A Ray of Hope
(A Bonds of Love Prequel)
By: KittyLynne
(The usual I don't own Voltron relative disclaimers...)
Chapter Seven: A Prime Objective
Two weeks later…
It was early evening, and the men of the Voltron Force were finally starting to unwind after another action packed day. It wasn't by choice that they did this. At Princess Allura's command, the Royal Advisor had reluctantly spelled them on second shift surveillance, so that she could meet with her defenders privately. In return for the rare privilege, a harried- looking Coran had asked each man for their word of honor that they would behave in a proper manner around his young charge. There was to be, as the diplomat had so succinctly put it, 'absolutely no tossing around of double entendres, 'inappropriate' Terran terminology, or the Princess herself. Do I make myself clear, gentlemen? '
The five friends now sat patiently, and drank the delicious Arusian coffee Allura had sent for them, while they waited for their very special visitor in an atmosphere of geniality. Each of the battle weary pilots was looking forward to being in her lovely presence, and was pleased that she had chosen to come to them; a gesture that was certainly typical of the down-to-earth monarch. The meeting also gave them a chance to thank her personally for their present quarters. At Allura's insistence, they had been allowed to pick any furnished space they liked, to be a pilot's lounge. The spacious room the team had finally agreed upon had enough high tech equipment in it to qualify as a surveillance center, yet the furnishings and decor gave it the informality and comfort of a recreation room. The L-shaped sectional was functional yet comfortable enough to really stretch out on, and the massive table set in front looked like it was made specifically for legs and booted feet to rest on top of, although none of them felt quite that at ease.
"So what's up, Skipper? Ya have any idea why the Princess wants to see us?" Hunk cheerfully asked of his commanding officer. His leader simply smiled and shrugged, while taking a sip of coffee out of a thick handled white mug.
"Actually, Princess only wanted to see me, but she had to make it look good." Lance smirked, stretching his arms out, and then putting his arms behind his head. "After spending an fascinating hour in my company discussing Terran customs and culture, I think she's just about ready to fall into my arms."
Sven looked up from the manual he was reading to glance at Keith. The Captain was clutching his mug of coffee and staring into its dark depths as if it held the secrets to the universe. Shaking his head, the pilot of Blue Lion returned to his studies, wondering how long it would take Lance's cockiness to trigger his besotted friend's temper. He preferred to stay completely out of such a conflict, partly in deference to his leader, but mostly because Alfor's notations on Voltron's navigational system were just too fascinating to put down.
Besides, he'd make sure Lance would be getting a dose of his own medicine sooner or later.
The Norwegian lifted the manual to hide the evil smile that appeared at the thought of the nice warm bowl of water that he would be immersing the slumbering Red Lion pilot's hand in later this night. After drinking almost a pot of coffee up to this point in the evening, Lance had better pray there were spare bed linens and a washer and dryer somewhere in the Castle.
With a soft grunt of amusement, Sven returned to his reading. Lance, ever on the lookout for treachery since what he had privately termed the 'Wedgie Incident', sent the Norwegian a suspicious look but said nothing, preferring to stick to his present topic.
"I'm betting that I'll be giving the Princess her first kiss." He boasted.
Keith shifted restlessly on the sofa. Sven looked at him over the top of the manual once again, and then hastily brought it back up as the Black Lion pilot turned a smoldering gaze to him. This wasn't good. The Captain was looking mighty peeved.
"As if Coran would ever let you get that close to her!" Pidge scoffed casually, although inwardly, he was devastated. How could he ever compete with Lance for the Princess' attention, when he definitely fell short in both height and years.? It's true that I'm intelligent and fun to be with, but that doesn't help with me with my present romantic prospect. . His genius brain worked feverishly. Maybe if he looked after the Space Mice- who happened to be the Princess'closest friends- maybe that would give him an edge in her affections! He slouched into the sectional, excitedly forming a plan of action while closing his ears to any further discussion of Lance's make-believe exploits.
