From The Stars

Chapter 2: Family

It had been several phoebs since her pod had crashed and she still hadn't located the lion. It was here, her fellow patrol appeared to be right, but it was well hidden. Kolt had been helping her, 'repurposing' tech from a nearby military base he worked for, and they had narrowed down the lion's location to 3 potential places. All of which were in the mountain range. They were getting closer though, she could feel it – maybe not literally feel it but she felt hopeful, optimistic even.

"I never thought I'd see another lion in my lifetime."

"You've been tellin' me 'bout this ship fer months but – this is beyond words." Kolt turned slightly to face her, "Are you sure you don't want me to contact the Garrison? They could help."

"We've discussed this. It could put your entire civilization in jeopardy."

"Does this mean yer gunna try to contact yer people and continue yer mission?" He tried to hide it but there was a definite hesitation to his words. Krolia looked down, she had a duty to the Blades but the prospect of leaving this planet, leaving him, was too hard to bear.

"My ship being destroyed was the best thing that ever happened to me. I wouldn't go back even if I could." Taking a purposeful step forward, she stood beside him and stared up at the magnificent Lion of Voltron. "I have a new mission now. I'm going to stay here and protect the Blue Lion."

Kolt took her hand, his eyes softening as he met her gaze. "I want to help." She smiled at him. This was wrong, so wrong. She should be returning back to the Blades but she was choosing to be weak. Her time on this planet had softened her and she felt this human man making a home for himself in her heart and there was nothing she could do about it – nothing she wanted to do about it.

"Did you eat them beans I got in the back of the fridge? Been there goin on 3 years now." He chuckled, leaning in the frame of the bathroom door as she emptied the contents of her stomach into the toilet for the second time that evening. "Maybe all the Earth food is finally catchin' up to ya after a year of bein' here? Or perhaps ya'll spent too much time out in the sun? Heat stroke's a nasty bugger."

"Kolton. You are not being helpful. Either get out, or be quiet. Pass me that -" another heave of her guts and she found her arms wrapping tighter around the bowl. "- that wet towel over there, I feel disgusting." She heaved again. "It's been almost two weeks of this, every evening! There's no way it's food or heat related and I didn't think I could catch your human viruses." Another heave.

"Sounds like morning sickness. Maybe yer pregnant." His joke was not funny. Not funny in the slightest and she heaved again before she could smack him.

"It's not nearly long enough; it's only been a year." She was panicking, the labour pains coming closer and closer together. The Galra are a long-lived species, a normal pregnancy should take longer than a simple deca-phoeb.

"Krolia we've been through this. A Human pregnancy lasts 9 months and yer well past that. This kiddo's gunna be half Human 'n half Galra; s'not a normal pregnancy."

"It just feels too – Ahhhhhhh – too soon! Oh Stars I hope everything is ok."

"It'll be fine, everything is fine. Just breathe! Yer doin' great!"

Tiny eyes flickered behind tiny eyelids. Keith was already 3 months old but she couldn't get over how tiny he was. She had him wrapped in a sling and strapped to her chest as she milled about their small desert home. There were dishes to do and a growing pile of laundry, not to mention the constant need to clean with all the sand in the air. Krolia had never been much for the domestic life, she was a Blade first and foremost, but there wasn't a whole lot she could do out here. Earth was an un-contacted planet and she couldn't just go strolling into town in all of her purple glory without bringing down the full weight of the Galaxy Garrison on them. And though she knew she could handle herself, she didn't want the Garrison to get anywhere near her tiny, tiny son.