For Disclaimer, see part 1.
Keith glared at the blank view screen in the control room, but the commands he had just received refused to wilt under the heat of his anger. He continued to stare at the view screen anyway, silently praying for a miracle. The sound of the door sliding open drew him back to the present.
"Hi, Keith. I was just looking for you."
Keith groaned inwardly. Allura had been acting strangely around him lately, for no discernable reason. Pasting a smile on his face, he turned to face her. "Really? What for?"
Allura smiled sweetly. "I found some fascinating information in the Archives that I wanted to share with you."
Keith smiled back, ignoring the slight twinge of misgiving he'd felt around Allura for the last week or so. "I'm sorry, but it'll have to wait. The high council just called me back to Earth for another round of meetings."
Allura's face fell in disappointment. "I'm sorry, Keith," she told him softly, eyes shining with real sympathy. "How long do you think you'll be gone this time?"
Keith sighed and rubbed tired eyes with the palms of his hands. "A week, probably. Maybe a little longer." He turned an accusatory glare back to the blank screen behind him, missing the predatory gleam that crossed Allura's face as she watched him.
Keith turned back to her, shaking his head and smiling wryly. "I'm going to put Lance in charge. God willing, you won't have any major problems."
Allura laughed softly. "I'm sure we'll be fine." She cocked her head to the side and studied Keith for a moment. "You could probably use the time away, actually."
Keith forced himself to meet her gaze, trying to shake the feeling that he was a particularly fascinating specimen under a microscope. "What do you mean?"
Allura shook her head, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. "Oh, nothing. I just meant last week, when we gave you the day off, you seemed to have so much trouble trying to figure out what to do with yourself."
Keith's eyes took on a distant look and a faint smile came over his face. "Oh, I don't know. I think a day off was exactly what I needed. It just took me a little while to remember how to relax."
Allura's jaw tightened with suppressed anger. "Well, sometimes it's good to get away for a while. I know stress can impair anyone's judgement." She turned away quickly, suddenly afraid she had said too much. "Anyway, Keith, don't worry about anything. I'm sure we'll be fine, and those meetings will be over before you know it. And then, who knows? Anything can happen, right?"
She turned to find Keith studying her in confusion. "I guess so…"
"Right." She turned around and smiled brightly. "Take care and keep us informed."
"I will." Keith watched her walk from the room, then shook his head in confusion. 'For a minute, she almost sounded like she knew about Lance and me… But how could she?' He glared at the monitor one last time for good measure, then headed to his room to pack. 'Don't be silly, Keith. You're jumping at shadows.'
Running a hand through his hair in frustration, he decided to detour by the landing bay. Hunk and Pidge would more than likely be working there and he should let them know he'd be gone for a while. He briefly toyed with the idea of calling a group meeting, but dismissed it almost immediately. After all, Allura already knew and was expecting him to leave shortly, so there was no real need for the formality. Besides, he really wanted to have a least a few minutes alone with Lance before he left. Smiling faintly at the thought, he pushed the odd conversation with Allura entirely out of his mind.
Keith paused with a folded shirt in his hands as he heard the door of his room open behind him. Smiling faintly, he carefully placed the shirt into his bag, then started to turn around. A pair of arms wrapping around him from behind stopped him. Keith leaned back into the warm embrace, sighing with contentment.
Lance smiled softly and kissed the back of Keith's neck at the hairline. "Do you really have to go?"
Keith nodded, moving his head so that Lance could reach the side of his neck. "Yes, as much as I hate these meetings, I really do."
Lance sighed and tightened his embrace, resting his chin on Keith's shoulder. "How long are you going to be gone this time?"
"A week, maybe a little longer. I'll be back as soon as I can." He laced his fingers through Lance's hands, which were folded across his stomach, and glanced at their reflection in the mirror across the room. He caught Lance's eyes in the mirror, his heart nearly melting at the melancholy he saw there. "Hey, it's not like it's forever."
"I know. I miss you when you're gone, though."
Keith turned around to face him, eyes dark and deep. He ran gentle fingers through Lance's hair, then kissed him quickly. "I miss you too." He met Lance's eyes again, then forced himself to turn away and finish packing. "I'm leaving you in charge. Try not to get in too much trouble."
Lance sat down on the edge of the bed, regarding Keith with a look that proclaimed wounded innocence. "How could I possibly get into trouble?"
Keith rolled his eyes and Lance laughed. "Okay, I promise I won't do anything irrevocable." Keith zipped his bag and turned back to Lance with raised eyebrows. Lance held up his hands. "I'll be good. I promise."
