She was late, and he was waiting for her.

Allura glanced at the clock on the wall and gasped in alarm. She had already been running late to begin with – then she had spent too much talking to Coran. She picked up her cumbersome skirts and broke into a slight run. She made good time along the corridors only to be caught in the crush of people making their way through the huge doors leading to Galaxy Garrison’s grand conference halls.

His dark head and familiar rakish grin was nowhere to be seen among the many faces jostling against her.

Allura’s face fell and she fought back a wave of disappointment.

It was foolish how she had come to consider his escorting her into the conference room as the high point of her day instead of the thrill of forging another new alliance or another new trade agreement for Arus with the other Alliance planets – but it had.

Princess Allura was the logical choice as Arus’ representative to the convention. Her chief adviser Coran was supposed to have been the other Arussian delegate, but a few days before the scheduled departure from Arus, he caught a particularly virulent strain of intestinal flu and was in no condition to take the trip. To Allura’s secret happiness, it was decided for Keith, unofficially the planet’s head security adviser, to go in Coran’s place – but with Nanny as chaperone, of course.

Even if the two of them had spent the past several days beside one another at the negotiation tables and talks, the convention’s agenda had been too packed for them to do anything but work and drop to sleep exhausted by the end of the day.  On the rare occasions that either of them had any time to spare outside the conference hall, Allura had been whisked away to join the other visiting leaders, who were seeing Earth for the first time, on tours around Galaxy Garrison and nearby historical places. Keith, left to his own devices, spent his own time catching up with his cronies at the Space Academy and visiting with his old friends.

This short time right before another round of diplomatic discussions began was the only time the two of them really had to talk of things other than what was going on in the conference room. It had become a ritual for Keith to wait for her by the doors and gently guide her by the elbow to one of the several long tables set up for the convention while they told one another what they had done when they hadn’t been in each other’s company. That or they shared the quiet, easy teasing that had sprung between them back on Arus and had taken an even healthier life since they got to Earth. It was Allura’s morning energizer, and now she felt lacking without Keith’s banter to greet her – like not having her morning cup of coffee, only vaguely worse.

Now, after almost two weeks of the most arduous work, the talks were finally winding down. According to the schedule the delegates had been given, today was the second-to-the-last day of the biannual Intergalactic Convention. However, the planet representatives were elated to find out that all negotiations had gone so smoothly that everything on the convention agenda would be exhausted by today, allowing the delegates an extra day of leisure or to go back home ahead of schedule.

Our last day, and he ism’t even here to walk me in.

Dignitaries from member planets of the Galaxy Alliance continued to pour into Galaxy Garrison’s grand conference halls for another daylong round of talks as Allura craned her neck for one last effort to see if Keith was somewhere among the sea of bodies still outside.

No sign of him.

She swallowed the irrational lump that had formed in her throat. Maybe he had gone inside without her.

A sudden gentle touch at her elbow startled her, and she whirled around to see Keith’s welcoming grin. She felt an answering smile creep involuntarily across her own face, and all was right with her morning again.

“Good morning, Princess. I was about to give up waiting and come after you – just in case you got buried under a pile of your skirts and couldn’t dig your way out of them,” he teased, noting the cumbersome ceremonial robes of her royal station that Nanny had insisted on her wearing.

Allura smirked at him and let him guide her through the doors, his protective bulk shielding her from any further jostling. “One of the disadvantages of having Nanny along. She did my packing for me and all my clothes turned out like this,” she said with a long-suffering sigh.

He laughed at her vexed expression. “Is that why you were late – because you were rummaging through your suitcases for a utility suit? I could’ve told you that you wouldn’t find any – Nanny had me unload that set you tried to sneak on board while you were meddling with the ship’s controls up at the cockpit right before take-off.”

“You shouldn’t have followed her then,” she scolded, her voice ringing with irritation. “You know how I hate these gowns.”

“I was under duress!” he exclaimed, answering her glare with a helpless shrug. “She threatened not to serve me any dessert for two months after we got back.” He looked her over with an appreciative grin. “Besides, those gowns become you.”

Under such sincere admiration, she couldn’t help but be forgiving.

"Well, for your information, Captain Know-it-all, the reason I was late was because I just came from the GG’s message center. Coran sent us word from Arus that all is well and told us not to worry," she told him, her disgruntled expression becoming a smug smile as he guided her to her seat and pulled out a chair for her. "Zarkon and Lotor have been behaving themselves, and Sven and Sam are filling our places quite nicely."

"Lance must be in seventh heaven - having Sam on Arus two weeks straight!" Keith said, chuckling. He took his place beside her, and they both waited for the other seats at the table to fill. "Did you happen to tell Coran that the Intergalactic Convention is ending a day early? All of them must be eager to have all of us back home."

Allura felt herself melt hearing him call Arus 'home.' The weight of the worry she had in the back of her mind that he would want to be reassigned to Earth atfer being reminded of what he was missing fell off her shoulders. For the first time in the two weeks they had been here, she found herself with a light, completely carefree heart.

"As a matter of fact, I did tell him," she confessed blithely. "He was pretty glad to hear everything was going smoothly on this end... and about the new alliances we've been able to negotiate with different planets of the Far Universe.” She smirked affectionately before she went on. “He said he’s proud of the way we’ve handled things – considering that he isn’t here to supervise.”

Keith laughed at Coran’s comment, but it was obvious that the backhanded compliment pleased him as much as it pleased her.

"So, does that mean I should order the commander of the chartered ship to prepare for our flight back to Arus tomorrow morning?" Keith asked. He frowned thoughtfully. "We could take off at first light tomorrow morning – after all there are only two more conferences lined up for the day, aside from the leaders’ final banquet early this evening. We can be back on Arus by the day after tomorrow if we fly full warp."

"Truth is – Coran isn’t in that much of a hurry to have us home." Allura placed her elbows on the table, cupped her chin in her hands, and told her half-truth with a straight face. She eyed Keith’s surprised expression with some amusement. "Evidently, he thinks that we both deserve a vacation - even if it’s just for a day.”

Of course Coran had suggested they take their day-long vacation back on Arus in the form of an extra day off for Keith on patrol duty and no academic lessons for her, but she had insisted on staying. Much as she had enjoyed the museum tours, she had yet to see the side of the planet she had heard of from boys, and she was determined to have her way.

“He suggested that we stay.” That was an out and out lie, but Allura gazed at Keith with complete innocence shining in her eyes. “But of course it's up to me to decide whether or not I want to fly back early.”

Keith chuckled. "Maybe he's just enjoying not having Nanny fussing over his lapels every morning," he commented with a wide grin. "So, do you want to stay the day? I don't think Nanny would mind - she's too happy puttering around GG's kitchens and showing the chefs how to improve fare around here."

"Actually with things under control back home - I don’t think I’d mind staying the day at all,” she replied with a smile. “I’ve always wanted to see more of Earth after hearing so much about it from you guys. But I do have a couple of conditions." Allura tipped her head to one side and shot him a challenging look.

