Author's Note: Thank you to everybody who's still with me on the crazy journey. As always, I own only my characters.
To Emie Mac - Yes, we all feel bad for Sven in a way. And Jon is clueless for now. But will he stay clueless? Only time will tell.
To bknbu - I remember reading an old fic where Lance and Ginger were involved, and to me, it felt right. Ginger seems like the type who'd be drawn to bad boys, no?
To Sally On - You noticed; we're not too far away from the end of Book #2. Maybe Sven might find some peace by the end. Or...maybe not.
To Wade Wells - Sven & Romelle will start hashing things out in this chapter. And what's not to love about Jon? ;)
Title Song: "Happy Pills" by Norah Jones
Dr. Deldosa exhaled. In the short amount of time he'd been working with the princess of Pollux and her royal consort, it hadn't seemed to go very far or help very much. Initially, that always seemed to be the way it went. In couples' counseling, the beginning seemed to injure more than it ever seemed to heal. It was the same way with the royal couple.
During their very first joint session, all of their dark secrets came out into the open. Dr. Deldosa learned that they were both in love with other people - Romelle with the prince of Tyvel, Sven with the Space Marshal of the Galaxy Alliance - and that they had both cheated on their spouse with the object of his or her affection within the past year. He learned that she stayed with her husband because he was sick, and she felt that taking his son away from him would be a detriment to his health; he only stayed with his wife because the Space Marshal had let him go.
It wasn't all misery between them, though. As their private marriage counselor and individual therapist, he'd learned that they did love each other on a base level. The time they'd spent together on Doom had forged their relationship, and they had grown to know each other in a way that no one else could. That was the main principle that he wanted them to focus on.
"Sven, you must understand, you've idolized your relationship with Lenora," the doctor told him during one of their individual sessions. "You've put that woman up on a pedestal because she was your first love, and she didn't leave you. You were the one who left her, and you've never forgiven yourself for that." As he paused to let that information sink in, he added, "And you have never forgiven Romelle for choosing her people over you when your son was first born."
During his first one-on-one session with the princess, Dr. Deldosa didn't even bother to bring up Erimar. Instead, he brought up the fact that she had been a new mother who'd willingly handed over her child. "I had just given birth, and I was wracked with post-partum depression," Romelle explained tearfully, glad that her husband wasn't there to watch her cry. "My heart was broken in a million pieces when I heard how my people wouldn't accept Sven as my consort because they were afraid of him. And, worse, how they wouldn't accept my son because of his father." After she'd blown her nose, she continued, "I never thought that my husband would just leave. He took my son and he left Pollux in the middle of the night. And worst of all, my brother helped."
There was nothing left to say after that. He'd simply patted the princess' back as she wept into a tissue, wondering where her marriage and her relationship with her brother went wrong.
They'll get there, he told himself. And he knew they would; he'd been involved in cases concerning worse marital strife than theirs, though not many. But his gut told him that Romelle and Sven would make it. It was simply a matter of time and effort.
He hoped that they both wanted to put in the time and effort.
Christiane gnashed her teeth together as she laid on the table in that stupid smock that barely covered her body. Getting her birth control injection every three months was embarrassing and demoralizing, but also a necessary evil. She couldn't risk a pregnancy, not now and not ever.
As she waited for her OB-Gyn to enter the room and administer the injection, she thought about the vision she'd had less than a week ago. It was such a startling, horrifying vision that even Jeff had woken up in a panic. He'd had a similar vision, and once they were both jolted awake, they laid in bed, terrified, with Jeff gripping her and pulling her into his body, shaking all the while.
It was the first time she'd ever shared a vision. Maybe it was because he was The One and it was about him as well. It didn't matter. They were too shaken up to delve into the semantics.
The vision was painfully real, with an unmistakable meaning. In each vision, Christiane was giving birth to their first child - naturally in her vision, surgically in his. Not that it mattered; in each version, something went wrong, and both she and the baby died. Needing comfort, Jeff held her for a long time in silence after they awoke from the vision.
"We're not having kids," he said finally, kissing her frantically. "I need you, Chris. I need you as my wife more than I need air. If we really want kids, we can adopt. But you're not getting pregnant. I can't lose you. Not again."
