I make no claims to Voltron or any other WEP characters.

Enjoy Chapter 2

Mertz

After dropping his bag off, Lance had led Keith down to the rec room to greet Hunk and Pidge. Keith stands there studying Pidge after the welcoming. No longer a thirteen year old youth, at eighteen, Pidge has grown into a tall, good looking man with a rather deep voice. Keith is happy to find that Hunk hasn't changed at all, to his relief.

Next he was introduced to Lieutenant Anthony Johnson, who went by Tony and was as much of a smart ass as Lance has always been. He glares over at Lance, "I take it when they replaced you, you made sure it was someone who acts just like you?"

Lance smiles a self-depreciating smile before answering, "Red needs it to fly correctly Keith…"

Keith rolls his eyes as the door opens. He looks over to find Allura studying him closely. A warm smile crosses her face as she walks quickly into the room and pulls him into a tight hug, "Thank God you are here!"

Keith stiffens his whole body and it is all he can do not to pull away from her. What the hell? This woman never hugs anyone…she kicks their ass. His eyes meet Lance's, who raises an eyebrow at him as if to say, "I told you so…"

Allura pulls back from him and raises a hand to touch his cheek. Keith quickly grabs it and pulls it away from him as he steps back from her. A hurt look crosses Allura's face as she looks up into the dark eyes that are so familiar to her, yet so different, "Keith?"

Studying her, Keith almost wants to apologize for the hurt look he sees on her face as he releases her hand and steps farther away from her. He looks her over, noticing a bandage covering what is probably a nasty gash on her forehead. While she looks the same there is a softness about her that has never been present before.

Deciding to withhold judgment until he knows more, Keith bends slightly at the waist before greeting her, "Your Majesty, as requested, I am at your service."

Allura stands in front of Keith and finally notices the hard lines about his mouth and stiff way he is holding himself as if to protect himself from some kind of attack from her. She closes her eyes and turns away in frustration, her hand wiping away at tears that had formed in her eyes when she realized this Keith wasn't the one she knew and loved.

For two days she had been waiting for him to get here, thinking that he would put to right everything that was wrong with Arus. This wasn't her Arus, her people or her friends. Everything was familiar, yet nothing was the way it should be.

Keith continues to study her as she walks over to a couch and sits upon it. He contains his shock as he watches her wipe at tears running down her cheeks, Crying…I didn't know that she even knew how. He looks back over at Lance who just shakes his head at him as if to say, "Don't ask me…I don't understand it either."

Lance finally clears his throat, "Have a seat Commander, so we can fill you in on the situation."

Keith raises an eyebrow at Lance for calling him Commander. Lance just shrugs at him and Keith rolls his eyes before turning to walk over to the couches. He sits across from Allura and continues to study her as Lance begins, "Both Black and Blue lions were heavily damaged during the battle that took King Michael's life."

Lance pauses a moment to detect any kind of reaction from Allura, when there is none he continues, "The repairs to Blue are almost completed. Black might take a day or two more. In the meantime the castle remains on high alert in case Lotor decides to attack again."

Also noticing Allura's lack of response about Michael, Keith watches as Allura keeps her head down. It's as if she is not really listening to the conversation going on around them and is in her own little world. Lance finally gets her attention by saying her name, "Allura, the funeral is set for tomorrow for Michael."

She nods at him and then lowers her head once more as if to go back to her own thoughts. Keith is about to ask if she is feeling alright when the door to the rec room opens and a little girl comes running into the room screaming, "Mommy, save me!"

Allura looks up and almost looks shocked as the child runs into her arms and hangs onto her. Soon after a maid comes running into the room out of breath, "I'm sorry your Majesty, I don't know how she gets out of the nursery. Please don't fire me."

Keith stiffens as he watches the child cling to Allura and notices the stiffening of the other men in the room as if waiting for an explosion. He notices the look of astonishment on Lance's face as Allura smiles, waves off the Nanny and asks the child, "What do you need to be saved from?"

