Living On A Prayer

	By Jen Lmr 

	Rating: NC-17  Het
	Pairing: It's het, anything else would give it away.
	
	Dedication: For Becky. Cheer up. Things do get better. Really. Doesn't 
	always seem like it, but they do.

	Summary: Apollo comes to terms with whom he really loves.


	"You can't mean it!" Starbuck stared at his wingmate and lover in 
	disbelief.

	"I'm sorry. I just can't live a lie any longer."

	"A lie?"

	"I didn't mean for it to come out that way, but there is someone else."

	"After everything we've been through together? After everything we've 
	meant to each other? After everything we've done *with* each other?"

	Apollo shook his head sadly and left. He tried to ignore the hurt in the 
	accusing eyes of his now ex-lover. Walking away from someone he cared 
	about wasn't easy, but he was determined not to let the person he loved 
	most in life slip away from him.

	Starbuck would get over the hurt of a long-time friendship that had 
	manifested itself inevitably into a physical relationship. They both knew it 
	had been a convenience of sorts. It had been something that they had both 
	needed at the time and under the overwhelmingly stressful circumstances. 

	However, Apollo knew that his true love would never get over it. Starbuck 
	would get over it. When he really thought about it he realized that he 
	should have ended their physical relationship sooner. He should have 
	realized that his whimsical indulgence was hurting someone that he never, 
	ever wanted to hurt.

	Not that he wanted to hurt his friend. He'd known that Starbuck had been 
	using him in the same way that Apollo himself had been using his lovely 
	blond Lieutenant. Comfort. Safety. A need for companionship. And, yes, 
	the sex had been great. He knew that it was only Starbuck's pride that was 
	hurting now. Their friendship had been through a lot of things and it still 
	had always remained strong. Frankly, if their friendship couldn't survive 
	this, he wasn't sure if he wanted it to.

	He knew what he wanted. He knew *who* he wanted. If Starbuck couldn't 
	understand and be happy for him, he would know that he wasn't the friend 
	he'd always thought him to be.

	With mixed feelings of regret and hopeful anticipation he strode down the 
	corridors of the Galactica and towards the only person that he could ever 
	imagine spending the rest of his life with.

	Not knowing for certain how well his presence would be received, he 
	screwed up all of the courage he could muster and pushed the button for 
	the door chime.

	The centar was late and a very sleepy eyed Sheba opened the door warily. 
	She gaped at her visitor. "Apollo? What are you doing here?"

	Throwing caution to the wind, he stepped forward and embraced her. 
	Without words, their lips met. 

	Apollo wrapped his arms around her in a way that conveyed all of the love 
	he felt for her. Sheba's eyes misted over, she couldn't find her voice to 
	speak. She didn't have to. From the first time they'd laid eyes on each 
	other, they'd spoken in wordless communication.

	Now was no different.

	Sheba felt as if her prayers had been answered in that embrace. Apollo 
	knew that all of his prayers were answered in that one kiss. Both of them 
	felt as if they'd been living on a prayer before now. Now they both knew 
	that their prayers had been answered.


	***

	(Mom... how do you write a whine?) If you're not cheered up now, I 
	suppose I could write the sex scene. Do you know how difficult this story 
	was to write for me? You better be cheered up! Now I have to finish the 
	sequel to "Say What?" which involves much kinky slash between Starbuck 
	and Apollo, a saddle and a riding crop. I just have to! I feel the need for 
	kinky slash, lots of kinky slash. Okay, a really, really, really, really, really, 
	really lot of kinky slash.

	Jen