"You know what your problem is, Apollo?" Starbuck asked. "You don't have
faith in anyone but yourself." 

Colonel Tigh heard the raised voices and came to see what was happening.
"What's going on?" he asked.

Starbuck looked at Apollo and Boomer. "The end of a friendship," he
answered.  "Captain, Lieutenant, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go be
with my father." 

Apollo stared at Starbuck as he stormed off.  Starbuck hardly ever called
him "Captain." Rank wasn't important to him. Which was why hearing it from
him now hurt so much. A friendship that had lasted for yahrens had just
come to an abrupt end. 

It wasn't just the loss of their friendship that hurt. Apollo had been in
love with Starbuck almost for as long as they'd known each other. Not that
Starbuck knew that, of course. Sure, Apollo had relationships with women,
most notably Serena.  Starbuck had showed no sign of returning his
feelings, so he did his best to get on with his life. 

He wanted Starbuck to have a father, but he wasn't sure that Chameleon was
that father. He didn't want to see his friend get hurt, and if Chameleon
was conning him, then he wanted to stop it before Starbuck got too
attached to the old gambler.  Unfortunately, it looked like it was too
late for that. 

When he and Boomer found Starbuck in the viper bay, Apollo didn't run to
check on the Nomen the way Boomer did. He went to Starbuck, who appeared
to have been hurt. He almost reached out to him, but stopped himself.
Starbuck had said they were no longer friends. He longed to touch him, to
reassure himself that Starbuck was all right. When he heard what Chameleon
had done - firing a viper's lasers in the launch tube - he wondered if it
was possible that Chameleon really was Starbuck's father. Only someone
related to Starbuck would do something that crazy. But he'd saved
Starbuck's life, and for that, Apollo would always be grateful. 

After the whole story came out, or at least as much as was relevant -
Apollo had a feeling that there was a lot that Chameleon wasn't telling
them - Starbuck apologized. He was sorry he hadn't trusted them. Apollo
silently thanked the Lords that he had Starbuck back. His life would have
been very empty without him. 

When they were talking over a drink in Apollo's quarters later that day,
after Chameleon had returned to the senior ship, Starbuck had a question. 

"Why didn't you trust him?" he wanted to know.

"I don't know," Apollo replied. "You said that I don't trust anyone. Maybe
you were right." 

"I shouldn't have said that. It's not true. I know that you trust Boomer,
and Jolly, and Sheba, and Colonel Tigh, for example." 

"And you," Apollo put in immediately.

"And me." Starbuck took another sip of his drink. "So, what about
Chameleon?" 

"I probably wouldn't have suspected anything if Boomer hadn't seen the way
the Nomen looked at him on the Rising Star. After that, well, I just
wanted to make sure he was on the up and up. I didn't want to see you get
hurt." 

Starbuck smiled at him. Apollo loved that smile. "I wish he really was my
father.  We have a lot in common. And I like him." 

"I wish he was too, Bucko. But it's not like you don't have a family. I
mean, we've been your family for yahrens." 

" 'We'?" asked Starbuck.

"Me, my parents, Athena ... Zac," he added with the slight twinge of pain
he always felt when he remembered his brother. "I know we're not the same
as blood family..." 

"Thank the Lords for that," Starbuck said.

"Huh?"

"Well, if you were my blood family, then I couldn't marry you, could I?" 

"Marry Athena, you mean."

"Do you see Athena anywhere around here?" Starbuck asked with a grin. 

"Starbuck, are you drunk?" Apollo asked, not quite believing what he was
hearing. 

"Nope."

"Then who are you talking about marrying in my family, if not Athena?
Cassie's close enough to be family, but she's not a blood relative
either." 

"Who's left?" 

"I don't understand."

Starbuck laughed. "You really don't get it, do you? I'm talking about
*you* Apollo.  I want to marry you." 

Apollo swallowed hard. "This is kind of sudden," was all he could think of
to say. 

"Is it really? We've known each other for what, eighteen yahrens now?" 

"Something like that."

"Then what's so sudden?" Starbuck inquired gently, seeing that Apollo
seemed to be having some trouble processing his proposal. "I've loved you
for what seems like forever." 

"We've never even kissed!" Apollo exclaimed.

"Well, I think we can do something about that." Starbuck pushed their
drinks aside, leaned forward and kissed Apollo. 

