Cadet Boomer looked up from his books and turned to his classmate and current study buddy, Cadet Apollo. "Hey, Apollo, where's Starbuck tonight?" Cadet Starbuck almost always joined Boomer and Apollo for their study sessions, when he wasn't pulling extra duty as punishment for some infraction of the rules. "I think Starbuck is in love," replied Apollo. He wasn't certain why that observation caused an odd tightness in his chest. Surely he wasn't jealous of his roommate's romantic conquests! "In love? Well, that would explain why he's been acting so strange lately. Who's the lucky girl?" Starbuck had been going around in a dreamy state for the last couple of sectons and seemed to be alternately at the heights of ecstasy and the depths of despair. Some of the older cadets had smiled knowingly and declared it to be a typical case of 'first love.' "I don't know," Apollo answered. "He's being awfully secretive about it. He spends plenty of time with the female cadets, but I haven't seen him paying extra attention to any of them. He seems to spread his charms equally." "How do you know it's a female he's in love with?" Boomer asked. Apollo started in surprise. Starbuck in love with another boy? Surely not! But if it were true ... if it were true it wouldn't make any difference because even if he was, the boy wasn't Apollo. "I've only ever seen him with girls, Boom-Boom. I don't think Starbuck is interested in guys." Just then their blond friend bounded into the room. "Hey guys, sorry I'm late, had to clean up the faculty dining room." Boomer laughed, Apollo groaned. "What did you do now, Starbuck?" his bunkmate asked. Starbuck put on a pained look. "Who says I did anything?" Boomer laughed harder. Apollo sighed. He seemed to be the only cadet who actually cared about discipline. "You wouldn't be cleaning the faculty dining room unless you got caught doing something you weren't supposed to do." "Apollo, I'm hurt," Starbuck said in a tragic voice. "How could you think so badly of me?" "I know you, Bucko," Apollo replied. "I've seen you planning most of the practical jokes you've played on our instructors." Starbuck leaned back in his chair and put a hand to his forehead in a dramatic gesture meant to indicate pain and suffering. "Don't you love me anymore, Apollo?" Apollo nearly jumped out of his own chair. What did Starbuck mean by that? He decided to play along. "Of course I love you, Starbuck, but love doesn't help either of us pass our exams." He tossed a book at his friend. "Studying does." Starbuck jumped up and caught the book. He smiled. "Glad to know you still love me. I was getting worried for a centon." Then he opened the book and the three cadets resumed their studies. A Few Yahrens Later Lieutenant Boomer and Captain Apollo sat in the Officers' Club, toasting Apollo's recent engagement. Apollo looked around with a frown. "Where's Starbuck?" Boomer grinned. "I think Bucko's in love." "Who is it this secton? Athena just broke up with him - is it Cassiopia?" The Lieutenant looked thoughtful. "I don't know. I thought it was Cassie at first, but he doesn't look all that serious about her. When he's with her it seems kind of casual, you know?" "Then what makes you say he's in love?" "Remember in the Academy when he was being all secretive about who he was seeing? He's acting like that again. Got that dreamy, preoccupied air about him. Doesn't talk to anyone. Spends a lot of time writing in his personal log." Apollo frowned again. Until his recent engagement, he'd spent most of his free time with Starbuck. He could have sworn his friend wasn't seeing anyone, so this must be a recent development. He knew Starbuck was jealous of his relationship with Serena - sharing his best friend with a woman was something he seemed to have trouble getting used to. Maybe it was because Apollo had never been serious about anyone before. He'd carried a torch for Starbuck on and off since their Academy days, but had never said anything about it. Now that he had Serena, he could finally put his feelings for his wingman to rest once and for all. "Unfortunately, I don't think it's going well," Boomer added. "Why?" asked Apollo. "The last secton or so he's been kind of down in the dumps. I think the lady must have given him the cold shoulder." Just then the subject of their conversation approached. "Hey, you two, you start the party without me?" "Sit down, Bucko. We were just talking about you," Apollo told him. "About me? Since when am I such an interesting subject?" "We were wondering who your secret lover is," Boomer put in. A look of pain flitted briefly across Starbuck's face before he deliberately schooled his features into a more neutral expression. "I don't have any secret lovers," he answered. "Come on, you were interested in someone - what happened?" Boomer persisted. "They weren't interested in me. In fact, they found someone else recently." Apollo noticed the lack of a specific pronoun, but chose to ignore it. No use putting Starbuck on the spot - he'd just clam up. "I'm sorry, buddy," he said. "I know how it feels." "You do?" Starbuck asked in surprise. Apollo nodded, regretting his words. "There was a time when I loved someone ... someone who didn't love me. But now I have Serena, so things worked out after all." "Who was it, Bucko?" Boomer asked in curiosity. Starbuck shook his head. "The name doesn't matter. They're happy, so I guess I'll just have to live with it." Again Apollo noticed the neutral pronoun. Had it been a man that Starbuck had been in love with? He told himself that it didn't matter. He was going to marry Serena, so Starbuck's love life didn't matter to him. Well, it did matter - Starbuck was his best friend, and Apollo hated to see him in pain. Another Yahren Later Cassiopia approached Apollo and Boomer in the lounge at the Rising Star. "Hey, where's the third member of your merry band?" she asked. "If you mean Starbuck, he's late, as usual," Apollo told her. Cassie slipped into a chair beside the two men. "Actually, I'm glad he's not here - I wanted to talk to you two. Have either of you noticed Starbuck acting differently lately?" "Differently how?" asked Boomer. "Well, ever since Count Iblis was here, he's been watching Apollo like he's afraid he's going to disappear. I know that the two of you are close, Apollo, but lately it's almost like you're joined at the hip. Every time I ask him if he wants to do something, he tells me he's got plans with you." She shook her head. "You know, at first I thought he had a new girlfriend and he just wasn't telling me. He was acting like men do when they're in love but they don't want to tell anybody because they haven't actually done anything about it. I thought maybe he was just using you as a cover, Apollo. But I followed him a couple of times," she blushed, embarrassed to admit what she'd done, "and he really was with you." Boomer looked thoughtful. "Actually, I have noticed a certain preoccupied look of Starbuck's recently. I thought he had a new love interest too, but he doesn't seem to be spending any time with any women that I've seen. He's always with the two of us, or just with Apollo." Suddenly Boomer and Cassiopia looked at Apollo. "Apollo?" they both asked at the same time. "What?" asked Apollo in annoyance, wondering why they were looking at him that way. "Starbuck's in love with you, Apollo," said Cassie. "Probably has been all along," added Boomer. "Remember when you were engaged to Serena? He said he'd been interested in someone but that 'they' had found someone else. Why, even back in the Academy if you got mad at him for something he'd get all melodramatic and ask you if you didn't love him anymore." "I thought he was joking!" Apollo exclaimed. "You don't mean to tell me he meant it?" "It all makes sense now. Cassie, you said that he's been acting funny since Iblis was here. Starbuck told me that when he and Apollo tried to rescue Sheba from Iblis, the Count killed Apollo. Then he said that didn't make sense, he thought he must have dreamed it. Either way, it would explain why he's been keeping such close tabs on him." "Hey, everyone. Hi, Cassie, I didn't expect to see you here. You're talking about Count Iblis?" Starbuck asked as he approached the three of them. "Among other things," said Cassie with a big smile on her face. Starbuck gave her a peck on the cheek in greeting. "You look happy about something," he observed. "Care to share it?" "Oh, it's just a problem I had finally worked itself out. Nothing you need to worry about." Starbuck shrugged. "Hey, I'm your friend, Cass. If you had a problem, I wish you'd come to me about it." Suddenly Cassiopia stood up. "Goodness, look at the time! I have an early shift in Life Center tomorrow. I'd better get back to the Galactica." Boomer stood too. "Allow me to escort you, madam," he said with a bow. Cassie laughed and took his arm. "Thank you, kind sir," she said, and they left. "What's with the two of them?" Starbuck asked when he and Apollo were alone. "I think they got the idea that you and I needed to be alone," Apollo answered. "Why would they think that?" Apollo tried to think of a reason. "We were talking about Count Iblis and I realized there were some things I wanted to ask you about." "I'd rather not talk about that," Starbuck stated with a frown. "Why?" asked Apollo. "Is it because I died?" "Yes," answered Starbuck quietly. "Star, you said that the angels told you that they brought me back because you were willing to give up your life for me - is that true? Would you do that?" "Yes," came the answer again, even more quietly. "Starbuck, I've been thinking about that. It took me awhile to realize that for you to be willing to do that for me, it must mean that you love me - because I know that I would do that for you, and I love you." His friend turned to look at him, a dazed expression on his face. "Apollo, say that again? Use small words - I seem to be having some trouble understanding you." Apollo grinned. "How's this for small words: I love you." "You love me? Oh gods, Apollo, I love you, I love you, I love you so much!" Tears were running down his face. Apollo reached out and took him into his arms. Meanwhile, Boomer and Cassiopia had not actually left the Rising Star. They watched their friends from an inconspicuous corner. "Took them long enough," observed Boomer. "But they finally got it," Cassie told him. END