"I hafta agree with Pidge, Lance- there's no way will that ever happen." Hunk asserted, quirking an eyebrow at his overconfident teammate. "For one thing, you'd never be able to get her alone! Coran is one on'ry pit bull when it comes to protecting Princess."
Lance's expression grew dreamy. "We'd find a way, somehow. She's gotten pretty good at giving him the slip, and don't forget that my specialty is in surveillance; I am very good at not being seen when I don't want to be…"
A loud clunk was heard as Keith set his cup down on the table with a little more force than necessary.
Sven sighed softly and lowered the manual. He couldn't concentrate now; things were getting much too interesting in the real world. He settled back, prepared to watch the scenario play itself out, while carefully monitoring the level of tension in the room. It had risen considerably, but only he and Keith seemed to be aware of it.
"Yeah, right," Hunk's smile had a definite edge to it as he jibed his teammate. "You just keep on dreaming there, buddy! I'm tellin' ya, Coran guards her like a lion. The old man'll chew you up and spit you out!"
Lance grinned cheekily. "You greatly underestimate me, O Mighty But Rotund One! This is a huge castle, and there are a lot of rooms not in use right now..." He rubbed his hands together in mock glee. "The new observation deck is a particularly romantic location for a romantic rendev-"
"Okay, I think that's enough from both of you. Remember, Hartwell, you're here to protect her, not to pursue her. " Keith snapped, using his Commander's voice to full effect. "This isn't the time or the place for trying to act out your childhood fantasies. The Princess deserves more respect from us than that and Coran shouldn't have cause to feel that she's less than safe when we are around her." He glared at the Red Lion pilot's annoyingly perfect profile.
Lance shook his head in mock disgust. "Sheesh, don't you ever go off duty? Lighten up, El Capitan!"
The Red Lion pilot shot a teasing glance at his commander, but his expression quickly sobered as he got a good look at Keith's face.
Although his expression remained outwardly composed, anyone who knew him well would see that the Captain was getting angry. Lance was one of the privileged few that knew him well. He knew all the little signs; the tiny flutter in the jaw muscle, the flexing fingers, the slight lowering of the eyebrows all spelled trouble for whoever was ticking the Captain off –which at the moment, would be him.
Lance was puzzled; he knew that Keith had a wicked sense of humor that was rarely shown to anyone but his best friends. The two of them had discussed attractive females before, and had even helped each other out in the romance sector when at the Academy, fixing each other up with roommates of girlfriends or attractive classmates. Now that he really thought about it, though, Keith hadn't ever taken advantage of the women Lance had assured him were always 'a sure thing', apparently preferring to establish a meaningful relationship before committing to a physical bond. As far as the Red Lion pilot knew, that had only happened once at the Academy, and once after.
He had always hassled his friend for having a 'puritanical streak' and for not taking the time to enjoy 'what life and women had to offer' but deep down he had admitted he admired and envied Keith his impressive self-discipline, because it was something that was always was and had been a struggle for him. It was the one quality he didn't have much hope of attaining on a consistent level. Self-control and discipline were the marks of high character, and part of the reason Keith had made Commander at such a young age. They were also the reason Lance remained a second lieutenant, despite actually beating Keith on the flight simulator and combat exams. Character and discipline played huge roles in Academy policy, equal to that of scholarship, and in those qualities, Keith had totally outclassed him.
And now…now his high- principled commandant had taken up the cause of defending the Princess' virtue from evil tyrants and dashing, good- looking pilots. Lance grinned inwardly. All right, maybe that was a wee bit of an exaggeration. They were here to do a job, and seeing to Princess Allura's safety was part of that job. Yet, somehow, Lance sensed that his leader wasn't as detached as he seemed in his interpretation of the situation; he was detecting strong emotions quietly simmering inside the reserved commander.
Judging by the chivalrous courtesies that Keith always showered upon her and the way the man talked about her, he seemed to have the Arusian sovereign on some sort of pedestal. In all probability, Keith viewed the Princess as the ultimate example of goodness, honor and innocence; the proverbial paragon of virtue. He also certainly had shown he was excessively protective of Allura- but that wasn't unusual, all of them felt the same way, from the first time they met her and heard her story.
