Ahhh...the weekend is upon us and I hope that, whatever part of the world you may find yourselves in, it is an enjoyable one! Thank you to all those who continue to read/follow/review! xoxoxo
A.N. The entire scene in 'Cuvee' at the end was written into this chapter by the fantabulous KathDMD *round of applause and a 'woo hoo"!*. After I read it...I laughed so hard I felt it would be an injustice not to make it part of the story and share with all of you... Thank you KathDMD for taking GMN into a whole other level! xoxoxoxoxo
KathDMD: Here we go girlie!
JustLucky05: Thank you for the PM and for being so supportive! Yeah...the last chapter (8) was one of my favorites...although, this one comes close as well :-)
Smithy: Oooh now I have to read it! So curious! Yes...Keith is coming off a bit pompous...hopefully he'll redeem himself soon!
Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from Voltron or its characters. I write for pure fun and enjoyment. All OCs (with exception of the new additions in this chapter which belong to KathDMD) are mine...
"Spring Break: Give Me Novocaine"
Chapter 9
"She's all alone again
Wiping the tears from her eyes
Some days he feels like dying
Some days it's not worth trying
Now that they both are finding
She gets so sick of crying"
- Green Day, "Extraordinary Girl"
"What just happened?" Pidge cried out frantically, still in shock.
"Well, I could be wrong, but I believe that our illustrious Commander has just conned the Princess into resigning from the Force," Lance replied, scratching his head.
"He can't be serious, can he? I mean, it's Allura, our Allura. He can't just replace her! Besides, I don't think Blue will take too kindly to someone besides Sven taking Allura's place." Hunk was just as confused and upset as everyone else.
"We're a team!" Pidge barked. "Don't we have a say?"
Coran sighed dramatically. "Gentlemen, I know it may appear as though the Commander's actions were a bit harsh; however, the Princess has been behaving irrationally ever since she arrived at the Academy. She needs to understand that she cannot act so recklessly, especially when it comes to her security." He looked at the guys intently. "The Commander and I felt that she deserved this break, and we knew how much she longed to go to the Academy. We expected nothing from her. The only thing she was asked to do was to contact the Castle on a regular basis for safety reasons. She ignored that request, knowing full well that we were left in the dark with the supposed 'threat' against royal persons. She knew that we were waiting for this call as confirmation from her as to what was happening."
"Coran, we get it," Sven spoke up. "She was way out of line, but I hope you realize that now we have no way of contacting her."
"Sven, if it were up to me, I would have pulled her out of the program this instant." Coran shook his head disapprovingly. "However, the Commander wants her to remain."
"That doesn't make sense - why would he want her to stay there, knowing that we'll have no way of making sure that she's safe?" Hunk asked. "You know that she's not gonna contact us after what just happened."
"I agree, Hunk, but I trust Keith enough to know that he would never make a decision that would endanger the Princess." The advisor crossed his arms over his chest. "We will just have to trust that he knows what he is doing."
"Yeah, well, that doesn't work for me," Lance snorted angrily. He looked over at Sven. "Let's go, Thor - you're my bodyguard, remember?" He smirked and turned to leave Control.
The Scandinavian rolled his eyes and followed.
XXXXXXXXXX
After Allura had disconnected the call, Keith made his way to his office to gather his thoughts, confident that Sven and Lance would pay him a visit at some point. He now knew for sure that Allura was up to something. He had a pretty good idea what, but was not one hundred percent certain.
He also knew that, aside from physically going to Earth, he would have no way to actually confirm his suspicions. Anything he could dig up would be circumstantial at best.
His concentration was broken by the sound of footsteps approaching his office. And so it begins. He took a deep, calming breath, as Lance barged in, as usual, with Sven in tow.
"Took you long enough," he quipped, not even bothering to look up.
Sven and Lance each took a seat in front of him. "Talk. NOW," Lance demanded.
Keith shot him a glare, but didn't argue. "This is all speculation. I have no way to prove anything right now."
"Don't care. Justify to me what just happened, 'cuz I'm about to go down there and get her myself." Lance was not joking this time.
