Disclaimer: I do not own Voltron, and I make no money off of this.

Yeah! It's finally done! No more getting up at 1 am trying to meet this deadline!

Chapter 4: Revelations

Keith actually took a little bit longer this morning, waiting until he knew the rest of the team would be assembled in the rec room. He had a secret wish to wear a Santa Claus costume and hand out the gifts. He thought it ironic that his normal flight suit was the perfect shade of red. All he needed was the hat, but after the fight last night, he was glad he didn't have one. Wouldn't want the crew to start shooting at him, would he?

Before reaching the room, he could already hear the carols playing over the speakers and the discussions of his friends. They appeared to be in a good mood, and he could see Allura, decked out in a formal deep green dress which sparkled, was already with them. With that dress and my jumpsuit, we'll make quite the festive pair. He smiled a little at that. Upon entering Keith let out a deep "Ho Ho Ho! Merry Christmas!"

The team laughed and cheered. "About time you showed up! We want to open presents." Cheerfully they greeted one another with hugs and rounds of "Good morning! Merry Christmas!"

Keith inhaled the most delicious scent of fresh-baked, plump cinnamon rolls and spiced apple cider. Nanny had on a smile while handing him a roll on a plate along with knife and fork (no fingers here) and a drink. Keith took them with a heartfelt "Thank you," plucked down on the sofa and proceeded to eat the sticky bun the old-fashioned way.

Nanny rolled her eyes and shook her head. Those boys will never learn.

"Come on, Captain. We don't have time for you to finish eating," wailed Pidge.

"Don't let me stop you. Go ahead and distribute the gifts."

As Lance and Pidge began to give out the wrapped boxes, the princess turned to her commander. "All these red and green presents weren't here last night. What's the meaning of this? Is this the other half to which you referred?"

Taking a swallow of cider to clear his throat, Keith replied, "Yes, it is. It's customary to exchange gifts with family and friends to show how much you care about each other. For younger children, the belief in Santa Claus is carried on by the parents leaving presents under the tree while the kids are asleep Christmas Eve. Another version is to donate gifts to needy children whose family can't afford to buy anything. If we do this again next year, I would like to set up a Santa drive."

"To give out presents to the children of Arus?"

"Yes."

"What a wonderful idea! That would bring a lot of joy to the people. I would be honored to help with that."

Hunk had overheard that last bit. "That IS a great idea. I have some thoughts on simple gifts we can put together. Count me in."

"That goes for us, too," Lance said when he handed Keith a package.

The young monarch sat shocked. It continually amazed her how these young soldiers from other worlds could so easily care about her planet and her people. Their courage and tenacity pushed her to keep going everyday, even when she felt like giving up, but their selflessness actually encouraged her to be the best ruler she could be. They didn't let her down, so she had no excuse to let her people down. They had become the backbone by which she stood.

She was broken out of her thoughts when she heard Nanny exclaim, "Oh, my, what's this?" Allura turned to her left to see Hunk place a heavy large box on the side table in front of her governess.

"It's a gift for you," Hunk stated simply.

Nanny looked confusedly around the room. All the other members had paused and were watching them. Her eyes fell on her charge who gave her a pleasing nod.

"Go on, open it, Nanny."

Nanny hesitantly began unwrapping it. Once all the paper was off, she timidly opened the lid and peered in. Her eyes grew wide and she froze in place.

Seeing that she wasn't moving, Hunk gingerly placed his hands inside the box and hauled out a mechanical contraption in the shape of a bulbous bracket with a large metal bowl on the bottom branch and a lattice-shaped paddle suspended from the top branch. He pushed the box aside and carefully set the apparatus down again. "I saw how much baking you do in the kitchen, so I refurbished this old mixer I brought with me from Earth."

Nanny was completely taken aback by the thoughtfulness of the gift. "I don't know what to say. Thank you." She thought they all hated her because they clashed so much on the princess' etiquette and social duties. She was just doing her job so that the people of Arus could be proud of their monarchy and their heritage. She felt the Terrans would never understand that and, thus, despised her for it. Nanny never expected this. Maybe the boys weren't so bad, after all.

The silence was interrupted by Pidge tearing through one of his presents. "Awesome! A new data display! Thanks, Hunk!"

The rest of the team began opening their boxes, and thanking each giver in return.

Halfway through these events, Coran walked into the lounge. "You wanted to see me, Commander? I left one of my senior staff watching castle control for a minute."

"Yes, I did. Lance, would you hand Coran his present, please?"

"Certainly."

Coran too was stunned by the small green box that was given to him.

"Merry Christmas, Coran. Go ahead and open it."

Coran looked to the princess who nodded approval and ripped into the box. He took out a palm-sized brass disk attached to a foot of chain. As he held it up for closer inspection, he could hear it ticking and see the face arms moving slowly in their circular pattern. "This is an ancient Arusian artifact! Where ever did you find it?"

Pidge spoke up, "It was in one of the mecha digs around Keldar. We fixed it up for you so it would run properly, but it may still need slight adjustments. Just bring it by any time."

"Thank you, Voltron Force. It means a lot to me to have part of Arus' glorious past restored. This is indeed a treasure." Coran put the pocket watch in his slacks, then poured himself a glass of cider and left.

Allura sat watching as the team finished opening their gifts. There was so much glee in the air that it transformed the space and everyone in it. Was this what Christmas was all about?

Suddenly, Keith got up from the sofa and walked to the tree which had remained lit all night. He knelt down and pulled out a small box hidden from view. Standing, he moved back over to where the princess sat in her comfortable wing chair. Nervously, he handed the gift to Allura and said, "Here, this one is for you. We hope you like it."

Allura accepted the box and examined it. The paper was of the finest quality, smooth but with subtle changes in the pulp, slightly off-white. Calligraphy in red and green ink scrawled across the page, saying, "Joy, Love, Peace." Satiny red ribbon ran horizontally and vertically around the box ending in a simple bow. It was elegant. Not wanting to ruin the wrapping, she pulled the bow apart and gently eased the paper off intact. The box itself was unadorned but opened to reveal a green velvet pillow on which lay the most stunning necklace she had ever seen. She lifted it up on her slim, delicate fingers so it could catch the light. It was a single strand of alternating pearls and clear crystals with two small elongated pendants spaced on either side of a larger star pendant in the middle. The crystal star was the exact same shape as the ones hanging on the Christmas tree.

Wow, Keith outdid himself on this one. Way to go, Captain, thought Lance.

Everyone else responded with "oohs" and "ahhs."

Happiness as she hadn't experienced since her parents were alive overcame Allura. Her heart tightened in her chest and unshed tears wetted her azure eyes. "Thank you all so much. It's beautiful. It must have cost a fortune!"

"We did have to delve into our savings a bit, but Galaxy Garrison pays us well enough, and we don't normally have the need to spend any of it here. The jeweler actually wanted to give it to me for free when he was told that it was to be a gift for his princess, but I insisted on paying him a fair price."

Allura beckoned Nanny to help her put it on. It looked even more lovely on her than it had in the box and matched wonderfully with her holiday dress. "I honestly don't know what to say. You being here helping keep my people free is all I could have wished for. This is beyond that. And, I don't have anything to give you in return."

"Don't think anything of it, Princess," said Lance before Keith could comment. "You're a valued member of the team and our friend. We just wanted you to have something nice for once. You ARE a princess, after all." Lance winked at her.

Allura chuckled in embarrassment but was very grateful for his playful attitude. Realization dawned on her as she looked at the faces of her comrades. Their friendship was the best gift of all and the joy and love embodied there was the true meaning of Christmas.

Author's Note: It's Over! Hope you enjoyed it. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!