BY YOUR COMMAND - Static ARCHIVE

Lieutenant Starbuck walked into his stepson's room and saw that the boy was looking in the mirror. "What's up, kiddo?" he asked. Boxey was just about to turn twelve yahrens old and Starbuck and Apollo were trying to plan a special celebration for him.

"Just trying to see if I can find any resemblance to my mother," Boxey said with a sigh.

"You been thinking about your mother lately?" Starbuck asked. Boxey's mother had died when he was just six yahrens old, only a few days after she'd married Apollo.

"Sometimes," the boy answered. "Do you ever think about yours?"

"Yeah, once in a while. But I don't remember much about her." Starbuck had spent most of his childhood in an orphanage before leaving to go to the Academy and training to be a Colonial Warrior.

"Do you miss her?" Boxey asked.

"Sure I miss her. And Apollo misses his mother, too." Apollo's mother had been killed when Caprica was destroyed by the Cylons.

"I'm afraid I'll forget my mom," said Boxey.

"Boxey, don't worry about that. There may be times when you don't think about her for days, or sectons, even, but you'll never forget her."

"You know, Boxey isn't my real name."

"It's not?" asked Starbuck.

"No, it was a nickname my parents gave me when I was a baby. My real name is Troy."

This was the first time Starbuck had heard Boxey refer to his "parents." Usually he only talked about his mother. It was easy to forget that Apollo was not Boxey's real father. No, Apollo *was* Boxey's "real" father, just not his birth father.

"So what do you want to be called, then?" Starbuck wanted to know.

Boxey/Troy shrugged. "Doesn't matter. I'm used to Boxey, but I'm almost twelve yahrens old ...one of these days I'll be too old for it."

"Well, let me know when that day comes, and I'll try to remember to call you Troy." Then a thought struck him. "You mentioned your parents ... do you remember your birth father at all?" He assumed Boxey's father had been killed on Caprica, but Boxey never talked about him the way he talked about Serena.

A distant look appeared on Boxey's face. "Not really. He wasn't actually married to my mother, I don't think. We didn't see him much. He came by once in awhile, on my birthday usually, but he never stayed long. He did come for us during the attack on Caprica, but we got separated and I never saw him again after that."

"Did Apollo try to find him?"

"How would he? I didn't even know his name, and my mother didn't talk about him. I don't think he meant much to her. And we never found my birth certificate, so there wasn't any way to find out his name."

"I never knew my father," Starbuck commented. "Never even met him once."

Boxey came over and gave him a hug. "But in spite of that, you're a great dad."

Starbuck returned the hug. Such displays of affection were becoming rarer as Boxey got older and sought 'independence' from his dads, and he treasured them when he could.

***

When Boxey arrived back at their quarters after learning period the next day, Apollo and Starbuck were discussing the plans for his birthday party.

"Do you want it to be just our family, or do you want to do something with your friends from class?" Apollo asked.

"Both," said Boxey. "Just not at the same time." He turned to go into his room, but Apollo stopped him.

"Hold on a moment, young man. Come here." Boxey complied reluctantly. As he approached Apollo could see the definite signs of a black eye.

"What happened?"

Boxey sighed. "Nothing," he said.

"That's not 'nothing'. Tell me," Apollo ordered.

Boxey shrugged. "I got into a fight at school. No big deal."

"Why did you fight when I've told you not to?" Apollo demanded.

"The other kid said some things," Boxey muttered.

"What kind of things?" his father asked.

"Stuff about how I'm the Commander's grandson so I supposedly get some sort of special priveleges."

Apollo's tone became more gentle. "We've talked about this before, Boxey. You know that the other kids are going to talk like that. It happened to me when I was in school."

"But at least you weren't on a Battlestar with your dad as the Commander!" exclaimed Boxey.

"No, but I was on Caprica and my father was a member of the Council of Twelve. And I was in the Academy where we actually studied my father's battle strategies. I came in for my share of gossip."

"Believe me, he did," Starbuck put in

Apollo laughed at a memory. "Starbuck and I didn't always get along," he said.

"You didn't?" Boxey had grown up hearing stories about how Starbuck and Apollo had been friends since they were in the Academy together.

"I thought he was a slacker," said Apollo.

"And I thought he was a spoiled rich kid," said Starbuck.

"So what happened?" Boxey asked eagerly. He liked hearing stories about his fathers' time together in the Academy.

"The staff at the Academy made us roommates. I think they figured we would either kill each other or become friends," answered Apollo.

"We did come pretty close to killing each other a few times," Starbuck put in. "But we did learn to tolerate each other, and eventually even to like each other."

Apollo reached over and took Starbuck's hand. "And then, two yahrens ago, we learned to love each other."

Boxey rolled his eyes. "Okay, enough mushy stuff already, Dads."

Apollo brought them back to the subject at hand. "All right, Boxey, about your fighting. You know what I said about fighting. You're confined to quarters for a secton. Go it?"

Boxey groaned but didn't argue. "I got it."

Later that evening Boxey approached Starbuck. "Starbuck, remember when we were talking about my mom?"

"Yeah, I do. What about it?"

"I was wondering ... what do you remember about her?" Boxey asked.

"I'm sure your father could tell you more than I can," Starbuck said.

"I know, but I want to hear what *you* remember about her."

"Okay." Starbuck thought for a few centons. "She was very beautiful. She was brave. She approached Adama on Caprica to ask him to help the survivors of the Cylon attack. She was a good cook, according to Athena. And she was a good Viper pilot. And she loved you very much."

"Thank you," Boxey said solemnly, and left the room.

A couple of sectons later, Boxey's indiscretions forgotten and his punishement over, he and his family were having a birthday celebration. Apollo, Starbuck, Athena, Cassiopia, Adama and Lt. Boomer were there. Boxey had insisted on inviting Boomer. He had been close to the warrior since Boomer had saved him and many other Galactica personnel from a fire that had resulted from a Cylon attack, several yahrens ago.

In the middle of the festivities, the communications panel on the wall of Adamas' quarters beeped. Adama picked up the handset and spoke a few words. Then he approached Apollo. "It seems someone wants to see me, and won't take no for an answer. He's apparently on his way here. I'll get rid of him as quickly as possible."

***

Adama left the party to talk to the stranger. He reappeared after a few centons and went to find Apollo and Starbuck.

"Starbuck, Apollo, this gentleman has something to say ... I think you should hear it."

The two warriors followed the Commander to where the strange man was waiting. "I'm Captain Apollo, this is Lieutenant Starbuck. Did you want to see us?"

"How do you do, Captain, Lieutenant. My name is Saracen. I'm Boxey's - Troy's - father."

Apollo blanched and almost fell over. Starbuck immediately put an arm out and caught him. Keeping the arm around Apollo, he turned to Saracen.

"If you're Boxey's father, where have you been for the past six yahrens?" he asked.

"I knew you would ask that. I was very badly hurt in the attack on Caprica. It took me a long time to recover - more than a yahren. When I finally recovered I tried to find Boxey, but I had no idea where to look. Word filtered through the fleet that Serena was dead, and I assumed Boxey had been killed as well. Then a few sectares ago I heard someone talking about the Commander's grandson and said that his name was Boxey. I asked around until I was almost certain it was the same Boxey, and then I arranged to take a job on the Galactica so that I could be close to him. Then I overheard Lt. Boomer talking to Athena about this birthday party. I always made a point of visiting Boxey on his birthday, so here I am."

"I guess you want to see him, " Apollo said, trying to remain calm.

"Yes, very much," answered Saracen.

Two very worried warriors went and fetched their son. They told him that someone wanted to wish him a happy birthday and introduced him to Saracen, not telling him who the man was.

"Hello, Boxey," said Saracen, holding out his hand to the boy. "Happy twelfth birthday."

"Thank you," said Boxey politely, refusing the hand. "Who are you?"

"I'm your father, Boxey."

Boxey looked puzzled. "No, this is my father," he said, putting an arm around Apollo, "and this is my stepfather." He put his other arm around Starbuck.

"Listen to me, Boxey," said Saracen sternly. "I'm your REAL father. Your birth father. Don't you remember me?"

"NO! I don't! Apollo is my real father!" Boxey cried. He turned and ran back into the party.

Saracen turned to follow him but Starbuck restrained him. "Let Apollo go talk to him," he suggested, in a tone that tolerated no argument. Apollo followed his son into the Commander's quarters.

He found the boy in a bedroom. "Boxey, this is as much a surprise to me as it is to you," he started.

"Why didn't you tell me that my real father was alive?" the boy asked.

"I didn't know. I asked Serena about him, and she said he'd been killed. She was sure she'd seen him get caught in an explosion on Caprica during the attack. I guess that was when he was hurt." He explained about Saracen's debilitating injury and how it had taken him this long to find Boxey.

"Do I have to go with him? Live with him?"

"I don't know," the Captain replied. "We haven't discussed that. I only met him a few centons before you did. I have no idea what he wants, other than to see you and wish you a happy birthday."

"I don't want to live with him, Dad," Boxey whispered. "I want to stay with you and Starbuck."

Apollo took his son into his arms. "I want you to stay too. Hopefully Saracen will see that you belong with us. You've lived with me for six yahrens. And it doesn't sound like he had much to do with you and your mother when you lived on Caprica. Maybe he just wants to say hello, let you know he's alive."

***

Meanwhile, at the birthday party, Lt. Boomer had been observing the goings-on. He stepped out into the hallway where Starbuck appeared to be having a staring match with a stranger.

"What's going on here, Starbuck?" he asked.

Starbuck gestured toward Saracen. "Boomer, this is Saracen. He's Boxey's birth father."

Boomer started in surprise, recovered and offered the man his hand. "How do you do. I'm - "

"Lieutenant Boomer, yes, I've seen you around. Are you a friend of Boxey's?"

"I'm a friend of his entire family," said Boomer. "Starbuck and Apollo have been my friends for yahrens."

Saracen muttered something non-committal. It was obvious to the two warriors that he didn't know what to make of Starbuck and Apollo's relationship, or Starbuck's relationship to Boxey. He hadn't said anything about it so far. Starbuck wondered if he didn't want to say anything in case he upset Boxey any more than he already was.

"So ...Lieutenant Starbuck. You and Captain Apollo have been - together - for a while?" Saracen asked.

"Yes," said Starbuck hesitantly. "The three of us, Apollo, myself and Boxey, have lived together *as a family* for two yahrens, but I've been friends with Apollo since we were roommates in the Academy. When Serena was killed, I became a sort of second father to Boxey."

"Well, I do ... appreciate all that you and Captain Apollo have done for my son. It couldn't have been easy, raising someone else's child."

"It wasn't all that difficult," Starbuck snorted. "Both of us love Boxey. We couldn't love him more if he was our own."

Saracen laughed. "But the two of you can't have children of your own."

Starbuck glared at him. Boomer shot him a look that told him to "cool it." Starbuck took a deep breath. "No, that's true, two men can't produce children. But that doesn't matter; it doesn't make any difference to the way either of us feel about Boxey, even if neither of us is his biological parent."

"But don't you think a child belongs with his natural parents?" Saracen asked.

The Lieutenant shrugged. "I don't know enough about what it's like to have 'natural' parents to say. I'm an orphan, myself."

Saracen looked uncomfortable. "Oh. I see. I'm er, I'm sorry to hear that."

Starbuck shrugged. "It doesn't bother me, really. It's not like I know anything else. But since I've known Apollo, he's made me part of his family. Commander Adama is like a father to me."

