A long time ago, someone asked me if I would ever write about Hunk and Paton's love story. I had always planned on it, but the muse didn't strike until recently. It seems like the stories come to me when I have a lot going on and I'm stressed, they act as a type of therapy for me, giving me an escape. From all the current craziness in my life, this story came to be. It won't be a long story, but I love it and I love the characters.

This is a romance, don't come here looking for an action story...sorry (not really). It takes place in my Voltron universe, picking up where Hunk and Paton first meet, in the chapter "A Night Out" in the story New Arrivals. We know how their story ends (married, with three kids), but how did they get there?

I hope you enjoy the fluff and fun as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Thanks!
Failte

The whole dynamic of the team was changing. Keith and Allura were happily married, as were Sven and Romelle on Pollux. It was obvious to everyone with two eyes and a brain that Lance was crazy about Darcy and, although she hasn't given in to his advances yet, Darcy seemed to feel the same for him. A couple weeks ago, Dante had put together a betting pool as to when Lance and Darcy would finally admit they had feelings for each other and make it official. Hunk was hoping they'd hold out for 6 more days, he had fifty dollars riding on it.

And of course there were the new members, Dante, Caleb, and Darcy. They seemed to be settling in well with the rest of the Force, but there was still a bit of a 'new kid' feel. When you had been together as long as the Voltron Force had been and gone through all they had gone through, you developed a deep bond that was often difficult to penetrate. But they were a good group of people and were as welcoming as they could be.

The changes didn't bother Hunk like he knew they bothered Pidge. Change was inevitable, so why worry about it? If things didn't change, life would be dull. He wouldn't be living on Arus, working with his best friends, flying one of the most powerful machines in history, and spending free time tinkering around with the Lions. Life was good, changes and all.

Hunk sat back against the red vinyl booth and took in the group around him. They had all decided it was a good time for a night off and they had just settled in a large round booth at Salina's, a popular dance club and bar in Alforia.

Keith, Allura, Darcy, Lance, Caleb, Dante, Hunk, and Pidge sat around the table, drinks in hand, and goofed on each other. Lance didn't even try to hide the way he watched Darcy, he slid his arm along the back of the booth. Hunk didn't think Darcy even realized it when she leaned a little closer to Red's pilot.

Keith whispered something to Allura and slid out of the booth. Hunk followed his Captain with his eyes, it was an old habit. Any member of the team was fully capable of taking care of themselves, but it didn't stop Hunk from feeling protective and keeping an eye on his teammates. As the largest member, at 6 feet and 7 inches tall and weighing just over 300 pounds of solid muscle, Hunk cut a very intimidating figure. But he was, without a doubt, the most laid back of them all. It was nearly impossible to make Hunk angry, he lived his life just going with the flow. Everything happened for a reason and everything seemed to work out in the end, just enjoy the ride.

Hunk's eyebrows rose when he took notice of the woman Keith was speaking to. She was tall. He skimmed his eyes down her body to see she was standing in flat boots but she stood at least six feet tall. Her figure was curvy in blue jeans and green striped sweater, her hair was thick and black, flowing just past her shoulders in loose waves. Her eyes were such a brilliant blue Hunk could see them from across the bar and when she smiled, deep dimples marked her cheeks.

"Who is that?" Hunk asked, not realizing at first that he had asked the question aloud.

Everyone turned to see who he was talking about.

"Oh, that's Paton Lacko," Allura said. "She's the chief of the new police department Keith started here in town."

Hunk's eyes widened. That was the chief of police? When he thought of police chiefs, he pictured grizzled old men who had spent decades on the force. But things were different on Arus, everyone was new and young as the planet started over.

"How come he never introduced us to her?" He asked.

Since he hadn't been able to tear his eyes from Paton, Hunk could hear the smile in Allura's voice as she teased him. "Why Hunk, I do believe you're smitten. Why don't you go over and have Keith introduce you?"

Never a shy person, Hunk nodded. "Maybe I will."

