Dedication: To my friend Laura for her constant encouragement, guidance
and support. There is absolutely, positively NO WAY that this chapter
could have been finished without her. Thank you. =)  

Disclaimer: I don't anticipate trouble but, if any should occur, the
Co-President of the OAD is a lawyer.

Bridging the Gap
Chapter 3
by Melissa 

Cassie was pacing frantically, trying to figure out what to do.  She 
had made herself come off as so selfless to Starbuck and her friends
she realized.
  
'Oh I let him go because he loves Athena,' she opined to herself
dramatically.  The truth was, both of them had fallen out of love. 
And she had fallen in love with Brogan.  Getting "caught" by Athena
had opened her eyes.

She had kept her affair secret.  She told herself she was confused
about where it would lead, but in truth she was exhilarated by
furtiveness and in the process she had kept Brogan in the dark and
lied to her friends, lied to Starbuck and hurt Brogan.  She admitted
that now.  

“Don’t say it... I know!” Cassiopeia sighed, anticipating Brogan’s
disappointment.

“I’m not going to say ‘I told you so’ but, you do realize that it
might be harder to tell him now,” Brogan said gently. “I really wish
that you had told him the other day.  I wish you had told him sectons
ago.”

“I realize that now.  I allowed myself to get so caught up in
everything, in you," she looked at him, tears in her blue eyes.  "I
was living a fantasy and I've hurt you.  I'm sorry.  I'm not ashamed
of you, please don't ever think that."

Brogan sighed, moved by the pain in this woman's eyes.  "Just tell me
one thing.  One thing I haven't dared to ask, to really ask," Brogan
paused and pulled Cassie towards him.  "Are you still in love with
him? Is that why you didn’t want to tell him about us?  Was all this,
me, to punish him and try to get him back?”

 “Brogan, no!” Cassie insisted, running over and throwing her arms
around him. “I’m in love with you! Please don’t ever doubt that!”  She
now looked him directly in the eye. “I really have messed things up
huh?” she asked, chuckling slightly.

"No," Brogan whispered as he pulled her body flush with his.  "No,"
he whispered, his lips hovering over hers before he moved the final
distance and kissed her. He had fallen in love with her over the
course of the past few sectons and had grown impatient at having to
wait for her to break off her relationship with Starbuck.  But she was
his now.  'His woman,' he thought as his kiss turned hungry.

The kiss lasted for a few centons more before Brogan broke it off
with a moan.  “I'm sorry if I pressured you, it’s just that," Brogan
stopped and took a deep breath.  "I love you.  I wanted for us to be
together without having to sneak around.”

“I know, I wanted that too.  I was just too afraid to change my life
so much.  I was overwhelmed.” Cassie smiled at him tenderly and took
his hand and began to lead him to the couch.  She sat them down and
looked at him sincerely.  "There is one more thing I need to clarify,
before we can go further.  When we met, I was hurt and angry.  Bitter
even.  I know that I haven’t always painted the prettiest picture of
my relationship with Starbuck,” she began, “but I can’t help but feel
incredibly ashamed that I was unfaithful to him.”

“You said that he wasn’t always faithful to you?” Brogan questioned.

Cassie looked down at the floor, hoping she hadn’t dug herself into a
bigger hole. “That's what I need to clarify.  I’m afraid that I gave
you the wrong impression when I told you that. When Starbuck and I
first began seeing each other, I knew that he still had a wandering
eye. We hadn’t made a commitment to one another and he always told me
when he went out with someone else, well with Athena.  You know all
that.  I do think that since Dalton was born Starbuck has been
faithful to me. Maybe not _emotionally_, mentally, but physically he
has.  My...my unfaithfulness shames me.  _You_ don't shame me, my
actions shame me. 
  
“Can I make a suggestion?” Brogan said, raising an eyebrow. 
Cassie nodded with an expressionless face.  "Tell him tomorrow morning.  
The sooner the better.  Before he hears it from someone else."

“Oh Lords!” Cassie exclaimed, wondering if it was already too 
late. “Athena might be with him right now, if he's gone after her as he
should.  She might mention she's seen us together," Cassie had
scrambled off the couch and was headed towards the door when she
stopped, the guilt caused by her sudden realization contorting her 
face.

"Cass? What is it," Brogan asked as he rushed to her side.

"I may have ruined everything," she whispered.

Brogan gave her a puzzled look. “I don’t understand.”

“This is a small ship, Brogan,” she explained. “Word travels so 
fast around here and yet, Athena hadn’t known about you and I until she
walked in on us.”

Brogan shook his head, still perplexed.

“Athena’s not stupid,” Cassie clarified, rising from the couch. 
“It wouldn’t take her long to figure out that, if she hadn’t heard 
about us, then Starbuck probably hadn’t either. I may have put her in a
horrible position.  If she still loves Starbuck, as I think she does,
she is going to be torn between her loyalty to me and her loyalty to
him.  If she doesn't tell him it could ruin their chances for
happiness.” Cassie took off her med-coat and threw it on the couch. “I
have to find Starbuck tonight and tell him about us.”

She turned to Brogan and laid her hands on his chest. “Brogan, 
I’m sorry that I let this get out of hand. I know that you wanted to be
introduced to everybody and become a part of our family. I know that
they’ll like you. Especially Starbuck... if he’ll even speak to us,
that is," Cassie sighed.