"I guess family is what you make it," Boomer put in philosophically. "Since so many of us lost people in the destruction of the colonies, we've formed new families here on the Galactica, and in the fleet, too."

Starbuck could tell that Boomer was attempting to defuse the tension between himself and Saracen. He assumed that Boxey's 'father' didn't approve of his son's living with two men who were lovers, but Starbuck reminded himself that the other man didn't really have anything to say about it. Surely his absence for the last six yahrens meant that he had no right to interfere in Boxey's life.

Eventually, Apollo and Boxey emerged. "I'm sorry I ran away like that," Boxey said, staring at the floor.

"Hey, I understand. I guess this was kind of a surprise for you," said Saracen.

"I didn't know you were alive. My mom thought you'd been killed on Caprica," Boxey explained.

"I didn't know you were alive, either, Boxey - Troy. Do they still call you Boxey?"

"Yeah," Boxey said with a shrug.

"That's kind of a childish nickname, don't you think? Surely a twelve-yahren old is too big for such a baby name."

Boxey frowned. "It's what my mom called me. It's what everyone's always called me."

"Just because someone has 'always' done something doesn't mean it's the right thing. I tried to talk your mother into calling you by your real name for yahrens."

Apollo intervened before things got messy. "Look, it's getting late and there's a party that we're supposed to be attending. Why don't we get together and talk about this tomorrow after Boxey's learning period."

"I had intended to take Boxey back to my quarters - our quarters - tonight," said Saracen.

"NO!" shouted Boxey. "I'm not going anywhere with you!"

"Troy, I'm your father."

"No you're not! Apollo is my father, and so is Starbuck!"

"Look, why don't we discuss this after a good night's sleep? Come by our quarters tomorrow, Saracen, and we'll try to work things out," Apollo suggested.

"All right," said the other man. "I'll see you tomorrow, Troy."

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Boxey muttered under his breath.

When Saracen had left, Boomer turned to Starbuck and Apollo. "Man, that guy has some nerve! He shows up out of nowhere, no word for six yahrens, and wants to take Boxey with him when they've just met!"

"Well, if I'd gone for six yahrens without seeing my son, I'd probably feel the same way," Apollo commented.

"Dad, that's different," Boxey said. "We live together, you see me every day. Him - I saw him once or twice a year, maybe. I was like some kind of obligation. That is if he really is my father at all."

"Think we should ask him to take a blood test?" Starbuck suggested.

"That might be a good idea, Apollo," Boomer agreed.

"I don't see why he would claim to be Boxey's father if he's not. Besides, he knows that Boxey's real name is Troy, and he knows that Boxey's father visited him on his birthdays," Apollo pointed out.

"Any friend of Serena's could know that. Or friends of Boxey's so-called 'real' father," said Starbuck.

"Even if he *is* my father, I don't want anything to do with him! He hasn't acted anything like a father. You guys are my fathers - both of you. Not him," Boxey stated firmly.

Starbuck turned to his lover. "Apollo, what is our legal position, in regards to custody of Boxey?"

"I don't know," replied Apollo. "I never really thought about it. It was never an issue before."

"I think that tomorrow, the first thing we do is find out. We need to know what our rights are, and what Boxey's rights are, and what Saracen's rights are."

"I think that we'd better go back to the party. What there is left of it," suggested Boomer.

"My father has told Athena and Cassie what's happening," said Apollo. "I think the party's over."

Apollo finally convinced Boxey to go to bed, assuring him as well as he could that they wouldn't let Saracen take him, though he wasn't certain he *could * promise that. When he left, Boxey had curled up with Muffit, his robot daggit. He seldom played with the droid these days. Apollo took that as a sign of how anxious his son really was.

He climbed into bed next to Starbuck, comforted by his lover's presence. Starbuck wrapped his arms around him and held him close.

"You're worried, aren't you?" Starbuck asked.

Apollo sighed. "Of course I'm worried. Aren't you?"

"Yes, I'm worried. I'm worried about Boxey and I'm worried about you. If the worst happens .. if we lose him ..are you going to make it?"

"What are you talking about?" Apollo asked.

"Look, I know you. Boxey is your life. What will you do if he goes to live with Saracen?"

"He won't," Apollo stated firmly.

"Not by his own choice, but what if this guy has some sort of legal claim on him?"

"It won't happen."

"You sound pretty sure about that. Do you know something I don't?"

"Boxey belongs with us. Everyone knows that. How could anyone possibly consider sending him to live with a complete stranger?"

"I'm not so sure 'everyone' knows that, Apollo. I mean, look at us - what do they think we are? A couple of lonely old bachelors? No, we're lovers. I'm sure there must be some who think that living with us isn't the best environment for a child."

"It hasn't made any difference the last two yahrens, why would it make a difference now?" Apollo asked.

"Two yahrens ago we didn't know that Boxey's birth father was still alive. I'm not all that up on the laws, but I wouldn't be surprised if a so-called natural parent has preference over a step- parent and his male lover."

Apollo groaned. Finally he pulled Starbuck close to him. "Let's not talk about it anymore, not tonight, please? Let's not *think* about it. Just ... help me forget for awhile?"

Starbuck began kissing Apollo, starting with his face and moving downward. "Anything for you, my love."

***

The next day, Starbuck and Apollo met with a solicitor while Boxey was at school. The woman, whose name was Cassandra, didn't sound very optimistic.

"There's no paperwork specifying that you're Boxey's legal guardian, Captain Apollo," she said.

"Serena died before we could take care of that," Apollo pointed out. "But I was married to her. She was Boxey's mother. Doesn't that count for something?"

"It did as long as it was assumed Boxey's birth father was dead," Cassandra pointed out. "But now that he's shown up alive, well, that's an entirely different situation. Do you know for sure that he is really Boxey's father? Do you have any blood tests or anythign?"

"No, we don't," answered Apollo.

"But we're going to get some," added Starbuck.

"Why do we need to get blood tests? Isn't his saying that he's Boxey's father enough?" Apollo asked.

"We don't know anything for sure," answered the solicitor. "There could be any number of reasons why this man would make up a story like this, not the least of which is Boxey's being Commander Adama's grandson."

"I didn't think of that," sighed Apollo.

"Get this Saracen to take a blood test and a DNA test. When you have the results, come back to me and we'll figure out what to do, assuming they show him to really be Boxey's father."

"What if he *is* Boxey's father?" Starbuck wanted to know.

Cassandra sighed. "If he is, I'm afraid we may have a custody fight on our hands."

"I was afraid of that," said Starbuck sadly. "Look, Apollo and I have raised Boxey since his mother died. This Saracen guy was nowhere to be seen, and now he shows up out of the blue and thinks he can just take Boxey! It isn't right."

"It might not be right, but it is legal," replied the solicitor.

"Why can't he be at least get to know Boxey before he decides he wants him to live with him?" Apollo wondered.

"It may be that he's just anxious to make up for lost time," Cassandra tried to reassure him.

"I don't trust this guy," Starbuck muttered.

"We can at least give him the benefit of the doubt," said Apollo.

"Why should we? He wants to take Boxey away from us."

"There is one other thing," the solicitor put in.

"What's that?" Apollo inquired.

"Your relationship with Lieutenant Starbuck. It's not exactly ... well, it's not considered to be normal by a lot of people."

"And I suppose it would be normal if I were married to a woman instead," said Apollo.

"Well, yes. I hate to put it so bluntly but if this comes to litigation, it will be an issue."

"Hopefully it won't come to that," Apollo sighed.

"But if it does, we're going to fight every step of the way for Boxey," Starbuck put in.

"Won't Boxey's wishes be taken into account ? Surely what he wants will make a difference," Apollo said.

"I'm not certain, to tell you the truth," answered Sandra. "In most cases, it would be, but with the two of you being together, you might be considered to be influencing him in a negative way."

"Negative?!" exclaimed Starbuck. "We love Boxey! Apollo's raised him since he was six! Everything he's ever needed, Apollo and I have provided for him. How can we be a negative influence?"

"I'm not saying that you are, but others may see it that way. The magistrates tend to be conservative and old-fashioned," stated Cassandra.

"Frak," swore Apollo.

"Look, Apollo, we may be over reacting. Maybe Saracen isn't really Boxey's father. Maybe he'll lay off the idea of having Boxey live with him," Starbuck tried to sound reassuring.

"Or he might turn out to be Boxey's father and he might take Boxey away from us," Apollo sounded defeated.

"It's not like he'd be taking Boxey far away. He'd still be on the Galactica, close by."

"But it wouldn't be the same," said Apollo sadly.

"Hey, don't give up yet! We don't know all the facts. We may be borrowing trouble." Cassandra tried to sound positive, but it was difficult. "You have an extended family - Boxey's aunt and grandfather. Saracen doesn't have anyone like that, as far as we know. That should work in your favour."

Apollo tried to give the solicitor a smile. He stood up and turned to Starbuck. "We'd better be going. It's almost time to meet Saracen."

"Let me know how it goes," Cassandra requested. "And be sure to get him to take a blood test."

"I'll make sure of it!" Starbuck promised.

They arrived back at their quarters to find Saracen already there waiting, but no Boxey.

"Well? Where's my son?" Saracen demanded.

"He's not back from school yet. Give him a few centons," Apollo said as calmly as he could manage.

The three men sat down. Saracen was the first to speak.

"I thought I should make my intentions clear. Boxey - Troy - is my son. He belongs with me and I intend to take him back to my quarters as soon as I can. I realize he's lived with you, Captain Apollo, for several yahrens but he's a big boy, almost an adult, I'm sure he can adjust."

Starbuck interrupted. "Do you have any proof that you are who you say you are? Would you be willing to take a blood test?"

Saracen looked surprised and hesitated, but only for a moment. "Of course, of course I'll take a blood test. I'll do anything to get my son back."

"You never had him in the first place," Starbuck muttered, but not loudly enough for anyone to hear. Out loud he said, "What makes you think Boxey will even want to live with you? This is his home, it has been for a long time."

"Home? It's just officers' quarters. We have no real *home* Lieutenant, until we find Earth. As for Troy wanting to live with me, he may seem a bit reluctant but once he settles in he'll be fine."

"Fine? You'll be taking him away from the only home he's known for most of his life," Apollo finally spoke. "It may be temporary until we find Earth, but a home isn't a location or a physical place, it's the people and the feeling that make it home. Boxey grew up here. He knows he's loved. Why do you want to take him away from that?"

"Because I will *not* have my son growing up with a couple of perverts! He's almost a teenager, soon he's going to want to know about sex and girls - at least I hope it'll be girls!"

"Don't you think we know enough about the subject?" asked Starbuck, slightly amused. "After all, Apollo was married to Serena, and I wasn't exactly a monk before I married him."

"I know your reputation, Lieutenant. That's another reason I want to get Boxey away from the two of you."

Starbuck fumed but didn't say anything. Any action he took now could reflect on his ability to be a parent to Boxey and he didn't want to endanger that. Apollo gave him a sympathetic look.

"What I mean by bringing up Troy's age and the fact that he will be hitting puberty soon is the fact that seeing his father in an intimate relationship with a man means that he won't have any healthy role models. It could confuse him as to the natural state of male-female relations."

"Pardon me for saying so, but I believe you aren't married?" asked Starbuck.

"Not at the moment, no."

"Well, how will you be a role model for him then? A model for male-remale relationships, that is."

"I do not lack for female companionship."

"Isn't that just what you were criticizing Starbuck for?" Apollo pointed out.

