I don't own Voltron or its characters, just the ones I made up.
Thanks to everyone who's read and/or reviewed. To my anonymous, I can't send you a reply, but THANKS:)
Jaasyn, Dreana, and Garvey stood talking quietly in one corner, Troi standing with them. He glanced up at Aria, who stood across the room staring out the window. He walked over to her. "Hey."
She looked up. "Hey."
He smiled encouragingly. "Relax, it's going to be fine."
Aria wrapped her arms around herself and shook her head. "Easy for you to say. You're not the one who shot him down."
Troi placed a hand on her arm. "Aria…"
The door opened and all five snapped to attention. Keith limped in first, followed closely by Lance, Cliff and Hunk. Keith hadn't changed out of his black uniform, and there was a deepening bruise across one cheek. He stopped and stared at each of them in turn. Finally he spoke, his voice calm and controlled. "That was one of the worst drills I have ever seen. If this had been a real attack we would have been in serious trouble." He turned to Garvey. "You need to pay more attention to your flying and less to your wisecracks. Otherwise you'll not only kill yourself, but take your Team-mates with you."
Garvey looked down at his feet. "Yes sir." He mumbled.
Keith then looked at Dreana, who met his gaze fearlessly. "You made yourself a target."
"I was protecting my Team-mate. Sir." She responded.
"Nonetheless, once he was taken down, you should have been on the offensive. Instead you allowed yourself to be neutralized." Dreana went pale and clenched her jaw tightly, nodding.
"Jaasyn, you fared only marginally better." The proud young Arusian stood tall. "At least you managed to do some damage to my ship before you were shot down."
Keith finally turned to Troi and Aria. "And you two. What the hell kind of maneuver was that?"
"Sir, we—"
"Aria, what did you think you were doing? You were told to stay put." Keith narrowed his one uncovered eye at his daughter. "You could have been killed."
Aria went white, then red and her coffee eyes flashed dangerously. "We could have all been killed. My Team was in trouble and I found us a way out of it."
"Who ordered you to the water? Troi?" Keith demanded.
"Begging your pardon Commodore, but Aria came up with the plan. I believed it would work and we executed it. And it worked, flawlessly." Troi spoke up.
Keith faced him. "She's heir to the throne. She should not have been put into any unnecessary danger." His voice was cold.
"Then why give her a tryout with the Team?" Troi took one step in Keith's direction. "You've always taught us that it doesn't matter who we are, but how we act. Are you changing the rules now because Aria's your daughter?" He snorted. "That doesn't seem fair to her or us."
Lance hid a smile. You tell him boy. He stepped forward. "Aria, why did you put Green in the water? You know she's the earth Lion."
Aria turned to Lance. "We've all been apprised of the Lions modifications. While it's true that Blue will always be more at home under water, the other Lions are more than capable of performing despite the climate or terrain."
Now Cliff stepped forward. "Keith is right, that was not your best performance. Go get changed and meet me in the Control Room in one hour. We're going to go over today's exercise frame by frame so you can all see exactly what went wrong."
"And FYI, you'll all be helping with the repairs on the Lions and Keith's craft. Go." Hunk added.
The five shuffled quietly out of the room, Aria casting one unreadable look back at her father. Keith waited until they had left, then leaned heavily on the table, sighing. Lance and Cliff were at his side in an instant. "Keith, you OK?"
Keith nodded then grinned up at his friends. "She really did it didn't she?"
"That she did mate. That she did. They all did." Cliff clapped his hand on Keith's shoulder.
"Nice touch by the way, that whole 'Heir to the throne' thing." Lance added.
Keith shrugged. "Had to say it. If she's going to be part of the Team, they can't think of her as the Princess. Or my daughter."
"You've never lorded your station or your family's over anyone Skipper." Hunk grinned.
"My station?" Keith grimaced.
"Should we bow, or just kiss your ring?" Lance's green eyes twinkled devilishly.
Keith rolled his eyes as they all burst out laughing. "I think we should have a party! To celebrate the demise of the Mighty Montgomery!" Lance grinned at his friend.
Keith glared at his friend. "Bite me Lance."
They all, with the exception of Keith, laughed. He straightened carefully. "With friends like you, who needs enemies?" He limped from the room.
Lance's grin faded as he watched Keith leave. "I'd better go check on him."
Cliff nodded. "Good idea mate. We'll meet you in the Control Room."
Lance hurried out the door after Keith. "Hey Cap, wait up!"
Keith paused, on hand resting on the corridor wall, the other rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Lance, what is it?" He asked wearily.
