This is a one-shot response to RedLion2's "Stuck" challenge. My muse has been on vacation lately, so I am using this story to hopefully bring her back.

This story is set in DotU. It is a loose sequel to my "Broken" challenge response "Meant to Be Broken." That story is referenced within this short, but you don't have to read that to enjoy this. I have decided that I am going to try and create a story arc based on the challenges. Meant to Be Broken would be story one. This will be story 2. We won't see where things go from here until we see what the next challenge will be.

Rated T/M. Innuendo and some making out, but that's it.

I hope this brings back the muse. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Voltron and its characters belong to WEP. I don't own them. The story is mine.


Between Floors

"I disagree, Commander," the princess of Arus argued. "The weather is fine right now. We should be able to get the supplies down to the village and be back before the forecast thunderstorm blows in, especially if we take the lions. The sky is clear! Look!" She pointed in exasperation at the computer monitor, which did indeed show a crystal clear blue sky dotted with fluffy white clouds.

"But, Princess," Keith growled out her title between clenched teeth. "The electrical storm is coming from the east." Pausing, he programmed the computer to show Arus's weather satellite data. The image showed the Altairian continent, with the location of the Castle of Lions and the nearby village of Almar highlighted in yellow. To the east, the weather map clearly showed a strong storm system barreling quickly toward the Castle of Lions. "By the meteorologist's estimate, the storm will hit within a couple of hours." Crossing his arms, he held her gaze evenly, daring her to argue.

Allura gave out an exasperated sigh. She returned Keith's dark, penetrating gaze with a challenging one of her own. "As I said before," she stated calmly, "if we take the lions, we can get down to the village, drop off the supplies, and be back before the storm hits." Softening the expression on her face, Allura gave him a pleading look. "Keith, the people need these basic supplies. The last battle hit Almar hard. The people are counting on us. Please, Keith!" Allura's azure eyes shimmered with unshed tears.

Sighing, Keith felt his resolve breaking. He never could stay strong and say no to those fathomless blue eyes. Since the moment that they shared during their run weeks ago, Keith's control as far as the princess was concerned was coming perilously close to breaking completely. Turning away before she glimpsed the emotion that churned underneath his hard, protective shell, the commander finally relented. "Fine," he growled. "But we leave in 15 minutes. And we take one lion, Black!" Allura opened her mouth to protest. Keith held up a hand, stopping her in her tracks. "That is my concession," he stated firmly, standing his ground. When she reluctantly nodded, he continued, "Meet me in Castle Control as soon as possible."

Fighting the urge to throw her arms around his neck, Allura couldn't help the small smile that quirked on her lips. "Yes, Commander," she replied quietly. "I will be ready to go."

VVVVVVVV

Ten minutes later, Princess Allura made her way to Castle Control dressed in her pink and white flight suit. Keith waited impatiently behind Koran's command chair, dressed in his own red and white flight suit. Hearing the princess enter the room, he whipped around quickly to face her. "The storm is coming in more quickly than we realized. I think we should abort the supply run until after the storm passes."

"But, Keith," Allura protested. "The people…" Her voice trailed off, and a look of rage crossed her beautiful face. "Fine, if you won't make the run, I will!" Turning on her heel, she stomped off toward Blue's chute.

"Oh no, you don't, your Highness!" Keith yelled. "Stand down, and that's an order."

Allura stopped in her tracks. Keith could see the flush of rage coloring her ears and the graceful curve of her neck. Walking around so that he could see her face, he sighed when he saw the tears in her eyes. He used everything he had to fight the urge to reach up and brush her tears away. "Allura," he explained. "It could be very dangerous."

"It will be more dangerous if we don't go," Allura argued, determination lacing her words. "Those poor villagers will have to face the storm with no food, no water, no warm clothing! If the storm is going to be as bad as you say it is, how will they survive?"

Keith ran an agitated hand through his hair. He had to admit that she had a point. Considering his options, he came up with what he thought was a good compromise. "Ok, Allura," he conceded. "You win. We make the supply run, and we take Black as planned. If we do run into lightning, it'll be Black Lion that can weather the storm the best. But no visiting with the villagers. We make the supply drop and get the hell back to the castle."

Wiping at the tears falling down her face, Allura nodded and acknowledged her gratitude. "Thank you, Keith."

