"Jake, let's just get this straight right now because this is non-negotiable. I can't pull rank, family or privilege to get you and Rene out of the mess you've made. Sometimes you just have to man up and deal with it . . . little brother."

Jake's hopeful expression turned dark and angry. Suddenly, Starbuck knew that the isolation ward was going to be a whole lot more isolated in a very short time.

"I know I'm close to the Commander, but that's only because I'm friends with Apollo. And because I'm a great guy. But it doesn't mean I get extra privileges, in fact, sometimes it's the opposite. I get judged harsher because of the association, and Apollo was never one to use his connections, unless, of course, the ladies entered into it, and face it, Adama wants more grandchildren enough to even consider me as a possible son-in-law. At the academy, Apollo actually denied for a while that his father was THAT Adama."

"Then what's the point of having him as a friend?" Jake mumbled under his breath.

"Because he's there when I need him, and more often than not, he's even there when I'm screwing up and I don't want him there. He's in my face, in my business, in my life . . . because he cares about me. Because we have history. Because he knows that he can count on me through thick and thin, or a strip and moduling, or three or four ambrosias too many, or even when Diabolis comes to call. Just because you use your friends, don't insinuate that I do."

Jake snorted in derision, "And yet you keep reminding us that it's because of the Commander we have those sweet quarters, so you must have some influence. You just don't want to use it this time, is that it? Saving it for something else?"

"No! Dammit Jake, that's not how it works." He tried to reach up to run his hands through his hair in frustration, but his arms were too heavy. He sighed. "Look kid, I know things were really fracked up with your commander, but mine follows the letter of the law. IFB news flash: there's a manual. We all have to follow the same rules and regulations. No one is above it. Believe me, if Adama could change that he would have for me a long time ago." He couldn't help remembering back to when he was accused of having murdered Ortega and the moment when the Chief Opposer had announced he had to go to the brig. The Commander seemed just as shocked as Starbuck, before having to grudgingly admit it was the law and even he could not change the situation.

"The Commander makes the laws," Jake countered. Starbuck could tell by the fire in Jake's eyes, he honestly believed that. That was the real root of the problem as Starbuck saw it. There had been no law on the Zakar and in the world Dante created, he used old Colonial military law, and then twisted it to fit his needs on a case by case basis. The rats still wore the scars of that style of governing, not only a mark here and there from a flogging, but the twisted thinking that they could do what they wanted just as long as they didn't get caught, and once caught, they could use a friend in high places to mitigate the charges. He was wondering how stupid they were. Four sectars and they still hadn't figured out that's not how things worked in Adama's fleet and definitely not on the Galactica.

"If only," Starbuck mused, "I could have opened my own chancery in the OC and been promoted to Colonel, but that's not how it works. Look, I don't think they're going to kick you out of the service if that's what you're worried about, certainly not for what you did in the past. Adama's not judging you on what you had to do to survive Dante, but from the time you joined the fleet? Yeah, you knew the rules and regulations. You should know the consequences. I can't help mitigate that. Man up, brother."

"Can't, or won't? She's in just as much trouble as I am. You're not going to help her?"

Starbuck shook his head as Jake threw out what he probably thought was his trump card. He wasn't sure if he should be concerned or offended that the kid thought he could win this with the game he was playing. "I've been trying to help you guys fly straight. Ever hear of accountability? Responsibility? The only help you seem to want from me is some magical ability to erase all your mistakes. Well, no one did that for me, so why in hades should I do it for you? I've been told its character building, dealing with the aftermath of a major catastrophe. It's your turn to face the Borays head on, little brother, and I'll stand with you, but I can't make them just go away. And don't give me any of your excuses about having to deal with …with whatever isn't going your way because that's not going to cut it anymore. Things could be worse and you know it."

"But you make it better, because you're the Gold Clusters Warrior of the Centaur and pseudo son of the Commander, right? Otherwise we'd be back in corridor corners of the Zakar."

"That's not what I meant!" he shouted, maybe because Jake had a point. He liked to think it was Rene's association with the Commander that got them the Quorum of twelve chamber to use as a commons room, but he knew that if it had been Tigh in charge, or even Apollo, he would not have been granted the quarters he was sharing with Rene. Crius and Lizbet, Nik and Dara may have gotten family quarters, but just the regular old kind and the rest would be in barracks. But that wasn't what he was referring to. That wasn't true, it wasn't because of him that they had the good life by Galactica standards. He took a deep breath and tried to remember the Rats saw things through their muddy sewer water low to the ground viewpoint. "I meant you could be back with your old Commander using Gage to try to get you out of a flogging or fraking Captains to get what you want."

