Crap. Sven's hard to read on a good day; right now he might as well be carved from ivory. He waits, absolutely silent, while I leave Allura a note, then follow His Broodiness next door to the rec room. It kills me still to watch him walk; to see the lethal grace he's always had replaced with the stiff, pained movements of a man decades older. It's not damned well fair. He settles on the couch with a sigh, crossing his legs and pinning me with that glare of his. "Vell, I knew you vere taking care of Allura, min bror," he says neutrally. "I did not know you vere taking advantage of dat to scratch your own needs. How long has dis been going on?"

Well, ouch. "Nice to know you think so little of me, Sven." I can't sit down; he's got me too mad, so I pace. "First of all, you KNOW I don't take advantage of women. EVER. Second of all, SHE came to ME, all right? And I did my damndest to be good, I really did. Tried to remember all that 'she's the princess' bullshit. But you know what? I'm only human."

"So because you cannot control yourself, she's ruined. You get to go back to Earth, pick up vit vhatever girl is in your bed dis veek, and leave Allura to pick up de pieces here."

I stare at him for a good five minutes before I can be coherent. "Man, do you fucking hear yourself? Gods, you sound like fucking Nanny. For your information, there is no girl in my bed on Earth, this week or any other. And you know me better than to think I'll leave Allura high and dry. At least I thought you did." He starts to say something, and I cut him off. "Yes, I'll go back to Earth tomorrow; I have to, and she knows it. But I won't leave without talking to her, working out where we go from here." Being mad isn't really doing any good; I take a breath to calm down. "Not that it's the least little bit your business, Sven, but so you know. . . I haven't so much as LOOKED at a girl since we first landed here. I haven't been able to." He gives me a questioning look, and I can feel the blush rising on my cheeks. Stupid Irish skin. "When I first saw Allura come down those stairs. . . .I was done, min bror. She was the prettiest thing I had ever seen, and you KNOW some of the girls I hooked up with at the Academy."

Oh, hell, what I wouldn't give for a camera! Sven's always been the most unflappable person I know; right now he looks like a stunned sheep. "Min gud," he finally whispers. "You are serious about her!"

"Of course I am, you stubborn-assed Viking; it's Allura, for God's sake!" This whole thing is so un-Sven it's ridiculous, and it finally clicks for me. "You aren't worried, are you? This is all pure Romelle."

He's silent for a long minute. "You know how she is, Lance. Men haf treated her very badly, and she has a hard time trusting anyvon."

"Oh, bullshit!" Not the first time I've heard this since Sven hooked up with Romelle, but that doesn't make it any less annoying. "Newsflash, Sven. I'm not Coba, or Avok, or gods forbid, fucking Lotor. It's getting old, getting painted with that brush every time." I drop into a chair across from him. "Min bror. . .you need to find someone for her to talk to. Lotor did more damage than physical; you know that as well as I do. I'm going back to Earth tomorrow; do you want me to send you some possible people?"

He shakes his head at first, then stops looking older and wearier than I've ever seen him. "Ja, please, min bror. But . . . quietly, ja? If de people of Pollux, or vorse, Vade find out. . ."

"Trust me, Sven. It'll be all right." I put a hand on his shoulder. "I'll even get NinjaNerd to double-encrypt the signal if you want."

"Dat vould probably be for de best," he agrees with a sigh. "And I should go home, I suppose. I do not vant to impose on your time vit Allura."

"You're never an imposition, Sven; you're family." We both look up at the soft voice, and I can't help but smile at the sight of Allura in the doorway; we haven't even had the Relationship Talk yet, and she's already hijacked one of my shirts like every other girlfriend I've ever had. And damn. . . the way she fills that shirt out, the sleepy, tousled look she has. . . if Sven wasn't here, I'd be taking her right back to bed. Tempted to do it anyway, but I make myself behave. For now. "You really should stay overnight," she says softly, coming into the room. "You're not that long out of the hospital; you probably shouldn't be flying at all. I'll call Romelle for you."

Sven wants to argue, I can see it in his face. But . . . I can also see the pain, and just how pale he is. "All right," he finally gives in. "Chust until tomorrow." He stands slowly and starts to join Allura; three steps in he freezes, letting out a groan of pain like I rarely hear from him. "Back spasm," he manages when I get to him. "Need to lie down . . . med kit in my pocket."

"All right; take it easy, let me do the work." I get my shoulder under his arm and help him to the closest couch, easing him down with a pang for the whimper that escapes him. In his jacket pocket I find a familiar kit with several syringes; the cocktail of muscle relaxers and powerful narcotics he needs when a spasm hits him. "Hang on, min bror; take a breath for me." He does and I pull up his shirt and jacket, stabbing the needle into the offending muscle. After the longest thirty seconds of my life, he goes limp, breathing still harsh and ragged. Every time he goes through one of these, I die inside. But there's nothing to be done, except cover him up and let him sleep through the drugs. Which I do, easing past a stunned Allura to grab a blanket from my own bed. He doesn't even stir as I tuck it around his still too-thin shoulders. "He'll be out for a while," I tell Allura softly, coming and leading her out of the room. "Let's leave him in peace, OK?"

She looks up at me with those gorgeous green eyes, wide and horror-filled. "Lance . . . what happened to him? He wasn't like that before the last battle!"

I sigh, but don't answer her until we're sitting on my bed. "Yes, he was, sweetheart. He didn't want you to know, asked us to keep it from you. Hells, WE wouldn't know if he hadn't been hit with one the last time we all went to Pollux. He's . . . gods, he's a proud one, always has been. He hates being seen as weak, and didn't want you to see him that way. I promise, he'll be all right when he wakes up." I smile ruefully and take her hand. "Not exactly how I planned to wake up with you. But . . . since we ARE up, and the dust has settled . . . we need to talk."

"I know." She plays with our intertwined fingers, not looking at me. "I . . . Lance, I heard what you said to Sven. Did you mean it?"

"Have you ever known me to say something I DIDN'T mean?" I counter gently. "Yes, 'Lura. I love you, and I have since the first time I saw you. The question is . . . do you feel the same, and what do we do about it? I know you have to marry a prince . . ."

"No, Nanny and Coran WANTED me to marry a prince," she cuts me off. "Father specified that I was to marry whomever I pleased." One hand comes up to cup my cheek. "And I would like very much for that to be you, Lance McClain. I'm just sorry it took me so long to realize it."

I turn my head to kiss her palm. "Hey, at least you realized it. Not complaining over here. So . . . what do we do about it? I'd marry you right now if we could get away with it."

Allura laughs at me. "So would I. But my people deserve to see our wedding; they've waited so long. And then there's the Garrison . . ."

My blood freezes. "Shit. Wade'll be all over this. We CAN'T go public, sugar. We can't afford to give him that kind of leverage over either of us. Damn it to all seven hells." Her face falls, but she nods in agreement. Still. . . I have to do something here. And it finally comes to me. As she watches, confused, I grab my medal box and start digging, finally coming up with what I want. "We can't be public, not yet. But. . .Allura Drielle Corys. . .will you wear my ring, to show my heart is in your keeping?" Yeah, I know it sounds corny as hell. But it's Academy tradition.

Her green eyes fly wide as I slip my Academy ring on her left hand. "Lance! Oh, are you sure? I mean yes! Yes, of course!" She tackles me, pushing me back against my headboard, and for the rest of the afternoon, nothing exists but me and her.