BSG: Goodnight, Basestar

[grey_sw]

Title: Goodnight, Basestar
Author: grey_sw
Pairing(s)/Character: Gaius Baltar/Five (Doral)/Head Six
Summary: On New Caprica, Gaius wanted to punish himself. On the Basestar, he wanted to explore. Lucky for him, Aaron Doral was always happy to help... and so was Head Six.
Rating & Warnings: MA / NC-17, spanking
Author's Notes: Written for millari in the Summer 2010 bsgficexchange. Thanks to millari for the fantastic prompts, and to blue_crow for beta-reading!


---

Gaius looked out the window, frowning at the rows of worn, mud-splattered tents that stretched away from Colonial One. A woman was walking out there, making her way between one row and another. She had her hands folded over her chest; Gaius could just make out a dark loaf of bread there, nestled against her heavy coat. She glanced over at Colonial One where it stood, brooding like a lone cenotaph at the center of the clearing, and then quickly looked away again. She spat.

Gaius winced. These people were prisoners, under occupation. He couldn't blame them for hating the Cylons, or even for hating those who worked for them. But couldn't they understand that he was a prisoner, too?

"They don't know any better," said a voice from behind him. "They don't understand that you are here for a reason -- that you are here to save them. You are the Chosen One, Gaius. God has chosen you, among all of them."

"Funny how I don't feel chosen," he hissed. He turned around and glared at his tormentor, who raised one perfect eyebrow in amusement. It was eerie, really, how much she looked like what's-her-name. Positively eerie.

"Caprica. They call her 'Caprica' now. You know that, Gaius," she said, as though she could read his mind. Gaius wasn't surprised -- as far as he could tell, she was in his mind.

He turned away just the same, uncomfortable at the mention of his inadvertent crime.

"I don't want to do this anymore," he griped. "I don't want to be the President. I don't want to sign the papers. I don't want to-- to betray anyone, not again. When will this end?" He rubbed a hand over his face and then glanced out the window again, but the woman with the bread was long gone.

When he turned back to the Six in the red dress, she, too, was gone.

Gaius sighed. He walked back to the desk and threw himself down into the chair, thumping his heels against the floor. The little burst of impotent violence made him feel better. It was his own form of rebellion, specially formulated to offer no threat to anyone, not least the Cylons.

No one will ever know, he thought, frowning to himself. They will never know how very much their President suffered for them.

Penance done, Gaius yanked open the bottom desk drawer and fished around in it, pushing his papers aside. He came up with a bottle of blue pills and a fifth of whiskey -- more like a fifth of a fifth, really. He placed the bottles on the desk, almost reverently, and then opened the former with shaking hands.

He counted out three of the pills, spilling them out onto the desk. They were round, and blue like a robin's egg. He had never taken them before the Cylons had come. Not once.

He knocked all three back with a long swig from the bottle. He squeezed his eyes shut, gasping at the way the whiskey burned -- Aerilon Red would never have been his first choice, why couldn't the Cylons bring him something decent? -- and kept them closed until his thoughts slipped out of focus.

---

Gaius woke to a persistent ache in the back of his neck. He sat up halfway, and it turned into a stabbing pain, as if one of his vertebrae had shifted. He rubbed at it, hissing.

"Hasn't anybody told you not to sleep at your desk? It's bad for you."

Gaius looked up, still half-bent over the desk, and glared at the Five in the doorway. He was wearing the usual leisure suit, this one in sea-foam green, paired with a bilious yellow tie. The pills made the latter seem to swim a little, rippling and bubbling. It was almost as if it was boiling from exposure to the air, like a sample of cerium. Or was that just the pattern? Gaius wasn't sure.

"What do you want?" Gaius finally asked. There was no answer. Of course not. Gaius already knew what the Five wanted, and the thought of it made him shift in his chair, making room for the sudden pressure in his trousers.

The Fives never ordered, like the Threes or the Ones sometimes did, and they never asked, like a Two or an Eight. They just showed up now and again, casually, as if they just happened to be passing by. With an erection. Gaius was never quite brave enough to turn the Cylons away, and he could never feel properly ashamed of it, either. He was alone, after all. His people had left him here. Perhaps this was his punishment.

If so, he could think of worse.

This Five was the same as all the others. He folded his arms and lounged against the doorway, watching Gaius with a smug, satisfied expression.

