Hi all!

Sorry for the delay in posting chapters, things have just been ridiculously crazy around here.

Red Lion2 - Thank you so much for your reviews and your support, you have no idea how much they mean to me.

The action will be coming soon, but as you know my stories deal with more than just action. This is most likely going to be the final story in this series. I might write shorter stories in the future about the original Force, but I think this will be it for this vein.

I just read some exciting news on AOL's entertainment news page. Voltron is officially going tobe made into a movie! Producer Mark Gordon (The Day After Tomorrow) is developing a big-budget feature!Yea!I just had to share itwith you guys!

Thank you all for check out my story!

Enjoy,

Failte

"This is just sad," Keith mumbled, looking around the conference room table.

"Don't start with that," Allura chided. "We've only just started."

"This looks promising," Hunk said, not looking up from the paper he was reading. "First year Brigade pilot, two commendations, very high grades at the University."

"Who is it?" Keith asked.

Hunk slid it down the table, "Marihanna Pachard."

"I know her, I remember working with her," Lance said. "She is a good pilot."

Keith skimmed the application and set it on the very small pile to his right, "Okay, that gives us three people so far. We were planning on closing application acceptance tomorrow, but how can we with so few choices?"

"We didn't have this much trouble when we found Brina," Pidge commented.

"No, but we had narrowed it down to seven on applications alone, three after interviews, and finally Brina after they all flew Green."

"Well, three is still a good start," Allura said.

Keith sat back in his chair and sighed. When they had originally announced their search for a pilot for Green, the applications had flooded in and it had taken several days to sort through them. But just four days after announcing the new pilot search, they had only received about 100 applications and had chosen three definite and ten possible interviews. "I'm beginning to think this was the wrong way to go about this."

"Oh stop it," his wife sighed, straightening up the pile of applications beside her. "I think we should keep accepting applications until the end of the week, we can go through them all this weekend and talk to the team Monday morning after practice."

"I guess we should," Keith agreed.

"Huh, here's an interesting one," Lance spoke up.

Pidge leaned over to see, "What is it?"

"Tristan."

"Tristan?" Allura repeated. "Cady's Tristan?"

"That's the only Lieutenant Tristan Alexander from Terra who studied at the Garrison and resigned a decorated officer and pilot that I know."

"He didn't say anything to us about applying," Keith mumbled.

"My guess would be that he doesn't want any special treatment," Hunk said. "He probably just wants to be treated like all the other applicants."

Allura nodded, "I'm sure you're right. He is a great pilot, we've all seen it in the Air Brigade and we've heard it from his previous commanding officers with the Garrison, but we also know that there is more than just being a talented flier to become a member of the Team."

"He is already good friends with everyone on the team," Lance pointed out.

"We'll put him in the pile with the definite interviews," Keith said, adding Tristan's application to the other three.

Lance leaned back and stretched his arms over his head, "Practice seems to going well."

"It really is," Allura agreed. "They are flying very well as a team and Declan, well, Dec is doing very well. I mean, he needs to develop a little more confidence as a leader, but that will come with time."

Keith chuckled, "A little biased, sweetie?"

"I am not! I'm very proud, though. He has a lot of his father in him."

"How's Erik doing?" Hunk asked.

"All right, I guess," Keith replied. "He's been rather quiet since he got back, withdrawn."

"Sky hasn't exactly been herself either," Lance added.

"They've been through a lot," Allura said. "Give them time. They both know they can come to us if they need to. Romelle, Sven, and Delora are coming next week for a few days, maybe they'll help him out."

"He's trying to get back to normal. He's working out again and sitting in on the morning meetings and hanging out to watch practice. I also know he's been offering Declan advice and working with him." Keith explained.

"But he's just not himself," Lance said quietly. "And he probably never will be the same again."

Allura reached over and laid a comforting hand on his arm, "But he still loves Sky. Erik is a good man who has been through a horrible ordeal, give him time."

"I hate to see Sky upset."

"I know you do, Lance, but this is between the two of them. If Sky needs you, she knows how to get a hold of you."

Keith glanced at his watch, "Well, we've gone through all the applications we got today and it is getting late. Hunk, Brina said Green was pulling to the left a bit this morning, could you please have a look at her? And Pidge, if you have a chance, Nanny said the computer in the kitchen keeps locking up, could you check it out?"

"I'll get right on that, Keith."

"No problem, Cap."