Keith ran his hand through his hair in frustration. "I'm pretty sure that the Princess is not at the GARA, nor has she been. I have confirmation that she hasn't been seen anywhere near the GAA."
Sven and Lance were shocked by this revelation. "How do you know all this?" Lance asked incredulously.
Keith looked from Lance to Sven. "I contacted Bandor a few days ago. It turns out that he's good friends with Princess Brailah, whose brother happens to be an officer in the GARA. The Prince asked around and reported back this morning that no one has heard anything about Allura being at the GARA, nor has anyone seen her."
"Shit," Sven cracked.
"Sit back and relax, boys. If you found that surprising, you're gonna love this."
"You mean there's more?" Lance threw his hands up and huffed.
"I just got off a call with Lisa before you guys walked in. It appears that she and Ginger were out partying with Dylan and Geni last night - just Dylan and Geni." Keith looked up at them.
"Allura wasn't with them?" Sven questioned.
"No, she wasn't. They didn't even know that she was staying at Geni's and Dylan's place."
"Excuse me, then who the hell was Allura partying with? She was obviously hungover." Lance pointed out the obvious, visibly pissed off.
"Who knows, Lance?" Sven sighed.
"Geni and Dylan know, that's who." Keith was agitated with the whole situation.
"So whatever is going on, Geni and Dylan are involved too?" Sven repeated.
"Appears that way," Keith answered.
"Dude, where the hell is she, and what on Earth - literally - is she doing? And, dare I ask, with whom?" Concern was written all over Lance's face.
"Lance, believe me, if I wasn't so worried about leaving Arus unprotected, I would go down there right now and figure it out once and for all. Then I would probably strangle her with my bare hands for putting all of us through this!" Keith paused to try and regain his composure. "For now, though, we need to keep this between us. No one - and I mean NO ONE - aside from the three of us is to know what I suspect, got it?"
Both guys nodded in understanding. With nothing left to say, they stood up to leave. But before they left his office, Keith called out to Lance.
"Yeah, what?" he huffed.
"Do me a favor and call Geni when you get a chance."
"What the hell for? I'm pissed at her right now!"
"Please, Lance. Just check in to make sure that Allura's alright." Keith's voice was soft.
Lance nodded at him knowingly. "Alright, Bro. Will do."
XXXXXXXXXX
Allura had fallen to her knees on the carpet in front of the blank vid-screen. At first, she sobbed. Hysterically. But not over Keith - the thought of losing Blue Lion made her physically ill.
Geni knelt beside her friend and draped her arms around her. She knew it would offer her some comfort; at a time like this, it was best to trudge through the muck with as many allies as possible.
"Allura, Honey, we're gonna get through this," Geni assured her friend. "But we both have to put our bad bitch caps on and come up with some plausible explanations."
"I wasn't thinking, Gen. How can I ever put my bad bitch cap on now?" Allura dried her eyes and let out a small hiccup. "I don't know what came over me. I guess I…I'm just sick and tired of everyone treating me as though I can't take care of myself.
"Come on, Lura-Lu, get up and sit on the couch so we can talk."
Allura nodded, and Geni helped her up. As soon as they were seated, Geni started. "Allura, as much as I hate to say this, I understand why they're so angry."
Allura darted her gaze towards the floor.
"Look, they don't know what's going on. Sure, you and I know that you're safe, but they don't. The last thing they heard was Graham telling them that there was a threat and you had to be moved. They've had no contact with you in a week and no idea what's going on." She rubbed Allura's arm comfortingly. "Remember, these are the same guys that have been with you 24/7 for the last two and a half years. All they asked was that you make contact by a certain time, and you didn't. Can you imagine what must have been going through their minds?"
Allura lifted her gaze from the floor to her hands in her lap.
"You said it yourself, Lura-Lu: Keith is a control freak. Can you imagine what this week has been like for him, for Coran, and for the rest of the guys? They all care about you so much! You're more than their teammate, you're their friend." Geni bit a hangnail. "Honestly, I blame myself just as much. Bottom line is, we should have set an alarm - period."
Allura thought about what Geni had said. She knew all too well that her friend was right. Coran, Keith, and the others had to be worried about what was going on, and her behavior had been completely out of line.