"You promise?"
"Man, why doesn't anyone trust me? The pure slander of my character…"
Keith snorted lightly, then leaned down to kiss him. He pushed Lance back on the bed, falling down on top of him. He finally drew away when he felt Lance's fingers slide under the seams in his uniform. He stood up, ignoring Lance's glare. "That wasn't very nice."
Keith sat back down, kissing Lance lightly again. "I just wanted to make sure you have something to think about while I'm gone."
Lance wrapped an arm around his neck, trying to pull him back down. "You can do a lot better than that."
Keith fought with the idea for a minute, glancing at the time on his bedside clock. "I can't, Lan. I have really got to go."
Lance gave him a long-suffering look, then threw an arm over his face. "Yes, folks, he's back. Captain Keith returns."
Keith punched him lightly on the arm. "Poor, abused baby."
Lance lowered his arm and smiled at him. "Just hurry back, okay? Otherwise, you'd be amazed the things that start to look good. The maids… the guards… Coran…"
Keith nearly dropped his bag. "I cannot believe you even just said that."
Lance's smile became triumphant. "Now you have something to think about while you're away."
"You win. So are you going to walk me to the lion bay, or make me go all by myself?"
"Depends. Can I at least kiss you goodbye?"
Keith shrugged. "Fine with me. I'll just have to find another willing volunteer if you turn me down."
Lance jumped back up off the bed. "I guess I don't have a choice, then."
Keith smiled and followed him out of the room. "Guess not."
The lion bay was thankfully empty. Keith uttered a silent prayer that it would stay that way for just a few minutes longer. He dumped his bag into the car that led to Black Lion, then climbed in after it. Lance knelt down beside him, the melancholy look back in his eyes.
He took a lock of Keith's hair absently in his fingers. "I really will miss you, you know."
Keith reached out and touched Lance's cheek. "I know. I love you."
"I love you too." Lance leaned over and kissed Keith gently. "Take care of yourself."
"You too. Try not to destroy anything, okay?"
Lance grinned. "I'll try. We'll be fine, Keith. Hurry back." He kissed Keith one more time, then left quickly. Keith watched him go, then slide his helmet into place and hit the car's release button, totally unaware that the bay hadn't been deserted, after all.
Allura stood up from her hiding place in the lion bay, stretching stiff muscles. She had crept down here shortly after Lance had let himself into Keith's room. She knew that what she was doing was wrong, but she had to know if what she had happened between Keith and Lance was just a one-time thing. She thought she could let it go, if that was the case, but the scene she had just witnessed suggested otherwise.
Sounds didn't travel over the whir of machinery to her ears, but hearing their softly spoken words wasn't necessary. The gentle way they touched each other, the two times they kissed… Allura fought down a surge of anger, knowing that confronting Lance immediately would be pointless. She needed time to think, to come up with a strategy.
It had to be the stress. Keith would never be involved in something as unnatural as this without something affecting his judgement; she was sure of that. Lance, on the other hand, was definitely depraved enough. The idea had probably been his all along.
Allura felt the anger building again and made a token effort to fight it down. Lance knew how she felt about Keith. He had to be doing this on purpose. Why? How could he do this to her?
Allura gritted her teeth and stalked off to her bedroom. She needed time to think. She had a week to deal with this situation. If Lance wouldn't see reason, she'd just give him an ultimatum. After all, she was sure once Keith knew how she felt, things would change.
Lance sat at his desk, flipping absently through yet another book given to him by the infamous maid from Amphrose. He stopped to scan an interesting part, then dropped the book and rested his head on his arms. 'You are so pathetic,' he told himself sternly. 'It's only been four days. Pull yourself together!'
A knock sounded insistently on the door. Lance started out of his daydream, sliding out of the chair onto the floor with a resounding bang. Cursing, he pulled himself back to his feet and rubbed the elbow he'd landed on. The knock sounded again. "I'm coming! Jeez, give me a minute, will you?"
He stalked to the door and stabbed the release button, crossing his arms in annoyance. The door slid open obediently to reveal Allura.
Allura stared at him for a moment in wide-eyed surprise. "If this is a bad time…" She gestured vaguely down the hall.
Lance sighed and forced himself to smile. "No, no, it's fine." He stepped aside to allow her to enter. "You just startled me, that's all." His smile faded as he watched Allura cross the room to the desk. She kept biting her lip and fidgeting with the sleeves of her dress as if she was nervous about something. "What's up? You look like something's bothering you."
