Allura rubbed her eyes and laid her head on Keith's shoulder. He brought his arm up around her shoulders and hugged her to him, resting his cheek on the top of her head.
They were returning to the castle as the sun was setting. As soon as Rankin and Rainger had left, Allura and Keith began the difficult job of meeting with the five families left behind by the guards they had lost. They spoke with wives, husbands, children, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, and one fiancée. Everyone reacted differently. Some cried and agreed that their loved one had died doing what they wanted to do. Others screamed at her calling her every name in the book and wishing death on her. Allura comforted the best she could and accepted the criticisms, knowing they came from grief. If she hadn't had Keith at her side, she wasn't sure if she would have been strong enough to handle it.
Keith was wiped out. He was still weak and this had been a long, trying day for him. As they made their way back to the castle, he fought to keep his eyes open. As strong as Allura was, he knew she was very sensitive. The loss of any Arusian was like the loss of a family member to her. He saw the tears in her eyes when the pregnant wife of one of the fallen guards had called her a 'selfish bitch, a worthless Queen, and an insult to the memory of King Alfor.' But Allura continued to hold her head high and promised that the woman and her children would never need for anything.
With pride surging through him, Keith turned and gently kissed the top of Allura's head. Taking a shaky breath, she snuggled closer to him.
"I am so proud of you," he whispered.
"I am so tired of all this, Keith. I want the fighting to be over. I want the death to stop. I want Lotor dead."
He tightened his arm around her. As much as they hated Lotor, he had never heard her wish death on him, or anyone for that matter. "It will end, Baby, we will defeat him."
"I want Cady to live in a safe world."
"She has nothing to fear, we'll keep her safe."
The car pulled around to the front of the Castle of Lions and slowed to a stop. The driver opened the door and offered a hand to help Allura out of the car. Keith slid out behind her and took her arm in a protective gesture.
"I think you should turn in for the night," Keith told her as they entered the castle.
"I would love to, but I have to meet with Koran and make arrangements so we can go to Renata's funeral."
"I can do that."
"No, Keith, you're dead on your feet. Go lay down, I'll turn in as soon as I can."
He was about to argue when his communicator went off. "Yeah, Whitaker."
"Hey, Cap," Dante responded. "We just an Intel report I think you might want to take a look at."
Keith nodded, "I'll be right there."
"Keith, you are still recuperating. I want you to go rest. I'll check out the Intel report. Don't make me worry about you."
Smiling softly, he took her hands in his, "Tell you what, I'll meet with Dante and you meet with Koran. We'll both take care of what needs to be done and we'll meet in our room in an hour. We'll put Cady to bed and then crawl into bed together and crash."
Allura leaned forward, resting her head on his shoulder. "You have a deal."
"I love you," Keith whispered, kissing her softly on the temple.
"I love you too."
"One hour."
"See you there." Allura promised, squeezing his hand before turning towards Koran's study.
Keith watched as she disappeared around the corner before heading towards Castle Control. Dante stood beside the main console, looking smug and holding a slip of paper.
"What is it?" Keith asked.
"Landor has died."
"Are we sure? We thought Lotor was dead."
"Yup," he held out the piece of paper. "There was an official funeral pyre and everything. Our insiders claim to have seen his body burned and the ashes placed in the mausoleum along side Zarkon's."
Keith studied the paper in his hands and felt relief. He wasn't Lotor, but he was one less threat. "Thanks for letting me know, Dante. We'll announce it at tomorrow's meeting before we leave for Pollux."
"Um, Cap, have you heard about what happened?" Dante asked, nervously.
Keith looked up and his heart stopped, "What? Is it Pidge? He didn't do anything stupid, did he?"
"No, it's not Pidge, he's been locked in his room all day. It's Darcy."
"Get to the point, Dante, what happened?"
"She started having pains and passed out. She's been in the hospital all evening."
"Oh no," Keith sighed. "What is it?"
"Don't know yet. I haven't seen Lance."
