Hi All!
Once again, I do not own Voltron or any of the characters…you all know this
schtick by now ;-)
Thank you so much for the reviews, I really do appreciate them and the time you put into reading my story and writing the reviews.
I'm sorry that it took a little longer to post this message. At the moment I am immersed in work and vacation preps, but I should be back on my old schedule by next week, so please be patient with me. Thanks!
Enjoy,
Failte
******************************************
Allura smiled as she looked around her bedchambers. If Keith was returning tonight, it would be special. No, she didn't expect them to be intimate. It was too soon and he was still too sore, but she knew it could be special in other ways.
Vases of fresh flowers were on the dresser, the bedside tables, and the mantle. She felt the rain outside added to the romantic atmosphere and there would be a cozy fire in the fireplace that faced their bed. Allura tried to prepare for his questions, she had photo albums piled on the desk and the movie disk of their wedding was in the player.
Cady was lying in the center of their massive bed. She wore a frilly blue dress with a matching bow in her blonde curls.
Tonight it was just going to be the three of them, they were going to make the most of their time and do the best they could to fill in the holes in Keith's memory.
Allura sat on the bed and looked down at her beautiful little girl, "It's going to be alright, Baby Girl. Your Daddy is getting better and we're going to be a family again."
Cady blew a raspberry and grasped Allura's finger as it stroked her cheek.
"Come on, let's go find one of the guys to start a fire and then we'll see about dinner." She lifted Cady off the bed and set her on her hip. "This is going to be a great night, sweetie."
As she headed toward the rec room in search of Hunk or one of the other guys to help her, she heard a low whimpering sound. Allura stopped short when she turned the corner and found Fatina standing against the wall, her shoulders quietly shaking.
"Fatina," Allura whispered. "Are you okay?"
The young woman turned to the Queen, her eyes wide and wet, tears running down her cheeks. "Oh, your highness, I'm fine. It's nothing really."
"No, tell me, what happened? Is it bad news from home?" Allura asked gently, shifting Cady on her hip, and laying a hand on Fatina's arm.
"It's just...well, Lance fired me."
"What? Why? What happened?"
"He…he wouldn't really tell me. But I think his fiancée was jealous, she didn't like all the time we spent together."
Allura furrowed her brow. She knew Darcy didn't like Fatina, but she would put Lance's well-being ahead of her own misgivings. "That can't be true. Let me talk to him."
"He said he wanted me gone tonight," Fatina whimpered.
"No, you can't leave tonight. No one is taking off in this weather. Go to your room and lie down, calm yourself. I'll talk to Lance."
"No, Ma'am. It's alright, I don't want to cause trouble between him and Darcy."
"Nonsense. The most important thing is Lance's health. I'll take care of this."
Fatina's face lit up, "Thank you, your highness. I need this job so desperately."
"Don't you worry," Allura squeezed her arm. "Everything is looking up around here."
**************************************
Lance sat on the floor a moment listening to the shower running. He knew Darcy would walk into Castle Control the image of professionalism. She would dry her eyes, take a deep breath and take over for whoever was there now. It was important for her to be able to separate her personal life from her work, but it was also a lot more difficult for the two of them.
He crawled over to his chair and hoisted himself up into it. He was exhausted, physically and emotionally. His bed was calling to him. But there were more important things for him to see to, most of all, he wanted to talk to Dr. Gorma. Darcy wouldn't tell him everything and he hated that. They had thought she could never have children, the Ttechken poison she had been infected with had severely affected her body. He had to know if she was going to be able to survive this pregnancy.
The hospital wing was strangely quiet as Lance entered. Nurse Jewelia was standing in the waiting room, flipping through a file.
"Good afternoon, Lieutenant." She greeted him with a friendly smile.
"Hi Jewelia, how're things going?"
"Very well, things are rather quiet, though. Captain Whitaker decided to move back to the north wing today."
"That's great! So he's feeling better?"
"He still needs a lot of rest, but we're all hoping this will help him regain the rest of his memories." She told him.