Allura leaned against the desk and looked straight at him, her expression serious. "Yes, there is something bothering me. I'm hoping you can help me."
Lance gestured towards the chair next to the desk and sank down into the spare, crossing his arms over the back. "Sounds serious. You know I'll do whatever I can to help."
Allura smiled tightly. "I hope so. It's just…" She gestured helplessly, eyes distant as she sought for a tactful way to begin. She watched Lance's expression settle into a mix of concern and curiosity and decided she might as well just get things into the open. "It's about Keith."
Lance jumped and stared at her with wide eyes, back ramrod straight. "What about Keith?"
Allura frowned, not liking the instant tension just the mention of his name produced in Lance. She glanced down at her hands, forcing herself to relax, then looked back up. "Well, you know how I feel about him, don't you?" She smiled coyly, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.
Lance shifted slightly. "Oh…well, I guess so."
Allura sighed with relief. "Good. I just…well, lately…"
"Yes?"
"I'm pretty sure he feels the same way about me." She fought down a predatory smile at the strained look on Lance's face. 'Little insecure about things, are you? That's good. You should be.'
"Allura, why are you telling me this?" Lance barely suppressed a wince as his voice cracked. 'Real smooth, Lance.'
Allura flashed him an innocent smile. "Because you're such good friends with both of us, and I desperately need some advice." Her smile became conspiratorial. "I haven't had all that much experience with relationships, you know."
Lance pushed himself up from the chair and begin to flip through a stack of papers on the edge of his desk. "Allura, I'm probably not the best person to ask about these kinds of things."
"No, Lance, I disagree." She reached out and covered his hands with her own, stifling the nervous shuffling. "You're Keith's best friend, after all." She took one of his hands soothingly and led him back to the chair. "So, what do you think I should do?" She smiled at Lance, who was staring at her with a trapped expression on his face. 'This is too easy,' she thought with amusement. 'He's as easy to read as an open book.'
"I…I don't know," Lance finally answered, shaking his head violently.
"Well, how about this?" She tapped a finger against her chin thoughtfully, thoroughly enjoying herself. "I could get him alone in his room when he comes back and show him how I feel." She smiled brightly at Lance, ignoring the sick expression on his face. "Isn't that what the books always recommend?"
Lance's face suddenly lit up as he grabbed on to the idea the way that a drowning man grabs a life preserver. "No, I think that's a very bad idea, Allura. Sex and love aren't synonymous." He sat up a little straighter. "If you really care about him, you won't put him into a situation like that, where he feels trapped and like he has to choose-"
"Choose?" Allura cut him off, leaning forward. "Why would he have to choose?"
Lance froze and snapped his mouth shut. He laughed nervously. "Choose? Well…I mean…You'd never know if he did it because he cared about you or because you offered." He nodded firmly.
"You mean I wouldn't know whether he really loved me or if he was just using me?"
"Exactly."
Allura leaned back into the chair and watched him. "That's a good point," she admitted. She paused artfully, allowing him to think he had regained some semblance of control over the situation. He opened his mouth to answer, and she rushed in to cut him off, hoping to catch him totally off guard. "I thought maybe you were afraid that he would chose me over you when presented with the opportunity."
She smoothed her features into an expression of concern as the blood drained out of Lance's face. "What's wrong, dear? You don't honestly believe that he's in love with you?"
He made a warding gesture with his hands as he stumbled away from the chair and fell onto his bed. "I…he is…what…" He stopped to take a deep breath, then turned back to Allura with an angry glare. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Allura rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, Lance. You don't really believe that no one knew about the two of you?"
"I don't know-"
"Yes, actually, I think you know exactly what I mean." She pushed herself up and walked over to the bed, glaring down at him. "How could you even do something like that? It's so…depraved, for God's sake."
Lance stared at her, shocked speechless.
She sat down next to him, looking straight into his eyes. "Give it up, Lance. Keith's mine."
Lance's eyes suddenly narrowed. "No, Allura, I don't think so. Last time I checked, you're not the one he's been spending his nights with."
"Oh? And that's supposed to mean something? What were your words again? Oh, yes. Love and sex are not synonymous." She smiled at him sweetly. "Isn't that right?"
Lance glared at her, his hazel eyes almost black with anger. "Yes, that is what I said. I meant it. He might sleep with you if you give him the opportunity, but he's in love with me."
Allura batted her eyes. "Why in the world would he want anything to do with me if he's in love with you?"
"I didn't say that he would. I said that he might."
