We're getting closer...and we are finally getting around to settling some questions...
Will Allura get her head out of her ass and forgive Keith?
Will Keith ever forgive himself?
Will Lance be a good listener for once?
Will Hunk and Pidge ever have a bigger part in my stories? LMAO
All will be answered soon!
As I have to continuously say, I DON'T OWN VOLTRON... *$#ers!
I present...
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Romelle enters Keith's room in MedTech quietly, finding that the captain is sound asleep. Coming over to the bed, she sits and gently places her hand on his, causing him to jerk awake. "Romelle…what are you doing here?"
She swallows hard, "It's Allura…she has yet to come out of her coma and Soren says you are the only one that can bring her around." His eyes widen and he sits straight up. "What do you mean? The crystal was destroyed…she was freed."
"Yes, but she put up some mental block that needs to be taken down. Soren can't get through to her…and he said only you can."
Keith stares at her, "She won't talk to me…how can I reach her?"
Romelle holds his hand, "She still loves you…Soren said that if she didn't, you would have never been able to rescue her. She may be angry, but she doesn't really want to be…she's hurt…"
"I know…and wish like all hell that I didn't do that to her. But how…?"
Romelle stands then, "Stop with the buts and let's go!" She waits patiently for Keith to get out of bed and follow her to Allura's room. She enters, but Keith hesitates at the door…not knowing why he is having such a problem going to see her. It's not like she can rail at him again or say hurtful things…
Taking a deep breath, he enters and sees Coran sitting by the bed. The Polluxian princess moves to the other side of the bed and motions for Coran to stand. Puzzled, the old advisor stands and looks at the half-clothed captain, "What is the meaning of this?"
"Soren said that only Keith could bring her back, so he's here."
A very unpleasant look crosses Coran's face, but he moves away and finally out of the room, sensing that this is something that he doesn't need to see or hear. Keith looks down into the face that has plagued him for weeks now…the golden hair, the fullness of her lips…
He can remember how all of that feels against him, how it looks when she cries out in ecstasy…but he's not here for that now. Her mind is not with her and he has to bring her back. He sits down next to her and takes her hand…Romelle takes this time to leave the room as well; knowing this is a time for the two of them. Keith doesn't take any notice of her leaving…he is totally focused on the woman in front of him. There could be a million things for him to say to ask forgiveness, but sugary words are not part of his repertoire. He looks at her and decides to speak from the heart, sending to her…
**Allura…I don't know if you can hear me, but I pray that you can. You have to come back…you have to break down those walls. Please don't let my stupidity lock you away from everyone and everything that you care about. I was wrong…I should have believed in us more, should have known that we can survive anything as long as we are together…**
He picks up her hand and places a tender kiss in the palm, only pausing to gather his thoughts, **You have to fight back…come back and fight me if you have to, but come back…please…you have to know how much I love you, how much I need to keep you safe, even at the cost of my sanity and us being together…because that is what it came down to. I had to leave you to save your life, or at least I believed that. This is all new to me and I didn't know how to react, so I went with what I thought was the right decision. I was wrong, my princess, so very goddamn wrong and I'm sorry…please…**
He closes his eyes and concentrates on the wall that he can see before him, wishing he can scale it. Suddenly, a crack appears…then another one and another one. He has to move back because the cracks are coming in waves now with a bright light is coming through. A loud bang rings in his ears as the barrier is shattered. Still trying to clear his sight, he can finally peer on the other side. Sitting on the ground, in a tight ball, is Allura…crying. He goes over to her to envelope her in his arms, rocking her and telling her that she's going to be okay. All he can get back is her tears…but it is enough…
He comes out of his trance, looking up and seeing her eyes flutter open. A brilliant smile crosses his lips as he kisses her hand once more, but she pulls it away at the last minute. A sharp pang rushes through him as he realizes that he still has a long way to go before she'll forgive him, but at least she's awake.
Allura stares into the eyes of her dark warrior and almost gives in to the rush of emotion that hits her, but the pain of being left alone and wondering comes in just as quick. She yearns to have him hold her, kiss her, have his body join with hers…but her pride won't let her give in. He hurt her deeply and it's going to take a while for her to trust him with her heart again. I know why he did it, but it doesn't make any sense…we were to face everything together, help each other through anything. He didn't trust in what we had enough…and that is the biggest pain she has. Her mind has been in turmoil since he left and it centers around her damnable pride. The frustrated princess turns from him and hears him sigh as he stands to leave. She turns back in time to see him go to the door, then pause to look back at her. A lump forms in her throat as she stares at his chiseled torso, the slim hips and powerful legs. His face has a little growth, but is still absolutely gorgeous. It seems as if his hair is calling to her, begging her to run her fingers through it and hold on tight…
Keith can feel the waves of desire flowing off of her, but she still says nothing. Her sapphire eyes stare at him unblinking and he is robbed of his speech. He knows he should say something, but how many times can a man apologize? He lets his eyes speak for him before he lowers his gaze and walks out of the door.