Gaius shivered. He liked it better this way; if he squinted just right, it was almost like a pick-up back on Caprica. He could almost see the kind of bar they'd be in: all mirrors and smooth, dark wood, quiet and exclusive (but with no dress code, of course. Or a color-blind bouncer.) He'd have a glass of ambrosia, and the Five -- Aaron -- would have a few shots of that whiskey Gaius hated so much, and then Gaius would take him back to the penthouse, and...

"It's a shame the bed on Colonial One isn't up to that standard," his Six said, breaking him out of his reverie.

"The bed is fine," Gaius muttered, distracted.

"My thoughts exactly," the Five said.

The Five followed him closely on the way back to the bedroom, lurking just over his shoulder. Gaius could hear him back there: his footsteps, his breathing. The intimidating nearness of him made the hairs on the back of Gaius' neck stand up. It was menacing and exciting all at once.

As he passed through the doorway, the Five reached out and gave him a calculated shove, not too hard and not too soft, right in the center of his back. Gaius stumbled, caught himself, and then fell again, catching his foot on the rug in the center of the room. He flopped down onto the bed, harder than he'd meant to, and lay there for a moment, half on and half off. The room spun merrily.

Behind him, he could hear the Cylon's belt slide through his belt loops.

Gaius wriggled. His trousers had shrunk again, becoming another size too small. It felt good, so good. He wanted to beg, but he wasn't sure what for: punishment or absolution, dignity or degradation? He didn't know what he wanted, couldn't decide what he deserved.

Then Five ran the belt between Gaius' legs, gently, sliding it up to nestle against the crook of his crotch, and then slowly back down again. Then the belt was gone, and Gaius ached for it. Instead, Five began to slap it against his palm, in a slow, even rhythm.

Gaius' cock throbbed along with it.

"Please," Gaius gasped. "Please, I..."

"Say it," Five said, no patience in his voice. "Tell me what you want, human."

Gaius groaned. He'd always felt that this part was stupid. Here he was, lying on the Presidential bed with his Presidential ass hanging off: wasn't what he wanted frakking obvious?

"Say it!" the Five snarled. He brought the belt down in a whistling arc. Gaius screwed his eyes shut just as it snapped across his ass, sending a glorious thrill of pain up his spine. He wriggled again, desperately, feeling it all the way down to his toes.

"You'd better tell him what he wants to hear, Gaius," his Six purred from the corner. "The Fives can be so... volatile, can't they?"

"Say it! Say it!" The belt came down again, and again.

Gods, it was delicious.

He must've said that out loud, because the belt crashed down even harder. "No! There is only one God! One God, one Plan!"

"God, yes, I meant God, oh God don't frakking stop..."

"That's better," Five sighed. "You have to say it. It's no fun if you don't." He swished the belt at Gaius again, gently this time. It barely whispered against the seat of his trousers, setting his nerve endings on fire. He rocked against the bed, desperate now; his cock was trapped and ready to burst, red hot against the cool silk of his boxers.

Gaius Baltar deserved this. What's more, he loved this -- being punished, being cleansed. He'd killed twenty billion people. Twenty billion. Even for a scientist, for a man who worked with numbers, it was a staggering figure. He couldn't face it straight-on, couldn't ever look at it except out of the corner of his eye, but now, as the Five -- Aaron -- yanked his pants down around his ankles, it filled his vision at last.

Twenty billion. Each a life, each a lash.

Aaron hit him again, careful as always, leaving a searing welt across his ass. It stung so good that Gaius jerked forward, whimpering, tears stinging his eyes. His cock rubbed against the sheets, against the plane of his belly, weeping with pleasure and regret.

"Mmm, Gaius," Six purred. "You're so perfect when you're like this. So beautiful. But you never scream for Aaron, do you? He wants you to, you know." He could hear the smile on her lips -- he could see it, just the way she'd smiled as the worlds ended.

"I should have tried this with you," she said. "I would have made you scream."

I wouldn't have wanted it then, Gaius tried to think, to say, but then Doral hit him again, just right just right, and he was coming. He trembled against the edge of the bed, gasping, shooting all over the sheets.

Just as well. It would have been a lie, anyway.

Aaron moved to cover him, gentle as a whisper. He was still clothed; that ridiculous tie slid against Gaius' back as Aaron moved to rub his dick between Gaius' stinging cheeks.

Gaius wanted him to do it. He wanted him to make it hard, to make it hurt. He trembled and begged, gasped out loud: "Frak me! Oh God, please, hard, frakking break me you frakking machine--"

Aaron didn't. He never did. Despite Gaius' wishes, his unspoken need to be flagellated and whipped, this part was always tender. Aaron mounted him slowly, grunting, and the soft puffs of his breath sent the tie whispering over Gaius' hip. The penetration felt good, full and deep, and the slap of Aaron's thighs against his bruised ass lent it just the right dash of pain.

