Good evening everyone.

I'm posting early this week because tomorrow I'm going to be home late and I'm not sure if I'll be able to post. So, I'm playing it safe this week. Enjoy this chapter! Next chapter, the countdown begins…..

KathDMD: Lovey, I think you are going to love Jill even more. Wait till the next chapter! The bashing will end soon and then all of the KA sweetness will begin.

Animebookchic: Thank you. I think you are going to love the next couple of chapters. Hope you like them.

Smithy: Wait till chapter 30…or is it 31…

JustLucky05: Jill is the bomb chic of the bomb chics! Well, I see her that way. LOL. She's pretty awesome. I hope you continue to like her. Oh and the perfume….that thing ….that thing is evil! You'll see.

Achangel Wolf: Your sweet Allura will come soon, I promise. I like that title. As Arus Turns….I should have called the fic that….LOL.

Guest: Thank you so much for reading. Oh, they will go crazy and it's not that far away from happening.

BKNBU: Keith and Elika…don't you like the sound of that? I'm kidding! Or…am I? Yes, yes I do enjoy torturing you. It's just so much fun!

Okay guys…next chapter will go on as scheduled. Have an awesome week!

Chapter 29

They left Black lion at the landing bay. Before he left, Pidge told Keith that he would need to charge Black remotely in order for the lion to function at its full capacity. Charging Black remotely would take almost three times longer than charging it from the castle, but at least it could be done.

After Elika showed him to his room and he settled for a few minutes, the councilwoman suggested that she and Keith go on horseback to the construction site. This way, she would be able to show him some of the city along the way.

Once they arrived, Keith noticed the amount of work he had ahead. The land was completely compromised by the severe attacks from Doom. Black lion could certainly do the work, but this would be more of Yellow lion's forte. He almost wished he would have taken Hunk's lion instead, but he'd have to make do.

"Wow," he sighed looking over at the rough terrain that he would somehow need to flatten in order to lay a foundation.

"I know, it's a lot right?" she looked worried, "I mean if you don't think you can do it on your own…"

"No, it's fine," he smiled. "It may take me a little longer." He paused for a moment before adding, "Black's specialties are not really to flatten terrains like these. This is more of Yellow's line of work. But it doesn't mean that it can't be done. I can do it Elika."

"Good," she nodded, "I wasn't sure if we would be able to do anything with this area."

"What are you thinking of building here?" he asked as he continued surveying the area.

She looked at him and grinned, "I'd like to build a university."

Keith turned, his eyes widened in amazement. He was impressed, "A university?"

"Think about it," she sounded enthusiastic, "Arus is growing in popularity, and research has shown that most of the college bound adults are looking to attend universities that have a strong military program."

"And that's what you are planning on doing here," Keith nodded.

"Absolutely. Well, with your and the queen's approval of course." Elika shrugged shyly. "Who wouldn't want to attend Arus University? After all, I would hope that members of the Voltron Force would serve as guest lectures and professors. It does help that the mascot would be…Voltron?"

At the mention of that Keith laughed, "Voltron? A mascot?"

"Well, maybe a lion…I don't know, I haven't gotten that far yet. But, in the long run, I would love to have a football team. Terran universities are infamous for having them. Why not us too?"

"You've really put a lot of thought into this, haven't you?"

"This year alone, the Academy had to turn away students who never had the opportunity to attend while young," she nodded, "Think about the opportunity to have that select group attend our university, get a degree and prepare them for entrance into the Academy to finish post graduate studies. We can catch them up with the Garrison or if they choose, for the Arusian Army. There are a lot of possibilities. Who knows…maybe we could even train future Voltron pilots."

"Who wouldn't want to be part of the Voltron legacy," Keith continued for her.

"Absolutely!" Elika replied, "So, that's why I've been so…eager to start this project. The university will also increase the town's economy, it will create more jobs and…what?"

"I've never seen someone so excited about a project," Keith answered simply as he looked at her in awe, "I was just with Councilman Butler yesterday. And compared to you, the excitement for his project was pathetically small."

"I sound crazy, don't I?" she asked, now worried.

"No!" he immediately answered, a bright smile forming, "I'm…I'm glad you're enthusiastic, I just wish more people were." He looked away shyly when he saw her blush. "Listen, I'd be glad to help you make this a reality."

"Really?"

"If you need more help…I'd be happy to do it," he answered firmly.

