Bridges

Chapter 1 - Crash Landing

Allura sighed, leaning back in her cockpit seat. She wasn't going anywhere. The lion had been damaged in the crash landing on the planet Charin, and the solar storm was making it impossible to navigate, communicate, or even launch. Charin was a planet very close to its central star, and right now the star was undergoing some severe coronal activity. A more skilled pilot could do it, she thought grimly.

"Okay, first things first," she muttered to herself in an effort to lift her spirits. The planet's surface was not completely different from Arus. Her lion had landed roughly in a rocky, mountainous terrain, but there was a rich diversity of vegetation around her. The sky overhead was a bleak grey; clouded out by all the radiation particles from the system's star interacting with the atmosphere and generated some low cloud cover. A gentle wind rustled at the surface of the planet, but nothing nearly as cacophonous as the radiation storm brewing above the atmosphere.

She checked her system controls to see if the mechanical beast could still move. She sighed in relief as it hummed to life, albeit with a bit of a limp. After some effort, Allura maneuvered it to a cave she had located in the side of the mountain and let it lie down and power off in the back corner. After climbing out of the hatch and dropping down, she inspected the makeshift shelter.

The cave wasn't particularly large, but it did afford a sanctuary from overhead eyes and a respite from the wind that was beginning to pick up sand and grit outside. A small mouth opening barely large enough to accommodate her vehicle opened up into a much larger cavern with little pockets. She shook her head and began to inspect the damage done to her ship but to little avail. She wasn't a technician. At most she could do basic repairs and even then she still needed Pidge or Hunk's help.

Frustrated, she slammed the access panel closed and paced around inside of the cave before walking to the mouth of the cave, looking over the planet below. The entrance to her sanctuary was etched into a hillside, only a narrow winding path even having access to the entrance to her shelter. It made for an easily defended rest point, at least until she figured out her next move. The path wound down the rocky terrain into a more forest-like zone with trees and leafy vegetation.

"Guess I should have a look around, check to see what is nearby," she murmured to herself, finding it less eerie to talk to herself than sit in silence. Exiting the cave, Allura picked her way along the rugged little path in the mountainside, heading down to the lush ground below. Her white boots scuffed at the dirt and twice she slid – only once did she catch herself.

With an indignant, paltry attempt at a curse, she stood up and dusted the soil from her backside before carefully moving the rest of the way down.

As she stepped into much more forgiving, grassy terrain, the princess caught scent of wreckage. Burning, warped metal and plastic invaded her senses as she slid gently between the trees and foliage. Upon landing behind a large bush, she righted herself and cautiously peered around through the flora when the sounds of static crackling and outright cursing arose.

Allura couldn't stop herself from the flood of words that fell from her lips at the sight before her.

"Of course you're here!" She stepped out from behind her leafy hiding place, hands on hips and a wary, guarded look across her face.

The Crown Prince of Doom spun on the spot from where he was kicking the remnants of his personal spacecraft to stare up into the eyes of a very angry princess. His world skidded to a stop as his breath caught at the sight of the blue fire in her eyes.

"Allura! What are you doing here?" Lotor could only manage to pull forth the most logical thought in his mind while he took control of all the other ideas, thoughts and emotions running freely through him at the unexpected sight of her.

"I..." she trailed off for a moment, a light pink color staining her cheeks. "I was conducting a sector fly-through and didn't notice the solar storm. I thought it would be best not to try and pilot in these conditions," she finished primly, hands still on her hips.

Lotor just stared at her, taking in the image before him: the princess of Arus in her traditional white and pink flight suit. What luck. Her hands rested tensely on her hips as she stared down at him from a slightly higher elevation on a sloping hillside, a mere thirty feet from him. Her sun-spun hair was half up in her bun, half falling free. A frown touched his face as he looked closer. Her eyes were worried, scratches marred both her perfect face and her white body suit. In some places, her clothing looked torn or even burned. He kept his face impassive but returned his eyes to hers, a twitch of his lips the only indication of his next statement.

"You crashed, too."

"I most certainly did not!" The eruption of her blush signified his accuracy in his statement and while his expression turned amused, his inward concern for her safety escalated slightly.

"I bet you did," he added lazily, turning to face her fully for the first time, his hands coming to rest leisurely across his chest.

"Blue Lion does not crash. Not unless you're involved," she added tartly. Lotor flinched slightly. It was true that Blue Lion had taken some damage under his fire. He had always been very clear with his fleet to never hurt her, but a stray missile or worse – his father's fleet – often made contact with her lion. Additionally, it was virtually impossible to get his hands on her when her lion wasn't on the ground. While she was never hurt, her lion did take a few bruises.

