"Let me in, Kara," he said.
Kara shook her head. There she was, a captive in a house of his construction-or the others', it didn't matter-and Leoben was acting like she still had a choice. Well, she did, but it wasn't going to be the one he wanted. She'd never let him in. She already had the knife hidden.
"Over my dead body," she said.
He shook his head. She could see the pain in his eyes; it was convincing. "That's not what I want for you. You have a destiny." He sighed. "I wish you could see yourself the way I see you, the way I know you."
"Then you don't need me to let you in."
"I suppose that's true." He smiled. "But I wish you would want me there. Love me the way I love you."
She laughed. "Love me, huh? You kidnap me, stuff me in a dollhouse, force me to eat this nasty steak every night-"
"You don't realize how lucky you are to have steak." He gestured to the door. "Beyond that door is suffering and death."
"Yeah, well my people are out there, so I'll take that."
"Your husband?"
"Yeah, him too. If he's even alive. You kinda stole me while I was trying to get him medicine."
"I suppose a barter is out of the question."
"Love for information?" She shook her head. "I couldn't love a cylon, sorry. You'd have better luck with Helo."
"Not interested."
"No? That's too bad."
"I wish you could see it, Kara. You already love a cylon."
"I told you I don't love you."
He smiled. "I wasn't talking about me."
"More riddles. More deception." She laughed. "I know all about what you told Roslin. 'Adama is a cylon.' You're not gonna try that one on me, are you?"
"But wouldn't it be funny if he was one? Or Roslin? Wouldn't that just change everything for you?"
"Not really. I kill cylons. If they're cylons, I'll kill them, same as I will with you."
"And resurrection?"
She smiled. "You don't seem to wanna kill me. It must be that unconditional love from your God. You'll keep coming, and I'll keep killing you. And we'll just see how long your God's love lasts, won't we?"
"We won't always be here, Kara. This will pass, but my love, God's love, won't."
He rose from his chair, approaching her for a hug. He wrapped his arms around her back, giving Kara the perfect target. "We'll see," she said, as she unsheathed the steak knife and ran it through his neck, again.
As the latest model fell dead, Kara returned her focus to her plate. The steak wasn't so bad. It would keep her strength up until she found a way out. She was growing tired of having the same conversations each night.