"I am referring to monogamous relationships, not chasing after anything with two legs which I believe the Lieutenant is known for."

"*Was* known for," muttered Starbuck.

"Boxey saw me with his mother before her death. And I don't believe that my relationship with Starbuck is at all unnatural. There are plenty of heterosexual couples everywhere you look on the Galactica. I believe that many of his classmates have opposite-sex parents. But personally, I don't think the gender of my partner is what's important. What is important is that Boxey has two parents who love each other and love him."

"But how stable is your relationship with Lieutenant Starbuck, Captain? "

"What do you mean, and how is that any of your business, anyway?" asked Apollo.

"Well, look at Troy's life so far. His mother refused to marry me, meaning he spent the first six years of his life with a single parent who was quite a celebrity on Caprica. As a journalist, her life was not exactly stable. She could be called out to cover a story at any time of the day or night, and often had to scramble to find someone to stay with Troy.

"Then, when he was six yahrens old, his home was destroyed, and he lost everything important to him - myself, his home, his beloved pet daggit, his school, his friends. Then his mother brings him aboard a Battlestar where she trains to be a Viper pilot. She marries the first attractive man she meets - it doesn't hurt that he is the son of Commander Adama, of course. Suddenly Troy has a stepfather that he barely knows. Then his mother is killed. He's left alone with a man he has just met who is determined to raise him alone, even though there are plenty of childless couples in the fleet who would love to have a child to raise, especially those who lost children in the destruction of the colonies. But no, Captain Apollo is going to be a parent, even though he has a dangerous job as a Colonial Warrior and could be killed any time he goes on patrol. He is constantly shuttling the child between his family and friends to take care of him when he has an assignment or a patrol to do. Why it was only a few sectons after Serena died that Captain Apollo went missing on patrol and Lieutenant Starbuck took Troy to stay in the Bachelor Officer's Quarters and taught him to play cards!"

Starbuck and Apollo traded glances. How did this man know so much about their lives?

"I still don't see what you're getting at. What does this have to do with my and Starbuck's relationship?" Apollo asked again.

"I'm getting to that. So, Troy came close to losing another parent almost immediately after his mother was killed. Then you and Lieutenant Starbuck take him to an ice planet with a group of convicts on an extremely dangerous mission! I do not know what you were thinking when you did that."

Apollo started to interrupt, to tell him that it hadn't been his or Starbuck's plan to take Boxey with them to the ice planet, but Saracen didn't listen.

"So," Saracen continued, "eventually you decide to move your lover, Starbuck, in with you and Troy. Were the two of you lovers when you were still married to Serena? I believe that when the Lieutenant was released from his imprisonment by the Cylons, you were very happy to see him - several people have commented on the rather emotional display you put on when he arrived on the planet Kobol."

Knowing that Saracen probably wouldn't listen to his answer anyway, Apollo just said, "Does it matter?"

"Well, I'm just trying to figure out how long you and are going to last. The Lieutenant is not known for having long-lasting relationships."

"Starbuck and I are together permanently. We were sealed two yahrens ago. We have the support of our family and friends. This is for the rest of our lives."

"And how long are your lives likely to be, Captain? As I said, you and the Lieutenant have a rather dangerous occupation."

Apollo took a deep breath before answering. "Yes, it's true that what we do comes with a certain amount of risk. But we take all the precautions we can. We've been warriors for longer than Boxey has been alive and we're still here. Life on the Galactica itself is dangerous. We're in constant danger from the Cylons. Nothing can change that. Starbuck and I watch each other's backs every time we're out there."

"Where is Troy, anyway? You said he should be returning from school within a few centons, and that was more than a few centons ago," Saracen said.

Apollo looked at a chronometer and realized that Boxey was overdue from class. He picked up a handset from the communications panel on the wall and contacted the schoolteacher. Boxey had left school at the usual time, and the teacher didn't know where he had gone after that.

"Oh, this is great," said Saracen with a derisive snort. "You don't know where he is. I take it he didn't bother to tell you he wasn't coming directly home after learning period. You'll have to do better than this if you intend to keep Troy from me."

"I'm sure he'll be back soon," said Apollo with an optimism he didn't feel.

Saracen looked at the time. "Unfortunately, I don't have time to wait for him. I have to go to work. Tell Troy I'll be back tomorrow." He turned to leave. Starbuck grabbed his arm, not very gently.

"What about that blood test?" the Lieutenant demanded.

"Very well, Lieutenant. I'll go by the Life Center tomorrow and take your blood test."

"Good."

Saracen left, and the two warriors stood and looked at each other.

"Now what?" Starbuck asked.

"Now we find Boxey," replied Apollo.

"And how do we do that?"

"We'll try the Leisure center, and I'll see if he could have gone to visit Athena or Father. Other than that ... do you remember the names of any of his friends from school?"

"Sure, there's a few he talks about fairly often."

"We'll ask the teacher if she can tell us where they live, assuming we don't find him before that."

Muffit the daggit barked suddenly. "Maybe we should take Muffit with us. He's pretty good at finding Boxey when he's hiding," Starbuck said.

"Let's see if we can find him in any of the places he's likely to be. If we can't find him, then we'll try using Muffit. He might just be with one of his friends and not be paying attention to the time."

Apollo and Starbuck visited all the places they could think Boxey might go. He wasn't at the Life Center visiting Cassiopia. He wasn't in the Leisure Center. He wasn't in any of his friend's quarters. The two men even checked the Bachelor Officer's Quarters in case Boxey was visiting Boomer or any of the other pilots, but had no luck.

As they were leaving the Officer's Quarters, Lt. Jolly approached them. "Hey, Captain, Starbuck, who was that guy asking all the questions about you two?"

"Questions?" asked Apollo.

"Yeah, about missions you've been on, about the time on Kobol when Starbuck was captured by the Cylons and then got away, about the time on the ice planet with the Ravishol pulsar ..."

Starbuck and Apollo looked at each other. "Saracen," they both said at the same time.

"Who's Saracen?" Jolly queried.

Starbuck sighed. "He says he's Boxey's real father."

"And is he?"

"We don't know yet," answered Apollo. "But we think Boxey doesn't want to see him, and that's why we can't find him."

"Poor kid," said Jolly sympathetically. "You guys have been the best parents anyone could ask for. Whoever that Saracen fella is, I hope he *isn't* Boxey's father."

"Thanks, Jolly," said Apollo. As he and Starbuck turned to leave, Jolly spoke again.

"Hey, let me know if you need any more help finding Boxey. All of us pilots - well, we kind of feel like Boxey's ours in a way, too. Or at least like we're his uncles. Just say the word and we'll be out there searching the ship from stem to stern."

"Thank you, Jolly," Apollo said, touched by Jolly's offer. "We may have to take you up on that. I'll definitely let you know."

Starbuck and Apollo went back to their quarters, hoping that Boxey had arrived home while they were out. But he hadn't, and Apollo sank to a chair, worry etched on his face.

Starbuck tried to be strong for Apollo. He was just as worried as his lover, but it wouldn't do any good if they both collapsed. "Come on," he said. "Let's take Muffit and see if we can find where Boxey went when he left school."

The two warriors took the robot daggit to the classroom and told him, "Find Boxey, Muffit." They didn't need to act twice. Muffit barked happily. The humans wanted to play a game with him, and this pleased him. Quickly he set about tracking the smaller human the way the two larger humans had asked.

Soon, Muffit had led them to an out of the way corner in a little-used part of the Galactica. The area around had been badly damaged during the severe fire that had nearly destroyed the ship several yahrens ago. There was a door set in the wall, probably an old supply closet of some sort. Muffit smacked his paws against the door and yapped.

"I guess he's in here," Starbuck remarked unneccessarily.

Apollo rapped hard on the closet door. "Boxey!" he called. "Boxey, if you're in there, come out, now!"

The door slid open to reveal a guilty-looking Boxey and another boy about his age. They were seated on the floor of the closet with some food, school books and a few hand held electronic games scattered around them. Muffit jumped around his young master, barking and wagging his tail.

"Hi, Dads," murmured Boxey self-consciously. "This is my friend, Dillon. Dillon, these are my two dads - Captain Apollo and Lieutenant Starbuck."

"Hello. Nice to meet you," said Dillon politely.

"Hello, Dillon," Apollo answered the boy's greeting. "We need to talk to Boxey. Will you be okay going home on your own?"

"Oh, sure, I'm fine. I know the way to and from here with my eyes closed. I'll see you in class tomorrow, Troy," he added as he left.

"So," said Apollo as Boxey left the closet and they began the walk back to their quarters. "Do you want to tell me what you were doing here instead of coming home like you were supposed to?"

Boxey sighed. "I didn't want to see him. My supposed father. I don't like him."

"You've only just met him," Apollo pointed out.

"I don't care," answered Boxey. "I don't like him and I don't want anything to do with him."

"You may not have a choice," the Captain replied.

"What does that mean?" the boy asked fearfully.

Starbuck answered this time. "Look, Boxey, if this Saracen really is your natural father, then legally we have to let him see you. "

"No!" cried Boxey. "I don't want to see him! Why do I have to see him?"

"I know this is hard, but give him a chance, please? We don't know anything for sure right now. We've seen a solicitor and we may have to go before a magistrate to deal with the legal issues about who you live with. I don't want to alarm you, but ...." Apollo couldn't finish the sentence.

"I might have to go live with him," Boxey finished for him.

"Yes," said Starbuck sadly.

"We may as well stop at the Life Center," Apollo suggested. "We should tell Cassiopia that Boxey's okay, and we can see about doing the blood test while we're there."

***

Starbuck, Apollo and Boxey went to the Life Center, where Cassie hugged Boxey before scolding him about worrying his parents. Cassiopia was like Boxey's aunt, having been one of his regular babysitters when he was small, as well as being a close friend of Starbuck's. Cassie and Starbuck had once been involved romantically, but that had ended long before he and Apollo became lovers.

"So what's going on with this Saracen? Is he really Boxey's father?" she asked the warriors while she drew Boxey's blood sample.

"That's what we're here to find out," Apollo answered. "That's why we're running these tests."

"Seems strange that he would show up now, after all this time."

"I know, but he does have a reasonable explanation. At least, it sounds reasonable. I don't know how true it is," Apollo replied.

"What will you do if the tests show he really is Boxey's father?" asked Cassie.

"We haven't really thought that far ahead yet," said Starbuck. "We've talked to a solicitor, and she said that if he is Boxey's father, then we don't have a lot of legal rights ... he has all the rights, being the birth parent."

"That's a load of felgercarb," swore Cassie. "You guys have been his parents since he was this high. That should count for something."

"Unfortunately, it doesn't," sighed Apollo. "There have been so many stories of families being separated during the Destruction, only to be reunited yahrens later ... the laws are heavily in favour of biological relatives rather than adopted or foster families."

"It shouldn't be!" Cassie exclaimed vehemently. "Just because someone's a birth relative doesn't mean they automatically make a good parent. Plenty of children are abused or neglected in their birth families."

"And some don't even have birth families," said Starbuck quietly.

Cassie hugged him. "And that's even more reason why chosen families should be given the same consideration as birth families. I think one of the reasons you're such a good parent to Boxey is because you know what it's like to not have parents who love you."

Cassiopia finished taking the blood sample from Boxey, gave him a kiss and sent him on his way with his fathers.

Back in their quarters, Apollo and Starbuck sat their son down for a serious talk.

"Do you know how scared we were when you didn't come home?" Apollo asked.

"We didn't know where you were," Starbuck added. "We were worried about you."