Jake blanched as his jaw tightened. He turned away from him, pulling up a chair close to Rene and flopping down into it dramatically, then folded his arms as he scowled silently.

Starbuck winced. Okay, so it wasn't his most uplifting optimistic lecture he'd ever given, but it had some truth to it, didn't it? Could be why it stung so badly.

"I didn't mean that," Starbuck said quietly.

"Yeah you did. You're just pissed you can't sleep your way to the top, oh wait, you tried that with Athena didn't you?" Jake answered, his harsh tone letting Starbuck know that his armor was back in place, his walls pulled up high.

"Jake!" Starbuck added his own harsh tone. It worked, Jake kept his eyes averted, his arms crossed and his mouth shut. "Frak," he mumbled to himself before trying again. "Look, brother, I'll be there for you and I will do what I can, granted that ain't much, but you guys can't keep breaking the rules like you have. There are rules for a reason. You're putting your lives in danger."

"In a fleet on the run from having our homes destroyed by machines, and my plant vapors are going to be what kills me? I think I can live with that. Don't put yourself out for me, brother." Jake's voice was low and he sneered the last word.

"Jake," Starbuck sighed but the young man wouldn't meet his eyes. "Look, I'm here for you. I'll help you kick whatever habit you have, but you guys have to stop trying to …to con the system."

Jake snorted at that, but still wouldn't meet his gaze. Starbuck understood how hypocritical his words may have been in the past, but he'd changed since meeting Rene. He kept his eyes on Jake for a while, waiting for him to calm down and talk to him, but he held his silent scowl.

"Maybe you should get some sleep," Starbuck suggested.

Jake didn't answer him unless you counted frowning and avoiding eye contact. They sat that way for so long that Starbuck considered telling him to go get someone else he could talk with. Even Nik was chattier than Jake at the moment. He half considered telling Cassie to put him in an isolation pod and put him back on the ward where the action seemed to be happening. Cassie did take some pity on him and helped him sit up so at least he had a view of the happenings as Salik saw to the men from Caprica, but Avery was in his line of sight and seemed to be trying to get his attention.

He decided he should probably just get some sleep himself as he was probably going to need it in the coming sectons. He was sure he'd be the one tasked with helping to keep the Rats clean. He wondered again, where did they hide it all? He'd spent nearly all his waking duty and off duty hours with the Copper Squadron and with Rene. The tox screens couldn't have shown that much, could they? Then again, Rene was good at hiding things, from cutting on herself to requisitioning vipers. Maybe it was time he stopped pretending he was winning this hand and fold? He looked up to her monitor again at the two heartbeats. No, the pot was too high. He'd just have to have someone help bankroll this bet and Adama might be the one to do it. After all, the man had put up with him all these yahrens, even with all the trouble he could get Apollo into.

"What would Adama do?" he mumbled to himself when as if on cue, the Commander came into the main ward, greeting his son who was still in a biobed despite the fact that Apollo had come through their trip to Caprica without any injuries or symptoms of the infection. Starbuck watched the Commander's progress around the room, greeting everyone, obviously wanting to shake their hands, but Doctor Salik had intercepted him handing Adama a pair of gloves. While Starbuck couldn't hear the words, he could guess them from the Doctor's body language that he was insisting that the Commander not take the risk that the bacteria could be passed to him. When Adama reached Avery, Starbuck wished he was out in the main ward so that he could warn his commander about the man and his fanatical tendencies, but Avery seemed to have toned down his gruff personality. From this distance, the leader of the survivors of Caprica actually looked grateful and seemed to be showing the Commander the respect he deserved.

Adama even made the rounds with the doctor checking up on the children before he moved closer to the window between the wards sparing a wave for Starbuck. He waved back, flashing a thumbs-up to his attempt at nonverbal questioning. The Commander had picked up some of the Rat's hand signs, or at least ones related to those used in the field by Colonial Warriors. That was surprising.

Even more surprising was the arm he threw around Nik and Crius. While even through the glass Starbuck could perceive Nik's flinch, it was only momentary and the young man didn't shy away from the contact. Crius actually grinned and whatever he said to the Commander had all three of them laughing. In shock Starbuck looked to Jake, wondering if he had seen the same thing or if the drugs Starbuck was taking was making him hallucinate. Jake had seen it, sitting up in alarm looking as if he wanted to jump to his friend's defense. Something had happened in their absence. Adama had won the Rat's loyalty without Starbuck's help.

