Boomer had actually said, "Ta da!" like he was a magician pulling off an act as he opened the door to the hangar. Maybe a few cycles ago those shiny new vipers might have thrilled him, but now they were just useless hunks of metal without fuel. Plus the fact that even with fuel, without Rene's device and her head clear, they just represented a faster way to die. Even if they could get one of these birds in the air, the Cylon presence in the skies over Caprica had increased dramatically since they'd arrived, and then tripled once they had attacked the Cylon encampment. They needed to sit tight here for a while and wait for the hornet's nest they had poked to calm down. Launching now would be suicidal.

Starbuck tried not to growl at Boomer, his friend was just trying to help him feel better, but the worry he had for Rene was jabbing at him sharper than the blades he felt like he had swallowed. He hadn't been able to protect her from the enemy, and now he couldn't even get her back home. It wasn't her memory loss that upset him, it was the fever glaze in her eyes. If he couldn't get her back to the Galactica, he was going to lose her. Attempting a launch and a jump was their only option. He'd have to hope the Cylons hadn't improved their aim.

He scanned all the vipers, noting that even the older models looked like they had just rolled off the assembly line. "Please tell me they're all armed."

"He says they're all operational." Boomer tried again to try to lift his spirits.

"Prettiest coffins I've ever seen," he tried to joke, as he found himself counting not the vipers, but the children scattered around the hangar and their parents. They would need more than one shuttle, and he wasn't sure if a squadron would be enough to keep them safe in the skies before Rene could jump them through her rift back to the Galactica. And what about the quadrant around the fleet? They were quiet when they left, but after a brain scan of Rene's mind, they surely had the coordinates of the fleet. Despite having her flight status put on hold, Rene had made a point each day of checking on their course and the position of the various ships in the fleet.

How close had the enemy been to the fleet? Rene's old Commander had a point when he said that you should take your best guess, double it and you might be halfway to something accurate. Having backtracked on their route to Dilmun, the enemy was probably closer than they realized.

Boomer tried to lead him over to the matte black craft, but Starbuck wasn't interested in checking it out, not yet anyway. He trusted his friend that it was operational and probably their best hope, but as his eyes scanned the hangar, he took note of all the children, especially the boy off on his own sitting near one of the work tables. It was the kid who had dragged him up that ridge and off into the darkness, kept him going and had let him know when Rene had fallen behind. He owed the kid something.

"His father didn't make. I'm hoping his mother is back with the others in the fleet." Boomer put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him from approaching the boy. "Apollo is out repairing solar panels. Jake was right, we should all talk. We can do that over dinner and get us all some more rest."

Starbuck nodded as he spotted Avery and the old man who owned the place working on siphoning fuel from one of the other vipers. Avery's gaze met his own and he looked ready to abandon the pump he was manning and come over to them. Starbuck didn't trust himself to talk to the man, not after what he had just been through. His body still ached from the switch the IL had thrown that made his muscles lock and lightning dance up his spine. The pain was too fresh and the long and wet hike to get here too recent. He wanted to kill Avery for what he had put Rene through as the image flashed in his mind of her lying there dead under all the debris from the collapsed ridge. He'd brought her back to life just so she could endure more pain and while consciously he knew it was the enemy's fault, the Cylons weren't here in this hangar to blame. However, Avery was.

Of its own accord, his hand reached for his weapon before he remembered he wasn't wearing his uniform or his holster. He was suddenly grateful that someone had enough sense to take his weapon away. He didn't want to kill the man, not really, but winging him was still an option on the table, or maybe stunning him at point blank range. Starbuck knew from recent experience how painful that could be.

Boomer's hand on his shoulder pulled him away from his plan for revenge. "Let's go find Apollo so we can get you fueled up for the flight ahead."

Starbuck kept his eyes locked on Avery for just a moment longer, hoping the man got the unspoken message that he'd better shut up and do as he was told or Starbuck might just leave him behind to live out his days on this dying rock. Then he let Boomer lead him towards the metal door. His friend was right, plus the pounding in his head hammered in the fact that food and rest was still the top priority for now. He'd need his own wits about him before he launched as he had no intention of being shot down over Caprica after having survived the destruction. That just seemed too much like the kind of ironic fate mentioned in many of the stories in the Book of the Word. He was no slave to fate, he made his own.

