Author's Note: K/A fans, you can thank me later.

I am not only proud of Captain Crankypants' growth and development, but I am also proud of Allura. She has overcome so much, more than any other character in this book (be it devised by WEP, DDP or me), and I wanted to take a moment to reflect on that. Her date-night outfit is a reflection of how strong she is and how she has learned to blend Arus and Earth seamlessly.

On Allura - Etro Border-Print Cap-Sleeve Dress and Jimmy Choo Blast Glitter Platform Cage Sandals (both on the Neiman Marcus website); DY Classic Solitaire triple-row pavé diamond band with a four-prong setting (David Yurman website).

To Emie Mac - Since this book is winding down, odds are good that Green still won't be happy by the end of it. But who knows what Book #3 has in store? ;)

To FroofyB - I adore Emma too, and I think she'll make an appearance in the last chapter. As for that ring...well, I wanted something that was fit for a princess, and I happen to be very partial to David Yurman. I hope your move went as smoothly as possible, and good luck getting settled!

To Smithy - I should tell you, my poor hubby had his first knee surgery at 16, his second at 26, and his third six months after that. I hope you're not in as bad shape as he is! For now, he does okay as long as he's careful to favor that knee and wear his brace. Walking around Vegas, though? Not so good.

To Sally On - Our favorite couple is going to go through a lot more in Book #3, and some of it is not going to be happy. But for now, they're okay. As for David Yurman, well, let's just say I have an addiction to DY similar to Emie Mac's addiction to ModCloth...

Title Song: "Just Say Yes" by Snow Patrol (such a good song, and very fitting for this chapter!)

Keith had been worrying about Allura's outfit since before they left for Per Se. Her dress was outrageously short, it wasn't formal, and it had a distracting floral print that danced down the side of her body, accentuating the curves of her bust and hips. To top it off, she was wearing indecently high Jimmy Choo heels - he wasn't sure if they were boots or sandals or what - but he was sure he was going to spend the entire evening worrying about her falling over and killing herself.

At least he didn't have to worry about dinner. Jon had taken care of the reservations, going so far as to recommend the Chef's Tasting Menu and even ordering the wine for them, two half-bottles of a French wine neither of them had never heard of before: Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru and Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru. "Trust me on this," he'd informed Keith with a wink. The man knew exactly what the Voltron captain was planning for the evening. "The night Lenora became my girlfriend, we killed two full bottles of the Puligny-Montrachet in Paris. If you're looking for a wine for a romantic evening, look no further." The cost per person was on the high side, but then again, Keith reasoned that a night like this one would only happen once, so why not?

"So," Allura began, sitting across the table from him, "I've had your Ciroc vodka, I've had your American wines. And I have to say, the reds from California are, on the whole, better than the whites I've tasted." She sniffed at her glass. "This wine, though, is on an entirely different level."

"True enough. I've got to give it to him, Commander Hawkins knows his stuff."

She nodded. "He does indeed. So, changing the subject, are you looking forward to going back to Arus?"

He shrugged. "I don't know," he answered honestly, tearing off a chunk of bread. Everything at Per Se was to die for. He might never eat this well again. "I miss the team, I miss Voltron, but it's nice to be on Earth. I mean, I've gotten to see my family." He smiled at the idea of his old floormates as his family. It was true; he never thought of them as simply friends. Even so many years after graduation, they were still his family. And now that he had Christiane back in his life and Jeff as his brother-in-law, his family was nearly complete. There was only one person needed to round out his family, and she was right there with him.

Allura smiled. "They're good people, Keith. All of them. And I can honestly tell you that they have all embraced me and made me feel like Larmina and I are part of the family, too. It's a nice feeling."

"Good."

The engagement ring was burning the proverbial hole in his pocket. Keith just wanted to blurt the question out and get it over with - and Per Se was a romantic enough location to get away with it - but he had other plans. Bigger. Better. More New York.

As each course was served, he grew more and more nervous. Allura looked like such a modern New Yorker with her glossy blond hair slicked back, her emerald eyes twinkling with enjoyment at each mouthful of food that she tasted or every sip of wine that went down her throat. Did he deserve her? Was he even worthy of her? Maybe he hadn't thought this out enough. Maybe it was too soon.

He could almost hear Christiane's voice in the back of his mind. She's The One, Akira-Chan, and you've known her for eleven years. If not now, when?

His sister was right.

He took another sip of wine to calm his nerves. After everything they'd been through, separately and together, Keith knew he was worthy of his princess. He knew he deserved her. He just hoped she would say yes.