"Alright, thanks for letting me know."
******************************************
Lance impatiently paced the small examination room. It only took him six strides to get from one wall to the next. Darcy sat on the bed, following him with her eyes. The pain had subsided, but Dr. Gorma had asked her to stay until they had figured out what was wrong. He had taken various images of her womb and the baby and then disappeared to study them.
"This is ridiculous," Lance muttered for the tenth time.
"Lance, sit down, you're making me dizzy."
He stopped and looked down at her, "How do you feel? Do you need anything?"
Tears burned her eyes, "I just want the baby to be okay."
Taking her hand in his, he dropped a kiss on her forehead, "I know, honey, and I'm sure she will be. We would have heard by now if the baby was…was…not…"
"I know," she whispered, not wanting to hear him finish his statement.
He sighed and then smiled softly, sitting on the edge of the bed, "Grace."
"I like Grace. We can put that in the maybe pile."
"We have piles?"
"Yup. A 'yes' pile for the right names, a 'no' pile for the wrong names, like Star Wars names, and a 'maybe' pile for the names we'll consider. Michael."
"Too common. Leigh."
"Phillip."
"I went to school with a Phillip, he was a jerk. Jane."
"Alexander."
"Alexandria."
Darcy shook her head, "Now you aren't even trying. You can't just say the female version of the name I just said."
"Why not?"
"Give it some thought, Lance."
He played with her fingers, stroking the back of her hand, "Victoria."
"Chris."
"Shana."
"I knew a Shana, she stole my boyfriend in seventh grade."
"Bitch." Lance muttered.
"Yeah. Joseph."
"Paige."
"I like Paige," Darcy said, watching him play with her fingers. "Lance?"
"Hmm?"
"Don't you like any of the boy's names I've come up with?"
"No, you've come up with some good ones. I just don't want to waste my time thinking about it when we're having a girl."
"You're awfully sure of yourself."
"It's just a feeling I have. And besides, if we do have a boy it'll be Lance Charles Collier II."
"No."
"We can name our daughter Darcy Elizabeth Barlow Collier II."
"No."
Lance shrugged, "Why not?"
"Our child should have a name of his own. Do you really want him to have to live up to your reputation? One of the greatest pilots in the Garrison, the second-in-command of the most powerful Force in the Universe…"
"…a sex god with a great sense of humor…" Lance interrupted.
"…and an overblown ego." Darcy finished.
"Hey, that would be one cool kid."
There was a quick knock on the door before Dr. Gorma opened it, "How're you feeling, Sergeant?"
"Alright, a little tired and hungry."
He smiled softly, "I understand. I've been examining your intrasounds." Dr. Gorma held up two images. "All I can find is this." He pointed to the dark spots that dotted the images. "This one was taken months ago and this one was taken earlier. You can see the spots are in the same places, but that they are now stretched out and distended. I am assuming that is where the pain is coming from. The baby seems fine. I don't fully understand what is causing the pain."
"So what do we do?" Lance asked.
"I have found someone. A medicine woman from a tribe on Planet Gunnel. I am going to contact her, she seems to be the foremost expert on the Ttechkan planet. I hope to convince her to come and check out Sergeant Barlow."
"Tell her we'll do whatever it takes. Money is no object. If she can't come here, we'll take Darcy there." Lance said.
"I want Sergeant Barlow grounded and taking it easy for now. Until we know just what is wrong, I want you to take it easy. I have a pain reliever that is safe for you to take, but it's not very strong. It might help. If it isn't strong enough, let me know and I'll see if I can find something else that is safe for you to take."
Darcy crossed her hands over her stomach, "But the baby is alright."
"Yes, Sergeant."
"Thank God," she whispered. "Can I go now?"
"Let me get the pain reliever then you can go." Dr. Gorma left the room again.
Lance turned and threw his arms around Darcy, "Everything will be alright."
"We don't know that Lance. What if…what if the baby is born with something wrong?" Darcy whispered, finally giving a voice to the fear she had been secretly harboring.
