Desired Consequences

by Julie Horwitz

A follow-up to "Behind Closed Doors," the adult tag scene for "To Catch A Kiss." Allura contemplates the possible consequences of her and Keith's actions of the night before.

Disclaimer:

The following is a work of fanfiction. All characters and situations belonging to "Voltron: Defender of the Universe" and "Voltron Force" are copyrighted to World Event Productions. Everything else is of my own creation.

Author's Notes:

This story takes place the evening after the events of the story "Behind Closed Doors," the adult tag scene for "To Catch A Kiss." It is not necessary to have read the adult story in order to understand this one. The actions of the story are mentioned here.
Please note that I solely use information from the two animated series as well as some items I have myself invented for the character backgrounds. There are some events mentioned in passing in the story that I created in order to explain away some things that were not detailed on the cartoon. If I ever go back and write stories that take place earlier in my version of the "Voltron Force" universe, they will be explored.
All questions and comments may be sent to me at my e-mail address. Please see my author profile for details.
Thank you and I hope you enjoy the story.

Desired Consequences
by
Julie Horwitz

Queen Allura Kogane, hereditary ruler of the planet Arus, lay awake in the darkness of her bedroom, her hands pressed against her flat belly as a single question played over and over again in her mind: was she pregnant?

It was not a question she had foreseen asking herself for some time yet. But after what had happened last night, it was all she could think about.

What was she going to do if she was?

When she and Keith had agreed to wait to start a family, it had been for many reasons. They were both very high profile players in the war against evil, she as the queen of Arus and he as the leader of the Voltron Force. That meant that they were both prime targets for their enemies, none of which would hesitate to destroy them if given the chance. (As they had tried many, many times in the past...) If they had children and either one or both of them died... Or, even more terrifying to consider, their children could be targeted instead. (Allura didn't know if she could survive the death of a child. She was frightened enough of losing Keith...) Waiting was the right decision.

The only decision.

But then last night had happened...

Allura couldn't explain what had come over her. It had been powerful and intense and she hadn't been able to resist it. The raw need to have Keith inside of her... Where had it come from and what had triggered it? She had been perfectly content with their lovemaking up until this point. The lack of physically joining had never bothered her before. Why the sudden change?

And because she hadn't been able to resist, she could possibly be having a baby.

The thought was both terrifying and wonderful at the same time. She had always wanted to have children of her own and she knew that Keith did, too. (Her mind briefly flashed back to their short time alone with Sven's son many months ago during the flight back from Crydor. They had not been married yet, but the conversation had still turned to the idea of having children of their own one day. It had been the first time they had spoken of their mutual desire for a family to each other.) But to have one now when they had agreed to wait? The repercussions for the Voltron Force alone...

But I want a baby so badly, she honestly admitted to herself. I want to be a mother.

She hadn't realized how much until after she and Keith had completely made love last night. In the heat of the moment, she hadn't given the possibility much thought other than that it was just that, a possibility. Keith was the one who had voiced the risk, but she had waived it off, her mind too completely consumed with achieving the kind of sexual release her body had been craving. But then in the calm that followed, she found that she wanted to have made a baby.

She wanted it more than she could say.

From the moment she had left Keith's quarters, she had been almost completely unable to think of anything else. (But not enough to forget to take Larmina shopping for dress clothes. Which, of course, had turned out to be quite an ordeal. Allura could not remember ever hearing so much moaning and complaining about anything in her entire life and she had been raised during a war! She was just thankful that Larmina had settled on a few outfits that she could, in her words, "sort of tolerate.") Anywhere she had gone that had had a large crowd, her eyes had unfailingly sought out mothers and their children. Watching them had brought to life within her feelings of intense longing, feelings which had surprised her by their strength. The first time she had ever felt anything remotely like it was when she had been holding Sven's son, but those feelings paled in comparison. And then whenever she saw a pregnant woman...

