Keith woke up curled in a ball on the stretcher. The mask had slipped sideways, smooshing his nose and cheek. A child giggled and Keith heard the doctor encourage, "Very good, Rhea! Now roll it back to me." Keith saw a small ball the doctors used to test joint strength roll across the floor beyond the healing chamber. He sat up and stretched. The lights had been turned down in this unit, but there weren't many others in the med ward at all.

Acxa sat across from the doctor with her legs bent to corral the toddler. The doctor put the ball behind her and held out a handful of colorful pens. She instructed, "Take a pretty, Rhea." Keith watched Rhea's button nose and large wide eyes scrunch up before she chose red. The doctor then gave her a piece of scratch paper and watched Rhea's reaction. Rhea beamed and gripped the pen in her tiny fist.

The doctor stood when Rhea was distracted with her drawing and pulled Keith aside. "Good eve, Prince Keitaran. May I conduct a physical upon your person?"

Keith sat with his legs off the side of the stretcher. "Go ahead. How's Rhea? What have you told her?"

The doctor hooked up a scanner to his wrist and let the data feed start collecting while she listened to his heart and lungs. Lowering her strange one piece stethoscope, she said, "My young patient seems to be completely unfazed by what brought her to my care. Apart from my earlier findings, she is completely healthy. I suspect a growth spurt is in her near future, so you will need to keep an eye on her diet.

"As for what I've told her, she knows she was hurt and that many people wanted her to get better. My lord, I suggest you tell her about the fates of her parents soon, but be kind and patient. Young ones like her always handle grief differently." She finished her exam. "You seem to be in good health now. You may take Rhea from my care. Come back if she needs anything. She is a sweet child. I... had forgotten what it is like to be around little ones."

Keith stood and smiled at the doctor. "You were really good with her from what I saw."

The doctor smiled fondly at Rhea where she scooted into Acxa's lap with her drawing. "My son has a son on the planet where I used my skills to give relief for victims of tragedy. When my husband was murdered, I joined Sendak's cause."

Keith reached out and grasped forearms with the doctor. "I'm sure your son and grandchild miss you."

She nodded in thanks. "It is because of you that I know they are safe. For what you did and said this morning, you have mine and many of my colleagues gratitude. You are a wise and just leader, your majesty." She saluted him with bowed head.

Keith held his head high and replied, "Vrepit sa." He looked away. The doctor was one of thousands with similar stories. They didn't receive help from anyone. Aligning to Sendak was only rational. The empire had lost many allies during the transition following the rescue mission five years prior when he'd become one of the druids. It led to many opportunities like Iiterai and he'd made a small coalition of his own.

Rhea's dirty blanket was still in the healing pod. Keith sighed and grabbed it. Then he went to Acxa's side and knelt. "Rhea, do you remember me?"

The little girl looked up from her drawing. The doctor had changed her into white pants that were too short and a white shirt that was too big. She saw the blanket and reached out. Keith handed the blanket to her and she hugged it to herself. Acxa looked from the child in front of her to Keith and back again. Keith kept his posture open and receptive. "The nice woman told me you're doing well after the fire. You probably don't remember what happened, but I was the one who carried you to safety. Rhea, my name is Keith."

She looked up with wide yellow eyes and tipped her head. "Keef?"

Keith wanted to smile, but his next words were going to be hard to hear. "Rhea, when I rescued you, there was an accident. Your mother was hurt. I'm sorry, but she died. There was nothing anyone could have done. Do you understand?"

He watched her closely, gauging how much he needed to say and how much she could handle. Her eyes were shimmering saucers and her lip trembled. Keith felt his throat constrict. "Rhea, before your mother died, she asked me and my friend to take care of you. Acxa and I are going to watch over you. You are safe with us."

Rhea scrunched up her blanket in her fists as large wet tears dripped down her face. Keith felt his own eyes water. He hadn't been so young, but he remembered when he thought he'd lost his father. He opened his arms and called, "Rhea, come here sweetie."

