Tristan sat on the edge of his bed and gently stroked Cady's cheek as she slept. He had woken over an hour earlier, showered, dressed and gone to take care of a few things. He hated to disturb her as she slept so peacefully, but they had a busy day ahead of them and since he knew how long it took her to get ready, he had to wake her.
"Cady?"
She sighed softly and turned her face away from him.
He chuckled softly, "Cady, sweetie, its time to get up."
"Don't wanna," she mumbled into her pillow, pulling the comforter up to her chin.
"You have to, we have a lot to do today."
Cady slowly opened her eyes and blinked, trying to read the clock on the bedside table. "It's only eight."
"Yes," he brushed her hair aside and pressed a kiss to her temple. "But we have a very busy day ahead of us."
She rolled onto her back and looked up at him, stretching her arms above her, "What do you mean?"
He stretched out beside her and took her hand in his, kissing her knuckles, "You need to get up and get dressed and then pack a bag."
"Why?"
"Because, after we take Erik and Sky to the airport, you and I," he kissed her wrist, "are going to my family's cottage on Cape Cod." He turned her arm over and kissed the inside of her forearm, "All by ourselves. No families, no friends, just us. The two of us. Alone."
"Really?" She slid her arms around his shoulders and hugged him close. "But their flight isn't for another three and a half hours."
"Yes, but, you need to pack and we have to get to the airport early."
"Killjoy."
"Oh no, I'm not killing any joy," he assured her as he unwrapped her arms from his neck. "I promise to show you plenty of joy this weekend."
"Oh really?"
"Oh really."
Holding the blankets to her chest, Cady sat up, "How long are we going to be there?"
Unable to stop touching her, Tristan stroked her cheek, "Two nights. We'll be back Monday afternoon so we can head to your Grandmother's on Tuesday."
"What do I need to take? Are we going anywhere special?"
"If I have my way," he whispered, kissing her gently. "You won't need more than your coat to wear from the car to the house."
She cocked an eyebrow, "So, dress casual?"
"Very, very casual. Like," he paused and looked pensively out the window. "Like…naked casual."
"Naked casual?"
"Well, if you want to do dressy naked, we could do that too."
She laughed and pushed him away, "Go! I have to get dressed."
"Okay, okay," Tristan sighed dramatically and stood. "If you have to. But make sure it's something skimpy and revealing."
Cady giggled quietly as she slipped out of bed, looking for her clothes. She couldn't find the outfit she had worn yesterday and came to the conclusion that Tristan really must not have liked it. Her bags were no longer there, he had probably taken them to her room for her. At a loss as to what else to do, she slipped on the green robe he had given her the night before.
Cady pulled the door open and peered into the empty hall. Seeing no one, she slipped out and scurried down the hall, feeling the thick, plush carpet beneath her bare feet, tickling her soles and adding to her already giddy feelings.
"Nice robe."
She yelped and jumped, spinning around to see Sky standing in the doorway to her room, a smirk on her face.
"Geez, Sky, you gave me a heart attack!" Cady hissed, pressing a hand over her heart.
"Did you lose your clothes?"
"Yes."
"Oh, okay, then I guess that explains the robe. What else did you lose?"
Cady's face heated up, "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about."
"I'm sure you do."
The Princess paused a moment before opening the door to her room and motioning for her friend to follow her.
"So?" Sky sat on the edge of the bed. "What happened?"
"What do you think happened?"
"Everything's okay with you and Tristan?"
"Okay? Okay! Everything is absolutely fantastic!"
"Did he tell you…everything?"
"Yes he did."
"And?"
Cady opened the closet and pulled out one of her suitcases, "And what?"
"Come on, Cady."
"He told me all about him and Alexis."
"But I guess he liked your makeover."
"No, actually, he hated it."
Sky raised her eyebrows, "Now I'm confused."
"He hated my straightened hair so much that he gave me a bath and washed the relaxer out."
"He gave you bath and washed your hair? That sounds so romantic."
"It was. He was so sweet, so gentle. Sky, after last night, I…I can't believe I ever doubted how he felt for me or that he might…leave me for Alexis. That girl doesn't have chance."
"Well, I hate to say 'I told you so', but…"
"No you don't."
"What?"
Cady put her hands on her hips, "You don't hate to say it, you've been looking forward to saying it."
"True. So are you going to forget all about Alexis?"
"Yup. I am going to go away with Tristan and we are both going to forget she exists."
"You're going away?" Sky asked.
"He's taking me to his family's cottage on Cape Cod," she said dreamily.
"What's Cape Cod?"
"Ask me in a couple of days."
Sky smiled, "I'm glad you two were able to work everything out."