She tried to imagine what it would be like to have a baby growing inside of her. How would it feel every time her unborn child moved? What would it be like to watch herself growing larger and larger with every passing month? To know that a new person was forming within her body? What would Keith...?

Allura abruptly ended the train of thought and rolled onto her side, wrapping her arms around herself.

As much as she wanted to be pregnant, the reality was that if she were to have a baby now, before Keith had retired from his position of commander of the Voltron Force and, more importantly, before they had revealed their marriage, there would be severe consequences both for them and the entire team.

Consequences she didn't even want to begin to think about.

When she and Keith had finally begun their relationship nearly a year ago, they had done it with the knowledge that no one could ever find out about them. (The only one who knew was her father. With Keith at her side, she had shared the wonderful news with the spirit of the man she'd wished she had known in life. And much to her surprise, King Alfor not only approved of their relationship, but gave them his blessing.) She had not yet left the team to ascend the throne as queen and Keith had still been her commanding officer. While they longed to share their happiness with those closest to them, they knew it was too dangerous as secrets had a way of coming out despite the best of intentions. If the wrong person learned about their relationship...

Keith's primary concern had been and still was Allura's status with her people. As the planetary monarch, there were many expectations placed upon her and she was viewed as the main representative for Arus. Her actions, both good and ill, were seen as a reflection on the entire Arusian population. If it came out that she had given her heart to the man who was at the time her commanding officer as well as someone believed to be a commoner... (At least Galaxy Garrison was no longer a concern. Because of Wade, the Voltron Force was now considered an independent entity from the Alliance military. Keith could not be forcibly removed from Arus for violating any protocols. It was the only good Wade's reign of terror had done.) It was why Keith had fought against his feelings for her for so long. He did not want to see her tarnished in the eyes of her beloved people.

While she loved that he wanted to protect her from her own subjects, she was more concerned with what the reaction of those closest to them would be. None of them would understand that they had kept their relationship a secret for their protection as well as their own. If she was pregnant now, the entire history of their romance and marriage would come to light and there would be feelings of hurt, disappointment, and betrayal.

Feelings that would be mostly directed at her.

As far as they would be concerned, she was the one who should have known better. Keith would not be blamed. She was the royal, the one who had been taught proper behavior her entire life. The right thing to do would have been to stop things before they went as far as they did.

She'd never be able to make them understand how incomplete she was without Keith. She'd barely survived the five years they'd been apart while he had searched for Black Lion. She needed him.

Larmina would especially take the revelation of their marriage badly. After all of their clashes over proper royal behavior, she would see her aunt for the hypocrite that she was. Though rebellious and headstrong, Larmina had never actually violated any of the protocols. She always did the right thing in the end while her aunt had broken more rules than she could even possibly imagine. Allura knew she would lose any of the respect Larmina had ever had for her. Their relationship would never be the same.

Then there was Nanny. Nanny who had been like a mother to her after hers had died when she was so young. Allura had worked so hard to mend the rift between them that had sent Nanny away from the castle all those years ago. (The argument they had had the day Allura had presented her with the proof that she did not need to marry to become queen had been terrible. It had taken months before Nanny would even speak to her again.) She didn't know if their relationship would be able to recover from this. She could possibly lose her forever this time.

And Coran. Her beloved Coran who had fought and struggled so long to keep her safe after Doom had destroyed their world. He who had raised her and become a second father to her. What would he think of his charge now? He would take what she had done the hardest. How would she ever be able to bear it if she lost him because of it?

She closed her eyes against the tears that were beginning to gather.

And finally there was the team.

Lance, Pidge, and Hunk would not understand why they had kept the secret of their relationship and marriage from them, their closest friends. (She was not worried about Daniel and Vince. They were still relative newcomers to the group and didn't have the same history as the others did. However they reacted would be completely understandable.) The three of them would be extremely hurt. (Keith had known them far longer than he had known her. They would feel like he'd chosen her over them, which, in a way, he had.) And angry. So angry that it could possibly destroy the friendship the five of them had known all these years.