Brogan smiled and kissed her forehead. “From everything you’ve 
told me,” he assured, “I’m sure he’ll be understanding."

Cassie laughed. “I hope you’re right about that! I love you,” she
whispered as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

“I love you too,” he whispered in return. “I have to get back to 
the Agro II. Call me in my quarters and let me know how it went.”

Cassie nodded, walked out of her office and then out of the Life
Center. 

*******************

‘Where would he be... where would he be...’ a voice inside her 
had asked over and over. ‘Cass, how could you have been so stupid?! You
knew that this would eventually get out. How long did you think you
could keep it a secret anyway? And Brogan... how could you do this to
him?! He thought you were using him.’
She continued to scold herself and then remembered Bojay’s party.
 
‘Well, Starbuck’s not with Athena... he’s not with me... he must 
be at the O-Club. Hmmm, it’s late though. I wonder if the party is 
still going on?’ After the last thought she let out a mild chuckle. 
‘What am I thinking... he’s no doubt playing Pyramid.’

Cassie rounded the corner to see a couple of pilots helping each
other out the door of the Officer’s Club. They were leaning on each
other, singing unintelligibly. Cassie couldn’t figure out quite what
it was they were singing about, but she had recognized the words
“Cylon” and “daggit”. As she stood at the door of the club and watched
the two pilots swerve their way down the corridor, she wondered what
state she would find Starbuck in.

“If he’s anywhere near as drunk as those two I won't be able to 
talk to him tonight,” she thought with dread.

She entered the O-Club and found it to be a lot calmer than she 
had expected. Apollo and Bojay were sitting at a table, a bunch of 
empty glasses in front of them. She approached them, happy that she 
could still wish Bojay a blessed novayahren before the cycle was over.

Apollo noticed her first. “Hey Cassie! Where have you been all
night?!” He rose from his chair, almost knocking it over, and moved
forward to give her a big hug.

Cassie was a bit overwhelmed but couldn’t help but laugh. She
couldn’t remember the last time she had seen Apollo intoxicated. He
wasn’t overly drunk, but he was definitely very happy!

“I got caught up in paperwork,” she explained, “you know how it 
can pile up while your not looking.” She knew that as squadron leaders
they could relate to such responsibilities and she wouldn’t have to
come up with a better excuse.

“Well sit down and have a drink with us!” Bojay said with enthusiasm.

“I wish I could but,” she trailed off, kerning her neck around to see
if she could spot Starbuck, “I only stopped by for a moment. Have
either of you seen Starbuck?”

‘Why are they always looking for Starbuck?’ Bojay thought in a 
moment of self-pity.

“Let me ask you this Cassie,” Apollo responded, raising an 
eyebrow, “If you were Starbuck right now, where would you be?”

Cassie laughed at how well they both new him. “Playing Pyramid in 
the back room,” she replied.

“Give that lady the Golden Cluster!” Bojay declared.

Cassie realized that she hadn’t yet acknowledged Bojay’s 
novayahren. She’d grown to like Bojay a lot over the past few yahren 
and felt that he didn’t always get the credit he deserved.

“Come here you old star pirate!” she insisted with a smile, stretching 
her arms open. “Happy Novayahren!”

“Who you calling old?” Bojay sprang from his chair to receive a warm
embrace from Cassie. It had been a while since he was in the arms of a
beautiful woman and he was going to accept any and all offers of hugs
this particular cycle. Of course, he hadn’t received the one hug he
really wanted...

“Ahem...do I need to break this up?” Starbuck inquired as he approached 
them.

“That’s not your job anymore Captain,” Cassie replied jokingly and
yet, not so much.

“Ho ho, that’s gotta hurt!” Apollo and Bojay chimed in unison, high-
fiving across the table.

Starbuck gritted his teeth and smiled. He’d been tagged. “You two 
are cut-off!” he called to them as he continued to stride, albeit a 
little drunkenly, towards Cassie.

“_Major_ Apollo,” Bojay turned to Apollo, “I do believe that 
Captain Starbuck just gave us an order.”

“Yes, _Major_ Bojay,” Apollo replied smugly, “I believe he did.”

Starbuck glared at Apollo. His best friend actually ganging up on him, 
in concert with Bojay no less! 'I don’t care how drunk he is,' he
thought and decided to ignore their drunken antics.

“So, what brings you here so late?” he asked Cassie. “You’re usually
fast asleep by now. Is Dalton all right?” he asked worriedly.

“She’s fine, she’s at Medina’s quarters having a sleepover,” Cassie
reassured him.  "There's something I need to talk to you about, if
you're sober enough?"

Starbuck squirmed a bit. He’d gotten so caught up in the card game, he 
realized that he hadn’t made anytime to spend with Athena this
evening. ‘Old habits die hard,’ he forgave himself. But now he was
feeling tired and he was hoping to find Athena before he turned in.

“Can it wait ‘til tomorrow Cass? I’m really tired and...”

“No Starbuck it can’t wait!” she persisted, now placing a firm 
grasp on his arm.

The look in her eyes told Starbuck she was not taking “no” for an
answer. ‘Please don’t tell me she’s changed her mind about us,’ he
thought. ‘That could really complicate things.’

