Starbuck stood against the glass, overlooking the flight deck from the ready room. Below, Apollo paced back and forth in front of his full crew of a hundred and twelve, giving them a final rousing speech before releasing them for four hours of leave time. They were due to set out for Gamoray today, and he wanted to be sure his crew had a chance to say their farewells properly. A scout had reported back in just last night with the news that the entire Cylon fleet had massed at the world of Gamoray for the Gathering. No one was quite sure exactly what the purpose of the Gathering was, but all Cylons would attend at any cost. It was the best chance for the humans to make their strike. The next Gathering wouldn't happen for ten years.

Starbuck tried very hard not to think of the dozen or so base ships in orbit around Gamoray. Instead, he watched Pol.

It had been over a year, now- a year filled with love and hot sex. He smiled. Never before had he even suspected Pol could care about him in that way... or that he could return the feeling so eagerly. The glow hadn't faded at all- Starbuck still felt like a schoolboy in love for the first time. When Pol smiled, when his eyes lit up- Starbuck just melted. It wasn't even hard to remain faithful, since he had absolutely no interest in anyone else. He had never made such a commitment to anyone before- hell, the longest he'd ever stayed with anyone had been six months or so with Ellie. But strangely enough, it didn't frighten him. What he shared with Pol was far too wonderful to be frightened of. The last year had been filled with amazing discoveries, mainly in bed. Starbuck smiled and licked his lips. Oh yes, in bed... which was where he intended to have his lover as soon as he was finished firing up the troops.

He looked again at the crew. They all looked very smart in their uniforms, a far cry from the eager but completely untrained crowd of a year ago. They'd learned a lot, been through a lot... like the repeated attacks of the Cylon Death Cult. Starbuck sighed. The Cult was no longer a problem- they had essentially destroyed themselves in a failed strike at Futurity Base. Zymand was still out there, though. He ground his teeth, wishing again for the chance to knock that arrogant bastard flat.

Movement below broke into his thoughts. The crew of the Patrolstar was leaving rapidly. Apollo made his way towards the stairs and Starbuck went to join him.

"Did you get them all fired up, Pol?"

Apollo sighed heavily. "Yes. They're all ready to go, ready to risk everything against odds that are so overwhelming I don't even want to think about them. One ship, against the entire Cylon fleet... we're insane."

"Insane? Possibly." Starbuck grinned. "Insanely in love? Definitely."

Apollo smiled. "So... what do you want to do with our four hours of free time?"

"Need you ask?"

Starbuck's heart turned over with a happy flip at the look in Pol's eyes. Love, devotion, lust- everything he'd always wanted and never knew where to look for. Together, they set off for their shared quarters.