Arus, Love, and Peace Revised Edition
Leaving Earth
Disclaimer: Voltron, Defender of The Universe isn't mine…it belongs to World Event Production and whoever they feel licensing Voltron to. The original characters like Lawrence and Diana are all mine though. Enjoy!
The Floridian sunshine was brighter than normal as the press waited patiently outside the main hangar. A couple of weeks ago, it was officially announced that this year's Alliance Summit would include a delegation from Arus—for the first time in decades. The buzz for the Summit this year focused on interest in Arus and the anticipation of seeing Princess Allura for the first time on Earth. In addition, it would be the first time any Voltron Force member returned to Earth since being deployed to the Far Universe. The excitement started a surge in interest in all things Arus—and even more about Diana and her maternal family.
Diana was standing on the tarmac, waiting for the ship from Arus to land. She already spoke with all the Alliance officers a few feet away and was allowed to personally and formally greet Coran, Keith, and Allura alone. A cool breeze moved through and Diana closed her eyes briefly in pleasure. In honor of the day, Diana chose to wear a maroon suit with ruffles on the hems. Diana also wore a white blouse underneath the suit jacket with matching maroon earrings and shoes. Diana also had a pair of maroon sunglasses that she took off once as the Arusian ship approached the runway. Once the ship landed, it took every ounce of Diana's restraint to keep from running up the ramp and greet her guests informally. With a graceful stride, Diana moved to stand a few feet away from the ramp as the ship door opened.
Coran stepped out of the ship first dressed in a more formal, maroon version of his long coat suit. Diana smiled brightly as Coran continued down the ramp with his formal cane in his left hand, while his right hand was holding on to the rail. Once he touched the ground he smiled and quickly moved to greet Diana—whose smile brightened to finally see her uncle face to face after so many years.
"Welcome to Earth, Royal Advisor Smythe. It's a pleasure to see you in person again." Diana said formally, proud that she remembered to greet Coran by his highest title.
"The pleasure is all mine, Diana," Coran replied as he took Diana's hand and shook it for a moment before pulling her into a quick hug. "And an excellent job in greeting me formally."
"Thank you, Uncle. I'm glad you approve." Diana responded smiling even more. Coran released Diana and turned to face the ramp, waiting for Keith and Allura to step down.
Keith stepped out of the ship next wearing his black dress uniform. The uniform jacket had both his Garrison and Arusian medals, his Garrison rope braid, and a special sash that signified that he was a member of Arus' honorary knight order. The uniform seemed to glean while the medals shined in the sunlight. Keith smiled as he stepped off the ramp and was greeted with Diana's salute.
"Commander Keith Kogane—Welcome back to Earth. It's a pleasure to meet you in person, sir."
"It's good to be back on Earth for a few days. And a pleasure to meet you in person as well," Keith responded as he saluted Diana back. "I heard nothing but good things about you, Lieutenant Smythe-Williams." Keith extended his hand to Diana for a handshake. "And thank you for being Allura's truest friend."
"It's all a pleasure. Thank you for continuing to protect Allura and being a champion for Arus." Diana responded as she took Keith's hand for a solid handshake. Keith and Diana shared a smile for a few moments before Keith stood a few feet away from the other side of the ramp. With a bright smile and a wave, Allura finally stepped out of the ship. There were a few camera flashes when Coran walked down the ramp. There were even more flashes when Keith walked down the ramp. They both paled in comparison to the amount of camera flashes that Allura received in the first few moments at the top of the ramp. Instead of wearing her traditional pink gown, Allura was wearing a blue off-the-shoulders dress that ended just above her ankles. Allura was also wearing matching blue heels, a necklace, and a diadem.
Once Allura took her first solid step on Earth—Coran and Keith bowed while Diana did a full formal curtesy. When Diana stood back to her full height, she finally greeted Allura with words. "Welcome to Earth, Her Royal Highness Princess Allura of Arus. It's a pleasure to see you again after all these years."
Allura stopped in front of Diana with a smile before responding. "The pleasure is all mine to finally be able to visit you on Earth." Allura pulled Diana into a tight hug. "And what better time than the present? I look forward to reconnecting with you this week."
