Welcome to Soul Mates…as always I want to thank the ladies that give me a push and help me with the editing of this story so you the readers see as few mistakes as possible, CMS, Wade Wells and Xia Cheyenne. It is always funny to me that each of you ladies find different errors than the other two.

I'm afraid my writing pal, Cypher was kept under wraps a bit in this one, even though Xia's Scythe kept trying to get her to come out and play…my apologies if I disappoint a few of you that love the, "extracurricular activities" scenes. There aren't as many in this story.

Many thanks to Harmony W, Rocky O and Dark E for all their input and encouragement as well.

I make no claims to Voltron or any WEP characters.

Enjoy Chapter 1

Mertz

Soul Mates:

"You know…I've always been amazed by the idiotic advice you receive from people sometimes. Look before you leap, take time to smell the roses, think before you speak, life's too short and don't take things for granted. But then I am also amazed by how sometimes the small things can change the course of your life. If I had only turned left instead of right or stopped when the light turned yellow instead of pressing harder on the gas pedal.

Small things…sometimes things that seem so inconsequential at the time, but can cause such drastic changes when one least expects it. Like remembering the empty milk container at home when I was at the grocery store instead of having to stop by a minimart on the way home… "

A deep sigh leaves Keith as the beautiful woman dances in the ocean surf in front of him. He watches as a smile lights up her face and her blue eyes dance with mischief as she kicks the cold ocean water at him.

An answering smile crosses his face as he turns to the side to avoid the worst of the cold water and turns back to growl at her, "You will pay for that one…" Keith runs at her and grabs her around the waist, listening to her squeal with delight as he swings her around before holding her against him and staring down into her still smiling face.

Impossibly electric blue eyes smile up into the dark as night ones in front of her as she leans up on her tiptoes and kisses him lightly on the lips before saying, "It's time…"

A confused look crosses Keith's face as he asks, "Time for what?"

The woman disappears out of his arms and Keith looks around for her. He finds her several feet away, her image fading slowly as she replies, "You know…" and disappears.

Keith jerks upright and reaches out in front of him, "NO WAIT!" Waking up, he looks around desperately before realizing where he is. Flopping back onto his pillows, a tear runs out of his eye as his mind races, Why now? I haven't dreamed about her in over a year…

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Keith jerks Black lion hard to the right to bank around a tight corner and watches as Red lion follows behind him, quickly followed by the other lions with Princess Allura bringing up the rear. Next Keith dives toward the ground at high speed and pulls up at the last second.

He flips the lion in the air and pauses as he watches the other lions follow suit. His heart stops for a moment as he watches Blue lion shake slightly and almost crash into the ground, "ALLURA!"

Blue lion shoots back up in the air and Allura appears on his video screen, her face pale, "I'm fine Keith. I'm not sure what happened…Blue failed to respond for a moment."

Keith takes several deep breaths to calm his fast beating heart before Pidge appears on his screen, "Must be something wrong with the servos in the reverse thrusters…Hunk and I will get it checked over after practice."

His mind still racing at Allura's close call, Keith calls out, "With Blue malfunctioning I am calling an end to practice early. Let's head back to the castle. Pidge, Hunk, I want a status report on that lion before dinner tonight and have it back up and running in time for practice tomorrow morning."

A snorting sound comes from the pilot of Red lion, "Come on Keith…tomorrow is Allura's birthday. The least you could do is not make her get up at the butt crack of dawn."

Keith rolls his eyes as a giggling sound escapes the soon to be birthday girl. A droll tone enters Keith's voice as he responds, "Lance, you would use any excuse to avoid getting up for practice. Next thing I know, you will want the morning off for April Fool's day."

Hunk starts laughing as he breaks in, "Well Cap…even a fool like Lance needs a day off once in a while."

Laughter from Pidge and Allura fills the comm. as Lance pipes in, "Ha ha ha…very funny big guy." He turns his attention back to Keith, "Come on Keith…have a heart, for once."

A smile slips onto Keith's face even as he tries to keep his face neutral, "Princess…is that what you want from me on your birthday?"

