Author's Note: Wow, I SO was not expecting Keith to come out with that line about Morgan in the previous chapter. Seven hells, I swear on it! All of a sudden, it was just there, and I rolled with it. I am truly not kidding when I say that these characters are writing this story for me. I know I've said it before, but I never really know what's going to happen - I have a rough idea of how I want the storyline to go, but as for the details, these kids are writing it for me.
As always, I own nothing except my characters and whatever decisions they decide to come up with. Also, as always, I appreciate every single reader who is following along with this story and any other stories that have or will come up. I'm speaking from the heart when I say that I have the best readers and reviewers!
To Cha - Thank you for your message! Your sentiments about the "one that got away" comment are seconded by everybody. And I LOVE that you know Tori & "Icicle!"
To Craze - There is going to be some severe hostility between Allura and Morgan, especially in light of the "one that got away" comment. Be prepared!
To bknbu - Yeah...Crankypants looks like he's blowing it with Allura, doesn't he? I hope he wises up before he breaks the princess. Well, he can't really break her, she's pretty tough, and she's got a few tricks up her own sleeve.
To Emie Mac - Jeff is definitely still alive, you know I can't kill our man off! I think once they hash everything out, Crankypants'll be able to move forward. As for Lance and Ginger, you're right, it IS about time those two got together.
To Sally On - Christiane wasn't meaning to be cruel, but she was anyway. Must run in the family, eh? Oh, and if you like the Tea Room, just wait...it'll be showing up for an encore in a few chapters.
To MSSNC - Good to have you onboard! And your "slap the taste outta Keith's mouth" comment? I think I'll be using that quote in my personal life. It's just as good as "seven hells!"
Title Song: "Darkest Days" by Stabbing Westward (wow, does this song go well with Keith right now!)
In the confines of her Blue Lion, Allura was seething. Her rage was simmering underneath her calm surface. She was on a mission, so she had to keep it in check. For now. How dare he. How dare he!
So Keith regarded Morgan as "the one that got away." Well, that was a blow below the belt. What was she, then? What did that make her? Granted, Allura knew that Morgan had been in the picture well before she was, but according to all of their friends - and what she had seen with her own two eyes the night before - they weren't exactly compatible. More like combustible.
I am not a common, run-of-the-mill whore, she thought bitterly.
Allura was glad that the cadets were still at the castle. If they had been there, she was sure that Larmina would be riding in Blue with her, and she didn't want to burden her niece with the information. The girl didn't deserve it.
She checked the time on the digital clock in her dashboard. 10:32. They had approximately ten more minutes at top speed before they reached their destination. She had ten more minutes to sulk in private before she had to put on a cheerful face and search through Crydor's horrendous whiteout conditions to find Christiane.
The Explorer was trailing far behind them, and Jeff didn't contact Hawkins much in terms of their whereabouts. He knew that the commander was on a set path and would meet up with them later; he didn't see the point in keeping contact. However, he did feel the need to contact Keith again. He hadn't seen his friend in so long, and this was definitely not the way he'd wanted a reunion to go. "Keith, I just want to know," he began hesitantly in an open communication to all of the mecha. "I'm not judging and I'm not accusing, I'm only curious. How were you okay with letting Chris spend the night on this planet by herself?"
"Because," Keith answered, "as Allura will attest to, she's not alone. One of ours is with her."
"One of yours?" Cliff replied. "What do you mean? Do you have any extra cadets lying around or something?"
At his line, Allura actually managed a smile. "No, Cliff. He means that our friend Sven went to find her on Crydor, too."
There were more than a few gasps at her response. Finally, Ginger spoke hesitantly. "Sven's still alive?"
"Very much so," Keith answered.
"You've been holding out on us, Kogane?" Aidan cried out. "You didn't think to tell us that little piece of information earlier? Don't you know how much better we all would have felt last night if we had known that the Viking was down there with her?"
"Stop acting like he was your favorite person in the world, Dalloway," Pidge shot out.
"Seven hells, no!" Aidan responded. "He was far from it. But I do know - we all know - how good the Viking is at protecting a woman."
"And there's the proverbial elephant in the room," Cinda mused quietly.
"I'll second that," Morgan agreed. "Voltron Force, does Len know that Sven's alive?"
There was a moment of quiet before Lance mumbled, "Yeah. She knows."