"He's not a bad guy," Starbuck said, but Jake didn't bother to look his way, his focus on his friend. "You should know that by now. How long was it before Dante showed his true colors? A secton or two or was it when he first showed up picking and choosing and leaving the rest behind to die?"

Starbuck thought he could hear Jake's neck crack from how fast he turned to him. "You weren't there, you don't get to judge him."

"No, you're right, I wasn't there, but she was," he indicated Rene with a nod of his chin, "and she was there when she finished him." He could have added more, but Dante was a taboo topic with the Rats. He'd stick with the point he could win, that despite their misgivings, Adama was on their side. Maybe Jake would find out for himself since he'd probably be dealing with the commander on the issue of his tox screen. Starbuck was going to pull one favor, he was going to ask that Colonel Gage not be involved in the matter. Rene knew how to work Gage too well for her purposes, and she would do that for Jake.

But what would she do for Starbuck if he asked? He hadn't asked for much except for her to quit the stimulants and stay out of a viper and she hadn't given him that. He looked across Jake over to his wife, jumping at the fact that her eyes were open. He wondered how long she had been awake. How much had she heard?

"Hey pretty lady," his words had Jake going to his friend's side, asking her how she was doing.

Rene was slow to answer, not putting words to her answers, just a nod or a shake of her head as she mumbled an "Ow," and brought a hand up to rub at her chest. Starbuck was relieved when Cassie took over, pushing Jake aside and sending him out to go get the doctor. Starbuck mumbled a low "Thank you," to her and Cassie nodded in understanding before letting him know that she had lowered the sedative and the painkillers so they could get some true readings of how Rene was doing.

"I can give her more in a moment," she answered his worry as Rene just kept repeating the word, "ow". Cassie asked about her pain on a scale of one to ten, but Rene didn't try to form a word, just shaking her head.

"Can't you do something?" he groused, but he saw Rene's features soften, letting him know that Cassie had increased the medications.

"Better?" Rene nodded to the question Cassie asked and shook her head no to the question if anything else hurt. "The doctor will be in to check on you. Don't try to move too much for now."

Rene closed her eyes, but Starbuck didn't want to let her slip away. He hadn't been able to talk to her since he had abruptly walked away from her in the hangar on Caprica.

"Hey there, pretty lady, how are you doing?" He was rewarded with her eyes opening and focusing on him, but they were unreadable. He hoped like hades it was the effect of the medications and not something bigger. "Can you talk to me?"

She didn't speak, just nodded.

"We made it. You're going to be okay."

She didn't respond other than to look at him intently for a moment before her lips tried to form a word, stuttering, "K..k..kids? Zzzz…" she shook her head and seemed to give up on the word.

"They're all okay, even Zion. We didn't lose anyone. We are the ones in the worst shape."

She just nodded as her lips tried to form words, finally wrapping them around a phrase, a soft, "my fault."

"No sweetheart, no it's not. Well unless you're talking about saving all those people from slow death by radium, or Cylon torture. Then yeah, it's your fault you saved them."

She shook her head, her eyes becoming clearer, "There were mo…more k..k..kids. And on the rrrr...the c..camp…the guy…Wy…wy…my fault. They got you and…my f..fault." she shivered hard before she flinched and closed her eyes.

"Hey, no, don't do that!" He didn't mean to shout as she turned away from him and Cassie reached out a hand to calm him down. He swallowed hard and tried again, "Rene, look at me. Come on, sweetheart."

She turned slowly back, but her eyes were dark and distant. "Look Beautiful, you can't do that. Yeah, we lost some okay, not every mission goes perfect. But we got a lot out that didn't have a chance without us. That's the truth. We can't save them all, but we can save some. You saved me and Zion and the other kids. They are out there being treated and they are fine. You can ask the doctor yourself when he gets in here. You did a good job."

Her eyes remained unreadable and he wished he could get out of the bed and go to her. Then again, why couldn't he? His legs weren't broken. He started to move but Cassie kept her hand on him.

"Don't even think about it, Starbuck, not until the doctor says you can get out of this bed."

"Why, what are you worried I'm going to do, become infected? Besides, I'm fine."

