Hi all!

Once again, sorry for the delay, but this time I can't blame my computer.  I've tried for a couple of days now to post this chapter, but FF.net has been a bit wacky.

Anyway, thank you so much for the reviews. 

RedLion2 ~ Thank you!  I'm so glad you picked up on the humor and the way Keith was starting to get irritated in the end.  It was a fun chapter to write and I'm glad you enjoyed it.


Dee ~ Thank you so much for your continuing support.

Enjoy,

Failte.

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Keith checked his watch again.  He was standing in Castle Control, waiting on word from the Garrison ship bringing his family in. 

"Any sign of them yet?"  Lance asked as he sauntered into the room.

Keith shook his head, "No, they should have been here ten minutes ago."

"Don't worry, Cap, I'm sure they're fine.  I bet they got held up with some Garrison crap before they even took off."

He shrugged, "They did take off fifteen minutes late, but I allowed for that when I figured their arrival time.  If there was a problem, they would have contacted us by now."

The door slid open and the two men turned to see Allura sweep in, her head held high and any nerves she had felt earlier were either gone completely or very well hidden.

"Wow," Lance breathed. 

"Yeah," Keith agreed.  "You look amazing, Allura."

She smiled and twirled in front of them, the long, full pink skirt of her dress fell gracefully to the tops of her shoes.  It was one of her more formal gowns, with a fitted bodice that left her shoulders bare and long sleeves that ended at a point on the back of her hands.  Her hair was swept up in an elaborate twist with her elegant circlet resting atop her golden head. 

"Am I overdressed?"  She asked, taking in the casual clothes the guys were wearing.

Keith looked down at his black slacks and red shirt.  "No, more likely we're underdressed."

"You look beautiful," Lance assured her.

She smiled at him, "Thank you."

"Captain."

Keith turned to Koran, "Yes?"

"A Garrison ship has entered Arusian airspace and requested permission to land.  They should touch down within ten minutes."

"Thank you," he turned to Allura.  "Shall we go meet them?"

She nodded and laid her hand in the crook of his arm.

"You really do look amazing," Keith whispered when the door shut behind them and they headed toward to tarmac.

"Thank you," she replied shyly.

"You don't seem as nervous."

She threw her head back, "I am terrified, my heart is racing a mile a minute."

"You'd never know."

"Years of proper training have taught me how to hide my emotions."

Keith stopped and pulled her to a halt with him, "What?"

Allura looked up at him earnestly, "It's important as a ruler and a leader to be able to hide my emotions when I need to.  You should be able to understand that."

"I do, I just never thought you would have to do that too."

"I've had to do it for years, Keith."

"Promise me you won't do it with me."

"What?"

"Promise me you won't put up this façade with me.  You'll always be straightforward with me."

She nodded, "As long as you promise to do the same with me."

Keith took her hand from his arm and clasped it in his, "You don't need to put on an act, they're going to love you."

"I'm not putting on an act, I just feel a little better like this, more in control."

"Whatever makes you feel better, Angel."  Keith leaned down and kissed her gently, "I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Come on, lets get this over with," he tugged on her hand and they crossed to the tarmac. 

The two of them watched in silence as the ship descended.  Allura stepped closer to Keith, feeling him reassuringly squeeze her hand.  The door slid open and a gangplank lowered.  They heard his mother before they saw her.


"Adam!  No!  Don't run, come back here!"

"I got him, Ma!"

A little, dark haired boy raced down the gangplank, laughing, followed closely by Gerald, Keith's older brother.  "Come back here, Adam."  He stooped and scooped up his soon.  "You have to listen to Daddy and Grandma, Adam, or we will go back to Terra right now."

"I see he's just as difficult as you were," Keith commented.

Gerald looked up and grinned, "Keith, it's great to see you."

The brothers shared a quick hug, as Isabelle and Allyson Whitaker exited the ship, Allyson carrying her youngest son, Ben.


Allura took in the visitors as they greeted Keith.  Gerald took after their mother with dark auburn hair and softer features than Keith had.  The two brothers had the same build and the same eyes.  Allyson was a lovely young woman with dark brown hair and almond shaped green eyes.  Adam looked as though he could have been Keith's son with his dark hair and large brown eyes whereas Ben had light hair and his mother's green eyes.  Isabelle was a handsome woman, nearly as tall as her sons with auburn hair and the same large brown eyes her sons had.

"Allura."

She looked at Keith, his voice shaking her out of her reverie. 

"Come here, I want to introduce you," he held his hand out to her.  "Mom, Ger, Allyson, this is Allura.  Allura, my mother, my brother Gerald, his wife Allyson and their two troublemakers, Adam and Ben."

"I ain' no troublemaker!"  Adam insisted, struggling in his father's arms.

"It's lovely to finally meet you in person, dear," Isabelle said kindly.

At a loss as to what else to do, Allura curtsied deeply, "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Ma'am."

Keith hid a smile behind his hand.

"No need for such formalities, dear, come here."  Isabelle pulled her into an embrace.

