<><><><><><><><> To die and be reborn, The Wheel is turning, What must you lose to the night? Fear Fear is lost to the night, Fear is lost to the night, To die and be reborn, The Wheel is turning, What must you lose to the night? (Starhawk) <><><><><><><><> Chapter 5 <><><><><><><><> Yule <><><><><><><><> "Why do we have to have finals after the holidays?" Dietra asked for the thousandth time as she and Athena finished packing for their all too brief school break. "Because you don't get a Yule break when you're a warrior and there's a battle going on," Athena answered pertly. "Thank you Commander's daughter," Dietra shot a glare at her bunkmate. "You don't have to be so accepting, try and pretend you're suffering like the rest of us." "Gee, that would be hard. Come on Dee, I know this really rots but I'm not going to let it ruin the few days Cole and I will have together. I haven't seen him in sectars!" Athena tossed her bag of books next to the door and turned towards her mate. "Sorry, I just really hate this!" Dee said apologetically. "At least you get to go home with the cute guys." "My brother does not count as a cute guy," Athena rolled her eyes. "Thanks Sis. Have a merry Yule Dee,"Zac pushed his sister aside as he strode into the room and placed a flirting kiss on Dietra's cheek. He put his arm around her shoulders and turned to his sister. "Are you finished packing?" Athena asked, ignoring her brother's antics. "Came to ask you that very question. Orion is waiting with our stuff in the lobby," Zac dropped his arm and moved to pick up his sister's bags. "Taking my bags for me? Great, I'll meet you two downstairs in a centon," Athena smiled airily at her brother and waved him off haughtily. "I don't care if you're only a yahren younger you're still a snot-nosed brat," Zac grumbled at her before walking out. Dietra looked on in concern as Athena's whimsical mood fled as fast as her sibling and she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Dietra's own breath caught when she saw the fear and sadness in her friend's blue eyes when they reopened. "You're not worried about finals because you're too busy worrying about seeing Cole," Dietra suddenly realized. "It's been sectars and for the last sectar or so he's been...different. You know that he's missed calling me a few times now and when we have spoken he's been...distant," Athena confirmed Dietra' s suspicion. "So many people have told me that long distance relationships never work. What if he has found someone else? He's mentioned this Anna woman a few times and I just have this bad feeling about all this." "I can't deny that it does seem suspicious, but maybe he has just been busy with his exams," Dietra clasped Athena's hands in her own. "And what if he's just waiting to break up with me in person? I know him, too well," Athena couldn't blink back the tears that were forming in her eyes. "'the," Dietra whispered, not knowing what to say since she had suspected for a while what was going on with her mate's boyfriend. She didn't know whether to be glad that Athena was prepared for what was probably going to happen. "I'm okay, thanks for listening," Athena shook off her dark mood as quickly as it came on. "Don't forget to tell Degan merry Yule for me when he finally shows up. And have a good holiday with your family." "Yeah sure," Dietra's face screwed up in distaste. "I doubt it's that bad since you're actually going and it is you are still welcome to join our little group," Athena reminded her with a grin. "It'll be fine, I promised myself I wouldn't let my mother get to me. Either she accepts that I'm going to be a warrior and not a housewife or she doesn't, but I won't let it ruin what little holiday we do have. And if she does get to me I might just show up on your mother's doorstep," Dietra warned her. <><><><><><><><> "I heard a rumor," Athena commented about ten centons into the trip home. "About what?" Orion looked up from the text he was studying across from the siblings on the monorail. "A certain blonde coming by to visit after Yule to study for a certain law exam," Athena turned and nailed her brother with a knowing look. "It's going to be a hard exam," Zac shrugged and avoided looking his sister in the eyes. "I assume she's not referring to Brie. No, it must be the girl you referred to as 'the most arrogant person you've ever met in your life and you could never be interested in her even if you were paid a million ducats'," Orion mimicked his bunk mate. "Somehow I remember you being rather attracted to her when you first met her." "Frankly, you practically mention her every other sentence," Athena chimed in. "I thought she was hot, until I had to spend more time with her. She's so...arrogant. And she dates all these cadets. And she's so arrogant!" Zac crossed his arms and was practically pouting. "So why is she coming over to study with you back at home?" Athena asked. "Why have she been