“Cass... I really don’t know how attentive I’ll be and I’m sure 
that whatever it is can wait...,” he made one last effort.

A hint of tears could be seen now. “Starbuck, please?” she begged.

Realizing that he was not going to win, Starbuck finally gave in.
“All right, if it’s that important.”

Starbuck and Cassie turned and bade their tipsy friends “goodnight”
and proceeded out of the O-Club.

****************

The pair walked silently towards Cassie’s quarters. Her mind was busy 
thinking about how she was going to start this conversation.

Starbuck’s was full of confusion.

What could be so important that she had to discuss it in the middle
of the night? Her timing, once again, was perfect. He’d already had a
long day and, with all the Amberise he’d drank at the party, he was
ready for some sleep. She was adamant that they talk now so... might
as well get it over with. He had to admit, though, her tension had
made him curious.  He hoped again that she hadn’t changed her mind
about them.

As they entered her quarters, he asked, “this isn’t about Dalton is
it? She is okay right?”

“She’s fine,” Cassie reassured him again. “This isn’t about her.”

Starbuck felt a little relieved. Up until now, they had been able 
to handle any curve that Dalton had thrown at them. He just couldn’t 
wait until she got older and he and Cassie would have REAL problems to 
deal with.

“No Starbuck,” Cassie continued, taking a deep breath. “This is 
about you, me and... someone else.”

Starbuck gave her a puzzled look. “Didn’t we have this conversation
already?”

Cassie shook her head. “This isn’t about Athena either.”

“Okay... so what is this about?” he inquired slowly, his interest
piqued.

Cassie hadn’t been able to look at him since they had entered the
room. “ I don’t know quite how to say this...,” she began tentatively.

“So just say it!” he said abruptly, quickly becoming impatient.

She rustled up the strength to look at him. How angry was he going to 
be?

“I met someone,” she uttered, her voice breaking slightly.

Starbuck raised an eyebrow.

“He’s really nice Starbuck,” she spoke faster, “You’d like him a lot.”

“Uh huh,” Starbuck responded, now even more confused. Is this what
was so important? They’d broken up. Why was she feeling guilty about
meeting someone new? And why was he feeling just a bit annoyed?

“Look,” he continued, running his hand through his hair, “I’m very
happy that you found someone, and quite quickly I might add, but
couldn’t this wait until tomorrow? Don’t get me wrong, I want to hear
all about this... it’s just that I’m really tired and...”

“That’s just it Starbuck,” she interrupted. ‘Breathe, Cassie, breathe,’ 
she prompted herself. “I didn’t just meet him,” she finally admitted.

Now she had Starbuck’s full attention. She walked toward the 
portal and looked out at the fleet. She could see the Agro-II and tried 
to harness the strength she knew Brogan was sending her.

“You and I talked the other day about how our relationship had been
over for some time now,” she noted. “About six sectars ago, I had gone
to the Agro-II with Dr. Wilker to help him with his subfloran 
research.”

Her heart began beating faster, partly due to her anxiety over 
what Starbuck must be thinking and partly due to the memory of when she
first met Brogan.

“We met there.. it was innocent at first... I had never meant for
anything to happen.” Her words started to break and tears began to
well in her eyes. She turned to find Starbuck staring at her,
expressionless.
 
‘I don’t believe this,’ he mused. ‘We had this intense discussion 
the other day, I poured my heart out to her about how guilty I felt and
how she deserved someone better and how it would be no time at all
‘til someone else came along... and the whole time I was being played
for an idiot! And I suppose I’m the last to know. I must be the
biggest fool in the entire fleet!’  Starbuck thought angrily.

Cassie felt helpless as she stood and waited for Starbuck’s 
reaction to her admission. She tensed up as it looked like he was about 
to speak, but then he stopped and continued looking down at the floor.

‘But wait a centon... certainly if Apollo had known he would’ve 
told me,’ Starbuck continued to ponder the depth of the deceit and his
feelings about it. ‘Even Boomer for that matter. And Sheba... well,
perhaps she wouldn’t tell me. Even though Sheba is my friend too, she
and Cass are a lot closer. But what about Athena? She and Cass have
become fairly good friends. Has Athena known about this all along?
Nah, she would’ve told me... wouldn’t she? Well gee Starbuck, why
would she? You’ve barely said two words to her the past few days!
Damn, if Cass had only told me about this sectons ago... Athena and I
would probably be together by now!’

He closed his eyes as the irony of the situation smacked him upside the 
head.

‘So it’s come full circle huh? I’m getting a taste of my own
medicine. All those yahrens of playing both sides of the court have
finally come back to bite me in the astrum,’ he chuckled to himself
quietly, his face turned away from Cassie's.

Cassie felt paralyzed by the silence. She knew that they had waited
too long to end their relationship but it was no excuse for her
infidelity. ‘I should’ve done this a long time ago. He has every right
to hate me.’

Then, Starbuck burst out laughing.

Cassie was thrown into shock. This was hardly the reaction she had
expected.

“You think this is funny?” she asked, very perplexed. “I’m admitting
that I was unfaithful and you think it’s funny?”

Through his laughter, he responded, “Are you kidding? This is 
priceless!”

Cassie’s demeanor now changed from one of sorrow and guilt to utter
annoyance. She folded her arms across her chest, raised and eyebrow,
and inquired, “Exactly how so?”

