"Thank you for coming," Rankin shook Keith's hand.

"If there is anything, anything at all, that we can do, don't hesitate to ask."  Keith told him.

Allura hugged Paget, "You are all welcome to come to Arus whenever you want.  Our doors are always open."

"Thank you," Paget gave her a weak smile.

It was midmorning and Keith had decided they needed to head back.  He was anxious to get back into the thick of things after having been out of it for so long.  Lance assured him everything was fine when he had spoken to him earlier, but it couldn't squelch his need to hurry back.  Besides, both he and Allura wanted to get back to Cady as early as possible.

Pidge followed the others, with his head down. He was tired and just wanted to get home.

"Pidge?"

He looked up and saw Rankin had come to stand beside him.  "Rankin."

"Um," Rankin looked down at his hands before awkwardly thrusting them out.  "I, uh, we thought you would like this."

Pidge looked at the plain, wooden box Rankin held out.  "What is it?"

"It belonged to Renata.  We didn't have many, um, many of her things.  But I know this is something she would like you to have."

Pidge swallowed hard, trying to dislodge the lump in his throat.  "Thank you."

Rankin nodded and turned away.

"It's hard for him to say, but he is very grateful to you," Paget whispered.  "He knows everything you did for Renata."

"I didn't really do anything."

"You cared for her, you made her happy.  You were her friend when she needed one the most.  For that he is grateful, we all are."

Pidge looked up at her with wide, tired eyes.  "She was a very special person."

"Yes she was," Paget hugged him.  "So are you."  She pulled back and gently tapped his hand that held the box Rankin had given him.  "Rankin kept this, it had been one of Renata's favorite things when she was little.  Their father gave it to her before the Doom attack."

Pidge looked down and very slowly, he lifted the lid.  It was a simple box, lined with a soft, almost fuzzy feeling fabric.  Gentle music wafted from within.

"It's a music box," Paget pointed out.  "The song is one that their mother used to sing to them."

"I can't accept this," Pidge said, realizing how special this gift was.        

"Yes you can.  We wanted to give you something to remind you of Renata and how special your friendship was to her…and us."

"I don't need anything to remind me of that.  It's not something I'm going to forget."

Paget smiled softly, "You're a good man, Pidge."  She hugged him again and closed his hand over the box.  "Keep this as a reminder of that."

"Ready to go?"  Hunk asked, softly.

"Yeah," Pidge looked up at him.  "As ready as I'll ever be."

Hunk slung a friendly arm around his friend's shoulders and walked back to the ship with him. 

It was a long ride home.  After everything that had happened, Allura couldn't help but feel relieved that things were starting to get back to some semblance of normalcy.  Keith was back.  Their family was whole once again.  Although it would take time for all the healing to help.  Physically, the castle needed to have the damage done during the battle repaired.  Everyone was exhausted and in desperate need of some time.  Emotionally, it would take even longer to heal.

She shifted her gaze across the cabin to where Pidge fingered a small wooden box.  Her heart ached for him. 

Keith caught her watching Pidge.  Smiling, he took her hand in his and squeezed.  "He'll be alright.  He just needs some time."

"I know."  She whispered, forlornly.

"Lance said that the medicine woman and her grandson are arriving this evening."  Keith changed the subject.

Allura nodded, "I hope she can figure out what's wrong with Darcy.  If anything were to happen to her, can you imagine what Lance would do?"

"Nothing is going to happen to her."

"I hope not.  After everything that has happened, why can't the fates just allow Darcy some happiness?"

Keith put his arm around her, wishing he could ease her mind.  "We'll just have to see what this woman says tonight."

"Can we trust her?"

"Kadmus recommended her and Lance has looked into her past."

She rested her head on his shoulder, "Things are going to get back to normal now, right?"

He chuckled, "As normal as things can get around here.  I believe there is still a wedding to plan."

Allura groaned, "It never ends does it?"

"Yeah, but if all this wasn't going on, you would be so bored."

