Title: Bridging the Gap
by Melissa B.
(atrades_2000@yahoo.com)

See Chapter 1 for notes and disclaimers

Chapter 4

Athena left the commissary and hurried towards the turbolift. If she 
knew Starbuck, he would come after her and try to continue the 
conversation and that was the last thing she wanted right now. As far 
as she was concerned, there was nothing he could say that would 
sufficiently explain his demeaning of her.

‘I can’t believe that, after all these yahrens, he still treats me this 
way,’ her thoughts groaned. ‘But who am I kidding? Am I really 
surprised?’ she reluctantly admitted, yet still wondering why her eyes 
were tearing up. Taking into account how tired she was, she excused her 
emotions and stepped onto the lift.

She kept her composure until the lift doors closed, then allowed her 
posture to sink slightly as she leaned against the wall and buried her 
face in her hands.

‘I guess now that he doesn’t have Cassie anymore, he’s needing to be 
involved with something, or someone, to keep himself occupied. I’ll 
just have to stay out of his way ‘til he adjusts,’ she decided.

She stepped off the turbolift to what was normally a bustling corridor 
leading to the bridge. But with the current lull in enemy activity, an 
unusual silence presided over the heart of the battlestar. She paused 
just in front of the door to the bridge. Taking a deep breath, she 
strengthened her composure and concluded, ‘Tigh called me here early 
for a reason. I’m not going to allow Starbuck, or anyone else, to 
distract me from my work.’

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

“Not the best way to start the day now is it?” a sarcastic voice 
chimed.

Starbuck looked back over his shoulder and glared at the man behind the 
counter. “And it’s not very polite to eavesdrop on private 
conversations, is it Paxton?” he retorted.

“Couldn’t help it,” the server replied smugly, wiping down some 
glasses. “Besides, you ruined my morning as well.”

“Oh really,” Starbuck folded his arms defensively. “How so?”
“Captain, er... excuse me, _Major_ Athena has been coming in here every 
morning for as long as I can remember,” Paxton explained, continuing to 
clean his glasses and avoid eye contact with Starbuck. “I always have a 
Chocojava waiting for her and we start off the day with some delightful 
conversation.

“Until today that is,” he finally looked up and shot a glare at the 
blond warrior.

Starbuck rolled his eyes and relaxed his arms to rest on the counter. 
“Well I’m horribly sorry that I upset your routine Paxton,” he stated 
sarcastically, “but I’m trying to keep her from making a huge mistake.”

“Captain Starbuck to the rescue again huh?” Paxton mumbled, cleaning 
yet another glass.

Starbuck rose from his crouched position, eyes widened in anger. “Now 
what is that supposed to mean?!” he demanded.

“You really want to know?” Paxton calmly replied.

“Yes I do,” Starbuck answered firmly.

Paxton put the glass down, dried his hands and walked to where he could 
stand directly across from Starbuck. He placed his hands on the counter 
and leaned forward, a stern expression on his face.

“I’ve been working here in this commissary, this same shift, since 
before the Destruction. From my vantage point, I see and hear just 
about everything that goes on. I remember when Athena first came aboard 
the Galactica. I remember when she started dating you. I remember the 
day the Cylons attacked the Colonies, the bright twinkle that had 
always been in her eyes was extinguished that day when her mother and 
brother were killed. I also remember hearing a story about a certain 
lieutenant and soon-to-be-ex-socialator in a launch tube,” Paxton kept 
his intent gaze on Starbuck, wanting him to feel the anger in his 
words.

Starbuck, for his part, winced at the server’s last statement. No 
matter how many yahrens had passed, he had never come to terms with the 
guilt he felt from that incident. 

“Needless to say,” Paxton continued, “you haven’t been around much in 
the last ten yahrens and you might want to ask yourself what right you 
have to involve yourself in her life.”

Having said that, Paxton stood back and returned to his duties, leaving 
Starbuck fairly dumbfounded. Who in Hades was this guy to tell him what 
rights he had concerning Athena?

But how could he ignore the truth in the man’s words. He had made his 
decision many yahrens ago to deny his love for Athena and had 
unexpectedly started a new relationship with Cassiopeia, one that 
indeed had proved happy and fruitful. But, in doing so, he _had_ given 
up all rights to Athena. Even though they had forged a deep friendship 
again, he knew he wasn’t in any position to give unsolicited advice, 
make demands or pass judgement on her.

“Look,” Paxton’s low voice broke Starbuck’s self-deprecating thoughts. 
“I know you think I’m out of line for saying all that but...”