But she knew they would eventually forgive Keith. It would take time, but it would happen. They had been a close-knit group long before they'd come to Arus. They had to know that Keith would have never intentionally meant to hurt them. It wasn't the kind of person he was.

She'd be the one who they'd never stop hating.

The one they'd never forgive...

A terrible thought struck her. What if Keith one day came to resent her for what his life had become? He'd once told her that he'd joined the space explorer program of Galaxy Garrison so he could help as many worlds as he possibly could. He had wanted to make a difference in the universe. Instead, because he had married her, he was the king of a single planet. It wasn't the life he had wanted or planned. And it had only happened because he had been sent to Arus and met her.

Tears began to fall down her cheeks.

Right now, the Arusian people loved him for all the good he had done as the commander of the Voltron Force. He was a hero in their eyes. And they would continue to love him when their relationship was announced after he stepped down from the Force. But if she was pregnant now and the history of their relationship and marriage came to light... The love her people felt towards him would turn to hate.

It would not matter that he was no longer her commanding officer or that he'd saved their lives countless times over the years. It wouldn't even matter that he had Arusian noble blood running through his veins or that they were already married. No, all her people would see was that their then-princess had been led astray by the man to whom they had entrusted her life. She had given her heart to him back when he himself thought he was a mere soldier, which in their eyes meant that he must have forced her somehow. Why else would they have kept it a secret? Their princess would never willingly love someone so far beneath her. Her husband, the most wonderful person she knew, would be hated. And it would all be because of her.

What if got so bad that he didn't want to even be with her anymore?

What if... What if he stopped loving her?

She turned onto her back again, her eyes staring at the ceiling.

Her only hope was that she wasn't pregnant and that she and Keith could reveal their relationship as planned at a time when it would be accepted, and hopefully embraced. Once he was retired from the Voltron Force, the people could get to know him better and they would see what a good king he was going to make. And when they finally announced their love before all of Arus...

But none of that would happen if she was going to have a baby now.

What will I do if I am? she asked herself again.

She was so torn. She wanted a baby badly, but she knew that the timing was all wrong. But if she was already pregnant...

She desperately needed advice.

There was only one person who could help her with this. He would not judge her or try to protect her feelings like her husband would. He would only tell her the truth, not what she wanted to hear.

She raised herself to a sitting position and got up from the bed.

"I need you, Father," she whispered to herself before crossing her room to the door and stepping out into the empty hallway.

((()))

Keith awoke from his sleep to a feeling of wrongness.

He became instantly alert as he sat up and scanned his dark room with both eyes and ears for anything amiss. But he did not hear any sounds that did not belong nor did he see any human-like shapes lurking in the darkness. He was as completely alone as he had been when he had first entered his quarters hours ago.

But the feeling that something wasn't right persisted.

What woke me? he wondered.

His immediate thought was of Allura. Was she all right?

She had been slightly off all day long, which had him worried. Although no one else had seemed to have noticed, she couldn't hide anything from him. His wife was an open book to him. But when he had repeatedly asked her what was bothering her, she had insisted again and again that it was nothing, which he knew was a lie. And lying was not like her.

And he had known for certain that something was truly wrong when he had invited her to come to his quarters again tonight and she had turned him down. Allura never missed the chance to spend time alone with him. What could be wrong?

What could have happened between the time she had left his side that morning and when he had seen her again at breakfast? She had seemed fine when she had departed from his quarters and then only an hour had passed before he had reunited with her in the dining room. What sort of thing could have taken place in such a short time?

He decided he needed to check on her. He wouldn't be able to go back to sleep until he had assured himself that she was all right.

And he wouldn't leave her side until she told him what was upsetting her so much.

He looked at his bedside clock and saw that it was nearly four in the morning. It was still safe for him to walk though the hallways without the risk of being seen. The castle didn't begin to rise until six.

If she needed him to, he would stay with her until then.

He rose from his bed, crossed the room, and made his way into the hallway.

