Hello, long time no posting…I know. It took me a while to get focused enough on one story to finish it. So, while I have several unfinished stories awaiting me, I hope you enjoy this one as I work on them. Many thanks to my friends, Wade Wells, Xia Cheyenne and CMS for the encouragement and editing…love you girls!

Mertz

I make no claims to Voltron or any WEP characters.

Forever Yours…

Planet Arus…MedTech

It's the middle of the night and the sounds of the machines around the room are driving her crazy with their continuous humming and beeping, but...at the same time...that same beeping is reassuring…it means his heart is still beating. Princess Allura looks up; she had been resting on her arms while leaning over Keith's bed. As her eyes move over the man in front of her, tears once again run down her cheeks as she takes in the bruising on his face… her eyes stopping on the tube going down his throat.

Hands shaking, Allura once again takes his scratched and bruised hand within hers as she whispers to him, "Hold on Keith…don't you dare leave me."

Two weeks later:

Keith sighs as he slowly and painfully sits up in the bed he still occupies in MedTech. He watches Dr. Gorma as he runs through the items on his data-pad. The doctor's eyes moving from the monitors back to the data-pad as he makes a notation before his eyes move again. Stifling his impatience, Keith calmly asks, "So when may I leave doctor?"

Keeping his head down, Dr. Gorma finishes his notations, doing his best not to smile at the commander's obvious impatience. Taking a moment longer than necessary to check what he has written, Dr. Gorma finally looks back up at Keith and studies him for several moments thinking. 'While all of the swelling is gone, some of the bruises are still visible, although they are yellowish colored now, indicating the final stages of healing.'

However, it isn't the bruises that worry Dr. Gorma, it's the blows to the chest the commander had taken in his latest bout with Prince Lotor. A broken rib had punctured the commander's lung and a sword wound had come within an inch of his heart. Shuddering at how close the man before him had come to death, Dr. Gorma takes a deep breath before responding, knowing what kind of fight he is going to have on his hands shortly. "Commander, I know how much you want to be released, but given the extent of your injuries…I would feel better keeping you here at least two more days for observation and rehabilitation."

Managing to withhold a snort, Keith keeps his voice calm, "But I feel fine doctor, and I would rest better in my own bed."

Dr. Gorma doesn't contain his own snort of disbelief, "Like you would rest."

Flushing crimson, Keith opens his mouth to argue only to be cut off, "No Commander, you will stay here at least two more days and only when I am satisfied that you won't reinjure yourself will I release you."

Keith throws his head back into his pillow in frustration then grimaces as his broken ribs throb with the movement. Dr. Gorma raises an eyebrow at him having caught the grimace on the commander's face. Giving up, Keith lets out a sigh, "Fine…"

Nodding, Dr. Gorma turns to leave, pausing as the door opens and Princess Allura walks in. The doctor smiles in greeting before passing her to leave the room. She waits until the door closes before approaching the bed, "Hello Keith, Dr. Gorma wouldn't release you I take it?"

Swallowing the reply his irritation wants to give her, Keith releases a sigh instead. Glancing at the clock, he turns his face back to her, "Kind of late, isn't it Princess?"

Shrugging, Allura moves to sit beside him on the bed, "I didn't feel like sitting in the rec room after dinner and thought you might like some company."

A feeling of warmth floods Keith at her nearness, the same warmth he always feels when she is near. Saying nothing, he watches as she takes his hand within hers to examine it closely. Taking a deep breath, Keith forces his body to relax as her fingers lightly trace across a healing gash near his thumb. Her blue eyes rise and mesmerize him as she asks, "Does it still hurt?"

His mind barely registers the question as he stutters, "W…what?"

Allura turns her gaze back to the hand she is holding, "Your wounds."

Still trying to keep his body calm, Keith takes a few breaths before replying, "Not nearly as much." He shifts uncomfortably then grimaces, catching her raising an eyebrow at him before adding, "As long as I don't move much."

Smiling at him for a moment, it hits her how he came within an inch of losing his life and the smile falls off her face… a look of sorrow entering her eyes as tears threaten to fall. The princess looks down and Keith reaches for her chin with his free hand, making her look at him, "Allura…what's wrong?"