Given his size, people always gave him plenty of leeway when he crossed through a crowd. Salina's wasn't crowded, it was the middle of the week, but the patrons stepped aside as he crossed the room.

"Hey Keith, I was just about to get another round," Hunk said, clapping his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."

Keith glanced up at his friend and saw the way he was looking not at him, but at the woman in front of him, and he took the hint. "Its fine, Paton and I were just chatting. Paton, this is Hunk Landers. Hunk, I'd like you to meet Paton Lacko, chief of Alforia's police department."

Paton held out her had. "It's a pleasure Mr. Landers."

As was usual for him, Hunk acted on instinct. He took her hand in his and brushed his lips over the back of it. "It's a pleasure, Ms. Lacko, but please, call me Hunk."

"All right, Hunk, please, call me Paton." Her eyes sparkled and her smile grew.

"Well, I better get back to the table," Keith said, taking a step back.

Hunk nodded. "I'll catch you later, Cap."

"Paton, please let me know if you need anything."

She tore her gaze from Hunk and smiled at Keith. "Will do. Thanks for everything."

"Can I buy you a drink?" Hunk asked.

"Uh, sure. I'm just having soda tonight."

He pulled out a stool and waited until Paton sat down before taking the seat beside her and turning to the bartender. "Two sodas, please."

"So, Hunk Landers," Paton said, toying with the edge of a napkin. "That makes you Yellow Lion's pilot, right?"

"That's right, but it seems you already know more about me than I know about you. Are you from Alforia originally?"

She nodded. "Yes, my father was on the police force here when I was real young. When things got bad with Doom, we moved to my mother's home planet, Latrial."

"When did you come back?"

"I always wanted to come back to Arus. I went to the police academy on Latrial and when I heard about the Voltron Force and all you had done, I saw online how Arus was being rebuilt, I wanted to help. I applied for the new police force and, to my surprise, Keith hired me as the new chief."

"Why were you surprised?" Hunk asked.

Paton shrugged and took a sip of her soda. "I don't have a lot of experience in the field, I mean, I did well in school and all but, but I've only been in the field for five years. I thought I was years away from chief, if ever."

"Keith saw something in you. Trust me, his instincts are never wrong. If he didn't think you could do it, he wouldn't have hired you for the position. He was a very young team Captain, but look at all he has accomplished."

Paton slid her gaze over to the dance floor where Keith and Allura were now dancing closely together. "I hope you're right."

Hunk glanced over his shoulder and then back at her. "Would you like to dance?"

She hesitated a moment and then smiled. "Yes, I would."

It was a slow song as Hunk slid his arm around Paton's waist and took her other hand in his.

"You're very light on your feet," she commented.

"My football coach used to tell me the same thing."

"Football?"

Hunk chuckled. "I forget sometimes how different Arus can be from Terra. It's a sport, a very popular sport, back home. We all also had to take dancing lessons for Keith and Allura's wedding."

"I saw pictures, it was a beautiful wedding."

"After all she's been through, Allura deserved it."

"It meant a lot to the whole planet, a real reason to celebrate."

"I've never known two people more meant for each other, it was a long road for them to be together. I'm so happy they were able to make it work."

Paton's smiled shyly. "You're quite the romantic, aren't you, Hunk Landers?"

He shrugged. "I don't know if I've ever been called a romantic before. I just love my friends and I'm glad they were able to find their happiness."

The song ended and Paton stepped out of his embrace.

"Come on, let's go finish our drinks." Hunk laid his hand on the small of her back and steered her toward the bar. "And you can tell me more about the new chief of police."

"I have two older brothers," Paton said as she slowly stirred her soda with a straw. "What about you?"

"Older sister and a younger brother. Are your brothers still on Latrial?"

"Yeah, but I know my one brother, Cam, is thinking about coming back to Arus. My parents have been talking about it too. My other brother, Ifan, is married and settled. What about your sister and brother, what do they do?"

