Author's Note: I've been waiting to write this chapter for a while. Emie Mac, this one's for you!
As always, thank you to everyone who's reading and following along, coaching me, throwing suggestions at me, favoriting me, the works. I am convinced I've got the best readers! I own nothing except my characters.
To Craze - Let's not forget, Hawkins is way over-protective of Len. I'd like to think that Sven isn't stupid enough to throw the first punch, but then again, maybe not...
To Emie Mac - I'm sorry you had to wait the 10.5 hours, but I am glad you found the chapter worth it. Oh, and in case you missed it, this chapter's for you. Hope you like it!
To Sally On - Sven's not done messing with Hawkins yet. Uh-oh. But Romelle's busy messing with Sven's mind too, so there's a lot going on with our buddies from Pollux.
Title Song: "Open Your Eyes" by Snow Patrol
Allura wasn't a child. She never really had a childhood, not with Zarkon bombing and razing her planet and, of course, killing off her family. She was raised by Nanny and Coran with the strictest care for the protocols of the royal house of Arus.
Which meant, of course, that Allura was acting like a child now, at least according to Nanny.
She sat cross-legged on her bed, pouting, as Nanny and the chambermaids fixed up her quarters for high tea. Not that Allura would have minded having a guest in her personal quarters for high tea if she had liked the guest. And the princess decidedly did not like Morgan Feld Rackens.
Well, technically - if she had to admit it to herself - it wasn't that Morgan was a bad person. In fact, if she hadn't been Keith's ex-girlfriend, maybe she would have even liked her. As it stood, though, Keith regarded the woman as "the one that got away," effectively slapping Allura across the face as he did. And now she was having the woman as a guest for tea.
"Allura, stop acting like a child."
The princess crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't really care to do this, Nanny. I'm doing it for Keith. And, in a way, for myself. If I can learn any information as to why Keith acts the way he does, then this will all be worth it." She scowled. "Let's see if I can make it through, though."
Skeptically, Nanny raised her eyebrows at her. "Princess, I thought I taught you better than to act this way." Moving away from the bed and back towards the table, she began to set up for high tea. "I thought you had better manners than what I am seeing right now." Then, turning her attention to the other maids, she remarked, "I hope you ladies don't mind finishing up here. I would like to see Sven and ask for my little man Erik."
Drea, the dark-haired chambermaid, nodded enthusiastically. "Don't worry, we've got it from here. And please tell Sven to send our love to his son." Obviously, at only a year old, Erik had garnered quite the fan club.
Nanny hitched up her skirt and left the room without saying good-bye to Allura. As the door closed behind her, the princess looked down at her comforter and bit her lower lip. She was sufficiently shamed.
Moving off the bed, the princess headed to her private bathroom, making some attempt with hair and make-up to look presentable for her guest. After all, she wanted Morgan to remember that she was both royalty and Keith's current girlfriend. She was so engrossed in her reflection in the mirror - how could that confused, forlorn face be staring back at her? - that she missed the knock at the door, and Drea had to answer for her.
Morgan was there in her quarters.
There was no one on the balcony. Daniel had assured them of that.
The cadet was still awestruck by Keith's sister, and being a seer, Christiane used that information to her advantage. She recruited Daniel to help her have some privacy with Jeff, and he was so honored that he went above and beyond the call of duty, scouting out secluded areas for them to be alone. He found a side balcony, much smaller than the main balcony where Larmina liked to do yoga, which had breathtaking views of the Arusian mountains. After he made sure that the coast was clear, they spilled out onto the balcony, with the cadet tactfully standing guard.
"He's a nice kid," Jeff commented.
It was late afternoon, and the sun was just beginning to hang lower in the sky over the mountains. It was a glorious sight, and Jeff stood behind Christiane and wrapped his arms around her. For once in his entire life, he wasn't thinking; his mind was a canvas of blank thoughts as they both stared off into the horizon.
"It feels so good to be here with you, Jeff. Needless to say, the last few days have been rough." She closed her eyes and laid her head back against his chest. "Now, I know this is gonna sound silly, but despite everything I've been through in this ordeal, the worst of it wasn't Wade, or Lotor, or Crydor. It was saying good-bye to you in the hangar before you boarded the Explorer. I really didn't think I could go another eight weeks without you."
"I know, Chris. I know." He entwined his fingers with hers. "I have to be honest, leaving gets harder and harder with every mission. It's tough on me, it's tough on Lisa. And Commander Hawkins hides his emotions very well, but I know the missions are killing him, too."
They remained locked in a silent embrace for a moment. Her contented sigh was the only sound either of them made as they continued to stare out at the mountains. "You kept me going through the whole thing, Jeff. Every step I took brought me closer to you, and I just kept telling myself that if I could get back home to you, it would be worth any agony I went through in the process."
"Oh, Chris. I love you." He kissed the side of her face. "I know I sound stupid for saying this, but I was gonna ask you to marry me when the Explorer was on leave the last time." Feeling slightly embarrassed, he took one hand and brought it to the back of his head. "I mean, duh, you already knew that - you're a seer. And I felt so stupid when you turned me down that I made some crack about us finding our own place to live." He shook his head. "But I knew you knew what I was thinking."
