I know...it's been longer than I had hoped. For this reason, I will post the first two chapters. To all of you who are still following and reviewing...THANK YOU! It means the world to me and gives me reason to continue...slow as I may be :-) To my fellow KA authors, know this... I have been following you all closely and will be posting 'en-masse' reviews soon... The first 3 chapters may seem redundant, I know, but be sure that things will change thereafter!(this one is cheesy too lol) xoxoxo to all!

The Resistance: Book III

Chapter One

"Predictability Rules"

Lance and Keith were the first to come up followed by Hunk and Pidge. Coran quietly stood at the controls, eyes closed, rubbing his chin in thought; trying to figure out why the princess had been behaving so belligerently. He glanced over at Keith who wore a look of shear frustration. It had been the third time that week the princess disobeyed a direct order, only this time she did so during a live battle- not practice. Coran knew well what that meant; Keith would have to talk to her about it- which, in itself, would prove to be a great feat. Allura's guardian slowly turned his gaze toward the Voltron commander, instantly noting the weary cringe that flashed across his normally stoic features. He must be having the same thought he deduced, slowly shaking his head.

"Princess must know what's coming." Chuckled Hunk

"Yeah. She's taking her sweet time getting up here, that's for sure." Snickered Pidge.

Lance glared at them before turning his attention to Keith, who stood in his signature 'commander stance'- eyes closed, arms crossed in front of him. Although clearly in thought, the lack of a furrowed brow assured Red's pilot that his best friend was most definitely not communicating with Allura. He let out a frustrated sigh.

"The longer she takes, the more she's pissing the Fearless One off." With that, Allura's chute swished indicating that it had been activated. "Get ready guys, this is gonna get ugly." added Lance as he walked a bit closer to Keith. When his best friend narrow his eyes at him, the boisterous pilot decided it might be a good idea to back off, at least for the time being.

Allura entered the control room, a wave of anger surrounding her. She knew she was going to get it but, quite frankly, she didn't care. She stormed into the control room avoiding eye-contact with everyone, fully intent on making a quick exit.

"I do not recall dismissing you, Princess." Keith said, calmly.

She stopped dead in her tracks then whipped to expose a heated stare. Whoa, that's not good thought Lance after catching a glimpse of her dagger-like eyes. He turned toward Keith.

"Hey Cap, you want me and the guys to get lost?" he asked.

Allura did not give the commander a chance to answer. "That's OK. Lance, I see no reason why you guys need to leave." She huffed.

Keith looked at her. "Princess, I feel that we should have this conversation in private."

"Oh, do you now, Commander? Is that a direct order or a suggestion?" She snorted.

"Does it really make a difference, Your Highness? You'd disobey it either way." He replied sternly.

Lance, Pidge, and Hunk all cringed while Coran rubbed the bridge of his nose.

Allura mimicked Keith's stance, crossing her arms in front of her as well. "Right, well, now that we've cleared that up…let's have it!" She said boldly.

Keith sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Princess, quite frankly, I cannot believe that I have to have this conversation with you of all people. You know when we are in the Lions you are to follow my orders, not do whatever you see fit." He said.

"Well, maybe my formations made more sense in the given situation." She huffed.

He rolled his eyes at her, ever so slightly. "Princess, not to sound redundant…" he began with mild sarcasm in his voice "however - I am the Commander and I call the shots. Whether you agree with them or not is irrelevant when we are in the Lions…period." He barked.

"Oh that's right. I forgot... you're infallible." She spat and stared at him.

'That was low, Allura' he projected

'Bite me, Commander' she projected back.

Keith was beginning to lose his temper.

Pidge leaned into Hunk and Lance "Man, I hate it when mommy and daddy fight." he whispered.

"I'm telling ya dude, one of these days he's just gonna lose his cool and slap her, just like in those TV shows back home" replied Hunk. The comment made Lance chuckle.

Keith threw his second an irritated look before turning back to Allura. "I have always been open to the team's suggestions, Your Highness" he hissed "and there is a time and place for that…it's why we call it a debriefing. You do know what that is, right- that time after a battle when we all sit as a team and discuss formations and possible improvements?" he explained with sarcasm.

"I know what a debriefing is, Commander!" she snorted.

"Really? Well then you do understand that it takes place in the conference room afterwards, not in the air as orders are being issued! I would be more than happy to hear your suggestions then. When we are engaged in formations you will not disobey my orders again, understood?" he barked.

