It took some time for the journey back to planet Amestris. Enough days passing for word to travel. They would learn of the outcome to the great battle held in planet Doom's territory. How Zarkon continued to send ships as reinforcement, overwhelming the Garrison fleet. What had started as a mighty amount of thirty warships, and thousands upon thousands off fighter jets, was quickly dwindled down.

Even with the Galaxy Alliance sending in a back up armada, and Voltron lending aid, Doom refused to back down. It was as though Zarkon would have been content to destroy all sides rather than concede a loss. In the end, the Alliance had to negotiate an agreement, one that would allow both factions to cease fire long enough to collect their survivors' escape pods.

It was disappointing to Allura, to know the Alliance and Garrison hadn't been able to claim a true victory over Doom. She had wanted the Drules that survived to be gathered up by Garrison's ships. She had wanted those survivors to be taken to be tried for their crimes. But more than that, Allura had wanted Lotor to be forced to pay for his crimes.

She often found herself sighing, Allura not sure how exactly she felt knowing Lotor was still out there. For one brief moment she had allowed herself to believe he had died in the explosion Keith had triggered. She had actually cried when word trickled in that the crown prince of Doom having survived somehow. But not without cost. Currently Lotor was comatose, healing from extensive burns and a myriad of lesser injuries.

Lotor wasn't the only notable figure to have survived the battle. Haggar and Cossack had, and were presumedly the ones who had carried Lotor to an escape pod. Any hope Allura had had of the truth behind her baby's paternity staying a secret, had died with the Drules' survival. Haggar had wasted no time in informing Zarkon of the son Allura carried. A son Zarkon was now eager to collect, especially with Lotor out of commission.

By the time they reached planet Amestris, the Drule lawyers had already begun the paper work to try and claim custody of the baby Allura carried. Allura had been quick to meet with her own lawyers, to hold a hurried strategy planning session. It wasn't an easily won case for Doom. Especially not with Lotor's most recent crimes. Allura was able to press charges against Lotor, some of which included kidnapping, blackmail, and sexual assault. She was even able to sue him for forcing her to undergo a medical procedure that could have proved deadly to her unborn child.

Her lawyers were able to procure restraining orders against Lotor. One for Allura, and one for the baby. The judge hadn't even hesitated, outraged at all Lotor had done, and in his planet's jurisdiction. If they could, Amestris would have gladly extricated Lotor from planet Doom in order to force him to stand trial and pay for his crimes. Unfortunately, no one could get close to Doom let alone past the planet's barricade to take Lotor into custody.

Even worse, Doom refused to acknowledge Lotor had done anything wrong. Just as they refused to take seriously the law of any planets that were not part of the Empire. Amestris was a neutral world, but even if it had been part of the Alliance, they wouldn't have been able to truly force Doom to obey their laws. By that same reasoning, the Alliance and Amestris had decided that they didn't have to take seriously any laws or legal documents from planet Doom. There had been a mighty cheer in Amestris' courts, when the judge put an end to the trial, and declared the documents Lotor had forced Allura to sign as useless.

Doom's lawyers had immediately tried for an appeal. The judge laughed them out of court. So long as Allura did not want to honor the papers, there was nothing anyone could do to force Arus to become part of the Doom Empire. Arus was saved, and more importantly so was the Galaxy! No longer did anyone have to fear Doom getting it's hands on the mighty defender, Voltron.

Of course it wasn't so easy to get Doom to pull back it's attack on planet Arus. Even now the skies were flooded with ships. Garrison was fighting with them, trying to run them off. The Drule barricade of ships was still in place, making it difficult to come and go from Arus. But holes were appearing, the combined might of the lions and Garrison slowly but surely wearing down the Drule ships. Reinforcements from Doom were in short supply, something preventing Zarkon from sending more as back up.

Allura didn't want to wonder just what that something was. She feared Zarkon was actively making plans, plotting to somehow get his hands on her, or more importantly on her baby. He had already made a push to make a claim on the child, trying to get everyone to acknowledge that Arus belong to Doom due to who the baby's father was. Fortunately no one wanted to acknowledge any such thing, once again claiming that Doom's laws had no effect on an Alliance governed world.

It bought them some time, but not enough of it. Allura was sure Zarkon would step up his game. That he'd try to kidnap her, force Allura to Doom. As such the castle was on high alert, extra security being brought in to protect the princess. She didn't know if it would be enough, nor could she truly feel safe. Not when she remembered how it had been humans who had delivered her into Lotor's hands during her time on Amestris.

Allura hated being scared. But she couldn't stop the fears, couldn't stop herself from staring searchingly into every new face she saw. Looking for signs that they might be the next to betray her.

