Starbuck had never realized how complicated it could be to plan a wedding.
Especially when the person you were marrying was Commander Adama's son.
How had Apollo managed it when he married Serena? Starbuck had been a
prisoner of the Cylons at the time that wedding had taken place, and
frankly, he was almost glad he had been. He wouldn't have wanted to stand
there and watch the man he was in love with marry someone else. 

Apollo had been released from the Life Center two days ago, after being
treated for injuries he'd sustained when his viper had crashed. He'd
practically ordered Starbuck not to hover over him, but Starbuck couldn't
stop himself. He didn't want to think about how close he'd come to losing
his lover, so soon after they'd resumed a relationship that should never
have ended.

"You still with me here, Bucko?" Apollo asked him. He shook himself.
"Yeah, sorry, my mind was wandering," he answered. 

"Really? Where was it going?" There was a mischievous look on Apollo's
face. 

"I'll tell you later. Right now we have to deal with these wedding plans." 

"Frack. Too bad we can't just commandeer a shuttle and elope," Apollo
grumbled. 

"Where would we go?"

"Somewhere that nobody knows us. Where nobody knows I'm the son of Adama.
Where I can be just plain old Apollo." 

"Well, we did talk your father out of broadcasting the ceremony on IFB,"
Starbuck reminded him. 

Apollo sighed. "That should never have even been suggested. I don't want a
big fancy ceremony.  I want to be sealed to you, and I want our family and
friends to be there, and that's all." 

"So why can't we do it that way?" Starbuck wanted to know.

"Ask my father," his lover replied.

"Apollo, you've been telling me for the past sectare that you're not going
to run your life based on what makes your father happy. Why should this be
any different?" 

"He's the one that's marrying us," Apollo pointed out.

"So ask someone else to marry us."

"I can't do that! It would break his heart!" Apollo exclaimed.

"Look, Pol, Adama is doing his best but you know that part of him is still
having a hard time with us being together. Tell him that you want him to
be a guest, an honoured guest, at our sealing, that you don't want him to
go to the trouble of performing the ceremony when he should just be
enjoying watching his son get married. That way he won't have to do
anything he feels uncomfortable with, and we gain a little more control
over the ceremony. Anyway, I have something in mind for him." He told
Apollo his idea. 

Apollo leaned over and kissed him soundly. "Have I told you lately how
glad I am that we're together?" 

Starbuck made a show of looking at the nearby chronometer. "Not in the
past centare or so." 

Apollo grabbed him and pulled him into the bedroom. "Let me show you,
then." 

"Pol, you just got out of the Life Center," Starbuck protested.

"Starbuck, I spent eight yahrens without you. I'm not wasting another
centon. I'm fine, and that's thanks to you. Now shut up." 

So Starbuck shut up. When he made love with Apollo, it was as if nothing
had changed since they were first lovers, when they were cadets in the
Academy, hardly more than boys. Their bodies had aged a little, there were
a few more scars here and there, but the time they'd been apart fell away
when they were in bed, as if it had been only eight days instead of eight
yahrens. 

They fell asleep holding each other, as they had done every night since
they'd been back together, except for the short time Apollo had been
confined to the Life Center. Starbuck had missed having his lover in bed
next to him, and he hadn't slept well those nights. Nights? The Galactica
didn't actually have 'day' and 'night' - there was no such thing in space. 
But in an attempt to make things seem somewhat normal for the colonists,
the ship ran on a time schedule that approximated the length of a day in
the colonies, and the lights were dimmed to approximate "night" during
assigned sleep periods. 

The next morning Starbuck woke to see that Apollo was already out of bed,
but he didn't look very alert. "You look a bit rough, buddy," Starbuck
said in concern. "Everything okay?" 

"I'm fine," Apollo snapped. The look on his lover's face made him
immediately regret his abruptness. "Sorry, Star. I just have a headache." 

Starbuck went to him and rubbed his shoulders and neck. "It's okay," he
said sympathetically.  "Have you taken anything for it?" 