Just in time to see Allura as she turned down another corridor.

His stomach tightening with worry, he quickly moved after her.

His suspicion that something was wrong was now confirmed. What could have her up this late and where was she going?

And why was she keeping whatever it was from him?

He opened his mouth to call out after her, but quickly caught himself. He was standing in the hallway that was lined by the team's living quarters. Anything spoken louder than a whisper would have woken someone up. (His luck, it would be Lance.) He would have to wait until he caught up with her to say anything.

As he followed her, he almost immediately recognized the route she was taking.

She was heading for her father's crypt.

His heart clenched.

If Allura was going to speak with the spirit of King Alfor, then whatever was bothering her was extremely serious. She did not bother her father unless she believed that he was the only one that could advise her.

What was wrong?

For a moment, he was tempted to call out to her now that they were no longer in danger of being overheard, but again he stopped himself. Allura had had all day to confide in him what was bothering her, but she had pushed him away every time he had tried to find out what it was. She was clearly determined to keep it from him for some reason. Although he knew it was wrong, listening to her speak with her father was the only way he'd ever find out. He would just listen and then leave before she discovered him.

If she was still hiding it from him in the morning, he'd deal with it then.

He continued to trail her in silence.

((()))

Allura entered her father's tomb and went to stand before his coffin.

"Father, I desperately need your help," she spoke as his transparent figure materialized before her. "Last night, Keith and I... We... I think... I could be..."

It was difficult to speak the words aloud. After all, this was her father and she was telling him about something very private that took place between her and her husband. But if anyone could help her sort through her fears and misgivings, it was him.

"You are concerned that you may be with child," Alfor finished for her matter-of-factly.

"Yes," she confirmed, both relieved and embarrassed that he had understood what she had been trying to say.

"And this possibility is upsetting to you," her father concluded, sounding slightly puzzled.

She nodded. "Yes," she repeated.

"Why?" Alfor simply asked.

"Because it's not the right time for a baby," she explained. "Keith and I decided that it would be best to wait to start our family. The universe is not a safe place for children right now. We don't want any of our children to have to grow up in fear the way I did. We don't want to risk them experiencing the kind of losses I did. We want them to know nothing but love and happiness."

"Children are born every day whether their world is at war or peace," King Alfor pointed out. "It is destiny that chooses the time and place of their birth, not their parents. When it is their time, they will come whether they are expected or not.

"But you already know this, my daughter," he went on. "That is not why you have come to me. Something else is bothering you."

"Yes," she admitted, averting her eyes. "There is truly nothing I want more than a baby. If I am pregnant, I will welcome this child with open arms. I know Keith will too. We both want to become parents. My fears are for the reactions of those around us if I were to have a baby now. I am especially afraid for Keith. Our people love him very much, but that is only because of what he has done as the leader of the Voltron Force. I fear that love will turn to hate once they learn the truth of how long we have been together. They will see him as a man who took advantage of their princess. They won't understand our love. What if they refuse to accept him as their king?

"I am also very much afraid of how the truth will affect Keith's relationship with his friends," she continued, wanting her father to know everything before he gave her any words of wisdom. "Keith has always been very close with them. He knew them long before I came into his life. They won't understand why we chose to keep this from them. They'll be hurt and angry and I'm afraid that terrible things will be said. Keith would be devastated. I know they'll eventually forgive him, but for him to have to go through something like that for even a short time... It would be all my fault."

"What is truly troubling you, Allura?"

She finally looked up at him.

"I'm afraid that Keith will come to hate me."

((()))

Keith could not believe the words he had just heard come out of his wife's mouth. Him hate her? Because other people might have issues with their relationship? Why would she even think such a ridiculous thing? Where was all this coming from? He'd never known her to be this insecure before.

Didn't Allura know by now that she meant everything to him? She was his life and his love, his entire world. As long as he had her, he'd be the happiest man in the universe. How could she ever doubt his love for her?