"I'm glad you brought this up. I wanted to talk to you about that." She turned to look at him and placed her hands on both sides of his face. "Jeff, having been through this whole ordeal...it really opened my eyes. And I realized I don't want to live my life without you. I don't want us to go through life not being together." As the smile grew larger on her face, she added, "You're The One, you know. I never told you that, but you are. You're The One. You're my One."
Jeff felt like he should be stunned, but he wasn't. Somehow, he'd always known that Christiane was The One, even back before they started dating. He gathered from the look in her eyes that she understood.
Before he knew what he was doing, he had taken her hand and sunk down onto one knee. Sure, she probably knew what was coming, but he didn't care. "I love you so much, and I want us to spend our lives together. Christiane Eiko Kogane, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife when we get back to Earth?"
She nodded, her face overcome with an expression of pure joy. "Yes. Now stand up so I can kiss you."
The Air Team captain quickly jumped to his feet to kiss his new fiancée. Then he placed his hands on her waist and lifted her up, spinning her around, until they were both laughing and dizzy. They were both excited and eager to share the news, and they figured they might as well get started.
Walking towards the door to the castle, Jeff stopped. "I'm sorry I don't have a ring for you, Chris."
"It's okay. It's not about the ring, it's about you and me."
"Fair enough." He shrugged. "But I don't think we can afford much more than a wedding at city hall and wedding bands from a street vendor."
"Do I look like I care?" Christiane asked playfully. "Jeff, I love you so much, and I really don't give a care in seven hells about whether or not I wear a big diamond or a white dress or anything like that. I just want to hurry up and get in front of the clerk so I can become Mrs. Aki."
"That's good to know."
"Well," she teased, "then again, I might be a little upset if I don't get to have an Opera Pastry at La Bergamote Patisserie afterwards."
He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and kissed her hard on her cheek. "I think we can handle that. Now, let's go tell everyone that this story actually has a happy ending."
Lance and Ginger were enjoying each other's company as they had a late lunch in the castle. Lance had spoken to the kitchen staff, asking them to prepare something light - he didn't want either one of them to have a full stomach. He also requested food that would go well with gin. He was ready to take her back to his room and keep her there for the evening, and he knew that they would undoubtedly be breaking open that bottle of Bombay Sapphire once they got there.
The kitchen staff had prepared the perfect meal for them - a light pasta dish with spring vegetables and locally-caught whitefish dressed in a little bit of olive oil. Lance thought it would go perfectly with gin. He smiled at her as he took a forkful of pasta.
"This is really nice, Lance," Ginger sighed. "I'm really enjoying being with you. I didn't think that either one of us would feel like this after so many years, but sometimes I like being wrong."
"Well, in this case, I like the fact that you're wrong, too."
She twirled the pasta around on her fork. "I'm not looking forward to going back on the Explorer," she admitted.
"Why not? Because you're gonna miss my good looks and charming personality?"
"Well, it's not just that." She looked away from Lance and off to the side. "There are other things happening on the Explorer that I don't like to think about. You know, Lisa's not happy on the Voltron Force. She wants to stay on Earth so she can be close to Aidan."
"I still can't believe they're together." He took another mouthful of pasta.
"No kidding. Though I suppose it was one of the positive things to come out of Wade's reign over the Garrison." She set her fork down. "Once Keith went off in search of Black Lion and Len went into hiding, Commander Hawkins insisted that we all make ourselves scarce. He didn't want the Vehicle Team questioned. I mean, it was okay for you, Hunk, and Pidge to hang around the Garrison - you guys hadn't seen Len since graduation. But the rest of us had, so we had to get out before we were interrogated."
"Yeah. I can see how Wade would have pulled a stunt like that." Despite how delicious his meal was, he placed his fork down. Talking about the former Sky Marshal always made him lose his appetite.
Ginger nodded. "So Lisa and I moved in together. We didn't have a lot of money, so she and I got a one-bedroom apartment and bought bunk beds. Shut up," she told him. "Morgan and David took a leave of absence from their teaching jobs at the Academy and holed up in their Victorian home for a while. Jeff moved in with them. As for the rest of my teammates - and Aidan, too - they all just disappeared."
"Fell off the radar." Lance nodded. "So how does that get around to Lisa and Aidan?"
She grinned. "Well, Lisa and Jeff had been dating for a few years, and the frustration of not being on the Voltron Force was getting to Jeff. Modoch too, but that's another story for another day." She paused to take a sip of water. "I guess one night Lisa and Jeff went to eat at this Mexican joint called Soltoro with Morgan and David, and the couple at the table next to them gets engaged. At this point, they'd been together for a long time, so Lisa asks Jeff when he thinks they're gonna get married. He tells her 'Never,' and she rushes off to the bathroom in hysterics. She breaks up with him right there and then, which makes for one heck of an awkward and miserable meal for the other two."
Lance laughed. "So where does Aidan come into the picture?"
