Starbuck sighed and shifted closer. I smiled, touching his hair lightly enough to not disturb him if he really was sleeping. Me, I was tired, worn out would be more accurate, but sleep was out of the question. I was too... too. Excited, astonished, stunned, shocked, thrilled, fearful—all of those words, and more.

And on top of being full of chaotic emotions, I was also too hot. Starbuck had lit a fire inside me that dwarfed the one we'd somehow survived at the Cylon outpost. I could feel a smile curving my lips at the thought of what he'd done to feed that fire.

Who would have thought Starbuck, the epitome of a ladies' man, could drive a man right out of his mind with pleasure? I know I certainly hadn't. I've never been very sexually active, unfortunately. Somehow he gets all the action, while all I get is the hangover. And how had I missed, all these yahrens, that he was obviously getting some action with men as well as women? Granted, I wasn't with him all the time, but I had never once seen him make a pass at a man.

Too bad. Maybe if I had seen him showing interest in a man, I could have gotten the education he gave me tonight a lot sooner.

But could I have kept him all this time? A chill of fear stirred in my heart. How could I hope to keep his affection all for my own? He was so much of a player...

Frack. That kind of thinking wasn't going to do me any good. Better to concentrate on how wonderful it was to have him here with me now.

flicker

"They said in instructional period that some people are just naturally slow," Boxey said, with a pointed look older than his yahrens at Apollo. "Not stupid, just slow."

Apollo stared at the boy, almost, but not quite, angry. He couldn't blame the boy, really; Apollo knew it was the mother he should be mad at. She was the one who coached the poor kid.

Everyone was staring at him, expectant. He drew a breath to say something, he wasn't sure what, just anything to break the uncomfortable silence.

Then the alert siren sounded.

Apollo and Starbuck reacted immediately. They were halfway out of their chairs when Athena started moving. All three of them were nearly to the door before Serina finally moved.

It was a vicious engagement, made worse by the lack of Viper pilots. Apollo and Starbuck were once again the only experienced Warriors. The shuttle pilots were once again filing the seats of the Vipers. Dr. Salik had been right, very right, when he had told the sick pilots that they shouldn't join the battle—every last one of them had suffered a relapse. They were all currently in the infirmary, insensible with fever once again.

And once again, Serina had tried to set a trap for him. Perhaps he should be thankful to the Cylon attack for getting him free.

flicker

"How many of you ladies are ready to lay your life down for the service?"

There was an uncomfortable silence, punctuated by soft rustling noises as the pilots shifted awkwardly in their seats. Then Dietra spoke up, brown eyes locked, unflinching, on Apollo.

"We all took the Warrior's Oath, Captain. What makes you think we're any less likely to honor it than your other, male pilots?"

Apollo met her gaze, his own green eyes bleak. "Maybe I deserved that. I'm well aware that I underestimated the abilities of some of you ladies. But the fact remains that none of you have had very much training, and this mission is going to be more dangerous than anything even most fully trained Warriors have had to face. And I am not sending a single one of you out there to die unless you understand and accept the risk."

"Do you have any choice?"

That soft voice edged with bitterness belonged to Serina. She was the least professional of the lot, with her pouting and refusal to act like an adult, much less a responsible Warrior. Apollo sighed and resolved to remain calm, no matter how she provoked him.

"Yes, Serina, I do have a choice. Just because the options aren't pleasant doesn't mean that they aren't there."

"So what are your options? It seems to me that you have none."

He'd be willing to bet his last danger bonus against a safety pin that she wasn't talking about the mission. She had that predatory look on her face again, the one that said louder than words that she was going to get him no matter what.

But he ignored the look and treated the question as though it really applied to the mission. "Well, Starbuck and I could fly the mission on our own, without cover. Or we could stall the fleet, hold back until the fully qualified Warriors are well again. Or you could quit questioning the Captain's word—oh wait. I forgot. You're a reporter, and that's just not possible."

More than one of the women snickered. Brie raised her hand, one eyebrow lifted in a silent question. Apollo nodded permission.

"Captain, I think we all appreciate that this is a dangerous mission. But please, give us some credit here. This fleet is all we have left, and I for one am proud to be part of its defense. It's true, I don't want to die just yet, but I'd rather die doing my part to fight the Cylons than sit here helpless."

There were nods and murmurs of agreement from all the others. Apollo looked at each and every one of them, with their smooth young faces and their innocent eyes that had never seen the true horrors of battle. If he had his choice, none of them ever would, or at least not until they were as ready as training could make them.

But really, no matter what he'd said to Serina, he didn't have much choice.

"Right, then. This is what we're going to do..."

flicker

The heat was intense. And when the uniforms were gone, leaving nothing but naked flesh sliding against more naked flesh, the heat grew even more intense, until I was vaguely surprised that the fire alarm hadn't sounded.

