Hi all!

Thanks for the great reviews! Don't you love a good cliffhanger :-)

Queen Merla, Starlette Rose, Craze, C-Town Chica, Anony, RedLion2 - Thank you so much! I am having a lot of fun writing this and I'm glad to know you're enjoying it!

Enjoy!

Failte

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Sky closed her eyes, clenching her hands in her lap to keep them from shaking. She suddenly heard a low hissing sound just before she heard Erik's weapon discharge. She jumped and let out a cry as the heat from the laser shot past her neck, not hitting her, but a little too close for comfort.

"Sky!"

She opened her eyes to see Erik standing right in front of her, the others behind him.

"What just happened?" She whispered, shakily.

Without a word, he took her hands and hauled her to her feet, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Erik," she was surprised at his obvious disregard for her 'no fooling around on the job' rule.

He pulled back and looked at her, his eyes worried and intense as he laid his hand on her cheek. "You…you weren't hit, were you?"

She shook her head.

"You're okay?"

She nodded, "What just happened, Erik?"

He pulled her tightly against him again, whispering in her ear, "Just a second, Sky, just give me a second."

She felt his heart racing and his hands shaking as he rubbed her back. "Erik?"

Taking a deep, shuddering breath, he turned her around, his arm still around her shoulders. "It was right behind you, it was going to attack."

Sky gasped and took an unconscious step back, drawing closer to him. Lying on the ground, just behind where she had been sitting, was the body of a huge snake-like creature. Declan walked around and poked at it with a stick.

"It's a deleto serpent," he said quietly.

"They're poisonous," Brina added unnecessarily.

The creature itself was probably five feet long and ten inches around. The fatal blaster wound Erik had administered was still smoking right between its eyes.

"You okay?" Gideon asked Sky.

She nodded, "I, uh, I guess it's a good thing we upped our target practice."

"Damnit, Sunny," Erik breathed, pulling her into another hug. "Not a good time for jokes."

This time she didn't fight him, instead, she wound her arms around his neck and clung to him. What had just happened came crashing down on her. Erik had to make a split second, life or death decision about her. If he didn't fire, the snake would have attacked and killed her, if he shot and missed, he could have hit her or startled the snake and made the attack even worse. As it was, the laser had been guided and they were lucky. If their roles had been reversed, could she have done the same?

"My Sky," he whispered into her ear. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," she murmured against his shoulder. "You saved my life, Erik."

He lifted his head and looked down at her, cupping her cheek with his hand, "You're okay? Really?"

"Yeah. Really." Her throat felt thick, "Thank you."

"Anytime, my Sky," he rested his forehead against hers. "Anytime."

She cleared her throat, "Later, Erik."

He nodded and slowly lifted his head, quickly switching from boyfriend to commander. They looked around and noticed that the other three had given them a moment alone, moving up the path a bit until Erik and Sky joined them.

"Maybe we should contact the castle and have them pick us up," Brina suggested.

Sky shook her head, "No. We are the Voltron Force now. We can't be scared by a snake, we are going to be facing bigger, scarier creatures."

Erik looked at her, "Schuyler…"

"No. We have something to prove, let's do it."

Gideon cleared his throat, "Deleto serpents are usually only found in or near deep waters, only coming out twice a year to mate, if it was all the way out here, then we would have to be very close to a major water source."

"The castle lake?" Brina asked.

Declan shook his head, "Not deep enough."

"Lake Arlish," Erik said.

"Yeah. Assuming it's over there, judging by the direction the deleto had come from, then the castle should be about fifty miles this way." Gideon pointed to the direction in which they had been heading. "Give or take a few miles, depending on what side of the lake we're on."

"Well, let's get moving," Erik sighed. "We won't make it to the castle tonight, but lets put as much distance between ourselves and the lake in case any more deletos feel the need to look for a mate. We'll find a place to camp for the night and probably make it back to the castle by midday tomorrow."

"I'm starting to think this whole experience was just stupid," Declan said.

Their leader shook his head, "No. I think they wanted to force us to think for ourselves, act as a team, and work together."

"But what just happened…"

"There was no way anyone could have thought a deleto was going to attack."

"And we're getting to know each other better," Brina added.

"And we got plenty of exercise," Sky said quietly.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

"Favorite book?" Declan asked.

"Well, it's a novel called 'Love In The Unknown' by Adrianna Ottery." Brina replied.

Sky caught Erik's eye and rolled hers heavenward before responding, "'Jane Eyre' by Charlotte Bronte."

"Um, I don't think I have a favorite book," Erik murmured. "I guess the last one I read because it's the one I remember best. Uh, I think it was called 'Breaking The Code', it was a mystery."

"I would have to go with the novelization of 'Star Wars'," Gideon answered.

Declan nodded, "Good answer, but I have to go with 'GoGo's Payday'."