"She found out when she was on Arus," Allura explained further. She felt that she owed it to the Albegas team and the other Voltron Force, even if she didn't want to reply directly to Morgan. "Sven and Len were on Arus at the same time."
"We don't know what happened between them," Keith continued, "but early the next morning, Len took off for Earth. And then Sven's wife showed up to get him, and they went back to Pollux together with their son."
"His wife?" Lisa asked incredulously. "He got married? To someone other than Lenora Stensson? And they have a child? Wow, I definitely misjudged him. I never thought he would have married anyone but Len."
"No wonder she moved the wedding date up when she came back from Arus," Morgan mused softly. "It must have killed her to find out that Sven had married another woman and had a family. My God. Oh, my poor Wifey."
"Hey, Vehicle Team," Aidan offered suddenly, "I know Hawkins is your commander and all that, but I think everybody should keep their mouths shut about the Viking's personal life. The only reason I say that is because you all see how well Hawkins tolerates me, and I only dated Len for ten months. Imagine how he'd feel about Sven dating her for five years and then getting engaged to her!"
"Guys, you're all talking about my sister," David broke in unexpectedly. "I'd like for everyone to focus on Keith's sister instead. We can discuss Lenora later, after we've gotten Christiane back."
"Good call, Rackens," Jeff agreed. "Let's get down to Crydor and get my girl back."
"Our girl," Morgan corrected him.
As much as Keith didn't want to share his sister, he knew there was no other choice. Too many people loved Christiane, regardless of how he felt about it. "Morgan's right. She's our girl, all of ours."
In the privacy of her Blue Lion, Allura rolled her eyes.
The rations stocked in the underground tunnels were disgusting, nothing more than old protein bars that tasted like sawdust and MREs that tasted even worse. Christiane seemed grateful, and ate them without complaint. Sven supposed that when one was literally starving, it didn't matter what the food tasted like.
He'd been afraid to broach the subject of the classified files with her. The topic was too painful. If Lenora had gone to Arus instead of Pidge, they never would have been separated. He knew without a doubt that they would have been married by now, and maybe they'd have a family of their own. Maybe his injury from the witch and her robeast never would have happened at all. Who knew for sure what the present-day might have looked like?
"You look like you either want to ask me a flood of questions, or kill yourself," Christiane finally commented. "Which one is it?"
"Both," he answered darkly.
"Well, please don't kill yourself. I still need you."
"Thanks."
They walked in silence for a few more moments. "You want to know why she's better off in her marriage than you are," she continued.
"That's one thing." He gazed at the ground beneath his feet. He didn't think he could look up at her to hear the answer.
"So Hawkins isn't The One - that's your role. But the universe is funny. It takes pity on you if you can't be with The One, either due to death or, in your case, distance. So it creates a back-up person, sort of like a consolation prize. That's Hawkins' role." She paused to feel her lower lip. It was starting to heal, even though it was still scabbed over. "You, on the other hand, aren't married to anyone in particular. You're not married to The One, you're not married to someone like Hawkins who the universe chose as your consolation prize - nothing. That's why Lenora's better off than you are."
"And you know that how?"
She shot him a wounded look.
"That's right. You're a seer."
"I might have been a better seer if I'd been properly trained in my abilities and not grown up as a ward of the state," she sighed. "But some things can't be helped. My abilities are limited. I'm more like an oracle - I read things. And I get visions, but not all the time."
"Jeff must love that," Sven remarked sarcastically.
Christiane looked over at him. "Man, you're pretty dark," she observed, refusing to be insulted. "And I just came from Lotor's ship, so I've already done dark. Were you like this back at the Academy?"
"Yes and no," he answered carefully. "She balanced me out."
"I can tell." She closed her mouth and focused on the tunnel ahead. It wasn't much warmer down there than it was on the planet's surface, but at least they didn't have to worry about the harsh, whipping winds or the blizzard conditions. "So where did you say we're going?"
"There's a base camp at the end of this tunnel. We can contact the Voltron Force from there." He shuddered as he thought about the place that he called home for several months. "That is, provided Lotor and Wade are not already there waiting for us."
Christiane swallowed. She'd forgotten that they might be on the hunt for her. She decided not to worry about it - the Voltron Force was on its way.
Maahox scowled to himself as he viewed the onslaught of Crydor's weather through the monitor. The last time he'd left this planet, he swore to himself that he would never step foot on it again. Yet there he was, ready to leave the comfort of the ship and go back out there. This is all Lotor's fault, he thought grimly.
