"Look at him! Just look at him!" Allura exclaimed with a laugh as she pointed at two children hanging from Hunk's sturdy arms, two more clinging to his trunk-like legs. The children squealed in delight as the burly Space Explorer tried to swing them off - only to fail miserably. Four other younger children were watching their peers from the ground and clamoring for their turn, circling Hunk like bees to a flower.

"This picnic was a wonderful idea, Princess," Nanny commended with a smile of her own. She took a minute away from her eagle-eyed supervision of the maids unpacking the picnic baskets to watch Hunk’s antics with the children. "This is a wonderful way to send off the children."

Thirty children, whose ages ranged from two to thirteen, had been given temporary shelter in the Castle while the village orphanage damaged in Zarkon's last attack was being repaired. For an entire fortnight the Castle halls had rung with children's laughter and the members of the Voltron Force had found themselves with the jobs of construction workers by day and part-time nannies by night.

Lance was teaching the older children how to swim in the shallows of the lake, patiently supporting them one by one as he showed them how to float. The others who already knew how to swim were playing a makeshift game of water polo with Pidge in a slightly deeper area of the lake, their loud laughter and good-natured bantering very audible above their splashing. Some of the older girls were helping lay out food on the picnic blankets, while the other younger girls were sitting on the bare grass, picking flowers, and making crowns and garlands for themselves.

A tug at Allura's leg caught her attention, and she looked down to meet a little girl's gap-toothed grin. Allura smiled back at he child. For some reason this three-year old little girl with deep obsidian-colored eyes and jet-black hair was one of her favorites.

The child held up a crown of white snowdrops to the Princess. "For you, Pinsis Ally," she offered. "Will you put it on?"

"I'd love to wear it, Faila. It's very pretty," Allura said, stooping down to meet the child's eyes. "You can put it on me yourself, if you want." She bent her head down, and the little girl reached up to place the crown on her head.

Faila looked at her for a long moment then clapped her hands in delight. "Now you look just like a fairy pinsis!" she exclaimed. She gave Allura a light peck on the cheek then held out another crown. "This one is for Keif," she declared emphatically. She looked around, stopping her sweep when she saw a red suit - but he was nowhere to be found. She brought her gaze back to Allura's, her face contorted in a puzzled frown. "Where is Keif? I wanna give him flowers, too."

"Captain Keith is back at the Castle keeping guard over all of us," Allura explained, pointing towards the Castle.

Keith had chosen to be the one left behind on duty when plans for the picnic were discussed the night before. The only plausible reason behind the request troubled her – she had never thought him to be the type not to like being around children. She hadn't seen him spend much time with the kids that often, but, to his credit, she had never seen him turn down any of the children's requests to play with them.

Which was why she couldn't understand why he wouldn't jump at the chance to spend the day outside instead of being cooped up inside the Castle. Coran had urged all of them to accompany the children for a well-deserved break, but Keith had still insisted on staying behind.

His duty-conscience was probably acting up again, she thought derisively. His devotion to his job was one trait of his that was evident to Allura from the very beginning, and it was one of the things she admired about him – most of the time.

"Why? Can't Keif keep guard over us here?" Faila asked. "I want to see him, Pinsis Ally."

My thoughts exactly, Allura mused with an exasperated grimace. He should be here - he has no reason not to be. That man is such a stickler for his job that he probably sleeps with it.

She eyed Faila's disappointed face with some amusement. The little girl had taken an instant liking to Keith from the first, when she and her younger brother Keenan had been brought to the sanctuary of the Castle of Lions in Keith's capable arms.

Keith had rescued Keenan and his six other wingmates from certain death under one of the orphanage's crashing walls, arriving just in time to get him and his other young companions out, but not before all seven children were injured by some failing chunks of debris. Although they were all recovering nicely, Dr. Gorma had insisted that they rest until time for their move back to the orphanage came along.

"Don't worry, Faila, you'll get to see Keith later. Want a carry?" Allura asked.

Faila nodded, and Allura picked the little girl up, shifting her to one hip. She frowned thoughtfully. With all the fun they were having down here, she had almost forgotten about the seven injured children back at the Castle missing all the fun, Faila's two-year-old brother Keenan included.

Allura turned to Nanny. "Nanny, did you leave some picnic food up at the Castle for the other kids?"

Nanny turned back to Allura with a troubled frown. "I did – but I'm not sure if I instructed anyone back there to serve them the treats for snacks," Nanny said. "Dr. Gorma has been in charge of informing the kitchen about their meals, but I don't know if he knows about the food we left behind."

