Reward Trip

Plans are Coming Together

Disclaimer: I don't own Voltron. Voltron belongs to World Events Productions and whoever they decide to license the big guy to. The only thing I own in this story so far is Ethel, Diana, and Smythe House.

Diana Smythe-Williams smiled as she stepped out of her family's ancestral home, Smythe House, and onto the edge of the spacious backyard. Although it was just beginning to get dark at Smythe House, Diana looked across by memory and glanced at each feature behind the small mansion. A short 5-minute walk to the left were a couple of guest cabins standing. Each cabin had a living room in the front, a kitchenette in the middle, and a bathroom in the back. Both cabins also boast of a bedroom on the left and right of the common areas. In between the cabins were a couple of benches with cushions and a small fire pit just behind where the path split to lead to each cabin. Moving from the cabins, Diana focused on the field that truly served as the traditional backyard. In the middle of the field, there was a pebble path that led to Lake Smythe. Just to the right of the field was the newly created path and garden.

Diana couldn't help but smile at the newly created garden. After her ordeal at the Void, Lance decided to gift her with a garden after listening to Keith's suggestion during a conversation they had in the kitchen. The vegetable part of the garden was starting to show some new sprouts, while the floral sections were still in the works underground. Lance couldn't believe that Diana just wanted a small garden instead of a larger one between the house and the lake. She simply pointed out that there's a small ring of trees around the lake already.

With a contented sigh, Diana started down the pebbled path down to Lake Smythe. As she continued down the path, she could start to see the small pier that connected the path to the lake. There was a small beach on either side of the pier that provided the only clearing. This was one of her favorite places in Arus. Diana savored the soft breeze that brought the mixed smell of lake water and forest to her nose. The thick forest also helped to make the scene before her somewhat romantic. "All that's missing from this beautiful scene is Commander Lance McClain," she stated as if she was expecting him to show up even though he was off planet with his team. At the end of the dock, Diana took off her soft blue flats and placed them next to her as she sat down. Her feet dipped into the cooling waters, and she closed her eyes. "I wished Lance was here with me right now," she commented again before hugging herself tightly. With a smile, she thought about his smoky scent, followed by his sense of humor, his occasional moodiness, his leadership style, and all the other nuances that made the man. The more she held her mental seminar on Lance, the more she wished that he was already here. "I should have brought my communicator with me out here. Oh, well."

A pair of strong arms encircled her, and the familiar smoky scent filled her nose. "Hey lover, what are you doing out here without your communicator?" Lance said into her ear, making her shiver at the deep, silky bass. She closed her eyes in pleasure as he picked her up and settled her down on his lap. He then started placing kisses on her neck.

"I should…be asking you…that myself," Diana managed to say in between gasps and kisses. "So, are we about to go on my reward trip to Dradin? I've been well behaved for all that I've been through lately. Also, we need to relieve all our stresses by enjoying the extended quality time without our friends or cadets interrupting us constantly." Instead of a verbal answer, Lance deftly pressed Diana's body against the dock before hovering over her. "Oh, my," she flirted before reaching up and giving Lance a long searing kiss of her own. When the kiss was over, Lance was laying on top and admiring her facial features.

"About our trip," Lance stared slowly, "We have to cancel it for right now."

"What do you mean we have to cancel our trip?" Diana asked as her eyes narrowed and mouth moved to a pout.

"A lot of things happened since I checked in with you on arrival at Dradin," Lance stated as he moved to sit and placed Diana back on his lap. "You remember that I mentioned that Mansett wanted to give us a tour first, right?" Diana nodded her head. "After the tour, a couple of Drule mobsters kidnapped Mansett. Keith and I jumped on some bikes and followed the mobsters until we caught up to them in a limo. Some words were exchanged, and they bailed from the limo. As we gained control of the limo, we asked him what was going on and he suggested we meet in his office." Lance paused.

"Drule mobsters? That's a new one, although I thought that Manset went completely legitimate."