Somehow, we made it to the bed. Starbuck pushed me over, then grabbed me by the hips with hands so hot they felt like branding irons. I sprawled across the bed and panted desperately with lungs that no longer seemed to function; tried to move and only succeeded in moaning. Starbuck's toungue was leaving trails of fire along my inner thighs. And then that hot mouth captured the head of my cock and I thought I was going to die.

flicker

"Apollo, what's on your mind? You look a million metrics away."

"I am." Apollo sighed and shifted his attention back to his best friend. "Sorry. I know I'm not all that good company tonight."

Starbuck snorted. "You're never that good company. Am I supposed to notice a difference?"

"Very cute, Bucko." Apollo aimed a half-hearted punch at Starbuck's shoulder, then sighed again.

"So what's your problem? You're not getting away with it that easily."

"Just thinking about Serina, that's all."

Starbuck became unnaturally still and quiet. "Oh," he said eventually, then reached for his ale and had a drink.

"She almost had me, the other night," Apollo said glumly, fiddling with the napkin that should have been under Starbuck's sweating mug. "It was only the alert that saved me from having to do something I can't shake the feeling I shouldn't do."

"So don't do it." Starbuck shrugged, the normal Starbuck carelessness in the gesture and tone, but not in his eyes. "You hardly know the woman, after all. How are you supposed to make a life-altering decision based on knowing someone for a couple sectons? And right now is hardly a good time to go getting sealed, anyway. Yeah, it sounded like a good idea right after the Destruction, but we're talking permanent here. You know?"

"Yeah, I think that's the problem. I know." Apollo wadded up the napkin, then pulled it straight again. A corner tore off when he tugged too hard. He set about reducing it methodically to its smallest possible component parts. "It's a whole lifetime of being attached to the same woman, which suddenly doesn't seem very enjoyable. I mean... I don't know what I mean."

"I think you mean it's a lifetime of being tied to her."

Apollo shook his head. "Not just that. I'm not sure I want to have a woman messing up my life forever."

Starbuck looked away. "I'd have to agree with you on that one."

Apollo took a breath, hesitated, and changed what he'd been about to say. "And I'm afraid she's going to blow the mission, somehow."

Starbuck didn't seem to notice the awkward pause. "If there's a way, she'll find it, Sagan knows."

"And the stakes are just too high this time. We can't afford to blow this one."

"For the sake of the Fleet, and all that." Starbuck didn't seem all that concerned. Instead, he stretched casually and pulled out a fumarillo. "Want to head over to the Star and sit in on a game or two? Seeing as it might be our last night, and all."

Apollo sighed.

flicker

"I can't believe you're here," I said, staring at the man outside my door with wide eyes.

"Yeah, well, neither can I, and not for the reason you probably think."

Starbuck smiled and walked past me. I watched him. in a daze. Starbuck tossed his uniform jacket over the arm of the seating unit and sat down, laughing when he saw that I was still standing with one hand on the door panel and my jaw hanging loose.

"Hey, buddy, would you mind shutting that door? And get over here. You look really silly just standing there."

"Uh... okay." I got the door closed and my mouth as well. I knew I couldn't quit staring, though, so didn't bother to try, just made my way over to the seating unit where I could stare in comfort.

"What are you doing here?"

"I think we've got some unfinished business," Starbuck replied, with a look that could melt an ice planet. "You never expected to get off that rock, did you?"

"Uh... no." My mind didn't want to work at all.

"Neither did I, and that was a damn shame. But here we are, and I'm tired of you trying to avoid me."

That smile should come with a warning lable. I fiddled with the collar of my uniform, trying to loosen it so I could breathe better. But then it didn't matter, because Starbuck was kissing me and I couldn't get a breath to save my life.

The room spun. I had thought the fire was hot, but it was nothing compared to this.

spark

The target was there in front of them: the Fleet's last operational fuel tanker, stolen in a raid by desperate Cylons who'd been bombed out and couldn't get back home. Apollo checked his group, gestured the women to close up formation. The stragglers moved in.

One lone centurion stood guard, pacing back and forth tirelessly.

The bombed-out Cylon outpost was actually in worse shape than they'd anticipated. Originally it had posessed two Raider bays and a full garrison. Now, the remaining Raiders, all twelve of them, were perched outside on the surface of the asteroid. The other bay, where the landing party had hidden their Vipers, was blocked to such an extent that a wider Raider would never be able to fit. The corridor connecting the two bays was filled with rubble, as was this bay.

The six Warriors moved silently behind a large pile of rubble, all attention focused on the lone Cylon guard.

Apollo hesitated. He knew the plan, Starbuck knew the plan, and he was reasonably confident that even Serina knew the plan. But he still didn't feel right about it. Then Starbuck attracted his attention, indicating that he should look at something down low, beneath the tanker.

Apollo dropped low to look, stretching around a large lump of rock, and nearly groaned aloud. On the other side of the tanker was a stockpile of raw tylium, evidently waiting to be refined into fuel, which would then go into the tanker. Wonderful. Why were things never as easy as they should be?

