Hi all!

Thank you for the great reviews! I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter, and you will be seeing more of all the characters. And Anony, I can't really answer your question yet, you'll just have to wait and see :-)

Thank you!

Enjoy,
Failte

Cady swore under her breath at the sound of the alarms. She slammed her book shut and quickly crossed the room. After working with Professor Eril for two hours, Cady had settled down to study, but was unable to concentrate. She wanted nothing more than to curl up in her bed and wallow in self-pity, but there was just no time for that.

Nanny had all ready gathered the three youngest Whitaker children and was waiting for Cady near the door that led through the catacombs to the royal quarters in the caves. Without a word, Cady punched in the code and waited until the others had passed through the doorway so she could shut and lock the door behind them. She was feeling irrationally angry and annoyed. Why did all of this keep happening? Why couldn't they just be left alone to live their lives? Why did Tristan have to leave? What had she done to deserve all this?

"Cady?" Nicky appeared at her side.

"What?" She snapped.

Not used to being spoken to like that, the little boy shrunk away from his sister, "Nuthin'."

She sighed, "I'm sorry, Nicky, what is it?"

"Why…why do tha bad guys keep comin' back?"

"I don't know, kiddo, but don't worry, you're safe. Erik and Sky and the twins and Brina are already up in the Lions making sure nothing happens to us."

He slipped his hand into hers.

"Okay, you guys stay here," Cady ordered after they were safely in their quarters. "I'm going to go make sure everyone is getting in all right."

"Go, go do what you need to so, Princess," Nanny ushered her out the door. "I can handle things in here."

The royal family quarters were on the edge of the main living area. From just outside their entrance, Cady could see the main entrance to the caves and watch the people hurry in. A short flight of stairs led to a walkway that went down into the thick of things. Holding the railing, she hurried down the steps and was just about to reach the meeting place where she and Paton and Darcy had agreed to meet. A loud crash shook the ground above and around the caves. Cady clutched the railing as she was almost knocked from her feet and people screamed.

………………………………………………………………………………………..

Tristan arrived in Castle Control hoping to be able to help. Captain Klari still insisted that he needed to go to Zettle, and if all went as planned, he would leave first thing in the morning. He felt fine and he knew that the Captain was just being difficult. He did not want to leave Arus, truth be told, he wasn't ready to leave Cady. He tried repeatedly to convince himself, and others, that she was not his type. By repeating that over and over, he hoped it would be true.

But it wasn't. Not only was Cady beautiful, but she was smart and kind. She was everything he wanted in a woman. But she was the Princess of a planet he had come to and his assignment was not permanent. What good would it do to become involved only to have him leave in a couple of months? Maybe it was for the best that he went to Planet Zettle. After he was cleared, he would apply for another assignment.

By the time Tristan arrived, the Lions were already in the air and Keith stood by the main console barking out orders. Pidge and Lance manned the radars, while Hunk stood with some guards going over a printout. Allura stood beside Keith watching the action nervously while Captain Klari paced the floor with quick steps. He went directly to Keith.

"How can I help?"

Keith glanced at him. He knew the Lieutenant was a good kid, but the fact that he was here with Captain Klari didn't exactly endear him to Keith. "There isn't really much for you to do, Lieutenant. We are under attack by Bittor. The Lions are in the air, the turret guns are manned, and both the Air Brigade and the Garrison ships are up there helping out."

"Lieutenant," Klari's clipped tone spoke up behind him. "You are still on injury leave."

"I'm fine, Captain, really," he assured her.

An explosion rocked the castle as it absorbed a shot.

Allura turned to Tristan and took his arm, "Do you have your weapon on you?"

He nodded and indicated his hip holster.

"Then if you would like to help, please go into the caves and see if Cady needs help."

"Yes, Ma'am," he saluted, pleased to have a job and even happier to know he was going to be helping Cady.

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

"Gideon watch your six!" Erik shouted as he shot down another Bittor ship.

Vinn's large ship was no where to be seen, but the smaller fighter ships were coming at them from all directions. Joining together as Voltron was pointless. They were staying close together, in case they needed to join, and were working on keeping the enemy ships away from the castle and the town.

Blue shot down two ships as Red took out another. The five pilots shouted out warnings to each other, but they weren't always fast enough. Brina gasped when Blue was hit. Declan was stunned for a split second before regaining control.

"Declan!" Erik called. "You okay?"

"Never better!"

"Sky! Your nine!" Gideon shouted, swinging around to help her.

Green came up under Black, taking out a fighter.

"Thanks, Brina," Erik grunted as he spun around to take down another.

……………………………………………………………………………………..

