The sense of lost time was oppressive as he struggled to come fully awake. He didn't fight too hard to get his eyes open as this was more peaceful than the last time. The lights weren't as bright this time, and he'd had no dreams. Loud music wasn't assaulting his ears, just the whoosh of air from the ventilation system, and a mumble of voices far away. He opened his eyes to find that blessedly he was no longer in the life pod, but the sight of a Med Tech in full contamination gear didn't completely chase away his dread. He did feel a thousand times better than last time he woke, but obviously not well enough to be around other people yet. However, after the shock of finding out that Chameleon really was his father, he wasn't sure he wanted to be around people right now.

He closed his eyes and tried to remind himself that this would all work out. It was a good thing wasn't it, to have a father, one he could call his own? Maybe a few sectons ago he would have been thrilled to have been given the news, but now…it wasn't bad news…but it wasn't exactly the happy announcement he thought it should be. Was it that too much time had passed from when he first met Chameleon, or was it the shock of having been lied to for almost three yahrens? No, that wasn't it. He kind of understood why Cassie and the old conman might have chosen to keep the news from him. They were right, he would have done things differently, chosen a different path had he known. He would have wanted to be part of something more important than sitting on his astrum on long range patrols for a voyage that was pointless. He might have followed through on his threat to resign from the service in order to help his father reunite orphans. . . keeping in mind that that was just a lie, Chameleon's identity of the centar.

But that altruistic path still called to him didn't it? He had felt for a while that something was missing from his life, some purpose and he had searched for it. If he was honest with himself, he'd been trying to fill a void within him since he was a kid with the drinking, gambling and smoking. The Academy helped to fill it, gave him a purpose, but even as he found success as a pilot, he knew there was something still missing. He learned to ignore it after the destruction because he wasn't the only one then who was missing something or someone. They had all lost their homes and family. And yet, he'd not given up striving for a purpose and something to fill up that emptiness he couldn't quite identify. He wanted to laugh at the irony of how things had turned out. He'd done all that searching, and it had found him instead. He hadn't expected a family to just land in his lap, but that's what happened just a few sectons ago. He wasn't ungrateful to find he had a father now, just maybe he had shown up a little late. After all, Starbuck was going to be a father, and in that process, he'd found out how close he was to the family he had made even before Rene had shown up in his life.

Things were out of control with her and yet, Apollo, Adama, Boomer, Jolly, Giles, heck even Cassie and Athena had followed him along trying to build something out of the chaos of his life. He knew he could count on them, and it would be with their help he'd try to put this all together, a father he'd never had before and a child on the way he hadn't planned for. It was all a little overwhelming, but lords he hoped he'd be overwhelmed some more.

He tried not to think too hard about it all. The future came one day at a time, that's what he tried to remind Rene and the Rats. "Just focus on one problem at a time, and we'll get them all solved," he often told them each day after dinner. No, things weren't ideal, but they could be fixed. Yeah it had been a really messed up way to find out he had a dad, to go through Cylon torture and nearly die, but it could all be fixed couldn't it? Okay, maybe not all of it, but one problem at a time. He had the enemy technology out of his body, that was something, and Rene was alive and, on the mend, according to Cassie. Even if she was disoriented and asking for her brother, his wife had spoken full sentences when she woke, and that was progress. Rene had dissolved into silent tears just a few moments later. Cassie had tried to explain that it was the anesthesia and probably the sedative they had her on. Jake had spoken to him that it wasn't uncommon after the brain scan for memories to be jumbled. He just kept reminding Starbuck that she was talking and that was important.

Starbuck had wanted to talk to the Doctor about the damage a brain scan could do, how permanent might it be, but Salik had been busy with the children from Caprica and Paye said they had other concerns right now, like treating the infection that was making it hard to breath and repairing the nerves damaged in his spine.

"One problem at a time, Lieutenant," Paye had answered him briefly before he moved on to another patient. Extremely good advice and Starbuck should have thought of it himself. Oh wait . . .

Well at least one problem had been solved. He wasn't in the damn pod anymore. He cracked open an eye again and found the light wasn't quite as bright as before and his head wasn't pounding as hard. Both improvements. He looked around to see an even better improvement. Rene was also out of her pod and seemed to be sleeping peacefully. Maybe he could talk to her when she woke up.