Rhea stumbled forward and he caught her against his chest as her tears became wailing. Her small arms wrapped around his chest and she pressed her face into his shoulder. Keith looked to Acxa for help when he realized he was crying too. She slid forward and hugged him with Rhea between them. Rhea was drooling and rubbing snot into Keith's shirt as she cried out for her mom.

Keith let her. She needed this. In the end, she would move on faster. But then thoughts he'd suppressed came unbidden to mind and he was sobbing harder as well. Acxa met his eyes and mouthed a name. Keith nodded and Acxa put her forehead against his. The rest of the lights went out in the infirmary before Rhea had cried herself back to sleep.

Keith was loathe to wrap her in her dirty blanket again. Taking off his coat, he gently swaddled her, but her feet stuck out. He cradled her and Acxa wiped Rhea's nose with the shirt cuff. Keith put his forehead to Rhea's hair and composed himself before the long walk to the guest quarters Sendak made him use.

Acxa folded the blanket and fell in step slightly behind him as his first officer. Sendak's soldiers moved aside to let him pass. He felt their stares on the girl in his arms and the wet stains on his shirt. When they were close to their designation, Keith ordered from a soldier, "Bring a snack to my chambers for my young charge. She will be hungry when she awakens."

The galra's mouth opened as they considered asking many things, but Keith's stern expression silenced anything they might have said. The soldier saluted and walked off with a curious glance back. Acxa opened their bedroom door and kept the lights dim. Keith sat on the bed with Rhea propped up against his chest and one leg. Acxa went to the water basin and returned with hot water and a cloth.

She gently rubbed at Rhea's dried slobber and snot tracks. Keith noticed again her soft expression as she gazed down at the young girl with the curly purple hair and fluffy ears. He recognized that look all too well. He lowered his eyes before Acxa noticed him staring at her again. Acxa dropped the blanket into the hamper with the dirty rag when there was a knock on the door.

Keith gently brushed Rhea's hair off her face. He ran a thumb across her round cheeks and she leaned her face into his palm. Acxa returned to the bed with a small tray of dried fruits and a lidded cup of juice. Removing the lid, she dropped the fruits in the cup to soften.

Keith smiled at her with an impressed eyebrow raise. Acxa undressed for bed, rolled her eyes and reached out to take the girl. Keith unwrapped his precious bundle and let Acxa lift Rhea from her warm nest. She shivered before Acxa wrapped the thick sleeping blanket around them both. Keith removed his own shirt and tossed it into the hamper before crawling into bed beside the two females.

Rhea continued sleeping where she lay between them. Keith reached for Acxa's hand and lifted it to his lips. He kissed wrist and palm while their eyes never wandered apart. Silently, he mouthed, "Thank you."

Acxa's dilated eyes widened. "For what?" Keith looked down at Rhea then back to Acxa. She smiled warmly in the dark. "Tell me tomorrow."

Keith nodded in agreement before they fell asleep. The doctor's medicines had interrupted his internal clock so his light dozing was broken when Rhea started squirming. Her small voice rose with every unanswered repetition of "Mama?"

Keith rolled onto his side and pulled Rhea to him. "Shh, Rhea. It-" His sentence ended in a hiss of pain when her talons dug into his bare skin. He sat up and lifted her into his lap. He watched Acxa continue to sleep as Rhea fully woke up only to remember her mom was gone all over again. Keith hummed through the pain her nails inflicted, but Rhea showed no signs of falling back asleep soon. It was going to be a long night.

They spent the next week isolated in Keith's small suite. Acxa or one of the soldiers would run any errands they might have. Rhea was calm and subdued, but slowly starting to open up. She spent less time crying with each new cycle. When she had slept through two full nights, Keith risked taking her out in public.

He bounced Rhea on his hip and kissed her nose. She giggled and clutched her laundered blanket around her neck like a cape. "Ready, Rhea?"

