"So ve're to understand you are planning on reattaching his retina?" Sven asked Dr. Woodhall. They were all gathered in Erik's room to discuss the surgery the doctor was planning on performing.

The woman nodded, "That will be part of the procedure." She grazed her fingertip over Erik's bandages, outlining sections of his face to illustrate her point. "We need to do more reconstructive surgery here around his eye, especially if we want to save his eye. I reattached the muscles as best I could already, hopefully, with time, he'll be able to move the muscles around his eye again. Erik and I spoke about it last night. He asked me if there was anything more that could be done. I told him we could reattach the retina, it won't give him his sight back, but if he is some day able to have the optic nerve repaired, he just might get his sight back."

Erik groped the bed until his fingers clasped around the pen Keith had gotten him earlier. Seeing his plight, Sky lifted the notepad up so he could see enough to scribble a note.

Sky turned the pad toward her and read, "I want to do it."

Romelle leaned into his line of vision and gently touched his cheek, "Are you sure, sweetie? You know you don't have to."

Erik lifted his thumb up.

"I don't think it will do us any good to argue," Keith spoke up.

"Ja" Sven agreed. "If dis is vhat Erik vants, den so be it."

Sky set the notepad down and took Erik's hand in hers, leaning into his line of vision as Romelle stood upright. "If this is what you want, I'll be right here waiting for you when you come out of surgery."

He squeezed her hand as the corner of his mouth turned up.

"And before you know it, we'll be back on Arus…"

"Arus?" Romelle interrupted. "He's not going back to Arus, Pollux is his home and he's going home so I can take care of him."

Sky looked up at her, surprised. It had never occurred to her that Erik wouldn't go back to Arus with her. "But…but Arus is where Becca is…"

"We have wonderful doctors on Pollux and we will find the best specialists in the universe and have them flown in."

Sky's mouth opened and closed in disbelief, "But…but Arus is his home now, I…I thought…"

"Pollux is his home," Romelle said sternly.

Sky looked down at Erik, seeing how he was obviously fighting to stay awake. She couldn't be apart from him, not now, not when he needed her. But she couldn't leave Arus, she still had her responsibilities to Voltron and her studies. It was going to be hard enough to catch up on everything when she got back as it was, could she just leave it all to be with Erik?

"Ve'll discuss dis all later," Sven said. "Visiting hours are ending and Erik is exhausted."

They all said their goodbyes. Sven and Romelle stopped to shake hands with Dr. Woodhall at the door while Sky lingered behind.

"I love you," she whispered, peppering the exposed side of his face with gentle kisses. "No matter what, I will find a way to be with you."

She wasn't sure if he heard her, his eye was closed and his breathing even. She pressed one more kiss to the back of his hand before laying it on the bed and following her mother out of the room.


On Arus, it was a clear, beautifully calm night. But there was a rumbling in the ground. Lance stood in Castle Control and called up an image of the volcano where Red slumbered. A belch of black smoke blew straight up in the air. He knew Red. Something had upset the Lion and it worried him.

He turned to the main console to call Keith, to make sure Sky was all right, but he was interrupted when a guard handed him a printout that had just come in from the Garrison.


"How's Erik?" Cady asked when they all returned to the Alexander house that night.

Sky ignored her question and walked past her up to her room, Romelle was speaking in low tones to her husband, appearing to not have heard Cady's inquiry, and the two of them also went straight upstairs. Delora, with her head down, quietly followed the others upstairs.

Keith gave his daughter a tired smile as he handed his coat to Henry, "He's the same, but he is going to be having more surgery in a few days."

Tristan looked up the stairs and then back at Keith and Allura, "Are they okay?"

Allura sighed, "I guess we didn't stop to think where Erik was going to go when he was released from the hospital."

"What do you mean?" Tristan asked.

"Sky wants him to go to Arus and Romelle wants him on Pollux," Darcy explained.

"Oh." Cady couldn't think of anything else to say.

"What does Erik want?" Tristan asked.

Keith shrugged, "We didn't ask, he was falling asleep."

"I think the final decision should be up to him."

"And what do you think he'll decide?"

"To stay with Sky."

Keith nodded, "That's what I think, but Romelle won't stand for that."

"She and Sven can stay on Arus as long as they want," Allura pointed out.

"We'll wait until everyone has calmed down a bit before we discuss it," Keith said. "For now, go get some sleep, we're going to have to start thinking about heading home. Now that we know Erik is going to be okay, we…" he broke off when his communicator beeped. He unclipped it from his belt and glanced at it. "It's Lance, I'm going to go talk to him. Allura, Darc, you didn't eat any dinner, why don't you go find something."

