Allura felt strange. It was as though she was floating in a sea where there was no form or substance, only a vastness of empty dark space. It was a peaceful place and she was content to drift through the layers of nothingness until she heard a voice.

"Ally? Can you hear me?"

She could barely hear it. The voice was faint and indistinct but she instinctively responded to its call.

"Damn it Allura! I know you can hear me. Open your eyes."

She found that with great effort, she could begin to rise upward through the darkness. Hanging on to the sound of the voice, she slowly pulled herself away from the restful void into a world of pain and sensation

Allura's eyes opened, clouded and glazed with pain. She looked up at him, unable to see him clearly, but she heard the rough sound he made when he saw her eyes open. "Keith?" She whispered with difficulty.

"Hey Sunshine. Haven't seen you for a while. Don't leave me just yet, okay? I need you to stay with me a little while longer," he said unsteadily, noticing the steady trickle of blood that emerged from her mouth when she talked.

Laying a trembling hand on her cheek, he gently wiped the blood away. "Dr. Gorma's on his way here. He'll make you better, I promise." Keith's voice was filled with quiet desperation and he wasn't sure if he was trying to convince her or himself.

Allura paused to gather her strength. "She's still here... inside me... trying to take me with her..."

"You won't let her, right? You're too stubborn for that." Keith said, trying to keep the panic from his voice. Allura was so pale; she seemed almost translucent. Her lips had taken on a bluish cast and her breathing was irregular, marked by shallow shuddering gasps.

"Try... if... can..." Allura said. "She's ... strong... pulling me... with her..."

He froze as her voice trailed off and her eyes closed again. "Damn it Allura, if ever it was there was a time for you to be stubborn, it's now. Don't let her take you." He said each word forcefully, deliberately, willing his strength into her.

"My study was a mess the last time you saw it, right? Well, it's gotten worse since you've been gone. No one has been brave enough to go in and clean it." Suppressed tears turned his voice into a tormented whisper.

"You'll be fine, hon," Keith crooned, unable to consider any other alternative. He brushed the hair tenderly away from his wife's temple. "It'll be all right. I'll take care of you. I promise I will." He continued to whisper encouragement and reassurance while his mind whirled frantically, recognizing the gravity of her injuries.

The sickening sweet scent of blood was overwhelming. Pulling away slightly, he searched for its source, hoping that it would be possible for him to stem the injury. But despite his desperate efforts, the lethal pulsing couldn't be seen.

She was cold, in shock, he realized, tenderly tracing the tender rise of his wife's cheekbone and the arch of her brow, with a hand that continued to shake. She needed to be warm, he thought frantically as he cradled her body close.

The seconds flowed into a continuous stream as he searched the skies, waiting for help to come.

Rool Gorma was a living legend. Not only was he a highly trained professional, well versed in the latest techniques that science had to offer, he was also the last in a long line of healers and wise men and because of him, the skill of the Arussian healers was widely regarded as second only to those of the Planet Ebb.

His high standards — for himself and the rest of his medical team — were famous throughout the Diamond Galaxy. A doctor must project confidence to instill it, he often lectured his students in the course of their training. Never comment or express fear and doubt.

Urging the Prince Consort to gently lay the princess onto the waiting hoverbed, he examined her carefully while his assistants maneuvered the hover-bed into the waiting med-craft. "Chest wound. Internal bleeding. Pulse is faint."

Realizing that she wasn't breathing, the doctor swore silently under his breath and bent down to begin mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. "Talk to her, Keith," he ordered as he paused for breath, sparing a moment to look at the man hovering behind him. "She needs to hear your voice."

Swallowing convulsively against his panic, Keith nodded and took his place beside Allura. "Hey Princess Mine," he whispered, touching her pale cheek and caressing her golden curls. "You're doing great."

"That's it, Captain." Gorma urged, heaving a sigh of relief as he felt under his fingertips the slight tension that told him that the Princess was again breathing on her own. He reached for Allura's wrist. He confirmed his observations by checking the monitors that displayed the princess' vital signs. "Keep talking to her. She's listening to you. Her pulse suddenly got much stronger."

Keith moved even closer, pressing his warm lips against his wife's cool temple. "I love you, Princess," he whispered in a voice so low that only she could hear it. "You have to come back to me so that I can tell you just how much."

And as he bent down to touch his lips to hers, he felt the soft curve of her answering smile.