This is all my fault. I caused this; me and my need to prove myself. She brought a hand up to her aching head. Who can think logically with a hangover? Ugh!
Then again...it didn't change the fact that Keith had intentionally baited her. He knows me too well and I fell for it - hook, line, and sinker. Damn it!
Allura was deep in thought. After a moment of quiet, she finally looked up to speak to Geni. "He suspects something, you know."
"Yeah, I kinda figured that out. But what exactly does he suspect?"
"Well, he's not concerned about my safety, so it makes me wonder if he hasn't figured
our little plan out - otherwise, he would have had Coran pull me out of the program, I'm sure of it."
"No way, he can't know everything. Wouldn't he have just confronted you?"
Allura narrowed her eyes. Her sadness and guilt were becoming replaced by an emotion much more potent...anger. "No, not in front of everyone. He knows that Coran would have a stroke and insist that I return to Arus. Keith may be really pissed at me right now, but he knows how important this is to me. One thing's for sure, though - he may not have figured out the details, but he knows this all revolves around Dylan." She paused to look at Geni.
"Maybe he does, Lura, but we don't know for sure. I think we should wait it out. Besides, he has no way of proving anything, and we don't want to risk anyone else finding out. It's one thing for Keith to suspect - he's on Arus - but if anyone here finds out, we're back to square one."
"True, but you know he's got to be digging around - won't that raise red flags with the crew out here? I'm sure he's interrogated Lisa by now."
"You have a point." Geni tapped on her chin with her index finger, looking pensive. "Well then, we need to throw him off track a bit."
"How do you propose we do that?" Allura was afraid of the answer.
"We can start by you staying as 'Allura' when Lisa and Ginger come by tonight."
"Are you crazy?" Allura cried out, shocked by the suggestion. "How will we explain that?"
"Hear me out! We start with the story I gave Keith that Dylan is visiting family."
Allura crossed her arms in front of her. "Won't work, Gen. They were out with you and 'Dylan' last night, remember? We also told Keith that I was partying with you."
Geni grimaced. "Ouch. Yeah, I forgot about that." She furrowed her eyebrows, deep in thought. "Got it! OK, I have a new solution for the 'Allura' situation."
Allura rolled her eyes. "Gen, why am I afraid to hear this?"
"Oh, you're gonna love it! Besides, I like controversy - my last name is McClain, remember?" She winked, and Allura continued to look uncomfortable.
"OK, so you, Allura, have been engaging in war forever. All you have been doing for as long as you can remember is hiding and fighting. When this opportunity presented itself, you decided that it was a perfect time for you to 'run away', if you will."
Allura raised a brow. "Go on."
"You are actually staying in the city with some friends of mine who are attending the University. The average Californian doesn't know or care who you are, so with your defense skills, you are perfectly safe. Graham agreed to cover for you because of all the support and sacrifice you have given the Garrison over the years, with the understanding that you will return to the GARA the week of the competition."
Geni glanced at Allura, who looked like she was actually thinking about going along with this.
"When Lisa and Gingie get here, you will be crying hysterically, going on and on about what happened this morning. Even if Keith did get to Lisa first, she's going to be so pissed after she hears your 'new' story and what he did that she'll probably call and ream him a new asshole! We just have to make both of them promise not to give out the details, because this version would definitely have his ass out here ASAP."
Allura smiled, excited about the devious new plan, but worried at the same time. "Gen, I don't know. What's the point? If I just tell Keith the truth, he'll go along with it. I'm tired of all these games."
Geni rolled her eyes. "Why? Because it's more fun this way!"
Allura was not convinced.
"Keith obviously doesn't mind playing games with you. He could have easily avoided all the drama this morning by asking to speak to you privately and then confronting you with the evidence...but nooooo. He decided it was better to turn into the hard-ass commanding officer and scare you by threatening to take you off the Force. He totally played you! He knows how proud and stubborn you are and he totally baited you with Dylan - so forgive me for wanting to mess with him a bit longer on your behalf!"
Allura thought about it. She's right. He did bait me. He used my insecurities against me, knowing full well that I had to have heard how good Dylan was - little does he know - and he knew how I would react!