Tears fall from her eyes as she watches him leave, wanting to scream for him to come back…her voice leaving her. She turns to the other side of the room and let the tears fall…how can I be so in love with someone and not want to be near them?
Lance stands outside Katia's door, suddenly afraid of seeing her. What if I don't know the right things to say? What if I lets my anger get the best of me? Never in my life have I had to deal with this and it is a shock that I am considering it now. Katia is more than a casual fling…somewhere she snuck in and dug a place in his heart that he figured never existed…didn't really want to exist. Breathing deeply, he knocks at the door and waits…the door creaks open to admit him, but he doesn't see her. Walking through the door, he turns to see Katia behind the door…her face sullen and not at all like the person he had come to know and…
He changes his thought as he watches her move over to her bed and sit down. He follows her and sits next to her, waiting for some kind of sign to say something…but he gets nothing. Lance suddenly feels afraid that she's going to withdraw and become a shell, so he bravely takes the lead. "Katia…I'm not good at this, but I know what happened scared you. Believe me, if I could go back in time I would take all of it away, but I can't. All I can do is tell you that I would never let anything happen to you…that I'm here to protect you at any cost…"
She lowers her head and finally speaks, "That's what I am afraid of."
"What do you mean?"
Katia stands quickly and moves over to the window, "I lost my husband because he was trying to protect me from Lotor and his minions. I lost him and became a slave." Stricken eyes turn back to him as she continues, "I was rescued from being a slave back to being a regular woman with the opportunity to do what she wants with her life…and then I was reminded of what I had tried so hard to forget…" Her shoulders start to tremble and Lance comes over to hold her. "Kita, you don't have to worry about me and please…I'm here, love, I'm here."
She buries her head into his shoulder and sobs as he gently rubs her back. Lance kisses the top of her head and rocks her. As her sobs begin to subside, he walks her back over to the bed and lays her down. The Red Lion pilot climbs in beside her and pulls her in close. "Lance…" she murmurs and a wave of emotion washes over him. The intense need to protect her and keep her safe is not something that he is used to and he can now understand what went through Keith's mind when he decided to leave for Allura's sake. He places his head on hers and sighs…another feeling coming to him, one that he is afraid to voice as of yet.
Romelle comes in later to find Allura asleep, but lying in another position so that she knows Keith has done it. Rushing over to the bed, she grabs her hand and kisses it. "Allura! Allura, wake up!"
The Princess of Arus turns back over and hugs her cousin tight, more tears coming down her face. "What is wrong?" Romelle asks quietly and Allura cries harder. Her cousin holds her tight and rocks her, "It's okay…he does love you, so very much."
"How do you know?" Allura stammers out, hiccupping from the heavy crying. Romelle wipes her tears away and smiles, "Because he couldn't stop talking about you, or thinking about you. He understands that you're mad at him, but don't you think you are taking this too far?"
Allura pushes back, angry, "He hurt me, dammit! How am I supposed to just forgive that?"
"Do you really want to stay mad at him forever? Make both of your lives miserable because you are too damn stubborn for your own good? You need to stop and talk with him…before it really is too late."
Romelle can see that Allura is considering her words, so she stands and gets ready to leave. "I'll send Nanny and Coran in here…they have been dying to know if you are alright."
Allura nods and relaxes back against the pillows. Really, she just wants to be alone with her tormented thoughts. Her heart is telling her to stop being such a hard ass about things…it should not surprise her that he decided to take this on himself. Keith has always deemed it necessary to be her sole protector, and paid quite a price for doing such. Countless times he has been in MedTech from fighting to save her…mostly against Lotor and they haven't been easy. Keith has almost died on more than one occasion, and her heart nearly broke the last time when not only did Lotor cut him…he shot him while he was down. A solitary tear falls down her face as she remembers holding him close, willing his life not to slip away. I love him….still and always…but…
There is no damn "but"….stop doing this to yourself and him!
She sits straight up at that sudden thought…she wants to surrender, but as soon as she feels her heart open, a painful streak slices through her and she backs off. Her mind continues to war with itself as Dr. Gorma steps into the room, a look of total surprise on his face. "Your Highness? I was worried that you wouldn't come around…why didn't anyone tell me that you had awakened?" He rushes over to her and checks her vitals. "I'm fine, Dr. Gorma…a little sleepy, but otherwise fine. How is Soren?"