Right, then. No hope for it, things were going to be tough no matter what. Apollo gestured for Dietra and Brie to join him, made sure they saw the raw tylium, then rose silently to his feet. He'd have to hope the two women were good enough pilots to get the tanker off the ground without hitting the tylium with their backblast. Starbuck had refused to even attempt to bring the tanker home, on the grounds that any reasonably competent pilot could fly the thing. But who would watch Apollo's back if he wasn't there to do it?

The centurion continued to pace.

Apollo caught Ammy's eye and nodded, giving her the "ready" signal, but couldn't find Serina. His eyes darted to the faces of the the three women, then to Starbuck, whose expression changed from expectation to horror as he realized who was missing. As one, they spun to search the pile of rubble that stretched nearly to the exit portal.

Serina was there, almost to the portal, weapon drawn and aimed at the Cylon. Apollo had no sooner taken a step forward than she fired.

The Cylon went down in an impressive flare of sparks.

Apollo gave up on caution and shouted to Dietra and Brie to run, then pelted across the demolished hangar floor to reach Serina.

Laser fire reached her first. He saw her body spin, eyes wide with shock, then fall.

Apollo dove for cover, firing steadily, as a squad of centurions came pouring out of a passage, hidden behind the tanker.

The two girls must have reached the ship, because the engines were revving up.

Apollo raced to rejoin Starbuck and Ammy. They fired blasts at the Cylons from behind the dubious safety of the rubble pile, causing enough confusion to let the tanker fly clear of the ruined base.

The Cylons ducked behind the raw tylium for cover.

"Hold your fire!" Apollo snapped, utterly horrified. Starbuck had already done so, well aware of the potential danger, but Ammy was aiming even as he spoke. "Ammy, make a run for the Vipers. Got it? We'll follow, cover your retreat."

She nodded, then was off like a shot, back through the partially blocked access corridor.

The centurions resumed firing at the running Warrior.

Starbuck jumped to the side, peering through a gap in the rubble."What the frack? Apollo, don't they realize—"

"Shut up and get back here," Apollo hissed, yanking Starbuck back behind a particularly large hunk of rock. "Either they don't know or they don't care."

"Now what?"

"You're the gambler, you tell me! Should we run for it, risk them coming after us?"

"If that bloody tylium heats up any further, we won't have to worry about that, at any rate."

A laser bolt detonated directly over their heads. At least one of the centurions had good aim.

Outside, the remaining complement of Raiders was finally off the ground. Apollo hoped Ammy had made it to her Viper, and that the remaining six Vipers had caught the tanker launch on their radar in time to provide cover.

"Apollo? Why are they still firing at us?"

Apollo had never heard that note of panic in Starbuck's voice before, and didn't know how to respond to it.

"Ah, hell. Doesn't matter if they are or not. Look."

Apollo looked, edging his head cautiously between two rocks to see. The tylium was smouldering, tiny little flames starting to flicker where the determined centurions had rested their weapons.

flicker

The fire spread.

Apollo turned to look at Starbuck.

"Apollo... back there!"

Starbuck grabbed him by the hand and tugged him back, back, into the corridor and a small, tight crevice.

One more laser bolt shot past them.

Apollo noticed with unnatural clarity that he now had an excellent view of the fire creeping along the edges of the tylium blocks.

Apollo looked at Starbuck.

pause

The light of the fire flickered and danced, highlighting Starbuck's hair in reddish orange and glinting from his eyes. Apollo thought he'd never seen anything more beautiful.

"Starbuck..."

"What?"

"We're not going to make it this time, are we?"

"Kinda looks that way, doesn't it," Starbuck nodded, for once serious.

"Yeah." Then Apollo smiled. "Right, then. We're not going to make it."

Then he did what he wanted so very badly to do, just reached out and pulled Starbuck close to him as though it were the most natural thing in the world. As their lips met, part of him noticed that the fire had done something weird: all the flames were retreating, as though some giant was sucking in his breath and drawing the fire with it. An instinct too powerful to ignore made him pull Starbuck down with him just as all hell broke loose.

flashpoint

The flames washed over them with a soundless roar, in a moment that lasted a lifetime. Apollo and Starbuck cowered back into their meager shelter, reduced to nothing but fear and awe by the raging monster the fire had become. It looked as though even the air were burning. The flames washed through the Raider bay and down the corridor in a great wave with a sound straight from a nightmare.

Flashpoint: the point at which a flammable material or gas reaches critical temperature and ignites.

Somehow, Apollo had never thought he'd be trapped in a live demonstration of what his chemistry teacher had lectured on so long ago. The air seared his lungs and he coughed, burying his face in Starbuck's shoulder. The uniform fabric actually helped him take a small, pain-free breath.

They really weren't going to make it, not this time.

The last thing Apollo was aware of before he passed out was Starbuck in his arms.

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