Again, I don't own Voltron or its characters, just the ones I invented. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far, glad you're enjoying it!


The two combatants warily circled each other around the mat. Both were dressed identically in white fencing suits, with mesh visors over their faces. The shorter and more slender of the two broke first, attacking the other with a vengeance.

Keith easily sidestepped the attack, bringing his own sword up, deftly knocking Aria's out of her hand. He followed up with a slice that cleanly tore through the arm of her suit.

"Dammit Daddy! This was a brand new suit!" Aria protested as she pulled off her helmet.

"Then you should have been more careful." Keith replied, pulling off his own.

Aria muttered something incomprehensible under her breath as she toweled the sweat off her forehead.

Keith waited a few minutes for her to calm down, then called out to her. "All right, time for a real workout."

"So what have we been doing for the last half hour then?" Aria retorted.

"Brat. Here." He tossed her a Katana. "See what you can do."

They continued their bout, each losing and gaining points on the other for nearly an hour. Aria suddenly spun around, swinging her sword at her father. Keith hurriedly backpedaled, trying to avoid her attack, but to no avail. Aria brought her sword down hard against Keith's, knocking it out of his hand, and following up with a kick that dropped him to the floor. She stood there panting for a moment, until she realized her father wasn't getting up.

"Daddy!" She rushed over to him. "Daddy, answer me! Are you alright?"

Keith groaned and eased himself to a sitting position. "Lance taught you that, didn't he?"

Aria blushed. "Well, he said it was the only way he could ever beat you."

"That's because he stoops to dirty tricks." Keith cautiously got to his feet and shook his head to clear it. "Nice move kitten." He told her.

Aria beamed. "Thanks Daddy." She looked closely at her father. He had dark circles under the eye not covered by the patch, and his face was pale. "Are you alright?" She asked, concerned.

"Fine." He said shortly, his tone warning her to drop it. She began to collect the fallen swords, and placed them in their rack on the wall. "Aria." She looked up at him. "You have one hour. Meet me at the simulator. Don't be late."

Aria's face was a mask of confusion until his words sunk in. She rushed into his arms, hugging him tightly. "Thank-you Daddy!" She whispered fervently.

He held her close a moment. "Just do your best. That's all I ask."

"I will Daddy! I love you." She turned and rushed to the showers.

Keith watched her go, a bemused smile on his face. Then he headed to the men's room, determined to beat her to their meeting.


Some hours later, Keith was working in his office when the door chime rang. Before he could answer, the door opened and Lance sauntered in. "Why do you bother to knock when you just walk in anyway?" Keith grumbled.

"And Good Afternoon to you too Cap." Lance grinned.

Keith scowled and turned back to his paperwork. "What do you want?"

"Thought you might like to see Aria's results on the sim this morning." He handed Keith a sheath of papers.

Keith scanned them quickly, then looked up in surprise. "Are these for real?" Lance nodded. "Did you take it easy on her?"

Lance shook his head. "Nope. In fact, Cliff threw some of the stuff that we train with and she handled it beautifully. He wants to get her up in Green this afternoon or at least within the next couple of days and see how they handle each other."

"Damn." Keith took his glasses off, and got up and walked over to the window, staring out over the lake.

"She's the one Keith." Lance said, coming over to stand next to him.

Keith sighed. "I know."

They stood quietly for a few minutes. "You've got to let her grow up sometime Keith." Lance told him.

"That's not the problem."

"What is? The fact that you and Allura fought over this, and you spent last night here on the couch."

Keith glared at his friend. "You know what that makes you?"

Lance grinned. "A nosy, devious, meddlesome bastard?"

"Yeah, that's it." Keith sighed. "Lance, how can I make her understand?"

"Want me to talk to her?"

"No. Yes…I don't know." Keith rested his hands on the windowsill and closed his eyes. "Lance, what is happening to me? These headaches, I don't sleep, I can't control my temper. I feel like I'm being pulled in a million directions at once and one of these days, I'm just going to snap."

Lance rested his hand on Keith's shoulder. "You need a break, that's what's the matter. You and Allura both need time together. When was the last time the two of you took a vacation?"

Keith shook his head. "I don't know, a few months ago?"

"Wrong. It was two years ago. You took Zarana to Ebb to start formal med school and left from there."

Keith looked up in surprise. "I hadn't realized it had been that long."

"It has." Lance's tone softened. "Can't you take a few days on Earth and just relax? The parents have been hounding me about seeing you."

