Hi!

This is just a short little chapter to bridge the gap and bring us closer to the end. 

Thank you guys so much for your reviews.

RedLion2 ~ I love Christmas Vacation, we watch it every year, at least a couple of times, and laugh hysterically as though it's the first time we saw it.  I had to throw it in there  :-)  And as for the guys trying to string up the Castle of  Lions in Christmas lights, well, that's just a great mental image.

Bell ~ Thanks for the review on my songfic, that really meant a lot to me.  I've been playing around with a couple of other one-shot songfics and I may have to post one or two.

Everyone else ~ Thank you so much!  I'm so happy to know you're enjoying the story!

Thanks!
Failte

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It was a couple of days before the roads had cleared enough for Hunk to return to the castle and the Force to visit the orphanage.  As Arus was rebuilt and towns came to life, they all watched as the number of orphans in need of a home dwindled.  As people settled into homes and jobs, they found that they wanted to open their homes to the children of their lost friends and neighbors.

Keith, Lance, Pidge, Becca, Hunk, and Darcy were outside with a large group of children building snowmen and throwing snowballs while Allura met with the orphanage matron. 

"You're sure the funding is adequate?"  Allura asked as they walked through the kitchen where dinner was being prepared.

"Yes, Your Highness, we have enough for the children to be comfortable."  Dayle Domokos had been running a home for orphans in some way or another for years.  She was a pleasantly plump, middle aged woman who had lost her husband in the Doom Wars and was left to raise her two children alone.  When the people of Arus were living in the caves, she had taken it upon herself to gather all the children who had no one else and she worked on making sure they were educated and fed.  Dayle had become the unofficial mother of the entire town and she took that responsibility very seriously.  She was well respected and loved, but the children under her care knew better than to cross her or misbehave.  Now her son and daughter, both in their late teens, help her run the orphanage.

The current orphanage had been one of the first buildings built in Alforia, three stories high with half a dozen bedrooms, a library, a rec room, and a dining room.  There was a large fenced in backyard with a swing set and enough ground to play football or soccer.  Allura made sure they had enough money to cover food, clothing, and anything else they needed as well as paying for a cook and a couple of assistants for Dayle.

"Well, Dayle, if all goes as strongly as it has been, I hope to be able to adjust the budget so you should be getting about a twelve percent increase in funding," Allura told her as they made their way into the dining room.

"Oh, Your Highness, that would be wonderful.  I would love to be able to replace some of the older beds and the carpeting in the rec room."

Allura stopped, "Do you need new beds?"

"Not just yet, Ma'am, but within the year, I think we will."

"Let me know if there is ever anything you need for the children, I'll do whatever I can to make sure they get it."

Dayle smiled, "Thank you, Your Highness, that means so much to us to know you're so willing to help us.  I don't know how we could keep this up without you're help."

The two women stopped beside the large window that looked out over the backyard and watched as three of the younger children tackled Keith into the snow while the others exchanged snowball fire with other members of the Force.


"Your visits mean so much to the children," Dayle commented.

"It's our pleasure, we really enjoy the time we spend here."

"I know it's difficult for you to find time, especially with three little ones of your own."

Allura smiled softly at the mention of her children, "And when they're a little older, I'm sure they would enjoy coming down to play with the children here as well."

Dayle looked at the watch she had pinned to her blouse, "It is getting late, Your Highness, I think it's time we called the children in so they can get out of their wet clothes and wash up for dinner."

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"Ahh!"  Keith yelled as he was tackled, face first, into the show.

"Take him down!"  Lance yelled as he lifted a boy into the air and tossed him into a tall drift.

"Be careful, Lance!"  Darcy shouted to him.  She and Becca were helping a few other children build a snowman.

"Are you in Voltron?"  A young girl with big brown eyes asked Becca.

"No," Becca crouched down beside her and pointed to Pidge.  "See that guy there?"

"That's Lt. Audric."  The girl promptly told her.

"Yup, and he's my boyfriend."

"Are you gonna marry him?"

Becca blushed and Darcy laughed behind her hand.

"Uh, well," Becca stood and brushed her hands off on her thighs.  "Maybe."

"Don't you want to?"  Another girl joined them, holding an old scarf for the snowman.

"I, uh, I think we need more snow for the, uh, for the head," she muttered.

"Lt. Audric!"  The little girl with the brown eyes stumbled through the snow towards Pidge.

"No!"  Becca took off after her.  "No, Mena, no!  Wait!"

But it was too late, Mena stumbled against Pidge and caught his arm.

"Hey, Mena," Pidge grinned down at her. 


"How come," Mena looked up at him seriously, clutching his arm with her mitten covered hands.  "You aren't gonna marry her?"  She pointed at Becca who was running toward them.

Pidge looked up at her, a smirk on his face and then looked back at Mena, "I never said I wasn't gonna marry her."

"But she said…"

"I didn't say anything, Pidge, I swear," Becca told him, her face red from the roots of her hair to the top of her turtleneck.

"I know, Mena's a troublemaker," Pidge patted the girl's head. 

"So are you gonna get married?"  Mena demanded to know, her hands on her hips.

"When we get married, you'll be the first to know," Pidge assured her.

"Okay," Mena nodded, looked at Pidge and then Becca, and then ran back to their snowman.

Becca stared at Pidge, her mouth hanging open.

"What?"  He asked her.

"You said when," she whispered.

He furrowed his brow, "What?"

"You said when we get married."

"Yeah?"

"You think about us getting married?"

