Hi all!

Thank you so much for the great reviews! They really mean a lot to me! I can't really answer your questions without giving too much away :)

Enjoy,

Failte


Sky checked her watch again. Erik had just boarded the comfortably sized ship that was going to take them to Terra while Tristan stood beside her, waiting patiently. It was five minutes to six and Cady was still not there. Her trunks and suitcases had been taken aboard and stowed fifteen minutes earlier.

Keith stood with his hands in his pockets, smiling softly as they waited to see them off. Of course Cady was going to keep the waiting, she had to make an entrance. Allura covered her mouth to hide a yawn. The younger children had said their goodbyes the night before and so only Keith, Allura, Lance and Darcy were on the tarmac to see them off. Keith and Lance had gone over the ship at least three times and spoke with the two pilots at length.

"She still has five minutes and she is going to wait to the very last second, you know that," Keith whispered when Sky checked her watch again.

"Four minutes and thirty four seconds," she corrected. "Thirty three, thirty two."

Erik jogged down the gangplank, "Give it up, Sunny, this is Cady after all."

"I hate how chipper you are so early in the morning," she mumbled.

"Aw, like father, like daughter," Darcy teased. "You both get the morning grumpies."

Sky and Lance scowled at her.

"Just in time," Allura said as her daughter joined them on the tarmac.

"Actually, I'm early," Cady said, pointing to her watch.

"Barely," Sky mumbled.

"Okay," Tristan spoke up. "We have to get moving. They're expecting us tomorrow in time for lunch."

The hugs and kisses were exchanged, even a few tears wiped away, as they bid the four young people off.

Keith slipped Cady a handful of bills and whispered, "A little mad money. Have fun, Cady."

"Thanks, Dad," she replied, hugging him tightly.

"Be careful," Lance told his daughter. "Keep out of trouble, behave when you're visiting your grandmother, and if you end up in jail, call your Uncle Lawrence."

She rolled her eyes, "Yes, sir."

It was ten minutes before the last farewells were said and the four of them boarded the ship.

"Quarter after six," Erik said as they sat down and buckled in. "I'm impressed that we got out this early."

Sky yawned, "Once we're safely in flight, I'm going to go lay down."

"Maybe if you hadn't stayed up all night packing, you wouldn't be so tired," Cady teased.

"Brat," Sky stuck her tongue out at her.

"Your and Cady's room is the one on the left. Erik and I have the room to the right," Tristan told her.

"This is a long trip," Cady said. "How are we going to pass the time?"

"I can come up with a few ideas," Erik winked at Sky.

"Oh please," Cady rolled her eyes. "You're making me sick."

"We have games and some movies," Tristan said. "We'll pass the time. We'll be on Terra before you know it."

The ship entered the outer airspace of Arus and the pilot told them they were safe to move around. Sky quickly unbuckled her seatbelt and excused herself. The room she and Cady were going to share had two twin beds separated by a table with a lamp on it. It was a small room, but she quickly found the bed to be very comfortable. Kicking off her sneakers, she stretched out and fell into a doze.


Sky woke a couple hours later to the smell of coffee. She stood slowly and stretched, forgoing her shoes, she padded out to the main cabin of the ship in her socks. The three others had set up a folding table and had gathered around it. A large map was spread across the tabletop while Cady flipped through what appeared to be a visitor's guide.

"Good morning, sunshine," Erik greeted her.

She walked over to the table and studied the map of Boston. "What's all this?" She asked as she picked up Erik's coffee.

"We're trying to decide what all we want to do and see while we're in Boston," Cady explained.

Sky scowled at the taste of the straight black coffee Erik was drinking, "Anything good?"

"Get your own," Erik teased, taking his mug from her hand.

"There are a couple of art museums you'd like," Cady told her.

"The Museum of Fine Arts and the Institute of Contemporary Arts," Tristan said.

"The Peabody Museum sounds pretty cool," Erik added. "And the USS Constitution Museum."

"I was thinking we could start with the Freedom Trail," Tristan explained. "It's a red line painted on the ground that connects sixteen historic sites throughout Boston. It gives you a great tour of the city. We'll then have to hit some of the lesser known places, I'll take you to some of my old hangouts."

"That sounds great," Sky said. "When are we going to do this? Tomorrow?"

Tristan shook his head, "No, we'll need to get settled in tomorrow and tomorrow night my parents are having a dinner party to introduce you guys to our friends and family."

"Really?" Cady asked, a little surprised.

"I didn't tell you because you were already nervous, I didn't want to add to it."

"What am I going to wear?"

Sky rolled her eyes, "Come on, Cady, I'm guessing that one of those trunks is filled with skirts, dresses, and at least one gown."

"Yeah, but which one am I going to wear?"

