opened the door and walked out.

"She loves me," Biehn said to himself softly before following her out.

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Cassi sighed to herself as she sat on the shuttle next to Biehn. She hadn't failed to notice the curious glances cast her way as she and Biehn waited for the shuttle. 'I should have realized that people would see me!' she thought, angry with herself. Starbuck would certainly find out that instead of going to sleep she had slipped off the Galactica with Biehn.

She looked curiously at the warrior sitting complacently by her side. Used to warriors sticking together she wondered why Biehn was so obviously willing to risk Starbuck's anger and keep coming after her. It was something she had questioned him about sectars ago, but had dropped when no clear answer had been forthcoming. Biehn was the squadron leader of the Green Squadron and though he and Starbuck rarely worked together except in battle, she had never noticed any bad feelings between them either.

"Starbuck is going to hear about this," Cassi told him.

"I know," Biehn looked at her with interest gleaming in her eyes. "How does that make you feel?"

"Guilty, worried, how do you think?" she snapped.

"So you lied to him?" he asked even though he seemed to have gained the answer he had been expecting already.

Cassi looked away and back out her window. He was right, she had lied to Starbuck not him. So why had she? Was she afraid he would think she was trying to make him jealous and pull away from her again? _Was_ she punishing him for not trusting her enough to tell her what Adama had planned for Athena?

In fact, she thought harshly as she leaned her forehead on the cool material protecting them from the vacuum of space, why had she been lying to him all these sectars about Biehn's advances? Cassi squirmed uncomfortably as he mind screeched to halt before that answer could be discerned. As always, she refused to go so far as to give her activities too much credence. Starbuck had no hold over who she was friends with, she reminded herself.

'Friends?' she thought humorously. 'Is that what Biehn and I are?' She couldn't imagine that label applying to their strange...relationship. Co-conspirators seemed more apt in her mind. When she had first become acquainted with him over a yahren ago it was as just another warrior and patient. It wasn't until his relationship with Athena had deepened that she had gotten the opportunity to spend any time with him. It wasn't until, however, Athena had abruptly ended their relationship after catching him with another woman that Cassi herself had become "involved" with the man. Involved, she finally admitted to herself, was what they were. It clearly wasn't a romantic relationship, not in the sense that she had one with Starbuck. Yet, it was more intense than anything she and Starbuck had shared, at least for a longer and more sustained period of time than she and Starbuck had ever managed.

'Passion.' The word rang through Cassi's head. Despite there being no real need, Cassi had always remained faithful to Starbuck. Her and Biehn had only shared one kiss many sectons ago. One kissed that had seemed to let loose a desire that, she fearfully admitted, that she could not seem to suppress. One that she could not run away from, evidenced by the fact that despite his inappropriate advances in her quarters just a half centar ago she was sitting there next to him.

Even as the painful thoughts flew through her mind she felt a moistness between her legs. This cycle had been only the second time she had felt his body against hers and even those brief interludes seemed to arouse her beyond her control. Cassi felt her nipples harden, her pulse speed up and her body begin to tremble as her mind once again took her down the dark path of her imagination.

'What would making love to him be like?' she wondered as her fists bunched into fists in her lap. Her eyes closed as images of their naked limbs and bodies entwining and thrusting on her bed took over her sight.

So caught up in her imaginings she didn't hear the announcement of their landing, nor Biehn's urging for her to come awake and debark.

"Cassi," Biehn whispered in her ear, fueling her fantasy to new heights.

"Frak!" she barely heard Biehn's curse. What she was aware of was the imaginary Biehn's hand cupping her breast and barely caressing her sensitized nipple. Cassi's lips parted and a moan escaped as her breast swelled to fill his hand.

Abruptly his hand was gone, interrupting the stream of her imagination. Her eyes snapped open and she suddenly realized three things.

One was that the shuttle had stopped.

Two was that they were now alone.

Third was that the caress hadn't been only in her imagination.

A flush spread across her face and she cleared her throat. "Let's go," she said and stood up before he could speak.

With a cryptic look on his face Biehn stood up and led her out of the shuttle.

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Biehn and Cassiopeia quickly found where the woman they sought was quartered on the crowded ship. Her name was Lily and Cassi still didn't see how they were going to get any information from her about Bojay, if he did indeed put her up to it. Or more accurately, how _she_ was going to get anything from this woman.

"I know you can do it," Biehn said from beside her, once again eerily seeming to follow her thought process.