"Just about to." Apollo went to a cupboard and removed a bottle of
painkillers. He swallowed two and turned back to Starbuck. "So, shall we
go see Priestess Hestia today?" 

"Shouldn't we talk to your father first?"

Apollo sighed. "You're right, as usual. Yes, we should talk to him first,
instead of springing the priestess on him when it's a done deal." 

So the two of them went to Adama's office. Apollo entered almost
tentatively, clearly reluctant to approach his father on this delicate
subject. 

"Apollo, Starbuck, how nice to see you. How are the wedding plans coming?
Listen, I had an idea last night ...." 

"Father, hold on for a micron," interrupted Apollo. "I - we need to talk
to you about something." 

"Of course," Adama agreed.

"Father, I would like you to play a slightly different role in our
sealing. We definitely want you to be part of it, but we've decided to ask
Priestess Hestia to perform the ceremony." 

"I don't understand," said Adama in confusion.

"Father, normally when two people get married their parents give them
away, right?" asked Apollo. 

"Yes."

"Well, Starbuck doesn't have any family to give him to me."

"Sir, you have been the closest thing to a father I've ever had," Starbuck
put in. "All the times I visited your family with Apollo on school
holidays, you made me welcome, part of your family.  If you would give me
to Apollo, I would be honoured." 

"But who will give you away, Apollo?" asked Adama, slightly mollified by
Starbuck's request. 

"Boxey will," answered Apollo with a grin. Then his smile faded as he
rubbed his temples. 

"Is everything all right, Apollo?" Adama asked his son.

"Just a headache. I'll be fine. So, what do you think?"

The Commander smiled warmly. "I would be honored to give you away,
Starbuck. Thank you for asking me. And I'm certain Priestess Hestia will
be pleased to perform your sealing." 

"Thank you, sir," said Starbuck.

"Thank you, Father."

"You're welcome, both of you. And if I interfere too much in your wedding
plans - please, tell me. " 

Apollo smiled, though there was strain showing on his face. "We will,
Father." 

Priestess Hestia was one of the Priesthood of Kobol, an ancient and
well-respected religious sect from the colonies. The Books of Kobol had
nothing to say about the morality of same sex relationships, so Apollo
hoped that meant that the Priestess wouldn't have a problem marrying two
men. 

"Lieutenant, Captain. What brings two of the Galactica's finest warriors
to see me?" the Priestess asked as she admitted them to the sparse
quarters shared by the priests and priestesses of Kobol. 

"We have a request to make of you," Apollo answered. "Starbuck and I want
to be sealed, and we would like you to perform the sealing." 

"Why me?" asked Hestia.

"Because you've been a friend of my family for as long as I can remember." 

She laughed. "You make me feel old, young man. Tell me, why isn't
Commander Adama doing this sealing?" 

Apollo looked away slightly. "He did my first marriage. I - I wanted
someone different this time." 

"Let me guess. Adama isn't thrilled that his son is marrying another man." 

"How did you know?" the Captain asked in surprise.

"Like you said, I've known your family for many yahrens. I know Adama's
opinions on certain subjects." She studied the two men. "How is he taking
the news?" 

"He wasn't pleased, I can tell you. But he's coming around," Apollo
answered. 

"Apollo almost died a couple of sectons ago. I think the Commander was a
bit shaken up then, and he realized that life is too short, and too
uncertain, to let anything come between him and his son," Starbuck put in. 

"Well put, Lieutenant Starbuck," Hestia said with approval. "Will the two
of you use vows from the Books of Kobol, or do you want to write your
own?" 

"We'll use the vows from the Books," Apollo answered before Starbuck could
say anything. 

A date was set and more details discussed, and then the warriors took
their leave. 

When they were back in their quarters, Starbuck said, "I thought we were
going to write our own vows, Pol. What happened?" 

Apollo rubbed his temples. "There's just too much to do. I don't have time
to think, let alone write wedding vows." 

Starbuck put his arm around his shoulders. "Stress getting to you, love?"
he asked. 