A cold wind whipped at them as they opened the hangar door and he was momentarily stunned by swirling colors in the sky. He and Rene had slept most of the day away. He was reminded of the last sunset he had seen on Caprica before the destruction, just as vivid, and yet so vastly different from this one. He'd been with Aurora on a date and the fading day as they walked by the bay of Caprica city had added to the romantic mood he was trying to set, his last night before shipping out on the Galactica. The purples and reds had been glorious.

He wanted to take a moment to enjoy this sunset as well, but it was far from romantic with its unnatural orange and swirling green and dark black of the storm clouds above. If they made it back, when would he be planet side again? If he had his way right now, it would be never. He longed for the quarters that were now his back on the Galactica because in that small compartment he knew he and his wife were safe from the enemy and while the food wasn't great, it was at least non-toxic. He wanted to be back in that warm bed with the kids sleeping around them. He could settle for a lifetime of just looking at the boring gray walls, just so long as he had Rene and their baby there with him.

Boomer pulled him from his reverie and led him on a worn path that wove along the hillside beside the hangar. Max was there, checking connections of a solar panel cleverly designed to look like a flat rock. The young man looked up and grinned wide.

"You are a sight for sore eyes. Glad to see you up and moving. We're almost done here. Apollo's just double checking to make sure the wires are more protected from the rain."

"Waste of time if you ask me," Starbuck grumbled, "no one is going to need the power once we get out of here."

"Peryton wants to stay and, if there are more survivors, they may make their way here." Boomer looked ready to add more as Starbuck opened his mouth to protest, but the sound of raider above the cloud cover had them all diving to the ground. The thick clouds hid the craft from their view but the shine of the metal wings peeked through once or twice before the craft continued on its course away from their location.

"How many times has that happened?" Starbuck asked from the ground as he quickly judged from the fading sound of the engines that the craft was headed for the encampment in the hills.

"That's only the second one," Max answered, "We think they're working a grid pattern searching for us."

"They'll find us eventually, and then what?" Starbuck got up brushing the dirt from what had been a clean jump suit. He had wanted it to stay that way. He missed being clean.

"We high tail it out of here, that's what," Max said turning back to the wires.

"Rene doesn't have the device. Jake thinks he can make a new one. What do you know about that?" Starbuck had never been totally clear where Max fit into the whole family as one of the few Colonial regular recruits, lacking an academy training and also lacking a wife and kids unlike the rest of the Gutter Snipes. But the man was more than competent when it came to electronics and could fix just about anything that broke from toys, to food prep appliances, to vipers. He seemed to be just as adept at fixing people problems as his steady nature kept the copper squadron from being at odds with each other and with the colonials. Much like his cousin Boomer, Max was a calm individual and encouraged it in others. His creative cursing helped the recruits to laugh at situations they couldn't control.

"About as much as a centurion does about dancing. I didn't help make it. She just always had it."

Starbuck wanted to ask more as no one had ever talked in detail about when Rene started doing this thing that she could do. He had assumed it was a talent she had developed after she'd been forced to have kids, as it answered the obvious question as to why she hadn't used it just to get them all away from Dante. He had assumed that once the kids came along, her old Commander had held too much control, making it difficult for the Sewer Rats to coordinate and escape his dominion over their lives. But she'd known Max since the Zakar, and if she'd always had it, then why not use it?

"What do you mean by always? When's the first time you jumped with her?" Starbuck cursed his own impulsive actions in his head. He should have demanded that Rene explain in detail what she did, how she did it and how the device was constructed before they jumped into their vipers and let her lead them here. Then again, maybe he didn't want to know too much. The temptation to use such ability to his own personal aims might prove to be too much, just as it had for Rene and Jake. Maybe when they got back he'd destroy the device and leave Rene with her brain scrambled. At least then she wouldn't be tempted to try something this crazy again.

Before Max could answer, another raider dropped from the clouds skimming low over the hills and the three hit the ground again, all of them cursing as they tried to crawl under the protection of the solar panel. When it had soared over the hillside home and dipped down the valley behind it, Starbuck didn't waste his breath for a sigh of relief. He knew they'd be back.

"I'm declaring your repair job complete. We need to get out of here. Where's Apollo?" Boomer pointed, but it was unnecessary as Apollo was sprinting towards the three, motioning towards the path that led to the hangar.

"Let's get in out of this weather before the Cylons rain down on us," Apollo said, helping Max gather up the tools that were spread about.

"I've already dealt with cloudy with a chance of centurions. They're heavy and tend to break my umbrella on impact. So why the frack were you out here?" Starbuck groused.

