Lance looked down at the tiny person in his arms. "Happy one month birthday, Schuyler," he whispered, running his hand gently over her hair. As hard as he tried, he couldn't tame the mohawk. Allura assured him that as it grew, her hair would smooth down. Schuyler would not be a little punk girl running around at the age of six with a mohawk.

He stroked her cheek with his finger as she looked up at him with half closed eyes over the edge of her pacifier. His mother had tried to talk him out of letting her have pacifiers, but Darcy's mother had given it to her when she was still in the hospital wing. Now Schuyler was addicted to it. Lance wasn't too worried about it though, he didn't think she would still be sucking on it on her way to college.

They were curled up in the large rocking chair in the nursery he and Darcy had put together. It was just after midnight on February 22nd. One month ago their lives forever changed. Lotor and Haggar had entered the castle and everything changed.

He was on medical leave for the time being, aside from some soreness and stiffness in his arm, he was almost entirely healed. But he was in no hurry to return to work. He had resigned his post with the Garrison and accepted Keith's offer to be his second-in-command of the Arusian military, one of his main duties being the training of pilots for the Arusian Air Brigade. Lance was settling on Arus, something both his parents and Darcy's parents tried to talk him out of. They all wanted them to move back to Terra, but this was their home now. This was where Schuyler had been born, this is where she would grow up. His life was here now.

Lance watched as her eyes grew heavy and the pacifier stopped moving. A small smile crossed his lips and he gently removed it from her mouth. She looked so much like Darcy. Becca had sent him baby pictures of Darcy when she had returned to Terra. The only difference was that Schuyler had a slightly more square chin, like his, and her hair was darker, again like his.

Becca would be visiting again in a few months when school let out for the summer. Partially to see Schuyler and partially to see Pidge. Lance's smile grew a bit more at the thought of Becca and Pidge. She was bolder than Darcy and had been able to bring Pidge out of his shell. Gadara had been right when she said Pidge would be a changed man, he seemed older, more mature. But he was starting to show glimmers of his old self. He had helped Hunk repair the Lions after that last battle and was now helping train the Arusian military computer technicians.

Hunk had popped the question to Paton Lacko, the chief of Police in Alforia and his girlfriend of two years. They had wanted to wait until the threat of Doom had passed before getting married. They were, however, going to take it slower than Darcy and Lance had. The wedding wasn't going to be for several more months. Cady was going to be the flower girl and Paton's nephew was going to be the ring bearer.

Lance sighed. He was so afraid that Darcy had been cheated out of the wedding she really wanted. Granted, she did have the dress she wanted and it was an outdoors ceremony like she wanted. But they hadn't had a real reception, having cancelled the one they had planned since their families had made it for the ceremony. There had been no first dance, no throwing of the bouquet, no ring bearer or flower girl. She had told him over and over that she didn't need all that, she never really did like being the center of attention. But a wedding was different. It hadn't bothered him. He would have been happy if it had just been the two of them, he only wanted to marry her, with or without a ceremony.

Keith and Allura were expecting another baby. This castle was going to be overrun with children before long. Not that anyone seemed to mind. They were thrilled, of course, and Allura was already looking up names. Keith was starting to show some strain, although he would never admit it. He had had meetings with the Garrison, giving them full reports of the downfall of Doom, including the arrests of what was left of the Doom Army. It would be a while before he cleared all the red tape, but Lance hoped he and Allura would be able to take a couple of days to regroup.

Schuyler began to whimper. Lance started rocking again, not realizing he had stopped. Her whimpers grew a little louder.

"Sh, its okay, baby girl, go back to sleep," he whispered.

One of the things Lance had learned over the past month was that he wasn't very good at lullabies. He just didn't know any. So he did what he could, singing the only songs he knew and it seemed to work for his little girl. Very softly he began singing one of his favorites and the closest thing to a lullaby he knew, an old rock ballad.

Schuyler's whimpers began to die down and she sighed quietly. Lance felt a presence with them in the room. He looked up and smiled.

"You never sang to me."

"Sure I did." He insisted.

"Nope, I would remember that, you have a nice voice. You should've wakened me, you're always getting up with her."

"You need your rest."

Darcy stood in front of them looking pale and drawn. She had spent three weeks in the hospital, returning to their room just the week before. It had been two days before she regained consciousness, she woke disoriented and groggy, too weak to sit upright or walk. It was a week before she could hold Schuyler by herself.

Dr. Gorma had prepared Lance for the worst, it was very touch and go at first, she was incredibly lucky to have survived at all. Over the past couple of years, her body had taken quite a beating. Darcy had been shot, poisoned, survived a difficult pregnancy, had flat lined twice, and had been beaten and bruised. She wouldn't be able to have anymore children, there was just no way her body could handle it. But they had Schuyler and that was enough for them. Darcy was supposed to still be on bed rest, but more often than not Lance would find her in the nursery.

He held the sleeping bundle out to her and she gathered their baby to her breast.

"Come here," he put his hands on her waist and pulled her closer until she sat on his lap.

Darcy cuddled up to him, her head on his shoulder, and watched her little girl sleep. She felt guilty thinking of how Lance had taken on all the parental responsibilities over the past month. Dr. Gorma told her repeatedly that it was a miracle she had survived, she needed to take it easy.

She had been offered medical leave by the Garrison but had chosen to resign instead. There was no guarantee that she would ever be as strong as she had once been. Keith had told her that once she was back on her feet, Darcy had a job as a flight instructor if she wanted it. However, for the time being, she was working on building up her strength and bonding with her daughter.

Lance brought both arms around her and began to rock the chair again. His heart beating fast, he buried his face in her hair. Twice, he had almost lost Darcy, twice. He was in absolute awe of her and her strength, both physically and emotionally. He was relieved to know that now there was no longer a serious military threat and he could build a life with his family. He knew better than to take anything for granted and it had been a hard lesson to learn.

Lance was a completely different person than he had been when he first landed on Arus. When he had first arrived, piloting was his love in life. All he wanted was to fly Red, flirt with a couple of local girls and have a good time. Now his definition of a 'good time' had totally changed. He was a father and a husband. Flying, the military, everything that had once been so important to him now took a second seat to what he held on his lap.

Darcy sighed contentedly and tilted her head back to look at him.

"Hi," he whispered down at her.

"Hi."

He reached up and brushed her mussed hair away from her face, cupping her cheek in his hand. "I love you."

She smiled softly, "I love you too."

He pressed a light kiss to her temple and nuzzled her hair, singing very softly in to her ear…


Author's Note: Both the title of this chapter and the song Lance sings comes from "Golden Slumbers" by the Beatles off of Abbey Road. I removed the lyrics when the new rule was installed.