"I'm sorry," Boxey said a bit petulantly. "I just didn't want to go home knowing *he* was going to be here."

"I know you don't want to see Saracen," said Apollo. "But you can't just take off without letting me or Starbuck know where you are. "

"But if you knew where I was, you'd have made me come home," Boxey pointed out.

"Yes, we would have, because unless we find out for certain that Saracen isn't your father, were still your parents and you have to listen to us," Starbuck replied.

"And Saracen has a right to see you, no matter how you - or we - feel about him," added Apollo.

"But you're not my parents!" Boxey said suddenly. "Why do I have to do what you say if you're not my parents?"

Apollo had discussed this matter with Boxey before. He said calmly, "I'm your stepfather. I was married to your mother, and that makes me your legal guardian until the magistrates say otherwise."

"But what about Starbuck? He's not my father *or* my stepfather. He wasn't married to my mom."

A pained look crossed Starbuck's face. He tried to shake off the hurt feeling Boxey's words gave him before he answered. "Legally, no, I'm not your father or your stepfather. But I've helped Apollo raise you since you came to live on the Galactica. You may not be my flesh and blood, but I love you just the same as if you were."

Boxey looked ashamed. "I'm sorry, Starbuck. I shouldn't have said that. I love you just like you were my real dad." he gave Starbuck a hug. Then he looked at his parents. "So, I guess I'm grounded again, huh?"

"You certainly are, buddy boy," Apollo said sternly. "You come straight back here after learning period."

"All right," sighed Boxey and went to his room to do his homework.

When Boxey was out of earshot Starbuck addressed his lover in a serious tone. "Look, Apollo, do you think that our relationship could be used against us in a custody hearing?"

"I don't know. It's possible. Like Cassandra said, the magistrates are old fashioned."

"Lords know, I don't want to lose you, Apollo, but if my not being here would mean you got to keep Boxey, then I'd be willing to move out."

"No!" said Apollo. "You are not moving out. We're a family. We stay together."

"Even if it means you might lose Boxey?"

"Remember what Saracen said about the stability of our relationship? If you suddenly moved out, how would it look? Besides, Boxey needs *both* his parents. And I need you." Apollo took Starbuck in his arms and kissed him.

***

The next day, Cassiopia called Starbuck, Apollo, Boxey and Saracen to the Life Center. "I have the test results," she announced. "Saracen is definitely Boxey's father."

A broad grin crossed Saracen's face. Starbuck and Apollo looked at the floor. Boxey just stared at the walls, showing no emotion.

"Did you hear that, Troy?" Saracen said to Boxey. "This proves that I'm your father."

"Uh-huh," answered Boxey dully.

"Why don't you get your things from the Captain's quarters and meet me back here, and I'll take you home."

"NO! I don't want to go home with you!"

"Why not?" Saracen sounded genuinely puzzled. "I'm your father."

"I don't even know you!" shouted Boxey. "I haven't seen you since I was six yahrens old!"

Apollo stepped in. "Until a magistrate says otherwise, I have legal custody of Boxey. Why don't the two of you schedule some time for visiting and get to know each other, and then if Boxey decides to live with you, or the magistrates say he has to, then we can talk about his moving in."

"Very well," Saracen agreed reluctantly. "I suppose that would work. Why don't I come over tomorrow after your learning period is over, Troy, and we'll start getting to know each other."

"All right," Boxey said, though it was obvious from his tone he wasn't happy with the arrangement.

And so, with great reluctance, Boxey started spending some time with Saracen every day after learning period. At first he grumbled about the visits, but soon he seemed to enjoy them, and even look forward to them.

"I think Saracen is spoiling Boxey," Apollo commented to Starbuck as Boxey flew off for one of his visits with his father.

"Why do you think that?" his lover asked.

"He's giving him extravagant gifts. He's taking him to Triad games and buying him meals on the Rising Star. It's like he's trying to buy Boxey's love."

"Maybe he's just trying to make up for lost time," Starbuck suggested.

"I don't think so. All of a sudden Boxey has all these new games, and holo-vids, and he's always talking about where they went and what they did .. I don't know, maybe I'm just jealous."

"That's not unreasonable," Starbuck said soothingly. "You've been Boxey's entire world for six yahrens, and now he has someone else that he's spending time with and he talks about him all the time. I don't blame you. I'm a bit jealous myself."

Just then the door chime sounded. Apollo answered it and was given a piece of paper. He thanked the messenger and came back inside.

He showed the paper to Starbuck. "Saracen has filed for legal custody of Boxey. Sole custody," he added.

"Frak," Starbuck swore. "I guess it was too much to hope that he would be satisfied with just visits. So what do we do now?"

"We go to see Cassandra and file a response. Then we wait."

"For what?" Starbuck asked.

"For a hearing, I guess," answered Apollo. "I imagine the magistrates will want to talk to us, and to Boxey."

"What kinds of things will they want to know?"

"I'm not certain. It's not like I've ever had to do this before. They'll probably want to know if Boxey's happy, and if he remembers his father, and how he feels about living with us."

When Boxey returned from his visit with his father, Starbuck and Apollo gave him the news.

"I don't want to live with him," Boxey stated emphatically. "I want to live with you. He's not my dad."

"But he is, the blood tests prove he is," Apollo said.

"Oh, I know he's my *father*, but he's not my *dad.* You guys are my dads."

Apollo had to smile at that. "Listen, Boxey, we hope that the magistrates will decide that what you want is what's best, but if they don't ..."

"If they don't, then I'll have live with my 'real' father. I know. Well, I guess that won't be so bad. I'll still be on the Galactica ... I won't be far away. At least I can visit you."

"We could be getting worked up over nothing," Starbuck said, trying to be optimistic. "Let's wait and see what happens."

The two warriors and their son went about the next few days trying to make life as normal as possible, but the worry that they would be separated stayed with them and coloured everything they did. They dreaded the hearing, but also welcomed it, just to rid them of the tension of waiting.

The morning of the hearing, Starbuck was scheduled for patrol. He wasn't required to testify until later that day, and Apollo told him to do his patrol. Maybe it would take his mind off the custody case for awhile and give him something to do while he was waiting. So he kissed Apollo goodbye, gave Boxey a hug, and set off for his patrol.

Patrol was uneventful, but at least it killed time. Starbuck sighed as he landed his Viper back on the Galactica. Time to face the music. He showered quickly and changed into his dress uniform. Then he headed to the hearing room. Just as he was about to enter the room, he thought he heard someone call his name. He turned to try to find who was calling him.

"Hello? Somebody want me?" he called. He headed down the corridor.

Suddenly someone grabbed him from behind. Before he could react, Starbuck was on the floor, and someone was kicking him. He tried to fight back but someone held his arms. When they were done, Starbuck lay unconscious in the hallway.

***

Meanwhile, not knowing what had just happened outside, Apollo was on the stand, testifying in the custody hearing.

"Captain Apollo," asked his advocate, Cassandra, "You were married to Troy's mother, is that right?"

"Yes."

"For how long?"

"Only a few days," Apollo replied.

"And why was your marriage so short?" Cassandra asked.

"Serena was killed during a Cylon attack on the planet Kobol."

"And you were left to take care of Troy."

"I chose to take care of him. I felt that he was my responsibility."

"Since Troy's mother died, have you been romantically involved with anyone else?"

"Yes," answered Apollo. "I was briefly involved with Lt. Sheba, and more recently I have been involved with Lt. Starbuck."

"By 'involved' you mean - ?"

"Starbuck and I are lovers."

"Lt. Starbuck is a man, yes?"

Several of the people in the court laughed. "Yes," said Apollo, trying to keep a straight face.

"And does Lieutenant Starbuck live with you and Troy?"

"He has for the past two yahrens."

"What kind of relationship does Starbuck have with Troy?"

"Starbuck is Boxey's - Troy's - father just as much as I am. Even before he and I were lovers, Starbuck was very close to Boxey. Troy."

"Why do you call him 'Boxey' ?" asked the advocate.

"It's a name his mother called him when he was very young, and it stuck. "

"When you and Starbuck both have to go on a mission, what happens to Troy?"

"He stays with my father or my sister, usually. Sometimes Cassiopia stays in our quarters with him."

"How did Troy end up on Arcta with you?"

"He hid in the transport that took us to the planet. None of us knew he was there until it was too late."

Cassandra had a few more questions to ask, then it was the turn of Saracen's advocate to ask questions.

"Captain Apollo, do you think it is healthy for a small boy to live with two men who are in an intimate relationship?"

"I don't see what difference the relationship makes as long as both partners care for him."

"Answer yes or no, please," requested the advocate, whose name was Gemini.

"Yes."

"How do you think Troy will learn about male/female relationships, marriage, family, having children, if his parents are both men?"

"There are plenty of male-female couples among our friends. Boxey has friends who have opposite-sex parents. My father often tells Boxey about his marriage to my mother."

"Tell me, Captain, do you trust Lt. Starbuck with Troy?"

"Trust? I don't understand what you mean."

"Well, everyone knows it is common that men who have a .. predilection toward other men, often use small boys for their ... pleasure."

"Starbuck would never hurt Boxey! And for that matter, neither would I! If you need proof of that, I'm sure a physical examination would rule out any abuse."

"Calm down, Captain. I'm sure that won't be necessary. Now, I believe that Troy went missing briefly, not too long ago?"

"Briefly, yes."

"And do you know why he was missing?"

"He was apprehensive about seeing his father, and he hid from us."

"But you were eventually able to find him?"

"Yes, we found him. He was with one of his friends from school."

"Hiding in a closet, I believe," commented Gemini.

"Yes."

"What were he and his friend doing in that closet?"

Apollo shrugged. "It appeared that they were playing with some electronic games that Boxey borrowed from the Rejuvenation Center."

"Were they doing anything else?" asked the advocate.

"Like what?" Apollo asked.

"Well, perhaps Troy wanted to know what his parents found so attractive about other males .. perhaps he wanted to try it for himself."

"You mean, experiment sexually."

"Yes."

"It didn't look like either of the boy's clothes had been disturbed, but experimentation is normal for young boys and girls entering puberty. I don't see any harm in it."

Gemini checked the chronometer. "Where is Lieutenant Starbuck? I believe that he was supposed to be here to answer questions."

"He was supposed to come here after his patrol was finished," said Apollo.

"What time was that?"

"Approximately 1300."

"That was almost a centare ago. Your worship," Gemini turned to the magistrate, "this is evidence that Lieutenant Starbuck is not reliable. He obviously cares very little about what happens here today."

"If Starbuck isn't here, there must be a reason," objected Apollo.

"Quiet, Captain," ordered the magistrate. "Gemini, is there another witness you can call while we wait for Lieutenant Starbuck?"

"Yes, your worship. I call Commander Adama."

There was a murmur of noise from the people watching. It was unusual for the Commader to be called to testify in a court case, but this was an unusual case as it concerned Adama's son and grandson.

Gemini handled the Commander with more respect than he had shown Apollo. His questions were phrased as politely as possible. He asked about Adama's relationship with Apollo and with Boxey. Adama's opinion of Apollo's suitability as a parent was asked. Gemini briefly touched on the relationship between Apollo and Starbuck, but seeing that the Commander had no problem with it, quickly abandoned that line of questioning.

When Gemini was finished with Adama, and Cassandra had taken her turn at questioning him briefly, Starbuck was still nowhere to be found. Athena was called to testify instead.

