Keith waited in the hangar for Lotor's crew to appear. Gnov leaned against the ship, a beautiful vessel designed for speed and damage and a flagship of the armada. Keith wore flashy clothes. The arms had been cut away to show his muscles and his masculine curves were emphasized. Gnov had snorted and taken almost five minutes to stop laughing, but she wouldn't ruin this for him. He knew how good he looked and Lotor would be left destroyed.

At last the door opened and the dark prince entered flanked by Verolle and the rest of the first crew. A small strangled noise left Gnov. Keith glanced sideways to see her appraising stare locked on the massive academy teacher. He noticed a very slight pink across her cheekbones and teased, "Verolle cleans up nicely. I never imagined a uniform would make him so... how would you describe, Gnov?"

The pink on her cheeks spread and she whispered back, "Do you think I will not put you in your place, brat?"

Keith snickered into his hand. "I'm totally using this later." Smiling and walking out to meet the party, Keith matched Lotor's stride and held his hand in both of his. "Is everything ready?"

Lotor cocked a grin. "I should hope so. We're the last to leave." He shouted and the ranks of soldiers began to march onto the ship. "Will you be alright, Keith?"

"I should be asking you that," Keith retorted. He chewed his lip in worry and opened his mouth.

Lotor said before he could, "Our strike will be hard and fast as long as intel doesn't change. Three weeks. That's all I'll be gone."

Lotor grabbed the bar by the cabin entrance and ducked to enter, but Keith grabbed his arm. Before he could back down, he wrapped his arms around Lotor's neck and pressed their lips together. Lotor stumbled back a step before catching Keith against his chest. His hands were broad and warm at Keith's shoulders and Keith lifted one hand to run through Lotor's hair. It was a moment of consuming lust and mindless abandon, but god was it sloppy.

By no means was Keith a good kisser and Lotor wasn't giving much by way of guidance. At least it was only his face, namely his mouth, that couldn't make sense of what was happening. If his body hadn't known what to do, he would have been utterly embarrassed. Plus, his eyes were shut. He couldn't see the stares of everyone in the hangar that were surely on them or if Lotor was feeling what his body suggested.

Lotor pulled away, his hand cupping Keith's face. His smile was suddenly shy, eyes full of confusion. "I... Why did I have to wait for that, again?"

"Oh, shut up," Keith said with an eye roll.

"I am entirely sincere. I would very much like to try that again," Lotor answered, words spilling out in a rush.

"Lotor, I-" Someone cleared their throat and Keith looked over his shoulder in alarm. Lotor's thumb on his cheek made him close his eyes and breathe. When he smiled up, he whispered, "Any more and they'll second guess how long I've been your consort."

Lotor answered huskily, "Very well, but my thoughts will dwell upon this lost opportunity for days to come."

Keith blinked up with a crooked smirk. "Get going, lover. Kick some ass."

"As always. Farewell, beloved."

Lotor motioned his team to board and waved one final time before the door closed. Gnov appeared at Keith's shoulder. "That was a touching scene."

"Gnov..."

"Oh, you get to say what you will about my miniscule slip, but when you two leave no option except to witness such intimacy, suddenly I'm told to desist?"

Keith folded his arms. He'd kissed Lotor and the dark prince wanted to do it again. He wouldn't let anything ruin his mood, even if Gnov didn't mean anything by her teasing. He left with his head held high and Gnov at his shoulder. He stated, "We've got this, Gnov."

"I haven't got this, Talias. Who was I kidding? I'm so far out of my depths."

Talias tried and failed to keep her amusement at bay when she found Keith sprawled out on the floor of the nursery. Her hand covered her mouth, but she was shaking with suppressed laughter so the kits piled around Keith didn't wake. Two small children were curled up beside his legs using his three quarter skirt as a blanket. Another was nestled into his ribs and three more were spread over his left arm and chest. She attempted to stop laughing and a short giggle bubbled out before she got a hold of herself and coughed more violently.

Keith glared weakly at her and she bent to pick up one of the kits holding his arm down. The kit moaned in her sleep and rubbed her face into Talias's chest as she was moved back to the sleeping mats where the majority of the children were napping. When Keith was freed of all but the two by his legs, Talias sat with her dress pooled around her. Keith sat up, shoulders slumped with his hands in his lap.