Since he had no response then, he lazily started strolling up the embankment to where she stood, hands still crossed over his chest. His gait slowed when he noticed the widening of her eyes at his approach. To her credit, she stayed perfectly still, hands still on her hips in righteous indignation, staring at him until he was a foot away looking down into eyes.

"What," she asked tensely. Lotor just stared into her eyes, completely lost in the feeling of being so close to her and not having to twist through an elaborate and complicated scheme just to glimpse her. He answered honestly.

"I have no idea," he murmured. Surprised by his statement, she softened a little and stepped back away from him, dropping her hands to her sides. The princess peered around his broad frame to his smoking ship.

"Well, I doubt you faked that," she acquiesced and shrugged. The wind picked up suddenly and she flinched as dust particles hit her, shielding her eyes with her hand. "Well, unless you're set on staying here, there's..." she trailed off, hesitating. Did she really want to offer up her hiding place to him?

"Yes?" He asked quietly, re-positioning himself upwind from her to try and shelter her from the storm without crowding her. He was pleasantly surprised by how much he enjoyed having her near him and not flinging shoes, shooting or screaming at him.

"There's a cave up there," she finished, pointing to the hillside. "Unless you want to stay out here and get sandblasted," she turned and started walking back the way she came, not waiting for an answer. The invitation was there. Lotor stood still, processing what she had just told him. With little hesitation, he followed behind her, admiring the view.

Stepping through the mouth of the cave, Allura took a deep breath of sand-free air, exhaling in relief. Making her way over to the back where her lion was curled up, she reached up and released the last bit of her hair in the bun letting it fall down her back in a tangled, wind-tossed mess.

She sat on top of her lion's head and popped the hatch, glancing up to acknowledge Lotor stepping into the cave. She dropped into the cockpit and rummaged around until she found what she was looking for.

The prince watched with quiet amusement as Allura emerged from the lion tossing out two sets of two bundles. She kept one of the shrink-wrapped parcels for herself and tossed the other to him, his reflexes catching the backpack instinctively.

"What's this?"

She grunted and pushed the hatch door shut and slid down.

"Those are food and water rations for three days. I'll admit, the food isn't great. But it has been nutritionally balanced to foster wilderness survival. Protein heavy."

"Why are you sharing your resources with me?"

She stopped as she picked up the other two bundles - bedrolls by the look of them.

"I can't let you starve. I have no idea how long that storm will last. You certainly can't go anywhere in your ship, and Blue Lion has taken enough damage that I sure won't be able to fly in the storm. ...A more skilled pilot probably could," she added softly, looking a little disappointed in herself.

Lotor shook his head. "I doubt even your commander could fly in this. Those winds, coupled with the radiation, would even give Voltron trouble. Let me help," he said before turning and walking outside into the sandstorm.

"How are you-" she stopped as he was gone, just the faint hum of his sword coming to life sounding in the distance. She shook her head again and went back to preparing a little rest area. She was very precise as she set up two separate sleeping stations; her message very clear.

Lotor came back, his arms full of branches, sticks, twigs and logs. Dropping them with a grunt near where she had set up the little beds, he paused only to snicker at the two separate camps before starting to set up a campfire in between them.

"If you think that would stop me," he nodded toward the bed bundles.

"I'll shoot you," she threatened, her voice tighter than it had been. He glanced up from where he was working with the fire and saw the legitimate alarm in her eyes. Lotor shook his head once.

"Admittedly I'm unused to not getting everything I want, but even I have more honor than that, princess. Does that survival kit of yours have a light in it?"

"Wha- oh, yes," she went and retrieved the lighter and brought it back to him, then sat down cross legged on a bedroll to watch him work. He finished setting the kindling inside the tepee of increasingly larger sticks before lighting the thatch around it. With a gentleness she hadn't seen from the Drule prince before, he blew on the smoldering leaves and dried grass, urging them to conflagration. Patiently he added a little more fuel, and before long he had coaxed a modest fire that was large enough to warm the sleeping area.

"Wow," she murmured before she could stop herself. "Where did you learn to do that?"

Lotor exhaled coming down out of his kneeling position in front of the fire to sit, one leg draped over the other. His golden eyes still focused intently on the flames, the midas hue reflecting more light than it should have. Once he was certain the fire was strong enough to go on without further nurturing, he added a few larger logs to the blaze.