Aaron moved like that for a while, rocking Gaius against the bed. Then he leaned forward, pushing himself up onto his toes. He locked his arms beneath Gaius' armpits and leaned up, slowly, pulling Gaius along with Cylon strength. For a long moment, there was nothing beneath Gaius but Aaron. The angle of his thrusts became exquisite.

Gaius let his eyes drift shut. He held back his breath, heightening the pressure within him, letting it wash over him. He was getting hard again, his dick filling with every stroke. The feel of it bobbing in the air was almost more than he could take.

Six stood. He couldn't see her, but he could hear her, the soft whisper of a red dress that only he could perceive. It nearly drove him mad. Before he knew it, she was touching him, running her hand down his sweat-soaked shirt, toying with the buttons on her way down. She knelt, delicately, as if in prayer.

Then she was sucking him off, with all the wisdom of an old lover, and for a moment it did drive him mad.

Gaius writhed, Aaron swore, and then the two of them were tangled together on the bed, gasping for breath. Gaius wasn't even sure how they'd gotten down there.

Six was gone.

"Well," Gaius said, after his chest stopped heaving. "That was nice, thank you."

"Hm," Aaron snorted, as if Gaius had amused him. He said nothing more. Gaius rolled over to look at him, marveling at his composure. Despite his effort, the Cylon's hair was barely mussed.

"You, uh, don't happen to have any more of those pills with you, do you?" Gaius finally asked.

Aaron stood up, tucked himself back into his pants, and walked out.

---

Three weeks later, the Galactica came back. It picked up all the heroes, all the collaborators, and the woman with the black loaf of bread, and left Gaius Baltar behind with the Cylons.

---

The Basestar was different. It was red, for one thing, almost uniformly so; red light played against every surface, washing over him even as he slept. Gaius' dreams were crimson. It was warm aboard the Basestar, too. Gaius rarely wore anything, partly because it was such a nice change not to, and partly because he had nothing to wear.

And also because D'Anna and Caprica were very, very impatient.

That was a change, too. The other Cylons didn't touch him, now: the Twos and Eights didn't ask, the Ones and Threes didn't order, and the Fives didn't drop by now and again, much less with a Four in tow. That was somehow worse. The Cylons shared everything; even he knew that. But they no longer shared him.

Gaius Baltar belonged to Caprica, and to D'Anna.

He'd been there a couple of weeks when his curiosity finally overwhelmed him. He slipped out of bed in the night, watching with trepidation as D'Anna stirred in his wake. Gaius froze as her fingers twitched, seeking the warm spot where he'd so recently been. Then she rolled over and snuggled against Caprica, still fast asleep.

Gaius let his breath out slowly, suddenly aware that he'd been holding it. He cast about for the bathrobe they'd given him, but he couldn't find it. The bed was the only thing in the room, so he tried to peek under it, but the white duvet made it hard to see anything. If it's under the bed, it's as good as lost. They're sure to wake up if I disturb it, he told himself.

The top sheet had slipped off the bed, and lay puddled on the floor. Gaius wrapped himself in that instead, knotting it at his waist. He caught a glimpse of his reflection as he slipped out the doorway, and smiled at what he saw. He looked like he was going to a very expensive toga party.

He stood for a moment in the doorway, looking this way and that. The walls were identical in both directions: metal the color of dried blood, studded with mysterious lights. One of them slid back and forth along the length of the wall, glowing red like the eye of a Centurion. It suddenly occurred to Gaius that it might be an eye, the Eye of the Basestar, and he shivered as its light swept over him.

No alarm sounded. He glanced over his shoulder, to where Caprica and D'Anna were nestled together, and then padded down the hall to the left.

The Basestar was empty, or so it seemed to him. There were no personnel here, no storage crates or hatches, no shouts of "officer on deck" or "make a hole". And there were no doors -- each room was open to the hallway. He passed two of them, much like his: one room had another bed in it, neatly made, and the other had a long steel table. That one reminded Gaius of an examination room. He didn't like the look of it.

As he approached the next room, Gaius heard voices from within. He snuck up to the doorway and peeked inside. Two of the Ones were standing over one of those strange water-tables the Cylons had. Their heads were close together, and they were speaking quietly, as if sharing secrets. Gaius shuddered, and very nearly turned back. He doubted that most of the models would harm him, but if one of the Ones caught him, or a Three...