Talias straightened her skirt over her feet and asked, "Is this about the mishap with that freight carrier?"

Keith groaned and covered his face. "No, but now I'm thinking about that fiasco as well."

"That was nothing. Anyone with that pilot's level of experience might have erred in similar fashion."

"But it was on my watch, Talias. Thirteen days! It's only been thirteen days and I'm already at my wits end. I don't know how much longer I can-"

"Keith," Talias interrupted. Her tone dropped and she stated with the finality of a matriarch, "You are handling your duties with the absolute best intentions. Regardless of what happens as a result, you cannot blame yourself for every tiny mistake. You are learning at an incredible rate and must take pride in your actions."

"Then why am I so stressed out?!" Talias looked over to the kits at his abrasive tone. Keith flinched and lowered his voice. "I-when-it's-"

"Shh, young one. Gnov told me you were growing overwhelmed. I think it would be healthy if you took a short break." Talias stood and reached for Keith's hands. "Come on, then. We're going out."

Lance dropped out of the pod into the makeshift parking lot of the space mall alongside the others. Pidge grabbed Hunk's arm and pointed enthusiastically to the promotional poster of some new movie. Hunk excused them and they speed walked off toward the cinema to wait in line for tickets. Shiro chuckled and reached for Allura's hand. He asked, "Shall we?"

Lance watched them walk off in the direction of the cosmetic store Shiro frequented and leaned a shoulder into the ship. "Well, Coran, looks like it's just you and- Hey!" Coran had left, his knapsack the only thing to distinguish him from the other patrons. Lance crossed his arms and sulked. "Fine. I guess I'll just wander by myself then."

Lance stuffed his hands in his pockets, shoulders slouched, and meandered into the mall muttering under his breath for a solid ten minutes. In the food court, he chose a table and slumped into a seat with his hoodie pulled up. He dug out his phone and checked for messages.

Kolivan had needed to rush off almost immediately after Lance'd arrived at the hidden base. Lance had overreacted, but Kolivan had reassured him that he would return in a few days. And, if Keith was with Talias and Lotor was in the Pratic system, he wouldn't come to harm for the time being. It had been enough to silence Lance's complaints, but nothing more. It didn't help that the others were starting to pick up on his perpetually sour mood.

No new messages meant it was probably a good thing the others had bailed on him. Lance groaned and rubbed his temples. He hated hiding the truth from the team, but confiding in Kolivan had felt like progress. Now, he only felt like they were sliding backward. The more he learned, the less he knew and it was infuriating to no end.

Someone bumped his arm as they passed. Lance bit back a nasty retort, but they were already gone. Several more people jogged by on their way toward a gathering crowd. He rolled his eyes and put his chin on a fist. Probably some flashy sales show.

"Look at this, Keith!"

Lance's attention snapped like a busted rubber band. No way. No freaking way. Of all the convoluted ways this could go... He rubbed his hands over his face. No. It wasn't him. There was some other alien who went by Keith. He'd probably misheard Keef given how little sleep he'd gotten recently.

"That one suits your eyes better, Talias."

Lance stopped breathing. No. Way. In. Hell. A rock in his stomach would cause less heartburn than the stress that suddenly attacked him. Pushing to his feet, Lance paced to the edge of the crowd. The woman with the raven hair smiled to the young galra around her. Then Lance saw him. Keith smiled and held out an expensive looking necklace. The galra around him clamored for his attention, one girl hanging off his arm and another holding his hand.

Talias took the necklace and held it to her throat. "How does it look?" she asked with a raised eyebrow and a doting smile.

The girls squealed in excitement. The girl by the galra boy suggested, "You have to buy it."

Talias put a hand on Keith's back. "Let's continue browsing. I think we might find something to show off, children."

The whole group went into the posh store amid excited chatter and giggles. Gawking shoppers pressed in against the glass before shop workers intimidated them away. Lance tapped a window shopper on the shoulder. "Hey, who were those people?"

The alien answered, "You don't know? The young ones must be her students, but Madame Talias is renowned throughout the universe. Her research into medicine has brought us into a new era."

"And she's something of a celebrity," their friend added. "It's hard to view theatre without finding a ballad sung or played by the beautiful minstrel."