Tristan wrapped his arm around her shoulders and hugged her to him, "Don't worry about that. You look gorgeous in anything."

Sky caught Erik's eye and rolled her eyes.

Erik folded up the map, "Didn't you say you brought some games with you?"

"What?" Tristan tore his gaze from his Princess and looked up at his friends. "Oh, yeah, in the cupboard over there."


Later that night, Cady waited until Erik and Sky had gone to their beds. She had noticed that Tristan seemed distracted and restless and she had hoped to get some time alone to speak with him before they landed.

He was sitting in his seat, looking out the window, watching as space sped by. Wordlessly, she slipped into the seat beside his and lifted the armrest so she could sit closer to him. Tristan turned his head and smiled at her.

"Hey," Cady whispered as she cuddled up beside him, taking his hand and laying her head on his shoulder.

Tristan tilted his head and rested his cheek against her head, "Hey."

"How're you doing?"

"I'm fine. How're you?"

"Good. Do you want to talk about whatever's on your mind?"

"What do you mean?"

Cady tucked her legs under her and lifted her head, "You seem…out of sorts. Are you worried about seeing your family?"

"No, not really," he looked down at their joined hands. "I guess I'm kind of nervous about you seeing my family."

"Why?"

"Well, my family isn't like yours, Cady."

"I wouldn't expect them to be."

He let out a breath and ran his hand through his hair, "We're not very close, I mean, I see you and your family and how open you are with your feelings and how you're not just a family, but you're friends. We're…we're not like that. Don't get me wrong, I love my family and I appreciate all they have done for me over the years, but, well, it's different."

"Honey, your family is part of what made you the man you are, the man I love."

Tristan smiled softly and leaned over to kiss her, "So you won't let them scare you away?"

"Not even if they chased me across the yard with torches and pitchforks," she promised, sliding her arms around his neck.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her onto his lap, "That's good to know."

"Will they?"

"Will they what?"

"Will they be chasing me across the yard with torches and pitchforks? Because if they are, I need to know so I wear good running shoes."

Tristan chuckled quietly, "Don't worry, if they bring out the pitchforks, I'll whisk you away in one of the cars so you don't need to worry about running."

"I'm actually a very good runner, I've had a lot of practice running from the twins."

"Well, not everyone in my family will be chasing you," he said, gently stroking her back. "You'll love my Aunt Frannie, she's great. And I have about a dozen little cousins who will be enthralled by the fact you're a Princess."

"I guess I should have brought my crown," she quipped as she nuzzled his throat.

"And your scepter."

"Sorry, honey, we stopped carrying scepters a long time ago."

"Couldn't you pretend?"

Cady lifted her head and looked at him, "How come you didn't bring all this up before?"

"I didn't realize you didn't carry scepters anymore."

"No, Tristan, why didn't you talk to me about your family before? I mean, I knew you weren't close, you never want to talk about them."

"There isn't much to tell."

"But you were so adamant about my meeting them."

"I do want you to meet them, and my friends. I love you, Cady and I want them to meet the woman I love, the woman I am most likely going to spend the rest of my life with." He captured her lips with his own in a long, tender kiss.

"But you're afraid of what I will think of them," Cady said when they broke apart.

"Not afraid, worried."

"Is that why you didn't tell me about this dinner party earlier?"

"No, I didn't tell you about that because I knew it would stress you out. I told my mother to not plan it for the day we arrived, but, of course, she didn't listen to me."

She slid her hands up to frame his face and force him to look at her, "Everything will be just fine, honey, I promise. We are going to have a great time, I am going to get to know you even better, and learn more about you. You are going to take me out on the town and show me where you grew up and then I am going to take you to meet my family. We're going to go shopping so I can take souvenirs back to the kids, we'll take enough pictures to fill three photo albums. We'll go to museums and plays and parks and anywhere else that looks like fun. We will have the time of our lives."

He smiled, flashing her his dimple, "Thank you, Cady."

"And if you don't show me a good time, there will be hell to pay."

"Hm," he pursed his lips. "Then I guess I'll have to plan something special for my gal."

She kissed him and disentangled herself from his embrace to stand, "I am going off to bed, I need to be properly rested for tomorrow. Do you have any idea how embarrassing it would be if I had to meet your family with dark circles under my eyes?"

Tristan stood and stretched, "You'd have to put a bag over your head. Go get your beauty sleep."

Cady lightly smacked his arm, "Not funny."

He smiled and leaned down to kiss her, "Good night, my beautiful, beautiful Princess."


Sky leaned over and looked out the window as their ship descended. It had been a long trip and she was dying to get on solid ground again. She loved to fly, but she was not the most patient passenger, especially when it was the twenty eight hour trip to Terra.

"My mother and father are supposed to meet us," Tristan explained as the ground drew closer. "Our bags will be brought to the house."

