Sorry for the slowness in posting…holiday weekend, headaches and other things cropped up. Many happy birthday wishes to my friend Charigul. Enjoy.
Mertz
I make no claims to Voltron or any WEP characters.
Chapter 3:
Walking into the control room early the next morning, Keith finds Coran studying something on the monitor. As he nears the monitor, he notices Coran is watching Allura as she sits before her dressing table and he swears under his breath. Hearing the noise, Coran quickly turns his head, spotting him before flipping the monitor off.
As he turns in his chair, Keith angrily approaches him, "Since when do we have a camera in Princess' bedroom Coran?"
Reddening a little, the older man replies, "It is for her security…"
Keith cuts him off, "Her security? Does she even know it is there Coran?"
As the advisor flushes even more, Keith crosses his arms in front of his chest, "I didn't think so. You know what will happen if she finds out about it…Princess values her privacy and won't look too kindly on being spied on." He uncrosses his arms and steps closer to Coran, "And you know that is how she will view it."
Coran clears his throat then says, "I ask you not to tell her Commander." At the mutinous look on the younger man's face, Coran continues, "I had it installed after Lotor tried to kidnap her out of her room by breaking in through the windows. In the event of another such attack, we need be prepared for what may happen."
The commander turns red with his anger and fails to hear the sound of someone entering the room as he states, "We need to know she is safe, yet respect her privacy Coran. I can't see how possibly turning on a camera when she changes clothes in her room will make Allura feel safe."
Before Coran can respond, they hear a female voice behind them, "What camera?"
Closing his eyes, dreading the fight to come, Keith turns around to face a furious Princess Allura. She quickly closes the distance between them and glares at the two men before her, "I asked what camera?"
Coran begins to sputter, "Princess Allura…you must understand…"
Her voice echoes through castle control as she begins yelling, "YOU HAVE A CAMERA IN MY BEDROOM CORAN?" Her furious gaze moves from Coran to Keith as she continues to yell, "DID YOU KNOW ABOUT IT?"
Raising his hands as if to fend her off, the commander shakes his head as Coran continues to sputter while trying to find a logical reason that wouldn't have her completely lose her temper. Allura turns around and runs out of the room without waiting for him to finish. Keith looks back at the advisor to glare at him before both men follow her out of the control room. Running quickly down the halls, Keith follows her as she enters her room with Coran slowly coming up behind him.
Stepping into it, Keith watches as Allura spins around in the center of her room looking around before turning back to glare at him, "Where is it?"
Keith shakes his head and turns to look around the room himself. Spotting an air vent, Keith sees the lights shining off the camera lens and points to it. Allura grabs a chair and quickly stands on it to view inside the vent as Coran enters the room.
She notes the unit pointing into the center of her room and slowly steps down off the chair. In a voice that neither Coran nor Keith had ever heard before, she furiously states, "That camera will be taken out of my room before I return and I had better not ever find one in here again!"
Pushing past a still stuttering Coran, Keith watches Allura go before glaring at the advisor again and following her. He starts to say her name then stops as she quickly walks down the hallway, 'Better to let her cool off…I don't need her killing me for something I had no part in.'
Turning around, Keith heads toward the bedrooms of the other Force members while thinking, 'Better warn the others…I have a feeling Allura is going to be a bear to deal with all day today.'
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After finishing relaying the events of the morning so far to the others, Keith sits back as he listens to Lance blow up, "I can't fucking believe Coran had the balls to put a camera in Princess' bedroom!"
Hunk sits shaking his head, "That doesn't sound like something Coran would normally do…"
Shrugging, Pidge responds, "I'm sure he had good intentions guys…you know how he and Nanny get when it comes to protecting Princess. They just got a little overzealous."
Sitting with his arms crossed while the others continue talking about the camera, Keith thinks, 'I wonder if that camera is a new event…this isn't something Coran would normally do without talking to me about it first.' He feels his chest tightening in anger and a slight bit of fear as his mind continues to race, 'I bet he was hoping to catch Allura and I doing something…'
He is pulled out of his thoughts as his comm. unit beeps. Pulling it off his belt, Keith answers, "Kogane."
Coran's voice fills the room as he speaks, "Commander, Princess Allura took off in Blue lion and has been gone since the…uhh…events…of this morning." Lance starts to sputter, "Events…" Keith glares at him to be quiet as Coran continues, "I would appreciate it if you and the others would go out to ensure her safety."
