WEP owns everything except the voices in my head. I just like to invade their space and move things around when no one's looking...

Smithy - I don't think I could ever let Lotor win. I'm all about the good guys ;-)

Limetwist - You betcha. Who wouldn't fear an angry Keith?

Paulina Ann - I hope you like this last chapter. Lance gets a couple of good lines in here too... I love his snark...

sunshineleo - Don't ya hate it an animal babysits you? Especially when they are quick to rat you out? Or is that mouse you out? lol

Aryea - Glad you're enjoying the story so far. I hope you feel the same way about the ending...

So, with no further ado, it's time to wrap this one up folks!

Keith arrives at his quarters and makes his way to the bathroom for some aspirins. After swallowing the pills, he collapses onto his bed without bothering to undress. Pulling the blanket over himself, he turns onto his side and closes his eyes. He concentrates on his breathing, attempting to keep each lungful steady and even. Finally, with the medicine working to reduce the throbbing in his skull, he is able to relax enough to drift off. He sleeps peacefully for about fifteen minutes before he once again finds himself in the throes of a nightmare. Calling out in his sleep, he suddenly sits bolt upright, his breath coming in short ragged gasps, his heart thudding loudly in his chest. Shaking his head slowly, Keith pinches the bridge of his nose as he attempts to calm his body's panicked responses to the events within his dream. "I really wish I could remember what these nightmares are about," he mutters to himself under his breath. Reaching up, he buries his hand in his hair, scratching his scalp. Stretching, he closes his eyes and tries unsuccessfully to find any clue to the demons haunting his sleep. Giving up, he tries to settle back down on the bed in an effort to get some rest.

Once again, Keith attempts to slow his breathing and clear his mind by concentrating on the movement of air into and out of his lungs. As Keith works to achieve slumber, Chitter slips from his hiding place in the captain's room and perches on the nightstand where he can better observe Keith's efforts. Unable to find a position where he feels comfortable enough to fall asleep, Keith tosses and turns for a while, grunting and growling in frustration as slumber evades him once more. Frowning, the small mouse shakes his head and runs off to make his report.

"What's that Chitter? Keith's still not sleeping?" The mouse gestures frantically as he squeaks out his message, his arms flailing wildly. "Oh, he *was* sleeping, but had another nightmare. And he can't fall asleep again?" The small creature stands in the palm of the princess's hand as he provides additional details. "I see. Don't worry Chitter. Yes, I'll go check on him." She watches attentively as the mouse pantomimes and chirps again. "Yes, we'll find a way to fix him. Thank you for your help." She lowers her hand so that the rodent can leap onto the table and join his friends.

Sitting on the couch, Lance has been silently observing Allura's exchange with Chitter. As it ends, he stands and approaches her. "Princess, just how do you propose to *fix* Keith?" He smirks and snickers as he repeats her words. "I'm not sure you can get him to go back to Doctor Gorma unless he crashes his lion and knocks himself out again." He tilts his head and screws up his lips. "Though I guess, we could always just knock him out and drag him back to the hospital if you want." He makes a fist and punches the palm of his other hand, winking as he does so.

"I'm not sure yet, Lance." She shrugs, shaking her head and ignoring his implied threat against the commander. "But first, I'm going to go talk to him and see what's going on." She raises her blue eyes to meet his hazel stare. "Maybe I can talk him into visiting the doctor," she says as if trying to convince herself of the possibility.

Lance snorts at that idea before taking on a more serious expression. "And then? What if he still isn't able to sleep or still has nightmares?" His hands go to her shoulders as he returns her determined gaze, raising his eyebrows.

"Then I will have you bring Doctor Gorma to him. We can't let him keep suffering like this indefinitely."

"Alright. I'll go with you and wait outside his door. When I hear him bellow because you threaten to get the doctor, I'll take that as my cue." Lance chuckles softly, taking his hands from her shoulders and gesturing for her to precede him.

Hiding a giggle behind her hand, Allura tries to keep her composure as Lance follows her out of the room.

Keith paces slowly before the window in his quarters, counting how many footsteps it takes to get from one wall to the other using a variety of different gaits. Just as he is about to complete another trip, a gentle knock on the door distracts him. Sighing, he turns and strides to the panel, opening the door. Before he can react, Allura sweeps into the room, grabs his hand, and drags him to the sofa. Placing one hand on each of his shoulders, she pushes him down to a seated position before taking a place beside him. "Princess? What are you doing?" He blinks at her in confusion.