“No,” Starbuck insisted with a wave of his hand. “I’m the one who is 
out of line.”

Paxton stood silently as Starbuck placed a few cubits on the counter 
and walked out of the commissary. He knew that the warrior was 
regretting the way he had spoken to Athena earlier and would have to 
wait most of the day to apologize, if he got the chance at all. Paxton 
had overheard Athena mention her plans with Reese that evening and, 
with her hectic schedule, she would have little time between her bridge 
shift and her dinner date. Paxton couldn’t help but flinch himself at 
her choice of companion for the evening. 

‘I must admit, I do have to agree with Captain Starbuck on that one.’

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

“Eager to start the day?” Tigh greeted her in surprise.

“I’m sorry?” Athena replied, somewhat perplexed at his question.

“Well, I requested that you be here a centar early but you’re here well 
before that,” he remarked.

“Oh I uh... guess I got ready quicker than I realized,” she retorted, 
trying to hide the fact that she had been up all night, again. It was 
most certainly against protocol to forego sleep and Athena knew she 
would be sent to her quarters if Tigh knew her sleep quota had reached 
all of about five centars over the past three days.

“That’s fine,” Tigh nodded. “Let’s go into the briefing room, we have a 
few things to discuss.”

Athena stifled a yawn just as the Lt. Commander turned towards the 
private room just off the bridge. The yawn surprised her as she 
certainly wasn’t bored. She was intrigued as to what Tigh wanted to 
talk to her about. But she remembered that she had only gotten to drink 
about half of her much-needed java and hoped that it would sustain her 
for the next few centars at least. She would be able to take a break 
later to get some more and, hopefully, something to eat as well, food 
being another necessity she had neglected of late.

‘I really need to take furlon,’ she acknowledged as she followed Tigh 
into the briefing room and took the chair next to his.

“So,” he began, a smirk peering through his normal serious persona, 

“How have I been treating you?”

Athena’s head fell back as she started to laugh. Sensing immediately 
that this would be a more casual conversation, she inquired, “You’re 
not asking me for a formal evaluation, are you Lt. Commander?”

“Obviously not,” he replied, a wide smile finally revealing itself. 
“But I know that I’ve been working you very hard Athena and I want to 
know your thoughts on your experiences the past few sectars. Do you 
feel like you’ve learned a lot or nothing at all? Are you satisfied 
with your work on the bridge or are you still itching to get back in a 
viper?”

Athena leaned back in her chair. “I won’t lie to you,” she sighed. 
“There’s warrior blood in my veins and nothing will ever change that. 
But, after spending time in both the cockpit and on the bridge, I feel 
that I can contribute more here,” she admitted, gesturing to her 
surroundings. “Besides,” she added, “I am in the Reserve Squadron if my 
piloting skills are needed.”

“Well you can’t command a battlestar from the cockpit of a viper,” Tigh 
commented with a suggestive look.

“That’s a long time off, if ever,” she stated humbly.

“It’s a lot closer than you think,” he denoted frankly. “I uh... am not 
trying to raise an unpleasant topic here but, your father isn’t getting 
any younger Athena.”

Athena’s expression turned solemn as she looked into the eyes of the 
man that had been her father’s best friend for what seemed like an 
eternity. The bond they shared was only rivaled by that of Apollo and 
Starbuck, so Athena knew that it pained Tigh to think about the 
eventual demise of his dearest friend.

“I know,” she replied softly, wanting to reach out and grab Tigh’s 
hand. But she realized that her fatigue might cause her emotions to 
overwhelm her as they had attempted to earlier in the turbolift and she 
held herself stiffly in her seat.

“That’s not to say I expect the old war daggit to leave us anytime 
soon,” Tigh interjected, not wanting the conversation to be clouded 
with gloom or cause Athena any unnecessary anxiety.

Thankful that he hadn’t called her in early to make funeral 
arrangements, Athena smiled and said, “I wouldn’t be surprised if he 
outlived all of us Tigh.”

“I wouldn’t either,” responded in kind. “As a matter of fact, he’s 
ready to get rid of _me_.”

“What do you mean?” she chuckled, somewhat surprised at his statement.

“He has requested that I spend a little less time on the the bridge as 
the Council elections draw near,” he explained, blushing slightly. 

“Adama believes that I have already won the President’s seat before the 
voting has even begun.”

“I have to agree with him there,” Athena acknowledged enthusiastically. 
“You’re the natural and most obvious choice.”

“Well I have to say that I appreciate everyone’s confidence in me,” he 
professed. “I just hope that they have as much patience if I am 
elected.”