"No better time than the present to finally reconnect," Diana answered with a smile. Coran, Keith, Allura, and Diana moved to join the Alliance bigwigs. Diana introduced Coran to the generals present before introducing them to Allura, and finally re-introducing them to Keith. The generals flanked the group and guided them to the quick question-and-answer session with the waiting press. Diana walked to the speaker's podium and smiled at the press before speaking. "Good afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen. Once again, my name is Diana Smythe-Williams and I'm very honored to introduce you to our honored delegates from Arus. Accompanied by Royal Advisor Coran Smythe and Commander Keith Koran," Diana moved her hand to highlight both men. "I present to you, Her Royal Highness, Princess Allura of Arus." The crowd clapped in delight as Allura stepped up to the podium. After rows of bows and short curtsies, Allura smiled and spoke her first words on Earth. It wasn't too long before the press was enchanted with Allura's poise and words. When Allura was finished speaking, she answered some questions along with Keith about his homecoming and Coran on his first visit to Earth in years. Satisfied with their answers, Diana ended the session and guided the group into the large SUV the Alliance allowed her to borrow for the visit. While they were answering questions, the grounds crew managed to put all of the luggage in the back. Keith made sure that Allura was comfortable in the back seat before sitting next to her. Coran took the front passenger seat as Diana took over the driver's seat.
"Along with your discreet motorcade…" Diana started with a smile. "You'll finally see my driving skills. I'm such a great driver, the Alliance trusted me to borrow their most advanced SUV and personally drive you to Williams House."
"Diana, they'll let anyone borrow an SUV," Keith responded with a smile. "Decent driver or not."
Diana razzed Keith. "You missed the part where I stated their most advanced SUV, Commander. I'm a great driver, you can trust me."
"We'll see," Keith said as he buckled both his and Allura's seatbelts. "Just remember that you're in a car on the ground." Coran slightly bent his head down and shook it for a moment as Diana retorted that it was bad taste to disparage your hostess. Allura giggled from her seat.
"I think Nanny's mellowing out if she didn't give you a proper etiquette lesson," Diana added as she carefully took a right turn.
"That's one of the first things she did when she returned to the castle," Coran and Allura said in unison before chuckling together. "It took a few tries since we kept being attacked."
"Nice to know that some things never change," Diana replied. "I guess I better brush up on Arusian culture and etiquette, then."
"If she still sees you as her baby, you're going to get a refresher course anyway," Allura commented. "She had the boys go through a refresher course a few days after we defeated Doom." Diana softly groaned and started to plead with Coran.
"Uncle Coran, please tell me that she'll see me as a full adult. I'm an officer in the reserves and even managed a large house including temporary tenants during the academic year."
"It depends. Did you attend a debutante ball?"
"I didn't participate in one—I was focused on a couple of other, slightly more important things. Like getting my driver's license and college applications. Would several social galas count?"
"You'll still be considered a child. She still believes in all the old traditions," Coran stated. "You'll just have to bear it."
Diana shook her head as she turned to her neighborhood. "I've been through worse."
Meanwhile, at the Castle of Lions, Lance looked at the time shown on his watch. Before Keith left, he had Lance take over his shifts and some of his duties. Of course, Keith left detailed instructions for nearly every situation that could pop up. Lance was comfortable with nearly everything newly assigned to him—except for making the schedules for all the castle guards, including the ones assigned to Castle Control. Scheduling was a nightmare he would never wish on his worst enemy. Sighing, he stood up from his desk inside his quarters and grabbed the folders with all the schedule and day-off requests. As he walked to the elevator, he had his last few moments of complaining about the schedules. Once he was in the elevator, he mellowed out and spoke to the occasional castle staff members. He even lightly flirted with a couple of maids before stepping out of the elevator to make his way to the Castle Control.