He eyed her, one eyebrow raised suspiciously. "Conditions?"

"Well, first," she declared imperiously, "You have to agree to be my personal tour guide for the day."

He nodded in agreement. "That's easy enough," he said, his frown thoughtful as he began to make plans. "I could arrange for transportation and security with the GG Logistics office. We could ask Nanny to – "

She quickly shook her head at that. "No… no security and no Nanny," she said vehemently. "I don't want a detail with me wherever I go." Allura pinned Keith with her earnest blue gaze.

"Princess, you're a visiting dignitary and I don't think – "

"That's the second condition - I don't want to be a princess. I just want to be plain Allura for one day." Her eyes glinted with challenge at the flustered Captain. "Think you can handle that idea?"

“It’s not that I can’t handle that but – “

"Either you agree to those terms or we go home first thing tomorrow morning," she cut him off, applying some emotional blackmail by putting her most hangdog expression on her face.

He responded to it with a pained grimace.

Allura had to hold back a smile. One thing the past two years had taught her was that under all of Keith's rigid self-imposed shoulds and should-nots, he was the biggest pushover of them all. She lay her hand on his arm as she pleaded her case.

"I want to see what life was - is - really like for you guys. I don't want a tour for a dignitary - I got enough of that these last few days. I want... I want to wear blue jeans and drink milkshakes and eat popcorn... and dancing in the streets..."

I want you to see who I really am, as your equal. I want you to see me without the label of princess to keep you from coming closer to me. Even for just a day.

"I want you to show me what it's like to go out on a... what did Lance call it?"

Keith gulped audibly, and Allura saw his Adam's apple bobbing. His expression showed her that he knew what she was talking about, and she gazed expectantly at him, waiting for him to supply the word she was looking for.

"A date?" he offered in a tortured voice.

"Yes," she clapped gleefully, beaming at him. She nodded enthusiastically. "That's it! I want you to take me out on a date."

Her joyful words fell into the pool of silence that had settled over the table. Suddenly realizing that there were already other people seated at the table with them, she reluctantly swept her gaze around to find twenty pairs of eyes riveted at both of them. All was smiling in that knowing, tolerant way that seemed to sigh the words, "Ah - young love," collectively.

She felt her cheeks heating up, and she saw from the corner of her eyes that Keith had begun to blush as well.

"Your Highness," Space Marshall Graham said, awkwardly clearing his throat, "If you and Captain Montgomery are finished discussing your business, I'm sure you won't mind us going on with this meeting?" His eyes were twinkling at Keith with barely concealed amusement.

Keith gave a small heartfelt groan that earned him a kick from Allura under the table.

"No," Allura replied with a radiant smile, regaining her composure with admirable haste. "I don't mind at all. Please begin."

During the course of the meeting, Allura tore a piece of paper off her notepad and passed it to Keith with the scrawled message, "So, do you agree to my terms?"

He gave a heavy sigh as he met her eyes. Those blue eyes of hers could make a saint forget about heaven - and he was definitely no saint.

What could it hurt? You don't have anything more to hide. Your heart's been on your sleeve almost from the very beginning. And you've wanted this just as long - this chance to be with her without having to think about how far the gap between you really is...

"Nanny isn't going to like this, Princess..." he whispered, holding on to his last flimsy excuse like a man about to fall off the edge of a cliff. Which he was.

"I'll take care of Nanny," Allura assured him with a grin, knowing that he was on the verge of saying yes. She could feel her heart thudding in her ears in anticipation. "So... what do you say?"

He sighed again, but this time his eyes were twinkling. "I'll have a pair of jeans sent up to your quarters tonight," he capitulated with a grin. "And I'll pick you up at 8:30 tomorrow morning." He frowned thoughtfully at that. "Is that too early?"

She shook her head, and it was hard to keep her ecstatic smile from showing. "No - it's perfect," she assured him. And it really was.

Keith took a deep, steadying breath before pressing the chimes to the Princess' room. He still couldn't believe he had let himself be talked into this. Then he shook his head with a rueful grin as he waited for her to open the door.

Who are you kidding? You didn't need a lot of convincing at all. Face it, Montgomery - you can't deny her anything. You're a total pushover -

All thoughts flew from his mind at his first sight of her.

Allura was breathtaking in anything she chose to wear, but what she was wearing now, though not as glamorous as her royal garb, struck him in a different way. With her dressed this way, looking this way, it was so easy to forget...

She wore the pair of blue jeans that he had sent up to her as promised and a baby blue blouse that brought out the vivid cornflower hues of her eyes. Her long golden hair was caught up in a ponytail held up by a jaunty blue ribbon, and her blue rose pendant nestled against her graceful throat. Her smile was like sunshine, even if it was shy and uncertain at the moment while she waited for him to say something to her.

"Uh... hi," he said, bringing his hand up to rub the suddenly tense muscles at his nape. He said the first thing that came into his mouth. "Where's Nanny?"

Her smile dimmed a little at that, but she held it bravely.

"Good morning to you, too," she said wryly, making him want to hit himself over the head for being an even bigger moron than he was before she came out of her room.

And that was saying a lot. What a way to start what was probably one of the most important days of his life. What was wrong with him? It was like he had never done this before. He wasn't even this bad the first time he'd asked a girl out... and that was when he was about thirteen!

“Nanny is currently touring the GG housekeeping services - getting useful tips on how to do laundry, keep house, and cook more efficiently for an entire castle full of people,” Allura explained stepping away from her door to make the automatic sensors close and lock it. She grinned conspiratorially at him. “That will probably occupy her for the whole day - and before you ask, yes, she knows that you will be taking me out today, and we are going with her heartfelt blessings.”

“I didn’t think you’d manage to convince her without at least resorting to electric shock therapy,” he admitted, looking skeptical. "Are you sure she knows the part about having 'no security'?"

Allura nodded, her face showing some traces of exasperation. "Yes, she knows all about it, Captain Mother Hen," she said, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms in front of her chest. “She wasn't too happy about the idea in the beginning, but I reminded her that we aren't on Arus – no one knows me here. And, aside from the fact that Galaxy Garrison has the best security net in the galaxy, the fact that you were going was enough for her.”

He raised his eyebrows at that.

“Yes, Captain, for some reason, Nanny happens to trust you to keep me safe," she quipped, rolling her eyes then shooting him a mischievous smile. "I wonder why."

I wonder why, too, Keith thought rather desperately. I’m sure she wouldn't think so if she knew...

Of course it had taken Allura the entire evening and half the morning to sell Nanny on the idea of her and Keith going out, but she wasn’t about to tell him that. It would be a perfect excuse for him to latch on. She had to stifle a giggle at the memory of Nanny’s expression at the first sight of the jeans Keith had sent up. Nanny had been appalled, but Allura passed it off as another means to remain anonymous during today’s jaunt.

Allura had loved the jeans at first sight – loved the comfortable way they fit and the delightfully ordinary way they made her feel. No one would think she was a royal princess now, just a normal woman out to have some fun with an attractive man.

