"What are you going to do?" Apollo asked. "Are you going to shoot Sheba,
or Boomer ... or me?" 

Starbuck hadn't thought that far ahead. Escape had been the only thing on
his mind. There was no way he'd let himself be taken to the prison barge.
He wouldn't last a centon there. But shoot Apollo? 

"If I have to, yes!" came his answer.

He argued with Apollo for a few more centons. Apollo accused Starbuck of
not trusting him. He kept trying to explain that it wasn't Apollo, it was
the tribunal. Adama was on the tribunal, but he knew that the Commander
had to be impartial. No matter how much Adama cared for him, he wouldn't
let his feelings get in the way of his judgement. 

Finally, he told Apollo to get off the viper or he'd take him down the
launch tube. Apollo left, with the final shot, "I didn't think I'd ever
see Starbuck run from anything!" then walked away, not looking back. 

Starbuck stared at his friend's retreating figure. Could he do it? Could
he flee? Where would he go? There were several planets in the vicinity
that showed signs of past colonization. Maybe there were even planets with
human inhabitants. 

But seeing the defeated slump of Apollo's shoulders made him decide. He
couldn't leave Apollo. Apollo was sticking by him. He was the only one who
really believed he hadn't killed Ortega. Not even Cassie believed him -
she'd wanted him to plead self-defence. He shut down the viper and raised
the canopy. 

Apollo stopped in his tracks when he heard the viper's engines shutting
down. He turned and came back to Starbuck. "I really thought you were
going to do it," he said. 

"I almost did," Starbuck answered him.

"What made you change your mind?"

"You."

"Me?" Apollo asked. "Was it something I said?"

"No ... just you. I can't leave you. Even if it means going to the prison
barge. Will you visit me?" 

"It won't come to that, I promise. I'm your Protector. I take that role
seriously." 

"You always have. Even when we were kids on Caprica. You've always looked
out for me." 

"You do the same for me every time we fly together," Apollo answered.

Starbuck climbed out of the viper. "What are we going to do, Apollo?" he
asked. 

"We're going to fight," Apollo answered. "I'm going to find out who did
this. I'm going to find Karibdis." 

The two men stood in the viper bay, looking at each other, reluctant to
return to the brig where Starbuck would be locked up again.

"Apollo, if I go to the prison barge you know I won't come back alive."

"And I told you that's not going to happen. I won't let it happen. If the
tribunal convicts you we'll both take off and find a planet somewhere. 
We'll go together. My father will look the other way. I love you too much
to let you go to the prison barge."

"You *what* ?" Starbuck asked, stunned.

Realizing what he'd just said, Apollo stammered and tried to stall, but
Starbuck persisted. 

"Apollo, what did you just say? Did you say that you *love* me?"

Apollo stared at his boots as he whispered his answer. "Yes."

"You mean as a friend, a brother, don't you?" 

There was an almost imperceptible shake of his head as Apollo answered,
"No." 

Starbuck lifted Apollo's chin so that he could see the other man's face.
"There's nothing to be ashamed of, Apollo. I love you too. That's why I
couldn't leave." 

"You love me?" Apollo asked almost shyly.

"With all of my heart, my soul, and everything I am."

The two men embraced and held each other for a long time. Finally,
reluctantly, they separated, and Apollo returned Starbuck to the brig. 

Standing on either side of the cell door, the two men gave each other a
long, loving glance before Apollo left to tell his father that he'd found
Starbuck and returned him safely to the brig. 

-----------
LATER
-----------

In the tribunal room, Boomer, Starbuck, the tribunal and the assembled
spectators listened to Apollo and Baltar's confrontation with Karibdis.
There was the sound of laser fire, then silence.  Starbuck ran to Boomer's
side, staring at the radio, willing Apollo's voice to come from it.

Then, amazingly, it did. Karibdis was the one who had been shot, not
Apollo. Starbuck grabbed the radio. 

"Apollo ..." He couldn't tell Apollo he loved him in front of the
tribunal. "Thank you. You saved my life." 

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Apollo and Starbuck waited to go on to the Triad court. Sheba told
Starbuck to stop pacing because he was making her tired. "I can't help
it," he complained. "I have all this pent-up energy." He winked
surreptitiously at Apollo, knowing that after the game, his lover would
help him work off any of that pent-up energy that remained. 

As they walked on to the court, Apollo whispered, "You know, we're going
to have to tell Sheba and Cassiopeia the truth about our relationship." 

Anything else he'd been about to say was cut off by the applause that
suddenly started in the spectator gallery. The crowd got to their feet,
cheering the two warriors, showing their support for Starbuck and cheering
Apollo as well, for capturing the traitor Karibdis.

The two men stood there and looked around them. Apollo reached for
Starbuck and clasped his arm, then put his hand on his shoulder. Starbuck
did the same to Apollo. Then the same idea seemed to occur to both of them
at the same time. They moved closer, and kissed. Right in the middle of
the Triad court, in front of all the spectators and on a live IFB
broadcast, the two men kissed each other passionately. 

Watching from the sidelines, Boomer sighed. "Are we ever going to start
this game?" he wondered. 

Starbuck and Apollo paid no attention to him.

END