She looked up at Geni and smiled. God, is she Lance's sister or what? "OK, I'm in."
Geni grinned devilishly. "Great! But first things first - you've got to contact the Castle and apologize to Coran. I'm sure he's worried about you."
Allura took a deep breath and nodded.
"And then get yourself ready, because after we chat with Ginger and Lisa, we're going shopping again. I think 'Dylan' needs some new clothes for the amount of bar-hopping she's gonna be doing...and a visit to St. Jimmy won't hurt, either."
Allura clasped her hands together excitedly. This really was exactly what she needed. She couldn't wait to start this next phase of her life at the GAA.
XXXXXXXXXX
Keith couldn't sleep. He got up earlier than usual and hit the gym, hoping that some Tai Chi would help him relax and focus before the team came out to join him for Lion practice. It didn't work.
Several hours had passed by in a blur, and it was almost time for lunch. Keith was trying hard to concentrate on the mounds of paperwork he had to finish, knowing very well that Nanny would give him grief if he were late yet again, but he just couldn't concentrate. He thought about contacting the Princess and just confronting her with his suspicions.
Too late now. He remembered that he had no way to contact her, and Geni was probably too mad to talk to him right now.
Dylan. I'll get her to talk.
His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. "Come in."
Coran stepped into the office. "Captain, I hope I am not interrupting," he began as he walked towards the desk.
Keith threw down his pen down and looked up at Allura's trusted advisor. "No, Coran, have a seat. I can't concentrate anyway. What's up?"
"I didn't get a chance to tell you that I received a rather interesting call late last night from none other than our Princess." Coran's eyes glimmered with amusement at Keith's reaction. He knew well how the Commander felt about his surrogate daughter - and vice versa - and found it quite entertaining the way they tried to ignore and hide it. Ah, to be young again.
"What did she have to say for herself?" Keith leaned back in his chair, slightly annoyed.
Coran closed his eyes for a brief moment, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. "She wanted to apologize to me for her behavior."
"Oh, is that so?" Keith still looked annoyed. "Did she try to convince you to reinstate her?"
"No, quite the contrary; although, it would not have been my decision to make regardless." Coran paused as Keith nodded. "She simply stated that she regretted that she allowed her lapse in judgment to cause her to speak to me disrespectfully. She also stated that while she is saddened by the turn of events, she feels that it is time that she is trusted to make her own decisions, and she is hopeful that once her training is completed that we will begin to take her more seriously."
He glanced at Keith, waiting for some kind of response.
Keith's brows were furrowed in what seemed to be a combination of anger and contemplation as he looked back at Coran. "Very well, Coran. I'm glad that she had the good sense to call you and apologize. You, of all people, did not need to be on the receiving end of her anger. Thank you for letting me know." He gave a half-hearted smile.
"Of course, Commander." He stood up to leave. "I will let you get back to your work. Please do try to come to lunch in a timely manner - Nanny has been quite unbearable since the Princess has been out of town."
"Will do, Coran."
Once Coran was gone, Keith let out a deep sigh and ran his hand through his hair. He collapsed onto his desk, resting his cheek against a stack of papers and closing his eyes.
The silence was broken by a beep that could only indicate an incoming call on the vid-screen. Keith answered it, and the screen filled with the face of a very angry Lisa.
"Lis?"
"Can it, Kogane! Ginger and I just saw Allura at Geni's. What the FUCK did you do?" she yelled.
Keith rolled his eyes, sighed, and slammed his head down on his desk, putting his hands behind his head. This is going to be a long day.
xKxAxTxHxDxMxDx
"So, where are we going tonight?" Allura asked, smoothing back her dark hair. "You said it's not the usual place."
"No, it's not The Hangar, it's a champagne bar called Cuvee," Geni replied. "Remember how I told you to get all decked out tonight? Yeah, there was a reason for it."