Cady stood with Darcy, overseeing the arrival and settling in of the townsfolk. It took some time to regain control and calm the mass of people after the castle was hit. But as the doors were shut and the guards and police officers started their rounds, a feeling of comfort settled over the crowd, they knew they were safe.

"Its all clear down in the main area," Paton announced as she approached the Princess. "I have my men circulating, but I don't think we have anything to worry about."

"Now we just hold tight until the all clear alarm sounds," Cady sighed.

"I'm going to go check on the children before I head back down and check back with my men," Paton told her.

Darcy nodded, "I'm going to check on the infirmary and see how it's going."

"Okay," Cady checked her watch. "Let's meet back here at 1400 hours."

The three women went their separate ways as Cady turned toward the steps, jogging down them. She needed to meet with the town elders, see how everything was going with them and if they had anything to report.

"Your highness!"

She looked over her shoulder and her heart stopped at the sight of Tristan running toward her. "Lieutenant, what can I do for you?"

"Well, I wanted to help and Captain Klari is convinced I should be in the hospital, but since I offered to help, your mother asked me to come down here and see if you needed anything."

"There isn't much to do. I'm going on some rounds, check with the elders, then check on Nicky and then I'm meeting back with Aunt Darcy and Paton and compare notes. It's nothing too exciting."

He fell into step beside her, "Everything is going all right?"

"Yes. We had a moment of panic when the castle was hit, but everyone has calmed down."

"Are you all right?"

She stopped and looked at him, "Yes, I am, thank you. Are you?"

Tristan stretched his arm over his head, "Couldn't be better."

Cady smiled, "Thank you, Lieutenant."

"Call me Tristan, please."

"Okay, Tristan, I'm glad to see you're feeling well."

An awkward silence surrounded the two of them as they avoided eye contact.

"Cady?"

She raised her eyes, her cheeks reddening, "Yes?"

"Um, I have really enjoyed my time here, but, well, the way things are going and with how well the team is performing in the Lions, I won't be around here much longer. I'll be reassigned."

She nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

"This…lifestyle complicates relationships, I mean, like friendships," he felt like a fool, babbling about what he assumed she felt. What if he was reading too much into her behavior? She was good person, maybe she was just showing the same kindnesses to him that she showed everyone.

"I understand, Tristan," Cady whispered.

"I just wish things were different, that we had met under different circumstances," he said quietly, running his hand through his hair.

Tears filled her eyes with the realization that they could never be. "Are…are you going to go to Planet Zettle tomorrow?"

He shrugged, "I feel fine, but I think Captain Klari is still planning to send me."

"I, uh, I have to go meet with the elders," Cady turned from him so he couldn't see her pain. "You should go find Paton, you'll be more help to her."

The quiver in her voice made him feel like the biggest jerk in the universe. He reached for her arm so she couldn't leave, "Cady…"

Whatever he was going to say was interrupted by a scream. The two of them leaned over the railing and saw a disturbance in the crowd below. Two guards and a police officer were pushing through the people gathered, but neither Cady nor Tristan could see what was going on.

Cady turned and ran down the steps to see what was going on. Tristan was at her heels, his weapon in his hand.

………………………………………………………………………

The number of fighters was finally starting to dwindle. The five Lions swooped around the castle, shooting down any Bittor ship that got too close. They had lost count as to how many had been shot down or how many Arusian ships had gone down. All the Lions had been hit at least once, but the recent upgrade to their shields had proven to be successful. However, that didn't mean the pilots weren't feeling it.

Erik had hit his head hard on the console and a small trickle of blood was oozing from beneath his helmet and past his temple. Sky's arm hurt from where she had hit it while Declan and Gideon both had sore ankles. But they fought on, protecting Arus and its people as best they could.

After nearly an hour in the air, the Bittor fighters were no longer coming. After another fifteen minutes, Lance called them in saying the skyline was clear.

Five exhausted young people stumbled into Castle Control.

"Oh, Erik, are you okay?" Sky hurried over to him. "You're bleeding."

"I'm sure it's nothing," he touched his temple and brought his hand away to see the sticky blood on his fingertips.

Brina slid an arm around Declan's waist, "Come on, let's get you to the hospital and have Dr. Audric check you out."

"You too," Sky told Erik sternly.

But it was Gideon who noticed something wasn't right. He hobbled over to the main console where Lance and Hunk were talking quietly, looking worried. "Where are my parents?"

Lance swallowed hard and looked at the team, "There was a problem down in the caves, guys."

"What happened?" Declan asked.

Hunk laid a reassuring hand on Gideon's shoulder, "Let's all go to the hospital wing, you can get the full story there."

"Dad," Sky looked at Lance. "What is it?"

"Cady was shot, honey," he said carefully.

"How bad is it?" Her voice shook as Erik wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"We don't know."