Apollo brushed off the arm. "Just leave me alone! I'm fine! Stop fussing
over me!" 

Starbuck backed away, staring at his lover. "Okay ... I'll leave you
alone." 

"Starbuck, don't go. I'm sorry. Please, come back."

"Are you sure you're all right?" Starbuck asked. "You keep rubbing your
head." 

"It's just a headache. Like you said, the stress gets to me sometimes." 

"You know, Pol, if this is too much for you so soon after your accident,
we don't have to go through with it. I don't need books or vows or
ceremonies to make me love you any more than I do already." 

Apollo pulled him into an embrace. "I want to go through with it. I want
everyone to see how much I love you and how lucky I am to have you." 

Leaning on the other man's shoulder, Starbuck asked, "Was your first
wedding this much trouble?" 

Apollo frowned. "It was more of a spur of the moment thing. We hadn't set
a date, and suddenly Serena said, 'let's get married' and we did. It all
happened so fast I wasn't even sure if it was legal. But my mind wasn't
really on the wedding ... I had other things to think about." 

"Other things?"

"I was thinking about you. I thought you were dead. You know, I'd just
about convinced myself that I didn't love you as anything more than a
brother or a friend ... and then you went missing and I thought I'd lost
you forever. Serena said that she loved you too, and I swear I almost
wanted to hit her for saying that. She didn't love you." 

Starbuck held Apollo tightly. "I wish I'd known you felt that way. All I
knew was that you were marrying Serena and you looked happy, and I was
furious. I wanted you to be happy - just not with her. When I arrived on
Kobol and you hugged me - I wished that you meant it the way I wanted you
to." 

"Star, you don't know how much it hurt to think that you were gone." 

"Yes, I do," Starbuck answered. "Remember Count Iblis?"

"What about him?" Apollo looked confused.

"I saw him kill you."

"I don't remember any of that," Apollo confessed. "When I came to on the
shuttle, I could tell that you and Sheba had been crying, but I couldn't
remember anything that had happened." 

Starbuck related the story of how Count Iblis, known as Diabolis, had
tried to kill Apollo, and had, in fact, succeeded, until some mysterious
beings in a ship of light had revived him upon hearing Starbuck say he
would sacrifice his own life to bring Apollo back. 

"You would really do that for me?" Apollo asked in wonder.

"In a heartbeat."

"I hope you never have to."

"I do too. So you see, Apollo, we both know what it's like to lose each
other. Let's not go through that again, okay?" 

"Okay." Apollo rubbed his head again. Starbuck frowned but said nothing.
"So," the Captain said suddenly, "what about those invitations?" 

"Frack," stated his partner. "I almost forgot about those. What do we do
about a best man? I figure it should be Boomer, but that leaves one of us
best man-less." 

"Who says it has to be a man? I was thinking of a best woman."

"Really? Who?"

"Athena. She was there for me when I was having that, er, difficulty with
my father.  She's been a good friend to us both." 

"Apollo, I think you're going to be the only groom in history with a maid
of honour," Starbuck laughed. "So, we have Boomer and Athena for best man
and woman, and your father will give me away and Boxey will give you away.
How about Muffit for the ring bearer?" He ducked the swing that Apollo
took at him. 

Invitations were printed and delivered, a hall was booked, and everything
was in place.  Then Apollo had to talk to Boxey. He'd been putting off
telling his son that he and Starbuck were getting sealed. All Boxey knew
was that Starbuck lived with them and slept in the same bed as Apollo. But
he wanted Boxey to be part of the wedding, so some explanations were in
order. 

"Boxey," he began one night as the boy was preparing for bed, "Starbuck
and I need to talk to you about something." 

"Am I in trouble?" Boxey immediately asked.

Apollo laughed. "No, you're not in trouble."

"Is there bad news?"

"No, not at all. In fact, there is some very good news," his father told
him. 

"Really? What?" Boxey asked excitedly.

"Starbuck and I are getting sealed."