Once there, Lance smiled at the scene before him. There were a couple of castle guards sitting in front of the substations. Sitting at the main console on top of the dais was one of the lieutenants, Thomas. Thomas was the one guard (outside the vacationing Captain of the Guards) that both Keith and Lance agreed was a good substitute to take over the main console when Coran or any of the other Voltron members weren't available. It was a long discussion, but Lance ultimately won the discussion when he mentioned that Coran personally trained Thomas to take over all the stations—including the main console. Currently, Thomas was focusing on one of the screens, telling one of the guards to check an area just outside the castle.
"How's everything going, Thomas?" Lance asked casually. Thomas turned around and quickly saluted Lance before answering.
"Everything is relatively quiet this morning, Lt. Lance," Thomas reported. "All guards have reported in for their shift change and your crew have settled into their shift. Tech Sergeants Stoker and Garrett are already doing some maintenance work on Black Lion. Commander Holgersson is out on patrol in Blue Lion with Princess Romelle. Nanny just arrived at Kitchen Command." Thomas finished with his brief report.
"Great job, I'll take over since it's my shift. Get some sleep, man." Lance said, dismissing Thomas for his shift. "See you later." Thomas simply nodded as he walked away from the console and into the hallway outside the room. Lance quickly settled into the station and opened a new window so he could work on the schedules on a dedicated screen. Lance took a look at his watch and figured out that Keith, Coran, and Allura should have arrived on Earth and had dinner by now. After glancing through the logs, Lance noticed there wasn't an entry stating that they arrived on Earth. "Sorry schedules, got to check on Chief, first," Lance said softly to the schedule folders next to him. Lance took a glance at the contact information for Earth and confirmed the numbers he needed to reach Williams House—the current residence for Coran's niece. "I'm sure everything is ok, though. I would have felt something otherwise," Lance said to himself as he entered the number to Williams House. It didn't take too long before the face of the woman he saw a couple of weeks ago filled the screen. It was one of the most beautiful faces Lance had ever seen in his life. Diana had her black, tight curls loose and framing her face. Her medium skin shined with the reflection from the soft lights surrounding her in the study. Lance was also taking in Diana's full lips and perfect nose. Lance remembered that he had a purpose for calling. "Arus calling Williams House."
Back on Earth, Diana was taking in the handsome face on her screen. She was in the study of Williams House—the house her parents had built by scratch when the neighborhood was still new. The first floor of the house held the foyer/entrance, living room, kitchen, and dining room. The second floor had a study, a den, a library, and a laundry room. The third and highest floor boasted of five bedrooms with individual baths. Diana's suite (including a very spacious closet) took up most of the floor from the stairs to the right wing. The guest suites took up the rest of the floor.
When the call came in from Arus, Diana was going over the details for some of the big meetings she'll be present for during the summit. Diana spent the rest of the afternoon before dinner catching up with Coran and Allura while learning more about Keith. Diana was very impressed with Keith's mannerisms and insights. Even more impressed by all the information Keith seemed to know about Arus. Diana was pleased that she was able to get the best chefs at Galaxy Alliance kitchen cater their dinner so she could spend more time with her guests pre-dinner. After dinner, Diana decided to over some of the details for the meetings she'll attend in the next few days as part of the big summit as Keith and Allura decided to enjoy the small garden in the backyard and Coran decided he wanted to turn in early to his room.
Back to the screen on the study wall, Diana took in Lance's features. Lance had one of the most handsome faces she ever saw. Lance's lightly tanned skin was illuminated by the soft lights coming from his console. Diana took in Lance's dark brown hair and eyes with his fringe bangs covering part of his forehead. Lance's lips were lined in a tight grin as if he was inspecting Diana's face as well. Mentally shaking her head to focus, Diana answered Lance's hail. "You've connected with Williams House."
"I'm Lieutenant Lance McClain of the Voltron Force. I was looking to speak with Royal Advisor Coran Smythe, Commander Keith Kogane, Her Royal Highness Princess Allura of Arus, or the owner, Diana Smythe-Williams."
"Well, you're currently speaking with the owner now, Lieutenant," Diana answered. "How can I help you?"
"You own Williams House?" Lance asked, not sure that he was talking with the owner.
"Yes. I am Diana Smythe-Williams." Diana confirmed, wondering if it was so hard to realize that a young woman could own and maintain a large, valuable house. "I'm also a Lieutenant in the Air Reserves. At your service."