“Probably not,” Allura said, shaking her head. "He was too busy this morning for me to even remind him about this afternoon's picnic." She stroked her chin with her free hand thoughtfully, before a smile slowly broke over her face. "Nanny, since everything is going smoothly enough down here, I want to go back to the Castle and check up on the other kids there - and give them a little indoor picnic."

Nanny nodded enthusiastically and shooed Allura off. "Go ahead, Princess, I'll handle everything down here," she assured the princess. "The rest of the boys and the other maids are keeping an eye on everyone else here, so we won't miss you. Those poor angels up there need more cheering up than these ones do – these imps out here will have as much fun with or without you."

Allura laughed at that. "Thanks a lot, Nanny, you sure know how to make me feel wanted!" she quipped with an affectionate grin. She bent down, intending to put Faila back on the ground, but the little girl, who had listened to the exchange between the princess and her governess, hung on tight.

"Can I go to?" Faila pleaded, clinging to her neck. "I wanna see Keif - and Keenan, too. I wanna join the indow picnic." She turned the full force of her pleading gaze at Allura. "I wanna give Keif his crown of flowers and kiss him just like you."

"You charming little flirt," Allura said with a chuckle, finally capitulating. "Alright. You can come. Hang on!" With that, she shifted the child higher against her and strode back to the Castle doorway, making a straight path for the kitchens and determined glint in her blue eyes.
 
 

Allura raised a small storm in the Castle kitchen, piling all sorts of junk food Nanny and the other chefs in the kitchen had cooked for the picnic party on a serving tray, while Faila sneaked bites of the marshmallow-frosted devil’s food cake. The Princess took out some of the gaily-printed paper plates and brightly colored forks and tucked them under her arm. Faila's hand in hers, she insisted on pushing the cart to the infirmary herself, already anticipating the children’s delighted squeals when she saw her surprise.

Dr. Gorma met Allura and her cart of goodies at the infirmary entrance with a wide smile.

"Princess Allura," he greeted, bowing formally. He straightened and eyed her and the serving tray curiously. "Captain Keith explained to me about today's picnic for the children. What are you doing back here so early?"

"I came to see the other children – I wasn't sure if Nanny had told you that we had left some treats for them back in the kitchen." Allura smiled back and indicated the tray with a wave of her hand. "Would it be alright if Faila and I came for a visit and threw an indoor picnic for them?"

Dr. Gorma nodded. "I don't see why not," he said with a grin. "Except that the children aren't here right now."

"Not here? But I thought you didn’t want them go anywhere."

Dr. Gorma shook his head. "The children were so restless today knowing that there was a picnic going on that didn't include them that I decided it would be good idea for them to have a change in scenery. They didn't go far, just the other wing to the nursery."

"I see," Allura said, nodding slowly as her puzzled frown gave way to a curious smile. "How long have they been there?"

"My nurses and I helped Captain Keith move them there as soon as the team and the rest of the children as soon as you left."

Allura’s smile widened at that. "It was nice of him to offer to help you."

He shook his head, eyeing her mildly surprised expression with some amusement. "As a matter of fact, Princess, WE helped him." He frowned. "The move was his idea. I thought you knew about his plans to stay behind."

“His idea? But I thought –“ Allura laughed as pieces of the puzzle fell into place. So that was why he had insisted on staying. "That sneak!" she exclaimed on a chuckle. "That no good sneak!" She stopped laughing and grinned at Dr. Gorma. "Would you like to join us? We have marshmallow frosted chocolate cake, some egg salad sandwiches on rainbow bread, and other similar treats."

The doctor laughed. "It's been quite some time since I've had such healthy fare," he conceded. "I'd love to." He eyed Faila, who was hiding behind the Princess' leg and peeking at him shyly. "Your Highness, it seems to me like you have your hands full with those plates and that tray." He went down to his haunches in front of Faila. "Would you like me to carry you to the nursery? Ally needs both hands free, and it's a bit far for you to walk."

Faila looked up to Allura for guidance. Allura nodded. "Go ahead. Dr. Gorma's a good man, he's been taking care of Keenan all this time, remember?"

"I can give you a ride piggy back if you want," he offered solemnly. “Although I have to admit I haven’t had much practice in recent years, I believe I can still give you a good ride.”

"Ooooh! Piggyback ride – just like with Keif!" Faila clapped, won over completely by the bribe. "Okay!" She stepped behind the doctor and climbed on his shoulders eagerly. Dr. Gorma kept a leisurely pace, giving the little girl time to savor the piggyback ride on his tall shoulders.