Keith shrugged. "I don't know. GG has me on a pretty tight schedule. I'm hoping to try get away for at least a day or two."

"Good. Look, you go get some rest. I'll find Allura and have a chat with her."

Keith shook his head. "Not if Aria's going up in Green this afternoon. I want to see how she does."

"No way Cap. She'll do better if she knows you're not there watching her. And for that matter, so will you." They stared at each other, green eyes locked on brown, until Keith looked away first.

"Much as I hate to admit it, you're right." Keith quickly put his desk in order. "All right, talk to Allura. See if you can bring her around."

Lance grinned. "Oh, I will. It's the Harrison charm."

Keith rolled his eyes and started out of the room. At the door way, he paused and said quietly, "Thanks Lance."

"None needed brother. Get some rest." Lance replied.

Keith nodded and left the room.


Keith was back in his office that evening, when the door chime sounded. "Come in Lance." He called out.

The door opened, but it wasn't Lance. "Allura?" He said, surprised.

Allura stood hesitantly in the doorway. "Can I come in?" She asked hesitantly.

Keith nodded and she entered the room, closing the door behind her. She wandered around for a few minutes, finally stopping to look out the window.

Keith stood with his arms folded across his chest. "Can I help you with something?"

She sighed. "I'm sorry." She said quietly. Keith didn't respond, but stood there watching her. "I saw her preliminary results. You were right. She'll be fine in Green."

"She hasn't made the Team yet." Keith replied, his tone frosty.

"She will."

"Only if Green accepts her. And then it's out of my hands. Troi has the final say on his Team. The ultimate decision is up to him, not me." Keith said curtly.

Allura looked up sharply at his tone. "I said I was sorry. What more do you want?"

"I want you to start trusting my decisions!" Keith replied angrily. "Give me a little credit Allura. Do you really think I'd put our daughter in danger?"

"No." Allura replied in a small voice.

"Then why? Why do you feel the need to second guess everything I do?"

"I don't know…" She kept her eyes downcast.

Keith sighed and paced the length of his office. "What did Lance tell you?"

"That Aria did incredibly on the simulator. That she was a natural. He and Cliff think she might be even better than you." She said quietly.

Keith bit back a smile of pride. "And with that information, do you still not want her to tryout?" Allura shook her head. Keith walked over and tilted her chin up to look at him. "Then give her a chance Allura. Don't do to her what Nanny did to you. Give her a chance to soar." Allura's blue eyes filled with tears and Keith pulled her close. "Don't cry Allura. You know I can't handle that." Keith teased. He held her, resting his cheek on top of her head. "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have lost my temper."

They stood there for a short while, before Allura looked up at her husband's pale face. "You've been working too hard." She said running her hand across his cheek.

"I know. But it's only for a few more weeks. We've worked too hard for this peace for me to drop the ball now." Keith smiled thinly.

"Will you at least try and take a few days off when you finish at Headquarters?"

"I'll try." He said, pulling her close again.

"I wish I could go with you."

"I wish you could too." Keith's forehead furrowed in thought.

"Keith? Hello? Keith!"

Keith started. "What!" He looked down into Allura's puzzled eyes. "Sorry, I wandered off there for a moment."

Allura narrowed her eyes at him. "I can practically see your brain clicking on. What are you thinking?"

"Nothing. What?" He frowned at her.

"You're up to something."

"Me? Up to something?" Keith asked innocently.

She pulled his face down and kissed him soundly. "Friends?"

"More I hope." Keith replied kissing her back and pulling her close again. "I'm sorry Allura."

"So am I Keith. Will you come home?" She asked.

He smiled down at her. "Of course. Let's go, I'm starving." His stomach grumbled.

Allura laughed. "I think I could find some leftovers for you." Hand in hand, they made their way out the door.


The young man walked confidently through the Castle hallways. His skin was the palest of blues and his thick hair was a sandy brown. But it was his eyes that broke hearts around the universe. They were a deep emerald green, with flecks of amethyst running through them. He wore an Arusian military uniform, and carried the rank of Lieutenant. He paused a moment in front of the doors to the Control Room, then stepped inside.

Allura looked up when she heard the doors open. Her eyes widened in surprise and delight. "Troi!" She held out her arms for a hug.

"Vahlaa, you are as beautiful as ever." His green eyes twinkled at her.

Allura blushed pink. "You rogue. Just like your father."

"Speaking of the old guy, where is he?" Troi asked, looking around.

