The Finale

Allura left the final planning meeting quickly, hoping no one noticed her discomfort. Keith had already drawn up several scenarios that would leave her out of this final battle should she be unable to fight. If he saw her clutching her stomach or wincing at the sharp pains he'd certainly refuse to let her participate.

They'd reach their destination within a varga, so this was no time to distract the rest of the team.

The plan was multi-layered, with many moving parts. A kink in any one of them meant certain failure. There were too many lives on the line, too many futures at stake. Allura just had to be sure to do her part. She wasn't integral to the initial strike at least, her lion coming in towards the end of the battle. That didn't make her happy, though, as she hated to be away from the team.

No, she hated being away from Keith.

A final check of the castle systems confirmed the readiness of the defenses. Confirmation of Lotor's transfer had been received with all teams on standby. This was the moment the Alliance had worked so hard towards, and everyone was anxious to get started.

The Princess watched as Hunk, Pidge and Matt ran last minute diagnostics on the lions' upgraded systems. Keith and Shiro were keeping a close eye on Galra movement, trying to discern if Zarkon had caught whiff of their plan. In the meantime, Lance helped Coran to prep the medical ward. Casualties were to be expected in such a large campaign, but the Voltron team could not afford any losses.

Allura decided to wait it out in her room, hoping that even a few dobashes of rest could help ease the spasms. She had begun to sweat a bit, her head feeling foggy. At this rate she might spend her last moments on the ship in the bathroom.

She sighed dejectedly. If she were to die in battle she would not want her final thoughts to be of hovering over a toilet.

As she opened the door to her room, she heard light footsteps approach from behind.

"Romelle," she greeted her friend as she spun around, "I was just going to...um, what's wrong?"

The Princess was surprised to see her friend crying, although she didn't seem distressed in the slightest. In fact, she was smiling through the tears. Allura could only guess that the tension they'd all carried the last two weeks had completely overwhelmed her.

After a moment of laughing through hiccups, Romelle threw her arms around the pregnant paladin, swaying them side to side in a rather jerky movement. Allura finally pried herself loose, placing her hands on Romelle's shoulders to steady her.

Allura looked her in the eye, waiting for her breathing to calm before asking again. "Okay, now tell me what's going on. Why are you crying?"

In response her fellow Altean laughed and held up her left hand. On it was a ring with a beautiful jewel that sparkled a deep purple. Allura's eyes grew wide at the implication, an emphatic nod from Romelle confirming her suspicions. Although Keith had gone with a tradition from her old culture, he had explained that Earth couples exchanged rings as a sign of bonding.

"Wait, did he?"

Romelle beamed, waving her hands wildly in excitement. "We're getting married!" she exclaimed, bouncing up and down as she spoke.

Allura couldn't help but smile at the joy exuding from her close friend. Grabbing her into a tight hug, she offered her congratulations several times and even shed a tear or two herself. While it was mostly happy crying, she couldn't help but worry that it could all be for nothing.

She berated herself for such negative thoughts, and quickly tried to refocus. "Let's go tell the others! Everyone will be so happy for the two of you!"

Taking Romelle's hand, the two women happily made their way back to the control room. Allura noted as they walked that her pain had subsided. It seemed that perhaps stress had caused it and now that she was relaxed it had disappeared. She breathed a sigh of relief as they walked into the bridge but her relief seemed premature, especially when Keith looked at her with a single raised eyebrow.

So much for that.

Once Shiro and Romelle made their announcement and the congratulatory hugs were shared, Allura decided it was time to retreat. Slowly backing away from the group, she turned on her heel to head for the door. She didn't make it one step before a firm hand grabbed her wrist, freezing her in her tracks.

She didn't even have to look to know whose hand it was. The hand slid down to take hers, weaving fingers tightly together. Allura tugged it towards her, pulling them both into the hallway.