She looked Keith over and grinned. Aside from seeing him in his pajamas occasionally and his dress uniform, she hardly ever saw him in civilian garb. He was wearing a pair of worn blue jeans himself and a dark green sport-knit shirt that showed off his well-defined biceps and forearms. Gorgeous as always. She wondered how in the world he was able to fight off all the women who were probably lining up at his door when he was still at the Academy. They must have come in droves.

The fleeting thought about the other women he had dated filled her with a twinge of jealousy until she was distracted by what he seemed to be hiding something behind his back. She looked from his hidden arm to his flustered face with amusement glinting in her eyes.

She could have sworn she saw him mouth the word "idiot" on a groan.

Her amusement mounted. He was nervous. The thought warmed her and she had to fight off the urge to hug him.

He smiled sheepishly at her, meeting her gaze with pleading eyes. "Can we start over?" he pleaded. "I'm not usually so moronic when it comes to this but -" He trailed off and shrugged helplessly. “I think I must have forgotten my social skills back in my quarters and come here in ape mode instead.”

She nodded solemnly, hiding her smile behind her hand.

“Okay.” He took a deep breath. "Good morning, Prin - Allura," he amended with a grin when he saw her suddenly narrowed eyes at the sound of her title. "I hope I didn't come too early." He looked her over again ant that glazed expression came back over his face. "You look… incredible… in those jeans."

"Thanks. You had a good eye for my size,” she said, planting her hand on her hip with a saucy wink. She felt absurdly happy to see his bemused expression, knowing he liked the way she looked in these clothes. "You don’t look so bad yourself… except maybe you had your other arm amputated during the night and didn't tell me about it?" She turned her gaze pointedly to the arm he kept behind his back.

He followed her gaze with a perplexed frown. Looked surprised, then began to laugh.

"This is proof that I have finally lost my mind," he choked out in between chuckles, bringing his hand from behind him to reveal three perfect long-stemmed cream pink rosebuds. "How could I have forgotten to give these to you first? I got them for you."

Allura took the flowers from him and stroked the soft petals gently. "They're lovely," she breathed, smelling them and closing her eyes as she let the sweet scent washed over her. "Would you mind waiting here while I put them in a vase?" Her blue eyes shone as they met his.

Keith swallowed audibly and shook his head. "Not at all," he replied. He was filled with a profound relief when she disappeared into her room with the flowers in hand.

Unfortunately, the sense of reprieve died a quick death when he caught a whiff of her distinctive perfume dragging in her wake.

He leaned his hot forehead against the cold steel wall and sighed. This was going to be a long day. With all this "I'm-not-a-princess-today" business, how was he going to remind himself that this woman was way out of his league? And how was he going to survive the day without losing his sanity permanently?

Keith brought Allura to a 20th-century-style amusement park. It was an equally historical and entertaining site popular with the nearby the Space Academy's cadets. Since it was a weekend, the park was teeming with people, many of them couples and families with small children. The sound of laughter was in the air, mingling with the high-pitched screams and squeals coming from the different rides around the park.

Allura decided to leave the rides for last after she tried the giant roller coaster first - and almost lost her meager breakfast. She discovered that there was evidently a big difference between doing aerial acrobatics and high-speed flying inside a specially designed cockpit and being in an open-air carriage on a noisy metal track with only a locked bar over your shoulders between your hurtling hundreds of feet to the ground. After her stomach settled, she made Keith buy popcorn and cotton candy, and they had prowled the parlor game booths instead.

"You had an unfair advantage at that last booth," Allura scolded him, her pleased laugh softening her rebuke. She waved her cotton candy in his face. "There should be a rule about not allowing Academy trained sharpshooters to play! You made mincemeat out of those poor targets."

Keith had a huge stuffed lion tucked under one arm - the prize he had won for her at the target-shooting booth. Under her own arm, she carried a smaller teddy bear he had also won for her at the knock-the-bottles-down booth.

Keith grinned in reply, reached out and popped a clump of cotton candy in her mouth to silence her. Allura’s eyes widened and she was rendered momentarily speechless, not just by the sweet sugar melting in her mouth but more by the sweetness of his gesture.

"They're used to us... or they wouldn't impose those limits on us only winning one big prize at a booth on a certain day," he reassured her unrepentantly. He held out the stuffed lion towards her and nodded towards the teddy bear she was protectively cuddling to her chest.

"Don't you like your new pets?" he asked in a hurt voice while she continued to gaze at him with stunned blue eyes. "They'll keep Cheddar and the other mice good company - and maybe we can even have Coran ask the Castle scientists to modify this big guy into a sixth lion that Sam can pilot permanently."

Allura hugged the teddy bear even closer to her. "I'm partial to my teddy bear - at least he's not going to crowd me out of bed space," she told him with a grin, rubbing her cheek against the plush fur. "In fact, I already have an name for him."

"What is it?"

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Don't you wish you knew!" she said, walking ahead of him and tossing her ponytail over shoulder as he reluctantly followed in her wake. She would rather sink through the floor than admit that she was planning to name the bear after him. "I'm hungry... where can we get those burgers and fries and milkshakes you promised me?" she said

"Burgers, fries, and milkshakes? With that appetite, I don't know how you manage to keep that great -" Keith caught himself in tine and quickly clamped his mouth shut.

However, Allura knew exactly what he meant to say and her backward smirk told him so. He shook his head.

"I'm not taking you anywhere to eat until you tell me what you've decided to name that bear," he demanded, planting himself on the pavement and refusing to budge.

She stopped mid-stride, turned around, and frowned at him, hands planted on her hips. She shot him a displeased frown. "For you information, I've named him Prince Lotor - that way I have a prince to hug every night," she informed him smugly.

Keith’s face turned sour with irritation at the mention of the Prince of Doom. She had to turn away to hide her satisfied smile. She turned and raised her eyebrow at him in challenge. "So, can I have those milkshakes now?"

Allura took a sip from her strawberry milkshake, eyes closing with bliss as the cold, sweet liquid slid down her throat. She leaned her elbows on the table and met Keith’s amused eyes with a satisfied smile.

“Like it?”

“Better than the chocolate,” she replied, indicating his own half-full chocolate milkshake. She cupped her cheek on one of her hands as the other fiddled with her straw thoughtfully.

“I don't get it. I'm having a lot of fun, don't get me wrong... but why is the amusement park such a popular place to go on a date? With all the people teeming about, it can hardly qualify as roman..." She trailed off rather embarrassed by her train of thought, suddenly realizing the implication of what she had been about to say.

"It can hardly qualify as romantic?" Keith supplied helpfully. He was leaning back on his chair, watching her blush with barely concealed amusement. She sniffed indignantly and didn't reply, taking another long sip of her milkshake as she glared at him from over her tall glass.