Allura kept a fast pace towards the other wing, eager to see what Keith and the other children were up to, leaving Dr. Gorma and Faila in her wake. She paused at the door of the nursery, meaning to catch Keith by surprise. The door swished open after she keyed in the code, and she leaned against the door jamb, leaving her cart of goodies outside, transfixed by what she saw.

He was sitting Indian-style in one nook of the nursery, leaning against the window seat. A dark-haired, blue eyed toddler with a bandage around his crown nestled in his lap, leaning back against his chest and fast asleep. He was reading over the toddler's head from a thick volume of stories that Allura recognized as the same one her father had read from when she was a little girl. The six other children were gathered around him in a semi-circle, fascinated by the story he was telling them.

"... the great Knight Arivel raised his sword and struck the monster's head off in one great blow. At the moment its head was struck off the chains on the Princess' wrists and ankles disappeared and..."

"Keif, Keif!"

Faila darted in from the corridor with her crown of flowers in hand, smiling her gap-toothed grin at him. All the children - and their storyteller - turned to the doorway distracted.

"Allura - um, I mean, Princess..." Keith met Allura's knowing eyes, guilt written all over his face.

"Hi, Keith - your unwanted reinforcements have arrived," she greeting him with a saucy wave.

Faila took up Keith's attention then while she placed the crown of flowers over his head, but the other children's attention was on Allura. She brought in her tray of goodies, whipping off the cover with a flourish. She passed around the plates to the delighted children, who didn't seem to mind that their story hour had been cut short. Dr. Gorma helped out by cutting the cake and laying them on the children's plates. They all laughed when she dabbed one little girl's nose with the thick marshmallow icing.

Faila had wakened Keenan with all her fussing and replaced him on Keith's lap. Keith was pinned to where he was, Keenan pulling at his hair for attention and Faila chattering his ear off. He appeared to be listening to the little girl, but every now and then Allura noticed how he would glance at her and the other children to see what they were up to. He shot her an apologetic smile, and it told her how much he wanted to help out if he weren’t so hopelessly stuck.

Allura hid a smile and continued giving out food to some of the children and taking down dolls and building blocks for the others. Finally, once all the kids and Dr. Gorma were settled with cakes, sandwiches, and toys, she cut a piece for Keith and approached him with a grin.

"Under siege?" she asked as she sat down beside him, indicating a drowsy Faila on his lap and Keenan hanging on his back. She held out some cake. "Want some?"

Keenan quickly spotted Allura's empty lap and bounced into it with a contented smile. Allura had to hold her paper plate up to keep the cake from spilling. Keenan didn't seem to notice, reaching his twining chubby arms around her neck and kissing her cheek noisily. "Me wuf you," he declared.

Keith met Allura's eyes above the heads of the two children. "Looks like you're just as stuck as I am," he said, reaching for the paper plate of chocolate cake she held out to him. He laid it beside him on the floor before taking a forkful for himself.  Faila, who had already eaten cake while she and Allura had been in the kitchens, was already fast asleep.

"Yes, it appears that way," laughed Dr. Gorma, stepping towards the both of them with his own plateful of cake in hand and another plateful for the princess.

Allura took it from him with a nod of thanks and fed a forkful to Keenan.

"The children appear to be mending very well," Dr. Gorma said, sweeping his eyes from one head to another with an affectionate smile as he leaned against the wall. "They will definitely be well enough to transfer back into the new orphanage on schedule by tomorrow."

"I'm glad to hear that," Allura said. She eyed the shelves of her nursery thoughtfully. "Maybe I can arrange for Nanny to send some of my old toys with them when they go."

Meanwhile, the other children had remembered their interrupted story and were gathering around Keith to make him finish reading it. Allura, one eyebrow raised, pinned her blue gaze on Keith to see what he would do.

He flushed self-consciously and grinned apologetically at the children.

"Sorry, kids - I can't read anymore with Faila blocking my view," he said, trying to weasel out of having the Princess watch him read. "I can't turn the pages," he finshed lamely.

"But I'll turn the pages for you," Allura grinned wickedly at him, laying the saucer of cake on the floor. "Keenan isn't as big as Faila so I can reach around him."

Keith kept his grin for the children’s sake, but shot her a gaze that promised retribution. "I'll double your laps during our next outdoor training session," he muttered under his breath.