Ginger, as a rule, did not believe in marriage. She did not believe that spoken words and a piece of notarized paper would make a man stay faithful, and she did not believe that there was anything wrong with a child being born out of wedlock. Perhaps not everyone shared her opinions, but it didn't change her mind about marriage.

A symbol of ownership, however, was quite a different story.

Cinda was at the gym, swimming in the Olympic-sized pool and working off the calories she'd consumed at the wedding yesterday. Which was good, because Ginger wanted to do this alone. She wanted no witnesses. She didn't want to hear the disapproval from Shannon's mouth as he desperately tried to convince her not to go ahead with it.

She had chosen the ring carefully. She didn't want it to scream "wedding band" or something equally to that effect. Yet she wanted it to be tasteful and powerfully masculine; something that could be considered a family heirloom to be passed down through generations, should they ever have children together. When she found it, she couldn't get it out of her mind. She knew.

It was a simple ring, a yellow-gold signet ring with a flat oval face. The band gleamed with a shiny finish, but the top looked made of brushed satin. She would have his monogram carved into it, LMC for Lance Charles McClain, and be done with it. It wasn't a wedding band, but giving it to him would signify that she wanted them to be together forever. A done deal. No marriage necessary.

It seemed fitting for the two of them.

As she approached the jeweler, her heart began to pound. It was the right thing to do - after all, no one would ever understand the two of them the way they did. Lance and Ginger just got each other. It seemed like they were made for each other. And if they still wanted and held a torch for each other after all these years, then it was the right thing to do.

Swallowing, she stepped through the doors to make the ultimate leap of faith.

Allura craned her neck to look up at the top of the building. It was so old, the Empire State Building, and yet it was remarkable in the fact that it was even still standing. But did Keith really expect her to climb to the observation deck? Really? Hadn't he seen her shoes?

Keith smiled as he noted the look of despair on her face. After lunch, Morgan had gone with him to the Empire State Building to purchase tickets to use after dinner. That way, they could just head straight up the elevators and bypass the line. She even paid for the tickets herself as an engagement present. He chuckled to himself at the irony of the situation; his ex-girlfriend had not only helped pick out the engagement ring for his current girlfriend, but had also chosen the exact location where he should propose to her.

A storybook tale for the ages, it wasn't.

"I already bought tickets," he informed Allura, taking her arm. "We don't have to wait in line. We can just go up the elevators to the observation deck, and then you can get a better look at Manhattan."

"But I've already seen an aerial view of New York. Remember?"

"No, that was Garrison Island. This is New York City." He grinned wryly. "Don't forget I told you that."

She smacked him playfully.

As they rode the old-fashioned elevators to the 86th floor, Keith felt his heart pounding away in his chest like it was about to go through his shirt. This was it. He was going to propose to Allura and she had no idea. But it had to be right. It had to be meaningful. He couldn't just casually drop to one knee and ask the princess of Arus the most important question he'd ever ask. It had to be perfect.

As they approached their destination, Keith's mouth dropped open. His idea wasn't going to work. At all.

The observation deck was packed. In fact, packed might have been too nice of a word. An ocean of people met the elevator bank, and they had to push through it to exit. No, this would never work. Even if it hadn't been too impersonal, the second he dropped to one knee, Keith would be run over and swallowed up by the crowd. Instead of planning her wedding, Allura would be planning his funeral.

Not exactly the way he wanted to go out.

"This is insane," Allura murmured as she fought through the crowd for a spot by the edge. "I think I like the aerial of Garrison Island better than this. Besides, this isn't even a view of the city, it's a view of people's heads."

Well. This certainly wasn't going well. Keith glanced down at his ticket and prayed for a miracle, when suddenly it appeared to him. Morgan had sprung for the exclusive tickets - not just for the observation deck, but also for the top deck on the 102nd floor. Their tickets were double the price of just the 86th floor, so the top floor would undoubtedly be quieter than this deck.

Yanking her hand, he shouted over the crowd, "Back to the elevators."

"Huh?" Allura pushed back against the crowd. If anyone stepped on her shoes, she was going to have to commit murder. Not only did the open weave offer no protection for her toes, but the material was delicate and would be destroyed, and they cost too much money to deserve that.

"Just come on."

There was a separate bank of elevators in a quieter area, one designated for the 102nd floor. This elevator was much smaller, and an operator was needed in the car at all times to pull switches. It seemed primitive, especially by current standards.

They finally breathed a sigh of relief as the doors opened.

The top floor was completely enclosed and very quiet. There were no more than a handful of people on this deck, quietly looking through the glass windows and staring out into the night. The arches and decor were amusing, resembling something he might see in the old science-fiction movies that Pidge, Chip, Hunk and Rocky used to watch every Friday night. It was perfect. It just suited them.