Before she could speak Keith had spun her around; his hands grasped her shoulders while his eyes scanned her face for answers. Her husband was good at sussing out her problems, sometimes before she even knew she had them. Hopefully he would write her concern off as pre-battle jitters.

Once he seemed content that she wasn't hiding anything from him, he smiled at her with a kind of sadness that pricked at her heart. This fight they could not be together and it was hell for both of them. The last few nights they'd slept somewhat restlessly, constantly waking in a cold sweat and unable to relax until they spotted the other.

The worst of it came when Keith woke up while Allura was in the bathroom. She heard him trip and fall over the bedsheets as he scrambled to find her. The next morning the Princess awoke to find him sleeping the same way he had fallen asleep the night before, arms wound tightly around her and his face buried in her hair.

To be honest, it was probably the reason she had slept as well as she did.

"We- we should probably get to our lions now," he suggested, his voice barely audible. Still, she was able to note it was trembling.

"Yes, it's almost time. We should be hearing from the others soon."

"I love you, Allura. Be careful out there, okay?"

"I love you too. Please be safe as well," she answered, nuzzling his cheek with her nose.

At that the Captain smiled more brightly, resting his hand on her belly before leaning over to kiss it gently. As he stood he reached to cup her cheek, pulling her into a much more passionate kiss.

They'd kissed hundreds- no thousands- of times before. This time, however, felt like the culmination of their lifetimes together. Allura was keenly aware of her own heartbeat, the rush of the blood moving through her veins. Her nails dug into his arms as she attempted to delay the inevitable.

If this were to be their last embrace then she would secure the memory away, etching it into her soul.

Finally they pulled away from one another, this time unable to look each other in the eye.

Keith took her hand as they began the long journey to Black's hangar, Allura now unable use the zipline system. Not that she was complaining; the walk gave them that much more time together in the quiet of the castle. As they passed their bedroom the urge to drag him in and cocoon themselves away grew stronger.

This wasn't her. This was the pregnancy talking. She needed to do this for the sake of their son. For the sake of the universe.

Once they reached the hangar they were greeted by Shiro and Romelle, who had obviously chosen to take the quicker route. Both of them were more solemn than before, their joy from earlier leaving only a trace in their smiles.

Romelle would stay behind with Allura until needed, while Shiro would co-pilot Black. Keith felt that having two full Alteans flying White would make it that much more powerful. Plus it was easier for Keith to lead the team from the head of Voltron as he had a better view of the front line.

This time the goodbyes were short and sweet. Dragging them out would not have helped anyone, since no one really wanted to go.

Once the other paladins had confirmed their readiness, Keith radioed the Blade to verify their location. Kolivan's team was joining Earth's Vehicle Voltron, which had just left their temporary base on Mars. The plan was to rendezvous near the prison of Jupiter- which they learned was hidden in the giant planet's gas clouds- once the other battles were underway. The Blade would clear the prison before the Earth team boarded it.

Pidge and Matt had been surprised to learn how close their father had been to home this whole time. According to Lotor, the prison was originally built for Slav and it was the ship carrying him that had discovered Shiro's team en route to the base. Mr. Holt was taken there once they realized his value as a scientist.

If all went to plan the Alliance would walk away victorious, and two of their teammates would mend their broken family.

Before that was going to be the most difficult part, however. Coran would wormhole the castle right into Zarkon's backyard. Lotor had informed them that his main ship had taken up residence where Daibazaal used to be. He'd referred to it as "hiding in plain sight" as there were no nearby planets to shield his fleet.

Zarkon had supposedly chosen the location as he was certain it was a place Allura would avoid at all costs. And as much as she hated to admit it, he was right. Going back there was the last thing she ever wanted to do.

While Voltron was attacking the Galra base, Prince Bandor would lead his and other alliance units to conquer and infiltrate Planet Doom. Zarkon would believe that they were looking for Pidge's father, Commander Holt, at the slave prison. That would allow the Earth's Voltron team to free him with little chance of interference.

"Okay team, does everyone know what to do once we exit the wormhole?"