Allura merely grinned back at him, drawing the book nearer towards her but making sure it was still in his line of vision. "Please, Captain Keith, go ahead."

With a deep sigh, Keith continued to read the story of Knight Arivel and the Princess in the Sky over Faila's head. It had been one of her favorite stories when she was a little girl. Keith's smooth rumble molded itself over the words, telling the story simply but feelingly. He was a good reader, his voice carrying around the room, soothing yet crisp and clear.

Allura, like the other children, was quickly drawn into the spell of the beautiful, bittersweet story as Keith told it, turning the pages of the storybook automatically. Against her chest, Keenan had also fallen asleep, his dark head lolling down his neck. Allura pushed him back to lie against her with her other hand before coming to rest at his waist, unconsciously hugging him to her.

"‘I must go now, but if you ever need me…’ the knight trailed off, his hand clenching on the gold disc she had given him.

"After he made his final bow, he turned from her, not wanting her to see the tears in his eyes. Helmet tucked under his arm, he strode out of the throne room, his purposeful footsteps echoing in the empty chamber before they finally faded away.

"The Princess sat back down upon her throne, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"‘And you, noble knight, take my heart with you wherever you go,’ she whispered. ‘Always.’ The End."

A silence fell over the room for a moment, broken only by the sound of Allura shutting the book. Then the questions came pouring in.

"Why didn't Knight Arivel stay with the Princess?"

"Do they ever get to live happily ever after?"

"Are you a knight, too, Keith?"

"A Knight?" Keith laughed, addressing the only question he could answer. "I never quite thought of myself that way - although I wanted to be one when I was a little boy."

Two little boys raised their hands at the same time. "Us too! Us too! We want to be knights, too!"

Allura watched the exchange between Keith and the children in bemusement, wondering how she had ever thought he might not like being with them. He brushed Faila's hair off her forehead absently, and the gentle, affectionate touch was not lost on Allura.

He would make a wonderful father.

She shifted Keenan in her arms and kissed the top of his head to hide her blush. Where in the world had that thought come from?

"Princess, what do you think makes a good knight?"

Allura looked up at the question, addressed by one of the older girls with a dreamy expression on her face.

"Well," she began self-consciously, suddenly aware of Keith's curious gaze fixed on her face. "Let’s see… a good knight is brave, strong, noble, and kind," she said, enumerating the traits on her fingers. "It wouldn't hurt that he's handsome - "

"Keith is handsome!" one of the little girls piped up eagerly. At the statement, Allura heard a strangled sound coming from the man who sat beside her and she held back a giggle. "And he's the bravest person in the world!"

"Yeah, and he carried us out of the orphanage one by one!" one of the little boys who wanted to be a knight added. "He's a real knight!"

Allura turned to Keith with a grin, her amusement mounting when she saw that he was flushed and squirming with embarrassment. "How much did you pay them?" she asked under her breath.

"I was about to ask you the same thing," he groaned. "Is this your way of getting even for your new training program?"

She chuckled – she couldn't help it. "Who me?" she asked, eyes widening innocently. "I never try to get even – it’s unbecoming behavior for a princess."

“Well, Princess, don’t you think Keith is a real knight?”

At the question, Allura wiped off her grin and pretended to study Keith carefully, a solemn expression on her face. The fact that Keith looked even more uncomfortable under her scrutiny made her enjoy it all the more, drawing out the anticipation of her audience as she pretended to evaluate him.

“Well – he is quite handsome,” she finally conceded after a long pause. Not that there’s any doubt on that score, she added.  “And he is very brave and strong besides. I suppose he could be a real knight, then... but as for being a good knight… he doesn’t quite make the grade, I’m afraid.” Allura turned to the girl who had asked the question. "You see, good knights don't mind it when the princesses they're trying to protect want to take care of themselves for a change." She shot a sidelong glance at Keith.

Keith frowned darkly at that. "On the contrary -" he began, but his argument was interrupted by another question.

"Do Knights marry Princesses, Princess Ally?" another little boy asked.

Before Allura could even process the question, Keith swiftly answered for her. "Princesses always marry the handsome princes and live happily ever after, not the knights," he said with a matter-of-fact grin. "Enough of that now. Okay, so who still haven't finished their cake?"

The question triggered a barrage of responses from the children, some of whom held up their plates towards him to show him their cake.

At his answer, Allura's startled gaze shot to his face, but it gave away nothing. He was busy listening to the children telling him about the state of their cake, smiling at them warmly. It was like he hadn't said anything important. She frowned, troubled, but before she could say anything about what he had just said, Dr. Gorma cleared his throat and clapped his hands.

