Sheba watched Starbuck and Apollo kiss before they took their vipers out on patrol. She seethed inwardly. She didn't have a problem with two men or two women being lovers; she just had a problem with those two men. She wanted Apollo for herself. They belonged together. She fervently believed that. Their fathers had been close friends, and Adama had tried to push them together before Apollo had revealed his relationship with Starbuck. The entire squadron knew about the Captain's relationship with his wingman. Because the two of them were respected warriors, nobody made any trouble for them. Sheba had done her best to stay away from the two of them so that she didn't reveal anything, believing that the relationship wouldn't last. After all, Starbuck didn't have the best track record when it came to romantic entanglements. Then she would be around to comfort Apollo. But the two men had been together for half a yahren now, and showed no signs of breaking up. Well, it was time for a change in tactics. She'd have to find some way to separate them herself. When the two warriors returned from their patrol, she saw that Starbuck stopped to check something on his viper. Seizing her opportunity, Sheba strolled casually up to Apollo and slipped an arm around his waist. "Apollo, I have two ducats to a play on the Rising Star tonight. Would you like to join me?" Carefully wiggling out from Sheba's grip, Apollo smiled in what he hoped was a friendly way and replied, "Sorry. Starbuck and I have plans." Sheba tried not to glower in the Lieutenant's direction. She returned Apollo's smile and put her hand on his shoulder. "Oh, well, maybe another time, then." "Maybe," said Apollo, though she could tell from his voice he didn't mean it. Starbuck, watching from his position next to his viper, didn't like what he was seeing. Sheba was flirting with his spouse, and Apollo didn't seem to be discouraging it. He strolled over to the pair. "Something wrong, Sheba?" he asked politely. "No, nothing, Lieutenant. See you later, Apollo." As Sheba left, Starbuck turned to his life partner. "What was that about?" he asked. "Oh, she had a pair of ducats to a play, wanted to know if I'd go with her." "And?" "And nothing. I told her you and I had plans," Apollo tried to reassure him. Starbuck frowned. "Do we have plans?" he asked. He couldn't remember making any. Apollo flung an arm around his shoulders. "I have plans for us," he replied, and whispered something in the blond man's ear. "Those sound like good plans," Starbuck replied with a grin as he and Apollo returned to their quarters. From around the corner where she had hidden herself, Sheba looked daggers at the two men. But she would get Apollo for herself. She just had to wait, and plan her next move carefully. For the next few sectons, Sheba made certain that she attended any social event that she knew Apollo would be attending also. And every time she saw him, she would greet him with a smile, a flirtatious look, a hand on his arm or his back. She tried to engage him in conversation whenever possible, trying to come up with flattering remarks to please him. A few times she even made him blush. She could tell Starbuck wasn't happy, but there was nothing he could actually point to as evidence that his lover was being unfaithful to him. If he had suspicions, however, so much the better. At one such party, Sheba noticed that Apollo had indulged in a few glasses of ambrosa. They'd obviously gone to his head, as he was much more relaxed and casual than he normally was. She sauntered up to him and grabbed his arm. "Come on, Apollo, let's dance." And she dragged him onto the dance floor before he could protest. She wrapped one arm around his neck and the other around his waist, pressing her body into his as they swayed to the music. Suddenly she felt a tap on her shoulder. "I think this is my dance," Starbuck growled. "Oh come on, Starbuck, Apollo and I are just having a little fun," Sheba complained. "Yeah, I've seen how much fun you're having," Starbuck muttered. He took Apollo's arm and pulled him away from Sheba. "Time to go home, Pol." "Is it?" Apollo asked in confusion. "You're drunk, pal," Starbuck sighed. "Come on, let's go." And he practically dragged his mate from the party. "Frack," Sheba muttered as she watched them leave. Then she got an idea, and a grin slowly spread across her face. "What you smiling about, Sheba?" Bojay asked as he came up beside her. "Oh, nothing," she answered him, but the smile remained on her face for the rest of the evening. The next day Apollo groaned as he climbed out of bed. "Starbuck," he said, "next time you see me get anywhere near a glass of ambrosa, shoot me. What happened last night?" "Don't you