part of your study group all semester?" Orion fired off after her. "I asked her before I realized how annoying she was," Zac scowled at them. "So you're problem with her is that she's beautiful, intelligent, confident, even arrogant and dates more than one person at a time?" Athena began to chuckle. "What's so funny?" Zac looked at his sister in annoyance. "I think she's laughing because she can only imagine how annoying you find yourself," Orion winked at Athena. "I'm going to get a drink," Zac stood up and stomped away. "Was that really mean?" Athena wiped a couple of stray tears off her cheek. "Nah, he's had that coming for sectars. He definitely didn't tell me she was coming by to study. He's totally crazy about her and won't admit it," Orion shook his head. "I don't really know Rhys, is she as arrogant as he keeps saying? Colin and Taylor seem to like her fine. Even Brie liked her when she and Zac were dating," Athena wondered aloud. "She's self-confident and it comes off as arrogant, but she's not a snob. I think she puts Zac in his place and that drives him crazy, in more ways than one," Orion told her. "Do you think she's interested in him?" Athena asked. "I'm not sure," Orion said. "And neither does Zac and that is driving him nuts. I get the picture. He's used to woman throwing themselves at him," Athena smiled in anticipation. She had respected her brother's feelings all semester and not spoken to him about Rhys after he got mad when Athena had asked him about her early on, but now that she was invited to the family home during break there was no way Athena was going to pretend she didn't notice her brother's uncharacteristic focus on the female civilian student. "Don't torture him too much, I really think he likes this woman, a lot," Orion gave a friendly bit of advice. "I won't, I just wanted to make him squirm a bit for dating two of my new friends," Athena held up two fingers. "And flirting with almost every other one," Orion smiled knowingly. "Yeah. Is that something all guys do?" Athena's mood suddenly took a serious turn. "Flirt? What do you think?" Orion was puzzled. "I don't know what I'm thinking. I mean clearly every man doesn't flirt, at least not with me," Athena looked out at the passing scenery as she tried to better articulate her curiosity. "I don't believe that," Orion said softly, breaking into her train of thought. "Thanks," Athena smiled at him gratefully before turning back to the window. "This is about Cole isn't it?" Orion asked. "I think he's going to break up with me when we get home. I think he's met someone else at school," Athena bit her lip and continued to hid her face. "He said he was busy with his exams, I can't imagine that Cole would lie to you. You've been best friends your entire life and I know how much he loves you," Orion assured her. "We haven't seen each other for four sectars. Maybe things are only good with us when we see each other every day. I'm going to be going into space someday and I'll be away as much as our fathers are. He's never liked that. Maybe he found some nice engineer girl who will stay home with him," Athena's eyes betrayed how much she wanted to believe Orion's reasoning. "Everything will work out for the best, that much I can promise," Orion took her hand and gave it a squeeze. "What about you and Zara?" Athena asked, changing the subject. "We've both been so busy for the past few sectons we've hardly had the chance to talk." "It's basically over. I think she'll try and punish me a bit when I see her," Orion dropped Athena's hand with a grimace. "I have no idea what you ever saw in the woman," Athena said with a sigh of relief. She had been holding back her opinion from him for yahrens. "I've been hearing a lot of that lately. Actually, for yahrens," Orion sighed and shook his head. "I'm not even sure what I saw in her anymore. I definitely don't know why we held onto our relationship for so long. It's not like I didn't know she was dating other men while I was away." "Or you weren't dating other women," Athena pointed out. "Your brother has a big mouth," Orion grumbled. "I'm not blind or stupid Orion. Until this yahren you've treated me like some dumb kid and said things in front of me you probably thought I didn't understand," Athena rolled her eyes and snorted. "Um, well, I'm sure I didn't think that," Orion shifted uncomfortably and cleared his throat. "You just forgot I was around. If you both knew you were dating other people why keep seeing each other?" Athena let him off the hook and turned back to the original conversation. "It was comfortable to have the other still around during breaks and holidays. We both pretended we were just enjoying ourselves before we eventually got married. I can't explain it to myself. You must think I 'm incredibly weak," Orion was disgusted with himself. "Human, I think you're human and well rid of that witch," Athena said with a mixture of understanding