"Pam is a sculptor; she lives in California and just got her first show. Jeff is still in school, he's working on getting his masters in engineering."

"How did you end up here?"

"On Arus?" Hunk shrugged. "I always knew I wanted to be a pilot, I was good with my hands. I knew the other guys from the Academy and when the opportunity came up, I took it. I was ready for something new."

"And you like it here?"

"Yeah, I love it here. Allura is like a sister to me, I'm so glad we can help Arus and the people here. I feel like we're really making a difference."

Paton smiled up at him. "You are. I don't know if you guys know how much you've done for Arus."

"Hey, Hunk," Pidge appeared beside him, leaning against the bar.

"Oh, hey, buddy, uh, this is Paton Lacko, Paton, Pidge Audric."

Pidge nodded to her. "Nice to meet you, Paton, Keith was telling us what great work you're doing."

Paton couldn't help but blush a little at the compliment. "Thank you, it's a pleasure meeting you, too."

"We're going to head back to the castle," Pidge told his friend. "Keith said to just call up for a car when you're ready to come back."

"I will, thanks, man."

"Good night, Paton."

"Good night, Pidge." She glanced at her watch as Green's pilot joined the others at the front door. "Is it really that late already?"

"Do you need to go?"

Paton hesitated, disappointed at the thought that their evening would be ending. "Yeah, I'm on duty at eight."

Hunk looked as disappointed as she felt. "Can I walk you home?"

She shook her head. "I drove here, but I can give you a ride up to the castle if you'd like."

"I'd like that very much." Hunk took his wallet out and laid a few bills on the bar.

Paton felt his large hand on the small of her back again as he walked with her through the nearly empty bar, the warmth of his touch burned through her sweater and caused her skin to tingle. A few people noticed them, it was hard not to, the Voltron Force were as famous as the Arusian royal family.

"Where are you parked?"

Paton had to suppress a shiver as his breath brushed over her ear when he leaned close to whisper. "Just down the block here, the green truck."

Hunk's eyes lit up at the sight of her beat up old pick-up. "She's a beaut! What's her name?"

She laughed as she unlocked the door. "What makes you think I named her?"

"Because a truck like this always has a name."

Paton wrenched open the passenger side door for him. "Petunia."

His laughter followed her as she rounded the hood to the driver side door. "Great name."

"She came with it. Her previous owner let his daughter name her."

"How old is Petunia?"

"She's twelve. She's old, but she gets the job done."

Hunk tilted his head as she backed the truck out of the parking spot. "I hear a knocking sound."

"Yeah, I need to get her to the mechanic, but my work schedule and other things keep getting in the way."

"I can take a look at her."

"I'm sure you have other things you could be doing with your time."

He shook his head. "I work on the Lions, but it has been a long time since I could get my hands on a real car, not one of the fancy castle cars. I'd love to get under Petunia's hood and see why she's making so much noise. You can drive straight up to the castle." Hunk rolled down his window and waved to the guys manning the small guardhouse.

"It's beautiful," Paton breathed as she drew closer to the huge, silver castle.

"You haven't been inside?"

"No, I met with Keith down at the police station." Paton pulled to a stop by the main entrance. "I had a good time tonight, Hunk."

"So did I." He turned in his seat to face her. "I'd like to see you again."

"I'd like that too."

"What's your schedule like?"

"Right now, things are pretty crazy. I'm free Saturday afternoon."

"All right then." Hunk popped open his door. "I'll swing by Saturday and take a look at Petunia. After that, we'll find something fun to do."

She grinned at him. "Sounds good."

"I have morning practice followed by our regular meeting, how about 2:00?"

"2:00 it is."

He stepped down and turned back to her. "I think I know what's wrong, but if the sound gets louder, just bring her right to the castle, tell the guards you're here to see me, I'll take care of it. Good night."

"Good night." Paton gripped the steering wheel and watched as he approached the door, punched in a code, and, after waving to her, disappeared into the Castle of Lions.