His face itched, the patchy beard still growing, and he forgot for a moment that his arms weren't useful. He went to go scratch at the itch but ended up slapping himself in the face with a dead hand.

"Oh, for Sagan's sake," he grumbled at a problem that hadn't been solved. He heard laughter. "Nik?" The tech turned towards him and he saw it was Jake. "Don't you ever sleep?"

The young warrior gave a short snort of a laugh reaching out a gloved hand to move Starbuck's arm into a better position. "I got ya. Where's the itch?"

Starbuck wanted to grumble that while he was glad he and Jake had gotten a little closer on their rescue mission, this was getting a little too close, but damn his face itched. "Jaw, right side. Now I remember why I never grew a beard."

"You mean other than the fact you can't? Yours is more pathetic than mine." Jake stripped off his glove, not bothering with the contagion protocol. "Better?"

"Yeah," he sighed and wondered if he should ask Jake to get the crust out of his eyes as well. He'd ask about that later, his heart reminding him he had other concerns for the moment. He looked to Rene then up to her monitor, seeing the two bouncing lines, one a bit faster than the other, the two heartbeats competing. "She's really okay?"

"So far. They repaired her heart. The infection had affected it, but the baby's fine we think, I mean other than any damage from the radion. Doesn't appear the infection got to it."

"But we're still not clear of it?" He jumped a little as Cassie came from out of his view, still in full contagion medical garb.

"Not yet, but that's not why you're here," Cassie answered him, handing Jake a new glove. "It was becoming a little loud in the Center. We're treating the men you brought with you and Jake was pretty insistent we get you out of the room. Something about their leader and you having words on Caprica? Apollo said something about you rubbing him the wrong way," she teased. "You must have been ill if you couldn't charm him."

"I'm not the one who hit him, just for the record." He shared a look with Jake. "How's Peryton? They fixing him up?"

"I think they're waiting until the honeymoon suite is cleared out, but he's good. Bojay wants in to talk with you and Rene." Jake shrugged. "So you two are still contagious."

Starbuck wanted to sigh, but he held it back. Their team building mission hadn't quite scrubbed away Jake's dislike of all Colonial Warriors. "He's not a bad guy."

"So, I'm told. She said the same about you." He gestured to Rene with his chin and a ghost of a grin, "and look where it's got us."

"I'm not the one who was going shopping on our home world. Out of curiosity, where did you guys hide it all?" Starbuck groused, part of him wanting to know, but another part not wanting to be implicated in any charges the two might face.

"Hide what?" Jake deadpanned, but the grin was more evident, that is until it fled away completely. "Actually, we have a bit of a problem."

"You mean worse than almost dying in the hands of the enemy?"

Jake cracked another smile. Starbuck wanted to like it, to think he had something to do with this change in the young man, but it was so far from the kid he'd been dealing with before it did not seem to be Jake.

"Can you leave us alone?" Jake cast a sly seductive grin that left Starbuck wondering who Jake was talking to, him or Cassie. But the scowl that Cassie threw Jake was a familiar one, her "nice try bucko," frown. He was about to ask what was going on, but the sharp tone in Cassie's voice made him hold his tongue.

"I don't think that's a good idea."

Jake's façade cracked at the words, his lips curling in a snarl. "I'm not stupid. I wouldn't steal from the Life Center. I am smart enough that I can make my own." The change in Jake was instantaneous, from charming to a snarling daggit.

His surly tone didn't upset her, in fact, it brought a sympathetic smile as she said softly, "That is why you won't be left alone for a while, but I will give you the time to inform Starbuck of what is going on because the warrior I know would not condone your habits. He needs the truth."

"You mean like the truth about my father?" Starbuck couldn't help himself as he tossed the words out like a solenite charge hoping to provide some defensive cover for Jake. He regretted it as Cassie's face fell, her professional demeanor dissolving away.