Tristan offered the Queen his arm, "I know Henry has some goodies in the fridge. I wouldn't mind having a snack myself."

The four of them sat around the table in the kitchen while Tristan pulled various food from the inside the refrigerator. They picked at cold chicken, salads, and fruit. Cady put a kettle on the stove for tea while Darcy and Allura filled the two of them in on everything the doctor had said about Erik's surgery.

"I'm sure he just wants to make sure every possible angle is examined," Tristan said as he took some mugs out of the cupboard.

"I just hope he isn't going to have surgery just for the sake of having surgery," Darcy said, popping a grape into her mouth. "And I hope he isn't getting false hope."

"Well, the doctor did say he has a long road to recovery," Cady pointed out. "Do they know how many surgeries that he will need?"

Allura shook her head, "No, not yet."

"But they'll mostly be reconstructive, right?"

Allura nodded, "They will all be from here on out. They're just trying to put him back the way he used to be."

The four of them sat silently, thinking about how Erik used to be, wondering what was going to be. This was how Keith found them a few minutes later when he entered the kitchen.

"Is everything all right?" Allura asked him.

He shook his head, "I have to go to the Garrison tomorrow."

"Why?"

"Well, it seems that the Garrison, in all their vast wisdom, has decided to send Vinn to the prison on Planet Zettle."

Tristan furrowed his brow, "Isn't that only about three hours from Arus?"

"Yes it is. It is the closest Garrison outpost to Arus."

"Why are they sending him there?" Allura asked.

"My guess would be space issues. I knew they were having overcrowding problems, but I will not stand for this, I don't care what kind of shuffling around they have to do, but he will not be kept that close to us."

"How is everything else on Arus?" His wife asked.

"Uh, well, there is one more thing, Lance said Red was acting unsettled tonight."

"What do you mean?"

"He said the volcano was spitting out black smoke and there was some rumblings, like Red was upset and moving around. He said, that between his 'fatherly intuition' and his connection with Red, he thinks it has to do with Sky."

"Red probably senses how upset Sky is right now," Darcy pointed out.

"Probably," Keith rubbed his chin. "Or she sensed something else. Let me ask you this, if Erik went back to Pollux, do you think Sky would give up everything on Arus to stay with him?"

Darcy didn't answer. She knew what her daughter would do, but she didn't want to say it out loud, that would mean it was true, and she didn't want to think about her daughter living so far away.

"Exactly," Keith sighed, knowing what she was thinking. "Lance also said you and I, Allura, should call Declan in the morning. Something is going on with him, but Lance thinks we should talk to Dec about it."

"Is he okay?" Allura asked worriedly.

Keith nodded, "Lance said he was, but he doesn't want to bother us right now."

"Let's call him now."

"No, he's asleep, Lance said he hasn't been sleeping well, we should call when we get up in the morning, Dec should be done with practice by then. But I think I know what it might be."

"What?"

"If Erik can't fly Black, someone has to."


Sky paced Erik's room, gnawing on her thumbnail.

What am I going to do? I can't just leave Erik, but I can't leave Arus either. Maybe if I talk to Uncle Keith he can give me more time off so I can spend more time with Erik. I can finish my classes through correspondence. Or I could just take the rest of the year off. I can pick up again next fall. Or maybe…maybe I should just move to Pollux. We had talked about doing that eventually, so why wait? I can take courses on Pollux and get a job flying with the Polluxian Air Force. Maybe we could even move up the wedding.

As she went over all this in her mind, she felt herself relax. It was like a huge weight lifted off her shoulders to have this decision made. Squaring her shoulders, she quickly crossed the room and down the hall to the room Sven and Romelle had moved into after she had officially moved into Erik's room, leaving Delora to share Cady's room with her. She hesitated before knocking, hearing their voices. She could tell they were having a heated discussion, but was unable to decipher what was being said. Before she lost her nerve, Sky raised her hand and knocked sharply. The voices abruptly stopped.

The door opened partially, and then all the way when Sven saw who it was. "Sky, is everyting all right?"

"C-can I talk to you guys?" She asked nervously.

"Uh, yeah, come on in." He stepped aside to let her in.

Romelle stood by the window, her arms crossed over her chest and her gray streaked blonde hair free from its tight bun falling around her shoulders.

"I, uh, I've been thinking," Sky began, twisting her hands nervously as she looked at her future in-laws. "I had just assumed that Erik would be coming back to Arus, I don't know why, I just did. But you're right, he belongs with his family on Pollux. I…I just want what's right for Erik."

"We all do," Romelle said, her expression softening.