She gave an exaggerated nod. "Yes, Keef!"

Acxa said through the com in his ear, "I still don't believe this a wise decision, Keith." She sighed in resignation, "Go now."

Keith grinned and darted down the hall. Rhea's bubbly giggle followed behind them. Acxa warned, "Two on the left." Keith held Rhea tight and vanished before the soldiers appeared around the corner. Keith and Rhea reappeared further behind the soldiers. Acxa said, "Moving to next location."

Keith ducked into a dark corner and put his forehead to Rhea's. "We have to be quiet. We're hiding."

Rhea whispered loudly, "Shh!"

Keith's cheeks hurt from smiling. Struggling not to laugh, he held Rhea's face to his shaking chest. She squirmed and turned to lick his arm. Keith exclaimed, "Ugh!"

"What was that?"

Keith managed not to curse and whispered, "Moving now."

"Wait! I'm not-"

Keith ran straight at a squad of soldiers and shouted, "Boo!" before vanishing. He heard at least one scream and the others laughed. Then they were too far away.

Acxa fell into step beside him. "What happened to stealth?"

"Objectives change."

"You are so dramatic at times, I don't know why you even bother listening to me."

Keith grinned at her. Wait until she met Lance! Acxa misinterpreted and grinned back mischievously. Keith slid Rhea from his hip to his back. "Hold on tight, sunshine."

Acxa didn't wait and sprinted at full speed down the narrow halls. Keith knew she expected him to cheat, but she was cheating worse than usual with him handicapped as he was. He made sure Rhea's tiny arms were locked around his neck before chasing the only woman he'd ever fallen for.

Having given up on hiding, Keith and Acxa made a game of avoiding the troops patrolling. He relished every time he vanished mere inches in front of someone only to have Rhea's giggles echo off the walls leaving any who saw them in more confusion than surprise. Acxa beat him to the mess hall by a handful of ticks. He slid to a stop beside her and teased, "You're slower than usual, dear heart."

Acxa dismissed with a careless wave, "Maybe you're finally starting to speed up." Keith sputtered and she laughed with her hands on her waist until she was gasping. "Come, my lord. Our little kit is drooling."

Keith crouched and dropped Rhea onto her feet. Sure enough, she had shoved the corner of her blanket into her mouth while her wide eyes focused on the waiting food. Keith took one of Rhea's hands. Rhea reached for Acxa's hand on her other side. Acxa raised a surprised brow before taking it gently in her much larger hand. Keith snickered. Acxa raised the look to him. "What is so funny?"

"Nothing, my love." Keith cleared his throat, but failed to suppress a twitchy smile and coughed instead.

Acxa made an "mmhmm," sound to put the subject on hold. Acxa grabbed a tray and started filling it with food. Keith lifted Rhea to see and Acxa selected a few items the girl picked out herself. Keith slid his own tray along and followed suit as best he could with one hand. Acxa helped when the task proved too difficult and Keith made sure to grab a few things for Acxa as well.

He could feel the eyes of the chefs behind the glass on the three of them and wondered why he'd thought they could keep Rhea's presence relatively unknown. No doubt rumors were already flying in his absence over the last days. Keith put Rhea down so he could grab juice boxes for all of them. Acxa called when she strayed, "Don't go too far."

Keith asked when Rhea wandered back, "Where would she go?"

"It is not distance that worries me," Acxa answered.

Keith kissed her temple. "No one will dare harm her. You are a fierce lioness and I am the most feared man in the known universe."

Acxa teased, "You're half right. She only has to giggle and your soft spot for kits is exposed. You're going to ruin your reputation doting on her, your majesty."

Rhea pulled on Keith's jacket hem and smiled up at him. He swallowed in shock. Fuck. Acxa was right again. Rhea clamored up onto a bench and sat so she was straddling it facing Keith. Acxa sat across from them and poked the straws through their juice boxes while Keith started spooning food into the open mouth of the toddler.