Tears slide out of her eyes and down her cheeks. He starts wiping them away, "Please Princess, don't cry…tell me what's wrong so I can help…"

She cuts him off, "So you can help?" Allura takes both of his hands within hers, "Keith, do you know how close you came to dying?"

He watches her wordlessly as she wraps both of his hands around her waist while leaning into him… resting her cheek on his shoulder. A sob escapes her as she gasps out, "You…almost died…and I…never would…have gotten to…say…" She stops and falls apart completely.

Flabbergasted, a small spark of hope enters his heart and begins to grow as he quietly asks, "Say what Allura?" As she continues to cry, Keith lifts one his hands to lift her chin…making her look at him again, "What do you want to say?"

Sniffling, she reaches up with her fingertips to trace his lips as she stares into his eyes…watching them darken. The look is something she has only ever seen in her dreams of him before he dips his head and lets his lips glide gently over hers.

When he raises his head to look into her eyes again, Allura moves her fingers to touch her own lips…lips that still tingle from feeling his as she realizes that this is no dream. Keith whispers, "What do you want to say?"

Allura studies his eyes for several quiet moments, noting the look of hope and fear in them before she whispers, "I love you…"

A smile unlike any that she has ever seen before crosses Keith's face before he dips his head down to kiss her again. Allura lets out a gasp as he claims her lips and this time, Keith deepens the kiss. As his tongue gently teases her lips open, his hands slide down her back to hold her closer to him.

The contact with his broken ribs makes him gasp and he breaks the kiss. Horrified, Allura sits up, "Oh my God, I am so sorry!"

A half laugh, half groan escapes Keith as he lies back against his pillows again. His eyes find hers as he whispers, "It was worth it…"

A soft smile crosses her lips as she reaches down to him with her fingers to trace his lips again. Keith kisses her fingers before reaching up with his own hand to caress her cheek as he whispers, "I love you my Princess."

Allura turns her face to kiss the palm of his hand as he continues, "I have since the day I met you so long ago in the old castle."

A serene smile crosses Allura's face as she remembers that day. It was hard to see because the only light being thrown was from a few torches in the entryway. However, she had closely studied the five men standing near the staircase as they spoke to Coran and her eyes kept being drawn to the one who was their leader.

As she descended the stairs, she felt all of their eyes on her, but none so much as the man holding her now. Even then, his dark gaze had her blood humming through her veins and when she felt his lips on the back of her hand as he dedicated his life to protect her and Arus, it was all she could do not to shiver with joy at the flash of desire she felt.

She sighs as she thinks, 'Good thing the Arusian Council wasn't around then…we may have never gotten Voltron into the air.' A sudden thought strikes her and Allura sits up suddenly, "NO…"

Keith pulls his hand away as he becomes concerned, "What Allura, what's wrong?"

Tears run out of her eyes again as she starts to curl into a ball next to Keith. Grimacing with the pain, he leans forward to grab her shoulders, "Allura, what?"

The princess sits up, still crying, and wraps her arms around him, "They won't let us be together…"

Confused, Keith asks, "Who? Why?"

Sniffling, Allura whispers against his neck, "Laws…they have laws…that forbid me from…marrying…" She struggles for a few moments before saying, "Non-royalty."

Letting out a sigh, Keith pulls away from her. Allura sits up and looks at him shocked and hurt, "What are you doing?"

Looking away, he speaks quietly, "We can't be together Allura…you just said they won't allow it."

Holding back a sob, she says, "So..."

Keith raises his pain-filled eyes to meet hers again, "Allura, I won't dishonor you that way…if I can't marry you then there is no point in tormenting ourselves with what can never be."

He watches her as resolve enters her eyes and she stubbornly lifts her chin, "Coward."

Shocked, anger courses through his veins as he growls at her, "What did you call me?"

Allura's chin trembles slightly as she utters, "Coward." Then, as she continues, her voice grows stronger, "You would rather give up than try finding a way to be with me. To me that makes you a coward." She pulls away from him to stand only to have her hand grabbed. She lets out a squeal as she is pulled back against Keith's chest.

She listens to him grunt in pain then feels his lips against hers again. This time he isn't gentle, this time Keith is ravaging her mouth, claiming it for his own. As his tongue strokes her mouth, Allura closes her eyes and wraps her arms around the commander to keep him close to her.