Hi all,
All relative disclaimers apply…I don't own Voltron or any of the characters you recognize from the show.
Thank you guys so much for the reviews.
Enjoy!
Failte
*************************************************
"What the hell was that?" Lance yelled as the smoke cleared.
It was eerily quiet. The only sign that anything had happened was the puddle of blood where Landor had fallen and the still form of Renata that Pidge cradled in his arms.
Kadmus held up a hand to quiet Lance. The old man looked exhausted and he walked slowly, leaning heavily on his staff. He stopped beside Pidge.
"Can you do anything?" The young pilot pleaded.
Kadmus laid a gentle hand on Pidge's shoulder, "This is beyond my powers. I am so sorry."
Pidge nodded slowly and turned back to look on Renata. Everyone else looked away, giving him some privacy.
Kadmus continued his slow journey across Castle Control to where Keith laid, sprawled in the chair, unconscious. Sven stood and offered Allura a hand.
"Will he be alright?" Allura asked quietly.
Kadmus placed both hands on Keith's head. "He has been fighting great evil within him. He has been acting strangely, but deep inside, he knew it was wrong and he was fighting it." He turned to Allura and took both her hands in his. "He is physically and emotionally exhausted. He has been fighting a difficult, internal battle, but he is strong and he will come through this. Allow him to rest. He may sleep for a day or so, but it is important for his body to rest after this fight."
Allura nodded, tears in her eyes.
Kadmus turned to Lance and Darcy, both of whom still sat on the floor where they had landed. "Get up, boy."
Lance furrowed his brow, "But…"
"Get up." Kadmus repeated.
Hunk offered Darcy a hand and hoisted her to his feet. Lance pushed himself up and realized he could stand without any problem. He walked around, trying out the odd sensation of being able to walk around again.
"What the fuck?" He muttered.
"Watch your mouth," Darcy replied automatically.
Kadmus sighed deeply and leaned on his staff. "You have all been under a dark cloud of black magic. It began when your Captain was stabbed by the cursed knife and you were struck by Haggar's magic. The one you knew as Fatina was, in actuality, a witch. She was in love with Lotor and they had convinced her that the best way for her to impress him was by helping him get to you. Thank you." The old man sank down into the chair Caleb had brought to him before continuing. "As you know, Lieutenant, Lotor is out for your blood. But he learned long ago that causing you physical pain is not good enough. You would eventually heal. If he killed you he wouldn't be able to play with you. So he goes after that which you treasure most."
"So as long as we're together, Darcy's in trouble." Lance murmured.
Darcy reached out for him, but he stepped away.
"It would appear so. But you cannot allow his evil to come between you and what makes you happy. Then he wins." Kadmus told him, sagely. "They had hoped to destroy you all from the inside out. Confusing your Captain, hoping to cause the downfall of your team and the ruin of the royal family. They had tried to cause fights between the Lieutenant and the Sergeant, causing even more problems within the team. By planting a witch in your home, she was able to open portals for more darkness to enter. When you caught on to what was happening, Fatina panicked. She killed the guards, something she wasn't supposed to do, it drew too much attention. That was when she contacted Haggar and they arrived to try and finish what she had botched up."
"So no one helped her escape?" Hunk asked.
"No, Fatina was not a bright witch and her obsession with Lotor blinded her even further. You probably noticed when she killed the guards and when Haggar, Lotor, and Landor arrived."
"The loud crashes." Allura whispered.
"She panicked and got sloppy." Dante added.
Kadmus nodded. "They all panicked and got sloppy. I would have gotten here sooner if I had paid better attention to the signs. All of this," he gestured to Keith and Renata. "All of this might have been avoided."
"But what about the unidentified ship that had entered Arusian airspace?" Hunk pointed out. "Didn't Haggar, Lotor, and Landor arrive then?"
"My apologies, Lieutenant, that was me. I am not as good a flyer as I once was."
"Thank you, Kadmus, for everything." Allura knelt before him, taking his hands in hers. "I don't know how we'll be able to repay you."
"Well, I would appreciate a comfortable bed right now. I am quite worn out."
"Oh, of course! You are welcome to stay as long as you like. I will show you to a room, please make yourself at home." Allura stood.