Apollo's sister didn't have a lot to add to what had already been said. She was asked about her relationship with Starbuck, however. She reluctantly admitted that he hadn't been exactly reliable, and had at one time been seeing Cassiopia without bothering to break things off with her. But she added that since he had been with Apollo, as far as she knew he was competely faithful and monogamous, absolutely devoted to her brother and to Boxey.

"Then why isn't he here? Surely a hearing deciding who Troy will live with would be important to him if he is as 'devoted' to Troy as you say," Gemini commented.

"I'm sure that he has a very good reason," Athena said crossly. 'Maybe he ran into a problem on his patrol."

Gemini turned to the magistrate. "Your worship, I have no more questions for this witness and I have no more witnesses to call." Do you have anyone else you wish to question, Cassandra?" asked the magistrate when Sandy had finished with her questions to Athena.

"No, your worship," the solicitor said reluctantly.

The magistrate looked at the time. "Lieutenant Starbuck was supposed to be here almost two centares ago. We do not have any more time to wait for him to appear."

"Please, sir, can't we adjourn until Captain Apollo and I find Starbuck? I'm certain that whatever is keeping him, it must be important," Cassandra begged.

"Lieutenant Starbuck is quite capable of contacting the Galactica and asking someone to inform us if he was delayed on patrol. He has not done that. I can only assume that he has chosen not to appear. I am well aware of the Lieutenant's history, his reputation for drinking and carousing and skirt-chasing .. or chasing other things. I was already reluctant to award custody of the minor child to him and Captain Apollo. If the Captain hadn't been his stepfather, I would have taken Troy away from him two yahrens ago. Now that his real father has been found, I am happy to award custody of Troy to Saracen." He turned to Apollo. "Captain, please see that Troy's possessions are sent to Saracen's quarters. Troy, you are to go with your father immediately."

"But .. but ..." Boxey stammered, then gave up. There was obviously nothing that was going to change the magistrate's mind. He hugged Apollo hard. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," answered Apollo through his tears. "Take care of yourself, and be good."

"I love you," sobbed the boy. "And tell Starbuck goodbye for me, and tell him I love him too."

Apollo kissed his son. "I love you, too. And so does Starbuck. I don't know why he isn't here, but I know that if he could have been, he would have." He reluctantly released Boxey and watched him leave with Saracen.

Cassandra approached Apollo. "All right, exactly where has Starbuck got to? I told him to be here at 1300 and here it is almost 1500 and there's no sign of him. Well, thanks to his disappearing act, he's lost Boxey for you."

Apollo was about to respond when another voice cut in. "If Starbuck isn't here, there's a damn good reason for it," said Boomer. "Frankly, I'm worried about him."

"So am I," put in Lt. Jolly. "Starbuck is the most devoted parent you can find anywhere. It will break his heart to lose Boxey. Something must have happened, something serious."

"I think we had better go try to find him," Boomer announced. "Jolly, you coming? Apollo?"

"Right behind you," agreed Jolly.

Apollo gazed after Boxey one last time, then turned to his friends. "Let's go."

***

The three warriors left the hearing room and split up in the hallway outside. They fanned out to scour the hallways and corners leading from the room. It wasn't very long before a shout from Jolly alerted Apollo and Boomer that Starbuck had been found.

The Lieutenant was curled up in a ball, huddled against a wall. He was bruised and battered, drifting in and out of consciousness. Apollo ran to his side as soon as he saw him. "Oh Lords, Starbuck," he said, trying to stifle a sob. "What happened to you?"

Boomer left to get a med team from the life center. Apollo sat on the floor with his lover in his arms and talked to him in a soft voice, not saying anything in particular, just hoping that the sound of his voice would help.

Starbuck was transported to the life center, and while Dr. Salik was examining him, Apollo tried to contact Saracen. He wanted Boxey to know that Starbuck had been injured. But Saracen would not take his messages.

After several centons had passed, Dr. Salik came out to talk to Apollo.

"Lieutenant Starbuck has taken a severe beating. He's lost a lot of blood and has some internal injuries. I'll have to keep him here for a while, at least for a few days. Do you have any idea what happened?"

"None," said Apollo, stunned. Who would want to hurt Starbuck? Who would beat him so badly that he would have such severe injuries? It made no sense. At least he could inform the magistrate that Starbuck had missed the hearing because he had been injured. He sent a message to Cassandra, asking her to come to the life center.

"Starbuck was beaten?" the solicitor asked. "Why?"

"I couldn't tell you. I can't think of any reason why someone would want to hurt him," Apollo answered.

"Unless someone was deliberately trying to keep him from testifying," Boomer commented.

"Do you think Saracen would go that far to get Boxey away from us?" Apollo asked his friend.

"He seemed pretty determined," Jolly put in. "Asking us all those questions about you and everything. I wonder if the man is entirely sane."

"The timing is pretty coincidental," Boomer observed. "Keeping him away from the hearing like that."

"I'll inform the magistrate," said Cassandra. "Maybe now he'll be willing to reschedule the hearing for when Starbuck has recovered."

To her surprise, however, and Apollo's, the magistrate was unmoved.

"Why was Lieutenant Starbuck attacked and beaten?" he asked.

"We don't know, sir, unless it was an attempt to keep him from testifying," answered the solicitor.

The magistrate made a 'humph' noise. "More likely it was because of a gambling debt, or because he was messing with someone else's wife or girlfriend. No, just because the Lieutenant's past caught up with him is no reason to disrupt the boy's life again. The matter is closed."

Apollo and Cassandra left the magistrate's office. Apollo returned to the life center. Starbuck was conscious, and wanted to talk.

"Apollo," he said weakly. "What happened at the hearing?"

"That's not important right now," Apollo evaded the question. "What's important is that you get better."

"I want to know," the blonde warrior stated more firmly. "Can we keep Boxey?"

"Nothing's final yet," Apollo lied.

"Apollo, don't lie to me. Tell me what happened."

Apollo sighed. "The magistrate said that your not being at the hearing proved that we're not reliable parents. Also he didn't approve of our being together, being lovers. He gave custody to Saracen."

Starbuck groaned and buried his face in his pillow.

"It's not your fault, love," Apollo tried to reassure him. "You didn't go and get beaten up on purpose. Do you have any idea who did this to you?"

"None. I was just about to go into the hearing when someone called my name. I went to see who it was and I was attacked from behind. I didn't see anyone."

***

The attack on Starbuck was reported to Galactica security, but without any witnesses, and without Starbuck being able to supply any information, there was not much they could do. The possibility of Saracen's involvement was mentioned, but since Apollo had no evidence, the suggestion was ignored.

Jolly and Boomer were furious. Someone had hurt their friend. And it was likely that whoever had hurt Starbuck had conspired with Saracen to take Boxey away from the parents who loved him. They didn't intend to let him get away with it.

"Guys, Saracen is Boxey's father," Apollo told them. "Whatever you do, remember that. I don't want Boxey to think that his father hurt Starbuck. If we can prove it, that's different. But until - unless - we can prove it, be careful, will you?"

"Does Boxey know that Starbuck was hurt?" asked Boomer.

"I haven't been able to reach him. Saracen won't let me talk to him and won't tell him anything about me or Starbuck."

"And this is the guy that the magistrate gave custody to? What is wrong with that magistrate, anyway?" asked Jolly. It was a rhetorical question.

Apollo decided the only way he could see Boxey would be to meet him as soon as he got out of school. He waited outside the classroom until Boxey appeared, with his friend Dillon at his side as usual.

"DAD!" Boxey exclaimed, running to Apollo and throwing his arms around him. "How come I haven't seen you? Where have you been?"

Apollo's heart leapt when Boxey called him 'Dad.' He was still the boy's 'dad' no matter what the magistrate said. "Boxey, I've tried to contact you but Saracen wants you all to himself right now. I guess he's afraid you'll want to come back and live with me and Starbuck."

"Well, I do want to live with you and Starbuck. Where is Starbuck, anyway?"

"Starbuck's in the life center. He was, uh, he was hurt, that's why he couldn't make it to the hearing."

"Oh no! Is he okay? Was he shot down or something?"

"No. Someone hurt him ... he was beaten, practically right outside the hearing room. Lieutenant Jolly found him in the corridor not too far away. He was unconscious and had some internal injuries but he's recovering."

"But who would beat up Starbuck?" Boxey inquired. "Why would someone want to hurt him like that?"

"I don't know, Boxey. Starbuck didn't see who it was and they didn't say anything. Boomer and Jolly are investigating. I thought you'd want to know."

"Can I see him?"

"Of course, if Saracen says it's okay," Apollo answered.

"I don't care what he says. Starbuck's hurt and I want to see him."

Apollo shrugged. "All right, let's go." He knew he should tell Boxey to go home, to ask Saracen's permission before going to the life center, but he didn't care. Any time he could spend with his son was precious. And Starbuck needed to see him. His recovery was not going very well. He was depressed. He barely spoke to anyone, not even to his lover. He just lay in bed and stared at the ceiling. And Apollo was certain that their loss of Boxey was the reason behind it. He'd tried to tell Starbuck that it wasn't his fault. The magistrate had been prejudiced against them from the start. But the Lieutenant blamed himself for missing the hearing.

"If I hadn't stopped, if I'd gone straight in to the hearing instead of looking for whoever called me, this wouldn't have happened," he'd told Apollo.

"You didn't know this was going to happen. You heard someone calling you. It was a normal reaction."

"And it cost us our son," Starbuck had stated before turning away from him.

Maybe seeing Boxey would cheer him up. Maybe Boxey could convince him that what had happened wasn't his fault. It was a possibility, and Apollo clung to it.

Boxey practically ran into the life center. "Starbuck!" he exclaimed when he saw his second father lying in the medical bed. "I heard you were hurt! How are you? Are you going to be okay?"

Starbuck's face lit up when he saw Boxey. He wrapped his arms around the boy and held him tightly. "I'll be okay now that I've seen you. How are you doing? Is that Saracen guy treating you okay?"

"Yeah, he's okay," Boxey said with a shrug. "Except he doesn't like Dillon, which sucks, 'cause Dillon is my best friend."

"Speaking of best friends," Apollo interrupted, "what should we do about Muffit? Do you want him?"

"Oh, I almost forgot about Muffy!" said Boxey. "You guys better keep him. You'll look after him, won't you? I don't think my so-called father would like him very much."

"We'll take good care of him," Starbuck said, stroking his son's hair. "But why do you say 'so called' father? Didn't the blood test prove that he really is your father?"

"I dunno, he just doesn't seem like a father. I don't look like him at all. And there's some stuff he doesn't seem to remember about when I was a baby. Of course, I don't remember when I was a baby either, but my mom liked to tell me stories about when I was 'really really little' as she put it."

***

Eventually Boxey agreed that he had to go back to Saracen. He gave Starbuck another hug. "I'll come back and see you when I can," he promised. "I'm sure Saracen will be pissed at me for not coming home right away, but when I heard you were hurt I had to come. I love you, Starbuck. And please don't blame yourself for how this stupid custody thing turned out. That magistrate was a jerk."

Starbuck hugged and kissed the boy he called his son. "I love you too, kiddo. Take care of yourself, and try not to get Saracen too mad at you."

Boxey left, and Starbuck, tired from the emotional visit, soon fell asleep, holding Apollo's hand. Apollo was relieved. Some colour had returned to Starbuck's face, and he was more relaxed than he had been since he'd been brought to the life center.