"Keeping my word. How are you feeling?" Apollo slung a tool bag over his shoulder and they hiked up the path to the hangar, approaching a door that was well disguised to look like all the other rocks around the area.

"I was feeling better until coming out here. We need to talk. We have some complications."

"You mean other than the Cylons and your poor health?" Apollo asked as he closed the hangar door behind them, dropping down the steel bar that added another layer of defense.

Starbuck scanned the hangar again, realizing that more questioning eyes were upon them than before. He wasn't sure he wanted all of Avery's men knowing just yet that their promised rescue might be delayed a bit longer, maybe by sectons rather than centaurs. "I'll tell you over dinner. There's waffles."

Avery kept his distance, still engaged in the task that was vital to their escape, but another of his group, Wylie, didn't hesitate to approach them as they crossed the hangar. Starbuck kept walking as the man spoke to Apollo.

"We're almost done with the fuel. Peryton says there's enough for a launch and we can be ready in centons." The question was there underneath his statement. Apollo called out to Starbuck, but he kept walking. He heard Apollo tell Wylie that they were just waiting for morning and for there to be more daylight to aid in avoiding the raiders on take off, but any good pilot would know that it wasn't daylight that they relied on for enemy detection but the scanners. Wylie seemed to accept the lie and Apollo caught back up to him in the corridor.

"Okay, spill it buddy. What's wrong?"

Starbuck looked to both ends of the corridor to make sure the doors were sealed and the warriors were alone. He spoke quickly, hoping to rip the bandage off the truth faster to lessen the sting.

"Rene doesn't have the device and her brain is scrambled. She doesn't know where she is or who I am. We aren't leaving anytime soon."

Apollo absorbed the information with a deep breath. Before he could speak, Max jumped in.

"She can still do it. She just needs a whole lot of energy, and the guns on that black beauty look potent enough. If she remembers the kids, at least the sewer rats, she'll find them."

"How Max? How the hades does she fracking do that? No one has ever been real clear on how this works and I am damn tired of being kept in the dark!" The angry outburst loosened something within his chest and he found himself bent over trying to hack up a lung as Apollo rubbed his back and told him to calm down. He wanted to yell back that he was being calm, that this was far bleaker than they realized. Instead, he ended up wheezing in air and spitting a gob of gunk onto the floor as Boomer clarified for Apollo.

"They're not getting better and Jake is running out of medications."

"Okay. So we may be staying put for a while, but we're safe from the enemy here with plenty of food and water until we work this out." Apollo rubbed at his back but Starbuck turned at him snapping.

"Did you not hear? She's sick, I'm sick and we're going to die if we stay here!"

Apollo nodded at his words. "I hear you. Calm down, Starbuck. Peryton says he might know how she does what she does, or at least he has a working theory. And he has some medical supplies. You seem to be healthy enough to dredge up some histrionics. I don't think you're going to die on me just yet."

Starbuck heaved a sigh as he straightened and ran his hand through his hair. "I'm sick of this place and I don't like having Cylon technology inside my body! How do we know they can't track us with it? Don't you think it's a bit ironic that the moment I poke my head outside is the moment the raiders start buzzing you?"

"Now that you mention it, but Peryton says that the electric grid scrambles their scanners, and the rocks composing this hillside are naturally dense with radium. It's why he chose here to build. He is quite knowledgeable and I believe him when he says we are safe here." Apollo reached out to squeeze his shoulder, "Look, I know what you and Rene went through was bad. I understand your concerns, but we are safe here and we are working on getting us home. I won't let her die."

He shuddered as his friend figured out what really had him afraid. Starbuck shook his head realizing that his friend's promotion to Colonel had made the power go to his head or the radium of Caprica had affected him and now he was truly delusional. "And just how are you going to do that Apollo? Order her to stay alive?"

"For starters, yes. I got you out of Cylon captivity and I will get you home."

"Jake got me out. You weren't even going to come back for me!" He couldn't help but mention the point. They had been in captivity far too long. He shuddered as he recalled his wife's screams followed by his own.

Apollo quirked his eyebrow. "So that's what has you so upset? I was just waiting until the kids were safe, Starbuck. You know I like you best."

"Dammit, Apollo, this is serious!"

Before Apollo could respond, the door to the hangar at the end of the corridor opened. Peryton entered the corridor and shut the door behind him, then using the wall as a guide approached them.