"He is…but there was this last loose end. Anyway, back to what happened In Dradin," Lance paused as Diana moved to sit next to him on the dock. Lance frowned and moved her back into his lap. "See this is why we need the extended quality time together."

Diana rolled her eyes before stating that this was dealing with Mansett's last loose ends with the Drule mob. "So, you guys decided to take on the Drule Mafia?"

"Yes. Right now, I'm a little hurt that you didn't ask if I was ok at this point?" Lance asked with fake hurt.

Diana responded with a quick kiss on his cheek. "Lance, I'm in your lap and I'm not seeing any injuries now. I can see that you're ok and I also know you've been through way worse," Diana responded with a smile. "Please continue with your harrowing tale."

Lance hmphed before continuing. "So, a fight gets started between the mobsters and us. Of course, we get to the Lions but somehow Black Lion comes up missing. Keith had to track down Black by foot while we take on the mobsters. Of course, since we're fighting everywhere there's random collateral damage. Luckily for us, Keith finds a pimped out Black and joins the fight. Dradin takes more damage. Eventually we overpower the mobsters, and they flee. Mansett then apologizes for the bad experience but points out that luckily everything's been insured, and everything covered."

"Nice story," Diana said with a smile. "I'm surprised y'all didn't try to make it to the geek convention."

"Oh, we tried. Believe that" Lance said with a chuckle. "Unfortunately, we weren't geeky enough and got denied access at the door. So, we spent the night in our rooms and staring at four walls before leaving for home."

"So…basically everywhere we want to go got heavily damaged or destroyed. Everything?"

"That's right, sweetheart," Lance replied. "But I'm going to make it up to you."

"And how do you plan to make it up to me, hmm?" Diana asked as she slowly stood up.

Lance smirked. "I got a few ideas already bouncing around my mind. Since we're all alone here we can spend all the uninterrupted quality time we want." He stood up next to Diana.

"That would make it a staycation," Diana pouted as she faced Lance.

"The same thing I told Allura when she said she'll stay home next time I suggest a vacation," he pulled Diana closer to him. He was about to plant a kiss on Diana when he noticed the smirk, she was giving him. The next thing he knew, she pushed him over the edge of the pier and into the cool, lake water.

"Fine, I guess we can enjoy the staycation here since I definitely need all the quality time with you, Lance," She stated as she bent down to put her flats back on. Lance's growl brought her attention back to him in the water.

"You'll pay for that Minx. Luckily, I always water-treat my leather jackets; otherwise, you'll be shopping for a new leather jacket." Diana hmphed in reply as she inched away from the pier. "And where do you think you're going?" Lance asked as he pulled himself up on the pier. He quickly advanced on Diana giving her the opportunity to admire how his wet uniform molded perfectly to every inch of his body. He quickly grabbed her and took of her flats. "Turnabout is fair play, love."

"You wouldn't dare…" Diana was interrupted when Lance swiftly picked her up and slung her into the lake. Diana quickly surfaced and decided to float before speaking. "You dared, sir." Lance chuckled in reply as he walked to the edge and helped her back to the pier.

Lance swept his eyes up and down Diana's wet form. Her white tank top and denim shorts were perfectly molded to her body, showcasing every detail of her body—curves, dips, and straight lines. "I have mentioned how sexy your body is lately?"

"No, but I believe you're going to tell me."

"In every way possible—verbally, physically, and maybe even written down somewhere," Lance responded as his eyes darkened. "And I'm going to start now."

"You're going to have to catch me first, Love," Diana remarked as she had her flats back on and ran towards the house.

"I like the chase. It's just a matter of time," Lance called out as he chased after Diana.

***Months later, after the last fight with Maahox***

"Everything is ready for your visit tomorrow, Lance," Mansett stated with a smile on his natural red and thorn-bearded face. "I have the perfect room waiting for you and your fiancée ready."

"She's not my fiancée yet. That's why this trip is so important."

"Minor details," Mansett continued as he waved one of his hands back and forth. "You're going to be set up in one of our penthouse suites. You'll have so many opportunities to pop the question as you Earthlings are fond to say."