She was lifted out of the memory by the sound of the door opening and closing and the kind lilt in her doctor's voice. "Ms. Kogane," Dr. Hiltmann greeted her, "how are you today?"
"I'm very well, thank you. Happy," she answered. "I'm getting married one week from tomorrow."
"That's so nice! Congratulations." The doctor's smile was warm and friendly. "Any other news you'd like to share?"
Christiane swallowed, her own smile disappearing. "There's no nice way to say this, so I'll just blurt it out: last month, I was raped. Fortunately, I knew I wouldn't get pregnant due to the birth control injection, but I feel like I should probably get tested for a round of diseases."
Dr. Hiltmann's face twisted. "I'm sorry. Yes, let's get you tested. Immediately." Her smile came clipped. "The nice thing about waiting is that there's an incubation period. Had you been tested immediately, you only would have had to come back here to get re-tested in a month's time. I'll order the tests now. Be right back."
As the room emptied, she felt foolish for waiting so long. But really, had that been such a bad thing? She'd wanted to bury the pain and her memories of Lotor's touch in the giddiness she felt from Jeff's proposal. She'd thrown herself into planning the wedding with Morgan, Jon and Lenora to keep from thinking about what the king of Doom had done to her. Now, though, she had no choice but to face it head-on.
She would have to tell Jeff. She didn't want to tell him, but he deserved to know.
When Dr. Hiltmann returned to the room, she was carrying a battery of test tubes and small biopsy brushes. Christiane blinked at the assortment in front of her, willing for all of this to be a bad dream. "First, Ms. Kogane, I'll give you the birth control injection. Then I'll do a pelvic exam and take biopsies. The results will be back sometime next week, before the wedding. Now, roll over."
Christiane tried not to yelp as the doctor injected her in the buttocks for her birth control. "Now, as always, I'm supposed to inform you," Dr. Hiltmann offered by rote, almost sounding bored, "that if you decide to discontinue the injection as a quarterly form of birth control, you need to use a back-up method for three months. Your body can and will release multiple eggs from your ovaries as it adjusts to the change in hormones, and if your eggs become fertilized, you may find yourself pregnant with twins, triplets, or other multiples." She paused. "Also, I am supposed to inform you - though you know already - that the birth control injection protects against pregnancy only, and not against sexually transmitted diseases."
"Definitely. I am well aware," she mumbled as the doctor swiped the injection site with alcohol-soaked gauze.
"You can turn over now, and I'll just take a few samples."
Christiane bit her lip as Dr. Hiltmann swabbed away at her sensitive areas with the biopsy brushes. She was fairly sure that she hadn't contracted any diseases from Lotor - she would most likely have had some sort of vision regarding it - but she needed to be certain. If not for herself, then for Jeff.
She'd kept this secret hidden from him long enough. They were about to be married, and she would not build her marriage on a foundation of lies. She'd have to tell him
Blast it, she thought. The bachelor party was tomorrow night. She didn't want to ruin that for him. Not that the guys would be too naughty - they were holding it at the Rackens' house, after all - but the last thing she wanted to do was put a damper on Jeff's party. Sighing, she decided that she'd tell him the day after. Hopefully he wouldn't be mad. Hopefully he wouldn't be too upset.
Hopefully there would still be a wedding the following week.
Black coffee. Perimeter scan. Waking up every morning in Allura's bed and falling harder for her. Knowing that the feeling was mutual.
Life was getting even better.
Things were back to normal at the Castle of Lions. They were still holding practice and drills as usual, but mostly to help train Larmina, Daniel and Vince in the lions. The cadets needed to hone their piloting skills, of course, but mostly it was for Keith to see which lions they were forming connections with.
The lions wouldn't fly for just anyone. They had particular preferences and tended to be choosy and possessive of their pilots. It had been difficult to introduce the cadets at first, especially if one of them had wanted to fly without a member of the Voltron Force present. Slowly, though, the lions were becoming accustomed to having someone new in the pilot's seat. And Keith could see some threads of bonding being formed.