"Good, you're awake. Is the gal awake?"

Starbuck turned away, not trusting himself to answer the man politely. Boomer handled it for him.

"Yes, she is, but we're not sure how much help she can give us right now. She's a bit ill and disoriented plus she has lost the device she uses to create the rift."

Peryton nodded as if acknowledging the information, but then acted as if he hadn't heard a thing. "The coms have come alive with Cylon chatter and you may have overstayed your welcome. Time for you to go. I need to find out how she navigates as we never did figure that out."

Starbuck found himself facing Apollo again and muttered to him, "Am I even speaking out loud? Why isn't anyone listening?"

Apollo squeezed his shoulder in attempt to reassure him, but the tightness in Starbuck's chest as he tried to take a deep breath kept him from feeling optimistic. He turned away as he felt another hand on his back to find the old man had approached him.

"You the pilot they keep telling me is so good? You've been around this universe, right?"

"Yeah, guess I have." He nodded as he wondered if he was going to get a chance to truly explore the galaxy, or just wind up gasping for his last breaths on this polluted planet.

"Then you know, son, making a wormhole isn't magic and getting to where you want to go sometimes is just a matter of wishful thinking. I can make you a wormhole and be honest, anywhere is better than here."

Starbuck blinked hard and wanted to shake his head but worried it would explode. He was dreaming, that had to be the only explanation, or still hallucinating in his cell, hypothermia about to kill him. "Oh yeah, of course. That easy, sure. I see one every other day along with unicorns, fairies and space whales."

Apollo squeezed his shoulder again, "Buddy, he designed our vipers and most of our weapons. I'm thinking he has a bit more knowledge about astrophysics than we do."

Starbuck lashed out at his friend's patronizing smile. "Don't you think this guy has been on his own too long sucking in too much of that radium? Has that thought crossed your mind that's been addled by your promotion? It's got to be the brass insignia, releases something that makes you all suffer delusions of grandeur because I would think if there was some secret squadron of wormhole warriors I would know about it!"

The smile spread on Apollo's features as he parried, "This coming from the guy who flew us all the way back to Caprica."

Starbuck winced as the direct shot hit the target. Apollo read his thoughts, squeezed his shoulder again as he said softly, "You believe in her abilities. You were there on the bridge of the Galactica right next to her when she performed what others might call a miracle. You joined her secret squadron."

Starbuck sighed, "This…this is different. That was the count and… John…and…" He sighed and was unsure how much he should say in front of Peryton, realizing just how insane it might all sound. He shook his head at his friend's confident smile. Apollo had only been through Rene's rift twice. He didn't understand what they were dealing with, and if truth be told, neither did Rene even when she was coherent. His friend hadn't been there helping Rene clean up or heard her disoriented questions. The old man might be in his right mind, but Rene wasn't.

Apollo spoke softly, "Are you sure about that? How did she create those drawings that convinced all of us to come here?"

Starbuck sighed heavily throwing his hands up in submission. "Okay, fine, so let's say we can just produce wormholes out of thin air, there are places worse than here you know, like the heart of the Cylon Empire."

"Yes, and we have already been there and made it out alive. We can do this."

Starbuck shook his head feeling bone weary tired.

"Son," the old man said drawing his attention back to him, "You will be in a fully armed craft that is the culmination of my life's work. There's nothing faster or more powerful. You're a viper pilot right? You've already entrusted your life to the things I can do."

"You have a point, sir," Starbuck answered the man as diplomatically as he could. He didn't want to insult the man and his abilities. He wanted to get the frak out of here before the enemy decided to make him a permanent resident but he didn't want to die in the process. But if they stayed, death might find him even faster. At least with Apollo and Peryton's plan, he'd die in a viper fast and painless and Rene would be there with him.

He took in a deep breath and tried not to cough as he expelled it. "Alright," he rasped. "We're doing this."

"We have dinner ready, well breakfast actually," Boomer added his hand to Starbuck's other shoulder. "We can talk while we eat."

They headed up the corridor and Starbuck appreciated that Apollo still kept a hold of him. The guiding hand did help him feel a bit steadier. It might take a few days, but they could figure this out. Jake had kept the illness in check so far and the young man had a point, Rene was talking.

As they entered Peryton's home, they found Jake still making waffles, and Rene sitting on the floor near the hearth, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders and a book in her hand. He headed straight to her, and she looked up smiling at him.