One by one the paladins called out in the affirmative.

The lions' eyes lit up as they waited anxiously for their pilots to lead them into battle. If any one of them sensed uneasiness from their chosen paladins they offered no signs of it. Allura felt a wave of calm confidence from her lion, and she allowed it to wash over her. Focus was important now, and any trepidation she felt would be a distraction.

Too soon, Coran's voice called out over the radio. "Okay guys, we're exiting the wormhole in 3...2...1…"

Keith cut in quickly, "Team Voltron is a go. Red, Green, Blue, Yellow, and Black taking off."

Suddenly the sound of metal against metal reverberated through the bay as the black lion raced towards the exit. As it swooped into the darkened pool of space, Allura felt her heart drop. Keith was the best pilot on the team, of that there was no doubt. Still, in war even the most skilled warriors can fall.

For now all Allura could do was listen and watch. As badly as she wanted to be out fighting with the other paladins, she knew that would prove too big a distraction. She pulled the communications screen up on the control panel near the doorway, hoping to keep track of everything that was going on.

The Voltron force had engaged Zarkon's warships, circling the base with the lions and working their way inward. It seemed that the Emperor had been taken by surprise, given the sluggish initial response they'd met. However, as the fight progressed more ships arrived to fill the vacancies left by the ones they had destroyed.

Bandor's troops were facing fierce resistance from a larger-than-expected fleet of ships around Planet Doom. Allura secretly worried that their ships may be overwhelmed; by the look of the frown drawn across Romelle's face she knew the other Princess was also worried for her brother and her people. This was their first large-scale offensive battle, so Bandor's inexperience could make him less effective when calling the shots.

One consolation was the repaired teleduv that was hidden behind a nearby moon, which would allow a hasty retreat should the need arise. The young Prince may have till been learning, but his capabilities as an Altean were impressive. There was no doubt he could maneuver the rebel alliance safely away.

After the two battles were well underway, Coran hailed the Earth Vehicle Force to alert them. The Commander of the team, Jeff, acknowledged clearance and began the assault on the prison on Jupiter. Allura was pleased with how professional the pilots of the team sounded, nothing like the young pilots who stumbled upon her castle on Arus so long ago.

"All ships are cleared; preparing away team to board the prison," she heard Jeff's voice over the comms. Only five of the fifteen team members would board, the rest remaining in their vehicles in case Galra backup arrived. Lotor, now in their custody, would accompany that team. Once Sam Holt was recovered, the Galra prince would remain at the prison until after the battle had been decided.

In the meantime he'd serve as an insurance policy as well as help get them through the security systems quickly.

"Allura, do you read me?" Keith's voice rang out over the radio.

"Affirmative, are you ready for us?"

She hadn't realized how anxious she was to join them until now, her fists clenched so tightly her nails had left marks on her palms. Once she received the okay, she and Romelle raced to White's cockpit. Allura felt a bit winded and hoped she had the stamina to keep up with the others. She closed her eyes tightly as she gripped the controls, trying to channel all of her energy into her lion.

The second she reopened them the lion roared, ready to chase the streaks of light now forming Voltron.

No matter how many times she had witnessed it, the scene never failed to awe her. Giant metal cats folding and twisting to come together as one. Each whir of gears, each clash of metal, each crackle of electricity. They were all so powerful in themselves, feeding her courage as they carried on. The bond between man and machine culminated in this giant robot.

As Voltron finished assembling she felt the pull that would bring her to her lion's position between the broad shoulders of Voltron. Once locked in she was finally able to see what the team was seeing, and why she had been called sooner than anticipated.

Before them was Zarkon, his rebuilt exoskeleton looming large as he emerged from the space station. Allura swallowed dryly as she noticed it was glowing with dark quintessence. Even though Haggar was dead they obviously still had large stores of the deadly energy. The Princess wondered if the druids aboard the base were capable of sending out a blast that could incapacitate Voltron like before.