"I heard that." Lance waved from the other sided of the room. Troi grinned and waved back.

He and Allura walked over to Lance. "When did you get in? I hadn't realized you were back." Allura asked him.

"Just now. Vahloo Keith called and said he wanted to meet with the Team. I saw Jaas and Garvey on the tamarack, they should be here soon." Troi answered.

"Son, how are you?" Lance asked, clasping his son in a hug.

"Great Palda, the troops are starting to look good." He glanced around the room. "It looks quiet. What's going on?"

Lance glanced at Allura, who bit her lip in uneasiness. "We think we may have found a pilot for Green. Cliff and Keith want the whole Team to run some drills." He told his son.

"Who'd you find?" Troi asked.

Lance shook his head. "You know the rules pal. You'll find out on the field."

Troi smiled. "I guess I will." He paused and looked around. "Where is Vahloo Keith anyway? I figured he'd be here before me."

"He'll be here soon. He didn't sleep well last night." Allura said quietly.

Lance looked up sharply. "Another headache?" She nodded. "Damn. I told him the other day that he was working too hard."

"Graduation is tomorrow, then he leaves for Earth. He promised me he would try and take a few days off to relax."

Lance turned back to the computer. "Just to make sure, I think I'll put in a call to my folks. Mom'll guilt him into visiting for a couple of days."

Allura placed her hand on his arm. "Thank-you Lance." She said softly.

"Anytime Allura, you know that." He smiled back at her.

"Hey Harrison. Get away from my girl."

They all looked up as Keith walked into the room. Troi forced himself to not rush over to his uncle. The changes might not have been obvious, but Troi hadn't seen Keith in over a month and was shocked at his uncle's appearance. Keith was pale, and he held himself stiffly, as if in pain. Troi pasted a smile on his face and turned to Keith. "Good morning. Commodore, I understand you may have found a replacement for Green."

"Maybe I did Troi, and no, I'm not telling you who it is." Keith grinned. "Welcome home Lieutenant." He said, clasping the boy's hand.

"Thank-you Sir." He nodded to Allura. "I'll talk to you later Vahlaa. Te laidiy dek setti Palda." With a wave he left the room. He nearly ran into Aria in the doorway. "Hey squirt, how's things at school?"

"Troi!" Aria felt her cheeks grow warm. "I didn't know you were home."

"Just got here. Keith called the Team in. Seems he has a potential pilot for Green. Heard anything?"

She shook her head and avoided his eyes. "No idea."

"Well, I'd better go find the others. See ya squirt!" He tousled her hair and continued down the hallway.

Aria watched him go, her heart fluttering in her chest. After he had rounded the corner out of sight, she took a deep breath and stepped inside the Control Room. She saw her parents talking by the main console, and walked over to them. Lance winked at her when she got close.

"Aria, there you are." Keith looked up and smiled. Aria stood before them, and dropping the cloak around her shoulders, was dressed in Allura's old flight suit. "Where did you find that?"

Aria blushed and self-consciously brushed her uniform. "It was all I could find. You told me not to tell the others, so I couldn't ask Dreana to borrow one of hers."

Allura smiled. "It fits you well."

"Not really." She grinned up at her mother. "You're a bit more…endowed then I am Mom."

Allura blushed pink as everyone laughed. "All right. Get to the tube. Remember, out there Troi is your commander. You are to obey his orders." Keith said sternly.

Aria snapped off a sharp salute. "Yes Sir."

Keith glared a moment, then softened. "Go." Aria turned and started out the door. "Aria!" She turned. "Good luck."

Aria broke into a grin. "Thanks Daddy!" She rushed out the door.

Lance stood. "I'll go give her a hand. Hey squirt! Wait up!" He sauntered out after Aria.

Keith sighed. "Good thing he's happily married. I'd hate to have to trust him around my daughter."

Allura laughed. "You don't trust anyone around your daughter."

Keith frowned at her. "You're just as much a brat as she is."

"Now you know where she gets it from." Allura said, kissing him lightly. Then she sobered. "Do you really think she can handle this?"

Keith pulled Allura close. "I do. She'll be fine Allura."

"I know, it's just…"

"I don't want her to grow up either." Keith admitted quietly.

Allura looked up at him, her blue eyes shining. "I do love you."

"Then why are you always giving me such a hard time?"

"That's my job." She smirked.

"Consider yourself fired." He held her close again. "I'd better get going." He kissed the top of her head and started towards the door. Half-way there, he turned back. "Allura?" She looked up. "I love you too."