"And…and I know now that the best thing is…is for me to, uh, to move to Pollux."

Sven and Romelle stared at her in disbelief.

"Vhat?" Sven asked after the shock wore off.

"Well, Erik and I have talked about this, I mean, we're engaged, we're going to get married. And we both know that as a prince, he has responsibilities to Pollux and we knew that we would eventually have to move there, so why not just move that up?"

"But vhat about Red? Have you spoken to your parents yet? Or Keit?"

"No, I just decided this now. I think this would be best for Erik."

Sven crossed over to her and laid his hands on her shoulders. "Sky, don't rush into a decision like dis. Romelle and I decided to vait and see vhat Erik vants to do, it is not up to us or even you vhere he is going to stay. Take some time to tink on dis, weigh de pros and cons. Talk to Erik."

She nodded, "I know, and I will, I just want what's best for him and I want to be with him."

"We know, dear," Romelle came over to hug her son's fiancée. "It's been a long night. Why don't you go get some sleep and we'll talk about this in the morning."

Sky nodded, "All right. We're leaving at seven thirty to go to the hospital, right?"

"Yup, right after breakfast."

"Okay, I'll see you then."

Sven waited until the door closed behind her before turning to his wife. "You realize, don't you, dat if given de choice, Erik vill stay vith her."

Romelle's shoulders slumped, "I know."


Allura rose early the next morning. She had spent almost the entire night worrying about her eldest son. What if Keith was right? Did Declan receive a calling by Black? Wouldn't she know if he had? Was he ready for that? He was still young, could he really lead the Voltron Force?

She quickly dressed, trying not to disturb her husband as he slept a little longer. The clock on the bedside table showed that it was drawing near to six, Henry might be up now, preparing breakfast, she thought. It seemed that every morning at seven, they all entered the dining room to a full feast. At first Allura thought it had been way too much food, but then she saw the genius in his planning. It seemed as though Henry knew they wouldn't be eating again until they got home in the evening. Allura knew that if she didn't cajole Sky into eating these hearty breakfasts, the girl wouldn't eat at all. Now she would have to pass that job onto Darcy.

"I guess you want to call Declan, huh?"

Allura jumped at the sound of Keith's voice. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"Of course you did," he sat up and stretched. "Let me get dressed real quick and we'll call Declan."

"I've just been so worried," she admitted. "I don't think I slept a wink all night."

"I know."

"I didn't keep you up, did I?"

"Yes."

"Oh, honey, I'm sorry."

Keith chuckled as he pulled a sweater over his head, "Don't worry about it, I'm just amazed you were able to wait this long."

"Aren't you worried?"

"I think I know what is bothering him, I'm worried about how he feels about this, but I'm not worried about his ability to handle the situation. I'm just sorry that we're not on Arus right now to help him handle this."

"So you think he has received a calling from Black?"

"Yes, I do. Why? Do you think it could be something else?"

Allura shrugged, "I don't know. Declan has never been afraid to come to us before."

"He's getting older, he has his brother and his girlfriend now and having us so far away probably didn't help."

"Maybe we should plan on heading back home."

Keith nodded, "I was thinking about the end of this week."

"Maybe sooner, depending on what Declan has to say."

Keith opened the door and stepped aside to allow his wife to leave the room ahead of him. "Vince said we were welcome to use the phone in his study, I think we should do that. It will take longer to connect, but there won't be the delay we would have with the communicator."

"I don't know how we will ever thank the Alexanders for their kindness."

"We'll let their son date our daughter," Keith teased.

Allura tucked her tongue into her cheek, "Will you let him marry her?"

"I will cross that bridge when we get to it," Keith said opening the door to the study.

"What if we are quickly approaching that bridge?"

"Can we deal with one child's dilemma at a time please?"

Allura watched as he dialed the intergalactic operator, "Do you really consider our daughter's future with Tristan a dilemma?"

Keith glared at her over his shoulder.

She held both hands up, "Okay, okay, I'll drop it."

It took nearly ten minutes for the call to be connected to Castle Control. Hunk answered.

"Hi, Hunk," Allura smiled at his image in the screen. "How is everything going?"

"Good, all's clear. Although, Nicky does miss you guys terribly."

"We miss him too. Tell him we'll be home very soon." Allura said fondly, feeling very homesick for her children and her home. "Is Declan around?"

"Yeah, let me call him for you."

Allura sat down in Vince's desk chair while Keith stood beside her. They waited as Hunk called Declan on his communicator. A moment later, Hunk returned to the screen.

"I'm going to forward you guys to Keith's study, Dec will talk to you there."

"Thanks Hunk," Keith nodded to him.