Allura and Geni had certainly glammed themselves up for the night. Allura wore a sultry dress, a curve-hugging confection of many different shades of blue, with new shoes from St. Jimmy - strappy anthracite lamé glitter platforms with a four-and-a-half-inch heel. Geni was no slouch herself, dressing in a strapless, pale sky-blue leather minidress. She wore her own St. Jimmy shoes on her feet, black suede peep-toed sandals with a rhinestone strap and a five-inch heel. They both looked amazing, and Allura was surprised at how good her dress looked against her new hair color.
"Yes, but you never told me what the reason was."
"Oops. It must've slipped my mind." Geni shot her a wicked grin, trying not to stumble in her too-high heels. "Well, you remember our boy Liam, right?"
"How could I forget?" Allura rolled her eyes.
"Well, the rest of his teammates - the ones under his command on the Infinity - are throwing their Commander Lochlan a birthday party. Liam invited the whole lot of us to come along." She smirked.
"Wow, he must have no friends if he invited us."
"Yeah, well...when you're a womanizer as bad as he is, your social status sorta declines." Geni threw an arm out to hail a cab, and they were both grateful when one stopped right in front of them. "Oh, thank God. There was no way I could walk to Cuvee in these heels. They are so hot, but they're not the easiest to walk in."
"And they won't be the easiest for Cliff to resist, either," Allura teased.
Geni rolled her eyes. "Oh, shut up."
The rest of the ride was quiet, and Geni tipped the driver generously before stepping out onto the pavement in front of Cuvee. It was not a huge space; it was obvious that Liam's crew must have rented out the entire lounge for the night. As they attempted to enter through the front door, the bouncer stopped them. "If you're not on the list, you can't go in."
"Sure," Allura told him. "Dylan MacKenzie and Genevieve McClain."
The bouncer looked over his list. Nodding, he crossed their names off. "You may go in, ladies."
Geni winked at Allura and linked her arm through her roommate's. "Come, my darling. Destiny - and Liam's shitty party - await."
"Great." Allura made a face.
The inside of the lounge was stunning. It was dimly-lit, with low leather banquettes in shades of purple and ivory, flanked by glass-topped tables. There were candles and vases filled with purple flowers everywhere, and a wall that was entirely devoted to housing vast amounts of champagne bottles. "Wow, this is gorgeous!" Geni cried out, looking around at the crowd that had assembled for Liam's birthday. "What a great place to throw a party!"
"You're telling me." Lisa tapped Geni on the shoulder. "I'm glad you and Dylan made it, Gen. Tell me, is Allura OK?"
"She is. She's back with my friends at USF. I made sure to tell them to treat her extra-nice - I mean, you saw how she was earlier."
"I did." Lisa's dark eyes narrowed. "I already called up Keith to tell him off. I hated seeing Allura like that. He had no right in booting her off the Force."
At the mention of Keith's name, Allura looked up and over at Lisa. The Sea Team member looked stunning, dressed in an entirely appropriate purple sequined racerback minidress and glittery smoky-colored pumps. "I hope he's pissed at himself, Lis. He never should have said what he did."
Poor Allura must be hurting terribly. "Keith was way out of line," she agreed, smacking her boyfriend in response.
"Hey!" Jeff cried out, rubbing his arm. "What did I do?"
"You roomed with that bastard at the Academy."
"You've gotta be kidding me. I deserved a smack for that?"
"You've deserved a smack for less than that."
Jeff shook his head. "I can't win."
"That's right, you can't." Ginger smacked his other arm before planting a kiss on his cheek. Her dress - a strapless champagne-colored confection of chiffon and studs - was accessorized only by her strappy red patent leather heels. "Not with us around, anyway. So, why aren't you winning again?"
"Gingie, how drunk are you?" Jeff's eyes fixed on the martini glass in his fellow Air Team pilot's hand. It was empty. "And why are you drinking something other than champagne at a champagne bar?"
"Martinis get me drunk much faster than bubbly."
"Good God. I hope you're not trying to close the deal with the birthday boy. You've already been down that road...remember?"
She shrugged. "Hey, there's a reason you guys nicknamed me Martini."
Geni, Allura, and Lisa all laughed.
"Come on, Dylan, I think we need a drink." Geni grabbed Allura's hand and dragged her over to the bar. "I don't care if it's Liam's birthday - if anything, I need a drink because it's his birthday. So I don't slap him across the face when he hits me with one of his cheesy pick-up lines."
