Author's note - revised 4/16/14 for better flow and formatting.
Disclaimer - WEP owns everything except the voices in my head.
Before the floor to ceiling windows, stands a solitary dark haired figure clad in pale blue pajamas. The possibility of sleep has long since been disregarded. Voltron's commander is no stranger to insomnia. It has been a constant companion in his life, slumber's peaceful release often remaining just beyond his grasp. The events of the day weigh heavily on him. Replaying themselves whenever his eyes close, they provide him with more questions than answers. Thinking back over the afternoon, he tries for what seems like the millionth time to figure out what went wrong. His dark eyes close as he reviews what happened one more time…
He orders the team to fly out to the plateau for practice as they had so many times before. Everything seems normal and routine; he notices nothing unusual during the flight out. A quick run-down of the session's itinerary complete, Keith pulls Allura to the side wanting a private word. He reminds her of the constant danger their enemies pose to the planet in general and the added risk she assumes as part of the team. "You have a larger responsibility to the people. They don't want you risking your life. So is being a part of Voltron all that important?"
His sable eyes search her blue ones as he gently puts his hands on her shoulders. Conflicting emotions wage war within his mind. He loves having her on the team and relishes their time together training, but he also wants to keep her tucked away safe and sound. The Commander wants the valiant Blue Lion pilot adding her fierce determination to the force. The man, however, wants to keep the woman he cares for out of harm's way. Lately he is ever more aware of the feelings he harbors for her deep within his heart. He wonders how long he can keep them buried…
"Only the most important thing in the universe to me. Do you want me?" The possible double entendre behind her simple question nearly draws a confession of his feelings right there.
"We want ya and we need ya!" He bites back the other words remaining on the tip of his tongue. Gods does he want her… And need her… He fights the urge to pull her close and kiss her. Instead he grins at this inner realization and makes an impulsive decision knowing how happy it will make her. "It's time to begin your training in Black Lion. I'll take Blue for the rest of today's session." Seeing the smile that lights up her whole face makes him giddy.
Keith settles into the Blue Lion. When he sees that she doesn't immediately launch with the rest of the team, his heart drops into his stomach, the joy of moments ago forgotten. "Princess?" He fights the urge to land in order to check on her, suddenly all too keenly aware of how much she has come to mean to him.
Her answer comes shortly thereafter and he releases the breath he didn't realize he was holding. Keith struggles to regain his composure. Allura's a qualified pilot and he needs to trust her abilities. She's fine, but the controls won't respond, she thinks there's something wrong with them. He offers advice, his mind racing to understand what the problem could be. The controls for Black Lion worked perfectly when they flew out to the plateau. Panic begins to form in his gut. Once she's finally able to coax a response from the lion, it merely runs at full speed, ramming head first into a rocky outcropping. The lion lies awkwardly on the ground and Keith finds his heart is in his throat. He immediately tries to contact her in order to assess her condition. She responds to his frantic inquiries with reassurances that she's alright. Before he can call an end to the experiment and take Black Lion's controls back from her, she's off again only to repeat the actions and results of her first attempt at flight. This time she doesn't reply when he tries to raise her on the com.
Panic overcomes reason and Keith lands Blue Lion next to the prone form of Black Lion. His only thoughts are of her and making sure that she's alright. Frantically, he races into the cockpit without even a word to the rest of his team. Seeing the princess's unconscious form, he falls to his knees calling her name desperately. "Allura!" When she doesn't react, he tenderly lifts her into his arms, fighting back tears as he cradles her to his chest. Standing up slowly and carefully, he carries her to the Blue Lion. Gently laying her on the floor of the cabin, he jumps into the pilot seat and opens a communication line to the rest of the force as he lifts off. "Allura's been knocked out. I have her in Blue with me and am takin' her back to the castle. You three tow Black in and start diagnostics. I wanna know what happened! There was nothing unusual on the trip out here." His voice is strained and raw with emotion. The other three lions immediately converge on Black's crumpled form as their distraught captain races to the castle with the Princess.