But couldn't Keith see the real person underneath the title? Did he really prefer to look to her as a symbol of purity and courage instead of a flesh and blood woman?
Lance's eyes narrowed speculatively. Well if that was the case, fine and dandy for El Capitan! However, he saw things much, much differently. The Princess was first and foremost a womanwho was personable, intelligent, fun, delightfully curvy, and pretty; okay, okay, she was flat out gorgeous- so how could Keith expect him to deprive himself of enjoying such a beautiful female's company, especially in the midst of such an ugly war? What was with that? Was the guy a turning into a war machine, immune to the delights of flirtation and sex?
"So are you still telling me it's 'hands off', Captain Powell?" He asked slyly. "What if the Princess has other ideas?"
The suggestion did not sit well with his chief, he could see that right away. The clenched hands were a dead giveaway.
Maybe it was time to drop the subject.
"I am telling you to behave the way I know you can behave when your hormones aren't in overdrive." Keith replied coolly, while forcing himself to unclench his fists. He deliberately leaned back against the sectional and crossed his arms over his chest. "She's part of the Force, now, and that makes her a teammate of yours. Anything that happens to affect the performance of the team could not only spell disaster for Arus, it could also cost us our lives."
Now Lance was angry. How could flirting with the Princess ruin an entire planet, for God's sake? What a piece of work you are, Commander! "You're not human, man." He blurted out. "Don't you see what a knockout she is? Don't you ever feel anything but duty? Are you asexual or something? At least tell me that you get a small kick out of rescuing the beautiful damsel in distress!"
"Vell, considering that the distressed damsel rescued us today, I think that maybe the Captain can admit to appreciating the Princess' courage, and we can leave it at that." Sven hastily interjected, seeing the storm clouds brewing in the Captain's dark eyes.
Keith's voice was tight with suppressed anger as he answered. "No, Sven, we can't. I 'm going to tell Lance what he wants to hear. I feely admit and will go on record that I have noticed and appreciated how beautiful the Princess is, inside and out. As for romance, I think it's safe to say we all have had thoughts in that direction since we arrived, and not just because she's the only woman around here!"
"True, " Sven mumbled in an aside to Hunk. "I wouldn't have had that dream I had the other night about just anyone."
The big man nodded. "She's the only woman who'd make me want to go on a diet voluntarily."
Pidge just sighed, a slight blush skimming across his smooth cheeks.
Hunk clapped his hand on the boy's shoulder in wordless sympathy. "Yeah, I know. Puberty sucks...right, little buddy?"
The Green Lion pilot nodded emphatically.
They returned their full attention to Keith, who had stopped talking, risen to his feet and was now pacing in an open area near the sectional, a sure sign of his internal stress.
His team jumped as he stopped pacing and whirled to face the Red Lion pilot, who had jammed his hands in his pockets and was warily eyeing his leader.
"The big difference between you and me, Hartwell, is that I am responsible for the well-being and safety of every member of this team, and I won't be distracted by my baser urges, no matter how desirable the woman is..."
Lance suddenly grinned, his temper abruptly vanishing.
"Thank God for that, Powell! I mean, we haven't been around women for a very long time, and with the five of us cooped up alone with a beautiful woman and you seemingly immune to the her attributes, I was really starting to wonder if you'd lost your-"
He stopped mid sentence as he saw the four pairs of eyes fixed on him starting to glint with murderous intent. "Um, it was just a thought- never mind. So, Keith, let me get this straight-" Lance successfully fought the urge to snicker at the unintentional pun. "You do think she's a...a...um..."
"A babe?" Hunk supplied helpfully.
Keith's lips suddenly twitched. "Only if you mean that term in the best possible way."
A cautious chuckle went around the group, and Sven breathed a silent sigh of relief.
Lance wasn't finished though. "So you do understand why I like spending time with the Princess, right?"
The dark head dipped in affirmation.
"Then why do you have to get so damn jumpy about it? I'm only talking about a few innocent kisses here and there, that's all."