"Starbuck," she said softly, "I assumed he would tell you, eventually. I thought I was helping the situation, giving you both time to …"

He cut her off, anger overriding the guilt that he felt lately every time he spoke with her. "To what? To continue feeling alone and disconnected? To going back to being strangers, or was it to keep me to yourself? Naw, that can't be it, because you didn't really want me. You made that clear." The words scored a direct hit and he felt the remorse in him rise up like a blast wave. He had done so little right with her, but he figured he might as well keep doing it all wrong as he'd already lost this battle a while ago and claimed a different victory of sorts.

Cassie sighed and turned to Jake, "Can you leave us alone. I think we need to talk."

For some unknown reason, Starbuck wanted to cheer when Jake just crossed his arms and said, "I don't think that's a good idea."

Even through the mask and goggles, Starbuck could see Cassie blink hard, a sure sign she was about to be very angry. Maybe it was her professionalism that helped to keep her temper contained, or maybe it was the united front of both he and Jake? Whatever it was, he was glad for it. It dawned on him as he tried unsuccessfully to cross his own arms that he was in a bit of a helpless situation here on a biobed. Cassie could make his time in the life center more miserable than necessary.

"I see. Alright, you first." She faced Jake. "I don't appreciate being used for access to medical knowledge or for drugs to be used recreationally. I agreed to the dates because I genuinely liked you and then because I thought you had a talent for the medical field, but I have no interest in feeding your addictions."

Jake waited for her to pause before he spoke quietly, "I did not use you. I never took any drugs from the Life Center. In fact, I am just distribution and sales. Rene handles supply. I can manage my addictions. My record is clean."

"Your tox screen isn't," Cassie shot back, "and I suspect if we go back to before the destruction, we may find some dirt. I wanted to think it was your previous Boray of a Commander that got you two hooked, but now, I'm not so sure."

Jake nodded as if acknowledging her words might have some truth to them, then countered, "A little of both, but not sure any of that matters now. I hear you had an interesting time before the destruction too. Maybe we had a few friends in common? So here we both are, trying to be a bit better than we were before. It doesn't happen overnight though, does it? We're both just trying to gain some respect and make the best out of this felgercarb we've been shoved into. So yeah, I look for what escapes I can find, but you already know that. I manage on my own," he cocked his head over to Rene, "with some help from my friends. So no, I don't need to use you."

Starbuck waited in anticipation to hear Cassie's reply, as Jake's words sounded like a firm conclusion to the matter, and he wouldn't have to worry about any more awkward situations with Jake showing up to events with Cassiopeia as his date. But her face softened as she uttered a soft, "Thank you for clearing that up. I enjoy being your friend."

"Me too," Jake answered and Starbuck realized that whatever was going on between the two, it wasn't done yet. He'd face a few more complicated gatherings of his friends. Cassie reached out a hand to touch Jake's crossed arms, and the young man relaxed, then Cassie turned to face him.

"You were talking about quitting the Colonial Service, your lifelong dream and an illustrious career. Admit it, you would have too. So, Chameleon and I thought it was for the best, but…" she held up a hand to cut off his denial, "he was supposed to tell you. That was our deal. I assumed he had when you and Chameleon began spending more time together a few yahrens ago. But then I checked your record when you came out of surgery and your spot for kin had only one name, Rene's."

Jake interjected, "He didn't put down the kids? Not even Leia?"

"No, just his wife."

Jake shook his head, "So you don't get it, do you? Rene changed her list. We all did."

Starbuck ignored Cassie, unsure what to say to her as the deception still stung, not quite as much as before, but he knew he should probably be placing the blame and his anger on Chameleon. He focused on Jake instead, "You're still top of the list though."

"Well yeah, they're mine. But you're second. You didn't know that?"

He shook his head. It hadn't really come up as he hadn't paid much attention to Rene's forms when they were in the Commander's office the morning after the sealing, just his own. The kids weren't his, but then he was reminded of a something he hadn't really thought about before. Boxey wasn't Apollo's, not really, and yet Apollo had never mentioned that fact, not even once since he had sealed with Serina. By Colonial law, as a spouse now, Starbuck was second after Jake regardless of what arrangements may have been worked out otherwise. But the list the Rats spoke of wasn't exactly approved Colonial legal code. It was a fluid arrangement as many of the kids were adopted refugees or sired by someone other than who claimed them as their blood. Dante had laid claim to all of them first and foremost, but it was debatable how many were his or not. Starbuck had assumed the list was more of a way to deny Dante's involvement in the Rat's families, or worst case scenario, make sure there was someone to take care of the children when a warrior died. The family had already seen to those arrangements, and while Leia was sort of considered as his daughter, she was taken care of more often by others in the family.