He didn't understand how she'd come to the conclusion that a pregnancy at this point in time would lead to him hating her. Where was the logic? They had established even before they got married that they both wanted children. True, this would be much earlier than they had planned to start a family if she was in fact pregnant now, but it would in no way lead to the kind of disaster that she was imagining. It would be complicated to explain their relationship to others, but they were married and married couples tended to produce children. The people who mattered to them would understand their decision to keep their relationship a secret. Those who didn't... Well, they could go to hell for all he cared.

In all honesty, he doubted the people of Arus were as petty and judgmental as Allura had convinced herself they were. In all the years he'd known them, they had been nothing but kind and good-natured. Yes, they were very traditional and had long harbored the hope for a royal union between Allura and a prince, but he didn't believe they would begrudge their queen her happiness. There would of course be some people who disapproved of him as her husband and king, but hate him for it? (Maybe one or two individuals or small groups, but the entire planet?) He couldn't see that ever happening.

And even if it did, it wouldn't change how he felt about Allura. Nothing could ever do that. He was hers for eternity. As he had been from almost the moment that they'd met...

And that nonsense about a rift forming between him and Lance, Hunk and Pidge? How could she even think something like that would happen because they found out they'd been keeping their marriage a secret from them? The four of them along with Sven had been a team for a long time before coming to Arus and friends for even longer. It would take a lot more than a secret relationship and marriage to destroy their friendship. (And considering that Lance had been suspicious of them for a long time anyway...) Allura was upsetting herself over nothing.

And all because she thought she might be pregnant.

He mentally sighed. Leave it to Allura to be so busy worried about everyone else that she would neglect the most important person of all: herself. (As long as he'd known her, Allura always put herself last. She put the needs of others ahead of her own. She had such a generous nature and was too selfless for her own good. That was why he tried to always make their private time together all about her. If she wasn't ever going to put herself first, someone else had to do it for her and who better than her husband?) She was possibly about to experience a life-altering event. She didn't need to be going through this unnecessary stress. Where was all of this coming from?

He wished she would have come to him with her fears and worries, but he understood why she had chosen to go to her father instead. She knew he'd simply brush them off as the nonsense that they were and tell her that there was nothing to worry about. King Alfor, on the other hand, would give her a more unbiased opinion, though Keith had a feeling it would more than likely be along the lines of his own.

"Your husband loves you very much," Alfor said to Allura as if in response to his thoughts. "I do not see how any of these things would cause him to feel any differently about you. He is not that kind of man."

"But what if life here becomes unbearable for him?" Allura countered. "I only want him to be happy, Father. I love him so much. But if our people refuse to accept him..."

Keith wanted to go to her so badly. He wanted to take her into his arms and make her see that none of the things she feared would ever happen. To make her understand that he didn't care what others thought about him and that he would love her until the end of time. She was all he needed to be happy. But he knew he couldn't. He wasn't supposed to be here listening to this private conversation. But he had to hear what Alfor told her.

He needed to know how to help her.

"You speak as if these reactions are a foregone conclusion," the king's spirit told her. "How can you be so sure that they will occur? What is your proof?"

Keith wished he could see her face, but he had to remain hidden just outside of the open doorway.

"All I have are my feelings," Allura admitted. "But I know our people, Father. They are so attached to the old traditions. They will never be able to move past the fact that I violated them to be with the man I love. And they won't accept him because of who he was when I fell in love with him. Because he was thought to be both a commoner and an off-worlder, they'll never believe that I chose to be with him of my own free will. They'll think he forced my affections somehow. The fact that we kept our love a secret for so long will only reinforce those beliefs. My love will be hated. And he will come to hate me because it will be my fault."

"Feelings are not fact," Alfor informed her. "And without fact, you cannot have proof. You are putting thoughts and feelings into the minds and hearts of our people without taking into account what already fills them. And you are doing the same to Keith. You need to speak with him about these fears, Allura. He is the only one who knows for certain how he will react."

"I wouldn't even know where to begin," Allura told him.