"It's more effective than you think," Keith explained, a devilish glint lighting his eyes. "The general mood of shared happiness... getting to do all sorts of things together... guys winning the best prizes just for their ladies..." He gestured toward the stuffed lion beside him sharing his seat. "But that's not the best part of bringing a date here." He leaned forward in conspiracy, his grin contagious. "Want to know what is?"

She cupped her chin on her hand and gamely leaned nearer towards him across the table. Her eyes were twinkling with unabashed curiosity. "What is it?"

Keith cupped his hand by his lips like he was about to tell her an important secret. "The best part of it is… getting all those hugs from my startled dates when we're on a particularly scary ride," he whispered loudly.

"Why you... you… cad!" Allura fell back into her seat, gasping in combined outrage and laughter. She frowned at the image of some other girl hugging him. "You're impossible! Who taught you all this drivel - Lance?"

“It’s been a well-passed secret Academy tradition.” Keith pouted in mock hurt, crossing his arms across his chest. "As a matter of fact, I was the one who taught Lance," he told her. "It never fails."

At her skeptically raised eyebrow, he added reflectively, "Of course, with those other dates I never started with the roller coaster."

"So, which ride was the best?" she reluctantly asked.

"The Ferris Wheel," he quickly replied, with eyes wise and nodding for emphasis. "Definitely the Ferris Wheel.” He grinned at her. "Know what? I had my first real kiss on the Ferris Wheel when I was thirteen."

It was Allura's turn to frown in irritation, her eyes narrowing at the strange feeling twisting in her gut. "And how old was the poor girl you stole a kiss from, five?" she asked, her voice deceptively cool.

Keith shook his head, looking extremely smug. He leaned back on his chair, eyes alert and watching every subtle expression on her face. "Actually, her name was Natalie, and she was fifteen," he mentioned casually. "And," he added, the twinkle in his eye growing even more wicked, "She kissed me – at least, that first time."

Allura's chin lifted and her nose went up in the air, her hand stirring her milkshake viciously. "I am not even going to dignify that with a comment," she said stiffly.

"Jealous?" he teased, grinning cockily and relishing her heated reaction.

She flayed him with her angry glower. "In your dreams, Captain," she said primly, picking her teddy bear from beside her and hugging it tight.

At the sight, Keith’s cocky grin disappeared and he glared at the hapless stuffed toy. Allura hid her smile in the toy's plush fur, and felt she'd gotten even. "Are you going to take me to ride the Ferris wheel next?" she asked.

"No," came his clipped reply. Keith knew he'd never be able to resist kissing her if he did. "I’m taking you somewhere else entirely."

"Where?"

"It's a surprise," he replied. The thought improved his mood and he gave her a mysterious smile. "So hurry up and finish all that food, so we can get going."

"Aye aye, Captain," she said crisply, putting down her teddy bear and giving him a mock salute. She began finishing off the rest of her fries then paused, looking at him curiously. "By the way, why aren’t you taking me to ride the Ferris wheel?"

He looked her over with a thoughtful frown, then got a mischievous glint in his eye once more. "Well - you're just too young for that sort of thing," he quipped, grinning again.

"Too young...? Why you... I'm not speaking to you!" she snapped, glaring furiously at him. At his raised eyebrow she amended reluctantly, "At least not until after we get out of here."

On their way out of the amusement park, Keith showed Allura the other rides, explaining how they worked, and asking her if she was interested in riding any of them.

She eyed each one then him suspiciously and said no every time. She didn't want to lose her lunch, and the experience at the roller coaster taught her that those things weren't as harmless as they seemed. Besides, she couldn't wait to see Keith's promised surprise.
 
Allura was tempted to try skating when they got to the gigantic rink blaring with music. She laughed at the sight of novice skaters wobbling carefully on their wheels like newborn foals only to find themselves back on the floor again. She had always loved to move to music, and this looked like it would be fun. She pointed a particularly funny pair to Keith.
 
He grinned towards the flailing man and woman laughing and clinging to one another, gave her a mock leer and quipped, "Wanna try it?  This is one of my favorite spots, too. This was where I took our batchmate, Shanice, on our first date and she - "

Allura stiffened at the mention of yet another of his dates. “I don’t want to hear about it,” she scowled, cutting him off. She marched on indignantly past the rink, nose high in the air.

She could hear him chuckling behind her and it was all she could do not to throw her teddy bear at him. They passed by two more rides before she allowed him to catch up with her – and that only because she had stopped to see how the ride right before the park exit worked.

It was a gigantic logjam, easily dozens of feet high. Its long, narrow carriages were propelled through water, pulled up a very high, very steep incline. At the apex of the climb, the carriages were released to slide down into more water at the bottom, spraying the occupants of the carriage.

She was watching one of the carriages reach its height just as Keith came up beside her.It slid down and they both jumped away from the stray spray of water that the carriage’s impact created.

The ride looked like great fun - and, to Allura, safe enough to try without losing her food.

"Can we try it?" she asked, watching with delight as another batch of riders got their clothes wet. "It looks fun but easy enough to handle - although we're both going to get rather wet."

Keith looked from the ride then at her, then nodded thoughtfully. "Don't worry about having your clothes get wet,” he assured her, gentle hand on her elbow guiding her towards the ride entrance. “You'll have time to freshen up before we go back to GG's Diplomatic Quarters. After all, I wouldn't want Nanny to think I didn't take care of you – she’d never allow me to take you out next time."

“If you play your cards right, I’ll make her allow me,” Allura replied with a grin. She was aware that the chances of spending another day like this with him was next to nothing, but she pushed the thought away with determination.

“How am I doing so far?” he asked with a grin.

She pretended to think hard, stroking her chin for effect. “Oh… okay, I guess,” she replied saucily. “Not quite as bad as I expected you to be.”

The comment was rewarded with a gentle tweak of her nose. “Is that so?” he said, his eyes twinkling down at her. “Maybe I should reconsider that visit to the Ferris Wheel, after all.”

Allura met his gaze with a challenging one of her own. “Maybe you should.”

They fell in line behind a long queue of riders, carrying their stuffed animals with them, planning to leave them with the ride operators when they took their turn.

“This ride isn’t so bad,” Keith explained to her, leaning on the ropes and entertaining himself by baiting her. “On a free-hugs-scale of one to ten, I’d rate it… oh, about a seven.”

“There’s no such thing as a reflex hug – being on the ride just gives those women an excuse to hug you,” Allura said, rolling her eyes.

“So does that mean you’re going to hug me when we come sliding down?” he asked hopefully.

She laughed. “Not if I can help it!”

They were still arguing good-naturedly with one another about Keith's theory on the free reflex hugs when a woman ahead of them at the line turned around and approached them, apparently drawn by the sound of Keith's voice. She was a strikingly beautiful woman with a full, curvy figure, thick chestnut hair, and tiger-gold eyes – tiger-gold eyes drinking in Keith’s appearance the way a thirsty man in the desert would drink ice cold water.

"Captain Keith Montgomery? Is that you?” The ring of familiarity the woman's voice made Allura stiffen. “Keith! I thought you were on a mission on Planet Arus! Why didn't you call me?"