The unintended loaded question turns Allura's cheeks red as thoughts of what she would really like from her Captain fills her mind. Images of Keith holding her tightly against his hard body while kissing her come to mind and she starts as he continues, "A morning off?"

She tilts her head to the side slightly as she coyly asks, "That depends…did you get me a gift already?"

A full smile does cover Keith's face as he thinks, In the two years that we have been here Allura is still the same…she is always like a expectant child when it comes to gifts… The smile leaves his face slightly as the thought continues, Probably because she never really received many gifts growing up. He clears his throat a bit as he arches an eyebrow at the video prompt of the Princess and asks, "Fishing?"

He laughs as a pouty look briefly crosses her face, "Come on Keith…just a small hint?"

All of the men start laughing, for the last week she has been looking for hints to her birthday gifts from each of the members of the force. In return, each of them has enjoyed tormenting Allura, some complete lies and others just tantalizing hints to what they each have gotten her.

A wicked smile crosses Keith's face as he taunts her, "I don't know Allura…would I have gotten you anything?"

Allura glares at the video prompt and turns her face away in a huff, "I won't fall for that one again Keith… You guys are just mean."

He laughs even harder as she briefly turns back to the prompter and sticks her tongue out at him. As Keith wipes the tears from his eyes, he finally manages to calm down enough to speak normally again, "Alright…practice will be delayed tomorrow morning in honor of her Highness' 20th birthday. Meet in the control room at 0800 instead of 0500."

Lance lets out a whoop at the pronouncement then adds, "Last one back to the castle is a slug!" and races off in Red. Keith arches a brow and adds, "Not going to be me…"

He kicks in the afterburners and pushes Black to the limits as the others quickly follow in the race back to the castle.

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Keith sits at dinner that night with a smile on his face as Allura continues probing different members of the force for hints, "Come on Lance…one small hint."

Lance smiles fondly at her then teases, "A hint for a kiss…"

Nanny enters the room just as Lance finishes and yells at him, "You are no gentleman." Lance ducks a slap Nanny aims at the back of his head. Turning to Allura, Nanny places her hands on her hips, "I forbid you from kissing this ruffian." She huffs and walks back into the kitchen.

A chuckle escapes Keith at the disgruntled look on Lance's face and the disappointed one on Allura's. Unable to help himself, Keith can't help but rub it in, "It wouldn't have worked anyway Allura…Lance would have just lied to you."

Laughing, he ducks as Lance throws his spoon at him but gets hit in the face by Allura's napkin. Pulling it off his face, he gives a glaring Allura the evil eye as Lance laughs at him, "Getting rusty in your old age Commander?"

Hunk and Pidge join in the laughter as Keith shakes his head while smiling and a whisper passes through his mind, 'Hmmm…Keith…'

Keith turns toward Allura confused, "Did you say something Princess?"

Allura is the next one to look confused as she shakes her head, "No…"

Lance cracks up laughing, "Not only is he getting rusty, he is hearing things too…"

Keith rolls his eyes, "Alright enough." He glances at Allura as she rises from the table to follow the others out of the room, I could have sworn she said my name…

Shaking his head as if to clear it; Keith rises and follows the others.

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Keith feels himself walking into a darkened room. He calls out, "Hello?" as a faint glimmer appears before him. Walking forward he feels something brush against his face and Keith jerks backward a bit. Reaching out with his hand he touches what had brushed against him and he grabs it with both hands, "A balloon?"

The glimmer brightens a bit more and Keith releases the balloon to step forward again. He spots a figure standing with its back to him and watches as the figure moves around the table, a small candle within delicate fingers lighting other candles on a cake.

With each lit candle, the room brightens more and Keith can finally make out the figure, "Andrea?"

The lady looks up and a bright smile crosses impossibly red lips as she pushes her long, black hair back behind her ear, "Hello Keith."

Keith looks around the room. He can now make out colorful streamers and balloons along with a large banner across the back wall that says, "Happy Birthday!" on it. His eyes continue to take in his surroundings before he glances back at Andrea, "What's going on?"