Allura felt her heart race.  It was a comforting, maternal hug, soft and warm.  Isabelle held her tightly, patting her back, before letting go and holding her at arm's length, examining her.

"You are such a beauty, Allura, and I cannot wait to sit down and talk to you."

"Uh, thank you, Ma'am, I look forward to getting to know you better as well."

"Please, call me Isabelle."

"Alright…Isabelle."

"Allura," Gerald slung an arm over her shoulders.  "It's so nice to finally meet the woman who can get my workaholic brother to turn away from his assignments."

"It's not always easy," she admitted.

"Okay, let's not turn this into a pick-on-Keith visit," Keith interrupted.  "Where's Dana?"

"She was asleep," Allyson told him.  "She should be out in a moment."

"Prepare yourselves," Gerald whispered.  "She's going through a phase."

Keith raised an eyebrow, "A phase?"

Isabelle waved Gerald away, "She's rebelling a bit, its nothing.  She will grow out of it."

"But she still has her crush on Lance," Gerald grinned.

"She has a crush on Lance?"  Allura asked.

Keith smiled, "Yeah, ever since he came and spent a week with us the summer before our third year at the Academy."

"Boys," Isabelle lowered her voice to 'Mom tone'.  "You will not make fun of your sister this week.  It's not often we're together as a family and we're going to have fun."

"Yes, Mom," Keith and Gerald chimed.

They all turned to the ship at the sound of heavy footsteps.  Dana Whitaker was a young woman of fifteen who took after her brother, Keith.  Her long, black hair was pulled back into a ponytail.  Dark eyeliner circled her eyes and from her turtleneck to her military boots, she was dressed from head to toe in black.  Her hands were stuffed in her pockets and she held her head high, a defiant look on her face.

"Dana," Keith grinned.  "It's good to see you again, sis."

She nodded a small smile on her face, "You too, Keith."

"Come here, Dink," he said affectionately, pulling his sister into a hug.  "I want you to meet someone," he released her and turned her to face Allura.  "Dana, this is Allura.  Allura, this is my sister Dana."

The Princess smiled kindly, "It's so nice to meet you, Dana."

Keith's sister looked Allura up and down, sneering, "Nice gown, your highness."

Isabelle pinched her daughter's arm, "Watch your manners, young lady."

"Yeah, be nice, someday Allura could be your sister," Gerald told her.

Keith and Allura both blushed, neither sure how to respond.

"Come on," Isabelle slipped her arm through Allura's.  "I want to see this Castle, see where my boy has been holed up for the past two and a half years."

As soon as Allura and his mother were out of range, with Gerald and Allyson following them, Keith smacked his sister upside the head.  "What is your problem?"

"I can't believe you're actually marrying a Princess.  Is this, like, some cheesy romance novel?"

"Grow up, Dana.  Allura is the most amazing woman I have ever met.  It would be beneficial for you to be nice, she's in all our lives now."

"Are you really going to marry her?"

"Well, we're not engaged yet, if that's what you're asking, but yes we will, someday."

Dana looked at her brother, "So you're never coming back to Terra?"

Keith's expression softened and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, "No, Dink, not permanently.  But we will visit and our door will always be open to you."

"Don't call me Dink," she told him, shrugging his arm off.

"I've been calling you that since you were three."

"And I've always hated it."

"I know."

"Gerry and Allyson are moving."

Keith looked at her, surprised, "What?"

"Gerry and Allyson are moving."

"Where?"

"A town about four hours away, he's being transferred."

"When?"

"A couple of months."

"You'll still see them…"

"It won't be the same."

Keith felt bad for his little sister.  They had never been as close as Lance was to his sisters and he always regretted that.  "We're not deserting you, Dana."

"I didn't say you were," she said sharply.  "I don't need you guys."

He sighed, "Come on, I'll show you the castle.  Maybe I'll take you up in Black later, if you want."

She shrugged but followed him.

They entered Castle Control to see Gerald holding his oldest son tightly, trying to keep him from pushing every shiny button he could find.  Lance was just stepping out of a hug with Isabelle.

"You really baked for me?"  He asked her.

"Of course, Lance.  I wouldn't dream of visiting you boys without bringing you cookies and my famous congo squares."

Lance kissed her cheek, "I love ya, Isabelle."

She swatted his arm, "Oh stop, you only love me for my baking."

"You wound me," he said dramatically.  "I am not that shallow.  Whoa, Dana, looking good."

"Watch it, Lieutenant," Keith warned.

"How come you only pull rank on me when you're afraid I'm trying to steal a woman from your life?"

"If I catch you so much as looking at my sister, I will have to kill you."

Dana tried to look bored, but found it difficult as her cheeks burned, "Knock it off, Keith."

"I was just about to show them the garden," Allura told him, trying to change the subject.

"Sounds good," Keith took her hand.  "Your bags will be taken to your rooms, after a quick tour, we'll have lunch."

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"I don't think your sister likes me," Allura whispered.