"I will be the judge of that!" Salik said having come into the ward, fully clad in the contagion gear, Jake following in his steps. "You, stay in that bed, that's an order. There's a reason why the beds are built for one not two." The doctor focused on Rene and was less gruff with her than Starbuck had seen him with others, letting him know that she may have been in worse shape than he was told.

"Good to see you awake. You're doing a good job of beating the infection considering you were more affected than the others, but I'm told that's because you exposed yourself more while saving Lieutenant Boomer. As for the other issues, your heart was vulnerable to the infection due to your past history, which we will discuss later. The baby appears to be fine, but I am going to be monitoring you and your pregnancy closely. It will take a while for you to be free of the infection, but I think by the time the ward clears out a little you'll not be contagious. You'll be here for a while, both of you. Plan on a secton and we'll go from there."

"A secton?!" Starbuck couldn't help complaining. "But…"

Salik cut him off, "You can have visitors once I clear out my facilities of our other guests, but I can make this your home for longer if I so choose, or since you are fine according to your assessment, would you rather be released sooner and Rene remain behind?"

Starbuck closed his mouth tight.

"That's what I thought," The doctor turned towards Starbuck reading his vitals before fixing him with a glare. "So, you will cooperate and try to be less of a pain in my astrum than you have been in the past? And you," he turned back to Rene, but softened his tone, "You promised to follow my directives where your health and this child was concerned. I don't think flying vipers through wormholes to irradiated planets counts in our agreement, but despite your attempts at ignoring what is good for you, I intend to keep my part of the bargain. That means rest and confined to the Life Center, understood?"

Rene nodded, but Salik frowned at the reply. "I think the first order is that you begin responding verbally and I want to run a neurological test on you tomorrow. For now, answer a few questions for me. Your name and rank?"

She looked to Jake before attempting to answer, "R...rrr..Rene, Lieutenant."

"And we are where exactly?"

Rene stuttered out the answers to his questions, hesitating before replying, but she seemed coherent and knew the right answers, that is until Starbuck caught Jake's hands moving out of Salik's sight, subtle and slight signs. Starbuck wanted to bark at him to stop helping her because they couldn't fix the problem if they didn't know how bad it was, but then Salik asked her to say his name, and then Starbuck's. Despite Jake's help, she hesitated and stumbled over both, like the words were stuck in her mouth, and he tried to be reassured that she could at least read the signs Jake was tossing her.

"So, recall isn't the problem. Alright, we'll worry about pronunciation later as I don't want you wearing yourself out with conversation anyways. Rest. I'll be in to check on you later. Lt. Jake, you're with me."

Jake started to protest, but Salik just grabbed his arm and ushered him from the room, leaving Starbuck alone with Rene as Cassie reminded him they both needed rest and she turned to a workstation.

He heard loud and clear the long sigh Rene gave.

"It's going to be okay, pretty lady. You can call me whatever you want if my name's too hard, I just like to hear your voice."

She turned towards him, a soft smile on her lips, "Sorry. I didn't want to and…the…cylons…I t. to war…warn you but…"

"I know," he cut her off wanting to lament again that had she just gone back with the first shuttle, left them all there, or better yet not gone to Caprica at all she wouldn't have suffered a Cylon interrogation, but it was too late for that. Plus, he had to own some fault in this too. Once he saw it was kids, he couldn't say no to rescuing them, despite the danger. Yeah, things had gone wrong, but they were here, she was talking, and in a secton, they'd be out of here. He wanted to focus on that instead of the image that flashed in his mind of her strapped down to a table screaming his name.

He pushed the sound out of his head as he looked to her, wishing he could reach out a hand. He dredged up one of his smiles, put all his confidence into it. "We saved the kids and you don't need to worry anymore. I'm just glad to be here with you now, okay? We just focus on now, alright. Call me what you want, but whenever you call me I'll be there, whenever you want me, I'll be there, I'll be around."

She chuckled at his overly exaggerated line from a popular song from his childhood on Caprica. It earned him a smile before her eyes slid away from his.

"I love you," he said and she looked back to him, her eyes crinkled as if confused by the words. The look faded into a frown of worry as she raised her hand and with unsteady fingers formed a sign he had seen her make before to Jake, but he didn't know what it meant, index finger up, middle and ring down, little finger up, thumb extended in an L. She seemed even more confused when he shook his head at her sign. "Rene?" She mumbled something as she shook her head and closed her eyes. "It's okay, pretty lady. Just get some rest. I'll be here."