An amused laugh escapes the beautiful woman as she responds, "What does it look like?" Gesturing to the cake she adds, "A birthday party."

Keith steps closer as Andrea walks around the table to stand behind the lit cake as he asks, "For whom?"

He watches as Andrea bends over the cake as if to blow out the candles and pauses as she lifts her head again. However it is no longer Andrea…blond hair the color of sunshine replaces the black and sapphire blue eyes look up at him briefly and she says, "It's time…" before she bends over, blows out the candles and the room goes dark again.

Keith jerks upright in bed as his fast beating heart continues to pound. Turning on the light beside his bed, he looks around his room as if expecting to see the balloons and streamers still surrounding him. Gasping Keith lies back on his pillows again as his muddled mind races, What the hell is Andrea trying to tell me?

Turning over, it takes Keith a while to fall back to sleep.

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At 7:30 the next morning, Allura walks into castle control to find Coran watching the monitors. Glancing upward she sees the image of Keith on one monitor and the other showing Blue lion flying around in the air. Allura steps up to the dais and asks, "What is Keith doing in my lion?"

Coran turns toward her and smiles, "Happy birthday Princess. The Commander wanted to make sure the lion was in perfect working order before he allowed you to fly it again."

Allura turns her gaze back to the screen and watches as Keith starts a high speed dive toward the lake in front of the castle. Fear curdles in her stomach as she watches him get closer and closer to the lake and not pull up. She listens to Coran as he grabs the comm. unit, "KEITH, PULL UP!"

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Inside Blue lion Keith is yanking hard on the shaking navigation control as Coran's voice fills the lion yelling at him to pull up. Keith yells at the controls, "Come on Blue, come on!" A sudden fear fills him, fear that seems unknown to him. Keith shoves the feelings away as he pulls hard on the navigation control once more, "UP DAMMIT!"

The lion finally responds and just before Blue lion plunges into the lake it grazes the surface before Keith manages to pull the lion back up into the sky. Letting out a deep breath of relief, Keith turns the lion toward the castle as Coran asks, "What happened?"

Keith doesn't answer at first as strange feelings come over him, first relief then anger. Shaking his head slightly, he ignores the feelings to answer Coran, "Well…Pidge and Hunk haven't gotten the problem with the lion's navigations systems fixed yet."

A deep seated anger overcomes Keith at the thought of Allura being in the lion and crashing. His tone becomes very harsh, "Get Pidge and Hunk in the repair bay immediately. Morning practice is canceled."

He looks at Coran as he acknowledges and grimaces when he notices an obviously upset Princess behind Coran then turns the lion toward the repair areas.

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Allura walks into the repair bay to find Keith standing, arms crossed in front of Pidge and Hunk glaring at them, "I thought you told me last night the navigation problem was repaired!"

A sputtering sound leaves Hunk as Pidge speaks up, "We did…we ran diagnostics and then I took it out and performed a dive. I didn't have any problems."

Keith's gaze briefly leaves the men in front of him as he glances up to see who has entered the repair bay. He doesn't acknowledge Allura's presence, instead turning his gaze back to Pidge, "What speed?"

A look of concentration crosses Pidge's face as he thinks back, "Mach 5."

Some of Keith's anger dissipates, but the look on his face doesn't change and neither does the tone of his voice, "Half the speed I tried this morning. At Mach 10 the entire system shook in my hands and I barely pulled up before crashing into the lake."

Hunk and Pidge cringe as Keith continues, "I don't care if you have to rip the entire navigation system apart and rebuild it, I want that lion fixed today and it better not even shake a little at Mach 10."

They salute Keith and head for the docked Blue lion as Keith turns toward Allura with a small smile on his face, "Morning Princess…happy birthday."

She nods her head in acknowledgement then blasts him, "What were you doing flying at the lake at Mach 10 Keith? You could have been killed!"

Keith can feel the anger emanating from Allura. He arches a brow at her and uncrosses his arms, "Princess, I had to test the system to make sure it would be safe for you."