A few more moments later, the screen jumped and Declan's visage filled the screen. He looked tired and pale as he flashed his parents a wan smile.

"Hi honey," Allura grinned. "How are you?"

"I'm okay. How is everything there?"

"Pretty much the same. Erik is going to undergo some more surgery in a few days."

"Is he any better?"

"It's still too soon to tell, but he did seem more alert yesterday."

"So, uh, when are you guys planning on coming home?"

"We're thinking about heading home the end of the week," Keith told him. "Listen, son, Lance told us something was on your mind. What is it?"

Declan glanced down at his hands clasped in his lap, "Uh, well, its…its nothing really. I've just had a lot on my mind, I mean, we're all worried about Erik and Cady. Luckily there haven't been any threats in a while, although Uncle Lance did tell us about Vinn being sent to Zettle. Can they do that? I mean, I guess they can, I just don't think that's a very bright idea. Are you going to…"

"Declan," Keith interrupted his son's ramblings. "You got a call from Black, didn't you?"

He nodded.

"Are you okay?" Allura asked quietly.

"Yeah, I am," Declan admitted. "I'm…I'm just…a little, I guess overwhelmed is the word I'm looking for. I don't want to think that this means Erik is definitely not going to fly again and I certainly don't want him to think I am trying to take Black away from him. And…I don't know if I have what it takes to lead."

"Dec, we all know you aren't taking Black away from Erik," Keith assured him. "And we just don't know if he will ever be able to fly again. And you do have what it takes to lead, you just have to believe in yourself and that will be the hardest part of being a leader, believe me, I know. Have you flown with Black yet?"

"Yeah, we went up yesterday, just Black and I."

"How did it go?"

"It…it was strange, but in a good way."

"It will take time for you to get used to it, but we're here to help you out. Just remember, Black may be the leader of the team, but she is still a member of a team. You are all in this together, don't try to take this on by yourself."

Declan smirked, "You aren't the first one to tell me that."

"I guess that should tell you something."

"It does, and I appreciate it."

"Sweetie," Allura spoke up. "No one will ever make you do anything you don't want to do. But before you make up your mind, take some time with Black and with Erik and your father. And remember, if Black didn't think you could do it, she wouldn't have chosen you."

"I know, thanks, Mom."

"Look, we have to get going, I hate to tie up the Alexanders' line this long. We'll be home before you know it, then we'll all sit down and talk about this. If you need to talk to us for any reason, about anything, don't hesitate to call us, any time." Keith said.

"I know, Dad, thanks."

"And tell your brothers and sisters we love you all," Allura added. "And we'll see you all very soon."

"I'll tell them, we love you too. Good bye."

"Good bye, sweetie."

"Bye, son."

Allura sat back and stared at the dark monitor, "He didn't look well."

"He'll be fine."

"When it rains, it really pours, doesn't it."

"It always has for us, Angel, it always has."


"Tristan! How are you?"

Tristan slowly raised his eyes over the menu in front of him and fought the urge to roll his eyes as Alexis glided over to their table. Gliding is the only way to describe the way Alexis Wellington moved, if he didn't see her three inch heels touch the ground, he would think she floated an inch off the ground.

"Alexis," he nodded to her in greeting.

She stopped at their small table, a pleasant smile on her face. When she looked at Cady, the smile faded into a look of worried concern, "Oh, Cady, I heard about your ordeal. How are you?"

"I'm fine, Alexis," Cady assured her. "Thank you for asking."

"And Erik, how is he?"

"He's still in the hospital but he will be all right." Cady knew better than to go into detail, Alexis was only feigning interest.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that," Alexis' voice rose and fell dramatically. "When I heard what had happened, I was just sick with worry about you all. To think, I've been going to that club since before I could walk and I would never have believed that such a dangerous person could be working there. I can promise you that my father is going to be going into that club and making sure some changes are made."

Cady looked across the small table to Tristan. He winked and slid his hand across the table to take hers.

"Thank you," Cady smiled softly.

"Do you know yet how long you're staying on Terra?"

"We'll be heading home soon," Tristan told her.

"Well, I am certainly sorry to see you all go. Please, give me a call before you leave, I would love to see you off and don't be a stranger. Feel free to drop me an email or call me any time."

Cady couldn't help but notice that Alexis was speaking only to Tristan at this point.

"Thank you, Alexis, I will keep that in mind," Tristan told her. "Please tell your parents I said hello."

She could tell she was being dismissed, but she wasn't ready to go just yet. "Maybe we could all go out to dinner before you leave. Who knows when you'll be back on Terra."

"I don't think we'll have time this time around, but we appreciate the offer. Maybe next time."