"Don't you?"

Becca felt a slight panic.  She loved him, madly, but she certainly wasn't ready to get married.  "I have a lot of school to go yet and, uh, and then my residency…"

"Becs," Pidge took her hands.  "Not right now, not next month, whenever you're ready.  All I ask is that you let me know as soon as you're ready because I don't want to wait any longer than necessary."

Everything disappeared around them as Becca studied his face, took in his sincere expression and intense eyes.  The sounds of the children laughing and running faded into the background and the rest of the Force evaporated into their surroundings.  She stepped closer and kissed him tenderly.

"Hey!"  The jumped apart when a snowball hit them, bringing reality crashing down around them.  "No hanky panky in front of the kids!"  Lance yelled.

A bell rang and they all turned to see Dayle standing in the doorway.  "It's time to come in, children, and wash up for dinner!"

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Pidge was finding it hard to sleep.  He was still thinking about what he should do.  Should he go or should he stay?  He looked down at Becca.  It was the fifth night in a row he had sneaked into her room, reveling in the joy of just laying next to her at night and waking beside her in the morning.

Becca was sound asleep, lying on her side with her back towards him.  Pidge toyed with the sleeve of the worn old t-shirt she had on, it was one of his old ones, faded gray with Academy in cracked letters across the chest.  It fell to mid-thigh on her and was sexier than anything else he had ever seen her in. 

His stomach gave a low rumble and he pushed back to covers to slide out of bed.

"Where ya goin'?"  Becca mumbled, feeling the mattress shift as he stood.

"I just want to grab a snack," he whispered, kissing her gently on the cheek.  "You want anything?"

"Mm mm," she shook her head.  "Hurry back."

He smiled softly, "I will."

Pidge was a little surprised to see the light on in the kitchen.  Hunk was sitting at the table eating a sandwich he had put together from leftover Christmas ham.

"Hey, buddy, what are you doing up?"  Hunk asked.

"I can't sleep and I'm more than a little hungry," Pidge told him, pulling open the door to the refrigeration unit.

"It was a lot of fun today, we should go to the orphanage more often."

"Yeah."

"You wanna talk about it?"

Pidge turned to look at the man who had been his best friend since they had landed on this planet and he suddenly felt the weight of his decision.  "Yeah, Hunk, I do."

"What's up?"

Pidge sat down at the table with a quickly made sandwich and a glass of juice, "I've been thinking about Becca and me.  I was thinking about, um, about resigning and moving to Terra with her."

Hunk's mouth fell open with disbelief, "Are you serious?"

"I don't know, man, I want to go with her but I want to stay here.  I don't know what to do.  I know she'll be back in two and a half years for her residency and I know we'll see each other between then, but it just doesn't seem to be enough."

"I don't think you should go," Hunk said earnestly.  "We need you here, Pidge.  You know the computer system better than anyone else and Green has grown attached to you.  Do you have any idea how hard it will be for her to accept another pilot the way she has accepted you?"

"I know."

"In the grand scheme of things two and a half years isn't that long and she'll be spending her summers here and you'll be out to Terra as often as you possibly can."

"I know."

"And she is going to be so busy with school work, she won't have that much time to spend with you."

"I know," Pidge sighed, poking at his sandwich.

"If you know all this, then why is it so hard a decision for you to make?"  Hunk asked.

Pidge looked at him.

"Because you're thinking with your, uh, hormones," Hunk said.

"It's deeper than that," Pidge said, defensively.

Hunk smiled at him, "I know it is, buddy, I'm not belittling your feelings."

"You have no idea what this is like, Hunk, Paton lives four miles away, not four million."

"And if she did I would probably be considering the same thing you are."

Pidge sighed deeply, "What do I do Hunk?"

"I can't tell you that, you have to decide that for yourself."

Pidge snorted, "You sound like Becca."

"You guys have talked about this?"

"Yeah."

"What did she have to say?"

"She said she wants me to do whatever makes me happiest and she's afraid I'm doing it for her, not myself and she's afraid I'll resent her if I go to Terra and I'm not happy."

Hunk raised his eyebrows, but didn't speak.

"What would make me happiest is if she was here.  I don't want to leave the best job I'll ever have and my friends."

"Then don't."

"But when I balance my job and you guys against Becca, well, I have to be honest Hunk, I'm leaning more towards Becca."

"As you should.  What would you do on Terra?"

"I could apply with the Garrison."

"They'd see your ability with computers and give you a desk job, not letting you fly."

"I hadn't thought of that."

"I'm going to be totally honest with you, Pidge," Hunk stood and put his plate in the sink.  "I don't think you should go.  As hard as it is to be this far from her, it isn't forever.  In the long run I think you'd be happier if you stayed here."

When the door slid shut behind Hunk, Pidge stood and crossed to where the calendar hung on the wall.  Becca's birthday was in two months, two weeks after Schuyler's.  He already had a week off to spend on Terra and he had already made plans, getting a suite in a fancy hotel in downtown Toronto for that weekend.  Dinner and a show.  Museums and shopping.  He had been researching Toronto on the computer and looking into everything they could do.  Then she'd be back in the summer and, as far as he knew, they were planning on coming back again for the holidays the following year. 

He couldn't just turn his back on the Force and all that he had done here.  It was his home and they were his family.  They did depend on him and even if he decided to resign, he couldn't just leave in six days, it would take longer than that to train someone to take over for him. 

Running his hand through his hair, Pidge left the kitchen and crept back to Becca's room, needing to be near her.