"Well, I'm glad to hear he's getting better. Is Dr. Gorma in?"
"Yes, he's in his office, go ahead on in."
Lance steered his chair towards the door behind the desk and knocked.
"Come in," Dr. Gorma called. He was sitting behind his desk writing. "Ah, Lieutenant Collier, how are you feeling?"
"I'm fine, Dr. Gorma," Lance said as he reached behind him and pushed the door shut.
"How are your sessions going with Fatina?"
Lance cleared his throat, "I came to talk to you about Darcy."
Dr. Gorma smiled kindly, "I guess congratulations are in order."
Lance smiled back, weakly, "Thanks." He wheeled closer to Dr. Gorma's desk. "Be honest with me, please, will she be able to handle this?"
The older man sat back in his chair and removed his glasses, "I want to keep a close eye on her, Lieutenant. We weren't sure she could ever become pregnant and we don't know the extent of the damage done to her uterus and ovaries."
"How can you not know?"
"We've taken scans in the past, there are unidentifiable spots, but no lumps. Sergeant Barlow told me before that she did not want to undergo surgery, so I can't tell you what the spots are. It appears she didn't have as much of the Ttechken in her bloodstream as we had first thought. I want her to take it easy and not take any unnecessary chances."
"Should she be grounded?"
"I want her to go on leave as soon as possible. I tried telling her that earlier, but she said she couldn't, we're shorthanded."
Lance sighed and ran a hand over his face, "As soon as I'm back on my feet she'll be grounded."
"Don't push yourself too hard, Lieutenant, I'm sure another pilot could be hired. Or maybe the Queen could fly again for a while."
"That would be a last resort. What I need to know, Doc, is…is Darcy in danger?"
"She's strong and in otherwise good health. She'll have to take care of herself, I've already talked to her about her diet and the prenatal vitamins she'll need to take. We'll keep an eye on her. I think she should be alright."
"And the baby?"
Dr. Gorma leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk and tenting his fingers in front of him, "I will be honest with you, Lieutenant, I don't really know. I'm taking all the precautions I can. This is not a normal case. I knew how to help Queen Allura and Princess Romelle, but they were both healthy young women. This is a totally different case. We'll have to wait and see."
"Is there a specialist or someone we can call in to help?"
"I'm looking into that. I have been collecting as much information as I can on the Ttechken plant, knowledge of it is sparse."
"What can I do?" Lance asked.
"Just keep her comfortable, don't let her overexert herself, and above all else, try to get through to her that she can come to me at any time for any reason."
"She hates asking for help," Lance muttered.
"Yes, but this is different. If, for any reason at all, she's worried or if something doesn't feel right, have her come to me, no matter the day or time."
"I'll talk to her."
Dr. Gorma smiled kindly, "And go get some rest yourself, Lieutenant, you look exhausted."
"I will, Doctor, thanks for your help." He turned to leave, but stopped when a thought struck him. "Dr. Gorma, will you please keep me updated on everything you find out about this plant?"
Dr. Gorma nodded, "I will, Lieutenant."
Lance nodded and steered his chair out of the office and down the hall. He needed to talk to Darcy, but now was not a good time, she was on duty. He would stop in Castle Control and see if he could convince her to meet him when she was done.
"Hey Lance, how're you doing?"
Lance stopped short, almost running into Sven.
"Hi Sven."
"You okay?"
"Yeah."
Sven looked down at his friend, he was pale and had dark circles under his eyes. "You're looking pretty tired."
"It's been a hell of a day, man."
"Vant to talk?"
Lance thought a moment. He did want to talk about it, "Yeah."
"Come on," Sven led the way to the deserted observation deck. "Vhat is it?"
Lance sighed deeply and then went on to tell Sven what had happened during his afternoon session with Fatina and Darcy seeing it. He told him about everything except the pregnancy, he didn't think he should tell anyone without Darcy.
Sven whistled quietly, "Dere is someting about dat Fatina."