He walked over to her and put his hands on her shoulders. “I’m 
sorry Cass but, all these yahren, I’ve been the one with the 
philandering reputation...” the chuckles kept invading, “and yet... 
YOU’RE the one who cheats on ME!”

“I’m not proud of this Starbuck!” she declared.

He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a hug. She sighed, unfolded 
her arms, and returned the embrace.

“I guess I should be happy that you’re laughing and not breaking
things,” she conceded.

He slightly pulled back to look at her. “If it makes you feel better,
I am hurt and uh... rather ticked off,” he confessed. “You let me sit
here and ramble on the other day about my guilt for being in love with
someone else when the whole time you were seeing another man.”

“I know,” Cassie hung her head, “and I feel terrible about that but
uh... if I remember correctly,” she raised her head again, “ I was
hardly able to get a word in.” Starbuck had basically monopolized the
conversation with the tale of his heavy heart. 

“You were so busy telling me about the love of _your_ life, I 
didn’t think you would care that I had found a new love of my own,” she
remarked, slightly irritated. “I still feel that I need to apologize
though.”

His laughter having subsided, Starbuck swallowed some of his injured
pride. “ I have to take some of the blame for it Cass,” he admitted.
“As you said, we both acknowledged that our relationship had been over
for a long time. I know that I haven’t been very attentive over the
last yahren so, if anything, I probably drove you into this guy’s 
arms.”

While trying to resolve this issue, Starbuck’s mind couldn’t help but
wander to the woman that Cassie had just called “the love of his
life”. He had wanted to find her and talk to her about the events of
the past days. As he glanced at his chronometer, he realized that it
was probably too late. ‘Way to go bucko, you blew it again.’  He
sighed to himself.

“Cass, I’m glad that you were finally honest with me. Granted, I wish
that you had told me about this sectons ago but uh... don’t worry
about it. I’m happy for you... really! It’s nice to know that someone
is getting some...,” he paused and flashed her a suggestive smile,
“...happiness.”

Cassie slapped his chest. “You’re horrible!” she cried, trying to
stifle a grin, without much success.

“Hey, at least one of us is getting somewhere,” he mumbled.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

He shook his head and replied, “Nothin’, I’m just tired. Look, I
really do need to get some sleep. Apollo will kick my astrum if I take
an unscheduled mid-flight nap again.”

Starbuck leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

She looked up at him and smiled. “So I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?”

As he walked towards the door, he replied, “Couldn’t avoid me if you
tried.”

As he left, Cassie felt a huge wave of relief wash over her. She 
couldn’t believe she had gotten herself so worked up, felt so
guilty... and he laughed!

‘I shouldn’t be surprised,’ she thought. ‘He did admit an incredible
amount of guilt the other day and, quite honestly, I enjoyed watching
him squirm some. He is right in a way, I probably wouldn’t have given
Brogan a second look if things had been working between us. Then
again, who’s to say that I wouldn’t have fallen in love with Brogan
anyway?’

With that last thought, she walked over to the com-unit to call
Brogan. He was no doubt still awake and wondering what his future with
her would hold. She didn’t want to make him wait any longer.

*********************

Starbuck stepped outside of Cassie’s quarters and walked towards the
turbolift, smiling to the other medical personnel that he passed along
the hallway. They were used to seeing the Captain’s face on the
medical deck and had accepted him as just another common face amongst
the doctors, med-techs and other medical research staff. Most of the
inhabitants of the Galactica’s medical community never got farther
than the Life Center and their own quarters, making life pretty
dull... at least in Starbuck’s eyes.

While he found their work fascinating, he knew that he couldn’t 
spend his entire day in one place. Granted, he spent most of his day in 
the cockpit of a viper, but once back on the Galactica, he had a choice 
of different places to go, different things to do. Why people would
choose to spend their free time doing medical research was beyond him. 

During the first yahrens of their relationship, Cassie had 
dragged him all over the fleet for entertainment. They went to 
concerts, triad tournaments, romantic evenings on the Rising Star, 
starlight strolls on the Agro ship...the Agro ship. Starbuck chuckled 
to himself as his mind spun with snippets from the conversation of a 
few centons ago. He still wasn’t quite sure how he felt about the whole 
thing.

The turbolift door opened and he looked down a familiar corridor,
although not the one he had expected. He had subconsciously selected
the officers deck when he had entered and was now just as naturally
walking down its halls. As he walked past the doors of some his
friends, he pondered why he hadn’t chosen to accept his own quarters
here. He had certainly received a few raised eyebrows as he turned
down the perk on more than one occasion. Especially when he had
refused to move in with Cassie. But he had his reasons.

Even without blood family of his own, he had grown up with family
around him. He remembered the nights spent talking and laughing with
Apollo and Zac, Ila  eventually coming in and gently ordering them to
go to sleep. Many yahrens later it was Apollo ordering the rest of the
squadron to “shut up and go to sleep!” Starbuck valued the camaraderie
that he shared with the other pilots, a bond made stronger with the
late cycle chats they would have as they all drifted off to sleep.
 