"Is that all?"

"All?" demanded Starbuck. "What do you mean, all?"

"Grandfather and Aunt Thena have been talking about you getting sealed for
a long time," the boy replied. "When is it?" 

"Just a few days from now. And Boxey, will you give me away, like you did
for your mother when she married me?" 

"Sure. Are you going to have a bachelor party?"

The two men looked at each other. "I guess that's up to Boomer," said
Starbuck. "But if we do, you're too young to come." 

"Aww," whined Boxey.

"Time for bed, young man. Go brush your teeth and I'll be in to hear you
say your prayers,"  Apollo ordered. 

Boxey ran off, with Muffit close behind. He was talking to the daggit, who
barked at the excited tone in his master's voice. "Boxey!" shouted Apollo.
"Keep the noise down!" 

"Apollo, he's not being that loud," Starbuck told him.

"He's loud enough," the Captain grumbled. "My head hurts."

Starbuck went and got him some pain killers, then offered his hand. "Time
for you to go to bed too, I think." 

"Bucko, I'm sorry, I can't make love with you, not with the way my head
feels right now." 

"That's okay. We'll just have an early night. We're bound to miss some
sleep over the next few days, so we can both use the rest." 

Apollo stopped him for a moment. "I love you," he said simply.

Starbuck smiled and gave him a gentle kiss. "I love you too. That's why
I'm marrying you, remember?" 

The next morning Starbuck was surprised to find that Apollo was still
asleep. He was usually out of bed first, helping Boxey to get ready for
school. He shook his lover a bit. "Hey, Pol, time to get up. We have a
wedding rehearsal to attend." 

Apollo groaned and rolled over. "Star ... I don't think I can get up." 

"What are you talking about?" Starbuck demanded, frightened by how pale
Apollo looked.

"My head ... my head feels like it's going to explode." He pulled a pillow
over his head. "Make it stop. Please, make it stop!" 

"I'll call Dr. Salik," Starbuck told him. He ran to the communications
panel on the wall and called the Life Center. Then he called Apollo's
father and sister. Finally, he sat back down on the bed and waited for the
medics to arrive. He rubbed his lover's shoulder. "It'll be all right,
Pol.  The doctor's on his way. He'll make you feel better." 

Apollo opened his eyes slightly before shutting them again with a grimace
of pain. "Don't leave me." 

"I won't. I'll be right here beside you, I promise." Apollo gripped his
hand tightly. Starbuck called to Boxey in the next room. The boy came
running in. "What's the matter?" he asked. 

"Boxey, your dad is sick. The medics from the Life Center are going to be
here soon. Can you let them in? I need to stay here with him." 

"Is he going to be all right?"

"He'll be fine as soon as Dr. Salik can see him," Starbuck told him with a
confidence he didn't feel.  Boxey went to open the door for the medics. 

Salik arrived with Cassiopia, carrying a stretcher. Starbuck helped them
lift Apollo on to the stretcher and was about to follow them to Life
Center when he realized he couldn't leave Boxey alone. "I'll stay here
until Commander Adama or Athena can take over," Cassie offered. 

"Thanks, Cass," said Starbuck in relief.

"Starbuck!" Boxey cried.

The blond warrior stopped. "What is it, Boxey?"

"Take care of my dad, please?"

Starbuck smiled. "Of course I will, just like he takes care of me. I'll
get your grandfather or Athena to come get you when we have some news,
okay?" 

"Okay." Boxey grabbed him in a quick hug before letting him leave.

Adama and Athena met Starbuck in the Life Center. "What happened?" they
both wanted to know. 

Dr. Salik interrupted them. "Lieutenant Starbuck, what can you tell me
about Captain Apollo's symptoms? Has he been ill lately?" 

"Headaches," said Starbuck. "Ever since he was released from the Life
Center after his viper crash, he's been complaining of headaches." 

"I'll do a brain scan," Salik told them. "As soon as I know anything, I'll
tell you," he added, to stop any more questions. 