She didn't have much time to consider this as Keith called for the team to launch an attack. First they used the blue lion's sniper gun, hoping to get in a shot from long range. Avoiding close combat was necessary to buy time for the other teams. Making sure Commander Holt was safe with the Earth Voltron force was the first order of business.

Zarkon was moving slower than before, either from his old injuries or from the bulk of the larger suit. Perhaps both. The first shot managed to hit the armor although it seemed to do little damage. Two additional shots barely missed, and soon they realized that the rifle was not going to be effective against him. Quickly they switched to Hunk's bayard, multiple shots peppering the Emperor with bolts of light.

The team waited for the light to dissipate before easing forward for a closer look. There was an audible gasp as the paladins realized the armor had taken no damage. This was going to be far more difficult than they'd imagined.

Just then Voltron shuddered with the impact of a laser blast. More ships had arrived and were now engaging the mighty robot.

"Coran, have we heard from the Doom or Jupiter teams? We need to end this battle soon!" Keith sounded steady but Allura knew he was struggling to hold his emotions in check. The hit had landed near her lion and she was certain he was afraid for her.

"Hailing the teams now, Keith," Coran replied, his own fears evident in the raised pitch of his voice.

The Captain continued to fire several volleys at the fleet as he waited for a response. Soon the voice of Prince Bandor provided some welcome news.

"Voltron Force, Planet Doom has been liberated. Prisoners are boarding ships and will be relocated immediately," he relayed proudly. "Do you need backup?"

"Stand by all forces until evacuations are complete," Shiro ordered. "We can hold them off for now."

Allura secretly wondered if that was the case. Even with Bandor's ships and help from Earth Voltron it seemed to be an insurmountable fight. Their only hope for now lay with the White Lion, but that couldn't be used until the last moment and it still might not be enough.

"Voltron Force, this is Commander Jeff of the Vehicle Voltron team. Do you read me?"

Pidge responded before Keith had the chance. "Affirmative. Do you have my father with you?" she asked anxiously.

"We've arrived and our away team is in the process of boarding the prison. Lotor is accompanying them into the station. There's been little in the way of resistance so we're hoping for an easy extraction."

As relieved as they were, the paladins had little time to feel the slightest bit of reprieve. They took several more hits before being able to fire off more shots at the growing fleet of ships surrounding them. In the meantime Zarkon was attempting to do some damage with his personal weaponry. Black bolts of light bounced off Green's shield, which took heavy damage as a result.

"Guys, we need to kill two birds with one stone," Pidge called out. "I have an idea. Hunk, put away your bayard for now."

Hunk hesitated, unsure what to do. "Uh, Keith? Are there any weapons I don't know about?"

"I think we should trust her, guys," Matt interjected.

"Okay, let's see what our resident genius has up her sleeve."

With that the Green Lion produced a grappling hook. Allura smiled when she realized what the youngest paladin had up her sleeve. With a single shot Pidge caught Zarkon's robotic suit by the ankle. Voltron swung wide, making a complete circle as it crashed the Galra leader into several ships, leaving them severely damaged and Zarkon temporarily disabled. With his inability to move, now was the perfect time to strike.

Pidge pulled her bayard out and Allura inserted hers, turning it to produce the crossbow. She lined up the sight so that one arrow could finish the evil dictator off. They just needed the green light from the Jupiter team and it would be over.

"Away team to Voltron Force." Allura looked to the screen on her right to see the familiar face of Commander Holt next to one of the Earth pilots.

"Dad!" Pidge shouted, echoed by her older brother. "Dad, it's me, Katie!"

"And me!" added Matt, squeezing himself into view.

The Commander looked at them with a weak smile. "Oh, thank the stars you're both safe!" He paused for a moment, a look of confusion on his face. "Wait, where are you?"

Everyone laughed as Pidge excitedly told him she was part of the team defending the universe. Her dad nodded calmly although the information seemed a bit overwhelming to him.