"You're welcome, Princess," he replied. Nodding, Keith turned to Koran. "Koran, would you let Almar's mayor know that we are going to make the supply drop right outside the entrance to their underground shelter. There won't be time to land and unload. They will have to coordinate moving the supplies into the cave with the more able-bodied villagers."

"Sending the message now," Koran confirmed. Several minutes later, the advisor turned back to the princess and commander. "The mayor of Almar acknowledges your message and will have men ready to receive the supplies."

"Good. ETA 15 minutes," Keith said. "Come on, Princess . Let's go."

VVVVVVVVVV

An hour later and with the supply run complete, Allura sat behind Keith in the passenger seat of Black Lion, a feeling of trepidation in the pit of her stomach. Watching Black's view screen, the princess gazed in wonder at how quickly the day had gone from bright and beautiful to dark and ominous. Looking toward the Castle of Lions, the princess saw that a large, black cloud filled the eastern horizon, blocking out the sun. Lightning danced across the blackness of the sky, and electricity charged the air. Black Lion lurched as a strong wind howled across the Castle Lake. Praying silently, Allura was grateful that the supply-run was almost over and that they would be soon heading back to the castle. She hesitated to voice her thoughts aloud to her commander, however, who concentrated hard as he directed his lion to land.

Keith held Black's controls with a white-knuckled grip. He was having a hard time maintaining steady control with the wind howling and the lightning streaking across the sky. Sighing in relief, he was thrilled to see the Lion Monument, and Black's resting place, looming just ahead. Keith guided Black to hover just above the pedestal. Just as the commander was about to set the big cat down, a huge gust of wind blew the lion off its trajectory. Cursing under his breath, Keith pulled up just before Black drifted into the side of the pedestal with his front right leg. He brought Black up for another swoop around. Gritting his teeth, Keith attempted a second pass to the pedestal. With the wind fiercely pushing against Black's port side, Keith gripped the controls as he approached the pedestal again. He held the yoke steady and used Black's radar to center the Lion atop the large, flat surface. Using his thrusters to maintain position, he lowered his mighty ship slowly. Feeling Black Lion finally settle onto its resting place, he let out a huge breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

"Thank the gods that is over," Allura mumbled weakly from behind Keith.

Glancing over his shoulder, Keith saw that Allura was pale and shaky from their excursion. Snorting, he raised his eyebrows at her and looked at her sardonically. "I told you that the trip would be difficult and dangerous. But you didn't believe me; we had to make the run."

Narrowing her eyes at him, Allura glared at Keith. "Ok, ok, so you were right," she acknowledged. "But I feel better knowing that the people have what they need. Thank you again, Commander." Sarcasm and anger penetrated her words.

Before Keith could retort, a call came over Black's comm. "…trol to Black, control to …ack. Please…..in." The message crackled with static.

"This is Black. Go ahead, Control," Keith answered the call.

"Commander, we have lost power here at the Castle. The electrical storm is fierce and has cut out our generators. There is no way we can use the Lion portal to get you and the princess back to Castle Control," Koran explained over the static-filled comm.

"Shit," Keith cursed under his breath. "Acknowledged, Koran," he responded into his comm. "The princess and I can take the elevator in the pedestal. Can someone meet us down below with a transport vehicle? Does the Lion monument still have power?"

"For now, Commander," Koran confirmed. "But you better get down fast before we lose the whole power grid. This is one nasty storm."

"Right, Koran," Keith barked. "Kogane out." Swiveling toward Allura, he saw that she was already standing, ready to leave Black. "Well, you heard Koran. We have lost power to the chutes. The only way down from here is the elevator. Let's go before the pedestal loses power, too."

Keith exited from his command chair and stepped onto Black's lift. He stood with a straight posture, slightly front of center. The princess stepped on just after him, and moved to stand just behind her commander. He could feel the heat of her body near his back. He breathed deeply as he tried to center himself, his nose teased by the intoxicating scent that was so Allura.