"I don't understand why you're making such a big deal out of this. It happened. Just drop it already." Allura said, completely dismissing him.

"Are you serious? Princess, if it happened once I would chalk it up to having a bad day but you…this is the third time this week! Do you realize that stunt you pulled could have put all our lives at risk? It's not acceptable!" said Keith, his voice increasing in octaves.

"Well…we're all fine so, get over it!" she spat.

Yellow's pilot quickly interjected "Princess, what's with you? You know we don't mess around when we're in battle." Asked Hunk.

"Keith's right, Allura, you were way outta line…and coming from me, that says something." Lance added with a determined tone.

Allura flashed him a deadly glare and he knew why. Lance was, in essence, the only person besides Keith who knew where her behavior was stemming from.

"There is nothing wrong with me. I am fine! I am just sick and tired of this anal retentiveness!" she yelled, fists clenched at her side, refusing to look at anyone but Keith. "I believe I more than proved myself at the academy, or have we already forgotten that little fact?" she added, belligerently.

"No one is questioning your ability, Lura-Lu, but something's obviously up with you. I get it…but you bring it in battle and you affect all of us…not…cool." Responded Lance.

Keith took over. "Princess, you need to learn how to put whatever's bothering you aside when it comes to this. You cannot let your emotions cloud your judgment." He said, returning to his calm 'commander' voice.

The princess looked at him, projecting her feelings of hurt and betrayal which hit the commander like a ton of bricks. The vibes caused a slight twinge in his stern expression. Keith recovered quickly and returned the favor, causing Allura to respond same. Fleeting as it was, the interaction did not go unnoticed by the advisor. Coran raised a brow. Interesting. What is going on here? He rubbed his chin and continued to observe the exchange.

"Hypocrite." Allura mumbled under her breath. "Not all of us can be as frigid as you, Captain Kogane. You may be able to take your emotions and ignore them for the sake of your precious duty and honor, but I can't so deal with it!" she yelled.

Coran jumped forward "Now Princess Allura, that was completely uncalled for and beneath you! Apologize immediately!" he demanded.

"I will do no such thing! He knows damn well that I'm right! Beneath me? This whole thing has been a waste!" she yelled.

"Um, we're gonna go now." said Hunk as he pulled Pidge out of the room with him.

Lance decided to stay behind for support, throwing Allura a disgruntled look in the process. Keith was having just as hard a time as she was; the commander was just better at hiding it. Obviously. Red's pilot was a little put off at the fact that, knowing Keith as well as she did, the princess was being so harsh in her confrontation.

"It's alright, Coran." said Keith

The man nodded. Keith then turned back toward Allura, his face etched with frustration, exhaustion, and hurt from the ongoing argument.

"I'm sorry you feel that way, Princess- as I have always thought myself to be a fair leader, always putting the safety and wellbeing of my team before anything else; especially considering the fact that my team mates are also very dear to me." He said, pausing to focus his gaze upon hers. "If that makes me frigid and unemotional in your eyes, then I graciously accept the criticism.

I do not have to defend my position to you Princess. Where the Force is concerned, I'm in charge- and you know it. I will not have any member of my team putting us at risk. I'm sorry that you're going through a hard time, really I am- but until you can prove that you can put your personal feelings aside, I cannot have you endangering our ability to perform as a cohesive unit. It is obvious that you are not thinking clearly. You need a break." Keith said gently and then focused on her.

'Don't fight me, Allura. Please, just don't fight me' he projected.

'Don't fight you? This is all your fault and you're punishing me? You promised me Keith!' she projected back.

'No, Blue…you are punishing me by putting me in this position! You act as though I have a choice! How can you possibly blame me when you know how hard I've tried?' he returned.

She did not project back but answered aloud. "Let me guess, Captain Predictable… you're suspending me...again." she said dryly.

"Yes, I am." He said

"May I ask for how long?" she questioned.

"Three weeks." He replied.

Lance looked between Keith and Allura and braced himself for the next round of yelling.

"Three weeks! Are you out of your mind! You can't suspend me for three weeks! What if there is an attack? What then?" she yelled.

Keith didn't answer her but turned to Lance "McClain, contact Pollux and request Holgersson to be sent her for the next three weeks...Captain Predictable has spoken"

"On it Mon Capitan" he replied with a hooded smirk as he walked over to the control panel to contact Sven.

The captain then turned back toward the princess. "I've told you before. I would never do anything that would put you or Arus at risk, and I meant it." he said, firmly.