Jake looked almost as mad as Cassie when he spoke, "Starbuck, we all changed our lists. You can have Cassie check if you want. I have you down as my brother."

"But…" Starbuck let the words sink in, "All of you?"

"You fraking Colonials. Where do you think we got the idea? You talk all the time about how we're now part of the Colonial Service and the brotherhood of Warriors. So yeah, even before you sealed with Rene, we changed our records. I'm kind of hurt you didn't."

Starbuck struggled for what to say when all their attention was drawn by a knock on the glass separating the isolation ward from the main ward. It was Bojay, grinning from ear to ear, his arm around his father Peryton as he shouted, "Thank you!" Starbuck gave him a thumbs up, which Bojay mirrored before he turned away to lead Peryton from the Life Center.

"He's your brother too then," Starbuck added noting the look on Jake's face, a cross between annoyed and pleased.

"Well, all families have their struggles I suppose," Cassie said as she reached out to touch Jake again. "I will give you time to explain to Starbuck, but I can't leave you alone. Doctor's orders."

Jake sighed not meeting her eyes, instead taking a step towards Starbuck's biobed. "We have a problem."

Starbuck wanted to laugh. They had more than a few problems, but they had made it back from Caprica alive. They could handle anything. He wanted to say as much, but he'd learned it was important to listen when the Rats talked about trouble as they usually just shrugged and followed their code of denial and deception. "And you need my help?"

"Yeah, we do, or your wife does. They ran a tox screen on Rene, and then me, went pretty far back, a couple of yahrens, and…"

Starbuck winced. Rene hadn't told him everything, but he could take a good guess from what she was using here on the Galactica right under the noses of a command that didn't approve and a doctor that was monitoring her regularly. Dante had not only ignored Colonial regulations about drug abuse, he down right encouraged the use of the stimulants and pain killers. Starbuck had tried not to wonder too hard as to why since Rene used phrases such as, "he thought it improved performance," and, "Injuries didn't excuse you from duties."

Jake didn't finish his sentence, just shrugged and this time it meant far too much. Starbuck thought back to that second day on Caprica, Rene puking her guts up and proclaiming she was detoxing in the middle of a rescue mission gone wrong.

"That's it? You aren't even going to tell me how bad it was, even though I'm your brother?"

Jake's eyes blazed through the barrier of the medical safety glasses. "Wow, used that against me pretty quickly there, all of a milicenton. I'm impressed."

"And you're still not answering the question, little brother. How bad?"

"Before you came along?" Jake sighed and it turned into a shudder. "She was spending some time with Dante so, yeah, there's that, and then before that, Agenor and…well then you came along. She's cut out the worst of it."

He tried to focus on the words that Jake didn't say as they often held more meaning than the ones he did. "So, the worst of it would mean what? I know about the stimulants, just not how much. She told me five a day, but I know she only tells me half of the truth."

Jake met his gaze, but it was hard to read through all the medical garb. Starbuck wished he could get a hand up to slap him. He'd prefer it if Jake would just tell him, but he knew he could always ask Cassie and she would tell him. In fact, that might be the better solution, he decided as Cassie would never lie about something regarding the health of his wife and unborn child. But that would take him back to square one with Jake and the rats. If they were his brothers, it was time to start acting like it.

"I can't help if you don't tell me. How bad, Jake? Not enough to create a problem with your duties, but you disappear a lot on us and miss curfew most nights. I know this isn't all you wanted, but I can't give you back the colonies."

"I don't want the colonies back." Jake's words held venom. "Things were bad then too. I just want…" he trailed off again into silence and Starbuck was afraid to ask what Jake wanted, too worried it was what the Colonial Warrior already had. He decided he should stick to the problem at hand.

"How bad? Tell me, little brother."