"We rescued a second prisoner," the Earth pilot continued, turning the camera to show a second man kneeling on the floor.

"Daniel?" whispered Nanny, sounding confused if not a bit elated.

Keith stared at the man on the screen, nearly unrecognizable under a scraggly beard and greying hair. "Dad?" he managed to say, the word barely audible even to himself.

"This man was also being held here so we're bringing him back as well," continued the away team leader. "We're leaving the base now."

Keith nodded and returned his attention to Zarkon, who was still floating unconscious. "We'll be done here shortly. One last piece of trash to take out."

He looked back to the screen briefly, his stomach in a knot as he gripped the controls tighter than necessary. The man- his father- was a shadow of the person he remembered. His dad was thinner, his face sunken and his eyes unfocused. Keith clenched his jaw at the sight, wondering what damage had been done to him.

"Target locked, ready to fire," he heard Allura say, barely registering the implication.

"Launch on my command. Three….two…."

Before he could finish the count there was a loud noise followed by several screams. It took a second before he realized it was coming from the screen. There was a scuffle going on but he couldn't see who it involved.

Suddenly Lotor appeared on the screen, a gun in his right hand and Commander Holt wrapped up in his left arm.

"We have a man down!" he heard the lead pilot shout, and Keith saw a body on the floor behind them.

"If you kill my father I will kill yours," Lotor snarled, looking directly at the younger Holts. Then, turning to Keith he added, "Yours too."

"No!" Pidge shouted, "Let him go!"

"We have to do this, if we don't Zarkon will kill even more people," Allura countered.

Keith knew it was not an easy thing for her to say, having dealt with the loss of her own father. Still, he never expected to end up in this situation, having to decide whether he could ever see his own father again. He'd be lying if he said it wasn't tempting to just walk away.

As he listened to Pidge and Matt's pleas for mercy, Nanny spoke once again.

"Son, I know how you feel, and I understand what you want to do. But we've come to far to give up now. Please, let's finish this. Remember who you are, and make him proud of you."

As he pondered her words, Keith realized he'd been crying. His vision had blurred with tears making it difficult to determine what was in front of him any more. It wasn't until Hunk piped up that he understood what was happening.

"Uh, guys. I think Zarkon's coming to," the yellow paladin started. "And he's coming right for us!"

At that moment Keith knew there was only one thing he could do, and he hated it. They had to end Zarkon then and there, or else risk him coming back again even stronger. Now that he was aware of the existence of the white lion it made him that much more dangerous.

With a flip of a switch the communications with the prison were cut off. If they were going to do this they could not have any distractions.

"Allura, are we still locked on?"

"Affirmative."

"Fire!"

It felt as though time froze in the short span of time it took for the projectile to reach its target. Keith was aware of the curses being heaped upon him from the cockpit of the green lion. He could only hope that there was a chance someone could save their fathers. The Earth team was an elite force after all.

"You got him!" Coran's voice cheered over the comms, somewhat hesitant in his jubilation.

The paladins watched as the light surrounded him, not unlike it had done with the witch Haggar before. This time, however, the light sputtered as the dark quintessence swallowed it whole. Keith's heart sunk as he realized that this battle was not going to end the way they wanted it to.

"Allura, get out of here," he demanded. His entire body trembled as he tried to figure out the next move.

"I'm not leaving you," the Princess responded, her voice as firm as usual. If she had any fear there was no hint of it in her tone.

"Why didn't it work?" questioned Lance. "It worked fine last time."

Keith pondered for a moment when it struck him.

"We weren't working together, that's why. Pidge, Matt, I know you want to save your father. I want to save mine, too. But not at the expense of the universe."

"Why can't we-" Pidge started before Matt cut her off.

"He's right, Katie. Like he said before, Dad wouldn't want us to get hurt for his sake. The same goes for all the planets we're protecting."

Keith watched the other paladins nod in agreement. Everyone now had a fierce determination in their faces that gave him the confidence to try again. They locked back onto their target and once again produced the glowing arrow.