"True," she smiled up at him.  "But would a little boredom be all that bad?"

**************************************************

Lance was on his third cup of coffee when Darcy entered the kitchen.  He was skimming the log from the previous night's duty roster.  He was pale and had dark circles under his eyes.

"Did you get any sleep at all last night?"  She asked, reaching for his coffee.

Without looking up, Lance pulled the mug out of her reach and pushed his juice glass towards her.  "I got a few hours.  How're you feeling?"

"I'm alright," she sipped the juice.  "I was thinking."

Lance set the file down and leaned back in his chair.  "What about?"

"Maybe you would sleep better in your own room."

"I don't think so."

"Well, it seems you didn't sleep to well last night and I could have a guard stay with me if you are that adamant about me not being alone."

He ran his hand over his face and sighed, frustrated.  "Whatever you want, Darcy, I'm not going to argue with you."

"I'm not trying to argue with you, I'm just worried about you.  The only sleep you got was interrupted by a nightmare, I've never known you to have a nightmare."

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine."  He leaned forward and laced his fingers with hers.  "I've had nightmares before; I just don't talk about them.  It's not something I can control, so I don't let it upset me.  You have enough on your mind, you don't need to worry about me getting enough sleep."

"What was the nightmare about?"

"Darc…"

She raised her eyebrows and tightened her grip on his hand.

There was no easy way to get out of this, Lance searched his mind for something to tell her.  "Just the usual.  Attacks, fights, yadda yadda yadda."

Darcy studied him for a minute, he was lying.  Fighting and attacks didn't frighten him, they invigorated him.  After a battle, he was flying high and bouncing off the walls.  When the adrenaline wore off, he would sleep like a log.  He was worrying about her and the baby, she knew it.  And it made her feel guilty. 

Fidgeting under her gaze, Lance stood and went to refill his coffee mug, "Really, Darcy, it's nothing.  When Keith gets back my work load will lighten a little and

knowing that we don't have to worry about Doom for a while helps.  I'm fine.  One night of little sleep isn't going to kill me."

"Alright," Darcy stood and made her way to the refrigeration unit.  "Promise me you'll sleep tonight?"  She pulled the door open and stared at the food before her, trying to decide what she was hungry for.

Smirking, Lance walked up behind her.  "Depends on where I can sleep," he breathed on the back of her neck.

An involuntary shudder caused Darcy to clutch the door of the unit.  "I, uh, I think I'm going to have a grilled cheese sandwich.  Want one?"

"No, thank you."  Lance watched as she pulled out the cheese and bread.  "You're evading my question."

"I want you to sleep wherever you will actually get sleep," she said as she buttered the bread and turned on the stove.

He watched her, the way she puttered around, putting the sandwich together, actually tearing the cheese slices so there was an equal amount of cheese across the bread.  Setting the pan on the heat, she wrapped and put away the cheese and bread, then wiped the crumbs off the counter with a damp cloth.

"You're going to be a great mother," he blurted out.

"What?"  She asked amused.

"I just, uh, I just think you're going to make a great mother," Lance said.  His heart beat faster as he remembered the dream he had had the night before.

"Well, thank you."  Touched she gave him a quick kiss as she passed him on her way to the cabinet for a plate. 

"I think I'd sleep better with you," he whispered.

Darcy closed her eyes, feeling her knees weaken, "Lance..."

"I always sleep better with you."  He stepped closer, narrowing the gap between them.

"We're talking about actually sleeping."  Darcy looked up at him through her lashes, backing up until she felt the counter push into her back.

Lance placed his hands on the counter on either side of her, caging her in.  "I know what I'm talking about."

"Lance," her voice was low and husky.

Smiling softly, he leaned in, "Yeah?"

"My sandwich is burning."

"Yeah," he stepped back.  "You really know how to ruin the moment, don't you?"

"It could've been worse," she told him, flipping the sandwich over.

"Oh?"

"Nanny could've walked in."

Lance laughed, "Now that would've been worth it just to see her face."