"Do you remember that weekend job Lisa had when we were students at the Academy? How she used to work at that low-end jewelry shop on Ninth and 47th? Well, she resumed the job after she broke up with Jeff to keep her mind occupied. And lo and behold, one Friday night, in walks this platinum-blond Russian chick with Aidan right behind her. They were on a date, and she wanted to see if she could find any good jewelry on the cheap."
He laughed. "Dalloway was always a ladies' man, that's for sure. It's gotta be the long blond hair. Chicks dig it."
"Eh, maybe. So Aidan recognizes Lisa behind the counter and strikes up a conversation with her while his date is browsing the jewelry cases. The make small talk for a while, he tells her there's nothing serious going on between him and Mother Russia. He writes down his phone number on her business card and tells her to call him. It takes a while for her to work up the nerve, but she finally does, and the rest is history."
"That's the best story I've heard in a long time." Lance pushed his chair away from the table. "It makes me want a cigarette."
"Stop it." Ginger also pushed her chair away from the table. "Where to now, Cadet McClain?"
"I was thinking we'd head back to my room, Cadet Ellington."
"You are so naughty."
"Wait 'til we get back to my quarters. Then I'll show you how naughty I can really be. Besides, didn't you tell me on Crydor that I could warm you up any way I wanted, clothing optional?"
She winked. "Indeed I did."
"I plan on doing exactly that."
"Ooh. Lead the way, then."
As Lance escorted Ginger back to his quarters, Aidan caught up with them. Knowing what was about to transpire between them, he decided to make his appearance short and sweet. "Hey McClain," he shot out, "I need some help."
"I am not gonna help you with that, Dalloway."
"You're a jerk, you know that, McClain? In any case, I wanted to know if you knew of a good bar around here. I wanted to take a friend out tonight. It's not Lisa, so no romantics or anything like that. What's a good place?"
"Hmm." Lance closed his eyes and tried to think. "Whenever I'd visit Arus while Wade was in control of the Alliance, Allura would take me to this joint called the Heaven Bar. The drinks there are pretty good, and if you make small talk with the bartender, he makes 'em extra strong at no extra charge. I'd say that's the place to go."
"Thanks, man. You're awesome." Aidan winked. "Now, make sure you treat my other girlfriend right, you hear?"
"Uh..." Lance's mouth hung open as he watched Aidan disappear down the hallway. "What's this about his other girlfriend? Did I miss something?"
Ginger shook her head, smiling the whole time.
Sven had tried and tried and tried to reach Pollux. He was trying to be the dutiful husband, wanting to tell Romelle that he was safe and that they had rescued Christiane. No one had picked up, and he was beginning to get worried. And angry.
The blank screen after every call he'd attempted to place made him feel as though he should take Commander Hawkins up on his offer. The man - Lenora's husband, he reminded himself bitterly - had offered to bring him back to the Garrison and New York as a thank-you for rescuing an Albegas crew member. It sounded like a reward he'd be a fool to pass up.
Sven was proud of himself for not wrapping his hands around the commander's throat. When he thought about what that man was doing in bed to his elskede, it filled him with a fury that could barely be contained. He was grateful that the anti-Haggarium injections concocted by Pidge and Vince were successful, at least to a degree; otherwise Hawkins would have been dead by now. But now, with no one answering on his quote-unquote home planet, he felt as though he should definitely travel back to New York.
If he saw Lenora and spent some time with her, he might be able to convince her to leave her husband. That would serve Romelle right for not picking up his transmission.
Frustrated, he pounded his fists on the control panel.
"Whoa! Easy there, Viking."
Sven turned his head towards the familiar voice. He wanted to be alone with this man almost as much as he wanted to be alone with Commander Hawkins. "What do you want, Aidan Dalloway? Why won't you leave me alone?"
Aidan grinned at him, his sapphire eyes practically dancing. "Hey, I know you're not much for extraneous conversation, so I'll get right to the point. I wanted to invite you out for a night of drinks and scintillating conversation with yours truly. Lance recommended this place called Heaven Bar. What do you say?"
The Norwegian narrowed his eyes. "Oh, really? You've never liked me, Dalloway. In fact, you've always held a grudge because Lenora chose me over you. So why would you want to talk to me now? And what would make you think that I'd want to talk to you?"
"Oh, you might find what I have to say fascinating." Aidan's eyes darkened. "Stop being so stubborn, Holgersson. Let's go out for a drink tonight. Man to man - er, Viking to man, if you prefer. Regardless, let's go out and see where the night takes us."
"Herregud, Aidan. I'll go with you, but if anyone asks if we're together, I'll kill you."
He laughed in response. "Then we'll leave at 2100 hours. Be ready."
Once Aidan left Castle Control, Sven turned back to the main screen and attempted to contact Pollux once more. When he still received nothing but a blank screen, he stood up and stormed out of the room. He might as well go out for those drinks with Aidan tonight, and he might as well head back to New York with Commander Hawkins and the rest of the Voltron Vehicle Team. He had nothing left to lose.