She fell back asleep quickly and he watched her for a bit, nothing else to really do. He had just woken up and wasn't ready to go back to sleep. He watched the activity in the ward noting that Salik wasn't letting anyone be released just yet. He could see that Jake was being talked into a bio bed by Crius. Nik caught his eye and flashed a sign asking if he was okay. He debated calling him in, but it was really Crius he wanted to talk to, but when Nik directed his gaze to Starbuck, Crius tapped his watch indicating it might be late. He wondered briefly what day it was, or for that matter, what time of day. He finally called over to Cassie for an answer.

She came over shifting Jake's seat. She turned her back to the ward and pulled down her mask and lifted up the goggles flashing him a sly smile.

"So we really aren't contagious are we?"

"Well, yes, but not airborne at this point. I wasn't planning on kissing you so I think we're safe. The mask gets hot. We are on the eighth day of the secton, and yes, it's late. Salik and I will be turning over to Paye and Giselle in a centaur or two and you should think about getting some sleep." He nodded to her, noticing that many of the pilots were being ushered out of the Life Center, Crius waving a hand at him before flashing that he'd be back in about six centaurs. Starbuck waved goodbye and focused back on Cassie who seemed to be studying him. "Chameleon has been back in to see you. I suggested he give it a few days. He is staying here on the Galactica for now."

He didn't know what to say to that, not trusting himself to speak on the matter, plus all he really had to say was that he was sorry, which he wasn't sure he really was. He started to open his mouth, but Cassie spoke first, "It's not your fault."

The words were tied up with meaning, too many topics tangled together. He pulled at one of the threads to unravel it. "Some of it might be. I expected too much from a father I think. Chameleon couldn't handle the pressure." He shrugged wondering if he could handle the pressure of it, thankful that he was at least getting in some practice playing dad with Rene and Jake's kids.

Cassie shook her head, "Maybe, but that's not your fault, and that's not what I'm talking about."

He nodded, plucking at another thread, "You and me? All my fault." He tossed it out flippantly. The smile she gave him was warm, letting him know she caught the joke. "I should have told you sooner my intentions, or waited I guess. My timing was all wrong. Too anxious to call the cards."

"Maybe," she offered again, but her smile turned wistful before she spoke again, "But that's in the past now that you're sealed. Never actually thought you would do it but, you just have to prove us all wrong don't you? No, I'm talking about Rene and…" Cassie took in a deep breath before forging forward, "and what she's been up to since coming to the Galactica. She's not your responsibility."

"The hades she's not. I brought her here. I…I sealed with her and…"

Cassie shook her head as she held up a hand to halt his words. "Starbuck, she found us and she's a consenting adult. She makes her own choices and they are not your fault. I have seen this before, in my career as a socialator. She has an addiction. She's had it for a while. If anything, from what I can tell, she has cut down quite a bit from what she has consumed in her past. I'm suspecting that's your influence, but until she admits to having a problem and starts taking steps to deal with it, it's in the cockpit doing the navigating."

He winced at her analogy. It was way too close to what he had wondered about the voices Rene heard and her involvement with Count Iblis. She claimed she had to go to Caprica to silence the voices. She had said that it was something or someone that showed her everyone else's dreams. Someone had told her to go to Caprica and wouldn't let up until she did. She wasn't in control of all this, but wouldn't say who was. Starbuck wondered if now that he was sealed with her, could he make Doctor Dixon tell him what they discussed? Maybe Cassie would know those legalities. "She's going to her therapy appointments. I thought it was helping, but she won't tell me what goes on there and Dixon says he can't. Or won't. Maybe now he should."

Cassie avoided his question. "Like I said, she has cut down, and we may not have caught it if it weren't for the infection and how it affected her heart. She hid it from everyone, except Jake."

"Yeah, I'm going to do something about that," he looked to Rene's sleeping face remembering back to Jake curling up with her on Caprica. It was time those two were separated for a while. It would be best for everyone, even the two of them even though they would never admit it. Maybe he could pull another favor from a Colonel he knew and get Jake transferred, not for forever, but maybe for a sectar or two.

Cassie seemed to read his thoughts. "It's not his fault either. I believe him when he says that Rene is the one who finds him what he's been consuming. That's my point, Starbuck, this isn't his fault, or yours. She makes her own choices."