Apollo had the distinct impression that his head was going to explode.
Starbuck was kissing him! He'd wanted this to happen, had dreamed of it,
and now it was real. And it was mind blowing. When Starbuck finally
released him, he felt suddenly bereft. When he could think somewhat
clearly again, he had another question. "Why now?" 

"Why am I asking you now? When I was talking to Chameleon about Cassie I
told him that she was the only woman I'd consider getting Sealed with,
even though I actually don't want to get Sealed with any woman. But I
didn't put it all together until I was talking to him on the way to the
senior ship. He said that I was lucky to have a friend who cared about me
as much as you do. In fact, his exact words were, 'Apollo must love you
very much.' I'm sure he meant as a friend or a kinsman - or who knows,
maybe he didn't. Anyway, I knew that I loved you, but I was never sure how
you felt. And then when Chameleon said that, I knew. I remembered the way
you looked at me when I told you our friendship was over, and the scared
look on your face when you found me in the viper bay and thought I'd been
hurt, and then the way you put your arm around me when I apologized to you
... I just knew that you loved me as much as I love you. Er, you do, don't
you?" 

In response, Apollo put his arms around Starbuck and kissed him so hard it
took his breath away. When they finally broke apart, he simply said,
"Yes." 

A mischievous look suddenly appeared on Starbuck's face. "When does Boxey
get home?" he asked. 

"Not for two centares, why?" Then it dawned on him. "Oh. I get it." 

"Not yet, but you're about to," replied Starbuck, heading for the bedroom
with him. 

A couple of sectons later ...

Chameleon showed up at the chapel for the wedding of Starbuck and Apollo.
When the two warriors arrived, dressed in their most formal dress
uniforms, the gambler couldn't stop himself from beaming with pride. He
approached them a touch nervously. "Captain Apollo, may I borrow your
groom for a centon?" he asked. 

When he and Starbuck were alone, Chameleon said, "I have something to tell
you." 

"Something to tell me? Sure, go ahead."

"Remember those tests that Cassiopeia ran in the Life Centre? Well, I
asked her not to tell you the actual results." 

"I don't understand. I thought you said they were negative. We both knew
they were long odds." 

"I told you they were negative, but they weren't . They were positive. I
really am your father, Starbuck." 

The Lieutenant studied the older man in suspicion. "If you really are my
father, why didn't you tell me when you got the results?" 

"Because you were ready to give up your commission, your friends, your
entire life, for me. I didn't want you to do that, and I still don't." 

"But - "

"Starbuck, you're about to get married. Don't leave Apollo in the lurch
because you want to be with me. We can still have a relationship - we
already do - but you don't have to rearrange everything for me." 

"Do you have proof?" Starbuck demanded. He knew that Chameleon had a
reputation for being somewhat less than honest. 

Chameleon withdrew a worn piece of paper from his pocket. He'd only had it
a few sectons, but he'd taken it out and looked at it probably a thousand
times already.  "Here are the results of the tests." 

Starbuck studied the paper that showed the results of the genetic tests.
"You are my father. I have a father!" He threw his arms around Chameleon
and hugged him. "You are going to stand with me when I marry Apollo,
you hear?" 

Chameleon grinned, a grin that matched the one on Starbuck's face. "I
would be honoured - son." 

Starbuck escorted Chameleon back in to the chapel, where Apollo was
waiting nervously. "Apollo, I would like you to meet my father." 

"Your father? You mean it's true? The tests were positive?" Apollo was
also somewhat suspicious of Chameleon. 

Starbuck showed him the paper with the test results. "It's true. I have a
father, Apollo. A real father." Then with a glance at the Commander, who
was preparing to perform the Sealing ceremony, he added, "Not that I
haven't had a pretty good surrogate father all these yahrens." 

The Commander performed the ceremony, and Chameleon stood proudly at his
son's side. At the reception that followed, Chameleon was the life of the
party, dancing with every woman there, telling everyone about his son, the
warrior. 

"He's not bad in a viper himself," Starbuck couldn't resist adding when he
heard his father's boasts. Of course, then he had to tell everyone how
Chameleon had fired at the two Borellian Nomen in the launch tube to save
him. 

When the party was winding down, Starbuck and Apollo both had hugs for the
older man. "When will I see you again - see both of you?" Chameleon asked. 

"After our honeymoon," Starbuck promised.

And it was a promise they kept. Both Starbuck and Chameleon had gained a
new family, and it was a family they would cherish for the rest of their
lives. 

END