"No Way."
"What more proof do you need? If I know Uncle Coran like I think I know him, you had to see me at the press conference weeks ago." Diana said, crossing her arms. "Like I asked, how can I help you?"
Lance sighed. "It's early morning here in Arus and I haven't heard from Keith, Coran, or Allura."
"I guarantee that all three arrived safely on Earth and are currently at Williams House. Uncle Coran is resting in his room. Keith and Allura are in the backyard."
"I need to talk to Keith. I can't take your word for it."
"Sounds like a personal issue. They're safe at the Williams House—which is just outside Alliance Headquarters. Under my protection." Diana responded.
"Look, we've had deceiving messages before. I just want to make sure." Lance said, rolling his eyes. Diana rolled her eyes back at Lance.
"That's all you had to say, Lieutenant. No need to insult their hostess," Diana said as she entered a code to reach Keith outside on the patio. While she was waiting for Keith to answer, Diana had a thought. Apparently, somebody failed Nanny's Etiquette Class. When Keith answered, Diana said that Arus was paging him. Keith remembered that he hadn't checked in with Arus yet. Keith sighed and said he was on his way to the study. While Keith was on his way to the study, Lance and Diana held a staring contest that only broke when Keith walked into the room. Diana stood up and headed to the door.
"As promised, Lieutenant McClain, Commander Keith. The comm is all yours, Keith." Diana said as she took a step out of the room. "If I don't see you again this evening, have a good night."
"Can I get a goodbye?" Lance asked Diana. Diana quickly turned to face Lance. "What about me?"
Diana rolled her eyes to say What about you? "I said good night."
"To Keith, but not to me personally," Lance said, slightly smiling.
Diana sighed before speaking. "Good night, Lieutenant McClain. Have a good shift."
"Thanks. Have a great evening, Ms. Smythe-Williams," Lance responded. "By the way, it's early morning here on Arus." Diana rolled her eyes before walking out and closing the door.
Keith sighed from his seat in the study. "I don't even want to know…" Keith started. "What's up?"
"Well…somebody forgot to check in," Lance started. "I'm going to need some leeway the next time I forget to check-in. As in, no consequences the next time I forget to check in."
"Whatever, Lance," Keith said before continuing their conversation. Lance reported on all the goings in the castle before sharing he was currently working on the schedule. Their conversation lasted another 15 minutes before they hung up. Keith looked around the house and found Diana and Allura talking in the kitchen as Diana was putting up the dishes and silverware in the dishwasher. Allura pointed out that Nanny never lets her spend time in the kitchen or laundry room alone. Diana laughed before she wondered if she could convince Nanny to let her do her own laundry.
"Fat chance," Allura said with a smile. "She'll probably still see you as one of her babies and find every reason to have it done for you. I've yet to win that battle with Nanny."
"You've been around Lance too long, Princess" Keith said, letting his presence known. "I think I'm going to have to fix that."
"Well…with Diana joining us, I'm sure that you will." Allura said with a wink and a smile.
"Commander…" Diana started to ask a question.
"You know you can just call me Keith, right? You're going to be staying at the Castle and joining the team. It'll be awkward to keep hearing you refer me by my rank every day."
Diana laughed before speaking. "You're right, Keith. So anyway…"
"I would apologize about Lance, but it'll be hopeless. His mouth has a mind of its own," Keith interrupted. "But I can count on him to question things if they don't seem right."
"So, I noticed," Diana replied as she thought about their short conversation. "Must drive you crazy at times."
"At times," Allura answered after she shared a chuckle with Keith. "He's a great judge of character. He just has this incredible intuition."
"And I think you made an impression on him," Keith continued.
"I'm sure I have. My theory is that Lance probably hides behind sarcasm and jokes as a defense mechanism?" Allura and Keith nodded their heads to confirm Diana's thoughts. "I'm also guessing that he'll grow on me." Allura and Keith shook their heads yes again. Sighing. "I guess I'll give him a chance. By the way…" Diana started staring at the couple holding hands. "Is there something I should know about you two? Romantically?"