Allura laughed. "True enough. What do you want to order?"
"This is a champagne bar. We're gonna order champagne, duh. The real stuff from France, not the knock-offs from Cali."
"Your call."
Geni ordered two glasses of Veuve Clicquot champagne, slapping down enough cash to cover the bill plus tip. She handed one glass to her roommate, then clinked their glasses together. "Cheers, Baby," she offered, taking a long guzzle of the bubbly drink.
As Allura was taking a sip, she saw...him.
With his dark hair, tall frame, lean build, and piercing eyes, he reminded her of Keith. Dressed in well-fitting charcoal-grey pants and a white button-down shirt, he oozed a casual sexiness that made Allura break out in goosebumps. Even better, he was standing between Cliff and Liam, sipping from a martini glass and laughing along with his two superiors.
"Geni, who is that?" she hissed.
Geni looked over her shoulder, her eyes darting over to where Allura's gaze had landed. She smiled. "Wow, girl, you've certainly got good taste in guys. That would be Lieutenant Commander Italo Luciano of the S.S. Infinity." Another wicked grin came over her face. "Come on. Let's go wish Liam a happy birthday."
"Wait...what...?"
Downing her drink and placing the empty glass on the bar, Geni dragged Allura over to where Liam, Cliff and Italo were talking. The princess paled as her roommate situated her between Liam and Italo, then positioned herself between the birthday boy and Cliff.
"Well! There you are, Loves." Liam's face momentarily brightened. "Have you come to wish me a happy birthday?"
"Amongst other things." Geni coughed, commanding Italo's attention. "Lieutenant Commander Luciano, have you met my roommate, 2nd Lieutenant Dylan MacKenzie?" She raised an eyebrow mischievously.
Amusement glimmered in his dark eyes. "Not yet, 2nd Lieutenant McClain," he answered, glancing over Allura in her tight bandage dress. "I'd offer to buy you a drink, 2nd Lieutenant MacKenzie, but it seems you already have one."
The words were hardly out of his mouth before Geni grabbed the nearly-full champagne flute out of Allura's hands. "What drink? I don't see that she has a drink." She sipped from the stolen glass.
Cliff rolled his eyes. "Smooth, Geni. Real smooth."
Italo actually threw back his head and laughed. "No, I suppose I don't see one, either," he acceded. He finished the little contents left in his martini glass in one swallow. "Well, 2nd Lieutenant MacKenzie, I see that we're both in need of a new drink." He held out his elbow for her to take. "Care to join me?"
"I'd love to." Allura took his arm and allowed him to escort her to the bar.
"Careful, Tony," Liam called out jokingly to his second-in-command. "That one's spunky!"
"We like spunky," Italo retorted.
Everyone within earshot laughed, Allura included. Surprisingly, she felt very comfortable hanging off the lieutenant commander's arm. She was still so angry with Keith that she didn't mind being fawned over by another good-looking guy. "What would you like, Dylan?" he asked as they rested against the bar. "I'm Tony, by the way."
"Tony. I thought your name was Italo?"
"It is. I'm Italian...can you tell?" He grinned, showing off perfectly white teeth. "But everyone calls me Tony."
"I see that the S.S. Infinity has a multiethnic crew."
"It does indeed." He ordered another vodka martini for himself - "Made with Cîroc, thank you" - and looked over his shoulder. "What would you like, Dylan? Another Veuve Clicquot?"
"Please."
The bartender mixed the martini and poured the champagne, and Italo paid for their drinks. "Cheers, Dylan," he toasted, clinking their glasses together. "To chance encounters and new friendships."
"Cheers, Tony." She sipped from her glass, and the bubbles made her feel light-headed. Or maybe it was Italo. He was cute, he was charming, and best of all, he didn't have Liam's poor taste in pick-up lines.
Looking over at him, she knew she could never feel for him what she felt for Keith. But then again...she was still so angry with the captain of the Voltron Force that it would serve him right if she flirted with someone who found her attractive. Forget him for now...I just want to have fun tonight.