Jake took in a deep breath before letting it out. His voice was low as he rattled off a litany of drugs, "Plant vapors mostly, mood enhancers and alcohol of course, but the Colonial service encourages that, then stimulants, pain killers, opioids, some hallucinogens. Probably easier to say what we didn't use back at the colonies."

"So, what didn't you use then?" he wasn't going to let Jake off that easy, "It's better to know the whole truth, then we can deal with it better, don't you think?"

"Downers, barbiturates. We avoid those. Life already sucks, don't need to go lower. The point is to make things feel better."

Starbuck shook his head wondering why the rats couldn't seem to grasp that their methods of trying to make things better often made things worse. "And what lately? And how much?"

"We're watched pretty closely. Guess it will be closer now and, man, we do like a challenge." Jake chuckled.

"This isn't funny. You've got kids to think about, not to mention anyone you're flying with. You'd put your family in danger like that? All of that mong slows your reflexes and you're not that great a pilot that you can take a mistimed move and suck a salvo down with an ambrosia on the side." Starbuck barked and the evil grin fled from Jake's face. "Can you cut me a break and just give me a straight answer since I just went through Cylon interrogation? I don't really feel like having to interrogate you."

Jake dropped his guard and Starbuck wanted to cheer, that is until he took in the actual words he was saying, "Like I said, plant vapors, stimulants, opioids, alcohol, pain killers, hallucinogens. Sometimes combinations."

He wanted to curse, but that could wait. "And Rene?"

"She's better than me, but like I said, plant vapors, stimulants, opioids, alcohol, pain killers, hallucinogens."

Starbuck let the string of curses flow through his head. It was all he could do it seemed as he couldn't do anything to stop Rene and Jake. Sagan knew he had tried.

"So, we have a problem," Jake continued, "because now the Doctor knows and he told the Commander."

"And what do you want me to do about it? I've tried to get her to stop and for the sake of the baby and for you…" It hit him like a slap in the face. The problem wasn't the drugs, it was having been caught. "You want me to make this go away."

He looked up into Jake's expectant gaze as he nodded slowly. "You and the Commander are close. You can pull a favor, can't you? Just tell us what we have to do to get on his good side and we'll do it."

Starbuck winced at his request. Did he actually think that they could perform a service or two and this would all be okay? What kind of services had they performed in the past that mitigated the troubles they brought on themselves? Had he offered up Rene to Dante?

His imagination threatened to run wild and he couldn't look at the kid, disgusted with what Jake and his own thoughts were suggesting. Starbuck shook his head and sighed. He expected them to be on report for the black market goods they'd been stashing, but this was another matter, compounded on their covert mission. Added to recovery from this illness and whatever the enemy had done to them. They had a long road in front of them. They'd all be on report for a while, his promotion held up at the least and now, drug therapy sessions probably.

"Do you think it works like that?" It was a rhetorical question obviously as Jake still gazed at him hopefully, that like a good big brother, he could take care of this. Starbuck couldn't take that look, and instead he looked out on the main ward of the Life Station to where Crius was there talking to Boomer and Bojay was shaking Apollo's hand. Nik and Alex were there talking to Max. He scanned the rest of the ward, saw Avery and Wylie being treated, plus a few other men he couldn't name. The kids were also there in the various biobeds. He could pick out Zion and the other two boys he'd fled into the night dragging across the hillsides of Caprica. Rene had saved lives, that was true, but at what cost?

Gage was there as well, his gaze focused on Starbuck and the isolation ward, a stark reminded that Jake and Rene had used other officers in the past. Now they were hoping to use him. but what Starbuck saw were all the lives Jake and Rene had endangered. He shook his head again and looked back to Jake.

"It doesn't work that way. You're one of us now. Lord knows I could use an escape now and then. I consume far too much ambrosia at times, and there might be a plant vapor or two I won't admit to publicly, but I know I'm breaking the rules. I make sure I am the only one I put in danger when I do. Yeah, I know I say you have to know the rules in order to break them, but there are consequences. The rules apply to you just like they do to me. There's a reason for them. You are going to have to work your own deals, Jake. And do me a favor, don't take me down with you little brother."