"We were hoping to keep it a secret, but…" Allura started. "Yes, Keith and I started a romantic relationship. We wanted to enjoy our relationship before everyone starts in on us."
"Does Uncle Coran or Nanny know about the relationship?" Diana asked.
"Not yet. The guys don't know either." Keith said. "We really just wanted to enjoy our privacy."
"I won't tell. But I wouldn't be surprised if the guys already know—especially Lance if everything you said about him is true. Uncle Coran and Nanny probably already know about it and just waiting for you two to confirm their hunches," Diana finished before yawning. "I'm sorry about that. That's my cue to get some sleep."
"That's our cue, as well," Allura said as they followed Diana out of the kitchen. They followed Diana upstairs and stopped at the stairwell. Diana wished them goodnight before turning to face the guest room she was going to stay in for the week. A thought hit her head and she turned to face her suite in time to see Allura invite Keith to come in.
"Be careful. For whatever reason, that room doesn't have sound insulation." Diana warned softly. Keith and Allura gave Diana a thumbs-up before disappearing behind the door. Diana shrugged her shoulders as she walked into the guest room across from Coran's.
4 days later*
Everyone else at the Williams House was still sleeping when Diana changed into her favorite gym clothes. With a smile, Diana stretched and got ready to go for her last regular morning run around the base and through her neighborhood. Her sports bra and t-shirt were purple with black diagonal stripes. She was also wearing matching capris with a pair of black and purple sneakers. With a smile, Diana jogged to the end of her street as a quick warm-up before taking off on a run down the main thoroughfare that led directly to the Alliance base.
As she continued to run towards the base, Diana thought about the dress she was going to wear at the Alliance gala tonight. Her paternal grandmother, affectionately called Granny Wills, presented her mother's favorite formal dress. When Diana first laid eyes on the dress she could see why it was a favorite. The strapless maroon dress was made out of taffeta, its waist was covered with beaded white rosettes. On the bottom hem, was another row of beaded rosettes with more rosettes along some of the pleats in the full skirt. This particular taffeta had a beautiful opalescent sheen to it that magically complimented her skin tone. When she tried the dress on last night, Diana couldn't believe how well done the restoration that Granny Wills graciously paid for.
Focusing back on the present, Diana waved at some of the older officers as they made their way to their offices. Diana continued her run past some mothers running on a different path with their young children in carriages. Diana's running path turned to follow the shoreline of the local beach. Diana caught up with a couple of acquaintances and completed a section of the beach with them. When they split apart, the friends wished Diana well on her project to Arus and stated that they'll miss her on Earth. Diana finished the last part of her run by cutting through some of the alleys in her neighborhood. When she arrived at the alley behind her house, Diana failed to catch a call that mysteriously only rang twice. Shrugging her shoulders, Diana walked around to the front and was surprised to see a couple of bouquets waiting for her. Diana bent down to grab both bouquets and walked inside the house.
Diana stopped in the living room and wasn't too surprised to see Keith sitting on one of the couches. Keith was wearing a regular Garrison uniform. "Good morning, Keith. Sleep well?"
"Slept well enough, thanks," Keith responded with a smile. "Who's the flowers from?"
Diana placed the flowers down on a high table and grabbed the cards to read. The first bouquet came from her co-workers wishing her good luck on Arus. The second card simply stated that the person couldn't wait to dance with her at the gala. "The first bouquet came from my colleagues at the Health Department—wishing me luck on Arus," Diana responded. "I'm not sure why everyone is so sure that I won't return back to Earth."
"You'll never know. Right now, Arus is more home to me than Earth—and I grew up here like you did." Keith said, shrugging his shoulders. "Even your mom meant to return to Arus instead of staying on Earth."