“I’m afraid that _you_ are the one who is going to need the patience 
Tigh,” she teased, referring to the stubborn and exasperating members 
who presently comprised the Quorum.

Tigh rolled his eyes. “Don’t remind me,” he groaned.

“At any rate,” he returned to the subject at hand, “Adama thinks that 
the transition will go a lot smoother if certain things are already in 
place, such as his new second-in-command,” he nodded suggestively, 
alluding that she would indeed be his replacement.

Athena turned away, her expression somber. It was a reaction Tigh had 
not expected.

“I would’ve thought you’d be happier to hear that,” he commented, his 
eyes fixed with confusion.

Her head snapped back around as she realized she was appearing 
ungrateful. “I am,” she insisted vigorously. “Really, I’m honored that 
you and the Commander would even consider me for the post.”

“But,” Tigh assumed one was imminent.

“But,” she confirmed. “What about Apollo? When Adama does... leave us, 
Apollo will be expected to take command of the Galactica,” she 
conceded.

Tigh saw the pain in Athena’s eyes as she broached the subject that had 
beleaguered her for her entire life.

When she had first been assigned to the Galactica, she had dreamed of 
joining her brothers in Blue Squadron and spending her life in a viper 
blasting Cylons out of the universe. But Adama, influenced by Apollo, 
had assigned her to bridge duty. Not a shameful assignment by any 
stretch, but she had always felt cheated out of her destiny, especially 
after the Destruction. But instead of pouting and complaining, Athena 
had made the best of the situation and learned everything she could, 
making her an invaluable bridge officer and a major asset to Tigh.

Yet Tigh knew that her concerns for her future were valid. Apollo was 
Strike Commander of all the squadrons and had received more medals and 
honors than anyone, except for Adama himself and the legendary 
Commander Cain. He was Adama’s first born son and, as Athena had 
mentioned, most in the fleet would expect him to take command after his 
father’s death.

Nevertheless, while Tigh had the utmost respect for Apollo and his 
ability to lead the Colonial Warriors, he felt that Athena was better 
equipped to command the entire fleet, civilian and military alike. She 
knew the inner workings of the Galactica, things that Apollo had never 
taken an interest in or bothered to learn, and she knew more of the 
Commander’s daily responsibilities.

“As I said before,” Tigh asserted, “You can’t command a battlestar from 
the cockpit of a viper and that is where Apollo’s heart is, has been 
and will likely continue to be for the rest of his life.”

“But he’s a hero Tigh, like Adama,” she responded proudly. “Our people 
have always looked to their heroes for guidance and leadership. If it 
hadn’t been for Apollo, we might never have made it this far.”

Tigh let out a frustrated sigh. “I’m going to say this even at the risk 
of sounding disrespectful,” he declared. “We have not survived based on 
the efforts of one or two people. We are here because we _all_ worked 
together towards the goal of defeating our enemies and finding a new 
home. There are those with a higher profile like Adama, Apollo and 
Starbuck. And certainly the pilots, who have been on the front lines 
defending the fleet, are well deserved of their accolades and our 
gratitude.

“But I believe,” Tigh’s voice became louder and more impassioned, “that 
there are lesser knowns like Rigel, Captain Xerxes in Engineering, the 
scientists on the Agro ships that grow our food, Kayla in the Education 
Center,” to which Athena nodded her approval, “and countless others who 
have shared Adama’s dream and have made our lives far less difficult 
than they could be.”

It had been a while since Athena had seen Tigh so animated and her eyes 
widened as he continued.

“And again,” he concluded, “I mean no disrespect to Apollo and 
Starbuck, but I believe that Captain Boomer deserves far more credit 
than he’s received, if, for no other reason, for simply putting up with 
those two for so long.”

Athena couldn’t contain her amusement any longer and she burst out 
laughing. Tigh, realizing how humorous his last statement was, began 
chuckling as well.

“Athena,” he calmed himself but kept his smile. “What I’m trying to say 
is that _I_ appreciate your performance and that, when the time comes, 
_I_ will support your appointment to second-in-command.”

“Thank you Lt. Commander,” she replied sincerely, grateful to have him 
in her corner. “But the elections aren’t for another ten sectars and I 
have a lot to learn before then,” she admitted.

“Well then, let’s get back to work,” he rose and gestured towards the 
door.

Athena rose from her chair but quickly fell back down, suddenly feeling 
very dizzy.

“Oh,” she groaned, closing her eyes and bringing her hand to her head.