Usually, the ride from the cockpit to the ground was smooth. The experienced Voltron pilots simply centered themselves on the platform and stood still for the fifteen second ride to the ground. Keith pushed the button, and slowly the lift began to lower. As the princess and commander exited the safety of the cockpit, they glimpsed the reality of the ferocity of the storm. Rain and hail pelted the great ship's metal hull, creating a melancholy melody that matched the ominous sky. A strong wind whipped across the lake and swirled around the Black Lion. Allura gasped when a sudden gust almost knocked her off her feet. Reaching for anything to steady herself, she wrapped her arms around something solid, strong, and warm, just in front of her. Looking up, she realized she had grabbed Keith's waist. Fighting to maintain her balance, she hugged her body to his as she used his greater breadth and weight to center her own lithe frame.

Keith's breath caught in his throat as he felt Allura's arms come around him. She pressed her body against his as she struggled to stay upright. He could feel the soft mounds of her chest flatten against his hard back. Instinctively, his hands came to rest over the arms wrapped around his waist. He couldn't help but notice how good it felt to be in Allura's embrace, even if the reason was simply to maintain balance. Fighting his body's familiar reaction to the fair-haired princess, Keith peered at her over his shoulder. "Are you ok?" he growled out through gritted teeth.

Azure eyes met his own dark gaze from behind Keith's broad shoulder. She enjoyed the feeling of being so close to him. "Yes," she mumbled into the fabric of his flight suit. "That wind almost knocked me over." She couldn't help but giggle. When they reached the platform under Black, she reluctantly let go. Smiling up at him sheepishly through her lashes, the princess flushed slightly. "Sorry about that," she apologized. "There wasn't anything else to grab on to."

"It's ok," the commander replied gruffly. Grabbing her hand, Keith started across the platform toward the elevator. "Come on, we need to hurry and get to that elevator before we get swept away in the storm."

"Right," Allura agreed, trying hard to ignore the reassuring and pleasant feel of Keith's hand in her own.

The pair sprinted across the platform, their hands linked. They crossed the short distance quickly, but it wasn't fast enough to completely avoid the pouring rain. Coming to a stop outside the elevator doors, Keith pounded the button. He watched helplessly as the numbers indicated the elevator's slow ascent. "Shit," he muttered. At the rate it was going, it would be a couple of more minutes before the elevator made it to the top. He grimaced inwardly as he remembered why he didn't use this route to Black Lion very often. They desperately needed to get out of the storm, but their only option was to wait for the slow elevator.

Glancing at his companion, Keith saw that the princess was soaked and bedraggled. She had removed her helmet, and her golden tresses slowly unraveled from the bun as her hair sopped up the rainwater. Water dripped down her face and traveled in rivulets down her body. Allowing his eyes to rove down her form, the commander groaned as he noticed how her wet flight suit clung even more closely to her curves. In fact, it hugged her so closely there was little left to the imagination. He could see the shadow of a pink bra and her creamy flesh though the semitransparent, white material. Shifting uncomfortably, Keith tore his eyes away from the princess and looked back at the elevator's panel, silently willing the lift to hurry up.

Shivering, the princess breathed a sigh of relief as the elevator doors finally opened. "Thank the gods," she exclaimed as she stepped through the open doors.

As Keith punched the button for the ground floor, he picked up his comm and radioed Koran. "Control, this is Kogane. The princess and I are in the elevator. We are heading to the ground floor."

"Roger, Commander," Koran acknowledged. "I will send Pidge to collect you in one of the transport hovercrafts."

"Ok, Koran. Thanks," Keith replied. "See you soon." Returning his comm to his belt, Keith let out an exasperated sigh. He felt as soaked as Allura appeared. His flight suit clung uncomfortably to his skin; he felt damp and clammy. Removing his helmet, he shook his hair out in hopes of ridding himself of some of the water. Reaching up to his neck, he grabbed at the zipper of his flight suit, pulling it down to his stomach. He felt stifled, and he needed to get some relief from the dampness. Not realizing what he was subconsciously doing, the commander pulled off the top of his flight suit. Letting the top dangle from his hips, he breathed out a sigh of relief as his damp skin met the cool air of the elevator.