"And everything else?"

"Everything else has been well taken care of. What? You don't trust me?" Mansett asked as he moved one of shades down."

"Do I really have to answer that?" Lance responded as he crossed his arms.

"I'm hurt, Lance. I thought you knew me better than that. We go way back…"

"Mansett, I still remember what happened a few months ago when I was last in Dradin," Lance countered as he rolled his eyes. "Everything has to be perfect for our visit." Manset pushed his shades back up.

"If I didn't know any better, I would think that you're nervous."

"Nervous, who's nervous? I don't get nervous about vacation plans," Lance replied.

"Everything will work out, Lance," Mansett stated before glancing down at his desk as if something just caught his attention. Lance frowned from where he was sitting at his desk in his room at the Castle of Lions. "Look at the time! I have to care of a hotel matter, but I look forward to seeing you and Diana here tomorrow at my new resort." With that, Mansett disconnected the call with Lance.

"That's one thing off the list," Lance said as he stood up and stretched his body from behind his sizeable desk. He was sitting in the workspace part of his suite. "99 more to go before tomorrow," Lance stated as he sat normally behind the ebony desk. He looked at the desktop to get his mind together again. His datapad was in the middle, with a couple of writing pads and pens (a habit he got from Diana) next to it. On his right was a picture frame with two pictures of his favorite pictures of him and Diana. The left picture was from Wade's Installation Ball when the photographer caught them in mid-conversation with their heads close together. The picture on the right was the perfect shot Pidge took of them from the last beach day before Lance took the cadets to Arus. It was timed between the kiss and when he attempted to dunk Diana into the ocean water. To his left on the desk were a collage of team pictures: With Sven, with Allura, with the cadets, and with Diana's team.

Behind Lance was a set of bookcases filled with books and more pictures. The left bookshelf held his aviation books including the antique ones everyone seems to find during their travels. It also held the pictures from his time at the Academy as a cadet and instructor and when Voltron was found. The middle bookshelf featured mixed Earth and Arusian history books. That shelf also held pictures from their first battles in Arus and their return to Earth—including pictures with the Vehicle Voltron force and Explorer crew. The bookshelf on the right held recent pictures, items from previous trips, and personal awards from Galaxy Garrison.

Lance took a few more moments to admire the sitting area across from the office. His sectional took up most of the space there with a couple of lamps flanking it. The sectional only got used when someone from the team visit—but mostly Diana when she wanted to read something while he finished working on last minute tasks or when Keith wanted to talk about several things (or freely argue) including their significant others. "And thinking about significant others…" Lance mused to himself as she opened a drawer in the desk to produce the small velvet box that held the engagement ring he brought from Ethel.

***During Wade's Trial***

While Diana was meeting with Coran about her testimony against Wade, Lance decided to visit Ethel's new and larger jewelry shop. After greeting Lance with a laugh, Ethel stated that it was only a matter of time before he would finally take the big plunge and spring for an engagement ring. Before Lance could reply to her statement, Ethel took him by the arm and led him to the VIP showroom in the back. He was surprised to see the improved showroom. He commented that it was more of a lounge than a showroom. The walls were covered with black wallpaper with lines. In the middle of the painted black ceiling, there was a low hanging silver chandelier that sparked against the dark room. There was soft lighting scattered across the room with only a couple of jewelry cases and a small work area in sight. Ethel responded that was the point.

Lance whistled as he sat down on the black leather chair in the middle of the room. On either side of him were small end tables with coasters and a lamp each. When he looked way from looking at the end tables, Ethel handed him a special crafted beer from a local brewer. Lance accepted the beer and took a sip. "Are you trying to soften me up in here?"

"Why, Lance, I would never intentionally do that to you," Ethel chuckled as he took a few more sips. With a grin, Lance finished the beer and put the glass on the coaster to the left of him. The next thing he knew, Ethel blinded him with several cases of rings—styles, cuts, gems, stones were a constant blur. When Ethel asked for an opinion, he pointed out that everything was a blur.

