Dinner was a loud, boisterous affair. Not only did Lance and Darcy stay, but so did Hunk who was joined by his family. The dining room table was completely filled and the meal itself lasted for well over two hours. But it was when Gideon fell over on his sister, sound asleep, that they were all dismissed from the table. The early morning hours had caught up with the four new Force members and as the clock struck eight thirty, they were having trouble keeping their eyes open.

"Now if you need anything, don't be afraid to call. Any time." Darcy told Sky as she walked them to the door.

"I know, Mom."

"And once you're given your communicator it will be even easier to get a hold of us," Lance added.

"I know, Dad."

"Um, Sky," Darcy looked at her husband and then back at her daughter. "We know this is what you are meant to do and, well, we want you to know how proud of you we are, honey."

Sky felt silly as tears filled her eyes, "Thanks, Mom, Dad."

They shared a quick hug and Lance threw his arm around her shoulders, giving her a quick squeeze. "You know where to find us if you need us," he said gruffly.

"Yeah, Dad, thanks."

"See you tomorrow," Darcy said, kissing her cheek. "Be good."

Sky rolled her eyes, "Yes, Mom."

"Don't give Erik or the twins any trouble," Lance added.

"I'll try not to."

And they were gone. Sky suddenly felt very young and very alone. She knew neither were true, but she bit back the fleeting need to run after them and back to her old room. But no. She was an adult now, with a mission.

Moving one foot at a time, Sky made her way back to her new room. The hall was quiet, the others probably already asleep. As tired as she was, Sky didn't want to be alone. Her first thought was of Erik, but he was probably asleep, he had a lot on his mind and he didn't need to have to deal with her immature feelings. Then she thought of Cady, but her friend had gone to make a phone call after dinner and Sky knew that she would probably be on the phone for another hour.

She just didn't want to go to sleep. So, leaving her door open, Sky went about putting her books in order on the shelves. Tomorrow they were going to fly the Lions together for the first time and she'd have a meeting with her father and Keith to go over her duties as second in command. When it had been announced that she was given that title, it had shocked her to no end. Why did they name her second? Was it because of her father? They had to know that she wasn't as good as him, she doubted she could ever be.

"Shouldn't you be asleep?"

Sky looked over her shoulder to see Erik standing in the doorway. "I could ask you the same thing."

"Can I come in?"

She nodded.

"I just spoke to my parents," he told her, crossing to lean against her desk. "They're coming the end of this week to bring me my stuff and stay for a couple of days."

"That'll be fun."

"Yeah, but if trouble is coming, I don't want them to be away from Pollux for long."

"I'm sure they'll be fine."

"You okay, Sky?"

She nodded, placing a book of poetry on the poetry shelf, below the military history shelf and above the historical fiction shelf.

Erik walked over and picked up a book, "You should have been a librarian."

"What?" She whirled to face him. "Why? You don't think I can do this? You don't think I can be second?"

He took a step back, surprised at her reaction, "No, Sky, because of your book obsession. Geez, what is with you?"

"Sorry, nothing…everything…nothing…I don't know."

"What is it?" He asked gently, laying a hand on her back.

"Why did they make me second? I mean, I'm honored and all, but I don't really have the training. I mean, I know a lot, I've been around the Lions and the castle my entire life, but, well, shouldn't one of the twins be second?"

"Sky, I don't know what is going to happen, we can only be prepared. You're smart and strong and, whether you realize it or not, you are the best one for the job. Don't doubt yourself, Sunny."

"Thank you, Erik."

"No problem," he gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek. "Get some sleep, we have to get up early."

"Good night, Erik."

"'Night, pretty lady."

………………………………………………………………………………………….

"I swear Declan James, I will pull you from that Lion if you do that again!" Keith shouted from Castle Control.

"Yes sir," Declan sighed and righted Blue after doing a couple of wide barrel rolls.

Lance chuckled behind his old friend, "He wasn't doing any harm."

"I would rather they didn't try an acrobatics until they had some more practice up there," Keith muttered, watching the screen as Erik directed the Lions into formations they had gone over earlier that morning.

"Uh, Keith?"

"Yeah, Lance?"

"Do you think there will be any problems with Erik and Sky working together?"

Keith turned and looked at his friend, "What do you mean? Do you think she can't handle this?"

"No, I know she can handle the work. It's just that Darcy is convinced that there might be something more between the two of them."

Running his hand through his hair, Keith nodded, "Yeah, actually, Allura said something about that too. I think they both realize how important this is and that the protection of Arus is what comes first. If not, I'll have to sit down and speak with them. But if you and I could do it, I think they can."

"But I wouldn't wish all that Darcy and I went through on anyone, particularly my own daughter."

"Come on, Lance, you can't tell me you'd be surprised if the two of them ended up together."

