Hi!

Thank you guys so much for your reviews…I'm glad you're enjoying the fluff.  I promise my next story will have a little more substance :)

RedLion2, Queen Merla, QuikerKookie, Bell, everyone who has reviewed….thank you so much!  I really appreciate it!  You guys are awesome!

Enjoy,

Failte

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"I could pretend to be sick," Keith suggested.

Allura chuckled, "No, you can't."

He stood in front of the mirror and straightened his tie, "Do we have to stay late?"

"Honey," she turned around on the stool in front of her vanity to face him.  "I thought you liked these parties."

"I do.  Just not the night before Christmas Eve when there is half a foot of snow on the ground and more falling.  I would just rather stay in our nice warm home with our children and our family."

Allura stood and swept over to him in the dark red gown she wore, "It's just for a few hours."

"And then we don't leave the castle for two whole days, right?"  He toyed with one of her loose curls.

"Right."

Keith took her hand in his and twirled her around, "You are absolutely breathtaking."

She smiled prettily at him, "And these parties give me reason to dress up."

He pulled her to him, wrapping an arm around her waist, "You are beautiful in anything you wear.  And I wish you would stop referring to it as a party, though, that would imply fun."

"At least most of the people there are old enough that it will have to be an early night."

Keith slowly let her go so he could answer the knock on the door, "Who is it?"

"It's your mother," Isabelle called through the door.

Keith punched in the code and stepped back to let his mother in.  She carried Cady on her hip, the little girl wearing her Santa hat, clapping her hands, and chanting "Ho! Ho! Ho!"

"Oh!  You two look amazing," Isabelle gasped.  "Let me get my camera!"

"We have to get going, Mom," Keith said, taking his daughter from her.

"Oh, you can wait another minute, I have to get a picture of this."  She called over her shoulder as she rushed from the room.

"Mama pitty!"  Cady called, holding her arms out to her mother.

"You're pretty, too, baby," Allura leaned over and kissed her.

"What about Daddy?"  Keith asked, tickling her.


"Daddy pitty!"  She yelled.

"Pretty?  No, Cady, Daddy's handsome."  Keith corrected her.

"You're awfully sure of yourself," Allura teased.  "You are very pretty for a man."

He cocked an eyebrow at her, "Not funny."

"Ho! Ho!"  Cady called, tugging on her hat.

"That's right," Keith sat on the edge of the bed, holding her on his lap.  "Ho, ho.  Santa's coming."

Allura finished applying her lipstick and turned to face them.  "I think I'm ready to go."

Her announcement went unheard, drowned out by Cady's laughter as Keith laid her on their bed and tickled her.  Allura sneaked up behind him and started tickling him through his jacket.

"I'm not ticklish," Keith told her.


"Yes you are," Allura rested her chin on his shoulder.  "I just have to find the right spot."  When his arm suddenly jerked back and he squirmed under her, she knew she had found it.

"Allura," he hissed, trying to reach behind him to get her.

"Stop it you two, you look so nice, don't mess yourselves up," Isabelle reappeared in the doorway with her camera.

Keith stood and offered a hand to Allura, "Okay, Mom, let's get this over with."

"I'd think you were used to getting your picture taken, now smile," she instructed as she brought the camera to her eye.

"Where are the boys?"  Allura asked, turning to pick Cady up.

"Nanny and I just put them down," Isabelle continued to snap pictures of the three of them.


Allura sighed, "I want to check on them before we go."

"Now what exactly is this you're going to?"  Isabelle asked.

"It's a long, boring evening where we listen to some long, boring speeches and eat fancy food that looks nice but lacks taste."  Keith told her.

Allura elbowed him in the side, "It's the annual Holiday party with our Cabinet, dignitaries, and some members of the press."

"Will you be in the newspaper?"  Keith's mother asked, eagerly.

He shrugged, "Yeah, probably."

"Oh, I want to see the pictures."

"We'll get you copies," Allura assured her.  "But we have to get going."

"Okay, come to Grandma, Cady," Isabelle held her hands out for her granddaughter.

"Be a good girl," Keith kissed her forehead.  "Behave for Grandma."

"Ho! Ho!"  Cady responded.

"Ho, ho, goodnight, sweetie," Allura followed Keith's example, leaving a red lip print on Cady's forehead.

Suddenly realizing what was going on, Cady's lower lip began to tremble.

"Uh oh, you better take her to her room, Mom, we don't want her waking the boys," Keith said, cupping Cady's face in his hands and kissing her again.  "Be good, Cady Bear, Santa's coming."

She began taking deep breaths, signaling the beginning of a good crying fit.  Isabelle smiled weakly at them and carried her to her room, Allura blowing kisses after her. 