He doesn't even flinch at the sapphire eyes glaring at him as she sarcastically asks, "And you couldn't do that starting at a higher altitude so you would have had more time to pull up?"

Keith has the good grace to blush as Allura continues, "Don't ever do something that stupid again!"

Noting the start of tears in her eyes, Keith starts to say something as she turns around and stalks away from him. She brushes past Lance on her way out and Keith lets out a deep sigh as Lance approaches him, "For it being her birthday, Allura doesn't look happy. What did I miss?"

Lance notes the redness of Keith's face and continues, "Or should I ask, what did you do?"

A small smile lights up Lance's face as he watches Keith turn away and swear profusely before turning back and muttering, "Almost crashed in Blue lion while testing the navigation systems."

The smile leaves Lance's face as he grimaces, "I take it Allura watched?"

Keith nods and Lance shakes his head, "Talk about something you didn't want her seeing…"

"Yeah…tell me something I don't already know, genius."

Lifting an eyebrow at Keith's sarcastic tone; Lance turns to walk away, "I'll go see if I can help Hunk and Pidge. At least they won't be biting my head off."

Keith takes several deep breaths to calm down as he watches Lance walk away from him, "Shit…I'm going to have to apologize to him later." Running his hand through his hair in agitation, Keith walks out of the repair bay.

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Keith sighs as he sits back in his chair, after his fight with Allura; he had decided to work in his office for the day. Glancing at the clock he sighs, Thirty minutes till dinner and Allura's birthday party.

Rubbing his face tiredly, he looks up when there is a knock at his door, "Yes?"

The door opens and Hunk, Pidge and Lance walk in. Keith smiles at his friends as Hunk glances around the office and Pidge elbows him to begin while Lance sits down in the chair in front of Keith's desk. After some throat clearing, Hunk rubs the back of his head and starts, "Well…we think we have Blue lion fixed."

Arching a brow at him, Keith's voice takes on a droll tone as he repeats, "Think?"

Hunk blushes as Pidge pipes up, "Lance took Blue out and had it up to Mach 15 in a dive."

Keith turns his dark gaze toward Lance, who shrugs, "I may not make much of a mechanic…but I can beat the hell out of a machine with the best of them." He sits a little more forward in his seat, "She didn't even so much as wobble."

A small smile crosses Keith's face as he turns back to Pidge and Hunk, "So what caused the problem?"

Hunk blushes again as Pidge shrugs, "We don't know…as you wanted, we took the entire system apart and put it back together again after running diagnostics on every board individually. Lance took her out and everything behaved as normal."

A feeling of unease curdles in Keith's stomach, "I don't like not knowing what caused the problem."

Hunk lets out a deep sigh, "It isn't like we can just replace the whole system Cap…we don't have the parts necessary for that kind of rebuild."

Keith grimaces as his mind runs through the scenarios, "What would it take to get the parts we need?"

His eyes move from Hunk to Pidge as he speaks up, "We can order from Earth…but with the way Doom has been raiding the supply ships…"

Keith runs his hand through his hair agitated, "Alright, order the parts and have them notify us when they intend to send out the supply ship. We will meet it and bring it in. I do not like having Princess flying a lion that could potentially have a bad navigation system."

They nod and turn to leave but Keith's voice stops them, "The party is in twenty minutes…go get cleaned up. Place the order tomorrow."

They nod once more and leave the office. Lance slowly stands up, "Guess I better go grab a quick shower as well. I'm sure I smell like grease."

Keith smiles then stops him, "Hey Lance, about earlier…"

Lance waves him off, "Don't worry about it Keith…you aren't used to a woman yelling at you for doing something stupid." He laughs at the look on Keith's face and turns to leave the office.

Rolling his eyes at Lance's laughter, Keith turns around in his chair to look out the window as he contemplates Allura's reaction to his almost crash this morning. Not liking where his thoughts are going, Keith gets up out of his chair and walks over to cabinet near the door and pulls out a wrapped box.

I hope she likes this… Holding the box close to him, Keith leaves his office to freshen up before Allura's party.