"No, but Sven's son or not, if he hurts her, I will tear him limb from limb and then beat him over the head with his own extremities."

"Yeah, I'm sure he's taken your feelings into consideration. I doubt even Erik would cross you," Keith said wryly. "What do you say we wait and see what happens before we jump to any conclusions or you rip his arms off?"

"All right guys, let's try line formation 4," Erik called to the other four Lions. "Gideon, you're falling a bit behind."

"Sorry we can't all be as perfect as you," Gideon mumbled under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, sir."

"This is our first day," Erik continued. "No one expects all of us to get it on the first day, that's why we need to practice more. Once the fifth pilot is chosen we are going to be practicing several hours a day until we're tight enough as a team. V-Formation guys."

The Lions broke apart and swooped into formation. They were still slow, but after two hours of practice, they were flying a little tighter. Pidge was filling in in Green, keeping his mouth shut and observing how the four new members were working together and how comfortable Erik seemed as leader.

Keith had assigned them to three hours of practice for the day. If all went as planned, the Green pilot would be chosen and in place in another day or two. First he had to run the idea past Allura, not that she would say no, but he wanted to ease her into the idea that Euclida was going to be back in their lives. Well, in a miniscule way.

"Pidge," Keith called over the comm link. "Take them over to the flatlands and start on some target practice."

"Yes, sir." Pidge moved to the front of the line and led them all over the woods and to the barren flatlands of Arus where a target practice field had been set up.

…………………………………………………………………………….

The next couple of days consisted entirely of practice and workouts and meetings. They had Intel on their enemies to study as well as flight formations and military tactics. Erik, Sky, Declan and Gideon rose early each morning and crawled into bed early every night. This left little time for socializing. Sky and Erik were reduced to a passing wink in the hall or a quick stolen kiss on the way to their rooms at night. It was really starting to grate on Erik.

For as long as he could remember they had been friends and he had been madly in love with her. When they were younger, he had convinced her to be his girlfriend and he had screwed up royally. He was young and stupid. They lived on two different planets and a long distance relationship is hard at any age, but when all your friends have girlfriends and when you go to a party where you're alone, it's tough. So he broke up with Sky, telling her he just wanted to be friends, that way he could go out with all the girls who wanted to date a real Prince. But there had been no long term relationships. Some of them had been fun, smart girls, others had been star struck. He was never without a possible date and when his Uncle Bandor had finally married, Erik was touted as the most eligible bachelor on Pollux.

But he couldn't stop thinking about Sky. It seemed as though she was always on his mind. Her quick wit and bright intelligence, combined with a sweet beauty that made her totally irresistible to him. And that was when he realized that he never found another girl because none of them could compare to Schuyler Grace Collier, his closest friend and the woman he loved.

And that was who he was thinking of as he lay in bed staring at the ceiling. It was after midnight, but he didn't feel like sleeping. A low rumbling in the distance had wakened him as a thunderstorm rolled in. He sat up when he heard a noise on the other side of the wall opposite him. Sky's room. Erik was convinced that Uncle Keith had assigned her that room just to torment him. She was so close.

Creeping across the room, he pressed his ear to the wall and listened. It was quiet. The walls of the castle were thick, so the fact that he had heard anything at all had worried him. Or rather, it was the excuse he was looking for to go talk to her.

Sky swore under her breath as she picked up the book she had just dropped. It was a large, leather bound collection of poetry her Aunt Becca and Pidge had given her years ago as a gift.

The thunder had woken her as well and Sky was not a big fan of thunderstorms. She wasn't scared of them, that would be silly. She was a grown woman, a member of the Voltron Force, she was not scared of thunderstorms. For the most part, she didn't mind them. But when they were right over the house and shook it to its foundation, Sky was left a little uneasy. So to calm herself, she would pull out an old book and try to get her mind off of it. But being the klutz that she is, she dropped the large book on the floor beside her bed.

"Sky?" Erik's voice was low as he quietly knocked on the door. "Are you okay?"

Touched that he would come and check on her, Sky crept to the door and opened it. He stood there looking polished and fresh in a set of pale blue pajamas. How could he have just gotten out of bed and there not be one wrinkle in his pajamas? "Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry if I woke you."

Erik's eyes moved on their own as they ran down and then back up her body. She wore a silly pair of red plaid lounge pants and a plain white t-shirt, her hair mussed and her eyes heavy lidded. Sky had always been more about comfort than style, but he thought she looked adorable.

"You, uh, you didn't wake me," he whispered, his voice huskier than he meant it to be. "Can't sleep?"

Sky reached up and tried to smooth her hair down, "Uh, no, not really. I guess the storm woke me."

"Yeah, me too."

They stood in the doorway to her bedroom, looking at each other but trying to avoid eye contact. A loud crash of thunder sounded overhead and Sky jumped.