The other reason was the door that now stood before him. He had 
known in the back of his mind that he couldn't have resisted the lure 
of visiting this door had he lived so close, and he had not even meant 
to come here tonight. He had meant to go straight to the barracks and 
get some much needed sleep. But here he was nonetheless. It was very 
late and the corridor was void of activity.  He was certain that Apollo
must be passed out in his own quarters by now. Starbuck laughed to
himself. ‘After all Apollo had to drink tonight, _he’ll_ probably be
the one needing the extra sleep period on patrol in the morning,’ he
smiled to himself.

Starbuck placed both of his hands on the door, then leaned in to 
rest his forehead on it as well. As tired as he was, he would gladly
sacrifice sleep to be able to talk to Athena now and tell her how he
felt.  He fought the urge to sound the chime that would wake her,
assuming that she was indeed asleep. He hadn’t known when she had left
Bojay’s party while he was, as usual, too wrapped up in a Pyramid game
to concentrate on what even he admitted were the more important
things. But he had kicked himself enough over his faults for one night.

He loved to stay out late, he loved to smoke fumarellos, and he loved
playing Pyramid. Hell, he spent most of his life risking it all to
protect the Galactica and her fleet...he felt he was entitled to a
little fun. Over the past few yahrens, Cassie had begun to make him
feel guilty for not sacrificing more of his free time to spend with
her engaging in more quiet activities. He couldn’t blame her. Her life
had changed and she had changed with it. But his life hadn’t changed.
Yes, he now had a daughter. But that hadn’t changed the course of his
life except that it made him cherish it all the more and appreciate
every moment that he was given. And for Starbuck, that meant living
life to the fullest with the person he loved.  Someone who could share
the same fun with him, not require his constant attendance, but
neither let him get away with too much.

Contrary to what most of his friends thought, he was ready to settle
down. While he would always have fond memories of the pilots quarters,
he was ready to enjoy the benefits of private quarters on the officers
deck.  Private quarters that he would share with someone. ‘Question
is... does she want to share quarters with me?’

He closed his eyes and pondered the scary yet pleasant prospect. ‘I
could just walk on in and say “Hey honey, I’m back!”... of course then
I’d have to dodge all the sharp objects that would be thrown at my
head,’ he visualized with a chuckle. 
 
Starbuck abruptly looked up and backed away from the door. ‘Are 
you crazy?!’ he scolded himself. ‘What are you doing here?! What right 
do you have to be here?!’

He turned and angrily started back towards the turbolift and the pilots 
quarters that he knew he should’ve gone straight to in the
first place. He continued scolding himself as he walked along the
lower deck towards the barracks. ‘You are just moving way too fast
bucko! You just broke up with Cass and you’re automatically hovering
at Athena’s quarters in the middle of rest cycle. She’s not going to
take you seriously if it looks like you’re on the rebound. Of course
she doesn’t know my reasons for breaking up with Cass, but that
doesn’t matter. Athena needs to know that my love for her is genuine
and that I’m ready to make the commitment to her that I should’ve made
yahrens ago.  I need to do more than just show up!’

Starbuck entered the men's barracks and quietly made his way to 
the turbowash to throw some water on his face and clean his teeth.
Afterwards he undressed and climbed into his bunk.  His body was
exhausted, but his mind still whirring with thoughts of the task
ahead. Convincing Athena of his true feelings was not going to be
easy. His proposal on the night of the Destruction had been sincere.
The most sincere he had ever been his entire life.

‘Of course nobody would believe that since you were caught in a
launch tube with Cassie a few centars later,’ Starbuck admitted
ruefully. He didn’t regret the wonderful yahrens he had with Cassie,
and certainly not the birth of their daughter, he just wished it had
started differently and with not so many victims. Especially Athena.
He felt a knot in his stomach as he remembered the look on Athena’s
face the next time he saw her after that incident. Granted, he was a
bit miffed that she had purposely burned him but the pain between his
legs didn’t come close to the pain he saw in her eyes. He didn’t know
what to say to her...so he didn’t say anything. They never talked
about the incident. And after he had brushed her off on Carillon, they
barely talked at all. Not for sectons.

After a while, they began smiling at each other in passing and
eventually began casual conversation. But they never discussed Cassie
or the launch tube. Eventually, they started meeting occasionally in
the Officers Club for drinks and had even attempted a romantic dinner
or two to try and rekindle some of what they had lost, but never with
a clear conscience.

‘But you blew that opportunity as well didn’t you?’ his conscience
lectured him now. ‘One woman wasn’t enough for you. You thought you
were just so smart playing them both. What an idiot! You know, you’re
lucky Athena even talks to you now. She didn’t deserve the way you
treated her and now you’re going to try and get her back? Good luck!’

His guilt, frustration and battling emotions having consumed what was
left of his energy, Starbuck turned over on his side and closed his
eyes hoping for sleep to come and relieve him of his loneliness. As he
clutched his pillow, he sent a silent message of “sweet dreams” to the
woman who’s bed he hoped to be sharing soon. A bed that he didn’t know
was empty at the moment.

***************


Athena stared at the monitor. “This is pointless,” she mumbled. 
“I can’t concentrate at all.”

She had returned to the Tech Center after leaving Cassie’s quarters
to continue analyzing the data she had been working with centars
before. But as hard as she tried, she couldn’t keep her mind focused
on the task at hand. Instead, her thoughts wandered to the
developments over the past few days.