She and Keith had sneaked into the Observation Deck later that night and were cuddled together in one of the big chairs.  The day had been spent relaxing, allowing Keith's family to become familiar with the castle and the rest of the Force.  After such a long trip, they were all so happy to be on solid ground, but they weren't feeling up to doing much.  Plus, the time changes had hit them pretty hard and they had turned in early, leaving the couple some time alone.

"It's not you," he assured her, stroking her hair.

"What is it then?"

"I think she's feeling left out," he explained.  "Gerry and Allyson are moving away and, well, she pointed something out to me today that I guess I hadn't thought about."

She tilted her head back and looked up at him, "What?"

"I'm not going to be moving back to Terra."

Allura was quiet for a moment.  He was right.  She had to stay on Arus so if this was going to work, he had to stay as well.  "Are you okay with that?"  She asked quietly.

He nodded, "It doesn't bother me as much as I think it should."

"What?"

"I feel like I should be really upset about it, but I'm not.  I'm happy here with you."


"What about the transfer you put in for?"

"I sent in another request, asking to stay.  I'm hoping they'll realize how silly it would be to split up the Force."

"You haven't heard yet?"

"With the size of the Garrison and all that is going on, it usually takes a few months to clear a transfer and now that I've retracted it, it may take some more time to clear it up."

"What if…" she bit her lip.

"Don't worry, Angel, I have a clean record and have proven myself to be an asset.  It is in the Garrison's best interest to keep me here."

"But what if…"

He silenced her with a kiss, "Then I will go AWOL."

"You will not!"

"We'll work it out, honey."

She laid her head on his shoulder and toyed with the button on his shirt, "Your mother is really nice."

"Yeah, I like her."

"Do you think our son will look like Adam?"

Keith chuckled, "No, he'll probably have blonde curls and blue eyes."

She smiled and pulled her legs up, curling as close to him as she could, "Do you think about us having children?"

"Of course I do, ever since Kadmus told me he saw our children."

"I really like Gerald and Ally.  He's not as bad as you guys made him out to be."

"He's not a bad guy, just a typical older brother.  And Allyson is amazing, what she's doing with him, I will never know.  He's very lucky to have her."

"Now if I can just win Dana over."

Keith chuckled, "I love you, Allura, I really do.  Don't let Dana get to you, she's just being a little pain in the butt."

"How can you say that?"

"She's my baby sister, I have the right to say things like that."

Feeling mischievous, Allura undid a few buttons of his shirt, sliding her hand inside, gently stroking his chest, "I bet you're a great big brother."

"Not really, I could be better," he whispered, leaning his head back and closing his eyes.

"You are going to be a terrific father," she whispered, kissing his chin.

"No pressure there," he murmured.

"I mean that, Keith," she continued undoing the buttons of his shirt.

He opened his eyes and brought his hand up to stroke her cheek, "Are you in a hurry to have children?"

"I wouldn't say I'm in a hurry, but I want to have children with you."

"What about flying?"

She hadn't thought of that.  Laying her head against his shoulder, she traced designs on his chest with her fingertip and looked out the window in front of them.  It wouldn't be safe to fly and fight while she was pregnant.  And could she really leave her baby back in the castle while both she and Keith went off to fight?  She loved flying and she wasn't quite ready to give that up.  Not while Lotor was still a threat.

"We have time, Allura."


"But how much?"  She whispered.

"The rest of our lives."

"We're at war Keith…"

"Don't Allura."

"Don't you think about the possibility?"

"I try not to," he whispered, burying his face in her hair.

Allura closed her eyes and wrapped her arms tightly around him.  "I love you, Keith."

He nodded, not speaking.

She tilted her head back so his forehead rested on hers, "What are the plans for tomorrow?"

Keith cleared his throat and lifted his head, "I was thinking we could take them for a ride, see the planet."

"I thought no non-military personnel were allowed in the Lions," she teased.

"I've amended that so it says no non-military, rat-faced Princes are allowed in the Lions."

Allura laughed, "Fair enough.  Come on."  She stood and held her hands out to him.  "It's getting late and we have to get up early."

He took her hands and stood, "Is that an invitation?"

She smiled coyly at him, "Not until we're married, Darling."

"Is there a Justice of the Peace we can go see right now?"

"A what?"

"Nothing," he shook his head, buttoning up his shirt.  "Come on, allow me to escort you to your room my fair lady."

Outside her door, they shared a sweet, lingering kiss goodnight.

"Sleep well, Angel," Keith whispered, embracing her.

"You too, Honey."

He kissed her gently one more time before releasing her, "Good night."

She smiled softly and squeezed his hand before dropping it, "Good night."

Keith waited until the door slid shut behind her and he heard the telltale beep and click that signaled the activation of the locking mechanism before turning to leave.  His overprotective need kicked in and he decided to return to his room the long way past the guest rooms.  It was quiet, the only noise being the sound of heels hitting the floor as a guard passed through on his rounds.

He smiled.  It was a nice feeling to know his family was there.  He was so excited for this opportunity, for them all to meet Allura and get to know her.  Keith knew that the better they got to know her, the would love her as much as he did.  Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he turned the corner and headed toward his room.