Allura turned towards Keith. It was obvious that he recognized the woman. His eyes were glinting with a mixture of pleasure and extreme unease, and his smile looked a little forced. There was something going on here that Allura instinctively didn't like and she impatiently waited for his verbal reaction.

"Uh… Natalie... hi! It's good to see you again," Keith said in a hearty voice, holding out his hand.

The woman, who Allura felt was fairly jiggling with excitement, ignored it and hugged him to her ample chest instead. What was her name? Natalie? Was she the Natalie! She looked again at Keith’s apprehensive face and knew that she was. This was Natalie, his first kiss, and he was letting her glomp unto him with his date watching on the sidelines!

Keith could feel the heat Allura's glare on them as she recognized Natalie’s name, and he disengaged himself from Natalie as soon as possible. Not soon enough, apparently, for Allura had already tossed her ponytail over her shoulder in irritation, her chin pointing to the sky.

"I've really been away on Planet Arus for the past year. We just got in two weeks ago for the Conference and are flying back early tomorrow morning," Keith explained. He rubbed his neck awkwardly. “Um… Nat… what are you doing here?”

“I promised my nephews I’d take them this weekend. A good thing, too, or I would never have bumped into you.” She in pouted prettily at him, eyes narrowing. "Why are you flying off so soon? To think you’ve been here two weeks, and you haven’t called me even once to say hello!” she admonished.

Allura hated the sight of this woman. Allura could never pout prettily no matter how hard she tried, and especially not to Keith. For comfort, she took smug satisfaction from the thought that he hadn’t called her since he had come back to Earth.

Natalie’s voice turned husky. "In that case - would you like to have dinner with me tonight for old times’ sake? I promise to make it worth your while." She lay her hand on one of his muscled arms and shot him a smile that made Allura want to claw her eyes out and send her on the path of the one of the ride’s sliding carriages.

Keith moved his hand from the back of his neck to his temple. He appeared to be in the grips of a gigantic headache about to happen.

"Uh... I'm afraid I already have other plans," he confessed, injecting what he thought was just the right amount of regret in his voice. To Allura, of course, it was too much. "I'm already here with someone."

Keith turned to an irritated Allura, and his eyes begged for understanding.

"Prin - Ally, this is Commander Natalie Conner, an old friend of mine. Natalie - Ally d'Arussi, my... my..." Keith groped for a word, but found that he couldn't think of any.

"Lover," Allura jumped in blithely, pasting a wide smile on her face. “I’m his lover.”

She felt an inordinate amount of satisfaction to see Keith gape at her one would gape at a curious animal at the zoo. She let him. The man needed to be shocked once in a while. She held out her hand to the woman. "Good to meet you, Commander Conner."

Natalie's face looked just as shocked at Allura’s audacious quip. However, after taking a quick, assessing glance at the expression on Keith’s face, understanding dawned. Keith's face was filled with an odd mix of horror and amusement – but there was no hiding the honest affection shining out of those intense dark eyes. She slowly shook her head and smiled wisely.

"It's nice to meet you, Miss d'Arussi," she told Allura, shaking her hand – although her eyes looked a little sad. "I told Keith that I'd wait for him to grow up before giving him a shot at my heart, but evidently, I waited for him a little too long." She smiled at Keith, who shrugged helplessly, his cheeks pinking in embarrassment. "Never thought I'd see the day, Captain."

"Aunt Nat, it's our turn!" a little boy in the front of the line called out.

"Well, I have to go back to my 'dates.'" Natalie shook Keith's offered hand and nodded towards Allura. "I hope you both enjoy the rest of the day," she said. Then she looked into Keith's eyes with an inviting grin and quipped, "And you know how to contact me if you ever change your mind about... you know." With one last jaunty wink, she went back to the front of the line. Allura watched her go, her teeth lying on edge.

"Why didn't you go with her?" Allura snapped sourly, as soon as Natalie was out of earshot. "I bet you never considered her 'too young' for anything."

"Ally – she’s two years older than me,” Keith pointed out with a soothing grin. “Besides, I was evidently wrong about you... so we’re 'lovers,' are we?" Laughter tinged his voice as he reached out to touch Allura's stiff shoulder. "Better not let word get to Arus, or I'll be out of a job as soon as Coran even gets a hint of that one!"

"It would serve you right," Allura scowled, shrugging his hand away and hugging her bear closer to her for comfort.

The ride operator chose that moment to call them. They handed their prizes to one of the attendants for safekeeping. Keith helped Allura climb into the bobbing carriage, and she sat astride the padded seat.

"Would you like to ride in front or shall I?" he asked before climbing in. "Maybe I should - just so you'll have someone to cling to when we slide down." He climbed in front of Allura and positioned himself astride the seat.

"Ha! You should've ridden with Natalie and her nephews! I wouldn't cling to you even if it meant falling out of the carriage and drowning in that pool," Allura said from behind him, her arms crossed in front of her chest.

"We'll see," Keith said, evidently in high spirits. Allura wanted to hit him over the head. "And we're off!"

Allura made true to her promise through most of the ride - until the last ascent. "Why does it feel like we're climbing awfully high?" she began nervously, clutching at Keith's shoulders reluctantly.

"Am I hearing this? This is coming from the same woman who took on an entire fleet of Doom slave ships in a spaceship she never flew before?" he teased as he turned around to give her a reassuring smile. The carriage leveled and slowly turned the bend. "Get ready, we're about to go down."

Allura saw the drop ahead of her, and without thinking she dropped her hands from Keith's shoulder, threw her arms around his waist, and shut her eyes, burrowing her face at his back with a terrified squeal.

"Hang on tight!" Keith cried and then laughed as the carriage slid down into the water, the gigantic splash drenching them both. He twisted his body and looked back at her, a wide grin on his face. "Are you alive back there? You were clinging so tight, I thought you were going to cut off my circulation. I guess this means that you wanted to hug me all along, huh?”

“It was a reflex hug,” she said defensively, her voice muffled against his back. She raised her head and stuck her tongue out at him. "At least my face isn't as wet as yours," she taunted.

Her eyes moved fondly over his dripping face and the small drops of water clinging to his absurdly long lashes. His face was just a few inches from hers, and Allura's heart thudded in anticipation when she saw his gaze fixed on her face drop to her lips. She could feel his breath fanning her face, and she closed her eyes and felt him move his head closer.

At that, the carriage right behind them caused another big splash of water to come into their carriage, breaking the moment. They sputtered in laughter and indignation, and Keith brought his hand up to brush away a lock of wet golden hair from her forehead. "Now we're even," he said grinning fondly as they were back pulled towards the docking station.

And Allura wished that the day never had to end.

"Where is this?" Allura eyed the house curiously, lit from the inside and looking cozy and inviting as they pulled up the driveway.

Keith parked their borrowed vehicle and turned off the engine without answering her. Allura's door swished up beside her and she stepped out, ankle-deep in sweet-smelling grass. It was near early evening, and the cool breeze against her wet clothes made her shiver lightly.