He couldn't help but sit down beside her, pulling her to him. She didn't resist and that reassured him more than any words Jake could have said. She had let Starbuck hold her and so at least she knew he was friendly, which in Rene's way of thinking was more than he could say of most people. She instinctually distrusted everyone, and hadn't even warmed up to most of Starbuck's friends including Apollo. And everyone loved Apollo. On the Galactica she barely spoke to half of blue squadron, and avoided any other squadron like they were the enemy. So, if she was melting into his arms, she couldn't be that lost, could she?

"What are you reading?" She didn't answer, just handed him the book which he noted was some classic from the past he had read in school. "Have you eaten?"

She nodded, but remained mute and he tried not to let that discourage him. Apollo called him over to the table before he could ask her any more questions. He took a seat and tried to dig into the meal set before him while the others talked, but his eyes remained on his wife, watching her sit serenely by the fire as if this were a holiday retreat.

"There's enough fuel for a launch, it'll get you at least into high atmo, but not much further. She makes her own fuel once in space, but it's a slow process, and she moves slow until her tanks are at least a quarter full. She was built for long-range flights, not short fast journeys," Peryton explained.

Apollo elaborated, touching Starbuck's arm to get his attention. "We thought that would be the best ship to take since we're unsure of where the Galactica will be at the moment. If the enemy has shown up, she may have had to move on and we have been gone for almost a secton now."

"Seems longer," Starbuck added, "but yeah, she couldn't have gone too far. We should be able to find her given enough fuel and time. It's just getting her there. You really can make a wormhole?"

"It's a simple concept, son, and once in the hole, it's a short trip, but like I said, we never learned how to create a predictable endpoint. None of my volunteers returned. Frustrating as hades as usually I am the first to test my designs, but well, no one would let me so I'm not even sure where it went wrong."

"If your people disappeared and didn't come back, it didn't go wrong," Jake added around a large bite of waffles.

"Don't speak with your mouth full!" Peryton snapped at him. Starbuck wondered at the glare Jake threw the man as it was more mischievous than angry, and the man waited with arms crossed for Jake to finish chewing and swallow. Jake very purposefully set his fork down before speaking again.

"It's not a two-way street. That's not how it works. We open it, you go in, it closes. If you want to come back, you open another one. One-way ticket. So, if they couldn't open another rift, yeah, they're stuck."

"Just like we are," Starbuck complained.

"We're not stuck," Apollo contradicted him. "We can get in the air. We can get the energy needed and Jake says he can make the device, and if he can't, Peryton can."

"And wind up where exactly? That's the problem. She any better?" he directed his question to Jake. "She's not talking to me much."

Jake sighed and looked to his friend before answering. "I'm not sure. Fever's down for now and for a moment there she looked like she was clear headed, but…" he hesitated.

"Go on…" Starbuck encouraged.

"She's got some memory loss. More sleep should help, but I'm not sure how long I can keep the fever down, so we're fighting a two-front war there between what the brain scan did and what the bacteria is doing. But in the past, well, you were there, Starbuck, more than a few times. If you can get the coordinates set and into the rift, she just has to touch the ship. That's it. She just asks them to get her where she needs to be and you can pilot the ship there."

"Them?" Peryton cast a suspicious look around the table. "Who is 'them'?"

They were all silent for a few microns, casting each other doubtful glances. Some days even he didn't believe what he had seen with his own two eyes. A crystal ship, Apollo's death and rebirth, celestial beings in white. And how did one explain John and the missions the man sent them on? Starbuck looked back over to Rene to find she had lain down on the floor and fallen asleep. Her explanations were even more preposterous as she could only say she had dreams that sometimes came true. He was hoping she was having a good one now that might provide the solutions they needed.

He suddenly wanted to abandon this conversation and join her. It would be so much easier if he could just dream himself to where he needed them to be.

Apollo drew him back to the conversation as he tried to summarize their experiences. "We have encountered superior beings that are able to predict our future events, to affect them sometimes. Rene claims they communicate to her in dreams and that is where she learned of this ability. She…"

Apollo hesitated, but Jake continued, almost daring the old man to disbelieve him. "She prays to them and they answer. Works nearly every time."

"Nearly every time?" The old man picked up on the discrepancy.

Starbuck was impressed with the confidence Jake tried to imitate. He hadn't seen the young man even attempt that kind of authority on the Galactica, not even once. It worked here, had him believing that this was going to work.