"I hate this," Allura whispered to Keith as they heard Cady crying for her from the room next door.

"We could skip tonight," he whispered back.

"No we can't," she whispered back, gently opening the door to their boys' room.  She crept to Gideon's crib and looked down at him.  Both boys had Keith's dark hair and dark looks, but their eyes were blue and Dr. Gorma said he thought they might stay blue.  They were fraternal twins, but it was difficult for people outside the family to tell them apart. 

"They look safe and sound," Keith whispered to her, coming over from Declan's crib.

"We make beautiful children," Allura sighed, gently stroking the baby's back.

"We do," he agreed, resting his chin on her shoulder.

She turned around in his arms, "I really love being a mom, Keith."

"I know you do, you're a great mother."

She tilted her head back to look up at him, "And you're an amazing father, I couldn't do it without you."

"No, you couldn't," he teased.

"You know what I mean."

He leaned down and kissed her gently, "We have to go, babe."

After crossing the room to check on Declan, Allura followed Keith out the door.  "We'll make it an early night," she promised.

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

"The growth of our capitol city, Alforia, is further proof of the hard work and dedication…"

The city planner's voice began to fade into the background as Keith tried to ignore the rumbling in his stomach.  Allura had spoken first, giving them all an update on all that had been accomplished and she had taken part in an answer and question period.  Although, everyone seemed more interested in their children and private life than in the budget surplus or their relations with neighboring planets.  She was followed by the president of the University who filled them in on how the school had been updated and the new programs they offered.  And then the Agriculture Secretary spoke on how soil was being replenished by the crops that had been planted and now the city planner was talking about all the changes made to Alforia.  Dinner wouldn't be served until after all the speeches were completed and then the press would be given the opportunity to take pictures and interviews.

Was it his imagination or were the speeches even longer this year?  He glanced to his left and saw Allura looking up at the man at the podium, her full attention on the speaker.  How does she do it? Keith wondered.  He shifted his gaze again and saw the snow coming down outside, it had started coming down hard about half an hour earlier, but he hadn't let it worry him.  It was still early.  But it was coming down harder and faster.

Applause interrupted Keith thoughts. Startled, he began applauding with everyone else as the city planner, a middle aged man with almost no hair, but more than enough stomach, made his way slowly down from the make shift stage.

"Are you okay?"  Allura whispered.

"I'm fine," he whispered back.

"You've been restless and fidgety."

"No, I haven't."

She looked at him and raised an eyebrow. 

All around them the din of chatter filled the air as waiters and waitresses placed plates of salad in front of everyone.

He smiled up at the young lady who set the plate in front of him before turning to Allura, "Have you looked outside.  I think we should plan to end this soon."

Allura looked down at her watch, "It's only 8:30, we don't want to be rude, Keith."

"I know, but there are a lot of people here and it's coming down pretty hard."

She looked to the large windows and nodded, "Alright, I'll say something if it's still bad at nine."

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

"How late will Keith and Allura be out?"  Felix Collier asked.

Lance, Darcy, Pidge, Becca, Lance's parents, and the Barlows were all gathered in the rec room.  A fire roared in the fireplace on the wall opposite the televiewer.  Everyone had a drink in hand, either wine, tea, or hot chocolate.  They had all moved in there after dinner to talk and relax.  Now they had teamed off, Lance and Darcy versus Becca and Pidge against Felix and Howard in a board game.  Molly was sitting back on the one sofa crocheting while Lucy sat on the other couch, wine in hand, watching the game in front of her.  Keith's mother had gone off to check on the babies.  Hunk had left earlier in the day to spend Christmas with Paton and her family.

Lance glanced out the window to see the wind picking up and the snow blowing around.  It had been clear most of the day, but snow had started falling a couple of hours earlier and seemed to come down heavier by the minute. "I'm sure they'll be back soon.  Keith doesn't like being out in weather like this."

"Do you think we'll get a blizzard?"  Becca asked excitedly.

"I hope not," Howard mumbled.

"Oh, come on, Dad," she playfully punched his arm.  "Being snowed in in a castle on a far away planet, it could be so much fun!"

"You're insane," Pidge mumbled.

She gave him a quick peck on the cheek, "You're just still upset we beat you in the snowball fight."

Howard watched this little exchange, but chose not to say anything when he caught Lucy's eye.  She shook her head gently and he took a sip of hot chocolate.

Lance glanced at his watch, it was just after ten.  "If we don't hear from them by 11:00, I'll try and contact him."

The door slid open and Keith's mother walked in, carrying a red eyed Cady.  The little girl clutched her blanket in her left hand and rubbed her eyes with her right, sniffling.

"It's a little late for Cady Bear to be up, isn't it?"  Lance asked.