"Uh, Kadmus," Lance spoke up.
"Yes, Lieutenant?" He asked, pushing himself up with his staff.
"Do you think we need to worry about…"
"Haggar has been severely sapped of power. I sent her and the two men back to Doom. The younger man is gravely injured and will most likely not survive. The older man is angry. I am not saying they will never attack again, but you have some time now to prepare."
Allura spoke quietly to Hunk and Sven before leading Kadmus out of Castle Control. Hunk called the hospital wing and made arrangements for Renata's body. He and Caleb then helped Pidge to his room. Dante and Sven each draped one of Keith's arms around their shoulders and half carried, half dragged him from the room.
Darcy watched as Lance crossed to the console and studied the screen in front of him. She walked over and stood beside him. "Are you okay?"
He nodded curtly, "You?"
"I'm fine, Lance."
"What did Dr. Gorma say?"
"I'm fine, the baby's fine. But he would like me to take it easy."
"Why don't you go lie down. It's late."
"Lance, you aren't going to do anything stupid, are you?"
He looked at her, "Like what?"
"Like break up with me because you think it's the right thing to do. Because you think it would save my life." Her voice shook.
Lance pulled her into a tight hug and whispered into her hair, "You are the most important thing in the world to me. I don't know what I would do if anything happened to you."
She felt the tears well up in her eyes, "Then please don't let Lotor win by coming between us."
He stroked her hair and kissed her temple. "Go lie down. When Caleb gets back, I want to check on Pidge. I'll have a guard go with you and stand outside your door."
"Will we talk later?"
Lance stroked her cheek, wiping away the tears that fell. "I'll stop in later. I don't want you upset."
"Let me know if there is anything I can do for Pidge."
"I will."
Darcy nodded and turned to leave. "No!" She declared, turning back to face him. "I won't let you allow Lotor to come between us. We have too much together."
"Darc…"
"No. I will not argue with you right now. Go, see what you can do for Pidge." She stepped closer, poking him in the chest with her finger. "But if you think I will let you break up with me because of Lotor, that worthless son-of –a-bitch, you have another thing coming."
Lance smiled at her, "Don't worry, I have no plans to break up with you any time soon."
"Promise?"
He laughed, softly, "Persistent little pain in the butt, aren't you?"
She stuck her chin out, "Yes."
"I'll come find you after I check on Pidge."
"I'll be waiting." Darcy brushed her lips over his.
*********************************************
Darcy fell into a fitful sleep that turned into a short nap. An hour after she had left Castle Control she found herself awake and restless. Lance had not come to her room and she could no longer ignore the rumblings in her stomach. Grabbing her robe and wrapping it around herself, she left the room.
The guard outside her door went to follow her.
"It's alright," she told him. "I'm just going down to the kitchen. You can go if you like."
He shook his head, "Lt. Collier said to stick with you."
"Fine." Darcy rolled her eyes and headed towards the kitchen.
To her surprise, she found Nanny in the kitchen, baking.
"What are you doing up at this hour, young lady?"
"Uh, I was about to ask you the same thing." Darcy muttered.
"Don't get smart with me," Nanny sighed and wiped her hands on her apron. "After everything that has happened today, I found it hard to sleep. And poor, poor Pidge. I didn't know what else to do so I'm making those cookies he likes so much. I know it's not much, but I needed to do something."
Darcy smiled softly, "I'm sure he'll appreciate it."
"So, what are you doing up at this hour?"
"I was hungry."
Nanny raised her eyebrows in surprise, "After everything you ate at dinner?"
Darcy felt the heat rise to her face, "I guess you should know, it seems like everyone else does by now. I'm, uh, I'm pregnant."
Nanny pursed her lips, "Mm hm."
"Uh, what?" Darcy asked nervously, toying with the tie of her robe.
"I wish you luck, dear, but I have to say I do not approve of children out of wedlock. It's important that children are created from love, not some fling. It's not fair to the child. "
Darcy's face grew redder with embarrassment and indignation, "I agree with you, really I do. But Lance and I are getting married, he proposed before we knew I was pregnant. We're very excited. Our baby will have both parents in his life. What Lance and I have could never be referred to as a fling!" She turned her back on the older woman and began ruffling through the refrigeration unit.