"Point taken. The second bouquet doesn't say explicitly who sent them—but it's probably an acquaintance of mine. I'm sure to see whoever it is later tonight." Diana answered honestly. "I see you're ready for the day. I better get upstairs and get ready myself for the last day of the summit." Diana said before running up the stairs to shower and change. By the time Diana returned downstairs after her shower and a change of clothes, everybody was ready in the living room. Coran was wearing a navy suit with a white shirt under it and a pair of navy shoes on his feet. Next to him, Allura was wearing a blue sheath dress with a matching suit jacket and heels. Allura was also wearing a blue circlet. Diana herself changed into a very conservative black pants suit and a white blouse underneath. After greeting Allura and Coran, the group left the house to finish the summit.
The day at the summit was fast-paced and Diana could tell that all the delegates were anxious to close out the meetings and fast-forward to the gala. Not only were all the planning details ironed out for Arus' recovery efforts—but some other planets were also able to get some of their pressing needs met. After the meetings, Diana and Allura were able to enjoy an afternoon of pampering at the most prestigious spa in the area. The ladies enjoyed a massage, a rejuvenating citrus bath, a manicure-pedicure session, and finally having their hair styled for the night. Diana and Allura returned to Williams House ready to finish their preparation for a formal evening out.
The group met in the foyer roughly 30 minutes later. Keith was dressed in his Formal Dress White Uniform and matching white dress shoes. His hair was slicked back and tied at the nape. Allura chose to wear a pale blue, off-the-shoulders satin gown with a beaded bodice ending at the waist. Allura also wore a blue diadem with a matching necklace set and a pair of satin dress heels. Coran was wearing a maroon tuxedo with a dresser version of his cane. Diana showed off her maroon taffeta dress to a chorus of compliments. With a smile, Diana took Coran's arm as they left for the gala.
The gala was held in the third-floor ballroom in one of the swankier hotels outside the base. When Diana, Keith, Coran, and Allura arrived at the hotel they were greeted by the press before walking the red carpet in pairs. Allura and Keith answered some of the questions thrown their way, while Coran and Diana simply waved to the people surrounding the red carpet. The first thing the group did when they walked into the ballroom was go down the formal reception line to shake hands with the most senior officers in the Alliance.
The next thing they did was take a couple of pictures before being seated at the Guests of Honor table. Granny Wills, was already at the table. She stood up and shook hands with Keith and Coran before she curtsied Allura and gave Diana a tight hug. Once the group was settled in and the rest of the table arrived, there were a couple of speeches. When the speeches were over, dinner was finally served. Dinner for the evening consisted of a grilled sea bass filet covered with a delicate saffron-lemon sauce, brown and wild rice, mixed grilled vegetables, and finally a cheddar garlic roll. All the gala attendees had a choice of drink between champagne or sparkling white grape juice. To end the delicious meal, the dessert was a very sweet pineapple cheesecake.
After the wonderful dinner and a couple of speeches by Coran and Allura, it was time to start the dancing part of the evening. With a smile, the orchestra/band started the evening with a traditional Arusian tune which Diana danced with Coran and Allura danced with Keith. Once the song was over, the partners were switched when a traditional ball tune sounded—Diana danced with Keith and Coran with Allura. With the third song, the rest of the crowd joined in the dancing. As Coran danced with Granny Wills, Diana danced with her last commanding officer in the reserves. Allura danced with Sky Marshal Graham while Keith danced with Graham's niece. After that, Diana danced through a string of acquaintances and some of her now former colleagues. After three hours spent dancing non-stop, Diana snuck out to the terrace to take in some fresh evening air. As she took her first fresh breaths of air and enjoyed the scenery before her, Diana also thought about all the well-wishes from colleagues and her parents' acquaintances.
It wasn't too long before Allura joined Diana outside on the terrace, taking in the beautiful scenery of the ocean below and the moon above. "Diana, is everything ok?" Allura asked when she joined Diana at the railing. "I noticed you've been missing from the ball. I also wanted to make sure that you weren't too overwhelmed by everything."
"I'm wonderfully fine, Allura. Just taking a few breaths of fresh air," Diana answered with a smile.
"I'll have to warn you that Coran and Nanny are going to want to have a ball in your honor once you arrive on Arus," Allura said with a smile. "Nanny's going to want to invite all the eligible princes and nobles." Diana groaned in response.