New pilots were appointed to Voltron. There was the main team led by Keith, along with two back up teams. One of which was led by Lieutenant Alfred. The teams of Voltron were being rotated on a weekly basis. The new recruits were practicing piloting the lions as often as they could. They were getting much practice against the Doom ships that crowded Arus' sky. Bit by bit they were improving. The hope was that someday they would be as good as the original team of Voltron.

Allura herself was glad to be back home. One of the first things she had done, was to undergo a complete check up by Doctor Gorma. It felt good to be examined by a doctor she actually knew and trusted. Even better was his confirmations that her baby was healthy, showing no signs of any damage done by the paternity test procedure. Allura was also preparing for a pregnancy that might be tougher than most, and all because her baby was part Drule. The pregnancy itself was one of high risk. Allura would have to do much to minimize stress and danger.

She could avoid the danger by staying out of the battles. She still missed piloting blue lion, but Allura wanted her baby to be born more than she wanted to fight. Stress however was harder to control, especially with Allura's worries and fears about Zarkon's plans for her and her baby. She couldn't know it then, but Allura had a right to be worried.

King Zarkon WAS plotting. But beyond that he was livid. His anger was born of Lotor's failure to deliver Allura and the child she carried to Doom. He wanted-needed to control the baby's fate. Needed to mold the boy into becoming the kind of heir Zarkon could be proud of. He didn't even want to think what kind of upbringing the boy would have on Arus, how weak and kind hearted the child would be. He feared Allura's influence on the boy, just as he worried the child's human side would overpower it's Drule blood.

To say that King Zarkon was frantic to get his hands on the baby would be putting it mildly. The boy would be more than just the heir to the Doom Empire. He would be that which brought them everything Zarkon had ever wanted. Arus would become his, but more importantly, control of Voltron would be gained. Zarkon took a special kind of pleasure in the thought of Allura's own child being her planet's downfall. Not just Arus would suffer, the whole galaxy would quake under the might of the Doom Empire combined with the robot, Voltron.

Sometimes Zarkon wondered why he hadn't thought of this route himself. Why he had mocked Lotor for so long, downplayed his son's desire to be with the princess of Arus. He hadn't considered how Lotor getting Allura pregnant would simplify things. But now that she was pregnant with Lotor's child, Zarkon was quick to act. Let the Alliance and Garrison refuse to honor Doom's laws, let them refuse Doom's claim on the planet. They'd be able to do nothing once Zarkon got Allura and the baby on planet Doom.

Zarkon wasn't content to wait. Already he had plans set in motion. They had thought Lotor a nuisance for his obsession with Allura. They'd soon learn what true obsession was, once Zarkon began the first of many attempts to kidnap the pregnant princess of Arus. Zarkon didn't give a damn about Allura. She was merely an incubator for the child inside her. He'd keep her alive long enough for her to give birth, then toss her aside. Maybe give her to Lotor if the damn fool ever woke up from his coma.

The fact that Lotor was still unconscious worried Zarkon. It was a worry he kept hidden from all others. It had nothing to do with Lotor as a person, or even as his son. Zarkon was just aware that Lotor's condition put them in a precarious position. It left the throne vulnerable, Zarkon's only heir hardly fit to take the crown should something happen to the King. Already people were gearing up to challenge Zarkon for his kingdom. More than ever he needed Allura, needed her baby. Needed to show the people of the Doom Empire that he had a successor in place should Lotor actually die.

It would go a long way towards appeasing the Drules, and truth be known Zarkon was looking forward to starting over. In avoiding the mistakes he had made with Lotor. He was determined that his grandson would not be so weak minded, so easily seduced by a pretty face. The child would grow up strong, ruthless and cruel, knowing no concept of mercy or good. He would corrupt that child, make his very heart twisted. Make it so the boy was nothing like Allura, and everything like Zarkon.

The galaxy would know to fear the Drules once more. And it would be because of Allura's child, that that fear would be renewed.

The End...

Okay! This was more like an epilogue chapter. Just to wrap up the second story. There will be a third one, but I don't know when I'll write it, or under what subtitle. I'm not sure yet how the third story would end...people seem pretty divided on if Lotor should get Allura permanently. (It's like Harem Slave all over again with the heated opinions about this!) I do know the third story would take place a few months after Allura gave birth to the baby.

Now it's time for my usual rambling author's extra/omake I do when I finish a Voltron story. I say rambling, cause my thoughts are all over the place when it comes to trying to remember stuff about the completed story. I'm sorta looking forward to writing some kind of cutesy scene, where the original V-force pilots play daddy uncle to Allura's baby. Just them spoiling the kid rotten. XD

I don't want to talk too much about what I planned for the third Lusting. Partly cause it's iffy, with people making suggestions. The people who want a happy ending for Allura AND Lotor, and together...well I remember at least one person suggesting Lotor wake up with amnesia. But I'm not sure I want to do that, since I have my own plot for an amnesia Lotor (Not to mention a sleeping princess take with Allura having memory loss) story. And I don't really want to have two Lotor has amnesia storylines going on.