Allura sensed a change in Keith's mood. Looking at his handsome face, she at first noticed his look of frustration and his furrowed brow. What happened next caught the Arusian princess completely off guard. Allura's mouth suddenly went dry as she watched Keith perform his slow and sensuous strip tease. That was how that moment felt to her. He removed his helmet and shook out his gloriously thick mane of raven black hair. After bending over to place his helmet on the floor, he slowly stood up. She licked her lips as she watched him reach up and grasp the zipper at his neck. Slowly, ever so slowly, he pulled, revealing his sculpted pectorals and rippling abdominals. The princess groaned in a most un-princess like way when he didn't stop and proceeded to remove the top of his flight suit completely. Pure, primal desire coursed through her body as he finally stopped to lean in relief against the side of the elevator, bare-chested and oh so sexy. Breathing raggedly with her heart thumping in her chest, Allura leaned against the wall herself as she stared at her commander, the focus of her lust and desire, looking more masculine and attainable than she had ever seen him. A heaviness pooled in her loins. She wiped the back of a delicate hand across her forehead as her temperature rose. She tried to maintain some semblance of control over her carnal thoughts. Suddenly, she felt stifled and uncomfortable and wanted nothing more than to rid herself of her own wet, clingy flight suit.

After enjoying his moment of relief, Keith glanced back at his companion. His breath caught in his throat. The expression on the princess's face could only be described as the wanton look of lust and desire. Allura stared at him, her azure eyes darkened to the color of midnight. He gulped as her eyes blatantly roved over his body. "Princess?" he whispered.

Before she could respond, their world plunged into darkness and the elevator lurched to a sudden stop. Allura gasped. Remaining calm and switching his focus away from the princess, Keith grabbed at the comm at his belt. Pressing it to his lips, he barked, "Control? Report!"

Koran's calm, cultured voice came over the comm. "Commander, Princess," he began. "That last lightning strike took out the Lion Monument's power grid. Please tell me you made it to the ground floor."

"No, we didn't make it to the ground floor," Keith replied sarcastically. "We are still in the elevator." He stopped to glance at the number on the screen, which glowed red in the darkness of the elevator. "It looks like we are somewhere between floors five and six."

"Oh my," Koran responded. "We will do everything we can to restore power to the elevator as soon as we can, Commander. The storm is passing fairly quickly." To the princess, he said, "I am sorry, your Highness. Do you think you will be ok for a little while?"

Swallowing hard, Allura glanced at her companion. She would be stuck with Keith, alone, for an undetermined amount of time, in the elevator, in the dark. With him halfway undressed, she couldn't think of a place she would rather be. Smiling uncertainly toward the commander and quirking a perfectly shaped, blond eyebrow, she replied, "I think I'll be fine, Koran. Take your time and stay safe. I am sure we will be ok for a bit. Keith is with me. Blue out." Disconnecting the call, Allura reached out to return the comm unit to Keith.

At the mention of his name, Keith gave a start. He glanced up and saw the princess holding the comm unit out to him. Taking it from her hand, he said, "Thank you," and returned the comm unit to his belt. Still reeling from the lustful expression he thought he had seen on Allura's face, he watched the princess as an uncomfortable silence filled the small space. All Keith could hear was Allura's quiet breathing. In the reddened darkness, he could make out the halo of drying hair, but her beautiful face was in shadow. In his gut he knew she was watching him; he could feel those deep blue eyes boring into his soul. "Princess?" he inquired. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, Keith," came her curt reply. "I'm just wet and uncomfortable."

As Keith watched her in the semi-dark of the elevator, the princess of Arus moved her hand to her neck. The sound of her flight suit zipper opening made him grunt. "What are you doing?" Keith croaked.

"What you did," she replied simply. "I need some air. This damp flight suit is driving me crazy." Standing just a few feet from him, she unzipped the flight suit to reveal the lacy pink bra that barely covered her ample breasts and flat, toned stomach. Though he couldn't see everything because of the darkness of the elevator, he could make out enough to start his blood pumping thickly through his veins.

Keith's breath hitched when she didn't stop there. She gracefully shimmied out of the top of her flight suit. A sound akin to a purr of contentment escaped from the princess as she leaned against the wall. Gazing over at Keith, Allura furrowed her eyebrows in confusion at his stiff posture. "Why don't you relax, Keith? We could be in here awhile."

"That's what I'm afraid of," he muttered under his breath, as he moved to stand across from Allura in the tight space. He was as far away from her as he could get in the tiny room.

Allura's blue eyes flashed with anger. "Well, excuse me, Commander. I didn't realize being stuck in here with me was such a chore!" she snarled. Crossing her arms, she inadvertently pushed her breasts together, creating more cleavage for the commander's hungry eyes. "Remind me never to insist on your assistance ever again if being with me is such torture for you."

