Starbuck draped the ridiculous swath of material that the Life Station had the audacity to call clothing, over his lap. In his experience, no sooner did a warrior pull the scrap of cloth over his shoulders and get the fracking thing to barely cover him, then a doctor or med tech was in there pulling it off again. Besides, this was Cassiopeia. She had seen all there was to see.

"Are you ready?" Cassie asked as she pulled aside the privacy curtain.

"For what exactly?" he smiled at her, but his smile faded as he heard a snort come from his roommate.

"Lords . . . " she muttered as she looked at him. She could already see the yellowish and purple tinges that foretold the bruises to come as she moved over to him. "Couldn't have brought your laser, could you?"

"It was in my locker. You don't think I leave it lying around unsecured anymore, do you?" Starbuck asked.

Cassie shook her head absently, knowing he was referring to when his weapon had been 'borrowed' to kill Ortega. "Does this hurt?" She pressed on a laceration on his arm that looked as though it needed laser mending. The area was reddened and could probably do with a good cleaning.

"No," he replied. It was nothing really. Just a scratch. He could feel her wipe it thoroughly with something cool and comforting.

"By the way, we're having dinner with Giselle and Mack tomorrow night. They got engaged. Just a little celebratory dinner." She grabbed the laser. "Don't move. I'm just going to seal this."

Starbuck paused as he felt a mild tingling sensation from the laser as it healed his laceration. "Cass, I can't tomorrow night." He felt her pause and then resume her ministrations.

"Why not?"

"I have a card game tomorrow night." Starbuck replied.

"C'mon Starbuck. Giselle just got engaged. Surely that's more important than a card game." She sounded a little annoyed. After all, the other med tech had become a good friend.

"I'm sure it is to Giselle. Hades, Cass, it took me three sectons to organize this game. You don't know the maneuvers I had to go through to get all the guys off at the same time." Sure enough, he had had to juggle rosters so often that even Apollo was getting suspicious at the frequency with which requests for 'changes of shift' due to bereavement, illness, or special occasions had arrived on the captain's desk. All requests had been personally organized by the lieutenant so the good captain didn't necessarily notice that tomorrow night at 2000 centars, most of Starbuck's good friends. . . at least those who dabbled in a little innocuous gambling . . . would be off to partake in the game of the sectar.

"I thought you agreed we would make more of an effort to do things together as a couple." Cassie told him.

"Lords, Cass, you don't like to play cards." Starbuck replied, deliberately obtuse.

Cassiopeia leaned back to consider him. She knew when he got like this, there was no winning. "How long is your game going to be?"

"Depends how long my stake lasts." He grinned at her. "I'm planning on going the distance."

"Maybe we could make it an early dinner then?" Cassie suggested. "What time is the game?"

"Uh . . . look, I still need to nail down the location. I have a few possibilities just in case the colonel gets wind of this, but it really comes down to the last centon." He also still needed to confirm the shipment of Empyrean Ale that Ama had promised him. Oh, and to pick up a few fumarellos at the same time.

"What about a luncheon?"

"Can't. I have early patrol and then Apollo and I have a triad practice." He had arranged the triad practice following the patrol just so the captain would be inclined to spend some quality time with Boxey in the evening. Apollo had a good idea something was up, but was less likely to follow up on it if he expended some energy on triad and then was deeply involved in being a good father. It was the perfect plan.

"Sounds like a shut out." Cassie complained.

"It will be if I don't get my act together on the court." Starbuck commented as his mind wandered back to his abysmal performance in triad of late.

"Starbuck, I'm trying to reach a compromise, but you're not exactly being . . . accommodating." She reminded him of their discussion.

"I already have plans. I'm committed." He replied. She was like a daggit with its favourite bone.

"That's a laugh." She replied bitterly.

His eyes dropped from hers. If she only knew the truth. Starbuck took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Cass . . . "

"I don't want to do this right now." She said abruptly.

"Do what?" he looked up in surprise.

"Argue with you." Cassiopeia replied.

"Were we arguing?" he asked.