For what I imagine for the third fic, I have it figured out to a point. And then I get stuck...I know I can't please everyone with the decision I have to make at the part I am stuck at. But it doesn't help me get unstuck any quicker. Whatever the case, I am taking a break from Lusting to relax a little. Ha, I say relax when I am currently working hard on Duty's End and For Better or For Worse. XD But it feels like a break cause Lotor is not as bad in those as he was in this one. (Though he's kinda a douchebag in For Better...)

For the longest time I hesitated to continue the Lusting series. Mainly I was scaring myself with the thought of writing courtroom scenes. I was scared I would really mess up, and it would absolutely SUCK. Ironically, the few courtroom scenes I had, they proved rather fun to write! Even if they were more a recap of what happened in the first Lusting Effects.

I wrote the first chapter of A Pregnant Pause right after I finished the first Lusting Effects. That was YEARS ago. I can remember worrying over the scene with Lotor and the slave girl...but then when I finally was ready to work on this story, I realized it fit well. He was that crazy and upset. Part of what got me so fired up to write the sequel, was to write Lotor's crazy thoughts.

I'm trying to think what else...ah the epilogue. Not really liking it...I first tried to write out the actual courtroom scene...I sat on 29 for the longest time, cause I wasn't sure if I was gonna try and rewrite it. I originally wanted courtroom scenes, and then switch to a Zarkon POV. This story fell short one chapter of 30...I remember wondering if I would finish by that number or go over, and was so happy when I realized I could wrap it up under 30!

I managed to work pretty steadily on this story from like two to twenty something. And then I got bad burn out. I felt like the last few chapters before my burnout sucked really bad. And I had to put a break on the fic and work on something else. I think I switched to one of my Valkyrie Profile stories. You guys and gals on this site didn't notice a delay, cause I was staggering out the chapters slowly during my break. Oddly enough, when I came back to finish the fic, there was maybe only three chapters left for me to write! But I had really needed that break.

One of the things I considered doing, and maybe I should have...was have Haggar try and do something to make Allura miscarry. But I ultimately decided against it. She had enough to deal with, without the witch threatening her. But I remember thinking of a scene, where Lotor learns Haggar sent some kind of special meal/drink to Allura, and it would be a big rush against time. Would he make it there in time to prevent Allura from eating/drinking that drug laced item.

I always put off writing these author's extra until the last minute...to the point I forget what I want to say. But I do remember I want to thank everyone who supported me and this story. From the people on this site, to those who read it on live journal, and even those who commented on my Doomed Romance site. Thanks everyone! You guys kept my grinning, and more improtantly excited to get the next chapters out! Thanks deeply from my heart.

-Michelle

Dimeras Lover, oh my! Now you got me thinking maybe I should do some kind of interlude story before I try to tackle Lusting three. But it's hard to say why without spoiling what I wanted to do for the third installment. ^^;; I like that you are willing to conisder that Garrison could be ruthless and do some bad things. I know some of the fandom doesn't like to consider the thought of the good guys doing bad things. I guess that's the kind of entertainment we get saddled with...like I remember playing this video game, Grandia 2, and it came down to either killing the innocent lady, or letting her live but risking the rest of the people of the world...the do it for the greater good choice...and they couldn't do it. Come to think of it, remember that one Voltron epiosde, where the bad guys caught one of Allura's mice? And the V-force didn't know what to do, cause the mouse would be hurt/killed if they fought back...the way they were acting, they were gonna let Doom enslave Arus for a single mouse? But then the cartoon had the mouse get rescued, so Voltron Force could finally kick some Doom ass. But that was still a big WTF moment to me! Some of what you wrote, is sorta making me lean towards one ending over another in what way I should go to resolve the place I am stuck at. You gave me a lot of valuable thoughts to have about this situation. Thank you. And thank you for remaining to the end, to read A Pregnant Pause. I hope you'll be around when I finally do get around to trying to write out story three. I hope it won't take me years to do like it did with this one. I have too many ideas, and not enough Michelle to go around and get to everything. But writings fun. Even if I get frustrated I can't get to everything. In the middle of working this one, I started developing another idea with a evil Galaxy Garrison...but I didn't stop working on Lusting 2, to start that one. I almost regret it, cause now I don't feel inspired for that idea. But I have my notes for the idea, if ever I should get inspired that way again! I am happy I got to complete Lusting Effects 2! ^_- Now to get cracking on some other fics...but my other fandom is calling to me too! *panics over the workload* Thanks again dear!