Keith said nothing. Torture was right, but not in the context she thought. The little hold he had on his self-control was quickly fizzling, and it had nothing to do with anger. His senses were on overload from being so close to Allura in such a confined space. Her scent of sweet pea invaded his nostrils. The image of her standing across from him in the semi-dark in nothing but a bra and the bottom of her flight suit would forever be seared into his brain. The musical sound of her voice, even in anger, washed over him in waves. His breathing came in shorter and deeper gasps as he allowed everything that was Allura seep into his soul. He closed his eyes as he fought a losing battle for control over his primal desires.

Allura watched Keith in confusion. He made no move to refute her heated accusations. In fact, he looked like he was having a hard time breathing. Thinking that the commander might be experiencing some kind of claustrophobia, the princess moved closer to him. She reached out and placed a soft hand on Keith's chest. His skin was warm and smooth under her soft hand. She stared in fascination at the contrast between her pale flesh and his tanned skin. Her anger forgotten, she furrowed her eyebrows in concern. "Keith?" she asked. "Are you ok?"

Jumping at the feel of her hand on his chest, Keith was torn from his desire-filled reverie. His quick reflexes caused him to grab Allura's wrists and push back against her. He didn't stop until he had her pushed against the far wall of the elevator, her wrists pinned to either side of her head.

Heart thumping in her throat, Allura was startled by Keith's fast and intense reaction. At first, she thought she had scared him. But one look in his stormy dark eyes told her otherwise. She had never seen such passion and emotion on his face before. Her breathing quickened and her heart tripped all over itself when she realized what it meant. "Keith?" she whispered.

"You have no idea what you do to me, do you?" he asked huskily. "You have no idea how hard I fight day in and day out to control myself when it comes to you." He stood less than a foot away from her, his body pressing closer and closer. Letting go of her wrists and placing his hands against the wall on either side of her head, he moved his face within an inch of hers. "Never doubt that I want to be near you." He paused. "It scares me how much I want to be near you."

Allura's body flushed at Keith's bold admission. She pushed back against him with equal pressure, her curves pressing against the rock, hard planes of his chest. Her hands dropped to clasp gently at his waist. Returning his intense gaze evenly, she hoped to communicate to him that the feeling was mutual. She inched her lips closer to his. Feeling his breath on her face, she closed her eyes.

Keith took the expression on her face as her consent. Pressing his lips gently against hers for a split second, he pulled back to gauge her reaction.

Her chest heaved in response to the sensation of his lips on hers. Feeling him pull away, she moaned her protest. Running her hands gently up his forearms and along his biceps, she fisted her hands in the silky hair at the nape of his neck. She pulled his face back toward her and touched her lips to his.

The second kiss was light, tentative at first. As the princess responded to his touch, Keith wrapped his arms around Allura and pulled her tighter against him, deepening the kiss. Her lips parted slightly, their tongues dancing. Sensations and desire pulsed through them both. Keith leaned into Allura until he had her caged against the wall. Many emotions were in that kiss: confusion, realization, longing, desire and lust. After several minutes, Keith gently broke away. Allura whimpered her protest and tightened her arms around his neck. She was not ready for the kiss to end.

He relented. As his mouth claimed hers again, he picked her up into his arms and then laid her gently on the floor of the elevator. Allura couldn't get close enough to him. She pressed her body into his as if she was holding on for dear life. Her head was swimming from the emotions and desire that were threatening to overwhelm her. That heaviness she had experienced in her nether regions when she saw Keith partially disrobe was back, but it was more powerful now. She had been kissed before, but never like this. Keith left her panting and wanting more.

Keith was slowly losing control. This was Allura, Princess Allura. Subconsciously, he must have always wanted her. Those feelings were awakened so suddenly and so fiercely that Keith hadn't even had time to process them. He almost didn't know what to do. His mind was warning him to stop as his body was cheering him to go! He moved to lie on top of her. When he felt himself fully harden in response to Allura, his primal need had him grind his pelvis into hers.

All of a sudden, their world exploded with light and the elevator gave a slight lurch as it started descending again. Keith quickly scrambled away from the princess as she lay on the floor of the elevator, blinking in confusion. "What the…?" her voice trailed off as she tried to shake off her passion-filled fog.