"Huh?"
"I mean, dere is someting about her I don't trust. Almost like an electricity around her, someting dat draws you to her."
Lance nodded, "You've felt it."
"Ja, dat's vhy I'm never in the same room vith her alone. I also tink dats vhy Romelle and Darcy don't like her."
"I told Fatina I wanted her off the planet before nightfall."
Sven shook his head, "If she hasn't left by now, she isn't going to leave at all tonight. No von could fly in dis veather."
"Then she'll fly out at first light."
Sven nodded, "Have you started groveling yet?"
Lance snorted, "That's all I've done this afternoon."
"No, I mean really groveling, flowers and jewelry."
Lance looked down at his legs, "I'll need a little help with that."
"No, problem, buddy," Sven clapped a hand on his shoulder. "I'll do vhat I can. I need to call Pollux and check in vith Rankin, after that I'll do vhat I can to help."
"Thanks. I'm going to stop in and check on Darcy, see how she's holding up."
"Do you tink dat is really a good idea right now?"
"Yeah, I do."
Sven shrugged and followed Lance. The televiewer he needed to use was in Castle Control, but it was in the far corner from where the main console sat, so he would be able to give Lance and Darcy the privacy they needed.
************************************
Darcy sat in front of the main console, the log on her lap and her eyes darting from monitor to monitor. She had been on duty for over an hour and she had done a lot of thinking and soul searching. She loved Lance, nothing had changed that, and she certainly didn't want to end their relationship. He loved her, of that she was positive, and he would never intentionally hurt her. But she couldn't shake the image of him and Fatina in the gym and every time she saw it, it hurt a bit more.
She heard the door slide open and knew it was Lance. Without turning she said, "We need to talk."
"Oh, I didn't know you were in here."
Darcy swiveled the chair around so fast she almost slid out of it.
Fatina stood in front of the closed door, "I was looking for Lance."
Anger and disgust rose within Darcy as she stood, "What for?"
"We need to talk about his sessions. If I'm leaving, he will still need to do his exercises until Dr. Gorma can find a replacement for me."
"We can handle it," Darcy told her. "Just leave."
Fatina stepped forward, her arms crossed over her chest,
"You are completely overreacting."
"Oh am I?"
"Yes. Maybe if you hadn't tied him down at such a young age, he wouldn't feel the need to look elsewhere for…satisfaction." Fatina smirked.
"He told me what really happened. I think it's pathetic you feel the need to whore around and go after men who are already taken."
"I don't know what he told you, but he didn't exactly try to stop it from happening."
"Oh yeah?" Darcy stepped closer. "You know, almost every room in this castle, including the gym, are outfitted with cameras and mics for security purposes. I could very easily find out what happened."
"But you won't," Fatina lowered her arms and moved closer. "You're too afraid I'm right and you'll see he did come after me."
"You're nothing but a tramp," Darcy spat.
Fatina struck out and slapped Darcy across the face. Darcy snapped her head up and punched Fatina in the face, sending the other woman sprawling.
"I want you to leave."
Fatina slowly got to her feet, "The Queen told me I could stay and I believe she outranks you."
When the door slid open again, Sven and Lance were greeted by the sight of Darcy and Fatina in an all-out catfight. They were still in their feet, each with a handful of hair and Darcy holding Fatina by the chin. Fatina grabbed hold of Darcy's wrist and tried to pry her hand from her face.
"Stop dat! Right now! Break it up!" Sven called as he and Lance hurried over.
Sven grabbed Fatina's shoulders and tried to pull her back while Lance grabbed Darcy around the waist.
"Stop it, Darcy, come on, let her go!" Lance wrapped his arms around her waist and yanked.
With a grunt and a yelp, the two women were pulled apart. Darcy landed with a thump on Lance's lap and sent his chair skidding back a few feet. Sven and Fatina landed hard on the floor.
Struggling to stand, Sven pulled Fatina to her feet. "Vhat is going on here?"
"She attacked me!" Fatina cried, her eyes welling up with tears.