Cassie sighed. "Sometimes you make me feel like I'm the only one putting anything into this relationship."

"Dump him, Sweetie!" The inebriated voice suddenly shouted out from behind the other curtain.

"What?" Starbuck asked in astonishment, ignoring the man. Hades, up until tonight, he had really thought he had given one hundred percent of himself to trying to make 'them' work. Maybe that was the problem. It was beginning to feel like work.

"I know you're not happy." She told him. "I've known it since Alrin." She smiled sadly at him. "You're going to spend the rest of you life wondering . . . and regretting . . . that you didn't . . " Tears filled her eyes as she looked away.

"Hey . . . " Starbuck took her hand reflexively. He had come here to get clearance to fly after an injury, not to hurt Cassie. "Where's all this coming from?" Did she truly see something that he had not?

"Call it female intuition." Cassie told him acerbically. "I just don't think you're as committed to us as you think you are."

"Why?" Holy frack, how could she possibly know?

"I make all the sacrifices. If you want me to drop everything to come see you play triad or go out with Sheba and Apollo, I do. And you expect me to. It doesn't work both ways though. It's almost like you're testing me. Like you want me to tell you to go to Hades. Do you?"

"Tell him, Sweetie! After all, it's a short trip from the Galactica!"

"Shut up!" Starbuck shouted back, fed up with the commentary.

"He has a temper too . . . " the man's voice mumbled from behind the curtain.

"Well, do you?" Cassie repeated her question calmly.

"Sagan . . . " Starbuck stuttered as he looked into her beautiful eyes. She wasn't holding back a thing. She was telling it exactly as she was seeing it. Cassiopeia always did. "Is that what I'm doing?"

Starbuck thought about the last sectar. The whole time he thought he was being attentive and committed, she thought he was trying to annoy the Hades out of her . . . apparently. Lords, evidently he didn't do 'committed' that well.

"Isn't it?" Cassie challenged him.

"But, I haven't so much as flirted . . . " Until tonight, his subconscious reminded him.

"A relationship is based on much more than fidelity, Starbuck. There has to be some give and take on both sides. Can you even give me one example of you giving something up to spend time with me in the last four sectons?"

The only thing he could think of to say was, I have a head injury. "Cass, I feel like I've been blindsided by a landram. I thought you said you didn't want to do this here."

"Do what?" she threw his words back at him.

She could be cruel sometimes. "You tell me; you seem to have all the answers." Frack, did he really just say that aloud?

"Let's just say, I think I've given it more thought than you." Cassie replied, not in the least bit affronted by his remark. In fact, it seemed she agreed with him.

"Now you're in trouble, mate!" The drunk told him chortling.

Starbuck glared at the curtain that separated him from the intoxicated man. He shook his head as he looked back at Cassie and sardonically asked, "And what have you decided?" There comes a time in every man's life when he realizes it's time to sit back and become an audience instead of a participant in the conversation with his lover.

"I think you need to take some time to decide what it is . . . or more precisely, who it is you really want. We need to take a break." Cassie explained.

Starbuck stared at her in a daze. Holy frack! At the beginning of the evening he thought he was happily involved with Cassiopeia. Then, much to his utter surprise, he had ended up making love with Luana. To round out the night, he had been involved with apprehending a couple goons who were trying to rape a young woman. Then he had worried about what he was going to say to Cassie when he disclosed his fling, only to have Luana tell him not to worry about leveling with Cassie, since Lu wasn't looking for a relationship. Now, to top it all off, Cassie was breaking up with him.

"I don't know what to say." He mumbled, still a bit stunned.

"What about 'thank you'?" she suggested. "I'll clear you for duty tomorrow. Everything seems fine except . . . " She paused as he looked up at her.

"Except what?" he asked numbly.

"You seem to have an unusually low sperm count." Cassie replied looking him in the eye. She turned around and left the cubicle closing the curtain behind her without another word.

Starbuck winced as she uttered the words. There was nothing left to say really.

"Busted!" the drunk chortled from behind the curtain.