Wade, for his part, looked horrified at the thought exiting the ship. Once he'd seen the conditions on Crydor, he looked like he was ready to throw up. "I have known some bad winters in New York," he noted to the occult scientist, "but never anything this bad. Why in the universe would Lotor know anything about this planet?"
Sighing, Maahox shook his head, thinking about Sven. "It wouldn't matter anyway, Sky Marshal. Every plan I come up with, the king has found a way to ruin. It's getting a little...disheartening, if I do say so myself."
"Yes, I can imagine. It seems to me that King Lotor is the brawn of our entire operation, while you and I are the brains."
"The brawn and the loins, apparently," Maahox responded grimly, thinking about Lotor's obsession with both the princess of Arus and the sister of Keith. "You do realize we're on this miserable planet because of a woman, do you not?"
"We will get her." Wade kept his voice even and neutral. It was a skill he had honed during the months he spent in the Galactic Prison. "She is so important to our mission. I will be the first one to admit that I have no desire to go out there, but since Christiane Kogane is the cornerstone of our plan, we must have her back at all costs."
"Sir, you must be joking," Maahox gasped.
"No, I am not." Narrowing his eyes at the occult scientist's lone robotic one, he asked, "What do you have in your lab right now?"
"My lab? Do you mean, do I have any robeasts or any other such spectacular thing?"
Wade's steely eyes shone. "Indeed."
Maahox shot the Sky Marshal a sickening grin. "I do believe I may have a trick or two up my sleeve on that front, Sir..."
Romelle grinned as she studied the tired-but-satisfied expression on Bandor's face. The new king of Pollux, gripping his new wife's hand, had been dutifully saying his good-byes to his wedding guests as they left the planet. She noted that not one guest who was considered to be royalty had even thought to ask where Sven was. It was definitely an interesting observation.
"Steve," Emma whispered quietly to her brother, "I am going to miss you so much. You'd better come visit me a lot on Pollux now." She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly as Bandor beamed, watching.
"You know I will, Em," he replied, kissing his sister's forehead. "I love you. Bandor! You'd better take good care of my sister, you hear?"
"Of course, Steve," Bandor replied heartily, shaking the prince's hand. "I love your sister. This isn't just a political marriage. I actually love her."
"That's great, Bandor." Prince Stephane shot his new brother-in-law a grin. "That makes me really happy."
Emma wormed her way out of her brother's embrace to say good-bye to her sister. "Rizz," she said emphatically, "thank you for being my maid of honor. You have no idea how much I appreciate it. And you looked even more beautiful than usual."
"Oh, Em." The beautiful queen embraced her sister. "You know I love you. I'd do anything for you, even if I am a wicked beast sometimes." She grinned. "I'll miss you. Don't forget to come see us sometime, too."
Romelle approached Emma's sister and clasped her hands in the spirit of family and friendship. "Queen Clarissa," she stated, "I wish to grant you and your brother an open invitation to Pollux. You may drop in unannounced at any time. I look forward to your next visit."
Clarissa squeezed Romelle's hands in reply. "Thank you, my dear," she replied earnestly. "I appreciate the offer, and I will undoubtedly take you up on it." They gazed at each other as only two of Lotor's most coveted prizes could. Romelle suddenly felt a deep connection to Clarissa, and she was glad that now she had someone who could understand what went on in her head.
"I will be a good sister to Emma in your absence," Romelle assured her.
Clarissa smiled. "I have no doubt that you will." She turned her gaze to Erimar, whose brother she was supposed to marry. That seemed like a lifetime ago now. "Erim, it was good to see you again. I am so glad that Tyvel is on the up-and-up. You will be a fantastic leader for your planet."
Smiling, Erimar wrapped his arms around Clarissa. "Not as good as Erkhon would have been, but I'll do my best. It was nice to see you too, Rizz. I hope you will keep in touch."
"I certainly will. Exxus and Tyvel will always have an alliance, no matter what else happens."
Stephane grasped his older sister's elbow. "Come on, Rizz. We should leave the lovebirds alone and get back home."
She nodded. "You're right, Steve." With a final nod and a flourishing wave, she and Stephane made their way back to the hangar to board their ship.
Though she was a royal and trained in exacting protocol, she couldn't help the feeling that there were not one, but two royal couples on Pollux: Bandor and Emmaline, and Romelle and Erimar.