A/N: I do not own Voltron, its characters or settings. Anything new is mine.

Thank you to Craze, Starlette Rose and Yamatoforever for the reviews.

Starlette: I always admired Allura growing up, and I figured she had to be pretty ballsy to run a planet, fly a Lion, fend off a Prince, and follow her heart all at the same time. I never thought of her as prissy, and I hate seeing her that way.

Yamato: You always seem to know where I'm going with this story! You're right, Allura and Keith are going to be very worried about Lance and Lissa shortly…


Keith faced Allura across the distance between their Lions, her words ringing with a conviction that alarmed him as much as it intrigued him. "Listen, I know you're upset because you think I don't treat you fairly. And I do have a tendency to arrange for you to have the safest missions, but I don't have time to discuss this with you. Lance is getting away; I need to make him see reason before he does something he'll regret."

Allura wanted to scream with frustration. Keith made her grievances sound so petty and simple, when they were anything but. "Forget about Lance, Captain. He's not the main reason I'm here. For your information, you don't treat me fairly. Your lack of respect for my abilities hurts more then you can ever imagine."

Keith stiffened in surprise at the wounded tone of her voice. "Princess, that's not true. I respect you immensely. You do an admirable job overseeing your planet, you deal with visiting dignitaries with ease, and-"

"Yet you insist on acting as if I'm a child who can't fend for herself," Allura interrupted him, refusing to allow her heart to be softened by his praise.

"Well, there have been times in the past when you've been captured unawares," Keith pointed out to her in a moment of typical male foolishness.

Allura's eyes narrowed dangerously. "That's because I have a stalker and you don't. Lotor has caught you by surprise in the past as well, Keith, and he doesn't pursue you nearly as often as he chases me."

Keith frowned as a surge of jealousy tore through him. The Prince of Doom's obsession with Allura was a sore spot for him that he had never been able to freely discuss with anyone else. Every time Lotor attempted to abduct Allura, it frightened him as much as it infuriated him.

"Fine, I'll concede you are correct. But you have spent most of your life being a Princess and only a fraction of the time being a pilot. I worry about you," he muttered.

Allura almost smiled at his last comment, but she fought the urge off with resentment. "Oh yes, I forgot you were born a pilot."

Keith glared at her. "You are deliberately being difficult."

"Ah, so admitting to my feelings means I am being difficult?" she asked, her voice overly sweet.

Keith sighed. "What do you want from me? An apology? Fine. I never knew you felt I didn't respect you. The truth is, I do. You have a strong spirit and more courage then any woman I've ever known, and it has been an honor to have you fight at my side. Please forgive me for seeming as if I didn't respect you. Nothing could be further from the truth."

His words caused a feeling of warmth to suffuse her, and this time she didn't bother to fight off her smile. "I never knew you felt that way. Apology accepted."

Keith heaved a sigh of relief. "Well, since you're here, how about you help me track down our comrade?"

"Not so fast, Captain," Allura replied. "We're not finished yet."

Keith blinked, wondering what else they had to talk about. The his breath caught as he recalled the kiss he'd given her. Was she going to yell at him about that, too?

Lance caught up to Prince Ower's ship faster then he had anticipated.

It worried him.

While it was true the Red Lion would be faster then most ships, it still shouldn't have been able to overtake this vessel so quickly. He radioed the ship, a feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach. "This is Lance, Red Lion pilot from planet Arus, requesting permission to speak with a passenger on board by the name of Lissa."

Prince Ower's captain answered immediately. "Thank god you've come, sir. We've been attacked and our ship has been disabled. We're free floating. Is there any way you could tow us back to Arus?"

Lance straightened in his seat, his nerves taut. "Attacked? By who?"

"Someone claiming to be Prince Lotor of planet Doom," the captain answered.

"Was anyone hurt?" Lance demanded, his voice sharp.

"A few of the men were roughed up, and a hostage was taken, but no one was killed."

Lance almost forgot to breathe. "Let me speak to Lissa now."

"I'm sorry, sir, but she's no longer with us. She was the one the prince took hostage."

Lance bit off a curse, his thoughts in wild disarray, rage and fear threatening to overwhelm him. Lotor had captured Lissa. Why? What did he want with her? Had he seen her defeat his Roe Beast?

"How long ago were you attacked?"

The captain hesitated before answering, mentally calculating the time. "Several hours."

"Damn it, why didn't you call anyone for help?"

"Our communications system was deliberately destroyed," the captain replied.

Lotor had captured her several hours ago….He must be on Doom by now. Why had Lissa allowed herself to be taken? Was she still too weak from her battle with the Roe Beast to protect the ship? And why had Fire Storm allowed her to be taken? What good was a Familiar that couldn't protect its mistress?

Lance wheeled the Red Lion around, setting the controls for Planet Doom, silently berating himself. It was his fault Lissa had fled Arus and been captured. He'd never forgive himself if anything happened to her.

"Sir, we could really use your assistance," the captain entreated.

Lance paused to glance at the ship, but there was no question a bout what he was going to do. Lissa meant everything to him, and he wasn't going to leave her in the hands of his mortal enemies. "Sorry, captain. I don't have the time, but a few friends of mine will be along shortly and they'll help you. Tell them I'm sorry, but I've gone to Doom to get Lissa back."

He cut communications before the captain could respond, his heart pounding in fear and frustration as the Red Lion resumed flight.