and satisfaction. "Can't imagine not knowing you were around now, or that you don't understand what's going on," Orion whistled and looked at her with raised eyebrows. "I tell it like I see it. The way I see it, one way or another this is going to be an eventful Yule," Athena sighed and turned back to her studying. "I second that observation," Orion agreed. Then he watched her for a long moment before turning back to his own studying. A few centons later a still-irked Zac returned to his seat with a cup of water in his hand that he didn't offer to share with either of his traveling companions. Orion and Athena eyes met over their handhelds and they shared a smile for a long moment. <><><><><><><><> "We'll see you in a few," Zac clasped his bunkmate's forearm, all remains of his grumpy mood having long disappeared. "Have a merry Yule." As Zac got himself lost in the crowd Athena secured her bags on her shoulder and looked at her and her brother's friend. "I think I saw Zara in the crowd," Athena warned. "I didn't even tell her when I was arriving," Orion groaned and tried to find her in the crowd. "I'm sure the future investigative journalist has her sources," Athena commented dryly. "She'll find me, in the meantime you have a merry Yule. You know that everything will work out for the best don't you?" Orion placed his hands on her cheeks asked sympathetically. Athena blinked back tears and shrugged her shoulders. "If you need anything, you know where I live," Orion pressed his lips gently against Athena's forehead. "Thanks Rion," Athena stood on her tiptoes and planted a quick kiss of her own on his cheek. "Merry Yule," Athena whispered before disappearing into the crowd after her brother. "So, that's why you broke my heart!" Zara suddenly appeared from behind Orion with a shrill shriek fury. "'She's just a little sister to me,'" she said mockingly. Orion closed his eyes for a moment, a pained expression on his face, before turning to face his former girlfriend and her paranoid delusions. <><><><><><><><> [Adama Residence] "You can stop watching me young lady. I haven't fallen apart since you left for school or fallen into desolate infirmity of the mind," Ila looked up from the batch of cookie dough she was mixing with a smile on her face. "I'm not worried," Athena denied after quickly averting her gaze to her own mixing bowl. "You are, it's sweet, but I'm beginning to feel like you're assessing me for the senior citizen home," Ila returned to her baking chores. "I am not," Athena scowled into her bowl. "When does Cole arrive?" Ila changed the subject. "He was supposed to be here today, but he got delayed somehow and won' t be here until tomorrow early cycle," Athena's scowl deepened. "I'm sure it was unavoidable," Ila reassured her. Athena remained silent as Ila and Cole's mother were good friends, but Athena was certain that the "unavoidable detainment" was _not_ as unavoidable as Cole claimed. In fact, Athena was fairly certain the detainment was Cole's female study partner and not the alleged project they were going to be working on together in the next semester and could have gotten a head start on after the Yule holiday when Athena had to return early to school for final exams. Instead Cole had chosen to take a day they could have spent together. "Lords of Kobol!" her mother's exclamation interrupted Athena's dark thoughts. Without forethought Athena turned to see what had caused her mother's exclamation and found herself staring into a pair of shining hazel eyes. "Apollo!" Athena dropped her mixing spoon and bowl onto the counter with a clatter and took a few steps and allowed herself to swept into her older brother's embrace. "What are you doing here?" Athena mumbled into brother's neck as she found herself being almost brutally squeezed by his strong arms. "Boy, I thought I'd getter better reception than that," Apollo teased as he let his sister go. "I got furlon for Yule and I wanted to surprise you all. I wasn't sure I would get it so I didn't want to get our hopes up." "This is a wonderful surprise," Ila said tearfully as her son swept her up into an embrace. "Father was sorry he couldn't make it," Apollo whispered to his mother as his eyes held onto his sister's in silent communication. "Hey Bro!" Zac sauntered into the cooking room and found the joyful reunion. "Hey Zac," Apollo clasped his brother's forearm before pulling him into a hug. "Is Starbuck with you?" Zac asked a centon later. "No, Starbuck couldn't get furlon. So he won't be here to be a bad influence on you this holiday," Apollo teased his brother, well aware of his younger sibling's hero worship of his wingmate. "Ha ha," Zac took on an expression of of long suffering. Apollo and Athena shared an amused glance at the familiar family banter. Father might not have made it home, but he hadn't for many yahrens of Yule and with Apollo there it began to feel like a real family holiday again.