‘I can’t believe they broke up?!’ the shock of Starbuck and Cassie’s
split catching up with her. ‘I could’ve sworn that any centon I would
be attending a sealing ceremony... show’s what I know. But how could I
have not seen this coming? Starbuck’s my friend. We talk. Hell,
Cassie’s my friend. She’s never mentioned that they were having
problems.’

Athena looked at the chronometer and realized that she had been at
the console all night again. She sighed. ‘Girl, you really need a
life.’ She shook her head. ‘No, you have a life... it’s just not very
exciting right now. But considering the chaos of the past ten yahrens,
you should be happy about that.’

Which brought her thoughts briefly back to the schematics on the
screen. This program she was designing would most certainly come in
handy if things ever did get exciting again, whether it be the Cylons
or a new race threatening their journey towards Earth.

‘If you can ever get the damn thing to work,’ she reminded herself.
Almost on cue, a window popped up with the now familiar taunting
message, “Insufficient data to support this command”.

“Damn it!” Athena exclaimed as she slammed the keyboard with her
fist. She rested both elbows on the table and buried her head in her
hands, running her fingers through her long brown hair.

‘And what about this Brogan guy?! How long has that been going on?!’
Athena’s thoughts once again turned towards more personal matters.  ‘I
thought that Starbuck and Cassie had only broken up a few days ago but
maybe it happened a few sectars ago and they’ve just been keeping it
quiet?’ she wondered.

‘What am I thinking...on this ship?’, the realities of close quarters
reminding her that privacy was a luxury.

‘You’re never going to get anything done if you’re brain is elsewhere,’ 
she conceded. ‘Hopefully things will stay quiet for yahrens to come and 
we won’t need any more defense programs.’

Knowing that she was being overly optimistic, she sighed and turned
off the computer. “Just one more day of peace please,” she whispered
to the console as she exited the Tech Center and boarded the turbolift
to the officer’s deck.

She had been given her own quarters a few sectars ago and was still 
adjusting to it. It was nice being closer to her father’s and brother’s 
quarters and the privacy was certainly a benefit she did not take for 
granted.

Yet, it was time’s like these when she missed the companionship of her 
former bunkmate, Rigel. They had had many good times together.
They both had kept such irregular schedules that it wasn’t unusual for
them to talk all through rest cycle, taking the opportunity to catch
up on each other’s lives. Athena remembered how the conversations
would always end up on the subject of men. Neither one had had much
luck in that department over the past few yahrens.

Then Rigel began dating Omega.

Athena recalled teasing Rigel about the sweetheart’s grin that had
become a permanent part of her face. Rigel would often return from a
romantic evening and burst forth every detail, often having to pause
to catch her breath.

Athena entered her quarters and sighed. It had definitely been a
while since anyone in her circle of friends had taken the plunge. Over
the past few yahren, she thought for sure that Apollo and Sheba
would’ve been sealed. And Starbuck and Cassie for that matter. At one
point, she had thought that her relationship with Bojay had been
headed towards the altar. But it was the most expected pairings that
seemed to result in the biggest disappointments. 

Thank the Lords, she thought, for Rigel and Omega. Their happiness
and commitment to each other had given Athena new hope that love still
existed and could still be in her future.

It had been a beautiful sealing ceremony. Rigel looked every inch the
beautiful bride and Omega was the happiest Athena had ever seen him.
It was a welcome event on the Galactica as it had been a while since
there had been reason for celebration. Omega and Rigel were
high-ranking bridge officers, having proved themselves vital through
some of the most harrowing battles, and they were well liked
throughout the fleet. And they were loyal to Adama, a quality very
important to Athena.

She no sooner fell onto the couch, when she noticed the light on her
com-unit blinking, indicating that she had messages. It reminded her
that she hadn’t been in her quarters since she had left for the
Education Center the previous morning. She desperately wanted a shower
and some sleep.

“Okay, let’s see who called,” Athena said aloud as she peeled herself
off the couch. One of the nice things about living alone was that you
can talk to yourself and not run the risk of being committed to the
psych-center by your bunkmate. She pushed the replay button and began
viewing her messages.

The first message was from Starbuck.

“Uh... hi! Just wondering if you were going to Bojay’s party tonight?
Hope you are... I haven’t seen you in a few days. Well, I’ve seen you
of course but uh... we haven’t had a chance to talk much. Uh...
anyway... hope I see you sometime tonight. Bye.”

“Starbuck...,” Athena responded aloud. “Well of course I’ll be at the
party since you physically pulled me out of my chair and brought me
there. And I wish we had a chance to talk too but, as usual, you were
occupied. Oh well," she shrugged and continued to check her remaining
messages.

The second message was from Cassie.

“Hey Athena... um.... I really need to talk to you as soon as
possible. I’m pretty sure that you want to talk to me too after
tonight. He’s pretty cute huh? Well, please come by and see me
sometime tomorrow, the sooner the better. Good night.”

“Yeah Cassie, I’ll BET you need to talk to me as soon as possible.”
In the corner of the monitor, Athena noticed the time of the message
having been recorded in the late hours of rest cycle. “Huh... looks
like I wasn’t the only one who didn’t get any sleep.”

The third message was from Lieutenant Commander Tigh asking her to be
on the bridge a centar early for her shift.