Rhea chewed and opened her mouth again before swallowing. Keith poked her forehead and instructed sternly, "Swallow first." Rhea scrunched up her face impatiently. Keith intensified his look and she mirrored him, but did as told.

The doctor had been right about the growth spurt. Rhea acted like she was starving every time they ate. It was part of why he had decided to bring her to the food rather than the other way around. Rhea opened her empty mouth again and Keith put another spoonful of food in. He smiled and mussed her hair before using the spoon to feed himself.

Acxa ate pensively. She stole a piece of dessert from Keith's tray before he noticed two pill bottles sticking out of her pocket. He nodded toward her pocket and she quickly looked down and shoved them deeper. Keith met her eyes with concern, but she seemed suddenly anxious. Keith reached across the table and put a hand over hers. She whispered, "They're supplements. The doctor gave them to me when you were both asleep... for my decreased energy level and nausea. I'll be fine in a few days." Keith bit his lip and she held his hand in hers. Rubbing her thumb across the back, she blinked slowly and said, "It's nothing, I swear."

Rhea patted Keith's leg with both hands and waited with her mouth open. Keith half smiled and shook his head. Poking her forehead again, he repeated, "Swallow first."

Acxa watched the two of them sleep in the dark corner of the hangar behind a stack of cargo. Keith had been the one to stay up with the girl during the previous night when another crying fit broke out. He moaned and tightened his grip on the kit lying against his chest. Acxa smiled lovingly at the man. Keith had always been kind to children when they landed between missions, but he'd never shown interest in any of his own.

It had been a small shock to see him bring a kit aboard during the attack on Iiterai, but the fact that he planned to raise her as his own was never a thought that crossed her mind. Acxa again looked through the birth records for the planet they'd come from. The doctor's guess about Rhea's age was most likely accurate, but that time had been particularly tumultuous for her world. The details of Rhea's life were sparse as well, but Acxa could find no birth record for a child fitting Rhea's description. The last hope that they could find any next of kin was squashed.

She folded her arms and glared at her crossed ankles. There was so much that could go wrong. This was hardly the time or place to raise a child. Her attention drew to whispered oohs and awws and a breathy giggle. Acxa focused her glare on the young soldiers. They blushed at being caught and hurried about their business. Acxa hated how right she was, but Keith was quickly becoming desirable by any who saw him with their kit. She knew she appeared hostile as well. Part of her anxiety arose from her fear of how Haggar would react to the rumors around her favorite disciple, but most of her annoyance was jealousy. Keith was hers.

Acxa covered her mouth to suppress a sudden wave of nausea. She rubbed her side and concentrated on breathing until it passed. For a moment, she considered taking the pills in her pocket. She chewed her lip. Why did he have to notice everything? She'd been so careful to hide all the signs.

"General?" Acxa startled at a man's voice and sat up straighter as one of Keith's men approached. She matched his salute. The soldier reached into a pocket and handed over a data card. "For the prince... When he wakes, it's the report he's been waiting to receive."

"Ah, yes," Acxa replied and tucked it away for safe keeping.

The soldier hesitated when he turned to leave and looked at Keith. "He will be a wonderful father."

"Pardon?" Acxa asked a little too quickly. She stood to cover her blunder, but the soldier looked at her in confusion. She said, "You're dismissed," in an attempt to send him away.

He shrugged. "I'm only saying what everyone is thinking, milady."

Acxa froze. Milady? So they were treating her differently now as well? She settled back to sit on the cargo again. This was something she and Keith needed to discuss in private. Another hour passed before Rhea woke up. Keith groaned as her knee dug into his hip when she crawled to Acxa. He stretched and smiled lazily up at her where she cuddled the kit.

Standing, he asked, "Did I miss anything?"

Acxa matched his step beside him with Rhea on one cocked hip. "There was a message you'll need to take on the Retribution."

Keith scowled. "Let's go now."