Allura looked at him, her mouth open slightly as if about to speak. She was not sure whether she wanted to lunge at him and attempt to kick his ass, scream with all her might, cry uncontrollably, or devour him in some mysterious display of raw passion right in front of everyone and to hell with propriety. Of course she was being extremely childish and way out of line, she was fully aware of it. In her mind, however, it was justified due to the fact that aside from a stolen kiss here and there, she and Keith had not spent any quality time alone since they'd returned from Pollux; not one single moment of intimacy. The princess knew it wasn't his fault. Heavens know they'd tried, and Lance was right there to help; however, something always came up: sirens would sound, attacks would commence, Nanny would show up or request her presence, meetings were added, Council members would drop by, along with a Prince seeking her hand here and there. The obstacles seemed endless- culminating with an increase in tension and arguments that defied all logic. On some level, she preferred to have him angry with her because it gave them some kind of interaction- but this?

"Coran, don't let him do this." She asked her advisor, somberly.

"I'm sorry Princess, but I agree with the captain to the fullest extent. I'm not sure what's wrong with you child, but get a handle on it. You cannot put your team in harm's way." He said sternly. Allura looked from Coran to Lance and then to Keith.

"As you wish." She spat as she removed her key and handed it to him.

As soon as he took it, she spun around and stormed out of the control room.

Keith let out a deep sigh which he didn't even realize that he was holding and ran a hand through his hair. Coran walked up to him and smirked. "Nice to have some company in the Princess department." He paused to chuckle "I have been dealing with that girl's stubbornness and determination on my own for far too long. Might I suggest investing in some scotch? Lots and lots of scotch." He said with a grin as he patted Keith on the shoulder and slowly walked away. Keith shook his head.

As Coran made his exit, Lance approached Keith. "Don't you think you were a bit hard on her? After all, you know why she's acting like this."

Keith groaned and looked at his friend. "What would you have me do, Lance? I can't have her behaving like that when I need her to stay focused. All our lives depend on us functioning as a team."

"Keith, I'm not denying that she has been soooo way out of line…big time; she just misses you man. You guys have not spent one second alone since you got back, what, like a little over a month ago?"

"You're right, I'll just phone ahead to Korrinoth II and say 'hey guys, take it easy on us. Haven't spent time with my girlfriend and she's kinda bitchy. I'm sure they'll understand." Keith huffed and looked at Lance who, in turn, pursed his lips in annoyance. Defeated, the captain walked over to the chair next to the main control panel and fell into it.

"Yeah, I know, don't say it." sighed Keith. "Look, maybe if she has some time off she'll be able to relax a bit." He said, not fully convinced himself.

Lance snorted. "Good one. So, take away the only opportunity she has to interact with you and let out steam, and substitute it with more time alone…to think…without you…and you think that will help her calm down a bit? You are and idiot." He chuckled.

"Shut up, Lance." Spat Keith while giving his friend an exasperated look. "Ugh! This sucks!" he said, tensely running both hands through his hair. "I had to do it Lance, you know that. She's been too unstable." Black's pilot looked at his second for approval.

Lance sighed. "Yeah, I know. She's been pretty reckless. I really hate to agree with you but, you did the right thing pulling her off for a while; how-e-ver, Commander Hard-ass, you have to come up with a solution to the problem. You can't just let things go on the way they have been. It's not good for either of you." He advised.

"I know, I know, but how? Shit you're the expert, remember? Even you couldn't get us a night alone." He asked Lance in a tormented tone.

"Please, don't remind me…I am so disappointed in myself!" he huffed, trying to make a little joke. It didn't work. "Keith, don't get all defensive on me but maybe you need to reconsider the whole 'hiding' thing? I mean, wouldn't that kinda solve all your problems?" he asked.

Keith snickered "…or create a whole slew of new ones. I told you, I'm not ready for all the rituals and what not associated with her station. You know how much I hate all that ceremonial bullshit. Besides, the last thing we need is more back-lash from Lotor and to be harassed by Nanny and Coran. Allura agreed to this. We've got bigger things to worry about right now. I can't" he replied sternly before burying his head in his hands. The commander thought for a moment and then looked up. "I don't know, Lance. I'm not sure of anything anymore." He sighed then looked at his best friend "We have to come up with something else…fast. She is really pissed at me right now, I can feel it and, believe me, it's not pretty" he cringed.