"Checking on you. Chitter told me that you had another nightmare and then couldn't fall asleep again. I want you to see Doctor Gorma for help. You can't keep going on like this, Keith. You were lucky earlier in practice. You could have been seriously injured when Black Lion took that hit. Fortunately the damage to you both turned out to be minimal." She stands and begins pacing hurriedly before the sofa, her arms flailing around, as she continues her tirade. "But, you can't keep risking yourself like that. We nearly didn't have you with us to fight off the robeast today. And from Lotor's comments, it's likely that the witch Haggar has something to do with your condition." The princess falls back to her seat on the couch with a thud. "That means you aren't going to be able to just wait it out this time." Allura's voice grows frantic as she lectures Keith, her arms gesticulating wildly.

He sits silently listening to her and watches as tears begin to form in her eyes. He's so absorbed in scrutinizing her that he fails to notice when she stops speaking. "Keith...? Ke-eith…?"

He starts and blinks rapidly as he realizes that she has been repeating his name and waving her hands in front of his face, trying to get his attention. "Sorry, guess I was in another world for a while there."

She raises an eyebrow at him and sighs loudly. "Did you even hear a single word I said?" The princess folds her arms across her chest and studies his face.

"Yeah, it was something about Haggar being behind Chitter flying Black Lion…" He mumbles incoherently as if this made perfect sense to him.

Closing her eyes, the princess presses her lips into a thin line as she works to maintain her composure. She is rapidly losing patience with the man before her. After taking a few deep breaths, she opens her eyes and catches his gaze. "Keith, are you listening this time? I need you to pay attention to what I am about to say, OK?"

He nods and wets his lips as his eyes lock on her mouth, studying it intently. Once again she begins to explain her theory that Haggar's magic is the cause of both his insomnia and his nightmares. But before she can get more than the first few syllables out, he slowly leans forward, mesmerized as he watches her lips move. Caught off guard and confused by his strange movements and expression, she stops speaking mid-sentence. Her breath catches as he draws closer and closer. She swallows convulsively as his exhalations gently puff against her mouth. His eyes close and hers long to do the same, but she resists the urge, remembering the last time he nearly kissed her. Watching entranced, she sees him part his lips ever so slightly as the distance between them disappears. As their mouths make contact, she allows her eyes to drift closed, concentrating on the softness of his lips where they touch hers. The kiss doesn't last more than a few seconds, but it feels like a divine eternity to the princess.

"I'm sorry. You were saying something important… I didn't mean to interrupt…" His voice is a husky whisper as his eyes wander over her face once the kiss ends.

"Uhhhh, yeah… I was… ummm… something about…" She leans toward him and they embrace once more. This time the kiss is a little deeper, a little more passionate, and a lot longer. Their hands find their way into each other's hair and explore each other's backs with gentle caresses as they hold one another close. When they finally separate again, a yawn escapes Keith and he blinks sleepily.

Allura watches as he struggles to stay awake before standing and taking his hands to gently pull him up with her. When he suddenly sags against her, she nearly loses her footing and is barely able to maintain her balance in order to keep them both upright. Knowing that Lance is right outside, Allura gives up trying to maneuver Keith by herself. "Lance, I need your help in here please!" Before the last words are out of her mouth, the door opens and the Red Lion pilot rushes to her side, relieving her of most of Keith's weight. Lance raises a delicate eyebrow as he drags Keith's limp arm over his shoulders and helps Allura steer him to the bed. They get him to a sitting position before letting him fall backward across the mattress. Allura bends down and gently tugs his boots from his feet. With Lance's help, she repositions him so that his head rests on a pillow before the princess gently tucks him in.

Trying not to wake him, Lance and Allura move quietly back to Keith's couch and sit down. "What happened, Princess?"

"Well, I was talking to him, trying to explain my theory that Haggar's magic was behind his sleep issues and he wouldn't concentrate on anything I said. At one point, he thought I told him that Haggar made Chitter fly Black Lion…"

Lance snickers and rolls his eyes. "Oh yeah, he's perfectly fine. No problems with lack of sleep there…" He shoots a glance at the slumbering man in the bed, shaking his head before looking back at the princess. "Go on…" He gestures with his hand for her to continue.

"Well, then I told him to pay attention and he just kept staring at me before he leaned in and…" She trails off reliving the moment in her mind as a faint blush colors her cheeks.

"And what, Princess?" Lance's eyebrow shoots up in amusement as he reads her reaction, his eyes dancing.

"Oh, nothing Lance, nothing." She waves off his question dismissively.

He smirks at her. "Uh-huh. Nothing, huh? I know what nothing looks like and that look on your face is not nothing."

She flushes a few shades redder and turns away.

His expression grows serious as he leans forward. "Wait, did he…? Did he finally *kiss* you, Princess?"

She refuses to meet his gaze, but when she turns scarlet, Lance has his confirmation. "Well, who knew he actually had it in 'im?" he breaths. Lance shakes his head in wonder and looks back toward Keith again. "But that doesn't explain why he was out on his feet when I got in here."