It didn't bear thinking about.

Just then, both of the Cavils sank their hands into the water, gazing down at the table as if transfixed by what they saw. Gaius slipped past quickly. There was another room on the other side. Above the trickling of the water, he could hear no one within, so he decided to chance it before the Cavils turned around.

He stepped out into the hallway, glanced into the open room, and barely suppressed a gasp. An Eight was looking right at him. Her eyes were unnaturally wide, and her rigid posture spoke of anger. Gaius froze, expecting her to shout, but she did not. As the seconds stretched between them, Gaius slowly realized that she wasn't looking at him at all. She was looking through him, as if staring at something only she could see.

He whirled, half expecting to see his Six looming behind him. But there was nothing there: only the wall, and its rhythmic, flowing light. Gaius moved on, walking faster now.

"This was stupid, Gaius, stupid," he muttered to himself. "Where were you expecting to go, anyway?" He shook his head. He hadn't wanted to go anywhere; he had only wanted to see, to find out what the Basestar was like. Now he knew, but he was afraid to go back past the Cavils. He dashed further up the hall, chattering to himself.

"For frak's sake, find someone friendly and turn yourself in. At least that'll be safe, maybe. If they find you skulking around out here they'll--"

A dry, polite cough sounded from behind him. Gaius jumped and whirled around, only to find that he'd walked slap-bang past another room. There was a Five inside, standing in front of another water-table; he had a look of amusement on his face.

"Are you lost?" he asked.

"Yes! Yes, I mean, no, I'm supposed to be in my room but I--"

"Snuck out," the Five said. "I noticed."

Gaius wrapped his arms over his chest. He was wise enough to understand that this couldn't be his Five -- and that there had probably been more than one, anyway -- but somehow, he was equally sure that this one knew.

"You won't-- you won't turn me in, will you?" Gaius asked. He glanced both ways, shivered, and then walked inside before someone else could see him.

"Of course not." The Five turned away, skimming his fingers through the water.

Without quite meaning to, Gaius found himself standing next to him. He looked down at the table, where strange red glyphs seemed to be floating on the surface of the water. He watched as hundreds of them swam by, only to be drawn under by the waterfall at the end of the table.

"They're almost like words. Can you read them?" he asked.

"Not exactly. Put your hand in."

Gaius hesitated, just for a second. The Five looked up at him, deliberately swirling his fingers through the water. Finally, Gaius steeled himself, and slipped his hand inside. The glyphs flowed over it, slipping between his fingers when he moved them.

"What do you feel?" the Five asked.

"It's cold," Gaius said. He curled his hand, and watched as a school of glyphs scudded over it. "Cold, and a little slimy..."

He trailed off. The Five was looking at him with pity in his eyes, the way Gaius might have looked at someone who admitted that they couldn't see or hear.

"So it's true," he said. "Humans can't feel it."

"Feel what?"

"Never mind."

There was a long moment of silence. Then the Five asked, "Would you like to go back to your room?"

"Er..." Gaius started.

"Or would you like to go back to my room?"

Gaius blinked. The Five was already undoing his suit jacket, pushing mother-of-pearl-capped buttons through the heavy red fabric. He gave Gaius a pointed, hungry look.

"Well," Gaius said, after a moment's hesitation. "Why not?"

---

The Five's room was much the same as Gaius': it had a soft, four-poster bed right in the middle of it, and nothing else. Gaius leaned against the doorway, watching as the Five slipped his jacket off, just as a Five had once watched him.

"You're not going to get in trouble for this, are you?" Gaius asked. Then a horrifying thought: "Am I?"

"No," Five said. "Caprica and D'Anna won't mind sharing."

"Then why--" Gaius began.

"Things change. New Caprica taught us that," Five said. Gaius winced.

The Five folded his jacket over the headboard, and began to work on his silk shirt. He had on a thin red tie, which Gaius actually liked; he watched it with greedy eyes as it landed next to the jacket. Now and again the Fives had something he coveted among their seemingly random ensembles.

"Some things you share, and some you don't," Five said. For a moment, Gaius thought he was talking about the tie. "That's another thing we learned on New Caprica. Since you came on board, we haven't been sure which kind of thing you are."

As he spoke, he worked his belt off, tugging it through each loop. Gaius watched it as it went. When it came free, though, the Five merely draped it beside his jacket. He stepped out of his shoes, bent to pull off his pants and socks, and then stood there, naked before Gaius' gaze.