"I think I might have the perfect ring for you," she handed him another beer. "It's not quite finished but the ring is essentially ready. I think you'll agree with me that Diana would love it when you see it." He finished the beer quickly as Ethel bought the ring his way.

Lance took the ring and admired it. He focused on each side of the ring and back to the center which drew him to it in the first place. The middle of the ring had a sizable alexandrite instead of a diamond. Instead of the traditional band, there were several small, intersecting ruby and sapphire circles. He couldn't keep his eyes off the unique ring and knew that it was indeed the perfect ring for Diana. "You're not kidding. I got to have that ring! Diana would love the ring since it focuses on the Alexandrite in the middle. In the Arusian sunlight, it'll always be purple," Lance stated, already knowing that he was willing to pay whatever price Ethel wanted for the ring.

"It's going to be the first thing anyone notices," added Ethel as Lance focused on the details again.

"She's going to love it even more since it's not a plain band but ruby and sapphire circles."

"I know."

"It's got to be one of the kind."

"I'm never making this design again," Ethel stated.

"It's perfect. How much are we talking here?"

"It's priceless. I can't really put a tag on it," Ethel beamed knowing no matter what she said, Lance was going to get the ring. "Since you're a friend, I'll gladly charge you this much." Ethel gave Lance the calculator with the price with a bigger smile. Lance returned the smile, pulled the credit card out and handed it to Ethel.

"I'll put the finishing touches together and call you when it's ready," Ethel stated.

***Back to the Present***

Lance shook his head mentally before going back to making more preparations for the surprise trip for Diana. "I still need to make sure those flowers and clothes are ready tomorrow. And the spa. Definitely the spa," Lance muttered as he pressed the button to make his next call.

The next day, Lance was talking to Allura in the Castle library. "Thanks, Allura. All you have to do is keep Diana company at the Spa. They have my card on file so you two can ball out on treatments and whatever."

"And I thought you'll never get to this point," Allura stated. "Who knew you could be so romantic?" They left the middle of the library and headed towards the door.

"Keith could take some lessons from me in the romance department. I guarantee that you guys would get all the happy endings you can take and more," Lance bragged as they continued through the library past all the ancient books along with updated displays, books, and tablets. "I swear Keith is a stick in the mud. Keith! What a surprise!"

"Just to let you know, I can be romantic when the occasion arises. Would I have my beautiful Queen if I didn't?"

"Allura worships the ground you walk on, so that's not a good question," Lance ruled. "Anyway, I have so many errands to cover before my romantic trip with my fiancée."

"She hasn't said yes, yet" Keith deadpanned.

"Without a doubt, I'm sure that she'll say yes. Diana's been waiting for this moment for years," Lance replied. "I have everything planned and it's going to be a heavenly week."

"What's going to be heavenly week? And what do you have planned, Lance?" Diana asked as she joined the group outside the library. "You know I hate missing out on things here."

"It's a surprise," Lance said with a smile. "However, I'll let you in on one thing. You're spending a pampering day at the Spa with our Queen here."

"But I had—" Diana started to protest.

"You're free all day. I cleared your calendar with meetings already rescheduled and remaining work already delegated to several people. Spend the day on you. You won't regret it." Before Diana could verbally protest the change in plans, Lance pulled Diana tight for a lingering kiss and only stopped when Keith loudly cleared his throat. "Enjoy your day and spoil yourself, you deserve it!" Diana could only nod at Lance as she caught her breath again.

Allura took Diana's arm and gave Keith a chaste kiss goodbye. She guided Diana down the hallway and denied that she knew anything about Lance's plan outside of the spa day. "Come on, Allura. He only clears my schedule when he wants to do something big. Spill it—what's he really planning?"

"I know nothing!" Allura fibbed as they walked to Diana's car in the castle hangar. Diana gave her an unbelievable look before getting into the car. "I swear I know nothing, Diana." Diana hmphed in response.