"I hate to be the party pooper here, but it's about time you turned in for your afternoon nap," he said, pushing himself off the wall. "You all need a rest for the big move tomorrow."

"Awwww!"

"But, Dr. Gorma, we want to hear more stories..."

A chorus of various wails, pleas, and protests followed Dr. Gorma's announcement, but he remained unmoved. “No use pleading… off to bed with all of you. I’ve already called some of the nurses bring you guys back to the infirmary."

"I'll help you –“ Keith tried to push himself off the wall, shifting Faila and levering himself with one of his arms, but Dr. Gorma waved him down.

"No, no… you and the Princess stay where you are – we can handle this transfer," Dr. Gorma told him. "Here come the nurses now."

Two nurses entered the nursery and began ushering the children out of the nursery. They each kissed Keith and Allura on the cheek as they said their goodbye, chocolate crumbs and marshmallow icing around their rosebud mouths sticking to the two adults' cheeks. Neither Keith nor Allura could stand up with their burdens because of the way the other children clustered around them clamoring for one last bit of attention. Soon it was all over and all of them were on their way back to the infirmary, with the exception of the brother and sister nestled in Keith and Allura's arms.

"After all that noise, all this silence is almost deafening," Keith said awkwardly. He smiled at Allura over Faila's sleeping head. "Is the crown of flowers still there?"

She laughed lightly as she saw how the crown drooped lopsided over his hair. "Yes, it is," she admitted. She eyed him thoughtfully. "Why didn't you tell us you were staying for the children?"

He shrugged. "It – it just never occurred to me," he evaded, that crooked sheepish grin of his showing.

"More likely you just didn't want to tarnish your reputation as taskmaster by showing us what a 'softy’ you really are," she chuckled wisely. "Well, now I know better."

He raised his eyebrow at her, a bit surprised she knew the slang. "How do you know about 'softies'?"

"Lance told me."

"I'll make sure to let him know what I think of that. Don't count on it, Princess – I am a quite a taskmaster, and you're still going to get your modified training program."

"If you had told me why you were staying in the first place, I could have told you that Nanny left some cake for them... so it’s not my fault you had to listen to all that praise," she pointed out. She frowned thoughtfully. "You seemed to be used to reading to the kids. How come?"

"I – well – I used to read for other sick kids in the Garrison pediatric ward during the weekends I had nothing much to do." He looked disgruntled at the admission, running one hand through his unruly thatch of hair.

Allura's eyes widened in surprise at the information before she began to chuckle quietly. "Yes, Captain, you're a REAL softy all right." She shifted Keenan in her arms. "Keenan's getting heavy. My old day bed is still in the corner - maybe we can get these two tucked in over there." She indicated the large day bed at the other corner of the room.

He nodded in agreement, shifting Faila in his arms and turning her so that the child’s front was towards him. He tucked her head firmly against his shoulder, supporting her with one arm while pushing himself on the floor with the other. He pushed off against the wall, shifting to his knees before finally standing up.

Allura did the same, wobbling a little as she shifted to her knees. Keith bent down and held out his hand, supporting Faila with one arm. Allura shook her head. "I'm fine, Keith." To show she was, she stood up, Keenan's head tucked in the crook of her neck and shoulder. "Let's get these kids settled."

They crossed the room together to the bed, the children in their arms. Keith went to the farther side of the bed, and they gently laid the two children on it, both supporting the weight by placing their knees on the bed for balance.

The children stirred restlessly and didn't want to let go, but neither woke up. Keenan was particularly tenacious, burrowing against Allura's neck and clinging to her, almost bringing her down on top of him and his sister. The princess’ blonde hair cascaded from her bun, golden hair mingling with the little boy's dark hair as she tried to untangle herself from his chubby arms.

Keith smothered a chuckle. He was in the middle of smoothing away Faila's hair from her forehed when he looked up to find Allura blowing her hair away from her own face. He reached out to push Allura's hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear.

For a charged moment they shared a smile of gentle amusement above the two slumbering children's heads until they both turned away from one another self-consciously; both of them realizing almost the same time that there was something intimate about the entire scene they were now a part of.

Keith quickly stood from the bed in one lithe movement, running his hand through his hair as he walked away from the bed and searching for something to do. He zeroed in on the clutter the children had made and began picking up the toys they had left on the floor.