Nanny nodded brusquely, "Yes well, it's always nice to have a house full of children and little Cady will have a playmate."
Darcy didn't respond, feeling highly insulted. She put together a sandwich of peanut butter and cheese and grabbed a bottle of milk. As she passed the cupboard beside the stove, she opened it and pulled out a bag of chocolates. Nanny was about to stop her, they were treats for the children, but she stopped herself, remembering how the Queen had behaved whenever she had commented on her eating habits during her pregnancy.
How dare she! Darcy thought as she stomped back to her room. But the same thought had been gnawing at the back of her mind as well. As thrilled as she was that everything was alright between her and Lance and how happy he had been when she told him she was expecting, she was disappointed in herself that this had happened before they were married. They had slacked off on their precautions when she had been infected with the Ttechken poison, thinking they were safe. But she didn't want to have her baby out of wedlock. No, that wouldn't happen. They were getting married and they would raise this baby together. Oh God, what were her parents going to think?
Darcy entered her room and looked at the clock. It was nearing one in the morning and she was debating whether to call Lance on his communicator. No, she would give him some more time before she called. Pidge needed him more than she did right now. She set her food on the bedside table and hung up her robe before returning to her bed. With the pillows piled behind her and her sandwich in her hand, Darcy picked up the book she was reading and tried her best at staying awake.
It was nearly an hour later that Lance entered her room. He didn't bother knocking, just slid open the door and silently entered. He was utterly exhausted. She didn't speak, sensing that he didn't want to talk just yet, instead she watched quietly as he pulled his shirt off and sat on the edge of the bed to take off his boots. Still not saying a word, Lance curled up beside her, his head on her lap. Darcy hesitated a moment before bringing her hand up to stroke his hair. He lay silently and she stared at the same page of her book, waiting for him to talk, to tell her what was on his mind.
"I love you," he whispered after ten agonizing minutes of silence.
"I know. I love you too." She responded, continuing to stroke his hair.
Lance rolled over onto his back and looked up at her, "I've been thinking."
"You want to be careful with that," she teased.
"What do you think about going to Terra."
Darcy blinked, surprised by the question, "Well, uh, I'd like to, but I think we should wait. I mean we just got back from there and we have the wedding to plan and the baby. I thought we could go visit after the baby was born."
"I don't mean to visit, I mean, move back there. Permanently."
Shock registered on her face, "What?"
"I've been thinking about this." Lance pushed himself up into a sitting position and leaned back against the headboard. "We could go back to Terra, I could get my teaching certificate and teach flying at the Academy or open my own school."
She knew it was his dream to open a flying school some day. But that would be after they defeated Doom and he had planned on opening it on Arus. "Lance…"
"That way we could be near our parents, it would be easier for them to see the baby. And I know your father would feel better getting you off this planet."
"Lance…"
"Think about it, it would be perfect. We could run the school together. You would make an awesome teacher…"
Darcy cut him off by putting her hand over his mouth,
"Lance, I think that would be the biggest mistake you ever made."
He raised his eyebrows and mumbled "What?" against her palm.
"If I remove my hand, will you shut up and let me talk?"
He nodded.
"Okay," she pulled her hand away. "You aren't thinking straight right now. If you left you would regret it for the rest of your life. You are second in command of the Voltron Force and they need you…"
"Keith would…"
"Don't interrupt me. I know Keith would understand and Hunk has proven himself to be a good leader, but these are your friends and Arus has become your home, you can't leave now. I know you're only thinking of me and the baby, and I love you for that, but, honey, you need to think of your responsibilities here. Not to long ago you told me that this was bigger than me, well it is and it's bigger than you. I know that deep down you don't want to leave. We came here to fight Doom and defend Arus. As members of the Voltron Force it is our job, our duty, to defend the Universe and its people.
"Do you really think Lotor would give up if we moved to Terra? No, he would follow us there. We're safer and better equipped to fight him here. I think we should stay here and fight."
Lance laid his head on her shoulder and wrapped his arms around her middle, "Our priorities have changed."