"That's a kid's book," his brother pointed out.

"True, but it is one of the best books ever written."

The five of them had been walking for about six hours, covering over twenty miles, passing the time by trying to get to know each other better. Declan had come up with the question game. He would ask a random question and everyone had to answer. So far, they all knew each other's favorite televiewer shows, colors, movies, songs, pizza toppings, first pet, favorite band, and books.

Gideon was leading the way followed by Declan and then Brina, with Erik and Sky bringing up the rear. After the incident with the deleto, Sky had been rather quiet, worrying Erik. He had stepped back, allowing Gideon to lead the way through the woods. The two of them walked side by side, while he fought the urge to take her hand or touch her in some way, to reassure her. She was adamant about them keeping their professional and private lives separate.

"Erik?"

He looked up, startled at the sound of Brina's voice, "I'm sorry, what?"

"Your favorite ice cream flavor."

"Oh, uh, chocolate chip."

"Mine too," she grinned at him.

"We all know Sky's favorite is chocolate peanut butter," he looked at her out of the corner of his eye.

Sky seemed to be in a world of her own, her eyes scanning the trees.

He reached over and touched her arm, "Sky?"

"Hm?"

"You all right?"

"Uh, yeah. What was the question?"

"Favorite ice cream," Gideon said.

"Chocolate peanut butter."

"You were right," Brina said to Erik.

He shrugged and smiled, "What can I say, I know Sky."

"Oh yeah?" Sky raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah."

"Prove it. And you can't use any of the things we discussed today."

"Okay," Erik pushed his sleeves up and laced his fingers together, stretching his arms out in front of him. "Let's see, where to begin? You like old books and old music. Although you claim to hate it, you can dance and actually took classes for two years when you were younger. You hate your middle name and you're not a big fan of cats, but you love dogs and horses, you are an accomplished rider. You will never admit it, but you like musicals and you cry every time you watch 'West Side Story'. And although you refuse to do it in front of anyone, you have an amazing singing voice. Your favorite time of year is autumn and you love football and playing sports. You broke your nose when Declan tackled you during a game of touch football. You're stupidly fearless and intelligent and stubborn and strong-willed and you have a quick temper."

"You cry when you watch 'West Side Story'?" Declan asked, trying not to laugh.

"So what?" She asked defensively. "Have you ever seen it?"

"I've never heard of it. I just can't believe you cry."

"I bet you would cry too if you ever saw it."

"Now the question is," Declan smiled. "Can you do the same for Erik?"

Erik grinned at her, "Yeah, Sunny, can you?"

"Uh, yeah, I think so."

"Do it," Gideon challenged.

She cleared her throat, "All right, Erik Davin Johansson, named after your uncle. You are the third in line to the throne of Pollux, well, until Uncle Bandor has kids anyway. You only read a book when the televiewer is broken and the weather keeps you from going outside. You have a younger sister that you constantly harass, but would gladly lay your life down for if anyone even thought of threatening her. You wouldn't know good music if it came up and tackled you, but you do have good taste in movies. You are also a big sports fan, you can't carry a tune in a bucket, you're a great cook, and you broke your leg when you were nine falling out of a tree. You're a good man who tries to hide it behind a warped sense of humor. You're easy going to a fault, you get along with everyone, you're always very focused at the task at hand, sometimes missing things that are right in front of you. You have a reputation on Pollux for being a ladies man, but you've only ever had one real girlfriend, and that only lasted two months. You have a talent for finding elephants of every size and color. Oh, and you cried the first time you saw Mufasa die in 'The Lion King'."

"You cried during 'The Lion King'?" Declan laughed.

Erik shrugged, "I'm comfortable enough in my masculinity to admit that. It's one of Delora's favorite movies and I've had to watch it a million times."

"Who was your one girlfriend?" Brina asked.

Wordlessly, Erik nodded to Sky.

"But I thought you guys had just started going out?"

"We tried dating when we were younger, but it didn't work out." Sky explained.

"What happened?"

Sky looked at Erik and raised her eyebrows in question.

Erik looked uncomfortable. He cleared his throat, "Let's just say that, uh, that I was a stupid, immature idiot who made a terrible mistake and I am doing my best to rectify it."

"No details?" Declan asked.

"No details," Erik answered.

Gideon glanced at his watch as dusk had started to settle around them, "It's getting late."

"Yeah, we've covered a lot of ground," Erik said. "We can start looking for a place to set up camp for the night."

Twenty minutes later they came upon a clearing large enough for them to stretch out in at the foot of a hill, a rocky cliff jutting out over them. A small waterfall trickled down into a stream giving them a water source.

"Gideon, clear out a circle for a fire, Declan, Brina, go down by the creek and get some water for the fire and fill the canteens. Sky and I are going to gather some wood and twigs for the fire." Erik ordered.