"Lance, can you please pull the flight files on the three applicants and get them on my desk by dinner?"

Lance saluted.

"All right," Keith pushed his chair back from the table and stood. "We're done here. We'll do this again tomorrow, hopefully, we'll have more applications."

Sky looked up and watched Erik as he studied the chessboard and made a carefully planned move. It was the first evening all week that she had been able to coax him out of his room to join them in the rec room. It seemed as though he was becoming more withdrawn each day and she knew it was because he was feeling left out and she was afraid that having to watch them all fly was pushing him into deeper depression. He attended their morning meetings, but said very little. A few times he had taken Declan aside and they had spoken privately and she knew he had watched all of their practices. But otherwise, he had very little, if anything, to do with the team.

Whenever Sky found some time between practice and schoolwork, she would go looking for him. She always ended knocking on his door where he could be found studying, sleeping, or watching the televiewer. He never told her to leave, but then, he didn't say much of anything. Their relationship was boarding on uncomfortable and it was killing her.

A thick fog had settled around the castle that afternoon and hung around, creating a wet, miserable day. After dinner, Sky had talked Erik into coming into the rec room where he was now playing chess with Tristan while she sat on the sofa, studying. The twins were playing a video game as Cady and Tess went through some bridal magazines Cady had picked up in town the day before and Brina helped Charlotte paint her nails. Figment and the Whitaker's dog, Speck, were running around the coffee table, chasing each other.

Sky turned her eyes back to the book in front of her, reading another paragraph before highlighting an important fact.

"Sky?"

"Hm?"

Tess moved to sit between her and Cady on the couch, holding a magazine. "What do you think of this dress?"

Sky glanced over, "Hm, well, Tess, I'm not a big fan of giant bows on my backside."

"But it's pretty."

"Nope, sorry, keep looking."

"Oh, good, I'm glad I found you guys in the first place I looked," Keith said as he and Allura entered the room. "I'm too tired to look all over the castle."

"What is it, Dad?" Cady asked, not looking up from her magazine.

Allura sat on the arm of the sofa next to Cady, "We received a rather interesting request this evening, concerning you, Cady."

She looked up, "What?"

With a smile playing at his lips, Keith crossed the room, holding a piece of paper. "It comes from King Sani of Planet Deloi. He's requesting permission to court you."

"Me?" Cady asked, surprised.

"You."

Tristan looked up from the game and asked, "Can I be the one to respond?"

Gideon snorted, "That could be fun. 'Dear Moron…'"

"Thank you for showing interest in my girlfriend," Tristan continued the imaginary letter. "And while I agree with you that she is beautiful, I have to admit to being rather selfish in that I don't want to share her with you."

"Oh, come on, Tristan, didn't your parents teach you to share?" Declan teased.

"Yeah," Erik added. "We can invite Alexis and you and she can double date with Cady and the King."

"Why don't you go back to sulking alone in your room?" Cady snapped.

Deciding to snip this in the bud, Allura spoke up, "Don't worry, your father and I put together a politely worded message, he won't be requesting your hand any time soon."

"Maybe next time I could put together a politely worded message?" Tristan asked hopefully.

Keith handed the letter to Cady to read and smiled, "I don't see why not."

"Oh, I like that veil," Allura said, studying the magazine over Cady's shoulder. "The scalloped edge is very pretty."

"Mom, what do you think?" Charlotte waved her freshly painted nails at her mother.

Allura carefully took her hand, "Its lovely, sweetie, that's a good color for you."

"Okay, I can't take any more girl talk," Keith announced. "Hey, Tristan, what do you say we go for a walk?"

Tristan nodded, a little nervously, "Uh, yeah, sure, sir."

Keith grinned, "You don't need to look so nervous, I just want to talk, I'm not taking you to the gallows." He waited until they were alone in the hallway before asking, "So, how're you doing, Tristan?"

"I'm fine, sir, thank you. And you?"

"I'm doing great. It's a good feeling to have everyone home again and to see the team practicing regularly. It's going well, actually, but I have to admit, I'll be happy when we find Blue's new pilot so I can get Allura back on the ground."

Tristan felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. So this is why he wanted to talk privately. He wants to tell me that I didn't get the position and that it was silly to even apply.

"Tristan?"

"I'm sorry, sir, what did you say?"

"Oh, I was saying how hard it is to worry about the women in our lives, even when they're as strong and strong-willed as Allura and Cady."

"It sure is."