"There is no need," Alfor said and a very strange feeling suddenly came over Keith. "He already knows everything.

"He has been listening to us this entire time."

((()))

Allura's mouth fell open at her father's assertion. Keith was here? And he'd heard everything?

"Oh, no," she moaned as she turned around to look at the doorway just as her husband stepped into the tomb.

She had purposely kept her concerns about a possible pregnancy from him. She hadn't wanted to burden him with the knowledge until she knew for certain one way or the other. It wouldn't be fair to him if it turned out that she wasn't. He had enough things on his mind as the leader of the Voltron Force. He didn't need to be thinking about impending fatherhood unless there was a baby on the way.

But even worse, he now knew of her fears about their future if she were to have a baby before they had planned. Keith would of course deny that she had anything to worry about and proclaim that he'd never stop loving her. He would mean every word of it because to him it was the truth. But he had no way of knowing how he would be affected by year after year of disapproval and criticism. He hadn't been raised a royal as she had. He hadn't spent his life being prepared to live with constant scrutiny and judgment. It wore down a person. She had been very lucky so far that her people had supported her.

But that would all change if she was pregnant as she thought.

"You knew I was there the whole time," Keith directed at Alfor and Allura knew it wasn't a question.

"Yes," Alfor told him as he came up to Allura. "I was aware of your presence before Allura summoned me."

"Yet you said nothing," Keith stated, reaching for and taking one of her hands into his own. "Why?"

"I knew Allura would not open up to me if she knew you were listening," Alfor answered. "But I also knew that it was important for you to hear what was troubling her. She would not have come to me if she had already confided in you. Yet you are the one she should have gone to, not I. You are her husband. I am her father."

"I agree with you," Keith replied, squeezing her hand, "but knowing Allura, she was hoping you wouldn't simply dismiss her fears as she knew I would. I believe we are also in agreement that they are baseless."

Allura did not meet either of their gazes.

Alfor nodded. "I will leave the two of you now. I have no place in this conversation anymore."

Allura looked up to see her father approach her.

He placed a transparent hand on her cheek. "Listen to what he has to say, my daughter. You chose wisely when you gave your heart to him. Trust in his love for you."

Allura could only nod.

"Farewell," the ghost of her father said as he faded from sight.

"Allura," Keith said in a quiet voice and she turned to look at him. He took hold of her other hand. "Where is all of this coming from, my love? Don't you know how I feel about you? I love you with all of my heart. How could you even think that would ever change?"

"You weren't raised a royal like I was," she explained. "You haven't lived through the constant scrutiny and judgment. Do you have any idea what that's like? To always be watched? To have your every decision and action questioned so the people can be sure that it was in their best interest? To have their expectations for how you should live your life be told to you again and again? I've known nothing else since the moment I was born. It's so hard...

She lowered her gaze to the floor. "The worst part is hearing what the people are saying about you. They can be so cruel... It's so...painful to hear. You never get used to it. Coran and Nanny were the only reason I was able to get through those times while I was growing up. As a girl, I couldn't understand why people could be so hateful. I didn't realize..."

"Allura," Keith murmured, taking her chin in his hand and tilting her face back up to meet his eyes. "I have never seen a group of people more devoted to their ruler. They love you. If they ever spoke poorly of you, it had nothing to do with you, my love. It was the war. They were looking for someone to blame and it was just easier to take it out on their princess.

"And you're wrong about me not having any idea what your life has been like," he gently told her, moving his hand to her cheek. "Do you have any idea how new recruits are treated at the Galaxy Garrison military academy? We are made to feel like dirt. The instructors are harsh and cruel and tell us that we're stupid and worthless if we don't perform exactly as expected. They watch every move we make so they can catch us and make examples of us every time we make a mistake, no matter how small. Have you ever been punished for making your bed wrong?"

Her eyes widened at his words. This was the first time she was hearing any of this. (She knew nothing about the way the Galaxy Alliance ran its military. She'd never asked and the others had never told her. It had never seemed important. Not when Voltron was used to defend anyone in need, Alliance member or not.) She had no idea he'd gone through something so terrible.