"Ohhhhhhh," Gideon clasped his hands together and laid his cheek against his joined hands.

"A moonlit walk through the woods, how romantic," Declan sighed, bringing the back of his hand up to his forehead.

"Knock it off, both of you," Erik barked harshly. "Get moving. That's an order."

"I thought there wasn't going to be any favoritism," Sky grumbled as they picked through the trees gathering twigs.

"Don't argue with me, soldier," he shot back.

She fell back into her stoic silence.

After a few moments, he asked quietly, "How are you?"

"I'm fine."

"I was never so scared before in my life."

Sky stopped and looked at him.

Erik kept his eyes on the ground in front of him, seemingly searching for loose pieces of wood. "I-I don't know how I managed a clean shot, I felt like my entire body was shaking."

"I find myself jumping every time I hear a noise, looking over my shoulder," she admitted quietly, scanning the path in front of her. "Thank you, Erik."

He laid a hand on her shoulder and turned her to face him.

"I…I feel weak when I dwell on something like that," she continued, still unable to meet his eye. "I'm a member of the Voltron Force. I should be able to shake this off and move on. But I can't stop thinking about how close it was."

"You are not weak, Schuyler. You may be a member of the Voltron Force, but you're still human. No one is going to think any less of you if you get scared or worried. None of us are superhuman."

She nodded, biting her lip.

He dropped the sticks he was holding and pulled her into a hug, "I was so afraid of losing you when I just got you."

The sticks she held clattered to the ground as she allowed him to pull her tight against his chest. For a moment, Sky closed her eyes and ignored all the self-imposed ideals of how she was supposed to act. A few silent tears slid from beneath her eyelids before she forced herself into composure. Erik gently stroked her back and wordlessly comforted her.

After a few silent moments, she tilted her head back and flashed him a weak smile, "Thanks."

"Anytime, Sunny," he whispered gruffly.

She stared at him a moment before her eyes lowered to his lips. Without even realizing what she was doing, Sky slid her arms around his neck and closed the distance between them, her mouth meeting his in a tender kiss. His hand moved up to pull out her ponytail and tangle in her hair as the high running emotions of the day had him pouring himself into the kiss.

Sky gasped when she felt her back slam into the trunk of a tree, the bark snagging her clothes and hair. Her head fell to the side as his mouth moved down her throat and his hands skimmed down her sides. She clutched the back of his shirt as she found herself pinned between him and the tree, one leg hooked around his waist.

"Wait," she said gaspingly. "No. Stop. We can't."

Erik halted his assault, resting his forehead on her shoulder as he caught his breath. "I know."

Sky closed her eyes and brought her hand up to cradle his head against her shoulder. "I want to, Erik, but we can't. Not here, not now. We're on a mission."

He nodded, still not lifting his head, his breath hot on her neck.

She felt her heart racing and took a few deep breaths to calm herself. Her fingers gently combed through his soft hair until he lifted his head and looked down at her with dark eyes.

"This is going to be hard sometimes, Schuyler," he whispered.

"I know."

"You still want to go through with this?"

She brought her hand down to cup his cheek, "Yeah, I do. Do you?"

"More than you could ever know."

"We, uh, we have to head back before they start to think we're up to something."

He nodded and reluctantly stepped back.

"This can't happen when we're on a mission," Sky said, brushing the bark and leaves from her hair.

"Yeah, I know. I won't be able to earn their respect if I keep sneaking off with my second to make out," he said, brushing off her back. "Geez, Sky, I'm sorry, I guess I got caught up in the moment. I didn't hurt you, did I?"

She smiled at him, "Nah, I'm stronger than I look."

"Yeah," Erik kissed her forehead. "You are."

"Thank you, Erik."

"You're welcome, my Sky, and you don't need to thank me again. I got your back, remember that."

She grinned at him, bending over to pick up her sticks, "Yeah, and I got yours, Commander."

"It's about time," Declan said when they returned. "We were about to send out a search party."

"We had trouble finding twigs," Sky replied.

"In the woods?" Gideon asked.

Erik set his bundle beside the fire pit the twins had concocted, "Yeah. You have a problem with that?"

"Nope, not at all," Declan helped Brina carry the last of the canteens back to their campsite.

She smiled gratefully, "Thanks, Declan. I am starving."

"So am I," Sky started piling twigs.

"I'll get the fire started," Erik said, digging in his pack for the matches. "I was thinking we should rotate guard duty during the night. Someone should be up at all times."

"Sounds good," Declan rubbed his calf as all the walking they had done caught up with him. "Who's first?"

"I can go first," Erik said. "Then Declan, Brina, Gideon, and Sky. If we each take an hour and a half, then we each get six hours of sleep and we'll be able to get an early start back to the castle."