"Thanks," Lance said, flashing a winning grin. He leaned a shoulder into the wall and shot a covert look into the store. In the three seconds he saw, Keith was smiling while Talias held up a shirt. The worker at the door gave him a nasty glare and Lance pulled his hood tighter before wandering off as casually as he could muster.

He didn't go far when he ducked around a corner. He whipped out his phone and dialed Kolivan. His palms were sweaty and his eyes darted everywhere looking for a distraction. "Pick up, pick up. Come on, come on. Kolivan, I-" Lance pinched the bridge of his nose. He wasn't sure how Kolivan's communicator worked. There was no clear instruction saying to leave a message after the nonexistent tone. Kolivan could be listening to him ramble on and on for all he knew. He tried to calm down and said evenly, "Kolivan, please advise. I'm at the space mall and Keith is here. I repeat, he's here with the woman and four others. What do I do?"

If Kolivan was listening, he wasn't talking. Voices drew his attention back to the store. Glancing around the corner, he saw Keith and his party exit the shop with a couple new merchandise bags. The girls linked arms stealing glances at their purchases. Keith lingered closer to the woman. He stopped her by tugging her sleeve. Then he reached into his bag and removed the necklace she had admired. Her words were too faint to hear, but she pulled her hair aside so Keith could clasp it into place.

Lance watched them walk away. "Come on, idiot. Make a decision." Keith bumped shoulders with the boy and Lance's mind was made up. Making sure his hood obscured his face, he slowly followed them. "Don't say I didn't try."

Thus began his secret mission, to isolate Keith and finally get an answer. If only it were that simple. Keith was like a piece of gum stuck to Talias's shoe. Wherever she went, he was a step behind. Even when the young galra split off, Keith preferred to stay with her. Lance was starting to think he'd have to confront them both. He spent the time they paused in stores to research more about the woman on his phone. The alien was right. Talias had a long history, but there was nothing to be found personally about her. It was over three hours later that opportunity finally struck.

They were nearing the earth store. Keith's attention kept drawing to it until he excused himself to wander over. Talias watched him go with a fond smile before allowing the other kids to pull her onward. Lance waited until they were out of view and followed Keith into the store. He saw him near the back browsing comic books and DVDs.

Lance snuck around the side of a rack of Hawaiian t-shirts three sizes too big for anyone to wear and crawled into the space at the middle of the rack. When Keith's boots passed, Lance reached out and pulled him into the hidden center. Keith shouted, but Lance covered his mouth and hissed, "Dude, chill, it's-"

Keith elbowed and twisted out of Lance's arms and spun on his knees. When he glared at Lance, his dagger was held to Lance's throat. His eyes went wide and he voiced, "Lance?"

Lance slowly dropped his hands. "Yeah, it's me. Who else would it be?"

Keith lowered the blade and sputtered, "What? Why would you-?"

"I just want to talk. My god, Keith, do you know how freaked out I've been? I've hardly seen you in almost a year, then you show up out of the blue in Lotor's home base. You just disappeared with no explanation. What's going on? Who are those people?"

"No I didn't. Kolivan-"

"Kolivan lost you." Lance gripped Keith's sleeves. "You went dark and only his stubborn nature kept him silent." Lance looked at the ceiling while he struggled to keep his emotions in check. "Why haven't you come home?"

Keith hissed, "I can't come home. I- There's something I have to do."

"No, Keith," Lance refuted. "I don't care what you've gotten messed up in. Is it that woman? Has Lotor trapped you in his harem or something? I mean, the girls you were with were pretty but- Oh god, have you joined a cult?"

Keith leaned forward and covered Lance's mouth before his word vomit could continue. "Stop, just. Stop. The kits are younger than Pidge in galra age, so don't continue that train of thought for a second. And why would Lotor have a harem? Zarkon married Honerva. The galra don't do polygamy. Just, calm down and start over. Kolivan doesn't know where I am?"

Lance sat back on his ankles, finally able to catch his breath. He explained, "Some explosives messed up your suit. He didn't say anything," he paused, "to anyone, when you went MIA."

Keith groaned and covered his face. "I thought he was angry I'd defected, but this is so much worse."

"You defected?" Lance shot back, instantly back at level twelve.

"Wh- No! Of course not, but given the circumstances..."