It was obvious that Green Lion had taken to Vince. Larmina, being Allura's niece, was better-received by Blue Lion than any other. Daniel, with his piloting skills, speed and agility, and dreams of team leadership, would bond with either Black or Red. It was only a matter of time before the cadets would begin to replace them.
It would happen gradually, of course, but it would have to happen eventually. The majority of the Voltron Force was in their early thirties, with Pidge and Allura bringing up the rear in their late twenties. They were getting older; they weren't the fresh-faced Space Academy graduates they'd been when they first arrived at the Castle of Lions. Things started happening as they got older. They fell in love. They got injured. They were slower to recovery. And, worst of all, it had all gotten old.
The cadets were excited for an attack. They were thrilled to see Voltron in action. They were proud of the mighty robot. Not that the original Voltron Force didn't feel that way - they would always be proud of what Hunk referred to as "the big guy." They would always feel honored that the lions chose to accept them as their pilots. Yet the attacks from Doom, the constant fear and worry and anxiety that drove Keith to the edge of madness some nights, that was growing old.
Now that it looked like he and Allura might be together forever, he wanted to stop having those many sleepless nights. He wanted to devote his life to protecting her personally. He cared deeply for Arus, but he cared for its princess even more. The idea of spending his life with her, the thought of settling down in terms of marriage and children, was becoming more appealing as the years passed.
Keith wasn't the only member of the Voltron Force who felt it. Since the kidnapping fiasco with his sister had occurred, along with the appearance of Vehicle Voltron and Albegas, he knew some of his teammates were feeling the same way he was. Seeing Ginger again had thrown Lance for a loop, and even Hunk looked smitten after rekindling his relationship with Cinda. Sven was busy trying to figure out how in seven hells he should proceed in his marriage to Romelle, especially after learning that Len was still alive. And while Pidge was the only member not romantically linked, he tended to keep busy by burying himself in castle defense systems. In fact, most days he seemed to prefer castle defense to Green Lion.
The end was looming. They all knew it. It was only a matter of time.
"Have you gotten to Larmina yet, or did I miss the show?"
Startled, Keith nearly spit out his coffee. "Lance! I didn't hear you walk in."
The Red pilot shrugged. "I'm practicing stealth mode." He took a long sip of his sugar- and cream-laden coffee, then watched the screen as the camera switched views. "So, isn't your sister's wedding coming up soon?"
"Next weekend. Allura and I will be going to Earth for a long weekend." He paused to sip his black coffee. "Wow. I can't believe that Jeff is going to be my brother-in-law."
"From roommate and best friend to brother-in-law. Who wouldda thunk it?"
"Not me." He shrugged. "Lance, I want to ask you something important concerning our trip."
Lance raised an eyebrow. "Sure. Ask away."
"When Allura and I are away for the weekend, will you lead the team as acting captain?"
"Sure."
The answer was too nonchalant, and Keith didn't think his second-in-command realized the weight of the question. "Lance, I'd like for you to fly Black Lion while I'm gone. And I want Daniel in Red. I'd like to see how well he bonds with Red Lion."
Lance narrowed his eyes. "Kogane, what kind of happy pills are you on? Are you trying to prematurely boot me off the team?"
Keith sighed. "No, of course not, Lance. The five of us will be on the team until we each make the conscious decision to retire, whenever that may be." When his friend shot him a confused expression, he decided to explain himself further. "Lance, haven't you ever felt that there might be something more for us? Something better?"
"Hey, are you getting all funny 'cuz Jeff's marrying your sister? I mean, what could be better than Voltron?"
"Don't you miss Ginger?"
It was an innocent question, but it was a low blow at the same time. Suddenly, Lance understood what his friend was trying to tell him. There would come a point where being a part of the Voltron Force wouldn't fulfill him or make him feel whole. There would come a time when they'd each want to retire and settle into a boring, mundane life.
Lance smiled as he thought about living that kind of a life with Ginger. He suspected that Keith had similar feelings towards Allura. "You know what, Keith? I'm game. Let's see how well Dan-Man and Red get along."
The Voltron captain merely nodded, pleased that the Red Lion pilot finally got it.