"That's a lie!" Darcy struggled against Lance's grip, but he held her tight.
"I thought I told you I wanted you gone." Lance told Fatina.
Sniffling, Fatina looked up at him pitifully, "Queen Allura said I could stay."
Lance growled deep in his throat. He couldn't believe she went to Allura. Obviously, Allura didn't know what had happened.
"Come vith me," Sven took Fatina by the arm. "I vill take you back to your room and you vill stay dere."
Lance sat there with both arms wrapped tightly around Darcy's waist, holding her to him. Her breath came out in angry bursts and her heart was racing. "Calm down," he whispered against her ear. "This isn't good for you or the baby. Calm down."
She leaned back against him and took a few deep breaths. Keeping one arm wrapped around her waist, he splayed the fingers of his other hand over her flat stomach. "Are you okay?" He asked her after a few moments.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Do you want to tell me what happened?"
Darcy shrugged, "She came in here looking for trouble and she found it."
Lance chuckled, "I'm sure she got more than she bargained for. What is it?"
She leaned her head back on his shoulder and sniffled. "Nothing."
"Darcy…" He gently wiped away the tear that escaped down her cheek.
She muttered something that sounded like 'Damn hormones' and tried to push herself off his lap.
"Darcy, we need to talk."
"I can't now." She stood and faced him. "I'm still on duty, I need to get back to work."
He looked up at the clock, "You're off at nine, right?"
She nodded.
"Will you come to my room, so we can talk?"
"Yeah." It was barely a whisper.
He reached out and took her hand, "I love you, you know that, right?"
Darcy smiled softly and nodded.
"Alright, if you aren't in my room by five after nine I'm coming after you."
"I'll be there," she promised.
"Okay then," he dropped her hand. "I'll see you."
She watched as he turned and steered his chair to the door. Before the door slid open, Lance turned back around toward her, "And Darcy?"
"What?"
"Try not to pick any more fights tonight, alright? I would hate to have to reprimand you."
"I'll keep that in mind." She smiled.
"Nine o'clock."
"I'll be there."
Lance turned again and left.
With a deep sigh, she sank into the high-back chair in front of the console. A smile crept across her face as she thought of the black eye Fatina would most likely have.
***********************************
Allura stood in the middle of her bedchamber once again and surveyed the scene before her. Cady was fed and sleeping in a playpen beside the bed. An elaborate meal was laid out on a table beside the enormous window looking out over the lake. A fire flickered in the fireplace, but she had stopped at candlelight. She didn't want to make him feel pressured into being romantic, so she turned on a few of the lights around the room.
She jumped at the sound of a hesitant knock. Allura giggled nervously at her anxiety and wiped her damp palms on the skirt of her casual, pink dress.
"Hi," she whispered shyly as the door slid open to reveal Keith.
He was leaning heavily on a cane and walked with a limp. He was clean shaven and wearing khaki slacks and a red sweater. Allura felt her legs go limp at the sight of him.
"Hi," he responded, awkwardly.
Allura stepped aside, "I, uh, I had Nanny make your favorite things for dinner, then I thought…I thought we could…just talk."
Keith slowly limped over to the bed and sat on the edge beside the playpen. He leaned his cane on the bedside table and looked down on Cady.
"That sounds good. Come here," he patted the bed beside him.
Allura crossed over and sat beside him.
"I am so sorry for having put you through this."
"It's not your fault, honey."
He lifted his gaze to his wife and smiled, "It's been coming back to me in bits and pieces. It's like a flood gate opened early this morning, and now so much is coming back to me. There are still some holes in my memory, but I am beginning to remember and it's sticking."
She let out a sigh of relief and laid her forehead on his shoulder. "You really had me scared there for a while."
"I'm going to ask for a little time and patience, it will be a while before I remember everything." He tilted his head, resting it against hers.
"We have all the time in the world, honey."
"Angel."