Meanwhile, Boomer and Jolly had been trying to find Starbuck's attacker. They started asking questions of everyone they could think of. Word travelled fast on the Galactica. Word of mouth was a more effective communications system than any of the ship's sophisticated equipment. it wasn't long before gossip filtered back to the warriors, gossip that identified the assailant as a man named Ceres. The two lieutenants decided to pay him a visit.

They arrived at the man's bunk. He lived in a dorm-style accomodation that had been set up on one of the ships to accomodate refugees.

Ceres saw the two warriors approach. "Who are you and why are you here?" he asked.

"I'm Lieutenant Boomer, this is Lieutenant Jolly. We were wondering if you were acquainted with our friend Starbuck."

"Nope, don't recognize the name, why?"

Jolly sat on the bed next to him. "Well, word has it that you had an encounter with him about a secton ago."

"What kind of encounter?" asked Ceres nervously.

Boomer sat on his other side. "A violent kind," he said.

Ceres tried to get up, but Boomer and Jolly held him down. "I - I don't know what you're talking about," he stammered.

"I think you do," Jolly replied.

"Why do you care what I have to do with this Starbuck fellow?" Ceres wanted to know.

"Like I said, Starbuck is our friend," replied Boomer.

"And we don't like it when people hurt our friends," added Jolly.

"Okay, so, maybe I might have run into him outside the hearing room, that place they hear legal stuff," Ceres admitted.

"What were you doing on the Galactica in the first place?" asked Boomer.

"I was doing a job for a man called Gemini."

"And did Gemini tell you why he wanted this 'job' done?"

"He said something about discrediting Starbuck, making him look bad. Said that if Starbuck couldn't testify in this court case, then his side - Gemini's - would win."

"And what did you get in return for doing this job?" Boomer continued the questioning.

"Money, of course."

The two warriors stood and hauled Ceres to his feet.

"Hey! Where are you taking me?"

"We are taking you back to the Galactica to talk to Security," stated Jolly.

"What makes you think I'll tell them anything?"

The two warriors slammed Ceres up against a wall. Boomer pressed an arm across the man's throat. "You will because we want you to, and it would be good for your health to do what we want. Understand?"

Ceres nodded and Boomer removed his arm from his throat, but he and Jolly kept a tight grip on him all the way back to the Galactica and up to the Security office. They shoved Ceres in ahead of them and up to where Reese was seated behind a desk.

"And who is this?" asked Reese.

"Tell him who you are," Boomer said to Ceres.

"My name is Ceres."

"And tell him what you did," encouraged Jolly.

"I beat Lieutenant Starbuck."

"And why did you do that?" asked Reese.

"A solicitor named Gemini paid me to do it."

"This is very interesting information," Reese observed. He turned to one of his employees. "Put this man in a cell, and then go pick up Solicitor Gemini."

"Do you need us for anything?" asked Jolly.

"Not at the moment, no. You might want to go deliver this news to Lieutenant Starbuck and Captain Apollo," answered Reese.

Boomer and Jolly exited the security office and quickly headed to the life center to see Starbuck. When they arrived he was asleep. Apollo was sitting with him. "What's up?" Apollo asked.

"What makes you think something's up?" asked Boomer innocently.

"The two of you couldn't keep a secret if your lives depended on it. It's written all over your faces. Come on, out with it."

"We caught the guy who hurt Starbuck!" blurted Jolly.

Relief showed on Apollo's face. He got up and went to shake Jolly's and Boomer's hands. "Thank you," he said simply.

"And there's more," said Boomer. "He admitted that he works for Gemini, Saracen's advocate."

Apollo turned serious. "That's very interesting," he said. "I wonder if we could get the magistrate to order a new hearing now?"

"Knowing him, probably not," replied Boomer. "But I wonder if you could take the case above his head?"

"You mean to the Council?" asked Apollo. "I don't know. That sounds extreme."

"You want Boxey back, don't you?" Jolly didn't have to ask twice.

"We'll have to wait until Starbuck is better. But if I can give him something to hope for he might recover more quickly. How can I ever thank you guys for everything?"

"Just get that boy back where he belongs," Boomer answered for himself and Jolly.

Starbuck woke up just then and was surprised to see Boomer and Jolly there. "Hey," he said, "is everything okay?"

"Everything is just fine, my love," said Apollo, squeezing his lover's hand. "Boomer and Jolly caught the person who did this to you. He works for Gemini, Saracen's advocate."

"And he admitted that he beat you to stop you from testifying in the custody hearing," Boomer added.

"Frak. Saracen was that desperate?" Starbuck asked.

"It looks that way, doesn't it? We're going to fight this. I'll take it to the Council if I have to, but Saracen and Gemini won't get away with what they've done," Apollo promised.

"Does this mean we might get Troy back?" Starbuck wondered out loud.

"I think there's a very good chance of that," Apollo assured him.

"Thank the Lords," murmured Starbuck. He lay back and closed his eyes again.

Apollo hated to see Starbuck in such pain, both physical and emotional. It almost broke his heart to see how Starbuck blamed himself for their losing the custody hearing. He'd tried to tell Starbuck over and over again that it hadn't been his fault, but his lover had refused to listen to him. Maybe now that they finally had proof that he'd been set up, Starbuck would start to heal.

Just as Boomer and Jolly were about to leave, Saracen came marching into the life center. He glared at Apollo. "Did Troy come to visit the two of you yesterday?" Saracen demanded.

"Hello, Apollo. How are you? How is Starbuck? Why, Starbuck is doing much better, thank you for asking," Jolly said under his breath so that only he and Boomer could hear.

"Yes, Boxey was here yesterday," Apollo said calmly.

"Did you know he didn't have permission to come and visit you?"

Apollo shrugged. "I told him to get your permission before coming. I can't help it if he didn't."

Saracen deflated. Apollo wasn't going to argue with him. Jolly and Boomer had moved protectively between him and Starbuck.

"He heard that Starbuck had been hurt, and he wanted to visit. We're still his friends even if we're no longer his parents," Apollo stated.

"Yes, I see, well .... I didn't give him permission ... but ... I doubt that I can keep him away. He is twelve yahrens old, after all. All right. From now on he has permission to visit Lieutenant Starbuck."

"Thank you," Apollo said solemly, but inside he was laughing. Saracen knew that he didn't have any way of keeping Boxey from visiting, so he was pretending that it was his own idea. "Tell me, Saracen," he said then, changing the subject, "did you know that your advocate had Starbuck beaten?"

"WHAT?" Saracen spluttered. Either he really didn't know or he was a good actor. "Gemini had Starbuck beaten? I don't think so."

"It's true," said Jolly. "The man who did the beating confessed and said it was Gemini who hired him to do it. He did it to keep Starbuck from testifying in the custody hearing."

"Well, obviously the man is lying. He probably made some sort of deal to save his own skin," stated Saracen. "Everyone knows Lieutenant Starbuck's reputation."

Boomer, Jolly and Apollo rounded on Saracen. "What reputation is that, Saracen?" asked Apollo coldly.

"Er, never mind, forget I said anything," Saracen backtracked. "I'll er, I'll send Troy to visit soon." And the man fled.

***

Starbuck's injuries had been serious, and rehabilitation took a few sectons. Boxey came to visit every day, which was the highlight of the day for both Starbuck and Apollo. Even Muffit got to visit with his young master. Eventually Starbuck was able to stand, then walk, on his own, and he was released from the life center into Apollo's care.

Now that Starbuck was better, it was time to start thinking of their appeal of the custody case. Ceres had agreed to testify against Gemini (anything to save his own skin). Gemini admitted to hiring Ceres, but continued to insist that the entire plot had been his own idea, and that Saracen knew nothing about it. He did admit to one other thing, however; apparently he had bribed the magistrate to rule in his favour.

"In that case," Apollo asked as he was questioning the solicitor, "why did you bother to have Starbuck beaten?"

"The magistrate needed a good reason to rule in our favour. It would look funny if he just went ahead and made a ruling with nothing to back it up."

"And you still insist that Saracen had nothing to do with it, that you did it all on your own."

"That's right. And you can't prove otherwise."

While Apollo was gathering evidence, Starbuck was making arrangements for them to go before the Council of Twelve, or in this case, Eleven, since Adama couldn't participate, being too personally involved.

"I do not understand what this has to do with the Council," one of the Councillors objected. "Why don't you just take the case to another magistrate?"

"Because the Council is the highest court we have," answered Starbuck. "We don't want the decision about Boxey's future to be left up to one person. With eleven Councillors working together, we feel more certain of getting a fair hearing. After all, aren't the Council members selected for their wisdom and experience?"

The last bit of ego stroking did the trick. The Council unanimously agreed to hear Starbuck and Apollo's case for custody of Boxey. And this time, they agreed to let Boxey testify.

"The question is, will they actually listen to him, or will they just let him testify because it looks good and ignore whatever he says?" asked Starbuck when he gave Apollo the good news.

"This is the Council, not a bigoted magistrate. I'm sure they'll listen."

"Yeah, like they listened to Adama when he warned them not to trust the Cylons?" Starbuck responded.

"Ouch," said Apollo.

"Sorry," Starbuck apologized.

"No, it's all right, you have a point. But it's not all the same council members as it was six yahrens ago, remember. There have been a few changes."

"For the better, I hope."

"We'll have to wait and see," said Apollo.

Though it seemed like an eternity to the two warriors and their son, it was only a few days before the Council was ready for the hearing. Cassandra was once again representing Starbuck and Apollo. Saracen was representing himself, saying that he didn't trust solicitors anymore after what Gemini had done.

Saracen asked mainly the same questions that Gemini had asked in the first hearing. His feelings about Starbuck and Apollo's relationship were obvious.

"Lieutenant, have you had male lovers before Captain Apollo?" Saracen asked Starbuck.

"I had imtimate relations with other males when I was in the Academy," Starbuck answered, "but no long-term relationships before Apollo."

"What about with women?"

"I had a few longish relationships with women."

"What made you decide to commit yourself to a man rather than a woman?"

"It wasn't the gender, it was the person," answered Starbuck. "I love Apollo. I don't love him because he's man; I don't love him in spite of the fact that he's a man. I love him because he completes me. Without him, there's a part of me that's missing. He's my best friend and he's the one that I love."

"Lieutenant, I have had best friends before, and I've never had sex with them," said Saracen.

Starbuck shrugged. "Maybe you don't know what you're missing."

There were several titters of laughter from the room at Starbuck's remark. A few Council members hid smiles, while others glared at the Lieutenant. Saracen gave up and announced he had no more questions.. It was Cassandra's turn.

"Lieutenant Starbuck," she asked, "why didn't you testify at the first custody hearing?"

"I was attacked and beaten in the hallway before I could make it to the hearing," Starbuck answered.

"Who attacked you?" the solicitor asked.

"I didn't see who it was. Later, a man named Ceres confessed to doing it."

"Did Ceres say why he hurt you?"

A councillor interrupted. "Hearsay, Solicitor."

Cassandra changed the subject. "Starbuck, you and Captain Apollo have been together for two yahrens, yes?"

"Yes."

"But you and he were friends long before that?"

"Yes."

"Why did it take you so long to make the change from friends to lovers, do you think?"

Starbuck turned contemplative, and took his time answering. "I wasn't ready to settle down before. I knew that Apollo wanted someone who would settle down with him and Boxey and make a family. I had to be very certain that this was what I wanted, that I wanted it to be permanent, because I didn't want to hurt Apollo or Boxey."

"Thank you, Lieutenant. No further questions."

The Council called a brief recess. Starbuck and Apollo met up outside the Council chamber. Apollo put his arms around his lover and gave him a hug.