Keith waited for Allura to speak.

She didn't keep him in suspense for long. "Why did you kiss me?"

Keith had thought the reason would be obvious, but apparently Allura didn't know he was attracted to her. "Because I wanted to."

The Blue Lion drifted closer to the Black Lion. "You surprise me, Captain. I never got the impression you did things simply because you wanted to. But if that's the case, I ask you again: why?"

"Why did I want to kiss you?" he asked, blushing slightly.

Allura nodded.

"Why does any man kiss a woman?"

His reply was evasive and irritating in the extreme. Allura knew he was not a man to engage in casual relationships, and for him to give so blasé an answer was beyond annoying. "Now you disappoint me. I didn't know you liked to play games."

Keith had never claimed to understand the workings of a woman's mind. He had no idea why she was bringing the kiss up now unless she had a problem with it. She'd been talking about his lack of respect for her before. Did she think he had disrespected her by kissing her? That hadn't been his intention at all, but now was not the time to be discussing such things. With each moment, Lance's lead was increasing.

"I never play games, Allura. Quite frankly, I don't have time to go into this right now."

"I suggest you make time," she softly parried, determined to have it out with him at last.

Keith stiffened in surprise. Allura was showing a side of herself he'd rarely seen, and he had to admire her perseverance even as it annoyed him. "I already told you I kissed you because I wanted to. I'm sorry if it offended you, but you didn't push me away."

Allura's face softened. "It didn't offend me, Keith."

"Then why are you interrogating me about it? I was upset and emotional and I acted on impulse."

"So that's all it was? An impulse?"

Keith ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "Of course not."

Allura hesitated a moment. She knew what she had to say, but she was terrified to do it. She had asked him why he'd kissed her because she'd hoped he'd reveal his feelings to her, but he hadn't. It looked like she'd have to take the first step, and while she was afraid of rejection, not knowing the truth scared her more. Besides, she'd seen how miscommunication had led to heartache between Lance and Lissa, and she wasn't going to let that happen to her.

"I'm not interrogating you, Keith. I'm just trying to understand why you kissed me," she whispered, her stomach twisting in knots. "You see, the reason I kissed you back is because I love you."

Keith stared at her in stunned silence. He felt as if the wind had been knocked out of him. She loved him? The princess? He'd only imagined hearing her say such things in his dreams.

Allura found Keith's silence unnerving. She began to fidget, wondering if he was going to let her down easy, and maybe change the subject to save her feelings.

He didn't.

"You what?" he whispered.

It had almost killed her to say it the first time, and while she was still afraid of the intensity of her emotions and his possible reactions to them, she found it much easier to admit the truth the second time around. "I love you."

"You can't," he refuted. "You're the Princess."

"But I am also a woman," she protested. "And I can love like any other woman does."

"Why me?" he asked, genuinely confused, unable to believe what he was hearing, though part of his brain screamed at him to shut up and find a way to get her in his arms before she changed her mind.

She smiled at his bewilderment. "Why you? Because you are intelligent, brave, responsible, and caring. You put the good of everyone else before your own, and you feel you have to save the universe. You are a strong captain who leads by example and you are the most loyal man I have ever met. You have ruined me for anyone else, Keith."

"But I'm not a prince," he pointed out.

Allura laughed. "I don't want a prince, I want a man. And not just any man, you. I think I fell in love with you the first day we met, and I won't settle for anyone else."

Keith blinked and then forced the Black Lion into a descent without warning. Allura stared after him, frowning, her heart pounding with uncertainty. But she had come too far to turn back now, so she sent the Blue Lion after him. He landed the Black Lion and then climbed out of the cock pit to stand on its head. Allura landed the Blue Lion and got out as well, facing him.

His eyes were dark with an emotion she could not read. And then he smiled.

"I love you too, Allura," he quietly admitted. "I have tried so hard not to, but it hasn't done any good. I tell myself all the reasons I can't be with you, but they don't seem to matter. Nothing matters to me more then you. If you want me, I'm yours."

Allura jumped down from the Blue Lion and Keith raced down to meet her. He swept her up in his arms and kissed her with a fierce passion that set their bodies on fire. The world seemed to spin in wild disarray as they reveled in the contact between them, able to indulge in their desire openly and in accord.

But after a moment, Keith reluctantly pulled back.

Allura placed a finger on his lips and he gently kissed it. "I know, we have to go after Lance. But Keith, do you think rather then castigate him, we could help him? I mean, he's only going to Tanor to see Lissa and tell her his feelings. He'll be back. He knows he can't follow her to the ends of the universe, after all. He just has to tell her he loves her. It's been eating away at him for years."

"Just like our love," Keith murmured.

"Yes," Allura agreed. "Please let him see her, Keith. No one should be denied love, even if it's unrequited. And if you go with him, you can see to it that he returns to Arus as duty dictates him to."

It was her final statement that swayed him.

"Alright Miss Matchmaker, we'll accompany Lance to Tanor," he relented, leaning down to give her one last quick kiss.

At thrill shot through the lovers at being able to so openly display their affections, and what started out as a chaste kiss quickly turned into something hotter, and this time it was Allura who broke off the kiss.

"Watch it captain, or you'll turn my head," she teased.

"That would only be fair," he growled. "You've had mine spinning for years."

But he let her go and they returned to their respective Lions, setting off on a course for Tanor.