Many thanks to those that reviewed.

Before we move on, I'm going to heed my beta reader's request and give out a fair warning even though it may give away some of the plot. This story deals with violence against women, loss of a child, rape, and suicide. If these types of things affect you in some way, please don't read anymore of the story. thanks.

Now, on we go.


Chapter 2

"Repeat your last."

Keith abandons the monitor he was observing to approach Lance. His face pales as Lance says, "Are you fucking kidding me?"

"What's going on?" Keith asks.

Lance waves him off then replies into the headset, "Bring her in and take her to the interrogation room." He presses more buttons then says into the headset, "Joseph, get up here. I need you to cover me. Also, get Dr. Gorma down to the interrogation room."

Growling his friend's name, Keith repeats, "What's going on?"

"Some kind of sick fucking joke," Lance says as he tosses the headset onto the console and rises from his seat.

Forced to follow him out of the control room, Keith demands, "You better start explaining."

Lance pauses to run a hand through his overlong hair, "They found a woman wandering around in the woods. She claims to be Allura."

Everything inside Keith freezes then melts away with a flash of rage, "What?"

"Exactly," Lance replies before turning around and heading down the hall, "I'll take care of it."

Following him, rage fuels Keith's feet. They round the corner and head down another corridor as he overtakes Lance and passes him.

"Keith, let me handle it."

"The fuck you will," Keith bites out before stopping in front of the interrogation room and yanking the door open. He walks in to find the room on the other side of the two-way mirror empty. He glares at Lance as he walks into the room.

"They're not back yet. Give them a few."

He paces the short length of the room as he waits. How dare she? Whoever the hell this woman is, she'll pay for causing him more pain. He stops mid-stride when the door in the other room opens. A pair of guards lead a woman into the room. The two men block his view of her. They give her an instruction to wait then leave the room.

The woman stands in the middle of the room, her back to him. She turns in a circle slowly as she looks around the room. Dressed in a once white dress now splattered with mud, her tangled, long, blonde hair flows down her back, past her buttocks. She wraps her arms around herself as if to protect herself from cold. When she finally faces him, Keith's breath catches in his throat. Shock widens his eyes as he wordlessly mouths, "Allura…"

"WHAT THE FUCK!"

Lance's outburst pulls Keith out of his stunned silence as he steps toward the mirror while demanding, "Who the hell is she?"

"IT'S FUCKING ALLURA, KEITH!"

Turning to his friend, Keith glares at him as he slowly enunciates, "Allura…is…dead."

Pointing to the woman in the room, Lance demands, "Then how the hell did she get Allura's clothes? That is what you buried her in for fuck's sake!"

That comment forces him to look again, memories of his wife lying in her coffin fly at him. She looked so peaceful, when he knew her last days were anything but. The long sleeve dress was chosen to hide what happened. The decision had been made not to let the exact cause of her death to become public knowledge. Not that Keith had been any part of that decision; he had been barely eating, sleeping or speaking to anyone at that point. Just the memory makes his eyes burn with unshed tears. He looks away to find Dr. Gorma wandering into the room.

"I was requested to come-" His eyes widen as they move over the former queen until he turns away to meet Keith's gaze. The doctor murmurs, "How is it possible?"

Stifling the swear words about to come out of his mouth, Keith instead orders, "I want DNA testing done now." He glances at the woman behind the glass, notices her shivering while rubbing at her crossed arms and adds, "Get her a blanket…" then looks at her bare feet, "and some socks." Turning away, he starts for the door only for the sound of Lance's voice to stop him, "Where the hell do you think you're going?"

"Allura's grave," is the only response he can manage before walking out the door.

xxxxxxxxxx

Quickly reaching the entrance to the caves, Keith glances back to find Lance following him before he starts moving through the trees. It only takes him a few minutes to reach the hidden gravesite for Allura's final resting place. Fears of Lotor trying to steal her body had prompted them to keep it simple and hidden.

Stopping just before the clearing, Keith's eyes widen in horror as he stares at the torn earth, broken branches, and the shattered stone marker that was once Allura's grave. Lance stops beside him, whispering, "Fuck me…" at the sight before them. Ignoring him, the commander moves forward, determined to check the grave.

"Hold it. Keith, let me look."

He glances back to find Lance moving forward. The other man grabs him by his shoulder as he adds, "Do you really want to look down there and possibly see…" he finishes with a strangled whisper, "…her?"

The thought of seeing Allura's dead and decaying body has Keith taking a deep breath as he glances over at the broken earth once more. A shudder goes through him then he turns back to his friend only to shake his head in answer. Lance squeezes his shoulder then leaves him behind to walk toward the grave. He pulls a flashlight from his belt and shines it down in the hole. Swear words erupt from him as he moves back then looks at Keith to say, "There's no body, the coffin is ripped open and empty."

Moving forward, Keith grabs the flashlight from Lance to look down the hole himself. Just like the lieutenant said, the coffin's lid was blasted to shreds, and there is no body in it. Feeling himself starting to shiver, he pulls back to meet Lance's gaze as the other man asks, "So, who the hell is that back at the compound? I mean, could it be Allura?"

Turning away, Keith starts back to the base as he answers, "I don't know. I'm hoping Dr. Gorma will know when we return."