Keith stepped up beside her and looked at the house with a small smile. "You should go in and have a shower and change of clothes," he said, guiding her with a hand at her elbow to the front door. He pressed a combination into a keypad beside the door and it swished open. "I'm sure you can find something to wear among Mom's things."

She turned to him in surprise as he led her inside. "This is your house?" she asked looking up at him. She was touched that he had thought of bringing her here. She looked around her and couldn't help being amazed. It didn’t look like a house that hadn’t been occupied for years. It was as if the house had been waiting for its owners to come home after they had left it for work just early that morning. "It looks so... so..."

"Lived in?" Keith supplied with a grin. He leaned against the door jamb, following her  with his gaze as she went further in, her own eyes sweeping around each room as she walked.

“Yes, that's just how it feels. Like it’s kept itself clean and ready, just waiting for you to come home.”

"I've directed part of the salary GG gives me towards having someone maintain this house and the rest of the property. The housekeeper comes in once a week and someone else maintains the grounds every month,” he explained, following the path she took into the family room. “I guess I've always held the hope that Mom and Dad would be coming home eventually."

She was examining the framed photographs on top of the hearth. There was a picture of Keith as a little boy on a horse holding up a blue ribbon that he had just won, of a young Kat and Zachary during their wedding. Kat in her hospital bed, holding a newborn Keith towards the camera with love shining in her eyes. Toddler Keith sitting astride his father’s shoulders and shouting with laughter. Keith at around ten, smiling proudly up at his father, who was dressed in full dress uniform, with his mother’s hands on his shoulders beaming at both of them just as proudly.

“It was thoughtful of you to do that,” she said huskily, swallowing the tears clogging her throat. This intimate glimpse into his life he had allowed her touched her in a way that she couldn't quite put into words. She looked from the photographs to find him standing right behind her. She met his eyes, her smile warm. "They'll love to come home to this house someday. It's so cozy. And the twins will love all this room."

He met her look for a moment with somber eyes then he cleared his throat self-consciously.

"You better change out of those wet clothes," he told her matter-of-factly, guiding her away from the hearth and ushering her up the stairs. He positioned himself alongside her to purposely block her view of the dining room as he did so. He showed her into his parents' bedroom, indicating where the bathroom was. Afterwards, he took down a fresh towel for her and showed her the closet where his mother's clothes were stored.

"I'm sure mom won't mind your borrowing any of her things," he offered, indicating the dresses and pants hung up neatly inside the closet. Then he looked her over and shook his head with a grin. "I advise against the pants, though - they'll probably hang way above your ankles.”

Allura, remembering his petite mother, agreed with a laugh.

"Thanks," she said, as he went out the room after casually informing her that he would see to dinner. After a moment’s thought, she stuck her head around the door and called out incredulously, "You can cook?"

She heard his answering laughter from below. "Yes, in moderation. Don't worry - it may not be what you're used to, but I promise it will be edible."

Allura shook her head as she entered the bathroom, towel in hand. Was there anything the man couldn't do?

After her shower, Allura changed back into her old jeans that were not really that wet, and borrowed a soft, pale yellow shirt from Kat's closet. After combing her long, tangled locks, she left the room and shut the door as quietly as possible. She wanted to see the other rooms in the house before going down - especially his.

There was a closed door across the hall from his parents' and it was where Allura peaked first. She had hit jackpot on the first try. She flipped the light switch by the door on, and it activated a study desk lamp that lit the small room with warm, cozy light.

It was a little boy's room, the walls papered with stars and planets, the desk cluttered with books on flight, spaceships, alien language dictionaries, and a small, empty picture frame. The sight made Allura smile. Keith sure had started early. A telescope stood by a large window with a window-seat cluttered by more books, and on the wall beside the window was posted a star chart illustrating many Earth constellations. On a far shelf, his mother had lovingly arranged his ribbons for riding and other awards from the Academy.

Allura made her way across the room and seated herself on the window-seat. From here, she could see the lights of Galaxy Garrison's main base and the Space Academy shining in the distance. She could imagine the little boy Keith sitting here many a night, looking toward those lights and dreaming, boldly making plans to conquer space some day. She could imagine him peeking through that telescope towards the stars and seeing his future in them. She could imagine him tucked in the small bed, being sung to sleep by his mother. She could see his child-self so vividly it was like he was in here with her.

But she couldn't see Keith the man here. There was no sign of any aspect of Keith in this room that was above the age of ten. Why was that? She lay her cheek on her drawn up knees as she wondered, her head tipped to one side in thought. A hand on her shoulder startled her from her reverie.

"Allura? Dinner's ready."

Startled, she looked up at him, remnants of her questions shining in her eyes.

He met the questions with a soft sigh as he rubbed the tense muscles at the back of his neck wearily. Even if he had recently just found his family again, the memories of his years alone still had the power to hurt him. He looked away from her and towards the window, his lips curved in a sad smile.

"I never slept in this room after Aidel," he explained, answering her unspoken questions. "Whenever I came back here, which was rare, I always stayed in the guest bedroom down the hall. It didn't feel right to be here when they were gone."

She reached up and lay a comforting hand on his arm. "You don't have to tell me this."

"I know." He looked back at her, and this time his eyes were lit by a real smile. "I just wanted to. It just felt right to." He bent down and planted a kiss on her forehead, startling her. From the expression in his eyes, she thought the impulsive gesture must have startled himself. He pulled her to her feet. "Come on down, and have a taste of spaghetti a la Montgomery before it gets cold."

She frowned suspiciously at him. "That isn't going to give me indigestion, is it?" she asked, allowing herself to be guided to the door.

He shrugged, his eyes dancing. “I guess you’re just going to have to trust me.”
 

They spent dinner teasing one another about how they ate the pasta and regaling each other with stories about their respective childhoods. Laughter was never in short supply.

Allura told Keith about the many escapades that got her into trouble with Nanny and Coran – but got her backhanded compliments from her father. Keith in turn told Allura about his escapades with Lance that had driven their parents crazy. He even told her stories about their depraved lives at the Academy - about the girls' locker room raids and the times he played hooky.

“I can't believe I ever let Lance or you convince me that you were a ‘stick-in-the-mud,’” she said, clutching her sides. She was laughing over the time the women’s dorm mother had caught him while Lance stood on his shoulders to take pictures of their women batchmates bathing the shower.

"Hey, I was only talked into it - I wasn't the one who came up with the idea," he said, his tone sulky, his eyes twinkling at her from across the table. “I didn’t even get to see anything.”

She snorted in disbelief. "Oh, sure – I’m sure he talked you into it by promising you a copy of each shot he got – especially Natalie’s!"

Keith grinned. “You’re right!” he admitted. He chuckled when she shook her head in admonishment. “But…” he added wickedly, meeting her eyes. “What makes you think I needed any pictures of Natalie at all?”