"Of course, my love."

Keith deciphered the codex hidden beneath three layers of programming and grinned sardonically at how quickly he was able to translate Kolivan's messages now. Matt and Pidge had started burying their secret languages with an extra measure of biological security. Only Keith could access the files and the data chip would automatically wipe itself half a varga after being opened so that to anyone else who saw the data file, it appeared as a normal report. Still, it was worrisome how far Kolivan had gone to hide a simple request to meet.

Acxa played with Rhea on the floor of his command center while he considered how to reply. No doubt, this was about what had happened on Iiterai. He doubled over the table and held his head in his hands. He groaned loudly. A few seconds later, there was a tug on his pants. He looked down at Rhea who tilted her head in concern.

Acxa scooted over and reached for Rhea's hands. "Not now, sweet one. Daddy's working."

Keith snapped upright and looked at Acxa. She too looked up in complete surprise at her own words. Then Rhea echoed, "Daddy?"

Keith closed the file since he really didn't have an answer at the moment and sat on the floor in front of Rhea. "Yes, Rhea, Acxa and I are your new mommy and daddy. I promised we would take care of you, didn't I?" Rhea nodded. Keith smiled and reached for her hands. "Is that alright with you? Are you happy to be with us?"

Rhea jumped forward and hugged him tight. She pushed her forehead into his chest and said, "I love you, Keef and Axa!"

Keith squeezed her and put his forehead to her curls. Closing his eyes, he breathed in her scent. She no longer smelled of the planet. Everyone would know she was theirs'. He kissed her hair and reached out toward Acxa. The woman he loved had tears in her eyes. She wrapped her arms around Rhea and kissed Keith's lips. He wiped a wet track away with a thumb and placed their foreheads together. They stayed that way, this small odd family, until Rhea grew impatient.

Keith stood and picked up Rhea. He tossed her, catching her while she squealed in delight. She tucked her legs and let him hold her tight again. He kissed her nose. She really was a cuddler. "Now, I think it's time for bed, Rhea. We have a big day tomorrow."

"Ok!"

She squirmed out of his arms and ran to the door. Acxa cautioned, "Wait for us, child," and grabbed one of Rhea's hands.

Keith smiled at their backs and went to the command center to retrieve the data card. He hated the situation, but Kolivan would have to wait. Who knew when Haggar would let him leave after this fiasco.

Acxa had put Rhea to sleep in the side bedroom of the captain's suite with the door open when he returned to their quarters. Wearing only a shirt and her underwear, she turned the lights down and reached for Keith's jacket. She pulled him forward by the lapels and kissed him. Her tongue and breath was hot in his mouth. He let her push him into the wall and ran his hands through her hair, removing her hair pins for her.

After several minutes, she finally took a moment to catch her breath. Keith asked just as breathlessly, "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Her only response was a low moan of desire. Acxa's hair fell forward into her eyes. It was super cute and he knew she was just as turned on as he was. He slid his hands along her waist beneath her shirt and lifted it. She wiggled beneath his hands to free herself before yanking Keith's jacket off and tossing it to the floor.

He kissed her again, walking her backward to the bed while one hand worked at the laces on his shirt. He paused where he stood to lift it off and Acxa removed her athletic support bra before yanking Keith onto the bed. She wrapped her bare legs around his waist and sat with her hips grinding his groin. She panted between kisses, "I love you, Keith. My prince. My Keitaran."

Keith whispered against her lips, searching her skin out in the dark when she moved, "Shh, beloved. She'll hear us."

Acxa held his face in both soft hands. "Then I will be quiet, but can you say the same?"

He saw her smile, white fangs showing in the dark, before she lowered her head and her talons teased his belt. He covered his mouth with the back of a hand and met his woman's beautiful dark eyes again. God, she was something else. Then his back was arching and he shut his eyes as though that would stifle his moans. If this was what he got for making her a mother, he really wanted to try for another soon.