Tigh leaned over and grabbed her shoulders to support her. “Athena, are 
you okay?” his voice filled with concern.

“Yeah,” she replied slowly. “I think I just got up too fast. Your 
passionate speech made all the blood rush to my head,” she teased, not 
wanting to worry him.

“Hmmm,” he considered responding. “But I would imagine that you being 
here so early means you may have skipped morning primaries?” he 
inquired, knowing she had a tendency to ignore her own needs.

“I uh... might have,” she sheepishly admitted. “Guess it must have been 
my overwhelming enthusiasm for the job.”

“Sarcasm won’t get you anywhere young lady,” he chided. “But since you 
did get here earlier than expected, why don’t you take half a centar 
and get something to eat.”

“Lt. Commander, I’m fine,” she insisted.

“That’s an order Major,” he affirmed.

“Yes sir,” she winced, angry that she had shown physical weakness after 
he had given her so much praise.

Rising slowly to ensure her head wouldn’t start spinning again, Athena 
left the briefing room and exited the bridge. Heading towards the 
turbolift, she decided to return to the commissary. Certainly Starbuck 
would no longer be there and she could enjoy both a bite to eat and 
some pleasant conversation with Paxton.

She realized that food was the higher priority as she stepped onto the 
lift and felt another wave of dizziness wash over her.

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

‘Smooth move Captain,’ Starbuck berated himself as he headed towards 
the launch bay. ‘First you avoid her, then you ignore her at Bojay’s 
party, and now you lecture and insult her. Keep it up Bucko, you’ll be 
sealed in no time!’ Starbuck was so busy reprimanding his behavior that 
he didn’t even notice anyone he passed in the hallways. Probably for 
the best as most were still whispering about his break up with Cassie 
and there was plenty of room for conjecture, especially given his 
obvious mood swings these days. 

While he had tried to stay in good spirits since the break up, hopeful 
that he would convince Athena to give him another chance, sometimes the 
frustration would get to him and he could be seen glowering through the 
ship. It was obvious from the solemn look on his face now that things 
had taken an ugly turn. This only left room for further speculation as 
to it’s cause and more fuel for the IFB gossip reports. His only saving 
grace was that Athena's name hadn't yet been linked to the reports 
about him and Cassie.

Starbuck suddenly stopped in his tracks. ‘Oh man, the IFB is going to 
have a field day when they see Athena and Reese together on a date,’ he 
assumed. ‘I should have just kept my mouth shut.’ Athena had always 
done her best to keep a low profile but, thanks to him, people in the 
commissary had probably overheard their argument.

Taking a deep breath, Starbuck resumed his trek towards the launch bay, 
hoping that he was wrong and that, for once, the IFB would leave her 
alone. Upon entering the bay, he was surprised to see Apollo already 
there and checking over his viper.

“Are you early or am I late?” Starbuck greeted his best friend.

“I’m early,” Apollo responded, looking up and smiling. “And I must say 
that I’m surprised you’re early as well.”

“You did ask me to be here early to go over modifications, remember?” 
Starbuck asked. “Or perhaps you don’t remember. You were pretty... 
_happy_ last night,” he teased.

Apollo rose from his crouched position. “You know, everyone I’ve seen 
this morning is asking me how I’m feeling,” he said, slightly 
perturbed. “I don’t know why they all think I was drunk last night. I 
barely had anything to drink at all.”

Starbuck smirked, raised an eyebrow and gave his friend a protesting 
look.

“I didn’t!” insisted Apollo.

“Okay, okay,” Starbuck put up his hands in defense. “I guess it’s just 
that people aren’t used to seeing you cut loose, that’s all. I, for 
one, was happy to see it.”

“Yeah, you should be,” Apollo pointed out. “_You’re_ the one who’s been 
hounding me to relax for the last few sectars.”

“And did you have a good time last night?” Starbuck asked, still 
slightly annoyed that he was the target of Apollo and Bojay’s gibes.

“Actually, I did,” Apollo remarked assuredly. “I think that Bojay and I 
had the first pleasant conversation we’ve ever had.”

“Gosh Apollo, that’s just swell,” Starbuck responded with a sarcastic 
tone and smile to match. “Can we go over this stuff now?” he asked, 
pointing to the viper. “I’d like to get out on patrol.”

Apollo was slightly taken back by his friend’s nasty attitude. “Well 
aren’t we a bit cranky this morning,” he commented. “This wouldn’t have 
anything to do with whatever Cassie _needed_ to talk to you about, 
would it?”

