"Neil?" Quetzalli asked, poking her head into his quarters to find it empty. Her face fell, and she was running out of time. Well, not entirely. She had the full day but, she needed to talk to him soon. The suspense was something she did not enjoy. Her maturity had bloomed once the people began to look to her for guidance, but she felt the pressure somewhat, and inside she was still the wide-eyed and impatient woman she was when they had first met her. 

After another ten minutes of searching, she made it to the bottom of the ship near the cargo bay. It was as quiet as Neil's room, and she nearly walked back up the stairs when she heard a humming from below. Looking down, she saw...no one. Yet the humming occurred again. She shimmied down the steps and asked for him. "Neil?" The words fell with no response, and a moment later she called for Neil, holding her hands to her mouth as she did so and yelling loudly.

She heard a jerk and a clang, Neil suddenly wheeling himself out from below the jeep he was fixing, taking his earbuds out. He saw Quetzalli standing there, beautiful and resplendent in her Queenly garb, and he grinned. "Hey there good looking." He said, still glad to see her alive every time they saw one another. 

"I was...I..." She began, her smile suddenly disappearing as she became unsure of herself. The shapely woman began to wiggle, and Neil got up and went to her. "What? What's up?" He asked, actual concern on his face. He placed a hand on her shoulder and another on her waist. They hadn't explored anything of a relationship as of yet but...they spent time enough together to be familiar enough. She took a breath. 

She decided to just be out with it. 

"I want you to stay..." she said, placing her hands on his cheeks. "Could you?" 

Neil stiffened and tried to speak, finding it very hard to say no to her right now. He had to admit he had thought about it. "I want to, for you and...I just..." He shook his head. "I belong in...heaven." The word sounded weird but, it was the one she would understand. She tried to hold in the emotion. "I will miss you." She said slowly, even with less of an accent. Neil blinked away tears. "I'll be back." He said. 

"You will?" She asked, her tone changing immediately, excitement mounting. 

"Yeah, definitely." He said, grinning. 

She squealed and kissed him thoroughly, throwing her arms around him. His eyes were wide, but then he closed them and kissed her back. This time, there was nothing keeping them from one another...
[hr] 
[i]5 hours later[/i]

"Ready to fire it up?" Neil roared over the comm, placing in a lift off algorithm of the display and placing his hands on the thrusters and the lift off switch. Taya skampered around, trying to find her seat in the ship that was still somewhat unfamiliar to her, and Neil had no idea where Junebug was. Outside, the villagers stood in a large crowd, eyes as wide as their smiles as they heard the thrum of the planetary engines. 
[@Penny]