Author's Notes: I am so glad that you all are enjoying the story! It is lots of fun to write.
E.M Blaine – Glad you are 'hooked' (once you read this chapter you will understand that reference). Yes, Daniel needs to prove himself to the team, but there must be drama!
KathDMD – Glad you liked the earrings! Yes, Garrard's is fun window shopping. I should have mentioned that the inspiration for the party dress was from the black strapless dress the Duchess of Cambridge wore back in December. Stay tuned, in further chapters, for the Ghost Bar, as well as Sven and Company!
Pulling the Strings
Daniel and Vince were sitting in the classroom, waiting for Pidge. He had sent a message saying he was going to be 10 minutes late, but had some work already set for them. Vince was annoyed with the work, as he knew it was just busy work. He was also annoyed with Daniel, because Daniel could barely manage to do it.
'I bet he is doing this to us on purpose!' Vince thought to Daniel, who was busy trying to figure out the chemical properties of the experiment Pidge had left them. 'Of course he is doing it on purpose! He doesn't want to teach us. You heard what Lance said!' Vince saw that Daniel was struggling and mentally told him the solution, and then thought 'I need to talk to him about what I did, and I am dreading it!'
'Well I would think he would feel bad about what he had you do to me!' Daniel was still sore about the antidote that Vince had given him. 'Why should he feel bad? He got back at me for hacking into his accounts, and gave Lamina a good laugh at our expense!' Vince thought to him, and Daniel thought 'Can you believe she just stood there and did nothing?'
Vince thought 'Yes, I can. What I can't imagine is how miserable Pidge is going to make us in this class!' Just then Pidge came in "Good Afternoon Drone 1 and Drone 2. Do you have the work that I left you done?" Pidge would have been happy to spend the afternoon with Larmina, and not these two. He spent the class being condescending and patronizing about the lesson, especially to Vince.
Vince was seeing a side of Pidge he had never seen before, or even suspected was there. He would have understood Pidge screaming at him, but Pidge wasn't a screamer. Vince realized that by hacking into Pidge's personal accounts he had crossed a line he shouldn't have crossed. He had never understood the term cold fury before, but seeing how Pidge looked at him, and talked to him he suddenly understood it. Pidge was going to make him pay in a slow, nasty way.
Class was wrapping up, and Vince knew he was going to have to broach the subject. "Pidge, I need to apologize to you." Vince started the conversation, while Daniel pretended to be studying his notes. Pidge was wondering if Vince was going to bring up what he had done, so he tilted his head and looked at Vince.
"I had no business hacking into your accounts! I will say that I was only looking at the haggerium research, but I know that I should have told you right away." Vince said, and waited for Pidge's response. Pidge was tempted to ask about his text messaging account, but didn't want to bring Larmina into the discussion.
"I just find it hard to fathom how you thought you could hack in my accounts and I would not know it?" Pidge said in a scathing tone of voice, and then "You really are not as clever as you think you are!" Vince knew that Pidge enjoyed telling him that.
Daniel felt bad for Vince and was all set to ask Pidge how he had known about the haggerium poisoning, but felt Vince asking him not to. Vince said "I have learned my lesson, but I feel bad that Daniel had to go through what he did." Pidge gave Vince a bored look and said "If you had done some other research besides mine, you would have known that was going to happen!"
Before they could say anything Pidge said "I don't think we need to talk about this again, as I am sure that you have learned your lesson! Please finish the chapter before the next class." He left, leaving Daniel and Vince feeling like he had gotten the best of them, again.
After he was gone Daniel thought to Vince 'why didn't you let me ask him about how he knew?' Vince sighed and said 'we know how he knew, it was Larmina. However, he is furious enough with me as it is, and if I bring his girlfriend into the discussion it will just get worse.'
Daniel suddenly saw how sad Vince was, both at losing his idol's respect and Larmina. He had not realized until now just how much Vince had liked her. Daniel was even sorrier about the mess he had created.
It was two weeks later, and Pidge was heading up to Allura's study. He had been working on one of the lions in the hanger bay, when she called. As he headed up there now, he wondered if she had found out about him and Larmina. He didn't think so from her tone of voice, but he was mentally preparing himself just in case.