"What time is the dinner party tonight?" Cady asked.

"Not until seven."

Erik checked his watch and did the math, "It's about ten thirty now."

"We made good time," Sky commented.

The ship slid in for a smooth landing on the tarmac of New England's busiest landing port. Tristan met the porter at the foot of the gangplank and gave him the instructions to deliver their luggage.

Cady slipped her purse over her shoulder and followed Sky and Erik out of the ship. She had forgotten how loud and big the Terran cities were, she was instantly overwhelmed and missed the quiet beauty of Arus.

"Hey," Tristan took her elbow. "You okay?"

"What? Oh, yeah. I just forgot what Terran cities were like, it's been a while," she replied, slipping her hand into his.

"Don't worry, my parents don't live in Boston, but outside it in a less crowded suburb, we won't be staying here."

"Where do we go?" Sky asked.

Tristan looked around, "Over there, my parents should be waiting by the parking lot."

Cady steeled her nerves and tossed her hair back, allowing Tristan to led her through the crowd. Her heart was racing as she checked out every older person they passed, wondering who his parents were and what they looked like. Would they accept her? Would they be nice?

"Tristan! Darling!" A lovely woman with salt and pepper hair and dark glasses walked purposefully toward them.

"Mother," he took her hands and accepted her kiss on the cheek. "You look lovely, how are you?"

"I'm fine, darling. You look wonderful, I guess being on this Arus is doing wonders for you."

Cady watched the exchange, wondering why they hadn't hugged or been more excited. If she hadn't seen her mother in months, they would still be hugging and crying.

"Mother, I would like you to meet my friends," Tristan turned to them. "This is Erik Johasson and Schuyler Collier."

They each shook her hand and greeted her formally.

"And this," Tristan held his hand out to Cady. "Is Cady Whitaker."

His mother curtsied. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness."

Cady smiled sheepishly and offered the other woman her hand, "Really, Mrs. Alexander, that's not necessary, please call me Cady."

"Oh, Cady," Mrs. Alexander took her hand in both of hers. "You are such a beautiful girl. Please, call me Josie, all of you. I am so glad Tristan brought you all home."

"Mother? Where's Dad?" Tristan asked, looking around.

"Oh, Darling, I'm so sorry. Your father had to go to the office, he was so sorry he couldn't be here now, but he will definitely see you at supper tonight."

Tristan nodded slowly, "Why don't we head home? It's been a long trip and we would like to relax for a bit."

"Of course, please follow me. I'll take you home and you can get settled in and then we'll chat over lunch, get to know each other."

Cady slipped her hand into Tristan's and squeezed gently. He smiled at her and dropped her hand. She was puzzled by his behavior, but let it go, figuring he was just upset about his father not being there.


The Alexander Estate was a thirty minute drive from the ship port. It had been a mostly quiet ride with only a little small talk. The large car was driven by an older man who wore a jacket and matching cap while the five of them sat in the back, behind a sound proof glass partition on two bench seats, facing each other. Erik, Sky, and Cady sat facing Tristan and his mother.

"Franklin and Marjorie Wellington won't be able to make it tonight," Josie was telling her son. "But Alexis will be there."

"Great," he replied dully. "And why did you invite her?"

"Oh really, Tristan, she wanted to see you."

"How many people are going to be there?"

"Twenty five."

"Glad to see you kept it small."

Josie smoothed her pale green skirt and sighed, "I don't appreciate your sarcasm, Tristan, I hate to think that being away from home for so long has ruined your manners."

"No, Mother."

Cady watched this exchange with curiosity and sadness. She had thought, and hoped, that their reunion would be a happy one, an excited one. Not a cold, impersonal one. This must be what he was trying to prepare me for, she thought.

Tristan caught her looking at him and gave her a small smile and a wink.

Josie turned her attention to her son's girlfriend, "So, Cady, dear, tell me about yourself."

"Well, let's see. I am the oldest of six children, my mother is the ruling monarch of Arus, Queen Allura Whitaker and my father is the commander of the Arusian military and the original pilot of Voltron's Black Lion."

"Six children?" Josie asked, impressed. "Your parents must be saints."

"It probably wasn't easy, especially with my twin brothers, Declan and Gideon. They're a couple of troublemakers, but they're really good guys. They are both Voltron pilots now, along with Erik and Sky. Then there are my sisters, Tess and Charlotte, and Nicholas is the youngest, he's going to be seven in a couple of months. My parents are amazing, I don't know how they did it all, but they raised the six of us, with the help of Nanny, and kept Arus safe, along with the rest of the Voltron Force."

"Now are you the heir to the throne?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"So what exactly do you do to pass the time?"