“Captain, you’re a lot worse than Lance!” she told him with a smirk. A wave of jealousy hit her when she recalled the woman from this afternoon, but she pushed the thought away and refused to let him see she was affected.  The knowing smile he shot her, however, made her realize he knew exactly what she was feeling and was pleased by it.

She got even with him as they were discussing their enemies on Planet Doom over dessert. “You know, something’s always bothered me about Lotor,” she said thoughtfully, her blue eyes innocent as they met his across the table.

“Everything about him bothers me,” he replied with a scowl. At her reproachful glance, he sighed and asked, “So what is it about him that bothers you?”

Allura took a forkful of the cake he had bought for their dessert and popped it into her mouth before answering him, injecting all the sincerity she could muster into her voice. “I could never figure out how someone like Zarcon could actually have such a tall, dashing, and handsome son,” she said, barely concealing a grin at the answering scowl on his face.

“I’m going to burn that damn teddy bear,” Keith muttered under his breath as he jabbed his fork into the cake on his saucer. He thought he heard a muffled giggle, looked up to meet her wide grin – and knew she was just getting back at him. He raised his hands in mock surrender. “You got me there, Ally,” he admitted reluctantly. “If I promise not to crack any more Natalie jokes, do you promise not to name your bear after that… that… Lotor?”

She nodded at him solemnly. It was the easiest promise she had ever made. “Deal,” she agreed. “Now are you going to tell me how you managed to get this spaghetti cooked so fast? Are you sure you didn't cook that great sauce from out of a can?”

“No, I didn't,” he retorted. “And it’s not sporting of you to say so. That sauce is a special family secret, so I can’t tell you how it’s prepared.”

But after more wheedling from Allura, Keith finally admitted that he had spent the rest of yesterday afternoon shopping for the meal he had prepared for her. He had slept in this house to chop up ingredients to cut down on cooking time, bring out the stoneware and flatware from storage, and hunt down another surprise he had for her later that evening.

It warmed Allura to know the thoughtful planning he had put into this whole day – from giving her the jeans she had requested to the twin candles and the adorable fresh flower centerpiece he had placed in the middle of the dining table. She took it to mean that he had thought of this day as much as she did – and maybe he considered it as important as she did.
 
After they finished their dinner, he bulldozed her into the family room while she waited for him to finish washing up before they headed to GG. He had left instructions to the caretaker of the house to repack everything he had used and put them back in storage the next day, but he wanted the house clean before they left.

Allura wanted to help, but he vehemently refused - after all, she was his guest. To sweeten the bargain, he brought in his latest surprise – consisting of all photo albums his mother had ever compiled – to keep her occupied. After some argument, she finally capitulated, curiosity over seeing more of him as a baby and a child winning out. She settled on the couch in the family room, the thick pile of albums on her lap, drinking in more pictures of Keith as a baby, with his unconscious, very off-key humming from the kitchen assaulting her ear.

She held back a chuckle. Assaulting was right the word. She finally discovered that the one thing he couldn’t do was carry a tune.

“These pictures are adorable, Keith – do you think we could take just one of these back with us to show the others?” she called out, thumbing through his baby pictures with a wide smile.

“And have everyone on the entire team lose their respect for me? No way!” he exclaimed vehemently from the kitchen.  He paused as if remembering something. “Hmmm... Allura, maybe you should skip the third album in that pile - there are some very shocking pictures of me... in there."

“Ooooh! Look at this! Look at you!” His warning was come too late. Allura was already squealing and laughing over those dumb naked baby pictures his mother had taken of him on a posing sheepskin rug. “You were such a ham!” she called out.

"I was practcing - I thought Mom and Dad wanted me to be a centerfold when I grew up. Are you though ogling me yet?" He could hear her delighted laughter from here, and he couldn't wait to join her. He quickened his washing.

"I really should bring one of these things back to show Lance and the others - you'll never be able to live this down," she told him smugly, as she traced one picture then another with her fingers. They were all so cute, but her favorite was one where he had his head pillowed on his arms behind his head, giving the camera full-force of his five-toothed grin.

"If you look into one of the later albums, you're bound to find one where Lance and I are running on the lawn spraying one another with a hose with nothing on," he called out wryly. "I don't think he'll be quite as eager to condemn me knowing I have copies of those pictures on me - and the addresses of all his vindictive former girlfriends."

Keith finished up his work in the kitchen, smiling at the sound of her musical laughter. It had been so long since there was last any laughter in this house, and he marveled at the way the house had seemed to take her in, take them both in, as if they belonged here. He emerged from the kitchen and made his way to the family room, wiping his hands on a dishtowel. He leaned against the doorjamb and watched the play of light bring out the hints of spun gold in her hair. She was too engrossed in the pictures to realize that he was watching her.

Watching her sit here, with no trappings of royalty about her, it was so easy to imagine having her here this way every night. It was so easy to imagine her sharing this house as their home, filling it with their love, laughter, and children; her here to love him and for him to love, to share his life with...

It was something he knew he could never have.

The unwelcome thought hit him hard. Against his better judgement, all day he had managed to fool himself into believing that it was possible. But seeing her here this way and suddenly realizing that it was pretense drove the point to him more viciously than anything else had ever had.

Suddenly aware of Keith’s presence and feeling his eyes on her, Allura looked up and her laughter faded as she saw a pain she didn't understand there. She put the albums aside and walked towards him. His gaze was steady but no longer filled with the easy laughter that had lit it the whole day. It was impassive and eerily… dead.

She stopped before him, searching his face for clue. "Keith...?" she asked, unnerved by the sudden shift in his mood, reaching out to touch his cheek.

Abruptly he shook his head and turned away, as if he couldn’t bear to meet her eyes any longer. "The game's over, princess," he said flatly. "It's getting late. We're going back home."
 

They spent the drive back to GG in complete silence.

Allura looked outside her window at the lights speeding by and tried her best not to cry. The day had been going so well, they had been so happy - and now there was this. She couldn't understand it. In the span of what felt like one moment, he was suddenly too far away for her to reach. It had been a long time she had last felt him this far away from her emotionally.

And then she suddenly realized why.

For some reason, he had remembered that she was a princess.

The thought made her so furious that the tears she was holding back began to spill over her cheeks. She sniffled and tried surreptitiously to wipe them off her cheeks.

Looking over her with a sigh, Keith pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road. He turned to her, gently wiping some of the tears away with the back of his hand. "Princess -" he began.

"Don't call me that!" she burst out, turning away from him. Her voice was angry. "You promised me that today you wouldn't see me as that, that you would see me as me! That title isn't who I am and I hate the way you make it seem as if it's so!"

Silence fell over the car, leaving nothing but the soft purr of the engine he had left running and Allura's sniffling between them.

"But it is, Allura," Keith finally said. "It is an inherent part of who you are - just like being a soldier is an inherent part of who I am. I know you, Allura – I don’t see you as just a princess, I see the person you are beyond that. I’ve seen you for a very long time."