Lance frowned at his friend. "You alright?"
To Lance's surprise, Keith shook his head. "Not really. I think I'll head down to sick-bay and have the docs check me over."
Lance was stunned. He knew Keith hated hospitals. In fact, hate was too tame a word. Keith despised them. "Keith?"
Keith shook his head as if to clear it. "You know, on second thought, I think I'll just head to bed. Do me a favor and ask Dorma to drop by will you?"
"Sure Cap." Lance watched in concern as Keith limped down the hallway.
By the time Keith reached his and Allura's rooms, his head was nearly exploding in pain. He staggered to the bedroom, collapsing fully clothed on the bed, waiting for the pain to ebb. He heard the door slide open and suddenly a cool hand was on his forehead, lifting the pain away. "Dorma?" He whispered.
"Shhh cochova. I am here. Belie sovt." She ran her hands over his forehead, her violet eyes filled with worry. Soon, Keith slipped into an uneasy sleep, and she crept softly from the room.
"How is he?"
Dorma looked up in surprise. Lance stood near the window, his arms folded across his chest, a stormy look in his green eyes.
"Should you not be with Cliff and Hunk?" She asked.
"They're fine." He replied shortly. "How is he?"
Dorma wrapped her arms across her chest and stared out the window. "I do not know." She said softly.
Lance frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?" Dorma didn't answer. "Dammit Dorma! What's wrong with him?"
She looked up, shaking her head. "There is something wrong, but I cannot sense what it is. Perhaps when Zarana gets home, she will be able to help."
The helplessness in his wife's voice went straight to Lance's gut and he pulled her close. "Easy Babe, he'll be OK."
"I do not think so Svavaliadeelin." She looked up at him. "He's hiding something."
"What do you mean?"
She broke free of his grasp and paced the room. "Somehow, he is blocking his thoughts from me."
Lance looked puzzled. "How's he doing that?"
Dorma shook her head. "I do not know. I think perhaps—"
She was interrupted by the door opening and Allura rushing in. "What happened? Where's Keith?"
Lance caught her arm before she could rush into the bedroom. "Easy Allura. He's fine. He had a bit of a crash and went to lie down. As usual, he wouldn't go see the docs so I had Dorma come look him over."
Dorma nodded. "He has a headache, but is resting now."
Allura looked from them to the door, biting her lower lip in anxiety. "Really Allura, he's fine. Let him sleep." Lance told her.
"But…" She glanced again towards the closed door, then sighed. "Tell me what happened."
Lance let her over to the couch. "He surprised the Team with one of Hazar's new prototypes. Managed to take down Garv, Jaas, and Dre before Troi and Aria took him down."
Her eyes widened. "Took him down? How?"
Lance quickly filled Allura in on the morning's events, from Aria's 'bounce' to the debriefing. He wisely omitted Dorma's observations of Keith being able to block her. "He's OK Allura."
Allura frowned and turned to Dorma. "Is he alright?"
"Hey! I just told you he was." Lance protested.
Allura ignored him and continued to stare at Dorma. The Druhle woman smiled. "He is fine. Or he will be with a few days rest. He has mostly bruises, nothing serious. He and the rest of you…" She stared pointedly at her husband. "Need to learn that you are not twenty-five any longer. Nevertheless, I have tended to him. Let him sleep."
Allura smiled and took Dorma's hand in her own. "Thank-you." She said softly. Dorma smiled in return.
Lance sighed. "Well then, since Keith is napping, I guess it's up to me to wrap this day up."
"Try not to enjoy yourself Lance." Allura said wryly.
He winked. "Oh, I won't. Love ya babe." With a jaunty wave, he left the room.
Allura waited until he was gone and turned back to Dorma. "Is Keith really alright? He's been having those headaches again."
Dorma frowned. Ever since Keith's near death by Robeast poison, all those years ago, Keith had been plagued by intense migraines. He took a monthly antidote, but to hear that the headaches had increased, trouble Dorma deeply. She covered her fears however and smiled at Allura. "I will keep a close watch on him. You do not need to worry."
"I never do when you're around." Allura replied. "I have to go…" She looked towards the closed bedroom door, visibly torn.
"I will call you when he awakens." Dorma told her.
Allura sighed. "Thank-you." Then with one more glance at the door, left the apartment.
Dorma slumped forward, rubbing her temples. She had absorbed most of Keith's pain, finding it easier to deal with in her own body. The she cast a look skyward. Please…let me be wrong about him.
