The Universe's Mixer

"I can't stand the waiting," Gaius said, fidgeting on the park bench.

Six leaned up against him, her one arm draped around his neck, fingers curling around his longish strands of hair.

"I mean ... what if I'm not elected? What am I supposed to do? What else is there for me? I have no purpose here otherwise. I don't know what to do. I'm glad I'm not on New Caprica. I'm frakkin' smitten not to be on the Galactica or the Cylon baseship. But if I don't find a place for myself here? Then what frakkin' good am I?"

His foot was twitching. He could feel the jittery anxiety travel up from his toes until it reached the tip of his spine and sent a shiver throughout his entire body.

Six just smiled. She was unmoved by his frustration.

"Everything will work out as it is supposed to," she said.

"What does that mean?! I'm sick and tired of your cryptic quotations!"

"You have a path, Gaius. Don't worry. Everything will work out according to God's plan."

Gaius rolled his eyes.

"I'm sick of you and your God and his hypocritical plan."

I wish I could just be a scientist again. Why can't I just be Dr. Baltar again? Why must everything I do relate to some circular rotation of the universe? He was grumbling to himself. In his head. Not so unlike a crazy person. And did Six notice? Well, if she did, she said nothing to indicate that she did. (She did that to protect Gaius from himself.)

She pressed a kiss on his cheek.

"Let's just enjoy the day, Gaius. It's futile worrying about tomorrow. It's not here yet. And you can't change it anyway."

He looked at her with an expression both sad and pathetic.

"All of this has happened before and all of this will happen again?"

Six only smiled. But her silence was more of an answer than words.

The Duke took Six away from Jesse and the man, Gaius, who she had decided to spend her time with. He didn't mind the guy, but he seemed awfully possessive of the girl, and being that this was the first time that John had ever met another so-called invisible friend, he wanted some time away from the ranting and madness to get to know her.

He took her to the botanical gardens, where she could get to see that not every portion of this place was filled with strippers - which he did not approve of, by the way - that it could have some beauty. And where they could also talk alone. Not that it really mattered to them. The people that could see them were off in a bar, having some kind of weird moment together.

"Now, little lady, why don'tcha tell me some about yerself?" He said, motioning toward a bench.

Being in a city again was like a dream. No, not exactly like a dream. It was more like a surreal virtual reality. Gaius almost didn't believe it was real. In fact, the jury was still out on whether or not he had finally snapped and lost his mind completely. Actually, were it not for his blonde companion's presence, he would have deemed himself completely certifiable. Of course, there were some who might find his attachment to an invisible woman a mark of madness in and of itself, but Gaius had come to see her as an entirely real entity. He didn't know who she was or what she was or why it was that she felt the need to show herself to him and only him -- but she was real. And even if she wasn't really real, she was real to him. And, in a strange sort of way that made no sense under the Gods or under God, she kept him grounded. Not that he still wasn't off the deep end, because he was, but he could have been much worse.

But many people would say that it was impossible for Gaius Baltar to be much worse. Within the short period of a year he'd gone from scientific savior to the fleet's most hated politician. And now? Now he was a Cylon lover. Which, to most humans, was even worse than being a crooked politician.

But he was only doing what she told him to. And why? Because she had been right in the past. Because she had saved his life on numerous occasions. Because she said that God had a plan for him, and he believed her.

"I see you've found something to entertain yourself with while I've been gone," Six whispered from behind his ear.

Gaius quickly turned about, staring at her with wide, worried, desperate eyes.

"Where have you been?"
( God doesn't pity the weak, Gaius. )