"Don't you know it's against regulations to hug a junior officer?" Starbuck asked mock-sternly.

"Not if I mean it," Apollo replied with a grin.

"What was that for?" asked Starbuck.

"What you said in there, about my being a part of you. I've never heard you say anything like that before."

Starbuck looked embarrassed. "Well, I'm not that good with words. I'm not exactly the sentimental type."

"Felgercarb. You are so the sentimental type."

"You know me too well."

Athena approached her brother and brother-in-law. "How's it going in there, do you think?" she asked.

"I have no idea," replied Starbuck. "Those Councillors would make great pyramid players - nothing shows on their faces."

"Starbuck, I hope you're not mad at me for what I said in the last hearing, you know about our relationship and everything. I had to answer honestly," Athena said.

"I know you did, Thena. It's okay. No hard feelings."

Boxey managed to separate himself from Saracen and ran over to the little group. "Hi, Aunt Thena," he said, giving Athena a hug.

"Hi, Boxey. I've missed you."

Boxey frowned. "I know. I miss you and Grandfather. I hope these councillors are smarter than that stupid magistrate that said I had to live with Saracen. He's not a bad guy, but I want to live with my dads."

"Are you feeling okay?" Apollo asked Boxey. "You look a little pale."

"I'm just tired," answered the boy. "Haven't been sleeping too well, I guess. I want to sleep in my own bed."

"We want that too," replied Apollo. "I hope it'll happen soon."

"It will if the councillors listen to Boxey instead of to that Saracen character. Couldn't you prove that he ordered Gemini to have Starbuck beaten up?" asked Athena.

Boxey turned even more pale. "Did Saracen do that? And I have to live with him? Oh man!"

Apollo squeezed his shoulder. "We don't know that. Gemini said it was entirely his idea, and that Saracen didn't have anything to do with it."

But Boxey wasn't reassured. He became very quiet and he seemed to tremble a bit.

"Are you sure you feel all right?" Athena asked. "Maybe Cassiopia should take a look at you."

"I'm fine!" Boxey exclaimed crossly. "I just want this to be over with. I'm tired."

Everyone was called back into the Council chambers. Boxey was called to the stand. The Councillors were going to question Boxey themselves rather than allow Saracen and Cassandra to do it.

"Boxey," started one man, "or do you prefer to be called Troy?"

"Boxey's fine."

"Boxey, you lived with Captain Apollo for how long?"

"Since I was six yahrens old, and I just turned twelve. Six yahrens."

"And you consider Apollo to be your father?"

"Yes."

"What about Lieutenant Starbuck, how long have you known him?"

"I've known him for the same amount of time. He was friends with my father - I mean with Apollo - and he spent a lot of time with us."

Another Councillor took up the questioning. "Boxey, does it bother you that Captain Apollo and Lieutenant Starbuck are lovers?"

"No, why should it?"

"Well, wouldn't you rather have a normal family?" the Councillor asked.

"What's normal?" asked Boxey.

"I mean, a family with a mother and a father, instead of two fathers."

"My mother is dead," Boxey stated. "Saracen isn't married. So living with him wouldn't be normal, either."

A third Councillor started asking questions. "Boxey, do you ever get teased at school for having two fathers?"

"I did at first, when Starbuck moved in with us, but I haven't been for a long time."

The Councillors continued to ask questions. Boxey looked like he might be falling asleep. He was perspiring heavily. Suddenly he interrupted the questioning.

"I don't feel too good .." he said, and collapsed.

Starbuck and Apollo immediately ran to where Boxey had fallen. Saracen seemed to hesitate for a moment before he did too. Cassiopia pushed all of them aside and bent to see if she could do anything for him. "Call the life center and get a stretcher here on the double," she ordered. "This boy is very sick."

While they waited for the stretcher, Apollo held his son in his arms. Saracen just stood off to one side, looking bewildered, as if he thought he should be doing something but didn't know what. Starbuck paced back and forth.

Boxey was rushed to the life center. His family followed. Starbuck, Apollo, Athena and Adama all waited anxiously for word of his condition. Saracen didn't show up right away. When he did, he stayed away from the others. Apollo tried to talk to him.

"Has Boxey been sick recently?" Apollo asked.

"No."

"Has anything unusual been happening lately?"

"No."

"Did he show any signs before this that something was wrong?"

"No."

Eventually Apollo gave up. He was almost certain that if Boxey was this ill, he must have shown signs before this, but perhaps Saracen just didn't know him well enough to spot them.

A young blonde boy walked hesitantly into the life center. "Captain Apollo?"

"Oh, hi, Dillon, right?"

"Yes, I'm Troy's - Boxey's friend. We met once. I heard he was sick."

"Yes, unfortunately Boxey is very sick," answered Apollo. "We don't know what's wrong with him yet."

"I kinda figured he wasn't feeling good lately. He got tired really easily, and he bruised a lot from nothing at all, practically just touching him gave him a bruise. I told him that he should go to the doctor or ask his father to take him."

"Do you know if he asked his father to take him to the doctor?"

"He said he didn't want to bother him since Saracen was new at the father thing."

Apollo sighed. Boxey had been unwell for some time, according to Dillon, and hadn't seen a doctor. What kind of parent was Saracen, anyway?

Just then Dr. Salik emerged from where he had been conducting Boxey's examination. Apollo and Starbuck went ot him, full of anxiety.

"Boxey has leukemia," the doctor stated. "He needs a bone marrow transplant. Normally we ask a blood relative to be the donor, but since Boxey doesn't have any blood relatives - "

Cassiopia interrupted him. "Yes he does, Saracen is Boxey's birth father."

Everyone looked for Saracen, but he was nowhere to be found.

"Well if he's Boxey's father, where is he?" asked the doctor.

"Good question," muttered Starbuck darkly.

"Well, while we're waiting for this man to show up, I'll start testing all of you anyway, just in case Saracen isn't a match. Roll up your sleeves."

Starbuck, Apollo, Athena and Adama all gave blood samples for testing. So did Dillon. When the other warriors heard of Boxey's illness, they lined up to be tested too.

"So where is Boxey's father?" Boomer asked Starbuck and Apollo.

"We don't know. He was here until Dr. Salik told us what was wrong with Boxey, then he vanished before he could be tested to see if he's a compatible donor," answered Apollo.

"That'll look real good for his custody case - abandoning his kid when he's sick," observed Jolly.

"We're not worrying about the case right now. What's important is that Boxey get better, not who he lives with," said Starbuck.

"It doesn't make any sense," said Apollo. "Why would he run away when Boxey is sick? When his son needs him? He went to all this trouble to get custody - and then he just leaves?"

"Maybe it's just stress," suggested Athena.

"We've been under just as much stress as he has, and we're still here," snapped Starbuck.

"Well you don't need to yell at me!" Athena responded.

"Sorry," muttered Starbuck. "We *are* under a lot of stress."

Apollo took Starbuck in his arms. "We'll get through this. There are thousands of people in the fleet. We'll test every one of them if we have to until we find a donor. We just have to pray that we find that donor in time. If only Saracen was here!"

"We'll find him," Boomer announced. "Come on, Jolly. You and I are going on a manhunt."

***

Apollo and Starbuck watched their friends leave. The other warriors had been incredibly supportive during the custody hearings and Starbuck's recovery from his injuries. They had gone above and beyond the call of friendship. They were lucky to have friends like Jolly and Boomer.

"So where do we start looking?" Jolly asked.

"We start with his quarters here on the Galactica. If he isn't there, we'll go to the Sirius - that's where he says he lived before he transferred to the Galactica. And if he isn't there, we go through every ship in the fleet until we find him"

"And what do we do when we find him?"

"We bring him back to the life center," Boomer answered.

"And if he doesn't want to go?"

"We persuade him," Boomer stated.

"Oh. All right," said Jolly with a grin. "That could be fun."

Saracen's quarters were locked and there was no response when Boomer and Jolly pounded on the door. "Now what?" Jolly asked.

Boomer removed a panel from the wall. "I've become quite good at re-wiring locks on this ship," he said.

"Contemplating a life of crime if you get tired of being a Colonial Warrior?" Jolly asked.

"It's always a good idea to have a backup career in mind," answered his friend. "Here we go." And the door slid open.

Saracen's quarters were deserted, but they were not empty. Pictures of Serena and Boxey were everywhere. But there were no clothes or personal items to be found, indicating that he had left without planning to return. Boxey's posessions were undisturbed.

"I'd say that this guy was just a little bit obsessed," Jolly observed.

"More than a little," said Boomer, examining what looked like a shrine for worshipping Serena. "This fellow is quite definitely scary."

The two warriors searched through what remained of Saracen's posessions hoping to find a clue to the man's whereabouts. But there was nothing they could find that indicated where he might have gone.

"I guess we try the Sirius now," Boomer sighed.

The Sirius was a typical refugee ship - overcrowded with unhappy colonists. "Oh look here, it's Colonial Warriors!" shouted a voice tinged with sarcasm. "And to what do we owe the *honour* of your visit, kind sirs?"

Boomer and Jolly approached the elderly woman who had been shouting at them. "We're looking for a man named Saracen," Jolly informed the woman. "Have you seen him?"

"Saracen?" The woman started to laugh. "Saracen wouldn't be seen with the likes of us. No, he had a plan. Said he had a wealthy lady friend when he lived on Caprica. Serena, her name was. Said she'd been killed but she left a little boy. He was going to the Galactica to find the boy. Said that he was going to prove the child was his, and then they'd have to give him nice quarters on the Battlestar. The boy had been raised as the Commander's grandson so he'd *have* to live in nice quarters. Better than what we have here, that's for sure."

"Did he happen to mention what he would do if it turned out the boy wasn't his?" Boomer asked.

"He had that all figured out, he did. Said he knew his way around computers. He'd just fiddle with the medical records until it looked like they proved he was the dad." The woman snorted. "Good riddance to him, I say. Man was lazy, never did a lick of work if he could avoid it. Always scheming to improve his lot. Not that there's anything wrong with that, long as you do it honest, I say. But Saracen is a long way from being honest."

Jolly pressed a few credits into the crone's hand. "Thank you," he said. "We appreciate the information. My name is Lieutenant Jolly, this is Lieutenant Boomer. If Saracen does happen to show his ugly face around here again, could you find some way of contacting us to let us know? He's er, wanted on the Galactica, you might say."

The woman grinned toothlessly. "Not too fond of him either, are ya? Well, seeing as how you asked nicely and all, I guess I could do that."

They turned to leave when suddenly Boomer stopped. "What would Saracen do if he had some extra credits to spend? Where do you think he would go?"

"Nearest drinking establishment, of course," said the crone haughtily. "Never see the man without his paws wrapped around a bottle."

Jolly looked at Boomer. "Rising Star?"

"Too fancy," said Boomer.

A man who had been sitting next to the crone without speaking suddenly seemed to wake up. "There's a makeshift pub on the Hermes," he said. "Lots of grunts go there."

"Grunts?" inquired Jolly.

"Labourers," translated the man.

"This is my son," the crone said semi-proudly.

Boomer handed him a coin. "Thank you. We'll go look on the Hermes."

***

A shuttle took Boomer and Jolly to the Hermes. It was a small ship, but not crowded the way the Sirius had been. Inside, the warriors discovered a small market where goods - and people - were bought, sold or bartered.

"I take it this is where Saracen got all the stuff he bought for Boxey," Boomer commented.