Allura stood by a window and placed her fingertips on the glass. "Okay, you were right," she admitted. "This is beautiful. New York City is beautiful." She flashed him a smile, then turned back to looking at the view. "It's different from Arus. It's like this city never sleeps."

"That's because it doesn't." He wrapped his arm protectively around her shoulder and stared out at the night sky with her. "I love New York, but not as much as I love you. New York is not my home anymore."

She felt her eyes filling with tears. "So you're saying that you feel like Arus is your home?"

"No. I feel like wherever you are is my home." He was achingly aware of her ring in his pocket, pressed against his thigh. "And we've been through so much together that I don't want to lose you."

"You won't."

They stared out the windows, and Keith swore the stars were glittering even more brightly than they ever had. It was a sign that he was doing the right thing. He thought of navigators every time he looked at the stars, which meant that he thought of Morgan. Morgan's stars were shining bright for him.

He wasn't sure how long they stood there, but it felt like time had stopped. Then she turned her head and broke out of his embrace. The building was old - too old, really - and something made her sneeze.

Keith used the opportunity to his advantage.

As she turned back to the window, she noticed that her boyfriend was no longer standing next to her. "Keith? Where'd you go?" Then she noticed the top of his head. He was down on one knee, looking up at her as though he was going to vomit from nervousness. Her eyes widened.

"Allura." He swallowed and pulled the ring out of his pocket. "Marry me. I'm nothing without you."

Her mouth opened to reply, but no words came out. Her eyes said more than her lips could.

"Please say yes, Allura. Please. Just say yes."

In shock, she squeaked out, "Yes."

"Thank God." He slid the ring onto her finger, then stood up to kiss her. "You had me worried for a moment."

She slid into his embrace, allowing his muscular body support her as she collapsed against him. A weight she didn't even know was on her shoulders had lifted. She didn't know she had been so desperate to marry him until just that moment. She felt him kiss the top of her head, her hair, her ears, the side of her face - everywhere. She closed her eyes against his shoulder and thanked every star overhead that he had chosen her.

She didn't want to leave the 102nd floor of the Empire State Building. It was her perfect place. And now that she was with Keith, she was home.

"I know we're supposed to be in Savasana, Len, but the stars are too pretty to keep my eyes closed."

Finally. The triplex was quiet, and they finally had a moment to themselves. After buying a bunch of yoga gear earlier in the day, Lenora and Larmina decided that it was only right to hold a yoga session on the terrace. It was much like practicing yoga on the balcony at the Castle of Lions - outdoors with the fresh air and solid ground beneath their mats. The only difference was the noise from the street, but then again, with the stars overhead, who cared?

Lenora sighed. "I hear you." She too looked up at the night sky. It was a gorgeous early-summer evening, and the stars were beautiful, but they also made her sad. Much like Keith, every time she saw the stars, she thought of navigators. Morgan and Sven.

Two people who had forged her into who she was.

She closed her eyes and encouraged the cadet to do the same. They'd missed practicing with each other. Yoga had only been the start of the bond between them, but it had been the start, and they were both grateful for that. Savasana - corpse pose - was the final pose in yoga and the end to every practice, and it helped to strengthen their session.

She was maybe four deep breaths into the pose when her phone rang.

"Well, I guess that's it for yoga," she muttered, rolling off the mat and moving towards her phone. "Mina, you can stay for a few more breaths."

"No way." Larmina rolled up into a seated position and clasped her arms around her shins. "Besides, look at it this way: at least your phone rang during corpse and not crow."

"True enough." She noted Keith's number lighting up on the screen, and she smiled. Had he done it? Was he possibly calling to tell her...

"Hello?"

"LEN!" She heard Allura's scream through the phone. "WE'RE ENGAGED!"

Lenora's mouth opened into an enormous grin. "Oh my God, Allura, I am thrilled!" she shrieked, twirling around on the terrace. "Hey, I've got Mina right here. You've got to tell her!"

Larmina raised a curious eyebrow as the Space Marshal tossed the phone at her. "Um, hello? Aunt Allura?" Her aquamarine eyes widened as she listened to her aunt rave through the phone. "No way! That is so cool! Congratulations to both of you!"

When Allura hung up the phone, Larmina merely looked over, then jumped up and ran to embrace Lenora. The two of them hugged tightly, dancing around the triplex on a gorgeous night, celebrating the fact that the princess of Arus and the Lion Voltron captain were set to tie the knot. Neither one of them could be more pleased.

It was the perfect way to end their weekend.