Starbuck drifted in and out of consciousness. Frack, that had been a bad
landing. More a crash than a landing, really. No way his viper would fly
again. He'd have to hope someone came looking for him. Apollo would.
Apollo would find him. He passed out. 

Apollo landed his viper in the Galactica's viper bay. He was about to head
to debriefing when he realized something - someone - was missing. He
called Blue Squadron together and did a head count. "Where's Starbuck?" he
asked. No one had seen him. 

Apollo jumped back into his viper. "Tell Colonel Tigh I've gone to look
for Starbuck!" 

/He can't be far/ Apollo told himself. /He just got separated from us ...
he's on his way back right now/. 

Starbuck came to in his viper. Still no sign of Apollo, he noticed. Oh
well, Apollo would be here soon. After all, Apollo loved him. 

Boomer followed Apollo in his viper. "Where do you think you're going?" he
asked his Captain. 

"To find Starbuck," was Apollo's answer.

"Yes, I realize that, but where are you going to find him? Do you have any
idea where to look?" 

Apollo slowed his viper. "No," he admitted. "Starbuck didn't say he was
hit, or that he was going to try landing, or anything ... he just
vanished!" 

"I imagine that what happened was his viper was hit and his radio went
out," Boomer mused.  "Question is, did he land, did he crash, or did he
just fall behind the rest of us?" 

"I don't know," sighed Apollo, "but I'll look until I find him."

"You mean *we* will look," Boomer corrected.

"We?"

"He's my friend too, Apollo."

"Thanks," Apollo said simply, not knowing what else to say. His friend.
Sure, Starbuck was his friend, but he was so much more than that. 

Starbuck woke again in the desolate landscape where he'd crash-landed.
Apollo *still* wasn't here? Sagan, what was taking him so long? 

Starbuck tried to recall what he'd been thinking of before he passed out
last time. Oh, yeah.  Apollo. Apollo who loved him. Oh, he'd never
actually said it, but Starbuck knew. Okay, he suspected. Even if it wasn't
romantic love, Apollo loved him, and Apollo would come looking for him and
Apollo would find him. Starbuck just wished he'd hurry up. He was bored
here. For once he wished he had C.O.R.A. the talking computer with him. At
least then he'd have someone to talk to. Maybe he'd try to sleep. He was
awfully tired ... 

He passed out again.

"Apollo, we've been through the entire grid. Starbuck's not anywhere near
here. He must have landed," Boomer was saying. 

Frack, frack, frack. Apollo swore loudly and repeatedly. This sector was
filled with tiny planets, large asteroids, anywhere that a Colonial Viper
could land. It would take days if not sectons to search them all and find
Starbuck. 

If Starbuck was still alive to be found, that was.

No, he wouldn't think like that. Starbuck was alive. Apollo would know if
Starbuck was dead.  He and Starbuck had a connection, a bond. He loved
Starbuck, and Starbuck loved him - at least, he hoped Starbuck loved him.
The other man had saved his life more than once, usually at the risk of
his own life - what else could make Starbuck do that but love? 

He would find Starbuck. He wasn't entirely sure how, but he would. If
Starbuck had crashed, he could be badly hurt. They'd have to return to the
Galactica for a shuttle. 

Starbuck came to again. Still no sign of Apollo? Frack. Maybe Apollo
didn't love him? Maybe Apollo wasn't looking for him? Maybe the Galactica
had just moved on. Maybe the Commander had declared him dead. No, Apollo
wouldn't give up. After all, Apollo loved him, didn't he? 

Didn't he?

Apollo had been married once, for only a couple of days. Starbuck hadn't
been at the Sealing ceremony, but he'd always had the idea that the only
reason Apollo and Serina had been Sealed was that Serina pushed Apollo
into it and Apollo was too nice to say no. And Starbuck knew that Apollo
loved Boxey, had wanted to be Boxey's father almost as soon as he'd met
him. Too bad there weren't more men like Apollo in the fleet - it would
take care of the hundreds of children orphaned in the Destruction. 

Starbuck's mind drifted. Where was he? Oh, yeah, his viper had crashed. It
was cold down here.  He hoped Apollo found him soon. He wanted to sleep... 

"Starbuck!"

That voice sounded familiar. Who was it? Apollo? Could it be? He'd waited
so long. 

"Is he alive?" Another voice. Boomer? What would Boomer be doing here? 

"Barely," answered the first voice. A soft hand touched his neck. "I found
a pulse, but it's weak." 

It *was* Apollo. And he'd touched him. He liked it when Apollo touched
him. He didn't do it nearly often enough. Apollo had hugged him once ...
that had felt very nice. 

"Let's get him into the shuttle," said Boomer.

Starbuck felt rather than saw Apollo hold up one hand. "Just ... wait a
micron," the Captain said.  Then Apollo's head came down and he kissed
Starbuck gently. "I love you, Star," he whispered. 

Starbuck forced his eyes open a fraction. " 'Pollo?" he croaked. He wasn't
certain if he'd actually said his friend's name out loud, or only thought
it. 

"Hey, Starbuck, welcome back to the land of the living," Apollo greeted
him. He looked worried.  Starbuck didn't know if the worry was because of
his injuries or because Apollo had just kissed him. "Boomer and I are
going to take you back to the Galactica, and they'll fix you up." 

"Apollo?" He managed to say the name a bit more forcefully this time. 

"What is it, Starbuck?" Apollo asked in concern. He wished he'd been a bit
more certain his friend was unconscious before he'd kissed him.

"I love you too."

Apollo took his hand and kissed it. "Good," was all he said. He had a lot
more to say, but that could wait until Starbuck was feeling better. 

"Knew you'd find me," Starbuck whispered as his friends helped him out of
his viper and into the shuttle. 

"Always," Apollo answered. "No matter where you go, Starbuck, I'll always
find you." 

END