"She's been crying for the past half hour," Isabelle explained.  "She just won't sleep."

"Lan'" Cady whimpered.

Darcy rolled the dice and moved their piece seven spots while Isabelle handed the sleepy little girl to Lance.  Cady curled up on his lap and stuck her thumb in her mouth.

"They just passed us," Becca whispered to Pidge.

A shiver ran down his spine as he felt her warm, hot chocolate scented breath against his cheek.  "Don't worry, they're almost completely surrounded by our property.  They'll be paying soon."

Lance stroked Cady's hair as Howard rolled the dice, "We may be paying you soon, but we have more property and more money."

Darcy yawned and laid her head on his shoulder, "They actually have more property."

"But we have more money."

"Only because you've been sneaking it from the bank," Howard pointed out.

"Lance," Becca gasped.  "I knew we shouldn't have let you be banker."

"We haven't been sneaking from the bank," Darcy said.

"He did it while you went to check on Schuyler," Molly told her.

Darcy lifted her head and looked at her husband, he busied himself straightening Cady's blanket.  "Lance."

He raised his eyes to her, trying his hardest to look innocent, "Banker's fee."

Her mouth twitched, "I can't believe you're cheating."

"You can't tell me," Pidge said, "that you're surprised."

Darcy shrugged, "Not really."

"So it doesn't bother you that you're married to a cheater?"  Becca asked.

"It's alright, he's cute," Darcy turned and gave him a quick kiss.

Molly shook her head, "What a great example you will set for your daughter."

Lance nodded to his father, "Who do you think taught me to cheat?"

Felix looked down at the money he and Howard had accumulated, pretending to count it.

"It's a vicious circle," Pidge muttered.

Lance was saved by the bell, so to speak, as his communicator beeped.  He shifted Cady on his lap and unclipped it from his belt, "Collier."

"Lance!"

"Keith, where are you?  Is everything okay?"  Lance handed Cady to Darcy as she began to whimper.

"We're on our way back, it's slow moving though.  The wind has picked up and the snow drifts are blowing all over the place."

Lance made his way out into the hallway, away from everyone in the room, "Can you get back?  If you tell me where you are, I can get one of the Lions out there."

"No, we're not that far out, maybe another mile.  I just wanted to let you know so you wouldn't worry and I need you to go to Castle Control, let them know we're coming, open the garage door."

"No problem, Cap, but if you aren't here in ten minutes Red and I are going to come looking for you."

"Thanks, Lance."  Keith snapped the communicator shut.  The windshield wipers flew across the window, but seemed to make no difference in their visibility.  It was almost a complete white-out.

"Keith," Allura whispered.


"We're fine," he said.

She sighed and looked out the window.  He had wanted to drive them himself, not that one of guards couldn't have driven, but she knew he preferred to be in control of situations like this.

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

"Is everything alright?"  Isabelle asked as Lance walked back into the rec room.

"Yeah, it's pretty nasty out, but they're on their way.  He didn't want us to worry.  I'm going to wait in Castle Control."  He turned to Darcy.  "Contact me if you need me."

She nodded.

Once the door to the rec room closed behind him, Lance ran down hall and made it to Castle Control within moments.  "Pvt. Latham, I need you to tune in to the homing device in Captain Whitaker's communicator," he instructed the guard on duty.

"Yes, sir," Latham turned to the console in front of him and pushed a few buttons.  A red blip appeared on the screen, creeping towards the castle.

"Ready to open the garage door," Lance said.

The door to Castle Control slid open and Pidge walked up to stand next to Lance, "Everything alright?"

"They've moved about ten feet in the past three minutes."

"But they're still moving?"

"Yeah," Lance ran a hand through his hair.  "We were high enough up in the rec room that we didn't realize how much snow had fallen."

"Keith's a careful man, he'll make it back without a problem."

"Yeah."

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

Allura pulled her shawl tightly around her shoulders with her shaking hands.  Arus hadn't had a winter like this in years.  It wasn't unusual for them to get snow, their winters were short, but fierce. 

"It's alright, Allura," Keith assured her quietly.  "We're almost there."

"I know," she whispered.  She had complete and total faith in Keith, it was the snow and wind that worried her.

The car shook as a gust of wind blew over them, sending clumps of snow across their path.

Allura gasped when the car hit something and shuddered.  Keith threw the car in reverse, but the wheels just spun worthlessly.  He turned off the ignition and reached for his communicator.

Keith took her hand, reassuringly, "It's alright, honey, Lance will have us out of here soon."

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

Lance noticed the sudden stop of red blip on the screen.  He was debating whether or not to call Keith when his communicator beeped.


"Yeah?"


"Lance, we're stuck and I'm not exactly sure how far we are from the castle," Keith told him.