Without warning his eyes snapped to hers, the honey color still smoldering as if the fire were in them. Allura swallowed nervously, her heart hitching a little before beating faster than it had been before. It was alarm, she reassured herself, and nothing more.

"Do what? Start a fire?"

Allura found herself nodding in response, too captivated by the intense look in his eyes to find her voice.

"I don't just sit on a throne all day, you know," he chided her lightly. His words were an effort to lighten the growing tension between them, but as her cheeks blushed and she bit down on her bottom lip unconsciously, it only grew heavier.

Lotor shifted uncomfortably, letting out a low exhale before standing up suddenly and talking a walk to the front of the cave. The blast of wind from outside helped clear his mind of the deliciously indecent thoughts that had been growing wilder with each passing second, but the clarity lasted only a moment.

A wave of fire rippled through him when he felt Allura's hand rest on his back. He had been so distracted that he hadn't even heard her approach and stop behind him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean for that to sound as rude as it did. I don't think you sit around all day. I was just surprised is all," she was explaining, her voice a little softer. Lotor quickly realized she mistook his sudden departure as a sign of displeasure rather than the opposite.

He shrugged his shoulders and felt both dismay and relief when her hand fell back to her side. Relief that the heat swelling in him began to subside again but dismay at the loss of her touch.

Allura came to stand beside him and surveyed the planet below before raising her eyes to the sky.

"It looks like an actual storm out there - with clouds and rain coming," she commented. Lotor would have brushed the comment off as an awkward change of subject except that there were indeed quite ominous clouds building.

"The solar wind has probably disrupted the weather patterns of this planet. Have you been here before? Do you know much about its environment naturally?"

Allura shook her head. "Unfortunately not. This is my first time here. I've flown by as part of just a patrol route and it seems not too different than Arus as far as landscape, but I have no knowledge of temperatures and weather patterns. However," she crossed her arms over her chest and rubbed her upper arms lightly. "The temperature seems to be dropping. I'm going back to the fire."

He watched her retreating frame head back to the warm glow of the flames as a crack of lightning lit up the sky behind him, signaling the fall of rain.

Allura sat back down on her bedroll, listening to the rain fall outside as she stared at the fire. Glancing up, she saw Lotor still standing in the entry way, his frame a silhouette against the fading sunlight outside and the occasional lightning strike.

She took the time to study him; time she had never been granted before. Whenever Lotor had been close enough to her to see, Allura was usually running in the opposite direction. Despite being trapped alone in a cave with him where no one knew her location, she was the least afraid of him she had ever been.

The look he had in his eyes when she had threatened to shoot him was what reassured her more than anything. It hadn't been a look of annoyance, irritation or concern that she might actually try and shoot him: it had been a flash of pride, determination and a fierce disgust for how Zarkon treated his females. For all the shady, manipulative tactics Lotor had taken to get to her through the years, she truly believed that he would never lay a hand on her in that way.

"What are you thinking about?"

Allura couldn't stop the gasp of surprise as Lotor spoke, easing himself down to sit cross legged on the bedroll across the fire from her. It was almost completely dark outside, save the flash of lightning on occasion, and the only light in the room was the fire between them. It threw his Drulish features into stark contrast as the light shifted and danced with the crackling of the flames.

Once more, she saw the fire smoldering in his eyes as he stared intently at her as if he were trying to read her mind. She shook her head once, her hair a matted mess of leaves, dirt and wind-frayed tangles. How his hair managed to be as slick and straight as it always was, she couldn't imagine.

"Contingency plans," Allura supplied eventually when he continued to stare at her.

"You mean what you'll do if a ship comes for me before Keith comes for you."

"Am I that obvious?"

"No, actually you're not. I just guessed," he admitted.

"What will you do if that happens," she finally asked. The question hung heavy in the air, her breath held as she waited for the answer. She knew what it would be - she would go with him. There wouldn't be a choice in the matter. There would be soldiers, and if not that, his strength alone could overpower her. Her heart hammered in her chest with rising panic, waiting for him to actually say the words.

"We'll see when the time comes," he answered after a painfully long moment, surprising the pink princess. When she stared at him openly with guarded suspicion, he continued. "I have no idea when that will be. You saw my ship. The locator on it is completely destroyed. I wasn't on official business when I came through here so none of my men will know where to start looking for me. We could be weeks out. Honestly I'm more concerned what will happen when the Black Lion drops out of the sky on top of me. If he attacks me, I will fight him, Princess. Just so you know."