"The day you came to see me to talk about wedding plans, he had a
headache," Adama remembered. "I should have told him to go see a doctor
then." 

"Commander, if anyone should have made him go to the doctor, it's me. I
live with him, I've seen how bad the headaches are," Starbuck protested. 

"And Apollo wouldn't have listened to either of you," Athena put in. "So
it wouldn't have made any difference." 

"Thena, can you go look after Boxey?" Starbuck asked. "Cassiopia is there
with him right now but Dr. Salik might need her here." 

"Oh, Lords, poor Boxey," said Athena. "I'll go right now."

"Thanks, Thena," Starbuck told her, giving her a peck on the cheek.

After some time had passed - it felt to Starbuck like centares but was
probably only a few centons - Dr. Salik emerged. "Captain Apollo has some
bleeding on his brain. It was probably caused when he hit his head after
his viper crashed. We didn't find it when we examined him the first time -
it must have been a very small bleed that got worse over the last few
days. I'll have to go in and cauterize the blood vessel." 

"How long will that take?" Starbuck asked.

"I'm not certain. It's a delicate procedure and he'll need some recovery
time afterward - complete bed rest for at least a secton." 

"There goes our wedding," sighed Starbuck. But as long as Apollo would be
all right, the wedding didn't matter. "Thank you, Doctor." 

Starbuck and Adama sat and waited. And sat and waited. Sometimes one of
them got up and paced. 

Adama watched Starbuck pacing. He worried about the young warrior. He had
seen how devoted this man was to Apollo. It reminded him of how he himself
had felt about Apollo's mother. He'd wished that kind of relationship for
his sons, and had thought Apollo had found it with Serena, until her
tragic death. Apollo had never seemed to be very interested in women after
that, though Adama had tried to fix him up with Sheba. Then Apollo had
come to him and revealed his relationship with Starbuck. He'd been
disappointed, thinking that such a relationship could never be anything
like the kind he wanted for Apollo. But the two men had surprised him -
their devotion to each other was obvious. He'd have to be blind not to see
it - and he had been, for a time. 

"Starbuck, sit down," Adama suggested. "You're making me tired just
watching you." 

So Starbuck sat. "I can't believe I didn't see anything was wrong," he
muttered, half to himself.  "All the headaches ... why didn't I make him
go to the doctor?" 

Adama gently placed his arm around Starbuck's shoulders. Starbuck really
was like another son to him. "He wouldn't have listened to you. Athena was
right." 

"I can't lose him, Commander," Starbuck said. "I don't know what I would
do without him." 

"Dr. Salik is doing his best," Adama tried to reassure him. 

Some more time passed. Adama went to inform Boxey and Athena of Apollo's
condition.  Starbuck was alone. He stared at the walls for awhile, and
then he did something he hadn't done for a very long time: he prayed. 

Adama returned with Athena and Boxey. Boxey immediately ran to Starbuck
and climbed into his lap. "How's my dad, Starbuck?" 

"I don't know yet, Boxey. The doctor is still working on him."

Boxey leaned his head on Starbuck's shoulder and eventually fell asleep.
Adama had wondered how Boxey would accept Starbuck as his father's new
spouse. Obviously he hadn't had any reason to worry about that. He'd also
wondered how Starbuck would adjust to being a stepparent.  Again, no
reason to worry. Starbuck had always been close to Boxey, he recalled. He
remembered the time that Apollo had been missing after a skirmish with the
Cylons - Starbuck had immediately stepped in to care for Boxey, provoking
the ire of Cassiopia who'd been certain Starbuck and the other warriors
were a bad influence on the boy. Yes, the more he observed the two of them
the more he realized how good Starbuck and Apollo were for each other. He
hoped that they would be able to have a long and happy life together. He
regretted keeping them apart when they were younger, but maybe that had
been for the best. They were both more mature now, and Adama had gained a
grandson. 

Finally, the surgery was over and Dr Salik deemed it a success. He told
the family that Apollo was conscious but would probably only be that way
for a short time before he fell asleep again.  Starbuck was allowed to see
him, and he took Boxey in with him.