"Sounds like a nasty storm," Erik commented, watching over her shoulder as a bolt of lightening slashed through the sky outside her window.

"Yeah," she wrapped her arms around herself and glanced over her shoulder.

"You never did like thunderstorms, did you?"

"I'm not afraid of them," Sky said defensively.

"I didn't say you were," he reached out and pulled at her arm until he could get to her hand. "Come on."

"Where are we going?"

"For a walk."

Sky reached back and punched in the code to shut the door, allowing him to pull her down the hall. "What are you doing?"

"My family and I came to visit one time and there was this huge thunderstorm," he whispered, lacing his fingers through hers. "We were all pretty young, I think Charlotte had just been born, no Allura was still pregnant with her. Anyway, Delora was terrified of thunderstorms and she and Cady and the twins and Tess couldn't sleep. So Uncle Keith took us all to the Observation Deck. The power was out and we all sat on the floor in front of the big windows and watched the storm roll in. The clouds actually roll in, big, thick, black clouds. The thunder was right overhead and shook the castle right down to its foundations. The lightening lit the entire room every time it flashed and the rain came down in torrents. It was bigger and louder than any fireworks show I had ever seen. From that night on, whenever there was a thunderstorm, Lora was more excited than scared. If it was a particularly big one, she would come and wake me so I could see it with her."

Sky scowled, "I'm not scared of thunderstorms."

Erik tugged on her hand and pulled her closer, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, "I didn't say that, Sunny. I was just thinking that this would be one of those big storms and I would like to share it with you. Stop being so sensitive."

Sky relaxed a bit and leaned against him, jumping slightly at another loud crash of thunder.

The hallways were deserted, as was the Observation Deck when they arrived. Erik steered her over to the center window where they could see large, charcoal colored clouds roll closer, bolts of lightening slicing through the air. The rain started with large drops and quickly turned into sheets falling at an angle, pushed by heavy winds that caused the trees to thrash around in a violent dance. Without realizing it, Sky cuddled closer to his side sliding her arm around his waist, watching the storm approach.

Erik dropped a kiss on top of her head, "We haven't had a chance to talk all week, how're you holding up, my Sky?"

"All right, you?"

"Can't complain."

"You're doing a great job, Erik."

"That means a lot coming from you," he whispered.

She tilted her head back to look at him, "I mean it."

His hand seemed to move on its own accord as it came up to stroke her cheek, "I couldn't do it without you."

"What is with us?"

"What do you mean?"

"We're starting to sound like a couple of love struck teenagers."

"We are."

"I was serious, Erik, when I said I want to take things slowly."

"I know. But I want you to know that I am not going to repeat mistakes of the past, I promise."

"How do we know things really will be different this time?"

He took her by the shoulders and turned her so she faced him, "Schuyler, I promise you things will be different. I screwed up last time and I have regretted it every day since. I have experienced life with you as my girlfriend and you as just a friend and I can honestly say that what I feel runs too deep to be just friends. I want this more than I have ever wanted anything before in my life, I need this, I need you. I won't hurt you, I promise."

A bolt of lightening flashed and the whole room lit up. Sky met his eyes and saw the earnestness in them, the sincerity on his face. Her heart stopped and her knees weakened. "I promise not to hurt you, either," she whispered.

"My Sky," he framed her face with his hands, noticing how delicate and small she felt on his hands.

She closed her eyes, feeling him move closer. Erik's lips gently caressed hers, his hands moving down her neck, one hand sliding into her hair, the other sliding down around her waist. Sky closed the distance between them, her arms finding their way around his neck, pressing herself against him. All the stress of the past week, all the worries of what was coming, and the rumbling of a large storm faded away.

Allura froze in the doorway of the Observation Deck. Lightening flooded the room with a flash of light, giving her a glimpse of a couple, silhouetted against the window. She knew immediately who it was and she stepped away quickly, cradling Nicky's head to her shoulder, hoping he would keep quiet so they didn't interrupt the young couple.

"Mommy?" Her youngest son lifted his head and rubbed his eyes.

"It's okay, sweetie, we're going to go to the rec room to watch the storm," she told him.

It had been Keith's trick to show their kids the storms so they knew it was nothing to be afraid of. Now whenever a loud storm woke Nicky, he would climb into their bed and ask his father to sit with him and watch the storm. But this night, Keith hadn't been feeling a little run down, so Allura had sneaked the boy from their room before he could wake his father.

They had all seen this coming and she wasn't surprised, but she knew this put a whole new meaning on what was happening within her castle. Erik and Schuyler had always been close and everyone had speculated, but now that it was official, Allura knew she and Keith were going to have to sit down and talk to them. Knowing from experience, this was going to complicate things for the young lovers and she didn't want to see either one of them hurt.