"Guys, wait a moment" Coran interrupted. "We've got backup coming in."

Suddenly the sky was littered with small wormholes. Keith was confused as none of them were big enough to fit a warship, though. Soon a beam of light emerged from each portal, enveloping Voltron with quintessence.

"I was afraid we may have some trouble," Coran started, "so I've been in touch with planets that can manipulate quintessence. We've got a dozen or so Balmera, as well as Olkarion and New Altea, lending their support."

The surge of power running through the great robot was intense, almost crushing. The arrow of light was glowing far brighter than before as the bowstring stretched to near breaking.

"Okay team, are we ready?"

A chorus of voices proudly responded.

"Let's go Voltron!"

This arrow pierced the Emperor's armor with ease, continuing toward the colossal structure behind him. The light from the quintessence shot through the command center of the base, flowing quickly throughout the entire structure before dismantling it bit by bit. The brilliant energy flowed back out in waves, laying to waste everything in its wake.

"Form Blazing Sword!" Keith commanded, "Let's finish him off!"

Red held the blade straight forward as they charged the injured Galra commander. Nanny drove it in his chest, dragging the hilt down as Keith's bayard lit the sword's flames. Unlike the last time there was no flash of dark quintessence, just the last flicker of life leaving the Emperor's eyes. The sword dissipated, hopefully needed for the last time.

His armor completely destroyed, only the lifeless form of Zarkon was left- perhaps as evidence of his death. The Galra Empire, it seemed, was ended.

"Breathe Captain!" Shiro laughed, bringing Keith out of his stupor, "I think we can safely say it's over."

Relief washed over him as the reality began to settle in. Keith turned to look at his friend and offered a genuine smile. Now they just needed to know how the other teams were faring.

"Voltron to Prince Bandor," he radioed. As desperate as he was to know his father's fate, he was also too afraid to find out.

"This is Prince Bandor," came the response, "the prisoners have all been transported safely. We are headed to your position for assistance."

This time Romelle spoke up, seemingly aware of the paladins' desire to return home as quickly as possible. "Good, you can pick up any survivors for processing. Have the Olkari deal with Zarkon's remains for the time being."

"You- You got him?" her younger brother asked incredulously. "Are you sure?"

"You'll see when you get here," she replied, a wink in her voice. Her family had suffered so much for so long, now they could finally live without fear.

As the lions came to rest in their respective dens the castle began the jump to Jupiter. Everyone waited in their respective ships should they be needed right away.

Once they emerged, however, it was obvious that they would not have to fight.

Vehicle Voltron was already streaming towards Earth, the prison now nothing but a broken shell. The hull had been torn in half, rendered completely useless. Following the other robot closely, Keith took their urgency as a positive sign that the team had managed to escape with only injuries. He could only hope that his father and Commander Holt were as lucky.

As the giant robot neared the planet it broke up into its fifteen smaller ships that headed towards the Garrison. Keith directed Pidge and Matt to meet him in the pod hangar, where they grabbed a jump ship before streaking towards the surface as well.

The mood was tense between the three of them, nobody speaking a word. The captain worried that his actions may have opened a rift that could never be properly closed again. Still, if he had to do it again he wouldn't have done it any differently.

As soon as they landed the trio was greeted by Commander Iverson, who drove them to the base's hospital. He told them that their fathers had been brought in alive but needing immediate care. Nothing else about their condition was known at that time, unfortunately.

The paladins exchanged worried glances, each seemingly afraid to allow the slightest shred of optimism worm its way into their minds.

On arrival at the hospital they were ushered to the waiting room outside the ER. Overcome with exhaustion they each found an empty row of chairs to stretch out on, trying to get comfortable as best they could.

Keith's mind was still racing, not yet processing the events of the day properly. Had they really won? Was Zarkon really dead? They'd left the battlefield so quickly that they didn't have a chance to update Bandor's team or even ensure they were okay. He'd been in such a hurry to get to the Garrison he didn't even say anything to Allura.