Starbuck’s eyes widened suddenly. He had completely forgotten about his 
conversation with Cassie the previous night. ‘What was the guy’s name 
again? Brice? Boden? Brogan! Brogan, that’s it.’ Starbuck sighed, ‘Like 
I don’t have enough on my mind already.’

“To be honest, no,” Starbuck answered. “At least it didn’t ‘til you 
reminded me of it. Thanks,” he concluded sarcastically.

“Any time I can cause you more pain Starbuck,” Apollo teased, realizing 
this was going to be a long patrol if Starbuck’s mood didn’t improve. 

“Yeah, I’ve gotten that impression lately,” Starbuck mumbled, moving 
towards his own viper.

Apollo groaned. “Hey, if you’re going to be like this for the next 
eight centars, let me know now,” he requested, clearly exasperated. 
“I’ll go straight into sleep mode after we launch.”

Starbuck turned and placed his hands on his hips. “Look Apollo, I’m 
sorry,” he shrugged. “The past few days have been, well... a little 
crazy. Cassie dropped a little bomb on me last night and this morning 
didn’t go very well either.”

“You stayed with her last night?” Apollo eyed him in surprise.

“No, that’s not what I meant,” Starbuck shook his head. “Can we get 
going and talk about this out there?” he urged. 

Apollo noticed a despair in Starbuck’s eyes that he didn’t often see. 

“Sure,” he nodded. “Let’s go now. I can tell you about the 
modifications while we’re in the air.”

Once they launched and settled into patrol formation, a hush fell over 
the normally talkative duo. The conversation with Cassie was replaying 
itself in Starbuck’s mind, including the speculation as to whom was 
privy to this information before he had heard it himself. The concept 
that Apollo had known about Brogan for the past few sectons was 
unacceptable to Starbuck and he didn’t know how he would handle it if, 
indeed, his best friend had been keeping this secret from him.

Apollo finally broke the silence that had grown unusually 
uncomfortable. 

“So what’s up buddy?” he tentatively inquired.

Starbuck hesitated at first, then bluntly asked, “Where do your 
loyalties lie, Apollo?”

“Excuse me?!” Apollo answered in shock.

“If you knew somebody was doing something that would hurt me, or make 
me look like a fool, you’d tell me right?” Starbuck realized that he 
already knew the answer, but his insecurity needed to hear the words 
outright.

In all the yahrens he’d known him, Apollo had never heard Starbuck 
question their friendship like this.  Except maybe when Apollo had 
voiced doubts about Chameleon and his claims of familial lineage 
because he believed then that Starbuck was being taken advantage of.  

While Starbuck was angry at the time, he was later appreciative that 
Apollo had had his best interests at heart. Apollo had always looked 
out for his best friend. Why would Starbuck be thinking otherwise?

“Of course I would, Starbuck,” Apollo replied deliberately. “What’s 
this all about?”

Starbuck took a deep breath before answering. He hadn’t yet discussed 
with Apollo the details of his break up with Cassiopeia and hadn’t 
planned on doing so for a while. He wasn’t sure how Apollo would take 
the news that he was still in love with Athena and was planning on 
pursuing her once again. Apollo’s condemnation of their initial romance 
was one of the obstacles Starbuck had found almost impossible to 
overcome. No matter how often Apollo had promised to stay out of it, 
there had been a persistent strain on their friendship while the 
relationship existed. A strain that seemed to disappear once Starbuck 
had begun seeing Cassie.

Starbuck still wasn’t sure that he wanted to divulge the underlying 
reasons for ending the relationship with Cassie, but he was certain 
that, when he did tell Apollo, he wasn’t going to allow any disparaging 
remarks to deter him from seeing Athena or rekindling their romance.

“I’ll make this short and sweet,” Starbuck began. “Apparently, Cassie 
has been seeing someone else for the past few sectars and decided to 
tell me about it last night.”

“You’re kidding me, right?” Apollo asked flatly.

“Does this sound like something I would joke about?” Starbuck replied 
with clear irritability.

“Ease up buddy, I’m on your side,” Apollo tried to calm his friend. 
Unfortunately, this was not the first time he had seen Starbuck in this 
state. The last time had been when the Pegasus had reappeared and 
Cassie had gone running to Cain. At the time, Starbuck had no even 
ground to stand on since he had made no formal commitments to her, was 
still dating other women, and she had been honest with him that she 
still had feelings for the legendary commander. The circumstances were 
clearly different this time. 

“What do you mean she’s been seeing someone? You mean romantically?” 
Apollo treaded lightly.