Anna looks up at Allura and pulls on her neck to bring her down more. Allura lowers herself so the child may whisper in her ear. She starts laughing, "A bath huh? Why don't you want a bath?"

Keith listens as Anna whispers again, "They always get soap in my eyes…"

The smile leaves Allura's face as she looks up at the Nanny, "Yes, I can understand how you want to avoid that. Soap in the eyes always stings." The Nanny cringes and wrings her hands together, "Majesty, Princess Anna never holds still while trying to rinse the soap from her hair. That is why she gets soap in her eyes."

Allura sighs as she hugs the child close to her once more, Why do they always act like I am going to bite someone's head off? She pulls the child away from her for a moment later, "How about you let Nanny give you a bath and I will come in to check on you afterward. I'm sure Nanny will be very careful not to get any soap in your eyes this time." She looks up at the maid and smiles at her, "Isn't that right Nanny?"

The maid nods her head, "Yes Majesty, I will be most careful."

Allura turns back to the child and kisses her forehead, "Go now. Behave for Nanny and I'll read you a book before bed."

She looks up as she releases the child only to see Lance wipe the surprised look off his face quickly. Turning her gaze away from Lance she watches as the Nanny takes Anna's hand and leads her out of the room before switching her gaze to Keith. Keith is watching her closely, as if she is a puzzle to figure out.

Irritated with the men's reactions to her, Allura stands, "I'm going to go lie down before dinner, excuse me please."

The men turn and watch as one, as Allura crosses the room and leaves. Keith turns back to Lance to ask, "I take it by your reaction, Allura doesn't normally read books to Princess Anna?"

He looks over as Pidge snorts before answering, "Read her a story Keith? I don't think she has even so much as kissed her good night until two days ago."

Keith becomes very still as rage fills him. He manages to keep his outward appearance calm, "Exactly what does she do?"

Lance finally draws his attention back to him by answering, "Normally, a nanny has full care of the child. If Anna gets away like she did today, the maid would be immediately fired and Allura would be screaming at one of us to get Anna back into the nursery where she belongs." He pushes his chair a bit closer to Keith, "This is what I meant about her being different. Not only did she sit and listen to Anna, she reacted to her complaints with patience and understanding. This is not the Queen Allura any of us have ever seen."

Keith sits back in his chair trying to process everything that he has heard and what he knows of Allura. He finally looks up at Lance, "What did Dr. Gorma say?"

Shrugging Lance sighs, "He has no idea what is going on either. Dr. Gorma is checking with other doctors to find out if anyone has ever seen a total change in personality after a blow to the head."

Running his hand through his hair in agitation, Keith sits back in his chair, "So is this a permanent change or temporary?"

Lance shakes his head, "Your guess is as good as mine Keith."

Keith finally stands, "I'm going to go unpack and rest a bit before dinner. It was a long journey and I don't think the next few days will be much better."

Lance nods at him and watches as Keith slowly walks out of the room.

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That evening Keith takes a long circular route to the dining room for dinner, re-familiarizing himself with the layout of the castle as he goes. As he passes the glass doors to the balcony a flash of color attracts Keith's eyes and he turns toward the balcony.

He looks around as he opens the door and walks out onto the balcony. Finally he spots what had drawn his eyes. Princess Anna is standing on a chair, looking over the edge of the balcony at the water below. Keith smiles slightly to himself before asking, "Are you supposed to be out here alone?"

She gives a small startled squeak before smiling at him and holding her little finger to her lips, "Shh…I'm hiding from Nanny."

Keith manages to keep the smile he feels from showing on his face, "Why are you hiding?"

Anna moves her hand, signaling Keith to come closer. She pulls on his hand to get him to bend down and she whispers into his ear, "I don't want to go to bed."

Keith can't help it, he chuckles at her. She smiles at him then asks, "Who are you?"

Keith stares into her wide brown eyes and smiles back at her, "My name is Keith…I work with your Mommy."

Eyes that look wise beyond her years look Keith over and she whispers to him again, "My Mommy is different now."

Arching a brow at her, Keith asks, "Different how?"