Keith led them to his office and slid the door open, he stepped aside to let Tristan in before closing the door behind them. "Have a seat, son."

Taking notice of how Keith had just called him 'son', Tristan sat nervously on the edge of the chair across the desk from the Commander.

"So tell me, Tristan, what brought you to Arus?" Keith asked, settling into the high backed leather chair behind his desk.

"What, uh, what do you mean, sir?"

"When you first came to Arus, last year with Captain Klari, what brought you here?"

"The opportunity arose and I couldn't turn it down, the chance to work with the Voltron Force. I wanted to experience that."

"That's all?"

Tristan furrowed his brow, "What do you mean, sir?"

"I remember when you first arrived here, Tristan, I remember how quiet you were, how you were full of awe and respect when you arrived. But I also remember how comfortable you seemed within the castle and with the Force. Just as I noticed the tension between you and Cady."

Tristan flushed.

Keith laughed, "Very little escapes my notice. You knew the Castle, didn't you?"

"No, sir, it was my first time here."

"I remember when we first arrived on Arus. We were sent on what could have been a suicidal mission, but we succeeded. We were an amazing team," Keith's voice filled with pride as he thought back on years past. "The planet was in bad shape. The people primarily lived in the caves, the castle was almost in ruins, and Doom was a constant threat. We pulled together, fought back, and rebuilt. Allura proved to be an amazing ruler and, with Koran's help, she brought her planet back to its former glory and modernize it. I knew, as soon as I saw Allura, that this is where I was meant to be. Before I even realized I was completely, head over heels in love with her, I knew I was meant to be here. Do you get what I'm saying?"

Tristan thought he should understand the Commander's point, but he just didn't see it. "I'm sorry, sir, I…"

Keith chuckled, "Something brought you here, Tristan, and I know it wasn't my daughter, at least, not at first."

The young pilot let out a long breath, "Cady told you, didn't she?"

"Cady didn't tell me anything, I could just tell. There was always something different about you, Tristan, I could tell as soon as you arrived here. Allura saw it too. What was it?"

Shaking his head slowly, Tristan murmured, "I don't know how you do it, sir."

"What happened?"

"The only person I ever told this to is Cady," Tristan began. "To be honest, sir, I thought I was losing my mind." He went on to tell Keith about the callings, the dreams, that moved him to become a pilot and then, later, to apply for the position on Arus.

"King Alfor," Keith said after Tristan described the voice and the man who called to him.

"Yes, sir."

"Why do you think he called you here?"

"I honestly didn't know, sir, but I now think it had to do with Cady."

Keith raised an eyebrow, "You think King Alfor is contacting you so he can play matchmaker for his granddaughter?"

Tristan hesitated, that did sound rather ridiculous.

"Before I came to Arus, I would have thought this whole conversation was strange," Keith admitted. "But there is magic here, I know that firsthand, and it surrounds the royal family and Voltron."

Tristan looked up at him, confused.

"We received your application to fly Blue. I need to know, did you receive a calling from Blue?"

Finally understanding the entire conversation, Tristan slowly shook his head, "No, sir, not directly from Blue. I heard King Alfor and I…I saw the Castle of Lions and Voltron, but never specifically Blue."

Keith sat back in his chair, fingering the engraved pen the twins had given him for a birthday present three years earlier. "Do you really want to fly Blue?"

"Yes, sir."

"This isn't just some way to get in good with your girlfriend's father?"

"No, sir."

"Did Cady put you up to this?"

Tristan tensed defensively and he replied sharply, "No, sir. We did discuss it, but it was my idea."

"You won't receive any special treatment."

"I don't expect any."

"Have you ridden in Blue yet?"

"No, sir, I've only ever been in Black."

"And what does Cady think about all this?"

"She supports me in whatever I do, sir."

Keith nodded slowly, "And if this doesn't pan out for you?"

"Then I will continue flying with the Air Brigade, as long as there is a place for me. Or I can go into town and get a job at one of the stores, whatever I need to do to stay with Cady."

"Good answer," Keith mumbled.

"Sir?"

"Things are pretty serious between you and my daughter, huh?"

"I love her sir, I want to marry her."

"Right to the point, I see."

"I, uh, I guess I'm asking for your blessing, sir."

Keith sat forward and folded his hands on top of the desk, "You guess?"

"Sir," Tristan licked his lips nervously. "I am in love with Cady and I want to spend the rest of my life with her. We, uh, we've discussed our future and we would like to get married, with your blessing, of course."