And yet he felt confident that she was okay. He would more than make it up to her, maybe taking another day to sightsee around the world. No, walking would be too much for her. Maybe just a camping trip? Can you even take a pregnant woman on a camping trip? Keith shook his head at the absurdities running through his head. Tomorrow was the time to think about that, not today.

As if on cue the doors to the emergency room burst open, an older doctor in scrubs making a beeline for them. She wore no telltale expression, her poker face likely perfected by years of greeting worried families with grim news. It unsettled him as he watched her approach.

"Are you family members?" she asked in a clinical tone. As they each nodded yes she inhaled deeply, her eyes closed as she seemed to be plotting the words out in her mind.

"Can we see our dad?" Matt asked impatiently.

The doctor looked to the siblings as she exhaled sharply. "You must be Commander Holt's children. Yes, you can see him. Room 118. He's still unconscious however. He took a hit to the head-"

Pidge and Matt didn't even let her finish the statement, rushing past her into the recovery unit. She looked to Keith with slightly more sympathetic gaze, and he felt his muscles tense. It didn't do anything to calm him when she rested her hand on his shoulder.

"Your father required surgery for internal bleeding. Right now he's critical...but there is a chance he'll pull through. It's really up to him now," she finished, a small practiced smile punctuating her statement.

After the doctor walked away Keith realized that Jeff, the leader of the Vehicle Voltron team, was standing just outside the waiting room. It appeared the young man was waiting to speak with him and Keith waved him over to sit in the adjacent chair.

Jeff seemed hesitant, knowing that discussing the mission in an open area was against policy. Still he accepted the offer to take the seat and sat quietly for a moment, his knee bouncing furiously under his palm.

Keith initially wanted to let Jeff be the first to speak, but his impatience got the better of him. "What happened up there?"

"Dumb luck I suppose," the Commander laughed under his breath, as if he didn't believe it himself.

When he realized Keith wasn't going to ask for more information he decided to continue. "So Matt was working on technology to prevent the vehicles from being stolen, and he created fingerprint technology which locks them unless the authorized driver is piloting."

Keith nodded understanding, not sure what this had to do with the hostage situation that nearly derailed their plans.

"It actually worked. Really well as a matter of fact. So we decided to try it for other things," he continued, and Keith began to understand where this was going. "Our laser guns require matching thumb and index fingerprints to fire. Lotor couldn't have killed anyone with that weapon unless he beat them to death with it."

"So Commander Holt's head?"

"Once Lotor realized the weapon was useless, he pistol whipped him. Your dad tried to protect him, but was thrown into a bulkhead with quite a bit of force."

Keith cringed a bit at the very idea, imagining how badly it must have hurt.

"And Lotor?"

"He escaped in a jump ship, but not before taking a couple of hits. With nowhere to go he may not last long."

Keith hummed in approval, the idea of Lotor's life leaking slowly from his body felt like proper justice. Too many had died at the Prince's hands and the paladin never felt satisfied with a treaty that allowed him any freedom at all.

His reverie was interrupted by the sound of his name being shouted from the corridor. To his somewhat displeasure it sounded like Lance, which meant he'd either want to butt into the conversation or grill them about the health of Commander Holt. Or, as Lance referred to him, "future pops-in-law."

The two Voltron captains stood to greet him as he burst into the room, doubling over as he tried to catch his breath.

"Keith," he gasped, throwing his hand firmly onto his leader's shoulder. "You need to get back to the castle. Like, now!"

It took a moment for the statement to sink in, and Keith was sure his face lost all color as he registered exactly why he needed to get back quickly. He tripped over his own feet as he rushed to the helicopter pad where Lance had landed the space pod. Cursing himself for not bringing Allura with him, he wondered if the castle was even equipped for childbirth.

Of course it is, idiot. Altean technology is light years ahead of Earth's.

