Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, settings, etc involving Voltron: Defender of the Universe, Voltron: The Third Dimension, Voltron Force, or Voltron: Legendary Defender. These stories are for entertainment purposes only and are to be viewed as parodies and satire.

Author's Notes: I had a bit of a writer's block while working on this chapter and so for that I apologize in taking so long to get it finished. The previous chapter is meant to be the turning point for the characters so this chapter is meant to set up the new path that they are on.

Popstar Princess:

Best Laid Plans

Allura stared out the tinted window of the limousine as it traveled through downtown. Her mind was reeling from the day's events; waking up to slanderous news coverage and then Keith abandoning her, and now she's having to attend some secretive meeting at her record label's office. It was almost too much for her to endure.

Allura looked at her phone. She had hundreds of notifications from her social media accounts. The "social media blackout" that Lance had imposed on her, though temporary, was causing a frenzy. Her lack of response on the various platforms was triggering feelings of worry among her fans, providing fodder for her detractors and inciting speculation from news outlets. Her mind was in such a jumble that Allura didn't notice the vehicle come to a stop.

"We're here," Hunk remarked from the seat facing Allura.

"Thank you for stating the obvious," Lance responded. He opened the door and the two men stepped out. Lance peeked his head back into the car. "Allura, are you coming?"

"Huh? Oh," she commented. Allura placed her phone into her purse and got out of the limousine. "What are we doing here again?"

"For the third time, we are here to meet with some…colleagues…who have agreed to help us with our little situation," he answered while pointing a finger at Allura's belly.

Allura nodded her understanding and followed Lance and Hunk towards the building. The sun was close to setting and the orange and red hues made the building look like it was on fire. They entered the lobby and checked in with the security guard then headed towards the elevator.

"Now, I had a pull in some major favors to arrange this, so don't screw this up," Lance told Allura as he pushed the call button.

"In case you haven't noticed, I've been the victim in all this. I didn't start any of this and I don't' appreciate being accused of 'screwing up'. Why don't you blame Keith since he is the one who ran off and left this mess to clean up."

"Trust me, I'm giving him his share of the blame," Lance responded.

"Keith was the smart one," Hunk thought to himself as he stood beside Lance.

"Why isn't this damn thing working?" Lance asked as he pushed the call button several more times. "I hate this elevator."

"Are you sure you're pushing it correctly?" asked Hunk.

"There's only one way to push the button," Lance sneered at Hunk. He started pushing the button repeatedly. "See?"

Without saying a word Hunk reached over and pressed the button. It immediately lit up and within seconds the elevator doors opened.

"I hate you," Lance remarked as they all stepped into the elevator.

Hunk grinned. "The feeling is mutual," he thought as he got on the elevator.

"You might as well push the button," Lance sarcastically told Hunk.

Within a few moments the elevator had arrived on the eighth floor and all three disembarked. Lance led them down the hall to Coran's office. Standing outside the door were two large, blue skinned men. Their suits barely hiding how muscular they were.

As Lance led everyone into the office, they saw Coran seated at the conference table along with two more blue skinned gentlemen.

Allura recognized one of the men immediately. "You're Prince Lotor!"

The man stood up, his long white hair framing his light blue face. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Allura."

The larger, older man puffed on his cigar before speaking in a rough, raspy voice. "Legally, he can only be referred to as The Artist Formerly Known as Prince Lotor," he paused to puff again. "We prefer that you just call him Lotor."

"And who might you be?" Allura asked.

"This is the head of the Galra Music Group, Zarkon," Lance explained.

"Most people call me 'King Zarkon' or just 'King'," he remarked.

Lance sat down across from Zarkon; Allura sat across from Lotor and Hunk sat across from an empty seat. Once Allura was seated, Lotor returned to his chair next to Zarkon.

"Shall we get started," Coran remarked.

Lance cleared his throat. "As I stated over the phone, a rumor was started that Allura was sick at a party because she is pregnant. Unfortunately, her 'boyfriend' Keith has decided to pursue an acting career with a producer named Shiro. Which leaves us in a rather precarious situation, public relations wise." Lance took a pause.

"So what we decided to do was to craft a narrative in which we state that Allura is pregnant and that Keith left her high and dry because of jealousy and his history of anger issues. During this time, we will act as though Allura's pregnancy is real, she'll go shopping for baby products, post a bunch of baby stuff on social media and then after three months we say she had a miscarriage, she's depressed and needs to take time off for herself and we simply wait for everything to die down and then we do a big comeback tour."

As Lance presented his plan to Zarkon and Lotor, Allura couldn't take her eyes off the white haired man. He was older, by about ten years, and had been in the music industry longer than her. His career had tapered off in the last decade and he spent most of his time doing personal appearances, hosting award shows, and doing interviews. As Allura stared, she felt strange. There was something about him, something that made her feel calm and comfortable. Feelings she wasn't used to since becoming a pop star.

"So just how are we involved in all of this?" asked Zarkon.

"We want to say that Lotor is the father of Allura's baby," Lance answered. "During the three months, Allura and Lotor will present to the public an image that they are trying to be a family and then when the 'miscarriage' occurs, Allura will be the one to leave so that Lotor's image will remain positive in the public's view."