The Five had a narrow, angular look with his clothes off, right down to his long, slim dick. It stuck up at a jaunty angle, as if it was giving Gaius a Praetorian cavalry salute. Goes with the toga, Gaius thought, and failed to suppress a smirk.

The Five's eyes narrowed. "What's so funny?"

"I, uh, feel a bit under-dressed, that's all." Gaius gestured to the sheet, which was still tied at his waist. The Five rolled his eyes, stepped forward, and yanked on the top of the knot until it gave. The thrill of nakedness and the slide of the sheet as it fell away made Gaius shiver.

"Much better," the Five said. "Now get in bed."

Gaius obeyed, making sure to give the Cylon a nice view of his ass as he did so. He wiggled it a little, just because he could, and the Five -- Aaron, this was Aaron -- tackled him. Gaius gave a sharp gasp as they tumbled across the width of the bed. He kicked out without fully meaning to, catching Aaron in the shin. In return, the Cylon reared back and gave Gaius' shoulder a shove. It wasn't much of one, though; between the gentle blow and the grin on Aaron's face, Gaius realized that he was only play-wrestling. He shoved back hard with both hands and then dropped down onto the bed. Then he crossed his arms over his chest, pouting fiercely.

"You scared me, you rotter!" Gaius decided to pretend as if that hadn't come out with a bit of an Aerilon accent.

Aaron smirked, looming over him. "Good. I like that." Even as he spoke, he reached down to stroke Gaius' arms, his actions belying his words. His touch whispered along Gaius' elbow, sliding up and around to the sensitive skin inside his wrist. Gaius could feel his pulse there, beating fast against the Cylon's insistent fingers.

"Uh..." Gaius began.

"Shh," a voice whispered. "You should lie back and enjoy this, Gaius. This isn't like the other times. Aaron wants to make love to you."

Gaius froze. Those honeyed words slid under his skin, even as Aaron's hands worked their way beneath his arms, toying with his chest. He glanced toward the side of the bed, and hissed in lust and surprise: Six was there, utterly naked, leaning back on the floor with her knees spread wide. Her hand was moving in tiny, tantalizing circles between her thighs.

Aaron tweaked Gaius' nipple, just as Six tweaked her clit, and Gaius' cock filled so fast it nearly hurt. "Ah! Oh God, oh frak, I--"

"Shut up," Aaron growled, yanking Gaius' arms to the side. Then he slid down so that his cock pressed warm and wet against Gaius' own. His fingers curled, driving gently between Gaius' fingers until he held him trapped there, stretched out on the bed like a criminal crucified.

Aaron grunted as he began to move, shoving his dick against Gaius with slow, deliberate strength. The friction was wonderful, as were the soft, eager cries Six was making. Gaius didn't have to look at her in order to see her; he knew what he'd see, knew she was already riding her own fingers. God, he wished it could be him beneath her. It'd be just like it had been on the lounge on the deck, beneath the Caprican sun. She'd tease him until he was ready to burst, and then she'd make him beg for it, beg for her...

Then Aaron reached down to press their cocks together, squeezing gently, and Gaius lost his train of thought. He thrust helplessly up into Aaron's grip, whimpering, biting his lip to make himself last. Aaron's balls were hot and tight against his, and off to the side he could still hear Six, bringing herself off at the sight of them. Gaius grabbed Aaron's ass, yanked him down, and humped eagerly against him, squeezing hard.

He came, sputtering, trembling against Aaron's thighs as Six moaned out the name of God beside him. His orgasm seemed to stretch on forever; he barely noticed when Aaron pulled away, rolling over onto his back.

"You weren't supposed to finish yet," the Cylon grumped. The tip of his cock wept a dollop of thick fluid onto his belly, as though in agreement.

Gaius turned over onto his side. "Frak yourself," he ground out. "Do it. I want to watch."

Aaron chuckled. "You sound just like my brother," he said.

Gaius didn't have to ask which brother.

"Oh, Gaius," Six breathed, as Aaron began to stroke himself. "What a brilliant idea."

"A brilliant idea from a brilliant man," he told her. Aaron didn't notice. His eyes drifted shut, and then one hand came up to swirl moisture over the tip of his cock. He ground himself against his palm, and then squeezed his glans as though trying to milk it further.

Gaius wondered what the Cylon was seeing, what images might lay behind his eyelids. Then Six stood, and he was seeing her crotch, moist with juices, just beyond Aaron's shoulder.

"You haven't forgotten me, have you?" she asked, her voice breathy with pleasure.