"Maybe Uncle Coran will convince her otherwise," Diana said with a smile. "I wouldn't want to be overwhelmed." Allura laughed. "He's going to cave to Nanny, isn't he?" Allura nodded her head yes. "Damn traditionalists," Diana turned to face the ballroom and noticed that Keith stepped out to the terrace, looking to reclaim Allura. "By the way, I believe your knight in shining armor has arrived." Allura turned to give Keith a bright smile before walking to join him. As the couple stepped into the ballroom, Allura turned to mouth "Thank You" to Diana before she was completely in the ballroom again.
Once Allura and Keith left the terrace, Diana turned to look at the beach scene beyond the terrace. After a few peaceful moments, the clicks of a pair of dress shoes sounded in Diana's ears. When the steps ended, Diana could feel an increase of electricity in the atmosphere and she took a deep breath as the owner of the shoes spoke. "You look ravishing in that dress," the deep masculine voice said. Diana gasped before turning around to face her visitor. Nothing could prepare Diana to see her ex-boyfriend standing before her. It's been six months since she last saw Lawrence Wiley and as coincidence would have it—it was also at a ball. Lawrence left her on the dancefloor as L-O-V-E was ending. What made this moment even more surreal was the fact that the song that was just before L-O-V-E that night was now playing again. "A beautiful sight for sore eyes."
Diana processed the sight of Lawrence in his dress uniform. The brightness of the uniform contrasted heavily with the dark terrace and all of Lawrence's ribbons and medals seem to glean in the low light. Diana admired Lawrence's longer, wavy hair at the crown and short, cropped sides. Lawrence also seemed to keep his tanned appearance—and also seemed to gain some more muscle in the last few months. Diana found herself having to catch her breath as the terrace was suddenly filled with tension.
"Thank you for the compliment, Lawrence," Diana answered as Lawrence moved to stand by her side at the railing.
"You're welcome. You always look beautiful, Diana." Lawrence said as he reached out and lifted Diana's chin. Lawrence knew that it was going to be a tall order, but he held on to the hope that he could win Diana over—even though it's been six long months since he last saw her. "I'm sorry I left the way I did. Did you get the note I left on your doorstep? How about the flowers I sent today?"
"I bet you are sorry about the way you left. I didn't get your note six months ago. Thank you for the beautiful bouquet," Diana answered as she moved her head. "By the way, do sharks compliment their prey before eating them?"
"Where in the hell did that come from?" Lawrence asked. "Don't answer that—I remember it was one of the opening lines from your first romance novel." Lawrence paused, thoughtfully. "I'm guessing that you're still mad at me? Honestly, I wouldn't blame you, though."
"You left me on the dancefloor to our song," Diana responded as she narrowed her eyes. "I didn't hear from you for six months. Six long months. How would you feel?" Diana turned and took a couple of steps away from Lawerence. Lawrence sighed before pulling Diana back into an embrace and forcing her to look at him again.
"In my defense-it was an important, covert mission. It wasn't supposed to last six months, but things kept getting complicated. And if I had your help, I would have been back in days." Lawrence answered. "But the important thing is that I'm here with you now…where I belong," Lawrence said as he lifted Diana's chin again. "By your side."
"Do you have any idea how many situations went through my head after you left? No word of a mission. Nobody knew anything or at least wouldn't confess to anything. I had so many thoughts in my head. After a couple of months, I just figured that you just weren't into me." Diana said as she moved her head again as she fought the tears forming in her eyes as she looked at the moon above. Lawrence moved Diana's head so that she was looking at him directly again.
"I'm so sorry, sweetheart. I promise from now on that I'll always make sure you know what's going on with me. We can even pick up things from where we were six months ago on that dancefloor." Lawrence said, lifting Diana's chin again. "Our song is playing and I still owe you a dance. And since I know you enjoy the fresh air, we can stay here on the terrace." Lawrence took the lead as the opening bars of L-O-V-E by Nat King Cole sounded in their ears. As much as she was enjoying the dance on the terrace, Diana knew that the best thing she could do for their relationship was to make sure Lawrence knew it was over. As the song ended, Diana decided to just let Lawrence know that they couldn't continue their relationship as if nothing happened.