"I am taking classes in interplanetary law and diplomacy. I have certain responsibilities, I sometimes act as my mother's stand-in when she can't attend ceremonies. I help out with my brothers and sisters, especially with Nicky."

"That sounds lovely dear. It must be terribly exciting to be a Princess."

Cady looked at Tristan who appeared a little embarrassed by his mother's questioning. "I guess some people might think so. I mean, it's just who I am, I don't think I'm any different than anyone else."

"Oh, of course," Josie gushed. "You do seem like such a regular person."

"Mother," Tristan sighed.

The rest of the trip was rather uneventful and quiet. Sky fell asleep leaning against Erik while everyone else passed the time watching the early spring New England landscape pass them by.

The car turned onto a large, curved driveway and came to a stop in front of a huge, three story brink mansion. The estate sat atop a hill surrounded by trees. It was clear, cool, and beautiful.

"Follow me," Josie said as they followed her up the front steps to the front door, which opened upon their arrival. "I will show you to your rooms."

The front foyer was immense with a marble floor that extended into the hallway and a huge crystal chandelier hung over their heads. An antique deacon bench sat beside the door with an immense mirror surrounded by a gilded frame hanging on the wall above it.

They followed her up the sweeping stairway and to the left where four doors lined both sides of the hallway.

"The guest bathroom is there on the right. Erik, this is your room," she opened the first door.

His bedroom was painted a muted beige with a rug covered with an abstract design in dark green and brown decorating it in the center of the hardwood floor. A dresser with a vase of fresh flowers on top of it stood between the two windows on the wall opposite the door. Along the wall to the left was a door that led to a closet and an antique desk complete with an old banker's lamp. The bed was double sized and covered in a brown duvet.

"Thank you, Ma'am," Erik smiled.

"Now, Schuyler, you'll be next door to Erik," Josie led them down to the next door.

Sky's room was more feminine. The wallpaper was off white with columns of delicate lavender flowers. The carpet was thick and cream colored, the queen sized bed was covered in a lavender comforter and piled high with pillows of lavender, cream, and pale green. The headboard, dresser, and vanity were all pine and vases of fresh flowers sat on top the vanity, dresser and bedside tables.

Sky smiled, "Its lovely, Mrs. Alexander, thank you."

"And last, but certainly not least, your room is across the hall, Cady."

Cady's room was the biggest by far. Two large windows were framed with lace drapes and looked out over the beautifully landscaped backyard. The walls were painted a pale blue color and with a white chair rail encircling the room. A large bed was covered in a thick blue and white quilt and what appeared to be about a dozen pillows. The dresser, desk, vanity and two bedside tables were all painted white and, like the other rooms, fresh flowers were placed around the room.

"Thank you, Mrs. Alexander," she said.

"Please," Josie smiled at them all. "Please, call me Josie. Now, make yourselves at home. Lunch will be served in an hour. Your bags will be brought to your rooms while you eat and you can unpack this afternoon. If you need anything at all, don't hesitate to ask. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a few things to see to about tonight's dinner. I will see you all at lunch."

The four of them were left standing in the hallway, wondering what they should do to pass the next hour.

"Well, it certainly feels good to not be moving for once," Sky commented.

"That's for sure," Erik added.

"This is a beautiful house, Tristan," Cady said.

"Yeah, thanks," he mumbled. "We moved here when I was sixteen."

"Where's your room?"

"The family rooms are in the other wing. I'll give you all a tour later."

Erik looked around, "Well, uh, I guess I'm going to go lay down until lunch and enjoy the fact that we're on solid ground again."

"Yeah, me too," Sky said.

The two of them slipped into their rooms and shut the doors, leaving Cady and Tristan standing in the hall.

"Do you want to talk?" She asked quietly.

He gave her a soft smile, "What about?"

Cady shrugged, "I don't know. Whatever's on your mind."

"I'm sorry, Cady," he said, uneasily. "Come here." Tristan took her hand and led her into her room, shutting the door behind them. "I don't know how to explain it. I guess, well, as you can probably tell my relationship with my mother isn't exactly like the one you have with your mother. I suddenly feel like I'm thirteen again and trying to live up to their expectations."

"Oh honey," Cady breathed, framing his face with her hands. "You have done so much with your life, you have so much to be proud of. You don't have anything to prove to anyone. I can't help but see how uncomfortable you are, is there anything I can do for you?"

"No, I'm fine. I promise to be in a better mood."

"Good," she stood on her toes and kissed him. "Now then, who's Alexis?"

His eyebrows shot up in surprise, "What?"

"Your mother mentioned Alexis was coming tonight and you didn't seem too happy about that announcement."

Tristan wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tightly to him, "She's no one, my mother's best friend's daughter. We grew up together."

"An old friend?"

He shrugged, "Sort of."