"Thank you Keith," Elika smiled. "I'd very much appreciate all your help and support."

The two remained quiet for a moment, looking over the landscape. Keith realized that it would take him maybe three to four days to complete the work. If he had brought in the castle crew, it would have taken them a few weeks, not to mention the expense of materials, salaries and time. Right now, those resources were needed at the castle for security. Black could handle this on its own. Absentmindedly, Keith began rubbing the temples on the side his head. He felt a pain along the side of his head that left him a little dazed.

"Are you alright?" Elika suddenly asked.

"Yes," he nodded, "I'm fine, just a bit of a headache. I had it this morning, and I thought it was gone. Guess it's coming back."

"Maybe, we should go back to my home. You can rest for a while before beginning the work."

"No, Elika," Keith quickly replied, "I'll be fine. In any case, the sooner I start, the better. This is going to take me about three to four days to complete."

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" she asked, still sounding uncertain.

"I'm sure," the commander nodded then smiled to put her at ease, "Black should have enough juice to do a couple of hours of work. Come on, let's go."

XXXXXXXXXX

The afternoon rolled away and Allura found herself working in her office after spending some time with Jill and the rest of the group. She had been working on a proposal for Galaxy Garrison to bring in additional military personnel to the Azure quadrant to help those planets with a less than stellar military force when she suddenly felt a cramping sensation. "Oh," she gasped. Allura closed her eyes and waited for the pain to subside. Within a minute, she started to feel a bit better. "What the…"she said to herself as she breathed in.

She jumped when she heard a knock at her door. "Come in," she called out as she tried to sit up.

"Your Majesty," Nanny walked in smiling, "I came to remind you that Dr. Eckhart's welcome dinner is tonight. I've already drawn your bath and laid out your clothes for dinner."

Smiling gratefully, the queen replied, "Thank you Nanny." Looking around her desk, she said, "I'm pretty much done for today, anyway." Standing up, she once again felt the cramp, but this time, she almost doubled over.

Seeing the sudden pain in her charge's expression, Nanny rushed to her, "Allura!"

"I'm alright, just a cramp," she gently replied, "I just tired. It's been awfully busy these past two days."

"Maybe you should rest tonight," the governess suggested, "I'm sure Dr. Eckhart won't mind."

"No, I couldn't do that to her on her first night on Arus," Allura shook her head, "Besides, it's just dinner. I'll excuse myself as soon as I can."

Not sure she liked the idea, Nanny just sighed. Lately, when Allura was determined to do something, she wouldn't budge. At the moment, it didn't look like the time to argue with her, "Come on, let's get you ready then."

XXXXXXXXXX

Allura tried to relax in warm water of her tub. After she had told Nanny how tired she was, the governess even prepared scented candles to help her to relax a bit before dinner. Unfortunately, it hadn't worked. Her mind kept wondering what Keith was doing and if he was with the councilwoman. It was so strange that the farther away he was, the more she cared. If he was within sight, she couldn't stand him.

Sighing, she then tried to understand her recent dreams. The little girl, the plum tree with the fallen leaves, "Always the same damn dream," Allura muttered. Leaning her head back on the bath pillow, she closed her eyes. What could Keith be doing? How long was he planning to stay in Irmiria? "Where is he staying?" she suddenly wondered as she sat up in the tub. Immediately picking up her comm. from the small table beside the tub, she dialed Lance, "Come on…"

"Hey Allura, what's up?"

"Did Keith tell you if he would be staying at the councilwoman's home?" she asked, not even bothering to hide the anger in her tone.

"Ah," Lance paused, seeming highly uncomfortable, "Well, no, not really. I mean, isn't it customary for you guys to stay at the councilmember's homes when you visit?" Damn it, he knew where this was going and he didn't like it one bit.

"Yes it is, but I didn't realize he would be staying at that woman's house by himself," she replied to him, raising voice.

"Allura, don't start with that," Lance tried laughing it off, "What do you think Keith would do over there? He's there to complete that project, that's all."

"Do you think that's the only thing he'll do?" Allura asked with sarcasm in her tone.

"Allura!" Lance raised his voice, "How could you speak about Keith that way? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Forget it," she tried to dismiss him." She sighed with frustration, "If he calls, make sure to tell me, I don't care how late."

"Fine," Lance responded in a curt tone before he terminated communication.