"I-" she stopped, her skin paling. Her blood felt cold as the wind left her lungs when a realization settled in. Lotor quickly rose and came over to sit beside her, and immediately became even more concerned when she didn't display any signs of flinching away from him. Without hesitating, his coat was off his body and draping over her trembling shoulders, dwarfing her in leather and spice.

"I won't kill him if I can help it, but I won't do nothing. Okay? We'll figure it out." He touched both her shoulders and rubbed them, trying to warm her up out of her shocked state, not knowing how to comfort her.

Allura started to melt out of her numbed state, awakened by the deep, smoky scent that infiltrated her senses. The first thing she noticed was Lotor wasn't across from her anymore and then subsequently realized he was next to her, his arms around her shoulders and his coat draped over her.

"I, what-"

"Allura? You looked like you went into shock. Are you alright?"

She shook her head once, staring up into his golden reptilian eyes, her shoulders touching his chest, his thigh pressed into hers as he tried to offer comfort. His scent was dark and dangerous, warming parts of her body she'd rather not awaken.

She exhaled, closed her eyes to block out the image of him so close to her, her cheeks flaring into a bright blush.

"No, I just realized something alarming. And it wasn't about you and Keith. You two have been trying to kill each other for a long time now and you're both fine." Another exhale as she collected her thoughts.

"I think," she hedged. "I think we were both predicting to see the other's ships first and then deal with that situation. I think we are in more trouble than we thought, Lotor."

His name on her lips made his blood heat and he watched her intently. Her lips shined in the firelight and it took the iron will of the gods themselves to keep him still. She was so close to him, so light and beautiful, so kind and gentle, and willingly sitting in his arms, draped in his coat. His predatory nature was at maximum and keeping the beast she awakened with him restrained was taking all of his will. He knew making a movement now, especially with her having been in some state of shock moments ago would shatter every scrap of trust he had managed to scrape together.

"Go on," he urged her gently, his voice softer and more hoarse with need than he intended. Blue eyes flashed open and looked up at him again, stunning him once more. She looked away, glancing to the fire before speaking again.

"They don't know where I am. I was off the course of a routine patrol mission. Blue Lion has a transmitter to send last known coordinates. The storm, however, interfered with this communication. The last data they'll receive will be planets over. They won't know to come here. I don't know how long solar storms can last, but once it passes, my lion might be able to fly. I can get us both out of here, in theory. But as long as that storm is raging, I can't launch and the transmitter won't be sending any useful data to Arus. And I've seen storms in this sector last weeks. ...I was actually expecting Doom to find you within a couple days and would go from there. But, if they aren't coming for you..."

Lotor was too enamored with her features and watching her lips move as she rambled on to really understand what she was saying at first. Then it sunk in.

"Shit. "

"We could be here weeks, Lotor, and I only have resources for a few days."

He sat back and looked at her, the fire draining from his blood as the reality of their situation set in.

"Okay," he started with a sigh. "Allura. Allura, stay with me here." He touched her shoulders again and this time turned her to face him as she started to shake again. "Don't go into shock. Stay here. We have time. Right now, in this moment, we have time. We have supplies for a few days. Tomorrow we will think more about this and scout the terrain. We will make this work. And do you know why?"

She shook her head numbly, blinded by the brilliance of his eyes so close to hers.

"Because you were clever and resourceful enough to have supplies in your lion, and generous enough to share them with me. The storm above the clouds may only last a couple days. We don't know. But panic will be our enemy."

She nodded, and he watched with satisfaction as the terror in her eyes hardened into resolution. That was the stubborn princess he knew.

"You're right," she agreed and nodded. "We should probably get some sleep tonight though, there's not much else that can be done right now, so conserving strength is in our best interest." She began to shrug out of his coat when he stopped her.

"Keep it, sleep under it. Temperature doesn't bother me as much as it will bother you. We Drules rather enjoy the cooler weather, plus our body temperatures run hotter than yours," he explained, standing up to head back to his side of the fire. As much as he wanted to cradle her against him, naked or otherwise, he was walking a fine line with her.

Allura watched as he eased himself down onto the bedroll, his muscles flexing leisurely. Without his coat, he was bare-chested in just his trousers. Removing his boots and tossing them aside, he stretched out along the canvas and looked over to her, a rakish grin splitting his lips and revealing his fangs.