"Then we'll have an even more special baby," he whispered back.
She swallowed a sob, thankful for his strength and honesty. Another wave of pain washed over her abdomen and she bit her lip, burrowing her face in his shoulder.
"Darc?"
She shook her head, unable to answer.
He took her shoulders, pushing her back, "Lay down."
Doing as he said, she laid back and rubbed her stomach. Lance replaced her hand with his own, gently stroking her midsection. It didn't help the pain, but it helped calm her.
The door slid open again and Dr. Gorma walked in, "Take these only as needed, two every four to six hours." He took in the scene before him. "Are you in pain now? Would you like to take two of them now?"
"Please." Darcy gasped.
It was ten minutes before she was able to walk. She waved off the wheelchair Dr. Gorma offered and took Lance's arm.
"Darcy! How are you?" Allura asked.
Allura, Keith, Hunk, Sven, and Romelle sat in the waiting room.
"I'm alright. Just tired."
"What happened?" Keith asked.
"I was having some pain, we don't know what's causing it."
"But the baby's alright?" Allura stood, wringing her hands.
"Yes."
"She's grounded and on medical leave until we can find out just what is wrong." Lance announced.
Keith nodded, "We'll take care of it."
"I, uh, I just want to go to bed." Darcy said.
"Of course," Allura hugged her. "Go. We'll see you tomorrow."
***********************************
Lance watched Darcy as she slept. It had taken her a couple of hours and two sandwiches before she finally fell into a fitful sleep. She just couldn't get comfortable and the pain relievers Dr. Gorma gave her didn't completely get rid of the pain, just made it more bearable.
He stood and stretched. Sleep just would not come to him. Gathering up the dishes, Lance slipped out of the room. He craved a vice. A cigarette, a drink, something he knew that was bad for him. He settled on a handful of cookies from the kitchen.
Lance stopped in the Observation Deck, falling back on one of the chairs facing the windows. It was a clear night, not a cloud in the sky.
The next afternoon Keith, Allura, Hunk, Pidge, Sven, and Romelle were flying to Pollux. They didn't want to leave Arus unprotected, so Lance had volunteered to stay along with Dante and Caleb. They weren't expecting any trouble, the news of Landor's death had spread quickly and Kadmus had said Haggar's powers were weak. But since Darcy wasn't allowed to travel, Lance wouldn't have left anyway.
He polished off the last cookie and stood to return to his room.
A slight movement caught his eye. Someone had been sitting in the last chair in the corner.
"Pidge?"
The young pilot slowly lifted his bloodshot eyes to acknowledge his friend.
Lance sat in the chair beside him, "Couldn't sleep, huh?"
Pidge shrugged, taking a swig from the bottle of whisky he held in his hand.
"You want to talk?"
"Not really."
"She was an amazing woman."
Lance commented.
"I know."
"She reminded me a lot of Allura. She was strong, compassionate, intelligent…"
"I know Lance," Pidge snapped.
They sat in silence. Lance wanting to speak, but knowing Pidge didn't.
"You must think I'm being ridiculous," Pidge muttered after five minutes of silence.
"No one thinks that."
"We'd only known each other a few weeks."
"I knew I was in love with Darcy about a week after we met."
"We had plans, Lance, there was so much we wanted to do. So much I still had to learn about her. She was going to stay here, work with Dr. Gorma. But she was afraid to talk to Rankin about it, she was afraid he would make her go to Pollux with them anyway."
Lance sat quietly. He honestly didn't know what to say. When Darcy had been shot, he felt his world crumble. He had come so close to losing her, but they had been lucky. He could only imagine what Pidge was going through. What do you say to offer comfort at a time like this?
"Why do we even bother?"
Pidge continued. "It's been years and Lotor
is still a threat. So many innocent
people have died. We are the Voltron Force. We're
supposed to be the most powerful Force in the Universe and he keeps beating
us. We're total failures Lance! What the fucks the point?"