Lying back in the tub, Allura tried again to relax when another cramp hit her. This one was worse than the first one she experienced in her office, and it also lasted longer. She breathed in and out, trying to control her breathing while waiting for it to pass, "This is what I get for stressing so much." Within a couple of minutes, the pain once again disappeared.

Feeling better, the queen decided it was time to get ready and join the others in the dining hall.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Tell me, how long before this "cocktail" you conjured up takes effect?"

One of the things that Davis hated the most was waiting. He still had a day of flight time before arriving on Earth and considering that he had nothing left to do but read and watch more news on the wedding of the damn century, he decided to call his contact to ask more questions about the "cocktail" Liam had administered to the Prince of Arus.

"I told you that it's going to be somewhat of a slow process," the source responded. "The cocktail works subtly. He'll think he's catching a cold. He'll experience, headaches, coughing fits and voice strain, followed by respiratory failure. No one will even think it's a poison. Unless they test his blood culture, but it's highly unlikely."

"So they won't be able to trace it?"

"I'd be very surprised if they did, Davis," the man laughed. "You'd have to have the world's worst luck I've ever seen."

"I just want to make sure it's a done deal."

"Would you stop worrying," the guy snorted. "The prince is as good as dead."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Your Highness," Keith heard a voice coming from his comm. unit, "Don't you think you should call it a day?"

Smiling softly, he answered, "I'm almost finished, Ms. Janner."

"Good, because I have dinner ready. It's a treat!" she said brightly. "My staff prepared a cuisine for you."

"Really?" Keith smirked, "Can't wait for it. Give me about twenty minutes and I'll head in."

"Alright," Elika answered, "I'll have the staff serve around seven-thirty, if that's okay with you."

"Perfect. It will give me a chance to shower and dress before then. Thank you Ms. Janner. I'll see you soon," he told her before communication with her.

As Keith tried to wrap up for the day, his mind wondered to what the team would be doing. He looked down at his watch, it was six o'clock, "Probably having Jill's welcome dinner," he said as he laid down the last of the dirt for the land he was flattening.

His thoughts returned to everything that he had been thinking about all afternoon. Allura might have been happier since he was not around. That bothered him tremendously. He dreamed of being with Allura, of her loving him as much as he loved her. What had happened to them was just not fair and not right. Why would the Drules do what they did to them? What was the purpose? Lotor hasn't even attacked again…what is going on here?

"Ouch!" The pain in his head hit him again. It had been hitting him for the last few hours and felt even stronger now. Even worse, he was starting to feel very run down and achy.

He had also started coughing. Keith knew right there and then that he had caught a hell of a cold. "Damn it," he muttered. Seeing that he had advanced as much as he could in the last few hours, Keith decided to stop for the day and headed back to landing strip. He wanted nothing but to head to bed as soon as possible.

"Let's hope dinner won't take that long, I'm beat," he said to himself as Black lion took off.

XXXXXXXXXX

Lance couldn't stop staring at Jill throughout dinner. She had to be the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Before, he thought Allura was, and she still was beautiful. But she never evoked the feelings Jill stirred in him. Her hair was as black as a starless night and her eyes were an emerald green that when the light hit them, he swore they shined like the gem itself. Jeez, what is wrong with me? he asked himself. It didn't help that she would smile at him every time she caught him staring. Every time she looked his way, his mind went blank. He felt like a prepubescent teenager.

The evening was going as well as it could be. The conversation was light and Allura behaved normally, probably because Keith wasn't there. A small wave of sadness swept through Lance and at that moment, Jill turned to look at him with concern. He smiled at her sadly and she in return gave him a small smile in return.

"So tell me a little about yourself Jill," Allura gave her a warm smile as the servers were removing the dinner plates, clearing the way for Nanny to serve dessert.

"Well," she looked at her brother before turning back to the queen, "My brother and I joined the Garrison pretty much at the same time. He of course, became a pilot. I, on the other hand, decided to go on to medicine, which was always my first love. Aside from that, I also took the opportunity to certify myself in psychology, with an emphasis in behavioral studies."

"That's very interesting," Allura nodded, "I'm glad that you're here then. Dr. Gorma will teach you so much here."

The doctor, who had also joined them that evening, nodded enthusiastically, "Oh yes, you'll definitely learn a lot here, Jill."

"No kidding," Hunk quirked, "He has one of us on his table at least once a week in MedTech."

"Ain't that the truth," Pidge agreed as he heard his comm. beep. "Excuse me."