Starbuck calmed a bit. Perhaps she _had_ kept this a secret from 
everyone. “So you didn’t know about this?” he asked.

“Of course I didn’t know about this!” Apollo exclaimed. “What makes you 
think I would and not tell you?!”

“Because you’re her friend as well,” Starbuck sighed, now sorry that he 
had questioned his friend’s loyalty. “And because she’s Sheba’s best 
friend and you’re with Sheba and...,” he trailed off, feeling he had 
sufficiently made his point that their circle of friends was small. 

Apollo was now wondering if Sheba had known about this all along. She 
loved Starbuck like a brother and would never want to see him get hurt. 
But she had developed a strong friendship with Cassie since the 
disappearance of Cain. He quickly shook his head, clearing away any 
thoughts of deception. He didn’t even want to consider it.

“No Starbuck, I didn’t know about this,” he assured. “And, as I’m sure 
you’re wondering, I doubt Sheba knew anything about this either. She 
might be Cassie’s friend, but she’s also yours and I’m sure that she 
would’ve tried to convince Cassie to tell you a long time ago if she 
had known.”

The words rang true in Starbuck’s ear and he felt a sense of relief 
wash over him. He hated having doubted Apollo for a micron. “You’re 
right, Apollo” he agreed. “I’m sorry that I even...”

“Don’t worry about it,” Apollo interrupted, not wanting Starbuck to 
dwell on it any longer. “I’ll just kick your astrum later.”

Starbuck smiled, appreciating Apollo’s efforts to cheer him up.

“So did you want to still talk about Cassie or...?” Apollo asked 
cautiously.

Starbuck let out an aggravated sigh. “I don’t really know too much else 
to tell you,” he explained. “She says that she met this guy while doing 
research with Wilker. He’s some scientist on one of the agro ships.”

Starbuck remembered that Apollo occasionally made trips to the agro 
ships on behalf of Adama to check on food supply. “Maybe you’ve met him 
before,” Starbuck surmised. 

“His name is Brogan.”

“Brogan?” Apollo swirled the name in his mind for a few microns, then 
shook his head. “No, can’t say as I recall meeting anyone by that name. 
Then again, I usually only deal with Wilker when it comes to the 
scientists. Did you meet him last night?”

“No,” Starbuck replied. “Cassie only told me about him last night.”

“I’m not sure if I should ask this but,” Apollo started, not wanting to 
pry but unable to deny his curiosity, “why did she tell you about this 
last night? Why not the other day when you decided to end your 
relationship?”

Starbuck opened his mouth to answer, then realized that he really 
didn’t _have_ an answer. “Ya know, I’m not sure, to be honest. She was 
pretty nonchalant the other day. I wonder if she had planned to keep it 
a secret a while longer, maybe waiting ‘til we had been split up for 
while to introduce him.”

“That would make sense,” Apollo theorized. “Nobody would have known she 
had been having an affair. But what troubles me is that she seemed 
pretty desperate to tell you last night,” he noted, remembering 
Cassie’s insistence on talking to Starbuck.

Starbuck’s mind was suddenly clouded with confusion. Apollo was right. 
Cassie had all but demanded that they speak the previous night. He 
remembered that he had voiced regret that she hadn’t told him sooner 
and she had claimed that she had been afraid of his reaction. But that 
didn’t explain why she had suddenly decided to tell him now. Why she 
had been “desperate” to tell him.

It suddenly dawned on him that maybe she _hadn’t_ planned to tell him 
right away, continuing to hide it until some time had passed and she 
could make it look like she and Brogan had just met.

“Hmm, I give her credit for being able to hide it for so long,” 
Starbuck mused. “But I wonder if maybe someone _had_ found out and she 
was afraid they were going to tell me.”

“That would explain her behavior last night,” Apollo observed.

“Yes, it would,” Starbuck agreed, slightly perturbed. He wondered how 
quickly the IFB would get a hold of this one. Perhaps Athena would be 
spared this time if the IFB gossip daggits found this little tidbit far 
more interesting.

“Ah well,” Starbuck shrugged. “Nothing I can do about it now. I’m glad 
she’s found someone to make her happy.”

Apollo smiled and laughed to himself. It never ceased to amaze him how 
resilient his friend was. But there was still one question he had to 
ask.

“What about Dalton?” he said softly.

Starbuck raised his eyebrow. “What _about_ Dalton?”

“Well, if this thing with Brogan is serious...” Apollo implied.

“Cassie and I are still friends, Apollo,” Starbuck assured. “I’m very 
comfortable with my relationship with Dalton and I know Cassie has no 
plans to replace me as her father.”