Lance took Keith's hand and squeezed it in both of his. "What circumstances? Keith, you're scaring me. Who is Talias? I couldn't find out much during my espionage. Is she the reason you can't come with me?" Lance knew he was rambling again, but he couldn't stop. This had been building for too long.

Keith flushed. "Talias... Look, I'm fine, alright. She's a great person who cares about me and I want to be with her. And she's not the only one. The empire has a lot of good people and Lotor is trying to help."

"Then why does he need you?"

Keith sputtered, bright red, "He... I-"

"Keith, child, where are you?" A woman called in alarm.

Keith looked to the door, the urge to return to Talias plain as day in his dark eyes. He whispered, "Lance, I have to go. We only left for the afternoon."

Lance grabbed Keith's arm before he could disappear again. "Don't make me beg. Please."

Talias called again and Keith let out a small whine. He looked between Talias and Lance, torn apart inside. He hesitated, then surprised Lance by hugging him. "I'll visit soon, I promise, but if I leave with you, it could start another war. Understand?"

"No," Lance muttered into Keith's shoulder. "You aren't talking sense."

"Just, please, don't tell the others. I'll explain when I'm ready."

"Fine," Lance grudgingly accepted, "but I can't keep Kolivan in the dark. You have to talk to him."

Keith nodded and sat back on his heels. "Alright. Now help me pick up this stuff I was going to buy."

Lance looked around them where a handful of comic books, a trilogy of movies, and a CD of Celtic music lay spread across the tile floor. Picking up the box set, Lance muttered, "I didn't know you were a Tolkien fan."

"And we both know you can sing every Disney song."

Lance glanced sideways with a half smirk. "You know it. And yet, I still can't convince you to sing a duet with me on karaoke night." Talias called Keith again, voice beginning to rise in fear when he wasn't responding. Lance looked toward the door, then to Keith. "You should hurry. She's... she's waiting for you."

Keith turned back to Lance. "I'm sorry, Lance. I know you want... I should come home. God, you know I want to, but there's too much at stake." He reached out, slipped on a comic, and caught himself on Lance's side. He apologized, "Sorry, sorry. These boots are slick. I know I'm asking a lot. I promise, this will all make sense in a few days."

Then he pushed onto his feet and exited the safe haven of the Hawaiian t-shirts. Holding the merchandise to his chest, Keith called, "Talias, what's wrong?"

"Keith!" She rushed into the store like a windstorm, wrapping Keith in her arms while the sleeves of her dress slid up to the elbow. "Sweet boy, why didn't you answer?"

Keith shook his head. "I'm sorry. I was lost in thought. I-" he cleared his throat, "haven't been able to read these issues since I left earth."

Talias pulled Keith to her bosom and held his head in both hands, kissing his hair. "Never scare me like that again. What would I do if I lost you?"

Lance covered his mouth. Seeing them like that, he could have screamed. Kolivan had been right! Talias would never hurt Keith, not intentionally. Keith finally had the maternal figure he needed.

Talias took Keith's hand and started pulling him to the door. "Mr. Gray, send your invoice to my estate. Come, Keith, it's time we returned home." The other galra hovered near the door, rejoining as they left.

Lance waited for his pulse to settle before crawling out of the clothes rack and exiting the store. He sat at the fountain to make another call to Kolivan. Reaching into his pocket, Lance froze. He quickly patted his pockets. "No, no, no, no. Where is it?" After a thirty second scramble, he remembered Keith's 'fall'. His face grew hot and flushed. "That bastard!"

Back in the pod, Keith felt Lance's phone buzz in his pocket. Looking at the screen, he saw Pidge's text in screaming caps lock and smiled. Lit leaned over and asked "What's that?"

"Oh," Keith answered, shoving the phone back in his pocket. "I got it today."

Lit's eyes followed his hand with intense curiosity. "I've never seen tech like that before."

Keith put his feet up on the bench beside him. "You're an engineer, right?"

Lit nodded and lifted his chin in pride. "I had to be, or they wouldn't have let me transfer with Anjac. She is a much better fighter than I am."

"I've got something I'd like you to look at when we get home. Something I think I'd probably screw up without an expert to help."

"Cool!"

Keith settled his head back into the cushion and closed his eyes. How the hell did Lance keep finding him so easily? It wasn't like he was projecting his location. Or was he? After all, the red lion had found him. It would be something to discuss with the archivist.