remember?" Starbuck asked. "Some of it," his lover answered. "Not all." "Well, let's just say that you and Sheba were getting kind of cozy." "Sheba's a friendly girl," Apollo said. "Friendly? Pol, she was all over you like a daggit in heat." Apollo frowned. "I'm sure she wasn't that bad. Give her a break, Star. She must be lonely after what happened to the Pegasus." He shook his head and instantly regretted it. "Frack. Got any miracle hangover cures?" "Just time, my love. And drink lots of water." "You're enjoying this," Apollo accused him. "Now why would I enjoy seeing the man that I love suffer?" Starbuck asked innocently. He leaned down and kissed Apollo. "How about you go back to bed. I'll cover for you with Colonel Tigh." Apollo groaned again. "Would you do that for me? Tell him I'm sick? You and I can go over whatever he has to tell us later." "Sure thing. You take care of your hangover and I'll see you in a centare or so." "I love you, you know," Apollo told him. "I know," Starbuck told him with a grin as he left for his meeting with Colonel Tigh. As soon as Starbuck was safely out of sight, Sheba ran to the door and rang the chime. Apollo answered, surprised to see her there. "I came to see how you were feeling," she told him. "You looked a bit rough when Starbuck hauled you out of the party last night." "Did I? I don't really remember," Apollo told her. Remembering his manners, he invited her in. "Would you like some tea?" he offered. "Tea would be lovely, thank you." She sat and waited while he made the tea and brought it to the table. She picked up the small pitcher of milk he provided then 'accidentally' let it slip from her hand. "Frack!" she exclaimed. "I'm sorry, Apollo. My hand must have slipped." "No problem. Boxey spills things all the time. I think the carpet has permanently changed colour." He got up to get a towel and some more milk. While his back was turned, Sheba slipped something into his cup. Apollo returned to the table and sipped his tea while Sheba made conversation. Soon, his head was nodding. "Oh, dear, I guess you're still not feeling well," Sheba told him. She got up and pulled him up from his seat. "I think you should go to bed." "That might not be a bad idea," he mumbled. She half-carried him to the bedroom, where she undressed him and helped him into bed. Then she undressed and slipped in beside him. Apollo was soon asleep. Sheba smiled and lay her head on his shoulder, waiting for Starbuck to arrive. Half a centare later, Starbuck returned to his quarters. He was surprised to see two teacups on the table. Had Apollo had company? "Hey Pol, how's your head?" he called out as he walked into the bedroom. There he saw Apollo asleep with Sheba beside him, lying half on top of him. "Oh!" she exclaimed, turning red. "I - we weren't expecting you back so soon." "Obviously," muttered Starbuck. Sheba grabbed her flight suit and ran into the turboflush where she quickly dressed. When she was finished she hurried out of the bedroom to the main living area. She saw in passing that Apollo was still asleep. "I'll uh, I'll just get going," she told Starbuck. She left at top speed, stifling her laughter until she was safely on the other side of the door. Starbuck slowly gathered his few possessions. He hadn't had much when he married Apollo. Most of the items in the cabin belonged to the Captain. Oh, Apollo would say that everything he had was Starbuck's too, but Starbuck had never completely believed that. He removed his dress uniform from the closet where it hung beside Apollo's. He folded it neatly and placed it in his bag. The dress uniform was followed by his spare 'regular' uniform and a box of fumarillos he'd won at his last Pyramid game. He added his few remaining items of clothing. About to leave, he stopped to take one last glance at his still-sleeping lover. Amazing how he'd slept through Starbuck's arrival and Sheba's departure. Maybe he should have told Sheba to stay. Apollo hadn't been expecting him and would probably be surprised to find all of his things missing when he woke up. But he didn't feel up to making any explanations right now. He removed his wedding band and lay it on the bedside table, then walked out of Apollo's quarters. About a centare later, Apollo woke up. He noticed that his head still hurt. He realized that he was naked. Funny, he didn't remember getting undressed. All he remembered was that Sheba had dropped by and he'd felt obligated to entertain her when all he'd wanted to do was go back to bed. He remembered feeling sleepy - he must have asked Sheba to leave and gone to bed. There was something shiny on the table beside the bed. His wedding band? No, his wedding band was on his finger. Serina's old wedding