"Yes, I understand," Alexis smiled. "Then I guess this is goodbye."

Tristan nodded, "It was nice seeing you again, Alexis."

"Oh, come on, now, we've known each other our entire lives, Tristan, you can do better than that."

He glanced at Cady and then stood, awkwardly hugging his former girlfriend. Alexis didn't seem to be feeling awkward at all as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and hugged him tightly. Tristan stepped back, dropping his arms to his sides as she kept her hands on his shoulders.

"It really was good to see you again," she said, gently squeezing his shoulders. "Please keep in touch."

"It was nice seeing you too," Tristan took another step back.

"And you, Cady," Alexis turned to her. "It was truly lovely to meet you."

Cady stood and offered her hand, "It was a pleasure meeting you, Alexis, and I'm sure we'll see you again. Tristan and I will be sure to visit his family as often as possible, especially after the children are born."

A dark look fluttered quickly across Alexis' face, but she smiled anyway and shook Cady's hand, "Yes, well, that would be lovely. Be sure to look me up."

"We will. Goodbye, Alexis." Cady sat and waited until Alexis crossed the restaurant's dining room before speaking to Tristan. "I lied, it wasn't really a pleasure to meet her."

Tristan laughed and took her hand, pressing a kiss to the back of her fingers, "You are something else, Princess."

The two of them had decided that it was time they sneak out for some time together alone. It had been a week since the night at the club and every day had been spent at the hospital, dodging the press, and updating the others on Arus.

Keith had decided that he and Allura were going to be leaving for Arus the day after tomorrow and he strongly suggested that Cady join them. They all knew that Erik was going to be staying for at least three more weeks and he knew that it would be unfeasible for them to stay as long. Both he and Allura had work to do and he wanted Cady to get back to her classes.

"I feel awful about leaving Sky and Erik," Cady sighed.

Tristan nodded, "I know you do, so do I, but we have to get back to our lives on Arus, and you know that. Besides, Erik's family is staying as well and as soon as Erik is up to traveling, they're coming home. Well, I guess that depends on which home he is going to."

"Uncle Sven said they were going to wait until he fully recovered from this surgery before they asked him where he wanted to go."

"That will probably be tomorrow. He is getting better daily."

"I know, he spoke to me for almost half an hour today."

"Yeah, but he shouldn't push himself."

Cady smiled, "Hon, you just don't know Erik as well as I do. Of course he is going to push himself. He's Erik. He's strong and when it comes to his health, he was never very patient. I remember one time when he broke his leg climbing a tree. Aunt Romelle called my mother all upset because he had had his walking cast on for fifteen minutes when he tried walking. He stumbled all around the house, bumping into things, getting all bruised up. The doctor had told him to take it easy, it would take him a few days to get used to walking. Erik was walking without a problem within a couple of hours. He is very dedicated and he won't rest until he is back to normal."

"This is going to be a little more difficult than learning to walk with a cast."

"I know, but he'll get through this just fine, especially with Sky helping him out."

"It's amazing what a man can accomplish with a strong woman at his side," Tristan said slyly, kissing the back of her hand again.

"And just what, pray tell, are you planning to accomplish?" She teased quietly.

"Convincing your father to allow me to marry you."

"Ah, well," Cady pulled her hand away and picked up her menu again. "Then you better start sucking up to him now."

"I'm not too worried."

"No?"

"Nah, I'm sure he knew I had my sights set on you when I asked to move to Arus after only spending a couple of weeks there."

"I thought it was the beauty of the planet and the magic that drew you there."

"No, it was the beauty of the Princess and the magic of her personality."

Cady rolled her eyes, "Of all your cheesy pick-up lines, that was, by far, the cheesiest and the worst."

"Ow, you really know how to wound a man."

"I think your ego can take it, honey."

"You have no idea how fragile a man's ego is, do you?"

"Are you ready to order?"

Their playful flirting was interrupted by the arrival of their waiter.

"Um, yes," Cady glanced down at her menu. "I'll have a cup of the lobster bisque and then the filet mignon."

"Very well, and for you sir?"

"I'll have the lobster and a salad with the vinaigrette dressing. And we'll have a bottle of your house white wine."

The waiter made a note of it on his pad and collected their menus, "I will bring the wine right out."

Cady waited until the waiter was out of ear shot and whispered, "I'll be glad when we're back on Arus and I don't have to watch you tearing apart and eating those giant bugs."

Tristan laughed, "Then I guess you don't want to hear about the deal I made where lobster is going to be shipped to Arus on a monthly basis."

She wrinkled her nose, "Not funny, pretty boy."