Before she can answer the door opens and Lance quickly wheels out onto the balcony, "Princess Anna! You know you aren't supposed to run away from Nanny!"

The little girl slowly gets down from her chair and stands before Lance's wheel chair, "But Uncle Lance…I don't want to go to bed now."

Lance keeps a stern look on his face as he responds, "I understand Anna, but you also know you aren't allowed out on the balcony alone."

Keith moves to stand so he can see both faces as Anna looks down for a moment, a small tear escapes her eye and runs down her cheek. She turns back to Lance, "But I never get to go outside…"

Lance runs a hand down his face and Keith kneels in front of the child interrupting him, "Princess Anna, how about the next time you want to go outside you come find me first. I will happily escorting you outside for a while."

The smile that crosses her face could light up a room. Keith keeps his face neutral as he continues, "But I want your promise Princess that you will not sneak away from your Nanny. Have her call my comm. unit."

Anna nods at him and Keith turns his gaze to Lance to see a wry look on his face. Keith arches an eyebrow at him and Lance shakes his head then turns back to Anna, "Crawl up honey and I'll take you back to Nanny."

Anna stays where she is and turns a beguiling look on Lance, "Do I have to go now?"

Keith almost laughs as he watches Lance being wrapped around Anna's little finger. Lance finally sighs, "What do you want to do Anna?"

She smiles at him, "Can I eat with you again?"

Lance shakes his head, "Not tonight honey, I need to be in the dining room."

As her face drops Keith looks at Lance inquisitively, "Why can't she join us?"

Lance arches a brow at him that clearly says, "Don't be stupid, you know why."

Keith tightens his jaw a bit at the look and turns back to Anna, "Want to be my dinner date for tonight?"

Keith ignores Lance's warning of "Keith…" as the little girl jumps up and down clapping her hands. He picks her up and walks toward the balcony doors.

Lance hits the buttons on his chair and quickly follows. He catches up to Keith in the hallway, "Are you trying to pick a fight with her?"

Keith says nothing at first as he keeps walking. Just before the dining room he answers Lance, "Let's see how she reacts…"

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Allura sits at the dining room table listening to the conversation going on around her as they wait for Lance and Keith to arrive so they can start dinner. She lightly rubs her temples, the headache that has been plaguing her since she woke up in MedTech still paining her.

She looks up as she hears someone walking in and is a bit surprised to find Keith carrying Anna in. She notices how the conversation dies away at his entrance and every eye in the room turns to her. Allura ignores them as she smiles at Keith, "Good evening Commander."

Keith tilts his head toward her a bit, but doesn't return the smile, "Majesty."

Allura sighs as Lance wheels around the room to his spot at the table. She smiles at Anna as Keith sits her down in a chair beside him. Anna looks at Allura with a sunny smile, "Look Mommy…I get to eat with the grownups."

Allura manages not to laugh as she watches Anna all but dance in her seat. She looks up at Keith and is bewildered by the challenge in his gaze. Deciding to ignore him for the moment she turns back to Anna to respond, "What a nice treat…did you get invited?"

She listens as most of the men at the table draw in deep breaths. Anna smiles back her, "Uncle Keith invited me…I get to be his date."

Allura does smile at this response and turns her gaze back to Keith, "Well, that was very nice of him."

Keith arches a brow at her and she turns away from him once more to speak to Anna, "Did you know my father would occasionally invite me to dinner when I was your age. He would call it a date as well."

Anna's eyes grow wide with wonder, "Grandpapa did?"

Allura smiles at her, "Yes, most of the time I had to eat in the nursery with my Nanny, but on special occasions I was allowed to eat with the adults and I was always Grandpa's date."

Allura is annoyed as she watches the men in the room slowly relax. Why do they always act like I'm going to explode? She decides to ignore them and turns her gaze to her plate as dinner is served.

Keith studies Allura during dinner. Based on how everyone tensed when he entered the room with Anna, they had expected her to blow up. He was pleasantly surprised by her reaction and the way she engaged Anna in conversation during the meal. His eyes drift to Lance, who is also watching Allura as if he is still waiting for the explosion to happen at any time.

