Author's Notes
Thank you very much for all favorites and follows. It's always exciting for me to see the comments and get my email alerts that readers have decided to follow. Hugs and thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Paulina Ann- Glad you liked the battle. I didn't give too much thought to the yeti Robeast, because, to be honest, the battle was pretty much over. I will think about that for next time. Thanks for your kind words.
lovecastle89- Thank you. I think I could have developed the scene more. That'll be my goal for the next time. I have been trying to pay attention to how other writers handle them and see what I can learn. Appreciate the kind words.
ebon-drake – You are the one that pushes me. I really take your comments and noticings to heart. Thanks for favoriting me. Hugs! I was excited to get the email.
cubbieBlueMako – The story is not completely done, so I am not quite sure how hot things are going to get. I am still flushing out that part of the story. I hope this meets your expectations. Weather is just getting cold here in Vegas. Our heat isn't on yet…
keithnallurafan – Glad you like it. It would not have happened without you. : ) Thanks to you for getting my muse back.
KittyLynne – I cannot tell you how excited I was to see a comment from you. You are one of my heroes and one of my all-time favorites. To know you are reading my fic….makes me both excited and nervous! I did like the idea of Voltron assisting Lotor on their exit from Arus. It was a way for Keith to say F you without breaking their agreement. Big freeze coming, with some heat to counter it. Thanks for your positive feedback!
Disclaimer: WEP owns Voltron. The story is mine.
Rated T for suggestive innuendo
Enjoy!
Chapter 2
Keith breathed out a grunt of satisfaction as he watched Lotor's ship finally leave Arusian airspace. "Well, I guess we can call that a victory."
"Not a victory, "Pidge countered. "A temporary reprieve. A true victory would be when Lotor is captured or dead."
"True," Keith agreed. "Koran, the Robeast has been defeated and Lotor and his forces are retreating back to Doom." The commander paused as he waited for a reply. Nothing. "Koran, this is Black. Come in!"
As Voltron returned to the surface of planet Arus, a surprising sight greeted the team. The Castle Of Lions, which usually gleamed like a beacon of light on the hill overlooking Castle Lake, sat shrouded in darkness. Not a light could be seen from its metal surface.
"Wow, Lotor must have taken out not only the primary generators, but the backups too. The Castle has no power, not even enough to allow for communication. That explains why Koran isn't responding," Pidge mused.
Keith analyzed the situation, the wheels in his head turning. "Hunk, how long will it take you and the castle engineers to get those generators back online?"
"Gee, Cap, I don't know. It depends on how damaged they are," Hunk replied. "I won't be able to give you an estimate until I see. Probably at least a day."
"A day!" the Princess exclaimed in surprise. "But today and tomorrow are supposed to be the coldest days of the year, with a high of negative 10 degrees Fahrenheit. We will freeze!"
"We will figure out how to deal with that once we get inside and assess the situation," Keith snapped, effectively cutting her off. He didn't know why the princess's countering was bugging him, but it was. Turning back to Hunk, he said, "I guess the Lion lairs are out of the question considering we have no power to get back to the castle."
"Yeah, we wouldn't want to get stuck in the lairs, right Keith? A little déjà vu, isn't it?" Lance noted mischievously. "It wasn't but a few months ago that you and Princess got stuck in the elevator during the electrical storm. We wouldn't want a repeat of that, now would we?" Lance waggled his eyebrows suggestively up and down at his commander. He chuckled as he saw the daggers Keith shot his way through the view screen.
Though Keith never revealed what happened between him and the princess on that day, Lance guessed it was something big, because the entire nature of the princess and commander's relationship changed after that. The tension between them came to a head after the princess's Lion Bowl. Never admitting he saw anything, Lance caught the two of them alone in the locker room after the game, both flushed, out of breath, and partially unclothed. Lance figured something physical was going on between the two, but neither admitted nor denied it to him. Still, he couldn't help busting Keith and Allura whenever an opportunity presented itself.
A fire blazed in Keith's dark eyes as he flashed a dirty look at the Red Lion pilot. Then his obsidian eyes flitted over to glance at Allura.
Her earlier anger seemingly forgotten, the princess had a lustful expression on her face. As her eyes locked with his, the look she shot him communicated clearly that she remembered that day well. Cocking a slender eyebrow at him, she flashed a knowing smile and her eyes darkened to midnight blue.
Keith just stared at her beautiful face. Gulping as his body pumped to life, Keith shook his head to clear his lustful thoughts, trying to get back to the task at hand. "So the Lion lairs are out of the question. Why don't we dock the lion ships in the repair bay for now until we get power up and running? That way they'll be safe and out of the elements for the time being."
"But they need their lairs to recharge," Pidge protested. "They won't be at full power. What if we need them?" The Green Lion pilot was almost whining.
Keith slammed his fist against the controls of Black Lion. He had had it with everyone. Just wanting to get back to the castle and assess the power situation, he put his foot down. "Disengage from Voltron. Dock your lion in the repair bay. Meet in Castle Control in fifteen minutes. Those are my orders," he barked. "Does anyone have any questions?"
Blinking in surprise at the commander's excessively sharp tone, the other four Lion pilots simply nodded in acknowledgement. Keith flipped off the view screen as he began keying in the disengagement commands. Muttering under his breath, he cursed Lotor. Though he may not have destroyed Voltron, the Prince of Doom dealt a startling blow. No heat, no light, no power during what were supposed to be the coldest days of the year. Keith's mind started plotting for how to deal with this latest problem created by the blue skinned demon. It was his job to keep the princess and the planet safe. With his thoughts shifting to the princess, he let out a small groan. He also had to think about what he would say to a ticked off, turned-on, fair-haired princess. Chuckling wryly to himself, he grabbed the yoke and headed to the Lions' repair bay.
Vvvvvvvvvvvvv
Sitting in Blue Lion, Princess Allura sighed heavily. She was worried about Keith. It was rare that Keith became short with the team. His patience was hanging on by a thin thread. Forgetting her earlier annoyance when he cut her off, the princess instead decided that Keith needed some TLC. The kind that only she could provide. Smiling wistfully to herself, she wondered if he would allow himself the small luxury. Selfishly, she sure hoped so.
Keith and Allura were involved. Putting a proper term to their relationship was close to impossible. They loved each other, yet weren't free to be together. They shared intimate moments in private, yet portrayed a close friendship in front of others. They somehow managed to keep their professional and personal relationships separate, yet the stress was taking its toll on both them and their relationship.
Allura sighed again. It had been two months since their encounter after the football game, where both had thrown all caution to the wind and had partially given into their lustful desires. Not much had happened since that night, and both Keith and Allura felt the frustration. Maybe this power outage would allow them some freedom to move around without detection. As she turned Blue Lion toward the repair bay where she would temporarily be housed, the princess began to plot about how she could get Keith alone. Glancing at her view screen, she caught sight of the pilot of Red Lion. Maybe Lance could assist her in this one.