ring? He'd given that to Boxey. No, it was too big to be Serina's. He picked up the ring. It was Starbuck's. Why was it on the table? Starbuck had never taken it off since the day they were sealed. Apollo could feel himself starting to panic. What was going on? He forced himself to remain calm as he got out of bed and went to the closet to get a robe. Starbuck's dress uniform was missing from the closet. Feeling even more frightened, Apollo started opening drawers in the small bureau at the foot of the bed. None of Starbuck's things were there. His prize box of fumarillos was gone too. Stunned, Apollo sat on the bed. Starbuck had left him. Walked out on him. While he was sleeping? This made no sense. He heard the door chime. Maybe Starbuck had come back. He pulled on his robe and went to answer it. Sheba was on the other side of the door. "Sorry to bother you again, but I left something behind," she lied, surreptitiously dropping a pin from her flight jacket onto the floor. "Oh, there it is." She bent and picked it up. Seeing the look on Apollo's face, she asked, "What's wrong, Apollo?" "Starbuck left me," Apollo said dully. He still couldn't believe it. "But why?" she asked, though, of course, she knew. "I don't know. I went to bed after you left, and when I woke up all his things were gone." "Oh, Apollo, I'm sorry." Then an idea occurred to her. "I bet I know what happened. He must have seen me leaving, and when he went in to your quarters you were in bed, and he jumped to conclusions. He was pretty upset last night at the party when we were dancing." "You think that's it?" Apollo asked in confusion. His head still felt cloudy. He wondered if it was the ambrosa from the night before. "Look, give him some time to settle down, then go talk to him. I'm sure he'll realize he over reacted," Sheba assured him. *Not if I have anything to say about it*. "You still look worn out. Go get some sleep. I'll come back and check on you later." "Maybe you're right. I don't feel very good." Sheba gave him a hug. "I'm sure everything will work out." Then she left. Apollo went back to bed, wondering what kind of parallel universe he'd wandered into. Sheba hurried to the Bachelor Officers' Quarters, where she figured Starbuck had gone. It didn't take long to find him. "Starbuck, I'm so sorry," she blurted out as she approached. "What are you doing here, Sheba?" Starbuck asked her tiredly. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry you had to find out like that. I thought Apollo would have told you by now. I kept asking him to. I hated all the sneaking around." "You didn't seem to be doing much sneaking. You seemed pretty open about it to me." "Well," Sheba tried to make herself blush, "it got kind of hard to hide how I feel about him, you know?" "I know. Please leave, Sheba." "All right," she said, trying to sound remorseful. "I really am sorry, Starbuck." "Sure you are," he muttered as she left. Some time later, Apollo dragged himself out of bed again. He seemed to have spent most of the day in bed. He'd really have to keep away from the ambrosa after this. He dressed slowly, trying not to look at the empty drawers where Starbuck's clothes had been. Hopefully his lover would listen to him. Why ever would he think Apollo would cheat on him with Sheba? With anyone? He made his way to the Bachelor Officers' Quarters, hoping Starbuck would be there and not out getting drunk somewhere. Fortunately, Starbuck was there, occupying the same bunk he'd used before he'd moved in with Apollo. He looked lost and hurt. Apollo hated seeing him look that way. He hated even more the idea that he might have been the cause of it, however unintentionally. "Starbuck?" he asked tentatively. He was surprised to discover that he felt nervous. "I really don't want to talk to you right now, Apollo." "But I want to talk to you." He pulled up a chair next to Starbuck's bunk. "Can I sit down?" "Go ahead. You're the captain." "Starbuck, I want to fix whatever happened this morning. I don't know exactly what it was - I just woke up and all your things were gone." "You really don't know, eh?" Starbuck sneered. "No, I don't." He sounded so sincere, Starbuck was tempted to believe him. "Apollo, at least Sheba had the decency to be honest with me. Which is more than I can say for you. Tell me, how long has this been going on?" "How long has what been going on?" Apollo asked, puzzled. "This affair with Sheba. You must have been pretty careful to keep it hidden for so long. But why did you bother? Why not just tell me and get it over with? Why did I have to walk in and find you ... find you together." The last words sounded choked. Almost automatically, seeing that the man he loved was hurting, Apollo reached