"The elevator is working, Princess," he gasped as he blinked rapidly trying to adjust his eyes to the suddenly bright lights. Breathing deeply, he fought to calm his body down as he realized what had just happened between him and the princess.

"Keith?" Keith's comm suddenly chirped to life. "Keith, come in!" Pidge's soft voice called to them over the comm.

Grabbing the comm from his belt, Keith answered a little too forcefully. "Kogane here! What Pidge?"

"Um, the power is back on in the Lion Monument and the castle. I am here to transport you and the princess across the bridge," the Green Lion pilot responded quietly to Keith's sharp tone. He couldn't fathom his commander's foul mood, unless he and the princess had had yet another argument. "I will wait at the foot of the Lion monument."

Shaking his head to clear out his own haziness, Keith curbed his tone. "Right, Pidge, sorry. We will see you in a few minutes." Turning back to the princess, Keith couldn't help notice her flushed face and chest, or the way her lips were left swollen from his kisses. "Allura, Pidge is waiting for us down below," he informed her quietly. His black eyes took in her disheveled appearance. "We both need to make ourselves presentable." Keith stood and quickly pulled his flight suit all the way on.

"Right," she replied. Standing, the princess slid her arms into the sleeves of her flight suit and she pulled it on over her shoulders. Her hand reached down to tug her zipper up, when suddenly Keith reached out his own hand to stop her. She froze as his rough, calloused hands slid sensuously down the front of her body. She raised her eyes to meet his dark eyes, filled with confusion and longing. Her heart stopped as he himself reached for her zipper.

"Allow me," he whispered as he tugged the zipper up, covering her completely. Sighing, the princess closed her eyes at his touch as Keith leaned in to place a gentle chaste kiss on her parted lips.

The ding of the elevator indicated that they had finally reached the ground floor. Keith's hand lingered on the princess's zipper a moment longer before he regretfully took a step back. The doors slid open to reveal Pidge waiting next to a small hovercraft. "Hi guys!" he greeted them cheerfully. "The storm has pretty much passed. Power has been restored to the castle and damage from the storm is minimal."

"That's great, Pidge," Allura replied. "Did the villagers receive their supplies?"

"Yep, they sure did," Pidge responded. "They had moved them to the underground shelter just before the storm reached them."

Allura let out a relieved sigh as she climbed into the back of the hovercraft. "Oh, good," she said. Glancing at her commander, she couldn't help but let a small smile quirk on her lips. Turning to Keith, who had settled in the passenger seat next to Pidge, she stated breathily, "See Commander, I would say that the supply run was worth it for all involved, wouldn't you?"

"Even with getting stuck in the elevator?" Pidge interrupted, oblivious to the tone in Allura's voice. "I figured you guys would be ready to kill each other by now."

Keith peered at the princess over his left shoulder as she lounged languidly in the backseat. Cocking an eyebrow, he smiled slightly. "Kill each other?" he repeated. "No." Pausing, he let his dark eyes bore into Allura's azure ones, communicating that there was unfinished business between them. "Though we will have to finish the discussion we were having at some point." Keith's voice sounded firm and serious, but his eyes danced with unfulfilled passion.

"You got it, Commander," the princess replied. She raised an eyebrow in challenge and the two exchanged a private, secret smile. "Let's get back to the castle. I really need to get out of this wet flight suit." She turned away from Keith and gazed out at the expanse of Castle Lake as Pidge put the hovercraft in gear.

Turning to face forward, Keith settled into the passenger seat as the hovercraft quickly crossed the drawbridge and approached the main doors to the Castle of Lions. He jumped out the minute the vehicle stopped and walked around to help the princess disembark. Reaching out his hand, he locked eyes with Allura. She gave him a coy smirk as she accepted his hand graciously and stepped out of the hovercraft.

Knowing his eyes were on her, Allura sashayed past Keith and walked through the main doors of the Castle of Lions. Giving a little extra swing to her hips, she cast one last sidelong glance at him before she disappeared up the stairs that led to her quarters. She saw that he was watching her intently. Smiling in satisfaction to herself, the princess quickly made her way to her room.

As the princess disappeared up the stairs, Keith ran an agitated hand through his hair. Now what? he thought to himself. She wants me; I want her. This is so not good. Following behind, he walked down the hall in the opposite direction to his own room. Where the hell do we go from here?