Apollo nodded. He wasn’t going to push anymore on that particular 
subject as it appeared that Starbuck’s mood was a bit better and he 
didn’t want to rile him up again with speculation on how Cassie’s new 
love was going to play in Dalton’s life.

Apollo hesitated slightly in asking his next question. “So, should I 
ask what happened this morning?”

“This morning?” Starbuck jolted. Had Apollo heard about the heated 
discussion with Athena in the commissary?

“You said that you had had a bad morning,” Apollo reminded.

Starbuck wanted to punch his fist through the console. He had started 
off the conversation being upset about Athena, then had been forced to 
remember his talk with Cassie, and now was being thrown back to his 
guilt and anger for what he had said to Athena. This was all driving 
him crazy. ‘There’s just way too much going on in my life right now,’ 
he thought angrily.

He had already decided not tell Apollo about his feelings for Athena 
but he wasn’t sure whether he should tell him about her dinner date 
with Reese. Apollo disliked the security officer more than Starbuck and 
Starbuck was pretty sure what Apollo’s reaction would be. But with the 
previous conversation touching on loyalty, Starbuck realized he had no 
choice.

'Besides, if Athena's other choice was Reese, Apollo had to find 
Starbuck a more favorable alternative,' Starbuck thought with some 
amusement.

“Well,” it was Starbuck’s turn to tread lightly.. “I heard something 
this morning.”

“And that would be?”

“Athena sort of has a date with someone tonight,” Starbuck alluded.

Apollo rolled his eyes. He wasn’t sure what had annoyed him more, the 
fact that Starbuck was still finding ways to involve himself with 
Athena or the fact that she was still a topic for gossip.

“Spit it out Starbuck,” Apollo ordered.

Noting his friend’s tone, Starbuck quickly explained, “Look, I wouldn’t 
say anything except that I don’t see anything good coming out this.” He 
took a deep breath and continued. “She has a date with Reese tonight.”

A deafening silence followed.

After a few microns, Starbuck broke in. “Apollo, you still there?”

“I’m hoping you’re going to tell me that this is a joke,” replied a 
low, angry voice.

“I wish it were,” Starbuck cringed. “Believe me, I tried to talk her 
out of it.”

“Athena told you about this herself?!” Apollo was shocked that she 
would volunteer this information to Starbuck, knowing that Reese was 
not a favorite of his or Apollo’s. 

“Yeah, I ran into her in the commissary,” Starbuck said, replaying 
parts of the conversation in his mind. He was slowly regretting saying 
anything to Apollo. “I don’t know, Apollo,” he interjected. “Athena 
said that it wasn’t a big deal. I might have jumped to conclusions and 
made it more than it is.”

“I just can’t believe that she would accept the offer to spend any time 
with him socially,” Apollo affirmed. “He’s never shown any interest in 
her before. I wonder what he’s hoping to gain from this.”

Starbuck’s stomach lurched as he thought about the possible answers to 
that question. 

While he knew that these were only assumptions, Starbuck had known 
Reese long enough to know that he was up to no good. 

“I uh... sort of told her that he probably has some underlying motives 
in asking her out,” Starbuck admitted sheepishly.

Apollo couldn’t help but chuckle. “I’ll bet that went over well,” he 
expressed sarcastically.

“Let’s just say she’s not very happy with me right now,” Starbuck 
responded, the knots in his gut tightening.

“No doubt,” Apollo acknowledged. “But she’s going to be no more happy 
with me once I have a little talk with her.”

“Apollo, I really don’t think that’s a good idea,” Starbuck winced. 
“She basically made the point to me that she’s a big girl now and can 
take care of herself. She doesn’t need us telling her what to do.” His 
reasons for deterring Apollo were twofold. Not only had he admitted 
that he had no right to interfere in her life, but she would be even 
more ticked off at him for telling Apollo and unleashing the 
overbearing big brother on her.

Apollo knew that Starbuck’s point was valid, but he couldn’t help but 
still feel vigilant when it came to his baby sister. Since her 
relationship with Starbuck, Apollo had made himself a promise to stay 
out of her personal life. Even when she had started dating Bojay, an 
often times bitter rival, Apollo had kept his opinions to himself. He 
wasn’t surprised when that liaison ended, but he never chastised her 
about it. And while he deemed this to be another poor choice on her 
part, he had to consider the source by which he was hearing about it. 
Apollo had to admit that it had crossed his mind once or twice that 
Starbuck might have some ideas of his own regarding Athena. So while he 
hadn’t discussed Starbuck’s break up with Cassie at length, he had 
gotten the vibe that somehow Athena was involved, if only indirectly. 