"Who's face?"  Dante asked, walking in.  "Oh, Darcy, are you making breakfast?"

"Do you want a grilled cheese sandwich?"

Dante made a face, "Maybe later.  Any word from Keith?"

"I talked to him earlier, they're heading home now."  Lance sat down at the table with his fresh mug of coffee.

Moments later, Caleb wandered in, followed by Nanny with Cady.

"Ach!  What is that?"  She pointed to Darcy's plate.  "That is not a good breakfast."

"Sure it is," Darcy argued.  "There's dairy and grain, it's healthy."

Lance took Cady from Nanny and set her on his knee, "How's little CadyBear?"

She grabbed his finger and bounced on his lap.

"She kept me up most of the night," Nanny announced as she took jars of baby food from the cupboard. 

"Missing your Mommy and Daddy, huh?"  Lance asked the little girl.  She tilted her head as though she was trying to comprehend what he was saying.  He blew a raspberry at her.  Giggling, Cady stuck her tongue out and tried to reciprocate.

"So that's where she learned that," Nanny said disapprovingly.

"Every baby needs to know how to blow a raspberry, right Cady?"

"I don't know about that," Darcy spoke up.

"No, they do.  Show her Cady."  Lance blew another raspberry and laughed when Cady copied him. 

Darcy couldn't help but smile, watching his interaction with the little girl. 

"Oh, come on, Lance."  Dante muttered when Lance laid Cady on the table and blew a raspberry on her stomach.

Cady laughed and kicked her legs in the air.

"What?  She likes it."  Grinning, Lance did it again.

"Alright, Lieutenant, that's enough."  Nanny lifted Cady off the table and set her in the highchair.  She began to fuss and held her arms out to Lance until Nanny offered her a spoonful of orange goop.

Smiling, Lance turned to Darcy, "I told you…"

He was cut off when she pressed her lips to his in an impulsive kiss.

"No public displays at the table!"  Caleb called as he sat at the table with a bowl of cereal.

"You're just jealous," Lance grinned at him.

"Hardly," he muttered.

"Don't forget your meeting with Hilla this morning," Nanny told Darcy as she put her plate in the sink.

"I know.  You can…you can just have her come to my room when she's ready."

Lance looked up when he heard the strained tone of her voice.  Darcy stood at the sink, her back to everyone, clutching the edge of the counter.  He stood and went to stand beside her.  "You okay?"

She shook her head, "I don't want to make a big deal out of this."

Nodding, Lance slid his arm around her waist.  "We'll find you guys later," he announced to the room.

Caleb and Dante didn't even look up from their food and Nanny was distracted, trying to get Cady to eat another spoonful of green goop.

"This isn't going to work for much longer.  I think they're going to realize something is wrong," Lance said as Darcy leaned heavily on him.

"I know," she said through gritted teeth.

"Especially when Gadara arrives tonight."

Darcy nodded.

"Dammit, Darc."  Lance stopped put his other arm beneath her knees and scooped her up.

"Sorry," she whispered into his neck.

"Don't be sorry, baby," he stopped to punch in the code to open her door.  "I'm just a little frustrated."  He gently laid her on the bed.

She watched as he went into the bathroom and came back with a cup of tepid water and two pain pills. 

"I'm sorry, Lance, I know this is annoying…"

"It's not annoying, Darcy," he stopped and ran his hands through his hair.  "I just want you to be well, I want you and this baby to be okay.  I am sick and tired of seeing you in pain.  It kills me."

She threw back the pills and water, settling back on the bed.  "Well, it's only about seven more months."

Lance gave her a weak smile, "Pshaw, that's nothing."

"Yeah, I can handle that," she rubbed her stomach.

"You going to be alright?  I have to get to work."

"Yeah, the pills will kick in and by then Hilla should be here to take my measurements."

He leaned down and kissed her, hard.  "I love you."

She smiled weakly, "I love you too."

