A/N This is based on a Fight Club/BSG manip by KAG523 on LJ. I've taken quotes from the movie and manipulated them to fit the story.

You wake up on the Galactica, Cloud 9, Colonial One, morning, noon, night, time has no meaning. You lose an hour, gain an hour. This is your life, and it's ending one minute at a time. You wake up on the Astral Queen. If you wake up at a different time, in a different place, could you wake up as a different person?

20:36– Galactica senior officer's rec room

Kara's sitting in the back of the rec room, cradling a glass of the Chief's brew, waiting. It's been a few weeks since they started this thing and she still gets a nervous tingle of anticipation in her gut. She's starting to get impatient when Lee walks in, looks around and spotting Kara, walks over.

"Hey" he says and sits down.

"Hey."

"Did you … have you … you know." Lee whispers softly.

"Yeah."

"Good. When do we start?"

"23:00. Behind the starboard hangar deck. It's all set up & ready to go."

"Okay," he says and gets up to leave. "You'll be there?"

She lets out a barking laugh, takes a long swig from her glass, "Yeah Lee. I'll be there. Don't forget, this was my idea."

He smiles, reaches over and grabs her glass and downs it. "Fine Starbuck. I'll see you there."

"You can bet on it flyboy."

00:17 – Galactica starboard hangar deck

Welcome to Fight Club. The first rule of Fight Club is: you do not talk about Fight Club. The second rule of Fight Club is: you DO NOT talk about Fight Cllub. The third rule of Fight Club is: if someone yells "stop!" goes limp or taps out, the fight is over. Fourth rule: only two to a fight. Fifth rule: one fight at a time …

Sharon takes Helo's hand and gives it a squeeze. He looks over, gives her a weak smile and turns back towards the fight, his frown returning.

"They're going to kill each other," he says, just softly enough for her to hear.

"Yeah. But … that's what they do," Sharon says and gives his hand another squeeze.

"I don't get it. Why can't they just … you know …" Helo says, waving his free hand in a vague gesture.

"Because they wouldn't be them if they did. It's what they do. They beat the crap out of each other, then just …" Sharon says, waving her hand in a similarly vague gesture.

Helo chuckles and turns to look back at his wife, "What? Frak like bunnies?"

Sharon laughs. "Yes." She leans in and bumps her shoulder against his, "It's love."

"It's insane is what it is."

"Well, they're insane. Like I said, it's them."

"Okay well, we better be ready because it looks like Apollo's on his last leg there. 'Buck's about to land the final … ouch! Did you see that? Frak! Let's go!"

They both rush up into the ring and untangle the two viper jocks, trying to sort out bloody limbs. Just like every other night, the fight had been a brutal one.

Kara's nose looks like it's broken. She has a stupid grin on her face as she lays on top of Lee. Lee's smiling up at her, gently caressing her face and pushing sweat soaked locks of her hair behind her ear, turning his face away from the steady flow of blood from her nose.

"Stop bleeding on me."

"Hey, I think you broke my nose, asshole. You broke it, you get to live with the blood," she says, bringing her face closer to his.

Lee lets out a loud laugh and tries to push her off of him, just as Helo grabs Kara's hips and starts lifting her up.

"Okay you two, come on. Up you go. Think you've had enough."

Lee heaves himself up and staggers over to Kara who's leaning against Helo. He grabs a hold of her and slinging his arms around her shoulders looks up at Helo and smiles. "Nope. It's never enough Helo. Never."

Helo shakes his head and moves away. "Fine. You two gonna be okay? Can you make it to the head on your own or do you need help?"

Kara clutches Lee's waist and as they start to limp away together she looks over her shoulder, "We're fine. We're great. We're golden."

Lee kisses the top of her head. "We're golden," he repeats.

00:46 – Galactica senior officer's head – 2nd shower stall from the back

You're not your job. You're not your rank. You're not your kill stats. You're not your father's son. You're not your mother's daughter. You're the all-singing, all-dancing gods of the world.

"Ow! Watch it!"

"Oh stop being such a frakking baby, Lee. I'm just trying to wash off the blood. I need to see how bad this cut is."

"Fine. Just be … ow! Frak, Kara! Easy!"

"Sorry. Here, just let me …," she jumps back as Lee touches her nose. "Damn it Lee! What the frak are you doing? That hurts!"

"Now who's being a baby? I want to make sure your nose isn't broken. Hold still."

"How can I hold still and wash your face at the same time? Stop. Gods Lee, STOP." Kara yells as she squirms away, gingerly touching her nose. Damn thing hurts like all hell. "It's not broken. I can breathe so I know it's not broken. Now will you leave it alone and let me look at that cut?"

"Hey … hey. Come here," he says as he slowly pulls her back into his arms. "Let's just … let's leave it alone and just … just …" he doesn't finish his thought but tightens his hold on her.

Standing naked in a tight embrace, they sway gently under the spray, letting the warm water wash away the blood and sweat.

"How long are we going to do this Kara?" Lee whispers as he strokes her back.

"You know the seventh rule Lee: the fight will go on as long as it has to."

Lee sighs and hugs her tighter, burying his face in her neck. "They're dead. Dee and Sam … they're both dead. We didn't kill them Kara. We have nothing to prove to anyone any more. How long are we going to punish ourselves?" He takes a deep breath and kisses her neck, "I want to stop Kara. I don't want to fight any more. I just want to … stop. Can you handle that?"

Kara pulls back and looks at his bruised and bloodied face. They've been beating the crap out of each other for weeks, even incurred the wrath of both the Admiral and Doc Cottle, but haven't stopped. She barely remembers the reasons for starting the Club. All she knows is that at first, it was just a way to pay penance. For their failed relationship with their respective spouses. For their senseless deaths.

In the ring, it was just the two of them. Frak or fight was their dance and being the emotional frak-ups they were, they'd chosen the path of least resistance and opted for pounding on each other.

After each fight, they'd head back to the showers, get naked and clean each other up. But they still hadn't crossed that line. Everyone assumed they'd been having mind blowing sex in the aftermath of the fights, but this wasn't about sex for them.

It was about healing.

Kara smiles, thinking of how utterly frakked up they are. She looks into his eyes and seeing the intensity there, sighs and nestles back into his arms, slowly shifting her body against his.

For the first time since they started this insanity, she feels him getting aroused.

"Let's not talk about it, okay?" She says as she lifts her face and slowly kisses him.

Lee pulls back and smiles. "First rule."

Maybe the healing was done.

Maybe it was time to live.

Without pain, without sacrifice, we would have nothing. Like the first monkey shot into space.

It's only after we've lost everything that we're free to do anything.

We are Jack's complete lack of surprise.