Athena sighed. “Oh well, so much for a nice long nap. That’s okay
though... I suppose I can catch up on my sleep after my shift.”

Last message.

“Hey babe, sorry I missed ya but I guess you had fun at Bojay’s
party. I’d have gone myself but I was on duty until late. You know how
it is. Lookin’ forward to tonight though...catch ya later.”

“Reese!” she exclaimed, covering her face with her hands. “I totally
forgot that we have a date tonight!” She started to erase the previous
messages. “And what’s this ‘babe’ stuff? We haven’t even gone out on
our first date yet! Besides, I can’t imagine what kind of date it will
be if I can’t stop yawning through it. But hey... who needs sleep?!”

Athena decided that a shower was more of a priority and, as she felt
her stomach growl, perhaps some food. One thing was for sure, some
java was definitely in order.

She made her way towards the turbowash, hoping that the rushing spray
would clear her head as well as clean her skin. She sighed as the
water gently ran over her body, both relaxing and refreshing her.  So
much had happened in the past twenty-four centars, her mind was
swimming and she needed to organize her thoughts before going to the
bridge.

She wondered how much longer it would take to complete the program
she was working on and whether to involve Boomer and Starbuck. How was
Boomer feeling this morning? Apollo and Bojay as well for that matter?
She had seen them all pound down a few at the party and grinned at the
thought of her brother letting his hair down. A rare sight indeed. Did
he, hopefully, spend some of the evening alone with Sheba? And what
was Sheba getting at with all her innuendoes about Starbuck and
Cassie? 

Starbuck and Cassie.

Athena quickly ran her fingers through her hair in hopes of washing
that thought from her mind. The last thing she needed was to get
caught up in that situation. She still hadn’t seen Starbuck since she
had visited Cassie the previous cycle and met her current beau. For
some reason, Starbuck had chosen not to talk to Athena about the
recent break-up and she hoped that she wouldn’t run into him before he
found out. She didn’t want to be the one to tell him but knew that she
couldn’t keep such a secret from him either. Even if Cassie was her
friend, Athena’s friendship with Starbuck ran a lot deeper.
	
Athena growled to herself and said aloud, “Stop thinking about this!”

She picked us a towel and began to rub her head vigorously, both to
help dry her long hair and again to employ another method of ridding
her mind of thoughts she knew were a detriment to her. She needed to
keep her mind clear and ready for whatever Tigh had planned for her
today.

It was not unusual for her to be called to the bridge early these
days, nor for her to leave long after her scheduled shift was over.
Since being promoted to Major a few sectars ago, Lieutenant Commander
Tigh had unofficially made her his assistant and was taking advantage
of the current lull in Cylon activity. Adama had approved the idea of
taking some personal time off from the bridge and allowing Tigh to
command with Athena by his side. Adama knew that Tigh was heavily
favored for the Presidency of the Council and that he was grooming
Athena to take his place once the seat was vacant.

For Athena’s part, she didn’t mind the long centars. She had been
more excited about the last promotion than any other before. To have
Tigh personally take her under his wing was an honor in itself. She
enjoyed the days where she would spend the first cycle as teacher and
the last as student. And while she had been a bridge officer for over
twelve yahrens, it never ceased to amaze her all the new things she
learned from Tigh everyday.

Athena giggled somewhat in embarrassment as she admitted to herself
the other reason why her promotion was so sweet. For once in her life,
she was the same rank as Apollo. Of course she knew that Apollo was
due for a promotion at any time, as was Starbuck and Boomer, but she
was going to relish this moment of being an equal in rank, no matter
how short-lived it was.

After drying her hair and putting on a fresh blue uniform, Athena
left her quarters and made her way towards the turbolift and the
commissary. A good hot cup of java would finish what the turbowash
started and hopefully get her in gear for what was promising to be
another long day.

The corridors were bustling as usual for this time of morning and
Athena greeted the faces that passed. They had all become so much a
part of her now that she felt a great loss whenever one of them was
suddenly taken away. She entered the commissary and approached the
liquistation where a another familiar face greeted her with a warm
smile.

“I just knew that my morning would brighten up,” the blond captain
charmingly uttered.

“I must admit this _is_ a pleasant surprise,” Athena responded,
returning the smile. “I can’t recall the last time I saw you in here
this early.” Being a regular morning customer, the station server on
cue delivered a steaming chocojava in front of her and her eyes
brightened in gratitude.

“Apollo wanted to go over some viper modifications he’s been
experimenting with before we went on patrol,” Starbuck explained. “But
something tells me that I woke up early for nothing.”

“Well I know that I left before the party was over, but I wouldn’t be
surprised if he takes an extended nap on patrol today,” she smirked,
acknowledging her brother’s overindulgence.

“I’m actually looking forward to this,” Starbuck declared, an subtle
evil twinkle in his eye. “The boot’s on the other foot this time and
revenge can be sweet.”

Athena shook her head but couldn’t help her smile widening at the
thought of Starbuck exacting some harmless punishment on his best
friend.

“Did I tell you what happened while we were practicing Triad the
other day?” he chuckled, ready to divulge the humorous details of
Apollo trying to practice after eating a large quantity of favas.

“Actually no,” she replied bluntly. “You haven’t spoken to me much in
the past few days.”