Apollo smiled weakly when he saw the two of them. "Hey there," he
whispered. Boxey gave him a hug.

"Looks like the elopement is off for now, Pol," Starbuck said. He ran his
hand over the shaved portion of his lover's head. "That will give you some
time to grow your hair back." 

Apollo grabbed Starbuck's hand. "I'm sorry about the wedding," he said.

Starbuck leaned down and kissed him. "Weddings can wait. Your surgery
couldn't. As long as you're going to be all right, we can set a new date." 

Salik came in and told Apollo that he needed to rest. "You can come back
and see Captain Apollo tomorrow," he told Starbuck and Boxey. They both
kissed Apollo goodbye and left, promising to return tomorrow. 

Tomorrow. Tomorrow would have been their wedding day. Starbuck reminded
himself that Apollo's health was what was most important, but he couldn't
help being a bit disappointed. He'd been looking forward to being sealed
with Apollo. They'd discussed marriage back when they were still cadets in
the Academy. After they'd been separated Starbuck had thought it would
never happen. 

He took Boxey home, put him to bed then went to bed himself. He doubted he
would get any sleep. He'd quickly grown used to sleeping next to Apollo,
and the bed felt very empty without him. 

There was a movement at his side, and Boxey climbed into bed next to him.
"Muffit thought you might be lonely," the boy said, "and he told me I
should come and keep you company." 

"Be sure to thank Muffit for me in the morning," Starbuck said. He wrapped
an arm around his soon-to-be stepson and eventually, he slept. 

The next day Starbuck decided not to send Boxey to school.  He doubted
that Boxey would be able to concentrate. Boxey spent the morning with
Adama, who said he would bring him to the Life Center when he went to
visit Apollo. Starbuck went on his own, and was happy to see that his
lover had already regained some colour and was not nearly as pale as he
had been a day or two ago. "Happy wedding day," he said as he kissed
Apollo hello. 

"It would have been," Apollo said a bit sadly.

Just then Adama walked in, accompanied by Boxey and Priestess Hestia.
"Your grace," said Apollo in surprise, "It's uh, it's nice of you to come
and visit. Sorry I couldn't make the wedding." 

"That's all right, Captain," said the priestess. "We made some alternate
plans." Athena arrived then, with Boomer in tow. 

"What's going on?" Starbuck wanted to know.

"Since you couldn't go to your wedding, we brought your wedding to you,"
replied Adama. 

Starbuck sat on the side of Apollo's bed and held his hand firmly as they
repeated the vows that were read from the Books of Kobol. "Who gives
Lieutenant Starbuck in marriage?" Hestia asked. 

Adama stepped forward. "I do," he said.

"And who gives Captain Apollo in marriage?" 

Boxey practically jumped in. "I do!" he answered.

"Do either of you gentlemen have anything to say before I pronounce you
sealed?" the priestess asked. 

Starbuck turned and looked into his lover's eyes. "Apollo, I have loved
you for as long as I can remember. We spent some time apart, but we're
together now and our love is stronger than ever.  There will never be
anyone for me but you. I will love you always." 

Apollo sat up slightly. "Starbuck, you are my best friend, my lover, and
the other half of my soul.  You make my life complete. I love you, and I
will love you forever." 

"The rings, please?" Hestia requested. Boomer and Athena each handed her a
ring. She presented them to the couple, who each placed a ring on each
others' finger. She bound their wrists together. "This cord represents the
love that binds the two of you together," she said. "Captain Apollo, do
you take Lieutenant Starbuck as your life partner?" 

"I do," answered Apollo.

"Lieutenant Starbuck, do you take Captain Apollo as your life partner?" 

"I do," responded Starbuck.

"I now pronounce the two of you sealed. May you live together in
happiness." 

The two men kissed each other long and hard. When they broke apart
Starbuck asked, "So, where do you want to go on our honeymoon, Apollo?" 

END