Brina stretched her arms above her head and then bent at the waist, trying to work out the kinks from walking so far with a heavy pack. "How far out do you think we are?"

"Uh," Declan watched her stretch and move. "Probably, uh, probably about fifteen to twenty miles out."

Sky elbowed him in the side whispering, "Stop that."

The fire grew slowly, casting a reddish glow over them all as they sat around it and night surrounded them. They picked at their MREs, too tired to eat much and busy massaging the kinks and soreness from overused muscles. Gideon was the first to pass out, followed quickly by Brina, Declan, and Sky. Or so Erik thought.

He was beside the dying embers of their fire, his ears tuned in to the sounds around them and his eyes scanning the trees. The pleasant breeze they had been feeling all day had picked up and had the four other teammates huddled under their thin blankets. Erik rubbed his arms, thinking that next time he would bring a jacket, when he heard movement. Glancing to his left, he saw a figure moving and then stand, coming to sit beside him.

"You should be sleeping," he whispered.

"I can't," Sky whispered back, pulling her blanket around her shoulders and settling beside him. "Every time I hear the leaves rustling, I snap awake thinking it's another deleto or something coming."

Erik wrapped his arm around her, feeling pleased when she leaned against him. "You're safe, Sunny, I won't let anything happen to you."

"I know."

"You're going to regret this lack of sleep in the morning."

"I'll deal with it in the morning."

Smiling, he dropped a kiss on top of her head, "Honey, we don't want to deal with you in the morning. You get cranky when you don't get enough sleep."

Sky laid her head on his shoulder, "I don't get cranky."

He snorted, "Yeah right."

"I don't," she insisted, poking him in the ribs.

Instead on answering, Erik leaned his cheek to rest on top of her head while he gently rubbed her back, hoping to ease her into sleep. But it didn't work. After a few minutes of silence, she lifted her head.

"Did you eat your peanut butter crackers?"

He chuckled, "No."

"Can I have them?"

"We need to ration our food."

"Come on, Erik, I'm hungry and we'll be back before lunch."

"Do you have any idea how far I've had to walk today? I'm sore and tired and you want to take my peanut butter crackers."

"Yes."

With a dramatic sigh, he pulled his pack onto his lap and dug into the side pocket, "I knew you were going to bug me for these."

"You did not," she said, tearing apart the package he handed her.

"Yes, I did. I know you're a sucker for all things peanut butter," he kissed her cheek. "And that you have the appetite of a horse."

Sky gasped and pushed him away.

"What? You do."

"I am not fat!" She hissed.

"I didn't say you were, I said you had a healthy appetite," he placed his hands on her waist and lowered his voice. "You have an amazing figure, a sexy figure."

She scowled, "I have the body of a twelve year old boy. I have no curves, almost no breasts…"

Erik silenced her with a quick kiss before breaking away and resting his forehead against hers, "Speaking as someone who was a twelve year old boy, you have the body of a very beautiful woman. You have the perfect curves, not too much, not too little. And as for your breasts, well, from what I can see they're perfect, but you'll have to let me check them out sometime."

Heat burned her cheeks as she sat up and looked away, embarrassed at his innuendo, "Too fast, Erik."

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, "When you're ready, Sunny."

A rustling sound behind them had Sky jumping and pulling away, reaching for her weapon. Erik turned so he was shielding her with his body, his blaster in hand, only to see a small rodent scurry from beneath the brush and run into a hole. He lowered his arm as Sky let out a breath and rested her forehead on his shoulder.

"See what I mean?" She whispered.

"Yeah," he turned to her. "But, see what I mean. Nothing will happen to you when I'm around."

"Are you on guard duty or are you defiling Schuyler?"

They both looked up to see Declan sitting up, rubbing his eyes.

"I just saved Sky from a deadly rodent," Erik explained.

"It was some darn good guarding," she added.

"It's my turn for guard duty," Declan yawned. "I'll keep my eye out for evil rats."

"I think it was a chipmunk," Erik muttered.

Sky went to stand and return to her spot to lie down and try to sleep when Erik grabbed her arm. "Lay down," he insisted.

"I'm trying, but you won't let me go."

"I want you to sleep."

"I'm not really tired."

"Lay down, Schuyler," he ordered.

Wordlessly, she lay stiffly on her back and watched him.

"Roll over, moron."

"Don't call me a moron," she mumbled, rolling onto her side so her back was to him.

Erik laid down behind her, spooning with her and pulling his blanket over the two of them. Her head was cushioned by his pack while he bent his arm under his head and wrapped his other arm around her waist. "Get some sleep, Sunny," he whispered into her ear. "I got your back."

"No hanky-panky, you two," Declan called across their dead fire.

"Not with her peanut butter breath," Erik replied.

Sky, who had just allowed her eyes to drift shut, elbowed him sharply in the stomach.