He took her chin in his hand and gently turned her to face him. "I almost wish – I almost wish that I didn’t… but I do. If I didn’t, maybe this wouldn’t be so hard – damn, why are you doing this to me?" He reached out and softly brushed away the tears that continued to fall from her hurt-filled blue eyes. He hated seeing her tears.
 
"Is it so hard to pretend for just a few more hours that my title isn't between us?" Allura pleaded softly. She took a deep, shuddering breath. "Today may have been simple enough to you, but it’s been one of the happiest I've ever had in a long time... because... because you were really here with me. Not Allura the princess, just Allura."

"It was the same for me, too," he ground out, cupping her face in his hands. "And God knows I don't have to pretend anything I feel for you.”

“Then why did you change so suddenly?”

“Because I realized that I was beginning to forget that this is something that I can never have."

"What?" she asked, her heart pounding in her ears. Her eyes swept over his face, taking hope from the intensity of the emotion she read there. "What are you saying?"

Keith took a deep breath and caressed her with his eyes. "Today almost made me forget that no matter how much I... that I can never really have you," he explained softly. After what seemed to be the longest time, he dropped his hands from her face and turned away, preparing to bring the car back on the road.

Her hand on his arm stopped him.

"Are you trying to tell me that you love me?" she asked quietly.

He looked at her then, pain written all over his face and in his eyes, and she already knew the answer. But she had to hear him say it.

"Dammit, Allura -" he began, raking a hand through his hair in agitation.

"Do you love me?" she asked relentlessly.

He met her eyes for long moments, then finally capitulated with a sigh. "You already know the answer to that,” he said gruffly. “I love you, Allura.” He said the words as if they were being dragged from inside him, but by instinct she knew they were true.

The much longed-for words broke her hold on her control, and the tears began to flow down her cheeks once more. He gathered her into his arms even if it was against his better judgement. He held her there in comfort, softly stroking his hand through her long, damp hair, soothingly running his hand up and down her back as she sobbed.

“I’ve loved you for a long time, Princess – I fought it for nearly as long, but I never stood a chance,” he whispered as he kissed the rumpled hair at the top of her head. “I love your kindness, your sense of joy, your courage - even your stubbornness. I love you.”

Finally, she stopped crying and looked up at him. With a hand that trembled she reached up and brushed the stubborn, unruly lock of hair that had fallen over his forehead – something she had wanted to do for a long time. Her hand settled on the side of his cheek. "I love you, too, Keith. I love you so much."

He sighed and pushed her head back down against his chest. "I know," he whispered in her hair as he kissed it once more. "I know."

"If love is all there is," she began, her voice muffled against his chest. "If love is all there is and it's so supposed to be so simple, why does this have to be so hard for the both of us?"

Keith didn't reply to her question, knowing that this admission had made an already complicated situation even more so. He had always known what was growing between them, she had always known, but saying it aloud now had made it more real.

And now they both had no idea what they were supposed to do next.

They held each other in silence on the roadside for a long time, content to hear the beating of their hearts against one another. Despite the uncertainty, holding one another like this made them both feel that this was right - and that they were home.
 

He walked her through the deserted corridors of the Diplomats’ Quarters right up to her door, their hands entwined with one another's. At the door to her room, he reluctantly dropped her hand and placed the huge stuffed lion in her arms to join the teddy bear that already occupied it, smiling gently at her as he did so. The door's automatic sensors noted her presence and the door to her room silently swished open. She placed both stuffed animals down on the carpet and turned back towards him.

It was obvious that they both didn’t want to say goodnight.

"I notified the Space Marshal Graham and the commander of our chartered ship this morning about our intention to leave first light tomorrow," he began conversationally, his hands clasped behind his back. "We can leave as soon as you and Nanny are ready and -"

"Keith," she interrupted by placing a finger on his lips, her own voice holding mild reproach. "The day isn't over yet, you know." She smiled up at him, heart in her eyes. "I had fun."

He sighed, and he couldn't refrain from touching her cheek again – even after he resolved not to, at least for tonight. "Not as much as I did," he admitted, smiling back. "I had the best time."

"How are we supposed to end this date properly? Lance said -" she frowned, recalling what Lance had told her about dating back on Terra.

Keith groaned as he saw the wheels turning in her head, recalling his best friend's version of first date etiquette.

"I know what Lance said - you don't have to tell me," he told her with a small chuckle. "Speaking of Lance, this is all his fault. I'm going to hang him when we get back to Arus."

“Do you mind how things turned out?”

“No,” he admitted with a grin, “But I’m still going to kill him.” He cupped her face in both hands and tipped it up towards his. His mouth was just a few inches away from hers. "You know, chances are this isn't a very good idea. Since when have you ever read of a lowly knight kissing the royal princess he's serving?"

She felt her heart pounding against her chest as she saw his mouth slowly descending. "Oh, I think there's a rule in my royal protocol book somewhere that allows this," she whispered back, earning another low chuckle from him, "provided the knight happens to have the princess' heart at the time."

At that, his lips touched hers, and she had to close her eyes at the sweetness of his kiss - something she had wanted to taste for such a long time. Her hands crept up his chest and wound around his neck, her fingers running through the silky dark hair at his nape as her lips parted under his. It was what she had always imagined her first kiss to be - and then some.

At length, he broke their kiss and looked down at her, his eyes mirroring the wonder in hers.

"Was that the proper way to end a date?" she asked huskily, her gaze dropping back from his eyes to his lips.

"It's the proper way to end my life - especially if Nanny or Coran ever saw us doing that," he croaked, planting another small peck on her lips and laying a finger on them to stop her protest. "Good night, Princess. Get some rest. We have a long journey tomorrow."

But despite his vehemence, he was reluctant to let her go, allowing his hands to linger at her waist for a few more moments before finally dropping them away from her.

"Good night, Captain Mother Hen," she said, embracing him tightly before stepping back inside her room. She hugged herself hard to remind herself that she wasn't dreaming. "Sleep tight." I love you, Keith, she added silently, the statement in her smile.

I love you, my Princess, he smiled back as the door swished closed. Sleep tight? Don't I wish! he thought as he walked away. But even in the midst of all his worries, he couldn't keep the glow of his happiness from engulfing him and giving him the hope that all would turn out right.

Allura lay awake in the dark, her new teddy bear clutched against her. She stared at the ceiling, her face wreathed in a smile bright enough to light up the room as she relived all that had happened through the day - especially their first kiss.

Then she sighed, knowing that his admitting his feelings to her was now the least of the problems that kept them apart.

Always, there is love, my daughter, her father had told her once before. Love is all there really is in life. Love is all there is.

"Love is all there is," she whispered in the dark, holding her bear closer to her heart. Deep inside, she knew that she was right. Things would work out for them, even if it would mean fighting for it, because they had love on their side. But first - she just had to convince him.

Smiling once more, despite the fact that she knew it was easier said than done, as she drifted off to sleep, the last thing she saw in her mind was his face as he told her he loved her. For now, simply knowing that was enough.