"So am I. But if you'll excuse me, I have to get dressed. We're leaving straight from the airport after we drop you guys off."
"Dress warm," Sky suggested as she stood. "It's snowing."
Cady scowled, "Snowing? We'll have to come back to Terra during the summer.
"You know, our flight leaves in two hours," Erik said.
He, Sky, and Tristan were standing in the foyer, their suitcases at their feet, waiting for Cady to join them.
"She probably needs help with all her suitcases," Sky muttered.
"We're only going to be there two days," Tristan replied. "She should be able to fit it all into one small bag."
Erik and Sky looked at each other and then burst into laughter.
"All right, all right," he mumbled. "I'll go see what's keeping her."
"Good luck," Erik called as Tristan headed up the stairs.
Tristan fought back the urge to make a rude gesture to his friend and jogged up the stairs. The door to Cady's room was ajar, he knocked softly as he pushed it open. "Cady?"
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" She called from the closet.
"The flight leaves in less than two hours."
"I know."
"Is everything all right?"
"Yeah," she stepped out of the closet with a blue sweater in hand. "When you suggested casual naked, you didn't tell me it was snowing."
He grinned when he saw the way her curls framed her delicately featured face, "I'm sure we can find ways to keep warm."
She folded the sweater, set it in the suitcase and zippered it shut, "Okay, but if I get cold, it's your fault."
"I'll take responsibility for that," he replied, picking up the suitcase as she slipped her coat on.
Erik was checking his watch again as Sky stood beside him, her arms crossed and foot tapping when the two of them appeared on the stairs.
"Your hair looks really cute like that," Sky told her friend.
Cady fluffed her hair with her fingers, "Thank you."
"Are we ready to get going?" Erik asked.
"Yeah," Tristan pulled open the front door. "My car's parked around the side. We can…"
He was cut off by the site that greeted them on the front lawn. Four vans were parked on the street and four cameras, each accompanied by a reporter, along with a few more reporters carrying tape recorders, stepped forward shouting out questions.
"Your Highness! What do you have to say about the allegations being made about the treatment of Vinn on your home planet?"
"Lieutenant Johansson! Is it true the Voltron Force was ordered to use excessive force when detaining Vinn?"
"Are the allegations true?"
"Did you have any part in the mistreatment of the prisoners?"
"Were you even aware of the mistreatment?"
Cady's eyes widened as they shot out their questions. "It's not true!"
"Come on," Tristan gripped her arm and pulled her along. "Just ignore them, let's get to the car."
"How did they find out we were here?" Erik asked as Tristan put the car in reverse and pulled away from the house.
"I don't know, but contact Keith, let him know the Terran media is all over this."
"They believe Vinn," Cady said, disbelievingly.
"They're just looking for a story," Sky mumbled.
"It's a good thing we made plans to get out of here," Tristan added. "I'll make some phone calls and find out how they found you and to make sure they won't be here when we get back."
Erik pulled out his communicator and dialed up Castle Control, "You going to warn your parents?"
"I'm going to talk to Henry and have him take care of it."
Cady looked over her shoulder as they pulled away, watching as the cameras followed their car and the print reporters pulled out cell phones. A shiver slid down her back as she realized that there were people out there who actually thought her family was capable of doing what Vinn accused them of.
"Erik just called in," Keith told Allura as he entered her office.
She looked up from the correspondence she was working on, "Is everything all right?"
"The media has tracked Cady down and met them in front of the house when they tried to leave."
"Oh no. What are they doing?"
"Tristan promised to make sure the press stayed off their property and that she didn't have to face them again. We have to nip this in the bud now, we can't allow this to ruin their trip. I'm thinking we should make an official statement to the Terran press."
"When should we do that?"
"After the investigators finish up here, we'll take their findings and make a statement."
Allura nodded, "When are they supposed to get here?"
"They should be here in ten minutes, Paton is on her way up now."
She stood and walked around her desk, taking the arm he offered her, "I have to admit I'm a little nervous, Keith."
"You have no reason to be, honey, we did nothing wrong."
"But then why did the Garrison send a group of investigators? I mean, they know us, they know all we have done over the years. They should have just tossed this accusation out the window."
"The Garrison has to investigate, they have to check out an allegations of wrongdoings during any trial," Keith explained as his communicator beeped. "Whitaker."
"Hey, Keith," Lance answered. "They've entered Arusian airspace, they'll be landing in five minutes."
"We're on our way, Lance," he snapped his communicator shut and smiled at his wife. "Let's get this over with."
"Have a safe trip," Cady said as she hugged Sky tightly.
"You too," Sky returned her embrace. "Have fun."