Allura lifted her head to look at him. It was the pet name he had for her, he only used it when they were alone. He had told her once, years ago, that she was his 'fair-haired angel'. She hadn't heard him call her that since they were on Terra.
"Keith."
He slowly lowered his mouth to hers, gently erasing the pain and frustration she had kept pent up over the past couple of weeks.
************************************
Lance grumbled and groped the bedside table for his communicator. He had planned on just dozing off for a few minutes, but the clock beside his bed read 9:22. If this was Darcy she had better have a good excuse for being this late.
Sven had arrived at his door a few hours earlier with a vase of flowers in each hand. Apparently, Allura made sure there were fresh flowers put in every guest room. Since the weather didn't permit him to go out and get flowers, Sven took the flowers from his and Romelle's room and talked Renata out of hers. Lance had straightened up his room and placed the flowers on the bedside table. Remembering how hungry Allura had been when she was pregnant, well, hungry was an understatement. Remembering how Allura had practically eaten them out of the castle, Lance had sneaked down to the kitchen and grabbed a couple of apples, a handful of cookies, and, because he didn't know if it was a myth or not, a jar of pickles. Exhaustion was making him sluggish so he decided to lay down and take a quick nap before she came. His communicator woke him.
"Yeah," he answered groggily.
"Lance?"
"Yeah, Hunk, what is it?"
"Is Darcy with you?"
"No, but I'm about to go looking for her. What's up?"
"Let her know I found her communicator."
"What do you mean?"
"It was on the floor, just outside the Control room."
"She left without her communicator?" With his heart racing, Lance stumbled into his wheelchair, "I'll be right there."
*********************************
Pillows were piled against the headboard and Keith was sitting up, cradling Cady in the curve of his arm. Allura was stretched out beside him, her head on his shoulder, her finger gently stroking Cady's arm.
They had watched their wedding disk and were now watching various movies that had been shot over the years. Lance had had his camera sent to him during their second year and Allura had fallen love with the idea of making movie disks of their time together. The latest movies shot were done by Keith before they went to Terra and they were all Cady.
All three of them were relaxed. Cady had just nodded off and Allura was beginning to doze. Keith looked down at the women in his life and smiled. He couldn't remember some things, but he could remember his feelings for them.
He gasped as an intense pain struck him in the back of the head.
"Allura!"
She looked up at him in a daze and quickly snapped out of it when she saw the look on his face, "Keith? What's wrong?"
"Take the baby." He gasped.
Allura lifted Cady from his arms and watched as he brought his hands to his head, sucking air in through his teeth. "What is it?" She asked as she laid Cady in her playpen.
"I don't know." He bent forward, clutching his head and then snapping back as pain shot through his still sore ribs. "Oh, God."
"Do you want me to get Dr. Gorma?" Allura twisted her hands together, fretfully.
He couldn't respond as the pain wiped his mind of all other thoughts. He slid down on the bed, groaning.
Allura picked up the phone on the bedside table and dialed the hospital. "Have Dr. Gorma come straight to my chambers, there is something terribly wrong with Captain Whitaker." She told the nurse who answered. "Have him hurry!"
Allura slammed the phone down and sat on the edge of the bed, "What can I do, Keith?"
"Shoot me." He mumbled.
**************************************
Lance arrived in Castle Control to find Hunk and Caleb standing beside the console. He had stopped at Darcy's room on his way and it was empty.
"Hey Lance," Hunk greeted him, holding out Darcy's communicator.
Lance took it and flipped it over, checking the number on the bottom, it was Darcy's. "You relieved her?" He asked Caleb.
"Yeah, about half an hour ago."
"No problems?"
"Nope."
"She didn't say anything to you?"
Caleb shook his head.
"She's probably just in the rec room or her room." Hunk pointed out.
"No, she was supposed to meet me at 9:00 and I already checked her room."
Hunk nodded slowly, "Let's split up. I'll take the south and east wings, you take the north and west."
"Alright. Contact me if you find her, if not, we'll meet back here in twenty." Lance said, clutching her communicator in his hand.