Jumping aboard, Keith took off so fast that he almost clipped an emergency chopper trying to land. He made it to the pod hangar in record time, stopping just long enough to change out of his armor. He didn't want Daniel's first impression of his father to be of a cold, hard man. No, if he could help it the boy would always have a warm, loving dad.

Something he himself had been denied.

Keith felt like his heart was going to explode by the time he reached the door of the medical bay. He'd expected to be greeted by the sounds of Coran's bustling and possibly Allura's screaming, but it was eerily quiet. No one was outside to greet him. His heart went from beating thunderously to nearly stopping. A wave of nausea threatened to send him reeling as he reached for the control pad.

The doors slid open but the room was dark. For a brief moment he wondered if he'd misinterpreted Lance's meaning, or if this was a cruel prank played by the blue paladin. Either way he wanted answers.

As he turned to exit the room he stepped straight into the chest of Hunk.

"What're you doing here? Allura's waiting for you!" Hunk yelled as he grabbed Keith's upper arm, pulling him to the elevator.

"I came here as fast as I could. Why isn't she in the medbay?"

"Ah, yeah, well," Hunk started, seemingly unsure how much he was comfortable telling Keith. "Allura kinda went into labor during the battle, but she didn't want you to know…"

Keith looked at Hunk's contorted face with amusement. Tempted as he was to tease his giant friend he decided now was not the time.

His wife needed him now. For what he wasn't sure. Most couples take classes and study books about this stuff. He wasn't even sure how to feed a baby, much less raise one. What would he do if the baby was crying? What if he dropped it?

What if he took Daniel to visit a strange planet then forgot him there because he'd never had to be responsible for another person ever?

Stop. Breathe. One thing at a time.

When they reached the Princess' quarters Shiro was standing outside to greet them. The wide grin on his face made Keith feel more at ease. A light knock instantly opened the door for him. Inside the room he could make out the slight frame of his wife, propped up on large pillows to almost sitting. In her arms was a blanket that shifted and cooed as she gently swayed it.

She looked up to her husband, a warm smile inviting him closer. He walked to the left side of the bed, slowly sliding himself on to sit next to Allura. Now the blanket had a small, smushed up face that stared up at him with large, blue eyes that were accented with purple Altean markings. A dark tuft of hair stuck out of the covering and without thinking Keith reached over to touch it.

It was soft, like Allura's. But the color was definitely his.

The Princess' smile widened as she greeted him. "Daddy, I'd like to introduce you to Daniel."

The baby yawned sleepily as she moved to place the infant in Keith's arms.

As nervous as he was, the new father didn't hesitate to hold his son. He was awestruck at how natural it felt, being there with his family. Allura leaned on his shoulder, exhausted from the day. Her breathing slowed as she fell asleep, and he leaned to place a chaste kiss on her head.

Nanny stepped over, gesturing that she would take the child while Keith rested. He smiled but shook his head, content to stay like that a while longer. They had finally gained the peace they'd fought so hard for, and his newborn son would be one of the first to enjoy being born into a conflict free era.

Finally, as sleep threatened to overtake him, he decided to let his mother get down to the business of spoiling her first grandchild. His arms now empty, he turned to embrace his wife as he adjusted her pillows so she could rest more comfortably. She stirred at the movement, her eyes resting on his face as she tried to blink away the fog.

"I'm sorry you had to leave your father," she started, her words so low he had to lean in to hear them.

She was such an incredible woman, putting his needs first even now.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here when you needed me," he started, choking back tears. "I wanted to be here for you-"

"You're here now," she interrupted, "and I'm happy."

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For everything."

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

They drifted off together to the sound of Nanny singing an ancient Altean lullabye, knowing that when they woke it would be to a new reality. Gone were the early morning trainings and late night alarms.

Still, a good night's sleep was a long way away...and they couldn't be happier.

**A/N: This is the final chapter of the story but there will be an epilogue. So stick around, we're not finished yet!**