They had been able to meet up several times, both inside the castle, and around the grounds. Pidge still couldn't believe it, that she loved him as much as he loved her. It was great to be with her, and they always had fun together. She had an earthy sense of humor, and nothing shocked her. He could talk about stuff with her that he couldn't with anyone else. She was also incredible to hold, and they had enjoyed some great physical make out sessions.
The only fly in the ointment was Hunk! Pidge had assumed that sneaking around with Larmina would be hard because of Allura. However, she seemed to have forgotten about the DJ Prong incident, and wasn't scrutinizing Larmina's movements that closely. Hunk though, had developed what Pidge could swear was ESP about Larmina.
Hunk turned up at the oddest places and times, and they all coincided with the fact that Larmina was there. She and Pidge had almost been caught twice, and were trying to be more careful. Pidge knew that her room would give them privacy, but until he was invited he wasn't going there. In the meantime Hunk's behavior was making him crazy.
Pidge was talking to his brother one night, on video chat, when the subject came up. Pidge was feeling dejected because he had been all set to spend the evening with Larmina when Hunk turned up. She was in the garden, and the plan had been for them to go over to the gazebo by the lake. Just before Pidge made it to the garden he heard Hunk there, talking away with Larmina. He heard Larmina, after almost an hour of trying to get rid of Hunk give it up. She excused herself and went back inside the castle. He had been watching the scene, and knew that she wasn't happy.
Chip asked him what was wrong, and Pidge told him the whole story about Larmina. His brother was happy for him, and gave him some good natured teasing. When he had told Chip about Hunk's actions, Chip wasn't surprised. He explained the whole phoneme thing to Pidge, but what it boiled down to was that Larmina was releasing the 'love smell' because of Pidge, but Hunk was picking it up because he was also in love with her.
Pidge knew he was going to have to talk to his friend, which could mean the end of their friendship. He didn't want to see Hunk get hurt, but if he was in love with Larmina, it was going to happen. Talking to Hunk would also mean going public with the relationship. Once they went public, Pidge knew that Allura would be furious with them. He really wished that Allura would get a relationship of her own, and then she wouldn't be so focused on Larmina and Arus.
He was thinking those thoughts as he arrived at Allura's study, where her sentry announced him. He walked into the large, formally decorated room. He was surprised to see Keith, Lance, and Hunk there; now he was starting to wonder if this was about Larmina.
"Pidge, we have been waiting for you!" Allura said in a calm tone, and going on "Mansett wants us to call him, and he specially asked that you and I participate in the call!" Lance laughed and said "It is because you two forced him to go legit I'm sure!" Keith said "After that whole episode on Dradin, he was lucky we didn't have him thrown in jail!"
Hunk laughed and said "I should have sent him the bill for the amount of time it took to clean up Black Lion!" They all laughed, and Pidge now knew what this was about. He hoped he understood Allura's thought processes as well as he thought he did.
Once Mansett came on, he explained some logistical issues he was having, and he was hoping that Pidge and Hunk could come to Dradin and fix them. He thought it would only be a day or two project, but his operations were at a standstill until the problems were fixed. As he finished up he added "Look, I feel bad that I could not invite the cadets last time. Why don't you bring them with you? I'll put everyone up at my new Bellagio hotel. I have an incredible fountain display that goes off in time to music! Also a water park!"
Keith spoke up "I don't see a problem with Pidge and Hunk going, but the cadets won't be available." Mansett said "No problem, but if they change their minds they are welcome to come. " The wrapped up the phone call and said goodbye.
Lance said "I'll say the cadets aren't available!" The boys all laughed at that, but Allura looked cross. She said "They have been well behaved and following the rules." Keith knew that Allura was not happy with how the cadets were being treated, but he didn't care. Lance said "Of course they are following the rules! One of us is babysitting them all the time!"
Hunk and Pidge nodded in agreement. Pidge knew that Keith hated the gatekeeper duty, while it was interfering with Lance's social life. He waited to see if Allura took the bait! "Then I have a temporary solution, and one that will solve an issue I am having with Larmina too." Pidge had to keep from smiling as he had the image of a fish jumping up to catch a fly – a fly on the end of a rod!