"And I assume you realize that marrying into royalty is a little different than marrying into a regular family."

"Yes, sir."

"Before Allura and I could marry, I had to work with Koran, her advisor, and learn Arusian history and take etiquette classes."

Tristan nodded.

"I don't think you need any etiquette classes, I've seen how you handle yourself with the public, the press, and in social situations. But, I would suggest you learn a thing or two about Arusian history, I have found that to be more useful than I ever thought."

"Yes, sir."

"There is plenty in the library."

"I'll check it out."

"Pidge can point you in the right direction, he knows that library like the back of his hand."

Tristan nodded, "Sir, judging by the direction our conversation is going, can I presume…"

"That you have my blessing? I know Allura thinks very highly of you."

"Is that a yes?"

Keith smiled softly, "It isn't easy for a man to hand his daughter over to another."

"She'll always be your daughter, sir, I would never try to come between you."

Standing, Keith offered his hand across the desk, "And that was exactly the right thing to say. Welcome to the family, son."

Tristan's eyes widened excitedly as he jumped to his feet and pumped Keith's hand with his own, "Oh, wow, thank you, sir, I promise I'll do right by Cady."

"I know you will, Tristan, I wouldn't have given my blessing otherwise."

He stood awkwardly for a moment, not sure how to end the meeting but dying to speak to Cady.

Seeing his impatience, Keith smiled, "Go, tell Cady the good news."

"Thank you, sir." Without another word, Tristan left his office and hurried down the hall. He felt as though his heart was going to burst right through his chest. This is really happening, he thought. I'm going to marry Cady. Oh my, God, I have to call my parents, I have to call Owen, I have to… he stopped and smiled. I have to officially propose. Oh my God! I'm about to officially propose to Her Royal Highness Cadence Arianna Isabelle Whitaker, the most amazing, beautiful woman I have ever known. I am going to marry Cady! He leaned against the wall, a little overwhelmed. This was it. They had talked about, he knew she was going to say yes and start wearing his grandmother's ring. They were going to marry.

"You all right, Tristan?"

He looked up to see Keith looking at him, a worried expression on his face.

"I'm going to marry Cady," he whispered.

Keith grinned, "You have to ask her first."

"I'm going to do that now."

Sky had set aside her books and taken over for Tristan at the chess board. Erik was being soundly beaten before Keith had whisked Tristan away, but Sky was not the chess player Tristan was. Erik quickly turned the game around and beat her within five minutes. They had started a new game and Sky was once again losing quickly. She was glad for the distraction when Keith and Tristan returned to the rec room.

Tristan crossed the room and fell back onto the sofa beside Cady. He threw his arm across the back and waited for her to acknowledge his arrival, but she continued to study the bridal magazine on her lap. "Hey."

"Hey yourself," she mumbled, turning the page.

He tugged gently on a lock of her hair, "So, Cady, wanna get married?"

"Hm?"

"Wanna get married?"

She whipped her head up and looked at him, surprised and confused, "What did you just say?"

Tristan looked up to see Keith standing behind Allura who sat in a wing chair, her mouth open in surprise. He looked back at his girlfriend, "I said, do you want to get married?"

"Are you serious?" The Princess hissed at him.

"Yeah."

All eyes were on the two of them and all ears tuned in to what was being said.

"Oh, yes, that would be nice," she said, almost automatically.

"No, that's not how you do it!"

Tristan tore his gaze from his fiancee's to see her sister glaring at him, her hands on her hips. "That's not how you do what, Charlotte?"

The young girl stood in front of the couch from where she had jumped to her feet, "That's not how you ask a girl to marry you."

"And how do you do it?"

"You hafta get down on one knee, take her hand, and say 'Cadence, I love you, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife.'"

"Really?"

"Yes!"

Tristan winked at Cady and then made a show of standing and lowering himself to one knee. He took her hand and brushed his lips over her knuckles. "My darling, Cadence," he declared dramatically. "I love you more than life itself and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" He glanced over his shoulder, "Like that, Charlotte?"

She crossed her arms over her chest and nodded.

He looked back at Cady to see a smile on her lips and tears in her eyes, "Well?"

"Of course I will," she replied quietly.

"Oh!" Allura screamed and jumped to her feet. "My baby's getting married!"

"Holy crap," Gideon muttered.

"Did that really just happen?" Declan asked.