"Lawrence, it's better that our relationship ended. Six months and no communication is an awfully long time to keep hope in a relationship whether it's mutual or one-sided," Diana said as she took a step back. "It's too late to salvage our relationship."
"It's never too late, Diana."
"Always a first for everything, Captain," Diana responded as she turned to face the ballroom and took a few steps in that direction. "I'll see you on base when I get back from Arus next year."
"Whoa, whoa. Don't you have another 2 months or so before you can leave for Arus?"
"Try tomorrow," Diana answered as she turned to get one last look at Lawrence. "I'm leaving for Arus with my Uncle, The Princess, and Commander Kogane," Diana said as she turned and walked towards the ballroom again. "I'm finally going to be able to fulfill my parents' last wishes. And I plan to revive Arus' Public Health system. In a way, I'm glad we were able to have this conversation, Lawrence. If you ever need me, just reach out to Castle Control." Diana walked into the ballroom and was immediately met by Coran who suggested it was time to go home and get some sleep. Diana agreed and joined up with the rest of their group and even was able to say goodbye to Granny Wills before leaving for Williams House.
About 30 minutes later, Diana was dressed in a pair of sleep pants and a matching camisole. Everybody else in the house was in their rooms either doing some last-minute packing or sleeping. Diana finished her packing last night and left the dress with accessories in the closet. Sighing, Diana instinctively walked downstairs when she heard the doorbell. When she made it to the front door, she peeked and saw that Lawrence was waiting for her outside. Diana sighed again as she stepped outside.
"Lawrence, why are you here so late tonight?" Diana asked as she closed the front door. She could feel her heart beating faster as her anxiety rose.
"I missed you, Diana. You are always on my mind, sweetheart." Lawrence answered as Diana crossed her arms over her chest and her heart continued its fast beats. "I'm so sorry I broke your heart six months ago. I didn't mean to do that at all. By the time I got out of the mission briefing, the ball was over and you were already asleep. I even tried to call several times, but I couldn't leave a message. I left a note on the doorstep as a last resort thing. In fact, I tucked the note just behind the pot on the right side of the door."
Diana gasped in slight surprise. It took a moment before she could speak again. "Thank you for sharing that, Lawrence. The note probably was swept away by the wind when the storm passed through that morning." Diana paused, to think about where she wanted the conversation to head. "Like I said earlier…" Diana started but was interrupted when Lawrence suddenly pulled her to him for a searing kiss. Diana fought the tears that were trying to form. "Lawrence, our relationship is over. It has been over for weeks, now." Diana pointed out as she crossed her arms again.
"Can you really walk away from our relationship after that kiss?" Lawrence asked Diana softly. Diana looked into Lawrence's eyes and immediately regretted it. It took a moment for Diana to answer the question.
"You left during our song at a ball. If you can manage that; then I can manage walking away after that wonderfully gentle kiss." Diana replied in a soft voice.
"Won't you give me another chance? I don't care how far we are from each other, we can make it work." Lawrence pleaded. "Please, baby, please."
"Lawrence, I can't right now. Maybe in the future." Diana said, steeling her nerves as she took a step back towards the front door.
Lawrence reached out and pulled Diana close to him again. Before Diana could say or do anything, Lawrence gave Diana a long, gentle kiss. "I love you, Diana. The question is do you love me?"
"Lawrence, I will always have love for you," Diana started to answer as she took a step back and a deep breath. "And I'll always have a special spot for you in my heart. You're my first love, after all." She turned to open her front door. "Have a good night, Lawrence. I'll see you after I get back from Arus." Diana walked into the house and closed the door softly. She leaned against the door as Lawrence got into his car and left. "That was very hard to do. However, I need to move forward. And so, forward I shall go." Diana said to herself as she stood up straight before walking back upstairs. When she made it to the landing of the third floor, Keith was quietly stepping out from his room on his way to Allura's. Keith asked Diana if everything was ok and Diana responded with a fake smile that everything was fine. After a quick round of see you in the mornings, Diana went to her guest room and Keith went into Allura's room.