"We aren't failures, Pidge. We have done so much. Arus would have been lost years ago along with countless other planets. No one is beating us. Zarkon is dead. Landor is dead. We have saved so many lives. If we weren't the Voltron Force, if we weren't here, who knows how big Doom would be right now. We have not failed." Lance told him.
Pidge took another pull from the bottle and stared out the window.
"I know this is hard Pidge and I know you're having a hell of a time right now. But you cannot give up. We need you. If it helps, Renata was happy here. It was obvious. You helped to make her happy and make the last month of her life…"
Pidge stood suddenly, "I'm going to bed."
"We love you, man, remember that. If you need anything or you just want to talk, you can come to any one of us."
Pidge nodded and left the room without saying a word.
Lance rubbed his hands over his face. He wasn't sure how much more of this he could take. When it rains, it pours, he thought to himself. When are we going to get a break? I think it's about time something went right for us.
**********************************
"Contact me immediately if anything happens," Keith told Lance.
"Don't worry, Cap, I don't think we have anything to worry about."
"We'll be back tomorrow evening."
Lance nodded, "Tell Rankin we're sorry. We would be there if we could."
"I'm sure he understands. Just take care of Darcy and my planet."
"Your planet?"
Keith shrugged and smiled slyly, "Yeah, well, you marry the Queen and help make a Princess, it becomes as much your planet as theirs."
Lance grinned and clapped Keith on the shoulder as they
headed towards Castle Control, "It is so good to have you back, man."
Allura stood with Cady on her hip talking to Nanny. They had decided to leave Cady since they were only going to be gone for one night. It was the longest they had ever been separated.
"Ach, your highness, I raised you, I think I am capable of taking care of the Princess for one night." Nanny held out her hands to take the baby.
"I am not doubting your ability, Nanny, I'm just not ready to give her up yet." Allura whined.
Keith quickly crossed the room and took his daughter into his arms, "Hey there, baby girl, you gonna be good for Nanny?"
"She's always a good girl." Allura insisted.
Keith looked at her over Cady's golden head, "We really need to head out, Allura."
"I know," she bent and kissed Cady's cheek. "Be good, sweetie, Mommy and Daddy will be back to tuck you in tomorrow night."
Keith placed a gentle kiss on Cady's forehead and reluctantly
handed her over to Nanny. Allura stroked her small head and kissed her again. Keith took her hand, "Come on, you'll see her
tomorrow."
"Okay. If she's having trouble sleeping she likes you to walk to floor rather than rock her. And rub her back in little circles while you do it." Allura called as Keith pulled her towards the door.
"Come on, honey, we have to go, she's in good hands." Keith put his arm around her shoulders, forcing her to turn away.
"But she…" Allura stopped when she heard Cady cry. "Oh, Keith, she's crying!"
"She's fine. Give her five minutes and she'll be happy and playing."
"It doesn't bother you that she can get over the separation that quickly?"
Keith chuckled, "She's seven months old, Allura."
"Have a safe trip," Lance said to Hunk as they stood beside the ship. "Keep an eye on Pidge."
Hunk rubbed the back of his neck and sighed, frustrated, "I don't know what to do with him, Lance."
"Just watch out for him and hide the alcohol."
Hunk nodded, "I'll do what I can."
Pidge entered the tarmac with his bag thrown over his shoulder. He was clean shaven and his clothes were pressed, he looked surprisingly good.
"Hey buddy, how ya feelin'?" Hunk greeted him.
"I'm, uh, I'm alright." Pidge muttered.
At a loss for words, Lance laid a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently.
Pidge flashed him a half-hearted smile.
"Ve better head out." Sven announced.
"Hey, it was great seeing you again," Lance hugged him.
"Ve'll be back for your wedding."
"Thanks, we appreciate it."
The six travelers, and young Erik, filed onto the ship, waving goodbye to Lance, Nanny, Koran, Dante, and Caleb.