Gaius hadn't. He lunged for her, stretching over Aaron's body to yank her hard against his mouth. She tasted just the way he remembered, musky and rich; he growled into her flesh, swiping his tongue over her labia, wanting to taste every drop of her. Then he wrapped his lips around her swollen clit and began to suckle eagerly.

She swore. Aaron swore, too; Gaius could feel the heat of Aaron's hand moving against his thigh. He slid down a little, eliciting a groan from both Cylons, and thrust his tongue inside his lover, tasting her once more. She was his again, at last, and he never wanted to stop. He would do anything, anything, even smash the worlds again, so long as she never left him.

Aaron's hand moved faster, jerking spasmodically. Gaius smirked, ran his tongue between Six's folds, and latched on to her clit again, scraping his teeth oh-so-gently against it. She came, howling with lust, clutching his head to her hips as though she wanted to bury it inside her.

Then she was gone, and Aaron's cock was spurting over Gaius' hip.

"Mmm," Aaron muttered, when he could breathe evenly again. "That was good." He stretched, languidly, and then glanced around the room, frowning a little.

"What is it?" Gaius asked.

"Nothing, I suppose." His brows beetled. "For a minute, I thought there was someone else here. I could have sworn I heard..."

My sister. Gaius heard the unspoken words, and shivered.

Aaron shook his head, crawled up to the headboard, and then fished a lighter and a pack of Sarcomas from his coat pocket. Gaius watched, surprised, as he folded his legs beneath him and lit one up.

"You want a smoke?" he offered, holding the pack out.

"Frak yes," Gaius said. He crawled beside Aaron and sat down. Aaron lit a second cigarette upon his own. Then, in a surprisingly intimate gesture, he tucked it between Gaius' lips.

"I didn't know Cylons smoked," Gaius said, after he'd taken a few drags.

"Depends on the model. The Threes do. The Cavils smoke cigars sometimes, too." He smiled. "They don't like the rest of us to catch them at it."

Gaius leaned against the headboard, stretching his legs. Aaron's words didn't surprise him. He'd always thought of the Cylons as people -- not humans, of course, but people just the same. He drew in another lungful of smoke, gazing up at the ceiling.

Maybe that had been his problem from the beginning... but he just couldn't bring himself to regret it.

Aaron shifted, staring down at the pack of Sarcomas. He had a quizzical look on his face.

"Fives don't smoke," he said quietly. "But I started on New Caprica, and now I can't seem to give it up."

Gaius shivered.

"You were there. Were you... were you the one who screamed at me, when I wouldn't sign the paper? Were you the one who was going to kill me?"

The Five raised his eyebrow. "Does it matter?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," Gaius said at last.

"Then 'I'm not sure' is the best answer."

Gaius breathed out through his nose, watching as the smoke swirled toward the ceiling. Maybe that was the answer. Maybe it didn't matter which Five this was. He had known about Gaius and the other Fives; he'd known about New Caprica, too. Maybe they all knew -- perhaps they read each other in the glyphs in the water, the way he'd read the Caprican Sun-Times every morning. Maybe they were the same inside, all of them the very same one.

Except this one smoked.

"Come on," Aaron said softly. He stubbed out his cigarette against the headboard. "We'd better get you back to your room."

Aaron dressed fast. It seemed to Gaius that he was transforming, turning back into an anonymous Five right before his eyes. Neither of them spoke, and when Five turned to go, Gaius followed obediently. He didn't even bother to wrap himself in his sheet.

When he got back to the room, Caprica and D'Anna were still asleep, curled in each other's arms. He slipped beside them without a sound, watching as the Five retreated.

I'll see him every day, and never again, Gaius thought. How strange that is.

Beside him, D'Anna whimpered. She was dreaming again. She clutched at the bedclothes, and her eyes fluttered beneath their lids. Her mouth moved, as if in warning, but Gaius could not make out the words.

Caprica had expressed concern about this. It wasn't supposed to happen, she'd said. Nightmares were supposed to be outside the program. But it was happening, and no one knew what to do about it. Like Aaron's cigarettes.

"The Cylons are changing," Gaius muttered. "They're changing."

He was sure this was important, but his tired mind refused to grasp its significance. Instead, he curled against his lovers, Three and Six and Six, reveling in the warmth of the full bed.

"Goodnight, Gaius," his Six whispered. On the other side of him, Caprica stirred in her sleep, as if roused by a voice that both was and was not hers.

"Goodnight, Basestar," Gaius said.