Sky looked across the chess board to Erik, wishing she could see his eyes behind the dark glasses. Feeling sentimental, she reached across and laced her fingers through his.

Allura hugged her eldest daughter as tightly as she could, tears leaking from the corners of her eyes. "My baby, you're getting married! This is so exciting! Oh, honey, we'll have to release a statement and have a ball to celebrate. Oh, and the planning! We'll have to bring someone in to help us plan and we'll have to design a dress. Oh, this is so exciting!"

"You have no idea what you're getting into," Keith whispered to Tristan.

"I guess we have to be nice to him now," Declan said to his brother as the shut off the video game.

Erik and Sky walked over to the family as they hugged and chatted. Sky hugged her best friend tightly as they both gushed tearfully while Erik approached Tristan and offered him his hand.

"Just couldn't let me one up you, huh?" He teased.

"Nope, couldn't let your girlfriend be the only one with a ring," Tristan shot back.

"Speaking of rings," Cady said as she pulled the chain from beneath her blouse with trembling hands.

Tristan carefully unclasped the necklace and slid the antique ring off the chain. Taking her hand in his, he smiled and slipped it onto her ring finger, lifting her hand to kiss her palm. He met her gaze and for a brief moment, they stared into each other's eyes before Allura demanded to see the ring.

"Don't even think about it," Declan whispered into Brina's ear as she sidled up beside him.

"Think about what?" She asked innocently.

"Not for a few more years."

She smiled, "I don't want to get married, I just want some pretty jewelry."

He laughed, "Well, then, I'll have to see what I can do about that."

Allura and Keith had decided to break out a bottle of champagne and have a small party. But it broke up around ten, with practice in the morning, the team couldn't stay up late.

Tristan once again walked Cady to her room, and stopped in front of her door. "Goodnight, Cady."

She grinned at him and shook her head, "Nuh uh, you're staying tonight."

He smiled indulgently down at her and pressed a kiss to her forehead, "I can't, honey."

"Yes you can and you will. That's an order."

"An order?"

"As your Princess, I order you."

"Can you do that?"

"As long as you fly for the Arusian Air Brigade, you have to follow my orders."

He chuckled, "Babe, I'm pretty sure that as a member of the Arusian military, I answer to your father and I can pretty much guarantee that he doesn't want me to stay."

Cady slid her hands up his chest and cupped his face, bringing his mouth down to hers. She captured his lips in a drawn out, passionate kiss, nibbling gently on his bottom lip, hearing a moan coming from deep within him. She pulled back slightly and whispered, "Stay with me tonight."

"Cady…"

She silenced him with another kiss, "Don't argue, don't think, just stay with me."

Tristan felt his resolve slip, "You're killing me."

Knowing she won, Cady opened her door and pulled him in.

"I'm feeling kinda sentimental right now," Sky said as she and Erik made their way to their rooms.

"Oh yeah?" He mumbled.

"Yeah. Remember when you proposed to me?"

"It's kind of hard to forget, Sky."

They stopped in front of her door and she turned to face him, "I've been thinking about our engagement."

"What about it?"

"I don't think I want to wait two years."

He smirked, "You always were impatient."

"I mean it."

"I know you do, but I gave my word. We're going to wait until you're done with school. You want to get married sooner, study hard and graduate early."

"Do you still want to marry me?"

He groaned quietly, "Don't start with that crap, Sky."

"Then why are you behaving like this? Why do you keep pushing me away, why won't you…I miss our intimacy, our closeness. I want to take a walk around the lake with you and end up making out in the woods like we did that one time last summer. I want to go into town, hold your hand while we shop and have dinner at the café. But you keep hiding away in your room, trying to put space between yourself and everyone else. So, yeah, I'm going to question your feelings."

Erik glanced to the side as Declan and Brina walked by. He noticed that Brina, at least, had the courtesy to pretend she didn't hear the discussion. "Can we not talk about this out here?"

"If we go into my room can we discuss it there?" Sky asked.

"Look, I'm really tired, tomorrow we can…"

"Tomorrow your family will be here."

"As soon as they're gone…"

"You'll go back into your room and pretend we never had this conversation." Sky turned and punched the code in to open the door. "Just forget it. Why don't you just go back to Pollux, you can let your mother fawn over and baby you while you sit in your room and pout and continue to behave like a five year old brat." She stepped into her room and was about to close the door when she hesitated and looked at him. When he didn't say anything, she shook her head slowly and slipped her ring off. "Fuck you, Erik," she said quietly, shoving the ring into his hand and slid the door shut.