"The closest thing to kindness we can expect is being allowed to eat and sleep," Keith continued, his eyes locked with hers as he spoke. "The instructors' goal is to make us into perfect soldiers. They want us to be hard, emotionless, and willing to follow all orders without question. They want us to be able to think on our feet no matter how bad the situation we find ourselves in gets. Not everyone makes it through the training." He caressed her face with his thumb. "What I guess I'm trying to say is that what you're afraid of happening to me is no different than the hell I already went through in basic training. If that didn't destroy me, than I sincerely doubt the rude opinions of people I don't know will bring me down.

"I love you so much, Allura," he said. "There is nothing in this universe that's ever going to change that. Even if the people do decide to hate me as you're so convinced they will, it won't make a difference to me. I didn't marry them. I married you. You're the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. You're everything to me. I'm yours as long as you want me."

"Keith..." she breathed, moved beyond words by what he was saying to her. She felt fresh tears slip down her cheeks.

"I love you," he emphasized, wiping away the tears. "And I will never, ever stop loving you. Not for any reason. Not ever. Everything I am belongs to you. I will never leave you...

He released his hold on her other hand and placed his newly freed one on her belly.

"Or our children."

"Keith..."

He then leaned in and kissed her.

The kiss was deep and passionate and, as did all of his kisses, it left her unable to think clearly. All she could focus on was the feel of his lips as they pressed against hers.

The feel of his love.

It was so incredible...

His arms moved to embrace her as he deepened the kiss and she felt his hands on her back.

Suddenly, she found herself being crushed against him as the kiss deepened even more.

Her body was immediately on fire and all sense of time and place disappeared. Nothing existed for her outside of the kiss. The world was simply her and Keith and nothing else.

Keith finally pulled his mouth away from hers, ending the kiss, but still holding her against him.

"I love you so much, Allura," he told her again, stroking her back. "Always and forever."

"I love you too," she echoed, resting her head against his chest. "More than I can ever say."

"You won't ever lose me," he promised. "Not for any reason." He pressed a kiss to the top of her head before releasing her from his embrace. He again captured one of her hands in his. "Come with me back to my quarters. We have a lot of planning to do if we're going to become parents now. We need to be ready long before this baby arrives."

"What if... What if I was wrong? What if...there's no baby?" she quietly asked him.

They had only made love last night. It was too soon to know for certain whether or not she was pregnant. It would be weeks before she could take a test. Everything she had just put him through was because she thought she might be pregnant. If she wasn't...

He pulled her back into his arms. "Then we'll start actively trying to have one." He kissed her again. "I know how badly you want a baby, Allura. I'm sorry you didn't say anything to me sooner."

"I... I didn't realize it until after we had made love last night," she confessed. "I was all right with waiting. It was what we had agreed on. It's just..."

"Last night changed everything," he finished for her.

"Yes." She searched his face. "Are you really okay with this?"

"Of course, my love," he told her. "We've talked about children and we both want a family. It's sooner than we planned, but as your father said, we have no control over when our children want to enter our lives. We will deal with it. We will get through whatever happens because of it. We can get through anything as long as we're together."

"I love you so much," she told him.

"I love you too," he echoed, releasing her from his arms a second time. "You're going to be an amazing mother, Allura."

"I hope so," she said.

"I know you will," he let her know. "You have so much love in you. How can you be anything else?"

She blushed at the compliment.

"I love it when you blush like that," he told her. "You're beautiful even when you're embarrassed." He took her by the hand once more. "Let's go back to my room and talk about this."

She squeezed his hand. "All right."

He gently tugged on her arm and she allowed him to lead her from her father's tomb.

A feeling of well-being came over her as they walked and she suddenly realized that she was no longer afraid of losing the love of her life. Keith had successfully convinced her that she had nothing to worry about.

Everything was going to be all right.