Long Time Coming

By Sunshineleo

Author's Note: It has been a long time since inspiration has hit, and this little plot bunny came to me after a brief conversation I had with my husband the other day.

We are all getting older. Those of us who have been in the fandom awhile have hit our mid-40s, plus. We have seen the ups and downs of being wives and mothers. Our kids are growing up and the years are flying by. I am not the same person I was ten years ago.

I would like to dedicate this story to KathDMD who will be having brunch with me in Vegas in a few days. So grateful to the fandom friendships I have made and that have stuck with me.

I also want to dedicate it to my husband, who still makes me feel loved and beautiful after almost 16 years of marriage. I love you, honey.

Musical Inspiration: Long Time Coming by New Kids on the Block

I don't own Voltron. Please enjoy.

The queen of Arus gazed at herself in the mirror, trying to ignore the creases that formed at the corners of her eyes or the expression line that formed when she raised her eyebrows. As she moved her head from side to side, she took in her new hairdo from every angle. Facing the mirror straight on, she smiled in satisfaction as she came to the conclusion that the new cut and color took 10 years off her appearance.

Allura breathed out a sigh of relief. After spending the last three hours in the hairdresser's chair, she was relieved to see golden highlights gleaming in her freshly curled, shoulder-length hair. Gone were the silver streaks that lined her scalp just that morning. Gone was the waist length mass that hung limply around her face and seemed to drag everything down.

"Thank you so much, Vicki," Allura exclaimed as she took a handheld mirror from her longtime hairdresser and friend and spun around in the chair to examine the back of her head. Cut to just past her shoulders, Allura's golden curls bounced with new life. The golden highlights seemed to brighten both her skin tone and her azure blue eyes. Feeling younger and lighter, Allura smiled at Vicki in the lighted mirror, reassuring the hairdresser that she loved her new look.

"You are so welcome," Vicki replied, returning her monarch's smile. "You are just as beautiful today as you were on your wedding day."

Allura chuckled. "I don't know about that," she replied, "but I do certainly look better, which in turn makes me feel better." Turning back to the mirror, the queen watched as Vicki brushed down some nonexistent flyaways and then removed the smock that had protected Allura's casual dress pants and cardigan.

"There you go, your highness," Vicki said as Allura stood up. "I will see you in 6 weeks to touch up those highlights?" Checking her calendar, the hairdresser continued, "We have an appointment set for 9 am on July 21. I can send you a text reminder to put in your calendar."

"That would be wonderful," Allura exclaimed. "I plan to keep up with these highlights and not let 7 months go by before my next color."

VVVVVVVVVVV

After leaving Vicki's salon in the commercial part of the Castle of Lions, Allura walked slowly back to her quarters. As she strode along, her mind wandered to what she had been noticing lately.

For a long time, she had been able to ignore the signs that the years were passing by, but no more. Signs of getting older had become very apparent to the middle-aged monarch in the last few weeks. Besides the gray streaks in her hair and the lines that had formed on her face, Allura had noticed other little things. Her feet ached when she had to be on them for any length of time. Her once taut stomach had softened and no amount of sit-ups could combat the little pooch that had formed on her abdomen since her pregnancy 20 years before. Still active in her martial arts and her running, Allura noticed soreness more frequently in her hips and knees that was not there a couple of months ago. She found she needed light walks in between her more rigorous workouts. At 47, age had caught up to the once beautiful Princess Allura.

Stopping in front of a mirror in the hallway right outside her quarters, the queen perused her appearance one more time. Smoothing down her golden tresses, she smirked at herself and felt extreme gratitude to Vicki and a boost of confidence as she prepared to enter the monarchs' apartments.

Keying in the code, Allura glided through the door once it had slid open. Walking into the bright open living area, the queen glanced towards the large, comfortable sectional to her right. A smile bloomed on her face as she took in the vision of her beautiful daughter lounging on the couch with her laptop propped up her knees. Amber brown eyes met the queen's blue eyes briefly before returning to her computer screen. A bright and cheerful "Hi Mom!" greeted the queen as she walked toward the couch.

Princess Tatiana was 19 years old. She was as beautiful as her mother and as courageous as her dad. Having finished her secondary schooling the month before, Tatiana was enjoying her summer break before she would head to the university in the fall to pursue a degree in nursing. Engrossed in whatever was on her screen, the young woman finally got a good look at her mom when the queen sat down beside her on the couch.

"Mom, what did you do to your hair?" Tatiana exclaimed as she sat up to really get a good look at her mom. "It's so short!" Tossing the laptop to the side, the princess turned her mother around so she could take in the new hairdo from all angles.

Running her hand through her hair nervously, Allura felt panic grip her stomach. "I know," she agreed. "Do you think it's too short?"

Shaking her head vigorously, the princess smiled reassuringly. "Not at all," she encouraged. "You have a mass of beautiful curls and the color brightens your face and makes your eyes pop." Running her eyes over her mom's face, Tatiana continued emphatically, "You look younger."

"Aw, baby, thank you," Allura smiled at her pride and joy. Lifting her hand to smooth a golden brown tendril behind her daughter's ear, the queen stared in awe at the beautiful creature before her. It never failed to amaze her that such an amazing, kind, thoughtful, and beautiful creature came from her. "I needed to hear that."

"Come on, Mom." Tatiana rolled her eyes. "You are beautiful, and you know it," she stated. "Daddy is going to love it." Retrieving her laptop, the princess settled back into the cushions to continue whatever it was she had been doing before Allura came in. "I think he's upstairs in his office."