"I'll try my best," was all she would promise.

"I'll wait there," Biehn pointed to the end of the corridor so he wouldn't be spotted by Lily when she opened the door.

"This will probably be quick," Cassi muttered as he loped away and she pressed the door signal.

"Yes," the door was opened a centon later. "Oh!" the woman's eyes widened as she saw who was standing in her doorway.

"I'm sorry to come by so late. My name is Cassiopeia, I'm a Med Tech on the Galactica and I need to speak to you about a...medical matter," she quickly improvised.

"I have nothing to say to you!" she moved her hand to close the door again.

"Wait," Cassi slipped her body through the door and into the quarters. 'The sparse quarters,' Cassi noted with a shiver down her back as she remembered how close she had come to even worse accommodations. "There are some questions I need to ask you as you were the last person to be seen with a warrior whose chemical analyses exhibited strange results. It's a very serious matter to have drugged a warrior," Cassi got to the point bluntly and with authority.

At her words the woman seemed to shrink back. Cassi no longer held any doubts that Biehn was right, the guilt was written on Lily's face.

"I can't go to the prison barge, I need to support my family," Lilly pleaded with Cassi.

"I know that you didn't do this on your own, I won't turn you in if you'll tell me who put you up to it," Cassi tried to calm the woman's fears.

"I...I can't tell you. If I do she'll harm my family," the woman said tearfully.

"Her?" Cassi repeated in shock. This was an unexpected revelation. Why would some woman want to hurt Athena? Bojay had warned Biehn away from Athena a day before the drugging incident had taken place. Cassi herself had heard it. "What woman?"

"I can't tell you, I won't tell anyone!" the woman's spine straightened as the apparent horror at her slip seemed to occur to her.

"Surely you can give me some hint?" Cassi asked, having no intention of turning this poor woman in. Looking at this frightened slip of a woman she could hardly imagine her enticing a man like Biehn.

"You know her. I know who you are, I've seen you with her," Lily's eyes darted around as she sought some escape from the questioning. "That's all I can tell you! That's all I'll tell you. Please leave! I can't have you seen here!"

Cassi assessed the woman, her socialator training told her that she wouldn't be garnering anymore information from her. "Thank you," Cassi said shortly and walked out of the room.

"Someone I know?" she mumbled to herself as she headed to find Biehn. At least is was something to work with, she thought, certainly not many of the woman she knew could do such a thing.

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[Next day]

"I'm sorry Athena," Doctor Salik sighed disappointedly as he met Athena in his office after what was supposed to be her clearance exam.

"Sorry about what?" Athena asked with some surprise. She had fully been expecting to receive her clearance and be dismissed.

"You're not healing as fast as we had expected given your condition when you were brought back. The...whatever caused your initially fast healing seems to have slowed. I can't clear you for duty yet," the Doctor informed.

"Isn't there something you can do? Some...something?" Athena sat back in her seat, shock and disappointment clearly etched on her face.

"Unfortunately not. You just need rest and time," Doctor Salik informed her. "I'm just glad not to have to commit you back to the Life Center, as long as you promise to rest."

"Then why did you release me in the first place?" Athena asked suspiciously.

"Because there was nothing else we could do but order you to rest," Doctor Salik said quickly.

"I _feel_ fine!" Athena insisted. "There must be some mistake."

"I'm afraid not. Your body just needs some time to heal itself. You had extensive internal injuries Athena, you know how miraculous your recovery has been so far. Don't forget that," Doctor Salik said with a warning mixed with the authority in his voice. "Now promise me you'll rest. I don't want to have to put you back into a 'boring' room here."

"Yes, Sir," Athena stood up. Mentally, as she left the room, she assessed her own condition. Other than some residual soreness and random aches she felt completely fine. Certainly nothing that would interfere with her flight duties. But then again, she reminded herself, she wasn't the medical professional.

With a sigh she pushed the news from her mind as she tried to figure out what in the universe she would do with herself for another few days. Resting didn't sound at all inviting.

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"How did she take the news?" Apollo asked a couple of centars later.

"She had some questions and doubts, but she went along with Doctor Salik's orders," Adama told his son.

"That won't last long," Apollo said knowingly.

"I haven't heard about anything that indicates that Iblis is amongst us again," Adama needlessly informed his son.

"If the...creature is as old as time I'm sure patience is something he has in abundance," Apollo countered his father's obvious doubts about his son's suspicions.