"I know that, Lance, but we can't turn our back on Arus. It's our home now and we need to help protect it."
He tightened his arms around her and buried his face in her neck. She had taken a shower earlier and he could smell the faint scent of jasmine from her soap. She felt so good in his arms, warm, solid.
Darcy brought her arm up around his shoulders and stroked his head, "Talk to me, Lance."
She felt his hot breath on her neck as he sighed.
"I just spent over two hours with one of my best friends while he tried to drink away the memory of the woman he loves dying in his arms." His voice was low and raw as he spoke.
"Oh, honey," she breathed, kissing the top of his head.
He lifted his head and looked at her with moist eyes. "I don't ever want to know what that feels like and I don't ever want you to have to go through that."
She chewed on her lower lip. It would be so easy for her to say that wasn't going to happen, but she couldn't. "I know, Lance, but running away won't change that. We need to keep our family together and we need to keep our promise to the people of Arus. What would it teach our child if we ran at the first sign of danger? What would it teach him about commitment and courage?"
He slowly lowered his head to her shoulder again and they sat, wrapped around each other in silence.
"You think of the baby as a boy?" Lance asked after a few minutes.
A small smile crossed Darcy's tired face, "Yeah, I don't know why, I just think of him as a boy."
"I've always thought of the baby as a girl."
"Really?"
"Yeah, a little Darcy."
She turned her face into his hair, nuzzling him, "That would be easier than trying to raise a little Lance."
"Hey," he looked at her with mock hurt. "That was uncalled for."
"I love you, Lance." She whispered, kissing him.
He laid his hand on her stomach. "I love you too." He kissed her. "And little Darcy."
"Little Lance." She corrected.
"Mm hm," he murmured as he moved his lips to her throat, slowly unbuttoning her nightshirt.
She smiled and laced her fingers through his hair as Lance kissed his way down to her stomach. He stopped, gently stroking her abdomen.
"Lance?"
"Our baby is in there. We're going to be parents." His voice was full of awe as he stared intently at her stomach.
"You're going to be a great daddy."
He lifted his uncertain gaze to hers, "You think so?"
"I know so." She assured him.
He slid up her body and drew her into a deep, intense kiss. When he pulled back, he saw the tears in her eyes. "Are you okay?"
She nodded and pulled him back in for another kiss.
**********************************
Lance sighed, content as he tightened the arm he had wrapped around Darcy's waist, holding her to him. She somehow found a way to make him feel better. After all that had happened earlier, he found serenity with her. It made all the fighting worthwhile. He kissed the back of her neck and smiled when she sighed.
"Lance?"
"Hm?"
"I want to get married."
"Too late. I already asked you."
"No," she turned in his arms and found herself staring at his chest. Tilting her head back she looked up at him. "I mean now, well, not now, but soon. Maybe next week."
"That doesn't give us a lot of time to plan."
"We don't need a lot. Just someone to marry us and a couple of witnesses."
"Don't you want the whole big affair, flowers, dancing, food, our families?"
She lowered her gaze and traced circles on his chest, "I don't need that, do you?"
"No," he kissed her forehead. "I just need you."
"Then let's do it."
"What about our families?"
"We can have a reception later."
"Why the hurry?"
When she didn't answer, Lance put his finger under her chin and forced her to look up at him. "Why the hurry, Darcy?"
"I don't want our baby born out of wedlock."
"She won't be. We have what? Eight months?"
"Seven and a half."
"That's plenty of time."
"Someday he's going to want to know why he was born only a few months after we got married, what do we tell him then?"
"We tell her that I was so madly in love with her mother that I couldn't keep my hands off her."
Darcy rolled her eyes, "Yeah, that won't disturb him. I guess we can start saving up for therapy now."
"If that's what you really want, we can go see the jeweler tomorrow and get married as soon as we have the rings."
"Okay."
"Is that really what you want?"
"Yes. I don't want a big wedding. We can plan something in a couple of months, have our immediate families come out and we can celebrate then. And besides, I don't want to waddle down the aisle."
He snickered.
"What?"
"Just the image of you waddling."
She lightly smacked his arm, "Smartass." She turned so her back was to his chest and smiled when he tightened his arm around her, burying his face in her hair.