"Like what you see? Go ahead and look," he purred at her, folding his arms behind his head brazenly, watching the little princess tucked into his coat. Her cheeks flushed a delicious color of pink as she snapped out of her stare and fished around in her survival pack to find one of the dehydrated meal bars in there. Making quick work of it, she burrowed under the thin blankets offered with the bedroll, letting the coat drape over the top.

"Are you sure you won't be too cold without it?" She asked, peeking out from her cocoon.

"I'll be fine," he assured her, rolling over onto his side with his back to the fire to help tamp down the desire to leap through the flames and grab her. An exhausted 'thank you' was breathed in his direction as she succumbed to fatigue.

Lotor, however, was wide awake. He stayed still for a while longer to make sure she was deep asleep before standing up and pacing around the cave.

Their situation was entirely alarming. While he had done his best to calm the frightened princess, he was concerned. They knew very little of the plant and animal life on this planet. The water seemed potable at least, but food would be a concern soon. The temperature situation was a worrisome as well. If they were here much longer, a more viable shelter that was more insulated would be needed.

Lotor moved back over to place some more firewood on the campfire. He worried if it went out Allura would be too cold. Humans were beautifully fragile in many ways and alarmingly so in others. A Drule would be comfortable in this kind of weather for days as long as his health stayed up. Once fatigue began to set in then the temperature would affect him more, but still not as much as a human.

As the fire came alive again, his eyes were drawn to her form, wrapped in a blanket under his coat. Allura was shivering still. He muttered a low oath and grabbed his own blanket of his bed and approached her.

This can't go well, he thought to himself, but he had little options. As he touched her shoulders to peel his coat off of her, Allura's eyes fluttered open.

"What, Lotor what are you-" Her question turned to panic noises when he pushed her body over so he could slide into her bedroll with her, bringing his second blanket on top of them both, his coat on top of that.

She struggled and fought against him, and he just used his strength to move her so she was laying across his chest, his arm heavy across her back, pinning her slender form against him.

"You said you wouldn't-"

"I'm not," he said quietly, his voice calm and low. Allura stilled, terrified as he held her against his bare chest.

"Then what-"

"You're still cold. My body temperature runs hot compared to you. It will help warm you. Look, pants are still on." He raised the bottom blanket to point down to the fact both of them were still dressed, save the coat draping over them. He was careful to only lift the blanket up enough to show his waistband - he heavily doubted she would relax if she saw what effect she had on his body. Lotor's tone was distanced and precise. He barely said anything as he settled in on his back, holding her in place against him.

"If you could stop struggling, that would help tremendously," he gritted out through his teeth. Her wiggling body was making his iron will weaken.

"Help with what?" She asked, still protesting this new sleeping arrangement.

"I want nothing more than to jump you right now and warm you in a very different way. But I doubt you would consent to that sort of activity, no matter how enjoyable it would be."

He knew the moment that it clicked for her. She was still squirming and fidgeting even after he finished speaking through a clenched jaw before she went very, very still.

"Oh..." Her breathy whisper aroused a chuckle out of him as he exhaled slowly.

"Now. You're safe, both from me and from the still-dropping temperature. Try and get some rest," he instructed, his lips right near her ear.

Allura could hardly breathe. The scent of the prince surrounded her with the same strength and possessiveness his body did. Her head was on his shoulder, her chest pressed up against him. His muscled arm was heavy across the small of her back, holding her tightly to him. Despite the fear she had initially when she had awakened to him joining her in her bed, she felt very safe right now.

That feeling alone concerned her. Her pulse raced, but it wasn't with terror or alarm - it was with excitement. Even with her prim and proper upbringing, she still recognized the effect his proximity was having on her.

Allura tucked her face down away from his as he whispered in her ear, trying to hide the blush that bloomed over her and heated her body. Even without the added excitement, he was correct: his body was indeed much warmer than hers and sheltered her from the chill of the cave.

Inwardly she berated the fact she took such pleasure and sanctuary in the arms of this man in particular, but she slowly calmed herself down enough to relax against him. It was only because of their situation, Allura rationalized; if she had been cozy in her bed on Arus she wouldn't feel this way. It was only natural in a moment of desperation to unconsciously gravitate toward something that would help ensure her survival. He was big and strong and it had absolutely nothing to do with the sensual purr he exuded or the cat-like predatory look he often had.

Calming her heart down to a more relaxed tempo, she exhaled deeply before letting herself drift back to sleep with that last hope.

Thank you for reading all the way through, please leave feedback! It's been a while since I've written and this is a new genre for me. I would love to hear what you love and hate! Thank you!