"You can't see the castle?"  Lance asked, perplexed.

"No, the snow is really bad out here."

Lance nodded, "Sit tight, man, we're on our way."  He turned to Pidge, "Stay here and oversee things from this end."

Pidge nodded.

Lance called a couple of guards to follow him.

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

Allura shivered again.  The cold had surrounded them and was seeping through the car.  Her gown was a heavy, lined fabric and she wore a warm shawl, but it didn't seem to be enough to ward off the freeze.

Keith reached beneath him, pulling the handle beneath the seat and pushing his seat back, "Come here."

She unbuckled her seatbelt and slid awkwardly across to him.  Keith pulled his coat off, wrapped it around her and pulled her close.

"We have to be less than a mile from the castle, Lance will be here soon," he told her, rubbing his hands up and down her arms.

"It's scary to think we're that close and we can't see the castle."

"We're not in any danger, I'm sure Lance has been tracking us."

She nodded and laid her head on his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his waist under his suit jacket.

Keith kissed the top of her head and whispered, "I just want to point out that I didn't want to go tonight."

She smiled, "I know, I know.  You were right."

"What was that?  I don't think I quite heard you."

Allura tilted her head back to look at him, "You heard me, you just want me to say it again."

"Yup."

She dug her fingers into the spot beneath his ribs and felt him squirm, "I thought you said you weren't ticklish."

"I'm not," he insisted, trying to get her hands out from under his jacket.

"How long do you think it'll take Lance to get here?"

"I don't know, babe."

"How're we going to get to the castle from the car?"

"I think he's going to fire up Red."

"Is that really…"  Allura jumped back and screamed when she saw a face pressed up against the glass over Keith's shoulder.

Keith whirled around in his seat, automatically shielding Allura with his body.  He swore and smacked the window where Lance's nose was pressed against the glass. 

"Did you want us to come back later?"  Lance yelled.  "You look pretty cozy in there!"

"Dammit Lance! Get us out of here!"  Keith yelled.

Putting all his strength into pulling on the door handle, Lance wrenched it open.

Keith stood and helped Allura out, holding his coat over her head, he pulled her to him, "Where's Red?"  He called to Lance over the wind.

"Sleeping in her hideout!"

"How did you get here?"

Lance laughed, "Open your eyes man!"

Keith shielded his eyes and looked up.  The car had crashed into a large snowdrift about three feet away from the garage door.

Still laughing, Lance ushered them into the garage.

"Not one word," Keith snarled.

"Oh come on, this is priceless."  Lance chortled.

The two guards who had followed Lance out, looked in different directions, trying not to laugh as they followed them into the castle.

Allura stood upright and handed Keith his coat.  As dignified as she could, she pushed her mussed hair out of her face, "We're home and we're safe, that's what's important."

Lance snorted, "In the future, Captain, I would suggest you take a guard to drive."

"Shut up, Lance," Keith muttered as the made their way into the warm castle.

"I mean, come on, you're the leader of the Voltron Force and you fly one of the most powerful machines ever created, yet you can't find your way to a gigantic castle in a snow storm."

"Keep it up, Lieutenant and you'll be on all day duty on Christmas."

Lance straightened up and took a deep breath, "Sorry, Cap."  He pursed his lips, trying to contain his laughter.  "Cady will be happy to see you."

"She's still up?"  Allura cried.

He nodded, "Isabelle said she couldn't sleep, she was crying for over half an hour.  Last I saw she was in the rec room with everyone."

Sighing resignedly, Allura headed for the rec room, removing her earrings.

"How'd it go," Lance asked.

"I thought it would never end," Keith pulled at his tie.  "Allura wanted to wait until everyone else had left."

"Playing the proper Queen."

"Yeah, well, next year this meeting will be planned for earlier in the month."

The game had been abandoned, every seat in the room taken.  Allura stood beside Darcy, cradling Cady in her arms.  The little girl had her arms around her mother's neck and was wiping her nose on her shawl.

"Is she alright?"  Keith asked, walking over to his wife.

"Yeah, she's just tired and cranky, I'm going to go put her down."

He nodded, kissing Cady on the top of the head.

"How'd it go," Isabelle asked.

Keith pulled his jacket off and threw it over the back of a chair before sitting down.  "It was long and boring."

"I thought it was a party," Felix said.

He snorted, "So to speak."

"Was everyone able to get out alright?"  Lance asked.

Keith shrugged, "They all left early and since they lived in town, they should have.  I'm going to call down to the police department in a few minutes to see if there were any accidents.  We're going to call around to some of the people who left late and make sure they got home alright."

"What a night," Isabelle sighed.

"Tell me about it," Keith laid his head back.  "I'm looking forward to the next couple of days."