"Oh, it works. It will take us places. Once in a blue moon it will not be as accurate, takes us not to exactly where we wanted, but when it misdirects us, it usually is better than where we wanted to go. It will get them out of here and if not to the Galactica, then maybe some place better."

"Nothing is better than the Galactica right now," Starbuck corrected him.

"That's your opinion," Jake challenged him.

Starbuck made a mental note to spend a bit more time with the young man once he got back, introduce him to a few more friends and definitely change his career path to one where he had an aptitude. He nodded slowly to Jake. "We both want her to live and we both want the baby raised in safety. Right now, that's the Galactica."

Jake met his eyes, nodded begrudgingly. "You might be able to actually pull that off, Sire Gold Clusters."

"You willing to give me the opportunity?" Starbuck tossed back.

"I think that's up to her." Jake said, casting a nod towards his friend. "But I think even if she is confused, if you can convince her she needs to go where you want her to go, I think she can still get you there. Not sure she's going to agree that's the Galactica, not while half of Dante's lackeys are still there. But she will get you somewhere safe."

Starbuck realized Jake had a good point. If they could create the rift, where would she choose to call home? Where did she feel safe? He realized that might just be the streets of downtown Caprica City. He pulled in a deep breath. He had his work cut out for him. "I can convince her just like I will convince you so that if I can't do it, you can."

"What do I get out of it?" Jake didn't hesitate to fall back on old habits.

Starbuck wanted to slam his fist down on the table to accentuate his point as he glared at the kid. Boomer dove into the rift between the two men. "Your kids for one. Your family for another. Our family." Boomer made a point of looking to all those around the table, being sure to include Max who hadn't taken a seat but was leaning against the wall.

Max said softly to his friend. "Time to come in from the cold, Jake. You fracked it up with her long before Starbuck came along."

Peryton lost his patience with the heavy silence that followed. "I don't care what your differences are, I want you out of my house! I can perform the magic, you pull off the trick and ta da, you are gone! We try in the morning. Now get some sleep. Do the dishes, and keep your hands off my things punk, especially my music!" He cast a glare at Jake, who actually flinched and muttered a "Yes sir," before getting up from the table and heading to the sink.

Starbuck looked in amazement at Peryton. "You sure you don't want to come with us? We could use your skills, your knowledge, and what you just did there."

Max leaned down and whispered to the old man, "He never does the dishes. I mean, never."

The old man chucked lightly as he spoke. "I had a son like him. My wife said we didn't get along because he was just like me. No, I'm staying. You don't need an old blind man. I just use up resources and you already have my best designs."

"There might be a way to heal you and we could use your ideas," Apollo added.

"No. Minds made up. Just clear all those kids out of my hangar before they mess things up, that will be enough." Peryton abruptly got up and headed for his bedroom.

"Thank you," Starbuck called to him, but the man just absently waved him off without turning around.

"Feel better?" Apollo asked and Starbuck found himself nodding.

"Yeah, I do, or I will once I am sitting in the landing bay of the Galactica getting a whole squadron to come back for you. Still not sure how we are going to evade the enemy in these fracked up skies, but if I can't do it, no one can."

"That's more like the Sire Gold Clusters we know and love," Boomer added. "Need some help getting her off the floor? You two need some more sleep."

"I think we'll both be fine right there. Thanks." The three clasped hands for a moment before Apollo motioned with his head towards the fire. He agreed, and got up to take his plate to the sink for Jake to wash. "Thanks," he mumbled, about to turn away when he turned back, squeezed Jake's shoulder. "We get back. And I'll take your dish duties for at least a yahren. I think you've earned that. Just promise me when we put you top of the list, you name our kid Adama."

Jake cast him an evil grin. "You don't get to pick, I do and you'll just have to live with it. It might just be Sire Gold Clusters Junior."

"It's not a challenge, Jake. It's your kid too, try to remember that. I'm blaming any webbed toes and extra appendages on this little shopping trip by the way."

Jake looked ready to respond with a nasty quip, but he softened the smile. "Fair enough. Get some sleep. I'll be here. My turn for the couch."

Starbuck gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze before he headed over to the fire, grabbing another blanket, laying back and pulling Rene to him. She snuggled into him like she always did and he tried to let it calm his fears. "Home, it doesn't matter where we are, this is home," he whispered into her ear as she sighed in her sleep. "But getting us back to the Galactica sure would be nice," he added softly.