The Voltron Captain rubbed his neck, attempting to massage the tenseness from the strained muscles. "You want to know why I worry, Lance? Because as far as movie character philosophies go, I would say you remind me of the love-'em- and–leave-'em James T. Kirk." He smirked at his friend. "Just how many beds have your boots been under, anyway?"
"Too many to count." Lance retorted. "And I would say in response that you remind me of Mr. Spock- all ears, all logic and sex every seven years."
"Ohhhh, that was a low blow," Pidge gasped, shocked and yet vaguely admiring of his teammate's boldness in jabbing his Captain.
"Did I say you were like James Kirk?" Came the silky rejoinder, "my mistake, I meant to say 'Crewman Number Six'; you know, the red shirted, expendable one!"
"Nice one, Chief,' Hunk cheered.
"Oh really?" Lance tossed out. "By the way, did I ever tell you that with that unruly hair of yours you could pass for a tribble?"
A soft chuckle was heard, then quickly suppressed as Keith ran a stern gaze over his audience. He addressed the grinning lieutenant, a dangerous smile upon his own lips.
"Very funny, very droll, Hartwell...and you thought of it all by yourself, too. That reminds me, did anyone ever tell you that when you try to think too hard, you look like a Klingon?"
Sven chortled. "Morsom den er jammen!" He gasped, silent laughter shaking his body.
Pidge and Hunk looked at him questioningly.
"That was a good one," he breathlessly explained to the two friends, and they laughingly nodded their agreement
"Well, at least I look like a warrior and not some warm, fuzzy thing." Lance offered. It was a weak comeback and he knew it.
"Ah, but remember Princesses love to cuddle up to warm, fuzzy things," Keith shot back, triumphantly, sensing victory was at hand in the war of words.
"We do?"
Pidge, Lance, Sven and Hunk quickly rose to their feet as the Princess made her unheralded entrance. She appeared to be hiding a grin, as she glided toward them.
They noted with interest that Allura carried a large, covered box, which she set gently down upon the coffee table with a small wince, as if her muscles were protesting the action. Just as soon as the expression appeared, it was gone, as if the Princess had willed away her discomfort. She straightened and slowly turned to focus her beautiful eyes on the mortified Commander.
Keith savagely berated himself for letting Lance goad him into a one-upmanship contest. He could feel the heat of a scorching blush rising up the column of his neck and over his jaw and cheeks. Even his ears felt warm.
"Gee, maybe I was wrong Keith, Spock's ears never turned that particular color," Lance murmured so only his skipper could hear.
The Princess' sweet voice cut off the scathing comeback that was blistering the tip of Keith's tongue. He bit it off with a sigh of frustration, his inbred good manners not allowing him to ignore the courtesies that should be afforded her.
"Princess, would you like a seat and a warm cup of coffee?" He offered, ignoring Lance's soft chortle of victory.
"Yes, and then I would like to tell you why I wanted to talk to you boys." She smiled.
"What's in the box?' Pidge asked curiously, after Allura had seated herself, Sven on her left, and Keith using the pretext of pouring her coffee to push Lance aside to sit at her right.
"Nice move Powell, you must have learned it from me," Lance hissed quietly.
Keith just smiled blandly.
"I have gifts for all of you. I have long wished for something of value that I could give you for your service to the crown. After all of you helped me recover my possessions this afternoon, I thought of the perfect way to express my appreciation."
"A hug would do it for me," Lance said, straight- faced, "I'm easy to please-Oof!" A hard elbow to his gut cut the remark off at the knees.
"Sorry Lance, didn't know you were sitting so close to me- maybe you should slide a little farther away," Keith suggested, with a meaningful look.
"Hmph," Lance huffed and glared at his friend, but prudently moved out of harm's way.
Allura looked back and forth between the two men. Something was brewing between those two and it had to do with warm fuzzy things that she supposedly liked. She sat silently mulling over what that could be, until her attention was gently directed elsewhere.
"Please continue, Princess," the Captain prompted smoothly.
"Oh yes, of course," she replied, blushing prettily under five admiring, masculine gazes.
To be continued...:)