"Well, we can't keep Athena out of a viper indefinitely," Adama reminded him, careful not to mention Sheba's name after their last discussion of the topic that still stood between them and had added a layer of distance between father and son.

"You could assign her to the bridge again," Apollo suggested.

"As much as I would like to it's not the answer. Your sister would resign her commission before she would accept to that. It's not as if she doesn't have opportunities elsewhere in the fleet," Adama shook his head. Athena's determination to be a viper pilot was no mystery to her family. If Adama were to go back on his word and order her back to the bridge, and he had the power to do that, he knew that his daughter would never trust him again. And possibly not forgive him.

"Just a bit longer," Apollo urged. "He's here, I can feel it."

"I'll give it some more time," Adama promised reluctantly.

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"Cassiopeia was with Biehn after that strange dinner with the Commander," Starbuck overheard a conversation of his fellow warriors in the natatorium. Warriors who hadn't seen his head emerge from the water near where they stood at the side of the pool.

"Wonder who Starbuck was with then," he heard the snicker of someone he didn't know.

"Maybe his new wingmate?" someone suggested with an obvious leer in their voice. "I know I would be if Athena would give me the time of day."

Starbuck's body automatically began another lap across the pool as the implications of the conversation sunk in. Cassiopeia hadn't gone to sleep that cycle as she had told him. She had gone off with Biehn? There had to be some mistake! With a sinking feeling in his stomach as he raised himself from the water, he realized that as off as some of the speculations that went around their deceptively large ship were sometimes, there was usually some kernel of truth.

'Why would she lie?' he thought stupidly, he realized as soon as he had the thought. 'Why would she tell you?' he told himself harshly. It wasn't as if he hadn't kept things from her and he certainly hadn't earned her monogamy, though he hadn't heard about her being with another man in sectars. 'Other than Biehn,' he suddenly remembered the other times Cassi had been in the other warrior's company. 'Has she been lying to me all along?' he wondered now about the explanation of medical business she had given him those other times. If he were that sick he wouldn't be on duty.

Starbuck's eyes narrowed as his suspicions took on a life of their own.

"Remember when I told you that I couldn't think of committing myself to a woman until we find Earth. If I could, if I did, when we do, it would be you Cassiopeia. I care about you a great deal."

Suddenly the words he had spoken to Cassi a short while ago repeated in his minds. With a wince he admitted there really was no reason for Cassi to not try and find someone who could, would, commit to her.

'Still,' he tried to sustain his anger. 'She shouldn't have lied to me!'

With some semblance of justifiable anger speeding his steps, he headed for the locker room to get dressed. He had conveniently forgotten his own recusant lust for his wingmate in his haste to confront yet another woman who seemed to have betrayed him.

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[A Few Days Later]

"You have to stop beating yourself up over this, take your mind off things," Bojay whispered in Athena's ear as they sat alone in a launch tube in Launch Bay Beta.

"It would help if I was back on active duty," Athena sighed. "I have nothing else to think about!"

"I still don't understand why you haven't been cleared. Doctor Salik said it would only be a few days," Bojay sounded suspicious.

"He said there were some internal injuries that hadn't completely healed, but I feel fine! And if there were internal injuries wouldn't I be in the Life Center or at least feel ill?" Athena expressed her own suspicion.

"You don't think..." Bojay trailed off.

"Think what?" Athena asked him.

"Never mind, I'm sure I'm wrong," Bojay smiled and tried to distract her with a kiss.

"No, Bo," Athena pulled away. "What were you going to say?"

"I hate to even suggest this, but do you think your brother or father have something to do with this? Maybe they don't want you flying again because they're worried about what's happened and they ordered Salik to fudge his examination results?" Bojay suggested with a look of distaste.

"They wouldn't..." Athena stopped her immediate denial and looked away. "I never thought Apollo would treat anyone the way he did Sheba either."

"We could find out, one way or another," Bojay suggested.

"Hacking into records?" Athena asked. "How reliable would that be? The records could be...I can't believe I'm considering this!"

"We should at least try and see what they say before we jump to any conclusions," Bojay stroked her hair comfortingly.

"Let's do it," Athena nodded.

"Now?" Bojay groaned.

"Yes now," Athena stood up and held out her hand.

"Me and my bright ideas," Bojay grumbled as he took her hand.

End Chapter 11

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