Allura was still staring down at the two sleeping children, fascinated by the way their rosebud lips were slightly parted in their sleep. She reached out and ran her fingers through Keenan silky dark hair. She could imagine doing this to her own children someday. She could imagine herself tucking them in and simply watching them sleep after a long active day while sharing her whispered hopes across their slumbering heads with their smiling father who would gently reach out and tuck her hair behind her ear as she bent over them…

She shook her head to clear it of the images and searched for Keith instead, giving a reluctant grin at the sight of him replacing the toys on the shelves and putting the room in order.

"Mummy."

The word escaped from Faila's dreaming lips, and the whispered word was enough to catch the Princess’ attention once more. Faila and Keenan's parents had perished in the attack before the one that had destroyed the orphanage. It was almost a miracle that the children had both survived the attack that made them orphans – then the next attack had come to destroy their new home before they even had a chance to settle in.

"Poor little one," she whispered, reaching out further to stroke Faila's forehead soothingly. "If there were a way I could keep you safe and take care of all of you, I would." Her hand moved to stroke the child’s soft cheek before she bent down to kiss it.

A shadow fell over the bed, and she looked up to find Keith staring down at the children as well. "We're doing the best we can."

"They're beautiful children. So quick to laugh, so glad to be alive." She bent down to kiss Keenan's forehead as well. "And they're supposed to be too young to know about pain and death – but they do." She raised her eyes to his, and though they were dry, he could saw that they were midnight blue with her intensity. "I don't want to watch more children go through what they have gone through, what I have gone through."

He lay his hand on her shoulder. "I know," he said, gently squeezing her shoulder. "But that is what we fight for, Princess. We fight for peace."

"But will they ever see it?" she asked, almost as if to herself, staring back at the children and continuing to stroke Faila's forehead. "Will we ever see it?"

"If I don't, it's because I died trying," he replied with a wry grin, trying to make a light of the uncertainty because there was no answer to her question. He also meant what he said.

"You know, I want to have children someday," she confessed absently. Then let out a soft chuckle. "What am I saying? I'm required to have children someday." She gently traced Keenan's smooth cheek with the tip of her finger. "But I don't want to have a child if it means bringing her in to this… this war." She looked back up at him, and her eyes held an unconscious plea.

He looked from her face to the two innocents sleeping on the pillow. They slept peacefully, thick lashes lying against their cheeks. "If I could promise that you won't have to, I would," he finally said. “But peace isn’t something we can predict with any certainty. We can only try to make it happen.”

“Then maybe it’s enough to promise to try.” She stood up beside him and continued to stare down at the children for a few more moments. She covered the hand he kept on her shoulder with one of her own. "Think they'll be alright, Keith?"

"I know they will," he said firmly. A note of amusement crept into his voice. "Softy."

She turned to look at him again, meeting his dark eyes with her blue gaze. They shared another smile of gentle amusement, but this time neither of them looked away.

"That's you," she said with a grin. "We should go - the others may already be back... and you've been officially volunteered to help for shower duty – effective now."

He scowled, but he couldn’t quite hide the twinkle of amusement in his eyes. "You forget I can still modify your training program, Princess."

"Oh, I'll live," she said with a saucy toss of her hair. "But first, let's see you live through supervising the showers of ten little boys." She glanced back at the children, pursing her lips in thought. "They'll most likely be asleep for another hour or two – but I can have someone check in on them every half hour just to make sure." She grinned up at him. "If you agree to come, I won't even tell the other guys about what a softy you really are."

Allura walked towards the door and left Keith standing by the children's bed, grinning at her retreating back. She glanced over her shoulder at Keith. "Are you coming or not? You have ten seconds to preserve your reputation."

"I'm coming, I'm coming," he capitulated with a soft chuckle. He bent down and gave Keenan's forehead one last stroke, a move that brought that tight feeling back to Allura's chest. He strode after her, catching up with her just as the automatic door swished open.

She paused and grinned at him. "I just remembered something."

"What is it?"

"You already don't have a reputation," she said with a wink. She leaned forward and whispered in his ear. "They've been the ones telling me all about what softy you were from day one."

He raised his eyebrows. "Really? A softy, am I? Wait until you all get a look at your new training programs." She stuck her tongue out at him, but he merely grinned back. "Come on, Princess. The showers are waiting."

The door swished shut behind them, and the lights in the nursery dimmed. On the daybed, two small heads lay side by side, blessed with peace that only children knew, lost in the sands of their own dreams.
 

 Return to the Archive of Tales
 

 Return to the Home Page