"Does she?" he wondered aloud remembering back to the many nights she woke up screaming, or when he would find her drawing with glazed eyes mumbling incoherently. He flashed to just before they left Caprica, her yelling for a stylus and dropping to the ground, yelling at someone to look down as she drew a planet on the floor, the system with nine planetoids, circling again and again the third one from the sun.

Cassie interrupted his reverie, "It's late. You should get some sleep. You'll feel better tomorrow."

"Yeah," he mumbled feeling very weary. He looked out on the ward, noticing that the lights had lowered and everyone had settled down, everyone except Avery who was still staring at him. It wasn't a threatening look exactly, but it wasn't friendly either. He stared the man down for a few moments before he realized how stupid it was. Avery could go frak himself now that they were on the Galactica. Cassie lowered his bed, and he gazed at Rene instead, wishing he could take her in his arms. It would make him feel better.

Sleep must have ambushed him at some point. In his dreams, he couldn't move, strapped down to the cold table. He wanted to scream, but knew if he did, Rene would hear him and he didn't want that. He wanted her to believe that he was going to get them out of this, but he wasn't sure how much more he could take. "Don't move," the mechanical calm of the IL was surreal compared to the background noise of Rene screaming his name.

He woke suddenly, disoriented, panting in a cold sweat, but he didn't scream. He blinked in the bright lights of the ward, trying to take a deep breath. "You're okay," a low voice intoned, calm yet very human. "On the Galactica, in one piece, deep breaths."

"Yeah, I'm okay," he rasped in answer as he realized it was Nik speaking to him.

"Of course you are," Nik said. "She's been telling me about how you saved the day, haven't you?"

"Hey, handsome." The words and the smile on her face helped to chase away the last remnants of his dream. They were on the Galactica and more or less in one piece.

"Hey, beautiful. What time is it?" he asked Nik noting that the young man wasn't wearing the medical contagion garb. He wondered how long he had slept as he was able to get a hand up in an attempt to run it through his hair and get it out of his eyes. It was clumsy and his fingers didn't move much, but he could feel the grease strands of his hair. It was progress. "What have I missed? We aren't contagious?"

"Oh not much. It's still early and breakfast is on its way. Doc has some tests he wants to run on you two, and I was just keeping her company until you joined the party. She's telling me the virtues of punk rock, and I'm reminding her that metal is better." Nik had an old periodical on his lap, pre destruction, written for the music scene.

Rene's smile was the best medicine and he tried to give one back before he looked out on the ward, noticing that many of the men were dressed and appeared ready to leave. Avery's eyes found his and he sighed as the man gave him a wave. Starbuck hoped it was to say, "Goodbye, hope to never see you again."

Nik caught the exchange, quirking an eyebrow. "Rene says you two are not friends."

"Nope. Hope to never see him again."

Rene chuckled, "You b..better tell him."

"Tell me what?" Starbuck asked suspiciously.

Nik grinned maliciously. "They are going to be our new neighbors. His wife Gia asked specifically to be billeted near us for a while. Something about helping out with her kids and our kids."

"Oh Frak!" Rene chuckled again as he shook his head. While he liked the sound of her laughter, he didn't appreciate it was at his expense.

"I've met the guy," Nik said, "He's not half bad."

"Yeah, just wait until you meet the other half," he quipped. "I don't think you Rats are a good judge of character,"

Nik jibed right back, "Of course not, we hang out with you. Want to tell me what you did to piss Jake off? I thought you guys were finally getting along?"

"It's more what I won't do than what I did. You'll find out soon enough yourself," Starbuck answered cryptically.

"Well the way I heard it from Apollo, Jake saved your astrum from a Cylon brain scan. You probably don't know how much that took for him to willingly walk back into an enemy base. He does more screaming at night than the rest of us, but you don't share quarters with him, so you probably don't know that."

Starbuck met Nik's eyes, understanding the man knew exactly what was going on. He was about to open his mouth and ask, when Nik continued. "He's not been missing curfew. He's been sleeping at my place. As to the rest," Nik shrugged, "Gotta do what ya gotta do."

"No," Starbuck answered, "No, ya gotta get some help."

Nik let him know which side he was going to be on in this problem when he said, "We thought we had when we found you. You took on Pallus. You can't take this on, brother?" He emphasized the word with a challenging grin.

"Maybe after breakfast." He shook his head, not sure if he could manage all of the problems that came with the rats and Avery as his neighbor. "One problem at a time."

Nik chuckled and Rene managed to stammer out a question asking what was going on. Nik waved it off and went back to reading his article out loud.