Lance ran his hands down her sides, reached under her shirt and unclipped her communicator.  After checking to make sure it was on, he set it within reach on the bedside table, ""Please contact me if you need anything, anything at all."

"I will."

"Alright," he patted her leg.  "Rest and I'll check on you later."

****************************************************

It was mid afternoon when the transport ship touched down.  The passengers quietly exited the ship and went their separate ways.  Pidge made his way to his room without saying a word to anyone.  Hunk went to follow him, but was stopped by Keith who told him to give him some time.  Allura hurried to the nursery while Keith headed toward Castle Control.

With Cady settled on her hip, Allura found her way to Castle Control where Lance was filling Keith in on what was going on.

"It's was clear all night and so far today.  We are expecting Pvt. Latham and the medicine woman in about an hour or so."  Lance said.  "How did things go on Pollux?"

"As well as it could," Keith shrugged.

Lance nodded.

"How's Darcy?"  Allura asked him.

"She's been in pain," Lance sighed.  "I haven't seen her in a while, Hilla's in her room getting her measurements and I'm not allowed to be in the room when they're discussing the dress."

"She's having the dress made already?"

"Oh, yeah, by the way, we're getting married next Sunday."

Allura's mouth fell open, "I guess you were serious about getting married soon."

"We spoke to our parents, last night.  It wasn't pretty."

"They disappointed they won't be here?"  Keith asked.

"Well, that and they all think we're too young and we're rushing things."  Lance mumbled.

Keith smiled, "Yeah, and there were a few people who thought that about us as well."  He wrapped his arm around Allura's shoulders.

"Darcy's father came down on us pretty hard and upset her.  He thinks I took advantage of her."

"You did," Keith smirked.

"Yeah, well, he doesn't need to know that." 

"Wait a second, let's get back to this wedding," Allura spoke up.

"Darcy and Nanny have already started discussing it.  It's going to be a small, simple ceremony.  Could you do me a favor, Allura?"

She shifted Cady to her other hip, "What?"

"Dr. Gorma and I want to speak with Gadara and her grandson before they examine Darcy, could you distract her for a little while?"  Lance asked.

"Why do I need to distract her? Just tell her you want to meet with Gadara."

"It's not that simple, she'll want to be there and after everything that has happened, we want to check this woman out.  Speaking of which, Kadmus should be coming soon as well."

Allura nodded, "Cady and I'll go see how the wedding preparations are going."

"And Allura," Lance called after her.  "If…if it looks like she's pushing herself to hard or she's in pain, make her stop.  Don't let her push herself."

"I'll do what I can, Lance," Allura promised.

"Who is it?"  Darcy asked when she heard the knock on the door.

"It's me and Cady."

Darcy opened the door and ushered them in, "Lance isn't with you, is he?"

Allura smiled, "No, just us girls."

Hilla sat on the edge of the bed, her large sewing basket at her feet and swatches of fabric beside her on the bed.  She rose and curtsied, "Your Highness."

"Hilla, how are you?"  Allura sat on the bed and set Cady on the floor.

"I'm fine, your highness, thank you.  And you?"

"We're doing alright."

Darcy sat on the bed, "How was the trip to Pollux?"

Allura shrugged, "Sad.  Pidge is still pretty down, but he and Rankin talked.  I hope that helped."  She picked up a swatch of ivory fabric.  "Have you decided on a dress?"

"Yeah, it's going to be a simple, Elizabethan design."

Hilla mumbled something that sounded like "yeah simple."

"Elizabethan?"  Allura asked.

Darcy showed her the quick sketch Hilla had done, "It has a square neckline, an empire waist, and the sleeves will be fitted to the elbow, then they fall in a wide bell shape."

"It's lovely," Allura commented.

"This will be the fabric."  Darcy held out a cream colored, satin.

"I was thinking about having this along the cuffs and hem," Hilla held out a red and cream colored braided piping.

"Beautiful.  What about flowers?  Where are you going to hold the ceremony?"  Allura asked.

While they continued to discuss the wedding, a ship drew closer to Arus.