Raising her blue eyes to the balcony that jutted out above the living area where she sat, the queen noticed her husband's office door slightly ajar. Surprised he had not greeted her, she figured he had not heard her come in. Leaning over to Tatiana, she pressed a soft kiss onto her daughter's temple and rose from the couch. She started toward the staircase. It was time to face her husband and get his feedback on her new look.

VVVVVVVVV

Hearing the muffled voices coming from down below, Keith smiled to himself as he listened to the exchange between his wife and daughter. The two women were extremely close, and he loved the bond that they had with each other. Thinking about what a lucky man he was, Keith sat back in his desk chair for a moment as he perused the pictures that graced his office walls.

Keith as a young man graduating from the Space Academy. The Voltron Force, including Sven, when they first came to Planet Arus. The Voltron Force with Princess Allura after she had taken over after Sven got hurt. Voltron with fireworks and the Castle of Lions after Zarkon, Lotor, and the forces of Doom were finally defeated. Keith and Allura on their wedding day. Baby Tatiana bawling on the lap of Santa Claus. Various other snapshots of important moments that told the tale of a happy life and a loving family.

Keith Kogane had come to Planet Arus 25 years ago. He had been a captain in Galaxy Garrison and commander of the Voltron Force. He had fought a war, thwarted evil, and returned peace to a planet for the first time in a generation. He fell in love with a princess, married her, and became king. He had a lifetime of amazing achievements, but nothing was he more proud of than being a husband and father.

A small noise outside the office caught his attention and returned him to the present. "Is that my beautiful wife?" he called out as he turned to greet his wife of twenty years.

Allura stood just outside the door, not quite ready for the big reveal. "You did hear me come in," she stated tentatively.

"I did," he reassured her, rising from his chair. "Now let me see your hair." Walking to the doorway, Keith was unprepared for what his eyes revealed.

Gone was Allura's mass of curls. In its place was a chic shoulder-length bob that formed a halo of layered curls around his wife's breathtaking face. Glowing golden from the afternoon sun that streamed through the window, Allura seemed almost ethereal, like an angel sent down from heaven. The highlights picked up the golden flecks in her eyes, and Keith was stunned by his wife's beauty. What came to mind was the first time he saw her in her pink dress, by candlelight, on the stairs of the old castle. He was just as speechless in that moment, too.

Waiting expectantly as her husband stared at her, Allura felt her stomach drop. This is what she had been afraid of, that he wouldn't like it, or that he would mourn the loss of the long hair. Scrambling to fill the silence, Allura blurted out, "It had been 7 months since I had colored my hair, and I noticed the silver streaks coming in. Did you notice all the gray that was coming in? I was looking old and I was looking haggard. I needed to change things up. I know it's shorter than you're used to, but…" The queen just rambled on.

Holding up his hand to stop her, Keith shook his head in slight annoyance and disbelief, jolted from his memory. "First of all, I didn't notice any gray, and even if I did, it wouldn't matter." Running his hands through his dark hair, which had its fair share of gray smattering the once ebony mass, Keith sighed. "You don't think I don't notice my own gray when I look in the mirror."

"But you look distinguished," Allura interrupted. "What is it they say, 'Men age like fine wine, but women age like milk.' We get all sour and curdled." Hanging her head in defeat, the queen felt tears threaten to fall. "I felt like I looked so old."

Walking over to his wife, the king enveloped her in a tender embrace. Pulling her in close, he rested his chin on her head. He could smell the sharp odor of hair color and bleach underneath the floral aroma of the shampoo the hairdresser had used. "How do you feel now?"

Allura stood a little straighter. She raised her chin in a fit of haughtiness and arched a blonde eyebrow. "I think I look ten years younger," she responded. "I feel lighter and brighter."

"I think you're beautiful," Keith reassured her. "Then again, I have always thought you were beautiful, and I will always think you are beautiful, in spite of the gray, the scars, the stretch marks.." His voice trailed off as he bent down to kiss her softly on the lips.

Sighing softly, the queen gave into the kiss, allowing her husband to deepen it as his arms came around her more tightly. They were lost in their moment, aware of only each other for several moments, when Tatiana's voice brought them out of their reverie. "Hey, Mom? Daddy? I am heading out to meet up with Uncle Lance and Avery for a bit. Can I catch you at dinner?"

Pulling away from her husband reluctantly, Allura turned away from Keith slightly so as to not shout in his face. "Of course, honey, we will see you later."

"Did he like your hair, Mom?" Tatiana's voice called back. "She's a hottie, Daddy, huh?"

Allura rolled her eyes as her husband chuckled deep in his throat. Pulling her in tightly for another hug, he smiled into her hair as he planted another sweet peck into the top of her new coif. "She sure is, T!" he replied, using the nickname the princess used with her close family and friends.

"Cool! Told ya he would like it, Mom!" the princess proclaimed before a final "See ya later!" floated up the stairs. The sound of the door swishing closed indicated that their daughter was gone.

Cocking a dark eyebrow at his wife, Keith sported a mischievous grin. "I think we are alone."

Staring up into the face she loved, she studied his features and ran an elegant hand along his cheek. He growled quietly in response.

Keith was still a handsome man, even after all these years. His dark eyes twinkled, laugh lines framing the corners. His facial features had softened, not as sharp as they had been in his youth. His smile still brought her to her knees whenever he flashed it. And that look. Oh the look he was giving her now would never fail to affect her. She acted quickly.

Leading him out of his office and down the hall to their bedchamber, Allura glanced back at her husband as he followed along willingly. "Let's take advantage of that and mess up my new do."

"After you, your majesty," came the quiet reply as the royal couple disappeared behind the door, as in love as they had ever been.