"That's an intriguing proposal?" Lotor remarked. "What about this Keith? If he knows that Allura isn't pregnant and that our relationship isn't real, won't he go to the press? What is to stop him from revealing the truth?"

"We will convince him to sign a non-disclosure agreement," Lance answered.

"Keith is still under contract," Coran explained. "We will offer a deal to release him without penalty as long as he agrees not to discuss or comment on Allura's situation or her time with him. He'll be free to pursue his acting career and Allura can move on with her career."

"And if he doesn't take your offer?" Lotor inquired.

"Well, then we will be forced to take legal action that will ruin him forever," Coran answered.

"That's a rather ruthless way to do business," Zarkon commented with a smile.

"Business is business," Coran responded. "You of all people should understand that."

"I understand that quite well. But what I don't understand is, why go through such an elaborate scheme? Why not just tell the public the truth?" Zarkon asked as he puffed on his cigar.

"Because the public doesn't want the real truth," Lance explained. "They want us to present the truth as they have concocted it in their minds. Allura's fans would rather it be true that she was pregnant as it gives them something to cherish and praise as well as give them a connection to her. It would be far more beneficial to us that we give them that 'truth'."

"How will cooperating with you on this be beneficial to Lotor and my company?" Zarkon asked.

"Lotor and the Galra Music Group will be compensated for their time and cooperation in this matter," Coran stated. "I know what we are asking is rather unorthodox but I think it can be mutually beneficial for everyone involved. Particularly, in the possibility of revitalizing Lotor's career."

"Lotor's career is just fine," Zarkon responded. "However, I can see the benefits this arrangement may have for both of our companies." Zarkon took another puff and blew a smoke ring up into the air. "Lotor, what do you think of this?"

Lotor had been listening intently to the conversation. He turned and looked compassionately at Allura. "Before I give my opinion, I'd like to hear what Allura has to say."

"Wait…what?" Allura responded. She wasn't use to someone asking her what she thought, especially when it came from someone with such a smooth and seductive voice.

"We're talking about 3 months of pretending to be in a relationship, pretending that we have a child on the way. That's not an easy load to bare, even for real relationships." Lotor was speaking to the group but his eyes never broke away from Allura's. "I refuse to commit to such a performance, unless the Allura agrees to go through with it."

"She's already agreed to it, that's why we're here," Lance responded.

"I prefer to hear those words come from her," Lotor stated calmly.

Allura was taken aback. She wasn't sure what she should say. It took her several moments for her to find her voice. "I think Lance is right. Given the situation that I'm in right now, this is the best option to save my image and my career."

Lotor smiled at her then ran a hand through his hair. "In that case, I will agree to be the father of her child and to go along with this charade as long as necessary."

"Wonderful," Lance exclaimed. He felt as though a huge weight had lifted from his shoulders. "Now, we just need to work out some details concerning press release statements, compensation, living arrangements, etc."

"Perhaps Lotor and Allura should take some time and get to know each other," Zarkon suggested. "I know a great restaurant near here; they could go grab some dinner as we work out the details."

"That's an excellent suggestion, Zarkon."

"Yes, I think that would be a great idea," responded Lotor. "Do you agree, Princess?"

Allura smiled at being called a princess. "Yes, that would be wonderful."

Zarkon and Lotor stood up. Lotor walked around the table and approached Allura. He helped her scoot her chair back and offered his hand as she stood.

"Hunk, can you escort Allura down to Zarkon's car?" Coran asked.

"Yes sir." Hunk, who had been silent and felt uneasy throughout the conversation, perked up at the sound of his name.

"There is no need for that," Zarkon stated. "My security team will take them down and will follow them to the restaurant."

"Well, in that case, Hunk why don't you go find Ginger and the two of you can start prepping the lobby for the press. Once we announce that we'll be giving a statement, we'll need to fit as many as we can down there," Lance said.

"As you wish," Hunk responded. He quickly stood and left the room.

"If you'll excuse me, I need to speak with my people," Zarkon told Coran.

With no further words, Zarkon left the office; Lotor and Allura followed, hand in hand.

"That went well," Lance remarked.

"Too well," Coran responded.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know but something doesn't feel right. I've been in this business a long time and never have I heard of Zarkon to agree to anything so easily, especially a request as unusual as this."

"Should we say anything about it?" Lance asked.

"It's not of your concern," Coran told him. "What I need you to focus on is getting Allura through the next three months. Once this charade is over, that's it. Allura will be dropped from this record label."

"What?" Lance asked astonished. "But she's your biggest star. Why would you consider dropping her?"

"Was our biggest star. Look, she's costing us too much money. We spend more time, energy and capital trying to keep her image clean and all she does is make one mess after another. I've watched how you've been dealing with her, you can't tell me that you haven't had similar thoughts."

Lance slumped down in his chair. "You're right. It's just been one thing after another."

"So, after the miscarriage story ends, she will be dropped from Arusian Records. You're free to continue to work with our clients or you can move on. I'll leave that up to you."

"Thank you, sir."