out to lay a hand on his shoulder. Starbuck immediately pushed it away. "Don't touch me," he said in a low voice. "Starbuck, I don't understand what you're talking about. What do you mean find us together? What affair with Sheba?" "Don't tell me you're going to deny it! Apollo, I saw the two of you in bed together! In our bed! Or, what used to be our bed. Sure, you were asleep, but it was pretty obvious what you'd been doing." "When was this?" Apollo was suspecting even more that he'd arrived in a parallel universe. "This morning! When I came back from the meeting with Colonel Tigh! You and Sheba were in bed together, both of you were naked, and you were asleep. She told me later that she's been trying to get you to come clean about the affair and that you wouldn't do it." He shook his head. "I really don't understand you. If you wanted out of our relationship, you could have said so. Why carry on with Sheba behind my back?" "Starbuck, I have no idea what's gotten into you! I am not having an affair with Sheba! She came over this morning just after you left and I gave her a cup of tea. Then I got sleepy and went to bed. I don't even remember seeing her leave. When I woke up, your clothes were gone and this was on the table." He held out Starbuck's wedding band. Refusing the ring, Starbuck said, "Apollo, she told me about it! She said that you're lovers! Why would she lie?" "I don't know, but I intend to find out." Apollo started to stand up and a wave of dizziness hit him. He swayed and would have fallen if Starbuck hadn't caught him. "Are you all right, Apollo?" the Lieutenant asked in concern. "I don't know," Apollo answered. "I don't feel well. I don't think it's a hangover anymore." "I'm taking you to Life Center." He pulled Apollo's arm over his shoulder and half-carried him to the sickbay. While Dr. Salik ran some tests Starbuck sat with his lover, trying to hide his worry. He didn't want to be concerned about Apollo. He didn't want to have anything to do with Apollo. But he couldn't stop caring about him. He still loved him, no matter what he had done. "Starbuck," Apollo said from his bed. "What is it?" Starbuck asked. Apollo could see the worry in his eyes. "I know you won't believe me, but I wanted to tell you that I love you." Starbuck was saved from replying by Dr. Salik's entrance. "Captain Apollo, you have been drugged," said the doctor. "Drugged?" both the warriors exclaimed at once. "What have you had to eat or drink today?" Salik wanted to know. "I didn't eat breakfast today, actually. I had a hangover," Apollo admitted sheepishly. "I had a cup of tea with Sheba, then I got sleepy and went to bed." "Is there any chance that your tea things might still be there? Or did you wash them?" "They were still there when I was in his quarters last," Starbuck answered. Apollo winced slightly to hear Starbuck refer to them as his quarters, not theirs. "I think they were there when I left to talk to Starbuck," Apollo remembered. "Can you get somebody to go and check? Bring me the tea cups and teapot from your quarters?" "I'll go," Starbuck volunteered. He looked at Apollo. "Will he be all right?" "He'll be fine when the drug is out of his system. Its effects were a bit more severe than they might normally be, since his stomach was empty." Starbuck hurried to Apollo's quarters. He ran into Sheba on his way there. "Oh, Starbuck, I'm glad to see you. I left something in Apollo's room, and I forgot the lock code to get in. Could you let me in?" "I can't let anyone into Apollo's quarters who doesn't have the lock code, Sheba. You know that. It's against security regulations. But if you tell me what you left, I'll get it for you." "It's um, it's a tea set. We were using it this morning. It was my grandmother's. I wanted to show it to Apollo." "Really?" asked Starbuck curiously. "The only tea set I remember seeing is the one that belonged to Ila, Apollo's mother." "Oh." Caught in a lie, Sheba thought fast. "I guess he must have already taken it back to my quarters, then." "I guess he did. See you later, Sheba." Keying the lock code, Starbuck entered Apollo's quarters and was relieved to see that the tea things were there, exactly as Apollo had left them. Part of him wondered if Apollo would change the lock code now that Starbuck had moved out. He decided not to think about that. Instead, he put the tea cups and pot in a bag and took them to Dr. Salik for testing. Apollo looked happy to see him return. "You got the tea things? Good. Now maybe we'll get to the bottom of this. Then you can go home with me." "Apollo, I'll stay with you until the doctor says you can take care of yourself and Boxey, but then I'm going back to the Bachelor Officer's Quarters." Apollo was