"I don't know what happened, but he suddenly yawned and couldn't keep his eyes open." Her own eyes widen in shock. "Do you think that when he… when I… when we… that it could have broken the spell?" She looks up at Lance questioningly.

He shrugs in response. "I honestly don't know, Princess. Maybe. But I don't have a lot of experience, education, or even general knowledge when it comes to magic. How long after he falls asleep do the nightmares usually tend to start?"

She puts a finger to her lips and taps gently as she thinks. "I think about fifteen or twenty minutes maybe? How long has he been asleep so far?"

"Half an hour or so. I'd say if they don't start again in the next ten minutes, he may be cured."

"I'm going to go sit with him and wait. You're free to go, Lance. Thank you for your help." She leans forward and impulsively kisses him on the cheek as she dismisses him.

"My pleasure, Princess. And congratulations." The Red Lion pilot winks at her cheekily as he strides out of the room, a faint blush staining his face.

Shaking her head, Allura makes her way back to Keith's bed and pulls off her own boots before lying down next to him. As she reclines on top of the covers, she watches him sleep peacefully, a soft smile on her lips.

"What do you mean they found a way to break the spell? I thought you said this was foolproof, you old bat!"

"There was only one way to break the spell. He had to kiss his one true love. How was I supposed to know she was his and that he would manage to kiss her in his state of delirium?"

"Bah, your magic is useless! One man's nightmare, indeed! You're going to be the one having nightmares, Haggar!" Growling, Lotor reaches down and angrily swings out his arm causing numerous containers from the counter to go crashing onto the floor, shattering on impact.

Slowly opening his eyes, Keith stretches and yawns, feeling more rested than he has in months. Rolling onto his side, he sees that he is not alone in his bed. Recognizing the woman sleeping next to him, he smiles softly as watches her slumber. Reaching out, he gently slides a tendril of blonde hair from her face before caressing her cheek softly.

Allura's eyes flutter open and she smiles when she sees Keith watching her through half lidded eyes.

"Sorry, Princess. I didn't mean to wake you," he whispers huskily.

"It's OK, Keith. You're the one who really needs the sleep. Have you been awake long? Did you have any nightmares?"

"No to both questions. I've only been awake for a few minutes. And before you ask, no I don't know how long I slept since I don't know when I fell asleep. But I feel much more rested than I have for quite some time."

Turning to look at the clock behind her, Allura takes note of the time before rolling back to face him again. "It looks like you slept for about 11 hours. I think you're cured."

He chuckles quietly. "Considering it would take nearly a week to get that much sleep before, I think you may be right." He covers his mouth as a yawn escapes him. "And how long have *you* been asleep in my bed then, Princess?" He raises an eyebrow questioningly.

She blushes softly before answering. "I'm not sure, maybe 5 or 6 hours. Lance helped me get you into bed. Then he and I talked for a while as we waited to make sure you were really sleeping. After I sent him off, I came over to watch over you and make sure the nightmares were really gone. I guess I must have dozed off."

"I see," he murmurs quietly. He lies there resting, just watching her for a moment before continuing. "Princess? My memories are a little fuzzy about yesterday. I'm sure the crash in training, the sedative, and the stimulant that followed it all had something to do with it, but I need to ask you something." He bites his lower lip then sighs quietly.

"Of course, Keith. You know you can ask me anything. What is it?"

He searches her eyes for a minute before speaking again. "Did I…" He swallows nervously before continuing. "Did I… kiss you last night?" She giggles as a pink flush appears on his cheeks.

Nodding she whispers, "Yes. We kissed. I think that's what finally broke the spell."

"Spell?" He looks at her in confusion, blinking rapidly.

"See! I knew you weren't listening to me last night! I had a theory, based on Lotor's parting remarks after the battle yesterday, that Haggar's witchcraft was behind your problems sleeping. I tried to explain that to you last night and you wouldn't pay attention."

"I don't remember that at all…" His words come out in a yawn as he buries his head deeper into the pillow.

"I'm not surprised. The first time I explained it and then asked you what I said and you seemed to think that I told you that Haggar made Chitter fly Black Lion." She raises her eyebrow at him and shakes her head. "Then when I told you to pay attention and started to explain it again, well that's when you kissed me." Her blush deepens as she continues. "We kissed again, and then you couldn't keep your eyes open, so I had Lance help me get you to bed." Raising her eyes to his once more, she sees that he has fallen asleep again. The princess reaches out and runs her fingers through his hair before gently caressing his cheek and jaw. Leaning forward, she lightly kisses first his lips and then his forehead before rising from the bed. After making sure he is securely tucked into the blankets, she quietly makes her way out the door knowing that sleep is what he needs most right now. She can explain everything to him later. Then they will have the rest of their lives to spend together.