The story would wait. Starbuck realized that he needed to explain his
recent behavior. He still had no idea what she had heard around the
ship, but he knew that she hated being part of the gossip and had
hoped that avoiding her in the aftermath of the break-up would deter
some of the talk.

“I’ve.... been rather busy the past few days,” he acknowledged,
albeit cryptically.

“Yes, I’ve heard,” she admitted knowingly.

“Look uh... I’m sorry you had to hear it from around...” he began
apologetically.

Athena threw up her hand and insisted, “Starbuck, you don’t owe me
any explanation. What goes on in your personal life is your business.”

“Oh don’t even,” he returned with a sarcastic grin.  She was putting
up a good front but, as one of his best friends, he knew that she had
to be at least a little curious. “I think we know each other well
enough to cut the felgercarb.”

Athena’s face flushed a bit as conceded, “Yeah well, I had to see if
you really _wanted_ to tell me or if you were just feeling _obligated_
to tell me.”

“Of course I want to tell you!” he exclaimed. ‘You have no idea how
much I want to tell you!’ he thought.

Athena smiled at his enthusiasm. She had to admit that she had missed
his company the past few days. But again she realized that she was
clouding her mind and she needed to get to the bridge.

“I have to go,” she uttered, a reluctance in her voice. “I’m due on
the bridge shortly and I can’t be late.”

Disappointment in his eyes, Starbuck asked, “So can we talk later?”

“Later?” she replied, taking one more sip of her java.

"Well I  uh.. thought that maybe... we could get together for a drink
later," he shyly suggested.

"I'd love to Starbuck but I have plans for tonight," she replied
regretfully. "Maybe tomorrow?"

"Uh... sure," he responded with surprise. "You got a hot date?" he
teased while his insides were churning.

She smirked. "I don't know if I would call it 'hot'," she conceded.
"Just dinner with Reese."

Starbuck's eyes widened and his face went pale. "You are kidding,
right?"

Athena had seen this look before. Starbuck had never hidden his
feelings about some of the men she had dated in the past, so Athena
wasn't surprised to see the dumbfounded expression on his face now.
However, she was not in the mood to get into the usual discussion
about her personal choices. Especially since she considered her date
with Reese to be very casual.

"Starbuck," she sighed and turned back to her java, "don't start.
It's really not a big deal."

"I should hope not!" he growled in what Athena felt was a rather
condescending tone.

'When is he going to learn?' she wondered.

"You know," she turned back to face him, a perturbed expression on
her face, "I am really tired of having to defend myself to you and
Apollo over the choices that I make in my life."

"Look, I know that I have given you a hard time in the past
but...this is different and you know it." He knew that he was out of
line but couldn't bear to see her going out with a snitrad like Reese.
"Next to Mushie mold, Reese is the lowest form of life in the fleet.
Why would you waste your time going out with him?"

"I don't consider a nice dinner and casual conversation wasting my
time," she replied firmly.

Starbuck was becoming exasperated that he wasn't getting his point
across. "You could have any guy in the fleet, why did you pick him?!" 

Realizing the stupidity of the conversation and how frustrated
Starbuck was getting, Athena decided to have some fun.

"Because he was next in line," she replied with as much seriousness
as she could muster. "All these men were clamoring outside my quarters
begging for dates and it was getting a little crowded so I devised a
little numbering system. I believe Reese was number 27. I should get
through the end of the list by Yule unless I start doubling up and
then perhaps by Samhain...," she struggled to suppress a grin.

The perturbed look on Starbuck's face was just too much and Athena
couldn't hold in her laughter anymore.

"This isn't funny Athena," he turned and rested his arms on the bar
and stared into his cup of java. 'She doesn't realize what she’s
getting into,' he thought.

Sensing he was genuinely upset, Athena composed herself and placed a
hand on his shoulder.

"This isn't _anything_ Starbuck," she insisted. "So I'm going out to
dinner with the guy... so what? Warriors and Security have been at
each others' throats since the beginning and that's never going to
change. I have never personally had any run-ins with Reese. We started
talking in the Officer's Club last secton after the Triad tournament
and he asked me to dinner. I said yes. Not a big deal."

Still staring into his java, Starbuck asked, "Have you ever thought
about _why_ he might have asked you out?"

Athena suddenly felt a knot in her stomach. "What do you mean 'why'?"

"If I remember correctly, Apollo and I won that game. I heard that
Reese lost a sizeable bet on the other team and was pretty ticked off
about it," Starbuck explained.

"What are you implying Starbuck?" she growled.

"If he wanted to get back at us... what better way than to ask you
out," he responded flatly.

Athena glared at the man she had always considered her friend above
all else. She couldn't believe that he was saying this, even thinking
this!

"You know, not everything is about you Starbuck," she hissed.
"Perhaps it never occurred to you that someone might actually ask me
out because they like me and not because they think it can get them in
good with the other pilots or get them a promotion or something."

Realizing his lack of tact he grasped her arm, desperation on his
face. "Athena, that's not what I meant... I...," 

"I know exactly what you meant!" she interrupted, tears attempting to
surface. Athena decided she had better leave quickly before her
emotions overwhelmed her. She turned and swiftly headed towards the
door, not bothering to respond as Starbuck called after her.

END Chapter 3