“Oh?”
“They’re strong and thick. I love when you flex them.”
“Just my arms, Paige?”
“Look who’s fishing for complements. You know you’re hot.”
“The only compliments I want are from you, Sunshine.” His voice became weaker until it trailed off.
“Cal?”
“Almost there, Paige. I just need to hold on a little longer.”
“I’m coming to help you.”
“You can’t, besides you’d have to become pure light.” She would have to separate her essence and make one part pure light to travel within her temporary body.
She appeared at his side. “Too late, here I am. What do we do? Cal, your light is dimming.”
Her shock at his weakened conditioned rippled over him. She cared, he could feel it in the concern she felt for him.
“I’m becoming weak, but I’m strong enough to finish.”
“I’m not even going to ask what happens if you’re light goes out.”
“Paige.”
“No! When I was in school we had to pick topics one year to talk about something personal. There was one girl who stood up and talked about family. She said family was about being one, they would live for each other or die for each other. I never forgot those words. We’re family now. We live or we die together.”
She joined her essence with him. There was an explosion in her body; it felt like mini fireworks going off as her essence combine with his. For one clear moment she saw her past and her future merge together. A link was created between them, who he was and possibly who he would become ran through her mind. She saw him and his Matra and the struggle they endured to live on an alien planet. The shield around her heart cracked just a little as he penetrated it creating the final link that would join them together. For better or worse they were one.
Together the brightness they created drove the poison out of the wound. They sealed the wound creating a barrier that would keep any lingering poison on her skin from finding a way in.
“We did it, Cal.”
“I know, beautiful. We won. Let’s get some sleep, we deserve it.”
*~*~*~*
Voyager looked at the sleeping couple, before shifting his form, he grew taller, taking the form of a human male. With a thought he brought out a red hot fire that targeted the poison seeking a new entrance into their bodies. Destroying it gave him pleasure.
The Sudir they were fighting was strong; he was able to turn what should have been a test into this struggle for life or death. One of them was important to him.
With a wave of Voyager’s hand, the bleak landscape disappeared to be filled with rolling hills and a meandering lake. He commanded a meal to be set before them as he shifted forms again.
“Wake up, Girly, this isn’t the time for sleeping. I said wake up.” He released a stream of energy at her making her jump.
“What happened?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “You passed the test set before you by managing to get out of that nest alive. The ingenuity of the male you refuse to claim, as well as your own, healed you” Voyager turned his head to look at the meal he prepared for them before turning back to look at Paige. “There’s a repast set off to the side for all you’ve accomplished. Don’t wait too long. Nothing stays the same here.”
“Cal, wake up.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, we made it. We even have some food to eat. Do you thinks it’s a trap? More poison?”
He sat up looking over to where she was pointing. The spread was beautiful. The food was nothing either of them recognized but the look on Voyager’s face said it was all edible.
“It looks like a picnic,” Paige said, eyeing the food while her stomach cramped in hunger.
“Would you eat with me, Paige?”
Nodding her head she got up walking over to the food.
“You sure it’s ok?”
“Yeah, I think its fine.”
Paige made them both plates of the strange food. “This is good.”
“I think it might be the best I’ve ever tasted.” Cal laughed, “if only I knew what to call it.”
She agreed as she ate. “What do we do now?”
“We look for the exit.”
“What about the test and the becoming one?”
“You did it, Paige. When you merged with me, we became one. Look at me closely.”
She studied him until she finally saw a faint band that circled around him like a wedding band. When she looked down at herself she saw the same faint band, as if it was connected. It pulsed at the same time, sending out small sparks that jumped from him to her and then back again. She ran her hands over it only to see them pass through harmlessly. It wasn’t something she was seeing with her eyes, she was seeing it with the talents Cal told her about.