"I wondered how someone with a low-paying labour job on the Galactica could afford to give Boxey all those presents," said Jolly.

The two Lieutenants started asking around, trying to find out if anyone had seen Saracen. They soon discovered that information, like everything else in the market, had a price attached.

The two Lieutenants started asking around, trying to find out if anyone had seen Saracen. They soon discovered that information, like everything else in the market, had a price attached. Credits were passed around, words were whispered in corners, and finally Boomer and Jolly had what they hoped was a reliable tip on Saracen's whereabouts.

"I feel like we're on some sort of spy mission," Jolly observed.

They made their way through narrow, winding corridors to a small, smoky room where several people sat around drinking. Not ambrosa, not for this crowd. They located Saracen in a far corner, and approached him carefully, not wanting to give him a chance to escape.

"Oh frak," muttered the man as the two Colonial warriors approached him.

"Well hello, Saracen. Long time no see! Not since your son was taken to the life center, in fact," said Boomer.

Saracen started to get up, and Jolly immediately grabbed him. "Leaving so soon, Saracen? But we just got here. We haven't had time to chat yet."

"What do you want with me?"

"There is a very sick boy in the life center who needs a bone marrow transplant. You're his only blood relative, so you're the most likely candidate for donor."

"But I'm not," mumbled the man.

"Not what?" asked Boomer.

"Not a blood relative. I'm not his father. I messed with the medical reports to make it look like I was, but I'm not. You don't have to go poking any more needles in me."

Boomer and Jolly hauled Saracen to his feet. "Well, you can just tell that to Apollo and Starbuck and explain why you tried to take their son away from them. Let's go."

Dragging Saracen between them, the warriors headed back to the Galactica. Saracen protested quite vocally, but no one paid any attention to him. On the Hermes, it was generally safer not to pay too much attention to what went on around you.

When the trio arrived at the life center, Dr Salik greeted them enthusiastically. "Thank the Lords you found him. Saracen, your son is very ill. He has leukemia. His only hope is a bone marrow transplant. You're his blood relative so -"

Saracen cut him off. "I'm not his relative. I'm not his father. I'm not related to him at all. I had a brief fling with Serena when Troy was a year old and she broke things off after a few sectons. The rest of what I told you was pretty much true - I was injured in the Destruction, and I heard that Troy - or Boxey as you call him - was the Commander's adopted grandson. I thought maybe if I claimed to be his father I'd get some better quarters, maybe some credits to help 'raise' him. And besides," he added, "better he live with me than with those two perverts."

"Well, since you're here, I'm going to test you anyway," said Salik with a slightly malicious gleam in his eye. "Roll up your sleeve." Saracen did so, and had a needle plunged none too gently into his arm.

"Don't we already have one of Saracen's blood samples?" asked Cassiopia.

"He tampered with the results," Boomer told her. "He went into the computer and made it so that the types matched, to make it look like he's Boxey's father."

While Salik worked on the numerous blood samples he had collected, hoping to find a donor, Cassiopia approached Starbuck and Apollo. "Boxey's awake," she said. "He wants to see both of you. He keeps asking for his 'dads.' "

Apollo and Starbuck went in to see their son. "Hi, dads," Boxey said weakly. "Is the hearing over?"

"It's been postponed," Apollo answered. "But we probably won't need it now anyway." He told Boxey what Jolly and Boomer had found out about Saracen's trickery.

Boxey smiled. "I knew he wasn't really my father. He just didn't feel like a father. So does this mean I can live with you guys again?"

"As soon as you're better," Starbuck promised.

"Am I sick?" Boxey asked.

"Just a little. You'll be better soon," said Apollo.

***

Outside the room where Boxey was sleeping, Starbuck and Apollo looked at each other. One nightmare had come to an end, the question of who Boxey would live with, but another was just beginning, the question of Boxey's health. They had hoped that finding Saracen would mean finding a donor, but that wasn't the case. "Now what?" asked Starbuck.

"We wait," answered Apollo.

"What do we do about Saracen? Has he actually broken any laws?"

"I don't know," sighed Apollo. "Possibly tampering with the medical records. Maybe lying in court? Perjury? He won't get away with this. He can't."

Apollo's father came up behind him. "Don't worry, he won't," Adama said. "I've already asked the Council to consider charges."

"I can hardly believe that Saracen went to all this trouble when he knows he's not Boxey's father," Apollo said sadly. He and Starbuck continued to pace the waiting area anxiously.

"Have I told you how glad I am that you're here?" Apollo asked his lover.

"Where else would I be?" Starbuck asked.

"I know that you wouldn't be anywhere else. I was just remembering how - not that long ago - I thought I'd be raising Boxey alone forever. Some of the women I dated ..." Apollo's voice trailed off and he shrugged. "Let's just say they didn't want to share me with a child."

Starbuck wrapped his arms around his husband. "We're a family, Apollo. The three of us. No one is going to separate us ever again."

After many centares of waiting, Dr. Salik emerged from his lab. The look on his face suggested the news was good. "I've found a match," he announced.

"Who is it?" the warriors asked anxiously.

"Dillon," answered the doctor.

Dillon stepped forward. "Me? Really?"

"Really, Dillon," answered the doctor. "Are you okay with this? Donating bone marrow isn't harmful but it will probably hurt a bit. Is this okay with your parents?"

"Yes," Dillon lied. Actually, he hadn't asked his parents if it was okay, he'd just come to the life station and volunteered.

Dr. Salik explained the procedure to Dillon. "Are you ready?" he asked the boy.

Dillon gulped a bit nervously. "As ready as I'll ever be, I guess."

Apollo squeezed his shoulder. "Thank you for doing this, Dillon," he said.

"Troy is my friend. I can't not do this," Dillon replied.

Dillon went with Dr. Salik to undergo the procedure for withdrawing bone marrow for the transplant. After they were finished, the transplant was performed. And then there was nothing to do but wait some more.

"Are you okay, Apollo?" Starbuck asked his mate when they had been waiting for a couple of centares.

"I just .. I never imagined that Boxey could be taken away from me before," Apollo said. "Either by losing custody of him or ... or by something happening to him. And now both of those things have happened just in the last few days. It's like the gods are trying to tell me something."

"What do you think they're trying to tell you?"

"I'm not sure," Apollo replied. "Maybe just to appreciate what I have while I still have it? To remember that life is short and any of the people that I love could be gone tomorrow?"

Starbuck shuddered. "That's possible, I suppose," he said thoughtfully. "What are you going to do about it?"

"What are *we* going to do about it, you mean," Apollo stated. "We are going to make sure that we have legal custody of Boxey and that no one can take him away from us ever again. And we're going make sure Saracen is punished. We'll send him to the prison barge so fast his head will spin."

For the first time since Boxey had been admitted to the life station, Starbuck smiled. "I like the sound of that. Where do we start?"

***

Saracen was brought up before the Council of Twelve and charged with fraud, tampering with medical records, unauthorized access to the life station computers, arranging the assault on Starbuck, and various other things related to his campaign for custody of Boxey.

The trial was short. The evidence against Saracen was overwhelming. The testimony of Gemini and Ceres about their roles in the attack on Starbuck sealed the case against him.

As Saracen was being transported to the prison barge, alarms began to sound. Apollo turned to Starbuck. "Cylons," he said. Both warriors headed to the viper bay. Colonel Tigh stopped them on the way.

"Only Blue Squadron is going out, gentlemen," said Tigh. "I want Green Squadron to stay behind in reserve. Starbuck, inform your squadron that they're not going out this time around."

Starbuck hugged Apollo, who was the leader of Blue Squadron. "Be careful," he said.

Apollo kissed his lover. "Always," he replied. "You go be with our son. Tell him I'll be back as soon as I can."

Starbuck reluctantly released Apollo. "I love you," he said.

Apollo kissed him again quickly. "I love you too. Give my love to Boxey." And he headed out to join his squadron.

Starbuck went to the Life Station to be with Boxey. He knew that the boy got scared every time he or Apollo had to go into battle. He hated it when Apollo had to go out without him. They tried to fly together whenever possible, backing each other up against the Cylons.

Boxey was pleased to see him and somewhat relieved until Starbuck told him that Apollo and his squadron had gone out to fight. To try to take Boxey's mind off his father, Starbuck told him about the hearing and Saracen's being sentenced to a long term on the prison barge.

"I can't say that I feel sorry for him, because I don't," stated the boy. "He tried to take me away from you and Dad. And he hurt you - he got those men to beat you up. I think he got what he deserved, don't you?"

"I do, Boxey. I don't think there's any reason for us to feel sorry for him."

Boxey was quiet for awhile. Concerned, Starbuck asked, "What's up, kiddo?"

"I was just wondering, if something happened to my dad - would I have to go live with someone else or would I be able to stay with you?"

Starbuck hugged Boxey. "First of all, nothing is going to happen to Apollo. Second, he and I are going to make sure that we both have legal custody of you, so that no one can take you away from us ever again. As soon as Dr. Salik gives you the all clear to come home, we're going to have a ceremony to make it official. Sort of like when Apollo and I were sealed to each other."

Boxey grinned. "Cool!" he said, and hugged Starbuck again.

Finally, Apollo arrived in the Life Center, to the great relief of his son and his lover. "How'd it go?" Starbuck asked.

Apollo sat down tiredly. "It was rough for a while, but we got all of them. There weren't any casualties in the squadron but ..." he hesitated.

"But what?" Starbuck demanded.

"The prison transport was hit. We lost the pilot and the prisoners who were being taken to the prison barge. That includes Saracen. I'm sorry, Boxey."

"Don't be sorry, Dad," replied the boy. "I didn't like him much. He did some bad things."

Trying to lighten the mood, Starbuck said, "Hey, we have a ceremony to plan. We have to celebrate Boxey's becoming officially ours, remember?"

The three of them set about planning their celebration.

About a sectare later, when Boxey's health was restored and all of the legal paperwork had been dealt with, Starbuck, Apollo, and their son arrived in the Great Hall. All of their family and friends were present. Both warriors wore their dress uniforms and Boxey wore an outfit that his aunt Athena had made for him.

Commander Adama called for silence, then turned to address Boxey. "Boxey - Troy - do you understand why we're here?"

"You're going to make Starbuck and Apollo my real parents," he answered.

"Good. Now, do you understand what it means to be part of a family?"

"Yes, sir."

"Do you promise to love and respect your parents, to honour them, and to obey them, even when you might not feel like it?"

"Yes, sir, I do," answered Boxey.

"Starbuck and Apollo," Adama addressed his son and son-in-law. "You are adopting Troy. Do you promise to love him, to take care of him, to shelter and protect him, and to teach him the ways of our people and the Lords of Kobol?"

"We do," answered both men.

Adama took the cord that he had used when he had sealed Apollo and Starbuck. This time he wrapped it around the wrists of both men and Boxey.

"In the presence of God and of these witnesses, I declare that you are a family. May the Lords watch over you and may you never be separated." He unwrapped the cord and the ceremony was complete.

There was a whoop from one of the warriors who had been watching - probably Boomer or Jolly, thought Apollo. As if inspired, everyone started cheering and then everyone was hugging and kissing Boxey and pounding both men on the back.

The party went on until the small hours. Tigh excused Starbuck and Apollo from duty the next day. Eventually the trio slipped out and went home.

"We're really a family now," Boxey said as his two fathers put him to bed.

"We always were, kid," said Starbuck. "it's just official now."

Boxey hugged his two parents. "I love you, Dads."

"We love you too," answered Apollo.

"Always," added Starbuck.

END