"Ah, nothing like sexual tension." Lance winked earning a glare from his best friend. "You guys were doing that whole mind-talking crap again weren't you? I saw you get all squinty in the middle of that argument." He said with pride that he had finally figured out how to identify when they projected.

"Congrats. I'm glad you're enjoying this." Keith said, dryly.

"So, can't you just throw your own stuff back at her?"

"I'm trying. Usually I can manage to calm her down but…man is she pissed, and obviously better at it than I am." Keith sighed. "I get it, Lance- I feel the same, believe me. I'm just a pro at getting a handle on it…Academy…you know the drill."

Lance gave a slight chuckle. "Yes, Kogane, we are all aware of your abilities. Problem is, you're too good. Now Lura thinks you don't care…how'd she put it...frigid?" Lance smirked as Keith cringed yet again. "How 'bout you do something sweet…something that will show her that you get it, something that says you're there even though you're not." Suggested Lance. "Keep in mind…you just presented her with a shitload of free time."

Keith shrugged in agreement. "Hmm, a romantic gesture…that's a good idea, but what? Allura isn't into all that materialistic bull, you know that."

Lance nodded. "True, but there must be something symbolic you can give her."

Keith thought for a moment then his eyes widened. He stood up from the chair and looked at Lance with a broad grin. "I got it, insanely cheesy beyond words, but it'll work. Come on, I need your help…" he said and quickly left the control room with Lance in tow.

xxxxx

Allura did not join the team for lunch, nor did she join them for dinner. She threw Nanny out of her room telling her not to bother her until morning. The princess mentally fought her own personal war, going through a buffet of emotions from rage, to anger, to guilt, to sadness, to longing, and many more in between. She knew that Keith loved her and wanted desperately to be with her, often feeling his desire through their bond; a desire so similar to her own. Maybe that shared emotion was enough to keep him going but it was certainly not enough for her. She physically needed him, to feel him, touch him, kiss him, smell him. God I love the way he smells like soft pine mixed with his own masculine scent. Keith coped by channeling his emotions into something productive. Allura coped as she did everything else: with stubbornness, determination, and just a tad bit of irrational behavior. OK, maybe a little bit more than a tad. All she knew was that not only could she not spend time alone with the man she loved, she would spend almost no time with him at all. Lion practice, target training, and self-defense took up most of the day. All she would have now would be their morning run and PT. She lay in her bed and sighed, sighed because she was all cried out thanks to her sheer stupidity. That was when she heard rustling at her door. Annoyed that someone would come at such a late hour, she quickly got up and marched to the entrance, slamming her hand on the button that deactivated the lock. When the door opened, she saw no one. Looking around, she noticed a box at the foot of her door. The princess stared at it for a while, trying to decide if she were going to pick it up or not. It's from Keith, I know it! Ugh, does he think he's just going to give me stuff and it'll all be fine? I…think…not! The young monarch turned and stormed back into her room, leaving the box behind.

"Damn! She really is pissed at you! Now what?" Lance said, a bit shocked.

Keith chuckled. "Don't worry man, give her a minute. She'll be back out. If there is one thing Allura can't resist it's a surprise. It will kill her not knowing what's in the box." He snickered.

Sure enough, as soon as he'd finished his thought, Allura appeared once again. She picked up the box and slammed on the button to close the door. Keith and Lance smiled and walked away.

Once inside the room, Allura sat on her bed and stared at the box angrily but, as Keith said, she couldn't resist finding out what its contents were. She opened the box and a silly grin flittered across her face. Damn you Kogane! The box was filled with Arusian lily petals and Reese's peanut butter cups, something else she fell in love with on Earth. She pulled out the Reese's and greedily began to unravel the little cup when she noticed something else wrapped in tissue paper at the bottom of the box. She took it out and slowly unraveled the paper to reveal one of Keith's old Academy t-shirts. The young royal bit her lip in surprise as she slowly lifted the shirt to her face. Yep. Smells just like him. She jumped up, ripped off her nightgown, and threw his shirt on. Allura lay back down in her bed, now surrounded with his familiar scent- the scent of the man she loved more than life itself. Was he completely forgiven? Ha…hells no! But…good move, Kogane. She giggled, pulled up the covers, turned off the light, and tightly hugged her extra pillow. With a grin on her face, she closed her eyes making sure to project her feelings of contentment to Keith as she drifted asleep. Already in his quarters, Keith felt her elation and smiled. Well, at least that worked- for now…