"Cranky, but doing well. I am letting him go in a few days…he sustained some severe bruising along his ribs and still is having a little trouble breathing without pain." He peers at her, seemingly waiting for something else that she might ask. When Allura says nothing but nods in acceptance, he continues his examination. After checking her pulse and respiration, he jots down a few notes on her chart before saying, "Well, it's good to see you with us again…Nanny was about to set up camp in here to make sure that you are okay."
The princess smiles, "When can I be released?"
"Let's not rush things…you just came out of a coma. I want you to stay a few more days for observation, then I'll make the assessment."
Cursing silently under her breath, she finally sighs and looks down. Dr. Gorma moves to the door when Allura finally speaks up, "How is Keith?"
He smiles knowingly, "He is as always…more of a pain than the actual pain he's in! He got shot in the shoulder, but it's not as serious as the slashes he has taken in the recent past." She swallows hard at that statement, but continues to listen intently, "He needs to rest the wound, but he is that determined to get out of here. So, I plan on letting him go sometime this evening with strict orders not to do any serious lifting…as if he'll listen to anything I say…"
"He listens…he's just…" Allura starts, blushing lightly.
"I know, Princess…he's just...one of the bravest young men I have ever had the pleasure of knowing, even if he's a royal pain in the ass!"
Allura smiles brightly, "I have to agree."
"Now, get some rest. Nanny and Coran will be in here before you know it." He smiles at her before leaving. Allura continues to smile; she never thought that he would feel that way about Keith, but then again…who doesn't?
She lets her thoughts drift and soon…she falls into a much needed sleep.
A knock comes at the door and the Commander calls out, "Come in…" He hears the door open and close to admit the person, but no one says anything. Coming out of the bathroom dressed in only a towel, he walks back into the room and smack into Princess Allura. His jaw drops and his arms fall to his sides as he gazes into the most captivating eyes he has ever had the pleasure to look into. To her credit, Allura maintains her composure at his lack of clothing, but it is damn hard to stand there and not be affected when she has known that body intimately. She tries valiantly to calm herself, but the effort is much more than she can handle right now, so she turns away from him and heads over to the window…gathering her suddenly scattered thoughts so she can speak.
"I wanted to thank you for what you did for me…and make sure that you were okay."
Keith is still in shock to see her here, and unfortunately his body knows it. The instant reaction to the momentary fire in her eyes forces him to stand still, building up an almost inhuman like control over his hungry body. She is dressed in a modest hospital robe, but it can't help but outline her every curve and shape. After a few tense moments, he realizes that she has spoken and answers, "I have had worse…"
"I know…" and Allura turns to looks back at him. By the lions, did he have to look like that? Clearing her throat, she moves quickly back towards the door…suddenly not able to handle this intimacy anymore and keep her resolve to stay mad at him. Before she can reach the door handle, Keith finds the will to move…rushing the door and grabbing her hand. "Please, don't go."
Terrified eyes look into soft ones as he holds the one hand and takes his other to caress her face. How he has wanted to do that… "Please, Allura…won't you talk to me? I can't stand this distance between us."
She pulls away gently, "You started this. You were the one who wanted to end it…now you're sorry? You couldn't tell me or give me any idea of what was going on so that I could understand…you tell me good-bye and walk away." Allura turns her head…tears starting to fall, "Dammit…I hate all this crying!" she murmurs and Keith lowers his head.
"I know I was wrong…how many times do I have to say it? Will you ever let me make it up to you? I love you…"
She spins back on him, "Don't you say that! Don't ever say that again! If you loved me so much, how could you have hurt me so? You…I believed in you and in us…why couldn't you?" Her shoulders start to heave and he gives into the urge to comfort her…but as he reaches out for her, Allura pushes him away. "No! I won't hear it anymore! I…can't…" and she runs out the room. If it wasn't for the fact that he is still in a towel, Keith would have run after her, but instead he walks over to the bed and falls into it…pounding the pillow repeatedly while cursing. "Damn! Why won't she listen?!"
"Who?"
He picks his head up and stares into Lance's smirking face. "Now is not the time, McClain…"
Lance merely shrugs, "I see you have talked with the Princess…so, how'd it go?" It takes everything in the captain not to punch Lance in his mouth, "How do you think?"
"I think you are going to be groveling for quite some time." Lance replies solemnly. He plops down on the bed next to the prone captain and slaps him on the back. "At least she's speaking to you…it may be in the screaming form, but she's not quiet."
Keith looks up, "Have you been able to help Katia?" and Lance looks down, "All I've been doing is holding her…she doesn't want to talk yet."
Keith pats him on the leg, "She'll let you know when she's ready. Being there seems to be the best thing for her right now…" and a sharp glance from Lance tells him what he has already known. "Yeah, now I give advice I should have taken!"
They both laugh and start to discuss new rotations and drills for the upcoming weeks. When Lance finally decides it's time to see Katia, Keith feels much better…but his heart still aches for something that only Allura can supply.