"Come on, Sunny," Erik took her hand. "We have a flight to catch and you guys are going to see each other in a week."
"Bring me back something cool," Cady called after them.
"Me too," Tristan added, teasingly.
"Will do!" Erik called over his shoulder.
"Do you think we'll be like that after a year?" Cady asked suddenly.
Tristan looked down at her, "What do you mean?"
"Well, look at the two of them. They've been together almost a year now and they are so madly in love." She said wistfully as Erik leaned in to kiss Sky while they waited in line.
"I think we'll be like that fifty years from now," he assured her, taking her hand. "Come on, I want to get on the road before it gets any worse. If we're going to get snowed in anywhere, I'd rather it was the cottage, alone, than at my parent's house."
"I am so excited about this trip," she smiled up at him. "We don't get a lot of time all alone."
"I was thinking about that."
"You have?"
Tristan looked down at her, "Cady, do you ever feel a little crowded in the castle?"
"Well, there are a lot of people living there, but they're my family."
"I know, honey, and I love them dearly, but, well, there are times when I really just want some time alone with you and it is really hard to find."
She quietly digested what he was saying before she responded. "I have thought about that. But I am next in line for the throne and I need to be in the castle. I have responsibilities…"
"I know," he interrupted gently. "I'm not asking you to give anything up, I just…get frustrated sometimes."
"And so we'll have to find ways to sneak off like this," Cady promised, squeezing his hand.
"And what, exactly, is your procedure when you bring prisoners in?" Major Dinsman asked as he and his two associates were escorted down to the dungeons by Keith and Allura.
"Before the police department was set up, prisoners were brought in here, taken directly to the dungeons, either by way of Castle Control or directly from the outside by way of the garages." Keith explained. "They were frisked by a guard of the same sex, only men frisk men and women frisk women. Then they were photographed. The perpetrator was then locked up in a cell, fed three times a day until they were formally charged and picked up by Garrison officials for trial. We'll take you on a tour of our cells now, then we can take you downtown and show you where we keep prisoners now."
"Where was Vinn kept?" Dinsman asked.
"He was injured when he first arrived, so he was set up in a cell here so our doctor could see to him. The next morning he was sent downtown where he was questioned and kept under guard until Garrison officials came to collect him."
"And you no longer keep prisoners in the castle dungeons?"
Keith shook his head, "Now that we have a proper police department and jail, we take the prisoners down there. I like to try and keep them out of our home, away from my family."
Captain Garner, one of the two soldiers accompanying Dinsman, made a note on her clipboard and asked, "You said Vinn was injured when he arrived here, what happened?"
"You have a copy of the full report of what happened. Vinn had taken the members of the Polluxian royal family hostage, the Voltron Force went on a rescue mission where three of the Force members were captured. During their escape, they, in turn, captured Vinn and two of our Force members and Vinn were injured. None of the injuries was life threatening."
"What sort of injuries did Vinn sustain?"
"He was bruised and a little battered, nothing serious. He actually didn't need to see a doctor."
The other soldier who had arrived with Major Dinsman, Captain Sodian, flipped through the file he held in his hand, "This doctor…Dr. Audric, she's married to one of your men, isn't she?"
"Yes," Allura spoke up. "She's married to Lieutenant Pidge Audric, the original Green Lion pilot of Voltron."
"Uh huh," Sodian looked back at his file. "And the chief of police, Chief Paton Landers, she is married to another member of your team, right?"
"Yes, Lieutenant Hunk Landers, the original Yellow pilot. Why?"
"It just seems…convenient that all the professionals who back up your claims are a part of your inner circle."
Allura narrowed her eyes, "What are you implying, Captain?"
"Nothing, Your Highness, I'm just trying to connect all the dots."
Keith laid a hand on her arm, signaling his wife to keep quiet. "This is the cell where Vinn was kept overnight."
Dinsman stepped through the narrow doorway and looked around the eight foot by ten foot room. There was a cot with a thin mattress made up with clean linens, a small sink and toilet, and a barred window was on the wall opposite the door. It was small and sparse, but it was clean and fulfilled all the requirements for fair housing of prisoners.
Captains Sodain and Garner searched the room carefully, checking the bed and the plumbing.
"Everything appears to be in order," Garner said ten minutes later.
Dinsman nodded slowly and turned to Keith and Allura, "We will also like to speak with Dr. Audric when we finish with Chief Landers."
"That can be arranged," Allura assured him.
"I would also like to see the kitchens, where the food is prepared and who prepares it."
Keith nodded, smiling softly at the thought of these people crossing Nanny. "Chief Landers should be here any moment now, we'll head up to Castle Control and wait for her there."
