They had been drawn to the cave...a spell...a call of the wild. Did it make sense? Clasped hands...a silent jeep ride...walking through the underbrush with their hearts in their throats. . .stumbling to the map on the wall and staring at it with wonder before they were suddenly sinking to the dirt in a tumble of limbs.

He moved back up to her mouth...her delicious, tempting, red lipsticked mouth. Her silky blond hair and her smooth skin smelled like something long-forgotten...something distant and beautiful.

"M-m-uh...."

"Shhh..."

She began to say his name and he silenced her with his lips. He fit perfectly into the cradle of her lush hips...he could die in her curves.

From the first instant they'd met, this had been their destiny. Connection. Flesh, bone, and extraterrestrial longing. Below the surface, beyond any other woman...her. Nothing could compare. Pod mate? Soul mate? Lover.

Her arms slid around his neck. Between their bodies, his hands worked to undo buttons and zippers. If the hard ground was a discomfort, she didn't say. She moved against him in an age old rhythm, her body speaking a language from a world they had left behind. He couldn't breathe anything except her taste. Couldn't feel anything except her touch.

*A green and blue sphere...explosion...asteroids...a galaxy swirling with mist...the sensation of hurtling through a vortex......silver-white metal...*

He could hear voices...strange syllables, sounding like dolphins or maybe a tape of Chinese played backwards. But he understood. He understood like he understood crashing into her depths. *"Hush, my babies...don't be afraid...don't be afraid...you'll have each other...you'll take care of each other...it is meant to be...the four of you will go on..."*

Tears were streaming down her cheeks...he could see his own visions reflected in her eyes. *Screams...pain...men coming to take away the bodies...* They both cried out at the same time as their bodies tightened. He could feel energy seeping from inside him into her. Invading her. Sparking life.

"Did you hear them?" she whispered into his neck. "Did you see it?"

"Yeah." Slumped against her, he couldn't move. The images...the sensation. He wanted to stay buried within her warmth. "Yeah, I saw them."

They sobbed together. Relief. Wonder. Questions answered. He couldn't stop the flood.

"Take care of me?" he murmured sometime later, mouth tracing the tear tracks on her cheeks.

"Always."

Her hand closed around one of his, moved it slowly down to her belly.

"Take care of *us*?"

His voice was hoarse when he answered her. Hoarse and full of promise to those who had died for them. To who they were. To their destiny.

"Always."