"Is something wrong?" Allura curiously asked.

"No, nothing, it's a message from Keith. I need to recharge Black remotely. It shouldn't take long, I'll be right back," he finished as he walked out the door.

For the first time that night, the queen looked uncomfortable and Lance caught it, "Are you alright, Allura?"

"I'm fine," she nodded uneasily. Jill, although quiet, studied the queen with subtle interest. At that moment, Nanny brought in dessert, "Strawberry shortcake tonight?"

"I love it," Jill said excitedly, trying to brighten the queen's mood, "It's one of my favorites."

"I hope you like it," Nanny said excitedly, "Someone told me you liked strawberries." She placed the plate in front of her. "I little bird told me," the governess added as she winked at Nate, who laughed.

"It's delicious," Jill closed her eyes savoring the taste, "Delicious!"

"My sister has a sweet tooth," Nate shook his head laughing.

"So does Dr. Gorma," Hunk joked.

Everyone laughed as Gorma shook his head, "I'm not as bad as they say, Jill. You'll learn not to pay attention to these characters."

Allura looked around to see if Pidge had returned. She didn't understand why she suddenly felt the need to see what Keith was up to. It was strange, the farther away he was, the more she wanted him, the closer…it was the complete opposite. A sting of the pain hit her again, but it left suddenly. What's happening to me? she thought as she looked around the table. Everyone was happy, everyone but her.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Okay Keith, you're all set," Pidge replied, after he pressed the codes to start remotely charging the Black lion, "He should be fully charged by tomorrow morning."

"Good, thanks Pidge," Keith answered before he cleared his throat, "How's everyone over there?"

"We're good. Just finished dinner, Nanny was about to bring dessert when you called."

"Sorry, I interrupted you," he coughed lightly. "Has Jill heard enough of Lance's stories yet?"

"Surprisingly, Lance has been pretty quiet all evening, which is kind of weird to tell you the truth," Pidge answered, "Hey, you sound pretty crappy."

"I'm catching a cold," Keith replied, "Nothing a couple of Tylenol's won't cure. How's Allura doing?"

"She's seems back to her old self," he immediately replied before realizing what he had just said, "I mean…well…"

"Don't worry Pidge," the captain responded, "It's good to see her happy. It will be good for the baby."

"I'm sorry Keith," the kid said, clearly embarrassed, "I didn't mean…"

"Like I said, don't worry," this time he coughed again, "Listen, I better get going, I'll call you tomorrow to check in. If anything out…"

"Don't worry, we'll contact you if the blue man group decides to show," Pidge joked.

"Good," Keith smiled lightly, "See you soon."

After the screen went blank, Pidge sighed in disgust, "Way to screw up, idiot!" He kept muttering those words all the way back to the dining hall.

XXXXXXXXXX

Taking two aspirins from his travel bag, Keith popped the pills in his mouth. He swallowed them without water before finishing dressing to go down to the dining hall. Once he arrived, he found Elika pouring wine into glasses. "Oh, you made it right on time," she smiled, "Hope you are hungry."

He wasn't really, but Keith wasn't about to be rude to his hostess either and asked, "What's for dinner?"

"Uh, oh, what's wrong?" she suddenly looked concerned by the sound of his voice.

He smiled reassuringly, "I'm fine. I must be catching a cold. Nothing to worry about."

"Can I get you…"

Keith shook his head, "No, I've already taken something. Really Elika, I'll be fine." He lied. "Now, I'm starving. What's on tonight's menu?"

"I read in one of your interviews that Italian food is your favorite," Elika said as Keith walked to her and gently pulled out the chair so she could sit down, "Was the article accurate? Thanks."

Walking over to his own chair and pulling it out, Keith replied before sitting down "Yes, one of my favorites."

"How long since you've had it?" she asked curiously with a smile on her face.

"I don't know…a couple of months ago, maybe," he answered. A coughed lightly before answering, "What are you getting at, Elika?"

He had to admit that her smile was charming and welcoming. He could tell that she was really enjoying the good-natured taunting, "Well, Your Highness, you and I are dining on Italian tonight."

"Really? And just exactly what will we be having?" Keith asked, without realizing he was also playing the game.

As the server walked in with a round tray and placed it in the middle of the table. Elika giggled, "What else?" The server opened the top of the tray and it revealed what Keith was already suspecting as she announced, "Pizza!"