disappointed. He'd hoped that proving he'd been drugged would show Starbuck that he hadn't just hopped into bed with Sheba. Then he had an idea. He called the doctor over. "Doctor, this is going to sound like a very strange request," he began. "Don't worry about it, Captain. I hear all kinds of things from my patients." "Well, I was wondering - is there any way you can test to see if I've had sex in the last few centares? Like, say, since 0700 this morning?" "Well, I wouldn't be able to pinpoint it exactly, but I could give you a rough estimate. Er, do you mean sex with a man, or sex with a woman?" "With a woman," Apollo stated. "All right. Lift your gown." He examined Apollo, then handed him a plastic cup. "I need a semen sample, Captain. Turboflush is over there." Slightly self-consciously, Apollo complied. As he headed to the turboflush, he looked back over his shoulder at Starbuck. "Sure you don't want to help me, Starbuck?" Starbuck shook his head. Apollo disappeared into the turboflush and came out a few centons later with the sample for the doctor, who took it to his lab. "Starbuck, please listen to me," Apollo begged his lover when the doctor was out of earshot. "I didn't sleep with Sheba. I never have. She must have drugged me and set me up to look like we went to bed together." "You really think she would go to all that trouble?" Starbuck asked skeptically. "I didn't before today. But that's what must have happened. Starbuck, I love you. I would never, ever cheat on you. I married you because I want to be with you for the rest of our lives. I couldn't bear it if I lost you." He could see Starbuck softening. Starbuck wanted to believe him, he was sure of it. But could he? Salik returned. "I have your test results, Captain. First of all, from your sample, you haven't ejaculated since sometime yesterday evening." Apollo and Starbuck both coloured slightly, remembering when that had been. "Second, the drug in your system was also in one of the teacups. So it looks like whoever you had tea with is the one who drugged you." "What type of drug was it?" Starbuck asked. "A fairly common tranquilizer. It's become quite popular on the black market. A man will buy it to slip into a woman's drink so that he can take her back to his quarters and have sex with her against her will." "A date rape drug," said Apollo. "Sheba gave me a date rape drug?" "Is that who was with you when you drank the tea?" Salik asked. "Yes, Doctor. Listen, can you give the drug test results to the head of security, and to the Commander? That woman needs to be stopped." "Glad to do it," Salik answered, heading to a communications panel. Apollo turned to Starbuck. "Now do you believe me?" he asked softly. "I'm sorry, Pol. I should have believed you without all these tests. Will you forgive me for doubting you?" "That depends. Will you come home?" Starbuck took Apollo's hand and kissed it. "As soon as they let you out of here, we'll go get my stuff from the Bachelor Officers' Quarters and we will go straight home. To our quarters." Apollo reached up and pulled Starbuck's face down to his. "How about you kiss more than my hand?" So Starbuck did. Then Apollo took out Starbuck's wedding band, and slipped it onto his finger. This time his lover didn't refuse it. The next evening, when the two lovers were together in their quarters, Adama stopped by with news about Sheba. "Sheba has been charged with drugging you, Apollo. The charge is fairly serious because you're a colonial warrior and her actions could have prevented you from going on duty, or caused you to have a serious accident if you'd tried to fly your viper." "What will happen to her?" Apollo wanted to know. "She's retained an advocate, but he is advising her to plead guilty, since the evidence against her is overwhelming. She'll probably serve a short term on the prison barge, and her status as a warrior will be revoked. She'll never fly again. When she gets out of prison she'll have to take a place on one of the refugee ships and find a way to make a living. Maybe she can wash dishes." The image of Sheba washing dishes made both warriors laugh. Adama excused himself and left, taking Boxey with him so that his son and son in law could be on their own. Apollo got up. "I think it's time to go to bed," he announced. "Are you tired?" Starbuck was concerned, afraid that the effects of the drug hadn't worn off. "Not at all. That's why I want to go to bed," Apollo answered. Later, as they lay in each other's arms, Apollo studied his lover's face. "I can't believe I almost lost you. Lords, Starbuck, please don't leave me again." "I won't, Pol. I promise. I love you." "Love you too." And the two warriors fell asleep, wrapped in each others' arms. END