After dessert is finished Allura rises and smiles at Anna's messy face. She had managed to get more ice cream on her face than in her mouth and looked adorable. She walks around the table and holds out a hand to Anna, "Come on Anna, I'll bring you down to your room for bed."

Anna slides off of her chair and takes Allura's hand, "Do I have to go to bed?"

Keith is surprised to hear Allura laugh at her, "Yes my love you must…tomorrow is going to be a long day." He watches as Allura continues to talk to the child as they walk out of the room.

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Keith sits in his room by his desk. A bottle of whiskey is sitting on top of the desk next to a half filled glass. Keith sits with his hand wrapped around the glass and stares at the bottle in contemplation. A knock at the door pulls him out of reverie and he turns to watch it as he yells, "Yeah?"

The door opens and Lance wheels in. He smiles at Keith and stops beside him. Lance's eyes drift over to the bottle on the desk and the smile intensifies, "Got another glass?"

Keith rolls his eyes and reaches into the drawer of his desk to withdraw a second glass. He pours some whiskey into it and hands it over to Lance. Lance takes a sip of the whiskey and sighs contently as the favor rolls around on his tongue before it burns its way down his throat. He meets Keith's gaze again and smiles at him, "I knew you would bring some of the good stuff."

Keith snorts as he picks up his glass to take a sip. He stares at his glass in contemplation again then slowly turns his gaze back to Lance, "So how have you been?"

Lance arches a brow at him, "I'm stuck in a fucking wheel chair for the rest of my life Keith…nothing below the waist works. How the fuck do you think I've been?"

Ashamed, Keith looks away from Lance for a moment. He finally turns back to him and whispers, "I should have been here for you Lance…"

Lance makes a swiping gesture with his hand, "You couldn't be…the bitch wouldn't have allowed it."

Keith drops his gaze again and contemplates his glass once more, "So how did you decide to go to work for her instead of returning to Earth?"

Lance finishes his glass and holds it out for a refill. Keith grabs the bottle and leans over to refill the glass. Lance takes another sip before answering, "Allura actually asked me to take it Keith." He stares at his own glass for a moment before continuing, "It was strange…in my darkest moments, when I wished I hadn't survived the crash at all, she was there for me. She pushed me, prodded me and in general pissed me off until I was out of MedTech and moving around in a wheel chair."

Arching a brow at him, Keith remarks, "Who would've known she could actually care more about someone other than herself?"

Lance smiles at him sardonically, "She can't help who she is Keith…you met her Nanny. If we thought Allura was a bitch, that woman was even worse. Who wouldn't grow up into a bitter, nasty person with Nanny bringing her up?"

Keith shakes his head at him as Lance continues, "Allura must have other redeeming qualities Keith… To this day I don't understand how a good man like King Michael stayed with her, unless she treated him differently when they were alone."

Now that Lance has brought it up, Keith felt compelled to ask, "What happened in that last battle Lance? How did Michael die?"

Lance swallows the remaining amount in his glass and hands it back to Keith shaking his head when Keith moves to refill it, "Enough…doesn't take much for me to get plastered anymore since I have a harder time burning off the alcohol."

Keith says nothing and arches a brow at him. Lance wipes his face with his hand, "He died protecting her… Michael flew Black lion in front of some missiles meant for Allura and was hit. The hit threw Black lion back into Blue and that is how Allura crashed. If Michael hadn't done that I don't think Allura would be alive right now."

Grimacing, Keith sits back in his seat and tiredly wipes his face. Lance sighs deeply, "I have one favor to ask and then I'm heading to bed."

Keith sits forward in his chair, "What would that be?"

Lance clears his throat, "Well…since you are now Allura's head of security again, I would appreciate it if you would ride with her and Princess Anna in the coach tomorrow. It will be her first public outing since the accident and I want someone near Allura during the funeral."

Keith grimaces, but nods at him. Lance smiles, "Good deal…night Commander."

Keith snorts, "Night asshole…" Lance chuckles as he leaves the room.