Doctor Gorma's medical staff is waiting as he lands the Blue Lion and carries Allura in to the castle. Taking in his frantic expression, no one bothers to ask him to put her on the gurney for the trip to the hospital wing. They have to pry his fingers loose from Allura's still body in order to examine her, knowing full well that they will need to work around his hovering form. Finishing, they assure him that the Princess will be fine and just needs to rest. Keith reluctantly leaves her bedside and makes his way to the repair bay looking for answers. He needs to find out what happened, needs to think of something other than his fear of losing her. Walking in, he raises his voice and asks the room at large, "Hey Pidge, you find anything yet?"
"Nothing so far skipper, but Hunk and I are still running tests. How's the Princess?" Worry is evident in his teammate's voice.
"She'll be fine. Thankfully nothing more than a few bumps and bruises. She just needs to spend a little time in bed resting. For now she's sleeping quietly."
"That's great news, Keith. I was worried after that last impact," relief flooding into Pidge's tone.
"You and me both, Pidge, you and me both…" His voice wavers and grows quiet as he utters that heartfelt admission to the youngest member of his team. Taking a deep breath and slowly releasing it through his pursed lips, he turns to leave the bay. "Keep me informed of your progress and contact me if you find the glitch. I'm going to go review the flight recordings and see if I can find anything useful that way."
"You betcha! We'll figure it out Keith!" Pidge bends back to the console in front of him and studies the readings as his commander quietly slips out.
After an hour of reviewing the flight logs, Keith still can't find any reason for the malfunction. Stopping to check on the Princess, he finds her still sleeping peacefully. After reassuring himself that she is alright, he decides to try and get some rest himself. Impulsively, he bends down and kisses her cheek. "Sleep well Princess." He gently caresses her face and then slowly straightens back up.
After contemplating and then dismissing the lounge chair across the room, he slips out the door making his way to his room and his own bed. When sleep refuses to come, he chooses to try and calm his mind with the view in the observation room…
Opening his eyes, Keith returns to the present once again. He lifts his head to stare out the window and is surprised to see a figure run from the castle into the surrounding forest. His eyes widen in shock when he realizes that the figure is clad in a pink flight suit. "She should be in bed. Where is she goin' in the middle of the night?" His voice echoes in the empty room as he turns from the window. He races off to change clothing before following her, a sinking feeling forming in the pit of his stomach once again.
She isn't careful about covering her trail and he tracks her path easily. His long strides allow him to catch up to the princess just in time to rescue her from Lotor's grasp. Keith pulls her behind him protectively. Acting as a barrier to block her from the Prince of Doom, he turns his head and urges, "Allura run back to the safety of the castle. I'll hold him off."
"Come with me, Keith!" She pleads frantically.
"Allura, GO!" He repeats his order to her. Unable to control himself, his frustration comes through in his biting tone. She's quickly becoming a distraction he can't afford. He needs to know she is safely away in order to concentrate on Lotor. She clenches her jaw and swallows any further argument at the authority in his voice. Turning reluctantly, she leaves him behind to face her would be abductor.
Lotor manages to block his first few shots as Allura takes flight back to the castle. A noise from the direction she ran off in catches Keith's attention. He turns to look, her safety more important to him than his own. Lotor takes advantage of the opening to attack, rending his opponent's chest wide open. The evil prince runs off leaving the commander's prone form behind. Fighting the darkness that threatens to overwhelm him, Keith struggles to his feet. One thought races through his mind: Allura! He has to make sure she is safe, nothing else matters to him. With intense concentration, he slowly takes one tentative step after other…
A few minutes later he spies Haggar's blue cat threatening Allura in a small clearing. Keith fires at it but misses, his shots wild and uncontrollable due to the pain searing through him. As the cat makes its escape, Allura turns to face her rescuer in relief. As soon as she sees him, her face takes on a stricken look and she races to his side. "Keith!" He thinks he hears more than fear in her voice. At that same moment, his strength finally fails. His legs buckle, no longer able to support his weight. Her arms slow his fall as the world fades to black around him…