“I suppose you’re right,” Apollo sighed. “She would only see it as my 
berating her.” Apollo thought further and a wry smile broke across his 
face. “I could, however, mention something in passing to Reese.”

Starbuck’s eyes widened. “Like what?”

“I don’t know, just something subtle,” Apollo plotted. “Something that 
would get a definite reaction if indeed his intentions are less than 
honorable."

"Then I’ll deck him,” Apollo concluded.

“And what kind of reading material would you like me to bring you while 
you’re in the brig,” Starbuck laughed.

Apollo returned the chuckle, more at himself than the situation. He 
shook his head and sighed. The more things change, the more they stay 
the same.

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

Upon reentering the commissary, Athena caught a wily eyed Paxton 
teasing her from behind the bar. Jokingly, she tiptoed over to the 
counter and cautiously looked to both sides of her. 

“Is it safe to come back?” she whispered playfully.

Paxton immediately rewarded her with a new chocojava. “I’m sorry, but I 
couldn’t help but overhear the conversation earlier,” he blushed. “And 
while I hate to admit it, he did mean well.”

“He always does,” Athena acknowledged, taking a big drink of the hot 
beverage. “He just hasn’t yet learned the art of tact.”

“Very true,” he agreed. “But I think he knows that now.”

Athena put down her mug and eyed Paxton thoughtfully. “Oh?”

Paxton squirmed uncomfortably. “Again, I apologize. I kind of said 
something to him when you left.”

Athena couldn’t help but smile. “What did you say?”

Realizing that she wasn’t angry with him, Paxton’s tension eased a bit. 
“It wasn’t anything much,” he explained. “I basically told him that he 
didn’t have any right to interfere in your life or pass any judgements 
on you.”

“Paxton, I could kiss you,” her smile widened.

A bashful grin played it’s way over Paxton’s face and his face blushed 
further. “I really didn’t tell him anything that he didn’t know 
already.”

“Maybe so,” Athena replied. “But it’s been a long time since anyone has 
defended me like that and I appreciate it a lot. Thank you.”

“My pleasure,” he offered. ‘If I were only a few yahrens younger,’ he 
thought.“Besides, I should have never gotten upset or run out of here 
in the first place,” she scolded herself. “I wasted a perfectly good 
chocojava.”

“Plenty more where that came from,” Paxton exclaimed as he began 
filling another order for one of the servers.

“Thank Kobol, I’ll certainly be needing it,” she mumbled.

“Did you not get enough sleep last night?” he asked.

If there hadn’t been so many other ears about, Athena might have 
admitted that she hadn’t gotten _any_ sleep. But she didn’t want that 
kind of news getting back to Tigh and she had already promised herself 
that she would catch up on her sleep over the next couple of days.

“I’ve just got something I’m working on and it’s driving me crazy,” she 
confided.

“Oh?” Paxton finished the order and came back over to her, resting his 
arms on the counter in front of her. “Anything I can help with?”

“Not unless you know anything about the inner workings of computer 
defense systems,” she retorted.

“Now that you mention it...” he responded flatly.

Athena’s eyes widened and she nearly choked on her java. “Are you 
kidding me?”

“Most people don’t know this,” he said softly and moved forward. “I 
used to work at The Citadel on Caprica. I worked in its defense 
research section for over fifteen yahrens.”

Clearly stunned, Athena asked, “Why did you leave?” 

“From what you’re telling me, I think you know the answer to that 
already,” he smiled and returned to his comfortable stance. “Lots of 
frustration, very little sleep.”

“Definitely,” she concurred.

“But while I’ve been much happier in _this_ line of work,” he gestured 
to his current surroundings, “I would be happy to help you if I can.”

“I would greatly appreciate it Paxton,” Athena replied. Now she leaned 
forward and, in a soft voice, added, “I haven’t shared this idea I’ve 
been working on with anybody. I was kind of afraid that it would get 
taken out my hands and given to one of the engineers.”

“My lips are sealed,” Paxton promised. 

Having employed his trust, Athena began explaining her ideas for the 
new defense program and the problems she was encountering with it. 
Having little time to discuss it in detail, they made plans to meet in 
the future and he would help her to work out the kinks. 

Unfortunately, Athena has gotten so excited at the prospect of finally 
finishing the project, she had forgotten the reason Tigh has sent her 
back to the commissary in the first place and she had neglected to get 
anything to eat.

END CHAPTER 4