"I really fail to see a difference there." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "As I see it, there's only one possible way we can settle this situation."
Lance raised an eyebrow. "Sure. You can back off and leave him alone."
"Oh, I don't think so, Lance. You're wrong. Keith's using you. I'm sure of it. I think we should give him the option to choose."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"I mean that when he gets back, you give me one night alone with him. Let him make the choice on his own."
"And how is leaving him alone with you going to involve him choosing without help?"
Allura tapped him on the cheek, smiling when he flinched away from her hand and scowled darkly. "You've had plenty of opportunities to convince him. I just think I should have a fair turn. You also said that he can't choose if he feels trapped, remember?"
Lance nodded, the anger in his eyes misting away, leaving only a miserable uncertainty. 'How can you live with yourself? He's one of your closest friends!' Allura shoved aside the pang of conscience with annoyance.
"Well?"
"No, Allura, I can't go through with this. You don't understand." He stretched out his arms in a vaguely pleading gesture. "I love him, and he loves me. Why can't you accept that?"
Allura sighed sadly, then stood up to leave. She paused by the door, turning back with a calculating expression. "You will allow me one night, Lance."
Lance stood up, slowly regaining his equilibrium. "No, I won't."
"Yes, you will." Allura reached up under her sleeve and removed the small tape recorder she had hidden there. "If you don't, I'll be forced to send a copy of this whole conversation to Galaxy Garrison." She smiled as Lance blanched. "So, what's your decision, Lance? Are you going to allow Keith to decide for himself, or are you going to wreck not only your career, but his as well?"
"You win, Allura," Lance whispered, pale enough to pass for a ghost. "I think you're going to be very disappointed, though."
"No, Lance," she answered, opening the door, "I think you are." With a parting smile, she quickly escaped into the hallway.
She fled to her room, her heart pounding in her chest, ignoring the strange looks of her staff in the hallways. Her legs gave out when she reached the dubious safety of her own sanctuary and she sank down in the middle of the room, her breath coming in heavy pants. A dreamy smile drifted across her face and she turned to window, looking in the direction of Earth. 'Soon, Keith, soon we'll be together.'
Lance continued to stare at the door for a long time after Allura left, his mind whirling endlessly. Hot tears of frustration and misery streaked unnoticed down his pale cheeks and his chest constricted with every breath. 'She knows- she knows- she knows- she knows-' The thought echoed through his numb mind until he thought the repetition would drive him crazy.
"Oh, my God," he whispered, barely aware that he was speaking out loud. "What the hell am I supposed to do now?"
He pushed himself up off the bed and began to pace, feeling like a caged animal. This was crazy. No, that wasn't right. This was his worst nightmare come true. "How could she do this?" he asked the uncaring walls. "If she's so in love with Keith, how could she possibly do this-"
'What if she's right?' asked a malicious little voice in the back of his mind.
"She's not," he whispered back.
'How do you know? You've had your doubts, haven't you?'
"Stop it," he whimpered, putting his hands over his ears. It was too late. The questions raised by the voice, in conjunction with those raised by Allura, were already snaking their way through his mind, leaving behind doubts that burned him like acid.
He sank down in the desk chair, hands still firmly held over his ears. 'Why wouldn't he pick her over me, if given the choice? He loves me, I know he does, but his career… His career is everything to him. Without this fight he's- we've- dedicated ourselves to, Keith will fall totally apart.'
He frowned and stared at the desk. Reaching over, he picked up the book and began to toss it absently from hand to hand. Keith had given himself to this world and the struggle for its freedom. They all had, but not to the degree Lance had seen in Keith. If Keith lost this, he would lose everything that mattered to him. 'What was it he said to me? Oh, yeah. I'm fighting for peace, and it's so important that I feel like all my waking hours should be spent working towards it.'
Lance sighed and slumped in defeat, his heart lurching painfully in his chest. He blinked back tears. 'I can't take that away from him. I love him too much. If I have to let him go to save him, then that's what I have to do.'
He shook his head. "No, that's not right either. Allura is right about one thing. It's got to be his choice or it doesn't mean anything at all."
He stood up, clenching his fists at his sides. And that, he decided, means that I don't have to let him go without a fight. He smiled coldly, then suddenly lost his temper and threw the book at the door. He sank down to the floor in the middle of the room, feeling suddenly like a drained and empty husk. 'That's great, Lance. I don't suppose you have any ideas on how to accomplish that.' He shook his head, staring blindly at the walls and praying for an answer.