He stared at the closed door, a little confused as to what just happened. I can't believe she just did that, he thought, angrily. Who's acting like a five year old brat? How dramatic can she get?

Without another thought he punched in the code that overrode her lock.

"Sky, you don't have to be so dramatic…" Erik broke off when he saw her sitting on the edge of the bed, her face in her hands as sobs wracked her body. Figment laid beside her, her head on Sky's lap. "Come on, Sky, don't do this."

She looked up and wiped her hand over her eyes, "Don't do what? Don't cry because I'm tired and stressed out and scared? I don't know what to do for you Erik. I don't know what to say or how to behave. It's never been like this before and I can't take it any more. I have tried to be patient, I have tried to deal. That's it, you're free. You don't have to pretend you want to be with me, you can go home. Just go home."

He lowered his head, feeling like the biggest jerk in the world. "Sky, please."

"Please what?"

Erik closed his eyes and clenched his fist around her ring. "I need you," he whispered.

"Then why do you keep pushing me away?"

He turned slowly and slid her door shut, taking a moment to formulate what he wanted to say. How could he put his feelings into words? How could he tell her what was going on? It was so humiliating.

Sky hiccupped. Figment whimpered.

His eyes shifted over to the framed picture on her desk. It was of the two of them, taken when they had gone on a picnic. He had pulled her close and rested his head against hers, holding the camera out at arm's length and snapped the picture. Erik picked it up and walked slowly over to her, kneeling on the floor and removing his glasses. "This guy is gone."

"What?"

He held the picture up, "He's gone, Sky, I will never look like that again."

The sting of the slap as her hand came in contact with his cheek sent him sprawling flat on his ass. "What the hell was that, Schuyler!"

"You son of a bitch," her tears had dried as fury filled her eyes. "You self-centered son of a bitch! You are willing to throw away our relationship, to end what we have because you think I care that your looks have changed? You think that little of me?"

"It's more than looks Sky! You want to go into town, walk hand in hand and pretend everything is the same. Well, it's not! People look at me and whisper, they pity me. I've heard what they say, 'Oh, the poor man, that's just awful.' I have to hear that. And then they look at you with pity and talk about what a good woman you are to stick with me."

Her lip curled in disgust, "I don't care what other people think, I stick with you because I love you. I didn't realize you put so much stock into what other people think. Fuck them!"

"You can say that because it's not you they're talking about."

She glared at him and he watched as her expression changed to one of pain. "You're right, Erik, this guy is gone." She leaned over to pick up the dropped picture. "But not because you're scarred, but because you've changed. You used to be this amazing guy, funny, sweet, kind, laid back, hardworking, considerate. Now you're a brooding, self-centered bastard so wrapped up in his own appearance he can't see what he's losing. And that has nothing to do with physical scars."

He pushed himself to his feet and stared down at her, "You have no idea what it's like for me."

"Because you won't tell me," she said sadly. "You sit alone and wallow in self pity. I can't take it any more. You aren't the only one who has suffered. It took weeks before Cady could go out alone, she still has nightmares. But she's getting better because she isn't trying to keep it all in. She's letting Tristan, her family, and me help her. And I," she paused and took a breath as her voice shook and rose a little. "I saw you, Erik, I saw you when they were loading you into the ambulance. I thought…God, Erik, there was so much blood, I thought you were dead. I still wake up at night with that image in my mind. I have even sneaked into your room a couple of times, just to check on you."

Erik remained silent. He knew she had been in his room, but he hadn't said anything.

"We're trying to rebuild the Force, I have my schoolwork to deal with, I'm tired Erik. You say you need me, well, I need you too. Our relationship was a partnership, we were in it all together, but lately it feels like I'm the only one giving and you just keep taking. I can't do it any more, Erik."

"Sky, you can't mean this."

She looked down at the picture in her hand, "Leave me alone."

"No."

"Leave, Erik."

"Who's pushing who away now?" He jumped when the framed picture flew past him and slammed into the dresser, shattering the glass. "Don't do this, Sky."

"I'm tired, I have early practice. Good night."

"I love you, Sky."

She didn't respond.

Erik looked down at the ring he had so carefully chosen for her. The ruby because red was her favorite color, vibrant and sexy, the diamonds, strong and beautiful. Vibrant, sexy, strong, and beautiful, just like her. He set it on the corner of her desk and quietly left.