Keith takes a deep breath and looks around at the others' angry looks before answering, "We are on our way." He signs off and puts the unit back on his belt as Lance stands up, "Man…he has got balls. He pisses her off and then we are supposed to go calm her down."
Standing up, Keith lets out a deep sigh, "Come on guys…let's go find her."
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The Green lion pilot radios into Keith, "Cap, I've tried raising Princess on the comm. several times, she isn't answering and I can't trace it. I'm guessing she turned it off."
Keith grits his teeth while asking, "What about the tracking signal on the lion?"
There is silence for a moment before Pidge speaks again, "She must have turned that off as well. I am getting no trace of Blue lion."
Lance speaks out next "Man…she must be really pissed."
Swearing under his breath, the commander orders, "All right, spread out everyone, Hunk, you take East, Pidge, West, Lance, head North and I'll go South, radio in if you find her."
After receiving confirmations from the other three, Keith turns Black south as his mind races to their conversations that they've had the last few months. He remembers her favorite spot to go when she feels troubled and turns Black in that direction.
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Sitting with her knees to her chest on top of Blue lion's nose, Allura watches the ocean water in front of her while tears run down her cheeks. Still trying to get over her anger, she thinks, 'I can't believe he did that…a camera in my room and all those times I changed clothes out in the open…'
Shuddering slightly at the thought, another one hits her, 'Did Coran think he would catch me with Keith?' Her thoughts are interrupted and she looks up when she hears the roar of a lion, spotting Black lion heading toward her. Looking back at the water, she wipes the tears off her face as she thinks, 'Figures he would be able to find me…even when I don't want him to.'
She glances over as Black lion lands beside her and Keith soon appears on top of Black's nose. He is silent for a moment as he watches her from the short distance between them before he jumps over to Blue lion and lands beside her, whispering her name, "Allura…"
Not answering him, the princess continues to look at the water as he speaks again, "You have everyone worried Allura…you even turned off the tracing beacon to Blue."
Allura glares up at him for the bit of censure in his voice. As she stands, she yells at him, "Because I didn't want to be found, so take the hint and leave me alone!"
As she turns to leave, Keith grabs her and pulls her into his arms. Allura throws up her arms against his chest trying to push him away but stops when his lips descend to hers and he passionately kisses her. Once she has stopped fighting him, Keith pulls his head back to stare into her eyes, "I love you Allura…I need to be able to find you at any time, because if anything ever happened to you...I don't know if I could survive it."
Tears run down her cheeks as Keith pulls her tightly against him and continues to whisper into her ear, "That is how much I love you."
Sobbing against him, Allura goes limp in his arms. Keith picks up her and holds her close to him before he hears the roar of lions overhead. Lifting his head, he spots the other three lions on the horizon and quickly whispers, "I know Coran is going to be watching from the monitors…I have to put you back down love."
He feels her nod her head against him and lowers her legs back to the top of the lion and steps back from her as the lions approach. Allura looks up into his eyes and solemnly asks, "Did you know about the camera?"
Keith shakes his head, "No, you know I would never have agreed to it Allura." He looks up a moment to find the lions getting closer then looks back at her, "I think he must have just put it in and you know why."
She nods her head and he continues, "I think we need to back off for a little while Allura…" At the hurt look on her face, the commander quickly continues, "I said back off, not stop. Just until Coran calms down and doesn't continue to suspect us."
Wiping at the tears still running down her cheeks, Allura looks over as Red lion lands followed by Green and Yellow. She turns back to Keith and looks up into his dark eyes while whispering, "I love you…"
Smiling at her, Keith quickly turns his expression neutral as Lance, Hunk and Pidge appear on top of their lions. Lance watches them closely for a moment before calling out, "Everything all right?"
Nodding at him, Allura steps away from Keith to reply, "Sorry I worried you guys…"
Lance smiles at her, "We are just glad to find that you are all right."
A sigh escapes Allura as she nods, "I was just so angry…"
As Hunk and Pidge nod sympathetically from their lions, a snort escapes Lance, "Can't say I blame you there…I'll be looking in my own vent when we get back to the castle."
Keith shakes his head, but thinks, 'He isn't the only one that will be looking…God help Coran if I find a camera in my room.' Clearing his throat, he gestures to the others, "Well, let's head back to the castle and get some lunch."
As the other return to their lions, Keith stops Allura by touching her arm, "Remember…"
Nodding at him, Allura smiles softly and then turns to step into Blue lion's hatch. Keith waits until she is in her lion before jumping back for Black.