"Larmina has been horrid to those boys! They were her friends, and she doesn't even look at them anymore!" Allura said, with a pained look on her face. Keith said "Her so called friends lied to her, and Daniel was not exactly gracious when she took over Blue."
Allura got a set look on her face "She needs to be the better person and rise above it! I think Daniel, Vince, and Larmina should all go with Pidge and Hunk." Lance looked at her like she was crazy and was all set to say something, but Allura held up her hand. "If Daniel and Vince go that will give you a break from babysitting, Lance. Hunk and Pidge can keep an eye on them, and maybe if Larmina spends time with them it will help fix that relationship."
Everyone, including Pidge, tried to get Allura to change her mind, but she wouldn't. Pidge had counted on her stubbornness, and he was trying not to look too pleased on how everything had worked out. "Enough! I'm done with this discussion. We will tell them tonight at dinner!" Allura announced, and shooed them out of the study.
As they trooped downstairs grumbling, at the back of his mind Pidge thought that he needed to let Larmina know to play her part. 'Thank goodness', he thought, 'that Mansett came through; of course considering all that I've done for him it was the least he could do.'
That night at dinner Daniel and Vince were surprised when Allura joined them. Since she had stepped down from flying to run the Kingdom, she usually had an evening engagement. Daniel thought to Vince 'I wonder why she is here?' Vince thought back 'nothing better to do?' The meal was almost done when Allura turned to Keith "Did you tell Daniel and Vince about this weekend?"
Keith shook his head, still annoyed about her decision. She was making him crazy lately anyway, with all those private chats they had been having. He had thought things were going well with them until the mess had occurred. Keith said to her "No, I figured you could tell them."
Vince thought to Daniel 'maybe we are being transferred to the Arusian Military Academy. Pidge was not so bad in class this afternoon.' Daniel thought back 'if that was the case he would have told us personally, taking pleasure in it!'
Allura explained to the boys about going to Dradin with Pidge and Hunk, and what was involved. Keith said "You will be under strict orders the entire time there, and what Pidge and Hunk says goes." Daniel and Vince would normally have been excited to go, but close quarters with Pidge was not what they wanted.
Allura turned to Larmina, who had been sitting there avoiding the boys, and trying not to think about Pidge's leg pressed against her under the table. 'Really', she thought 'he is getting bolder and bolder!' She couldn't believe that he had pulled off the Dradin thing after all. He had been an awful tease, these last couple of weeks, throwing out comments about what they were going to do. At one point Larmina had told him that if he didn't deliver she was going to tie him up and do painful things to him. She had almost blushed when he had responded 'if you promise that we can just stay at the castle!'
"Larmina, you are going to go along too!" Her Aunt told her, and Larmina knew that was her cue. "As if! I don't want to go anywhere with them." Pidge was impressed that she managed to indicate the boy's direction and not look at them at the same time.
Allura looked annoyed and said "Those boys are your friends, and you have not treated them well. You need to be kinder, and I think this trip will help restore your relationship!" Larmina stood up, threw down her napkin, and said "I am not going to Dradin!" She was all set to stomp off when Allura raised her voice and said "Stop right now. Come back and sit down!"
Larmina gave a big huff as she sat down and glared at Vince and Daniel. She said in a petulant tone "I don't want to spend the weekend with people who only want to go to the all you can eat buffet and play video games!"
Hunk heard this and was slightly hurt! He had been thrilled to hear that Larmina was going along, and figured that Pidge would be tied up with Mansett's problems. He had been looking forward to spending time with Larmina, and thought the buffet and the arcade sounded good. Allura said "You all can go to the water park!"
"Oh great, public swimming! Do you know how many germs are in that water?" Larmina huffed again, looking at her Aunt with an unpleasant expression on her face. Allura was ready to smack her niece with how she was behaving, especially in public. She said "Larmina, there is more to the galaxy than Arus! You are going to Dradin, and that is final!"
Daniel and Vince had been watching the whole thing and Vince said mentally to Daniel 'I thought she would have been all hot to go to Dradin with Pidge.' Daniel thought back 'if it was just Pidge she would be. Unfortunately, from her point of view it is us and Hunk too.' Vince sighed but knew he was right, and thinking how annoyed Pidge was going to be that they were along.