Chapter Five

Gwen stared at the last family picture she'd had taken with her parents. They were all in their dress uniforms and looked like the picture-perfect military family. It was hard to tell that before and after the picture they had been snapping rubber bands at each other. She smiled sadly; she missed her fun-loving mother and father. They would have been so good for Morgan and she would have been spoiled rotten.

Gwen looked over at Morgan, asleep in the large queen-sized bed, her tiny form lost amid fluffy pillows and down comforter. Gwen hadn't wanted to put her in the crib tonight, feeling the need for the comfort of a warm body next to hers. She had thought it would help her sleep, but glancing at the chronometer, she* realized that Morgan's presence had done nothing of the sort. It was nearly two in the morning, and despite her exhaustion, Gwen still could not fall asleep. The sleeping pills Doctor Gorma had given her were sitting on the nighttable, tempting. But if she took them now, she would not wake up until ten, and that was too late.

Quietly, she slipped on her robe and left the room. She slipped the baby monitor into her pocket so that if Morgan woke up, she would come running. The corridors were quiet and dimly lit, but Gwen didn't mind. She just needed to move around and work off some restless energy.

Before she knew it, she found herself outside Hunk's workroom. She was just going to walk off when her ears picked up the quiet clicking sounds of someone typing.

Hunk was in the middle of finishing up a damage report about Blue Lion when his door chimed. He frowned, wondering who would be up that late. He doubted Keith or Allura would visit him.

"Come in," he called out, not turning around.

He knew it was Gwen before she even spoke. The fresh smell of strawberries filled the room and he would forever associate it with her. Smiling, he turned in his seat.

"What are you doing up?" he inquired.

"Restless," she said, perching on his worktable's stool. "I'm surprised to find you up, too."

"I'm behind on my damage reports," he explained. "Better now than never. I did try to sleep, but I kept on thinking about things."

"What things?"

He turned sad. "Allura told me you were thinking of leaving."

Gwen blinked. "Did she?" Blabbermouth...

"I don't think I have to tell you that I want you to stay," he said, averting his eyes, his words coming out so fast that she almost didn't understand him. "Things wouldn't be the same without you. Besides, who's going to throw food at me if Morgan isn't around?"

"I think Lance wouldn't mind filling in for her," she said with a small smile.

He returned it, his smile wry. "Yes, but it wouldn't be same." His hazel eyes were sober as he reached for her hand. "Don't go, Gwen. I don't think I'd like that very much."

The warmth of his hand on hers wasn't unpleasant but Gwen felt a stirring of panic in her gut. Hunk must have sensed it because he slowly removed his hand. He cleared his throat self-consciously, a rosy flush creeping across his cheekbones.

"You've become a really good friend," he said, staring at her fuzzy slippers. "And you've been a big help to me..."

"And you've been great to me, Hunk," she interrupted. "I can't thank you enough for all you've done for Morgan and me."

"I didn't do anything."

"Yeah, you did. If not for your friendliness, our transistion from Luna to here would have been a lot harder."

"Well, I'm glad that I helped."

"And we're not leaving," she said, surprising herself as much as him.

"You're not?"

"No...No," she repeated with more strength. "We've got family and friends who care about us here. I know you'll protect us, and the Lions are the best defense in this galaxy." Her expression lightened. "And I don't know what Lance would do if we left."

"That's true," he said with a slow smile. "Is this definite? I'd hate to get my hopes up."

"Yes. It is."

He hugged her. "Thank God. I didn't know what I would do. I was going to handcuff Morgan to myself to make you stay."

Gwen laughed as she pulled away. "That might have worked, too."

"I'll keep that in mind in case you threaten to leave again."

"You do that." She cocked her head thoughtfully. "You look exhausted. Why don't you get some rest?"

He yawned despite himself. "I probably should."

They shuffled along the corridors until they reached his door. Hunk stretched and smiled sleepily. She suddenly wanted to reach up and kiss him.

"Do I get a goodnight kiss?"

Gwen stilled, more out of shock that he read her thoughts than anything else. "Hunk..."

He smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Just kidding, Gwen."

But they both knew he wasn't.

Gwen stared at him, at his kind eyes, at the wild brown hair that topped his head, and the soft lips that she was trying to keep her eyes away from. Awareness of him made her breathing coming out in funny little gasps. Hunk was staring right back at her, at the soft chestnut brown hair that he always ached to run his fingers through, and the gentle brown eyes that warmed his heart. She felt his arms encircle her and she didn't pull away. So when his head dipped down to hers, she was ready to meet him.

It was tentative at first, as Hunk tested her reaction, not wanting to rush her. But it was Gwen that deepened the kiss by tightening her arms around him and pulling him closer. Her fingers tangled in his hair and they clung to each other, afraid to let go because of the questions they would have to face when they parted.

But they did part and Hunk rested his forehead against Gwen's, trying to catch his breath.

"What are we doing?" she murmured, breathless. "Is this right?"

"It feels right to me, Gwen," he replied quietly. "But I don't want to rush you."

He let her go and Gwen suddenly felt cold. She wrapped her arms around herself and Hunk carefully stepped back, avoiding her eyes. He'd been doing that a lot lately.

"Goodnight, Gwen. I'll see you later," he said.

"Goodnight..."

The doors slid shut and he disappeared from her view. She turned and started for her quarters. She hadn't realized how strong her feelings were for Hunk until he'd taken her in his arms. Sighing, she walked into the room and spied Morgan on the bed. Her small face was in perfect repose and at that moment, she reminded Gwen of Marc.

Her stomach tightened at the thought of her deceased husband. She had loved him, but their love had been far from perfect. They met while still in the Academy. Marc was a senior when she entered, and it was love at first site. They fell into an intense relationship that cooled only after Morgan was born. Then their attention went to the little girl. Gwen had loved her husband, but after Morgan, they grew apart instead of coming closer together. They lavished love on Morgan, but in the process, seemed to lose love for each other. She hadn't realized it until now, looking back on it. Perhaps they had both just been looking for a reason to part. Still, she felt a small ounce of guilt for kissing Hunk when Marc had died only a year ago.

But Hunk had a point...it did feel right.

Sighing again, Gwen took off her robe and climbed into bed. She rested on her side, watching Morgan sleep. She stayed that way until the sun rose---when her eyes finally closed and she fell asleep.

Keith sat in an armchair, a book in his hands. He'd been staring at the same page for nearly an hour, but couldn't make sense of the words his eyes skimmed. Only three hours before, he'd gone to bed after his talk with Allura, feeling lighter and more like himself. Pleasant thoughts filled his head, but woke up an hour later bathed in sweat, and breathless.

After his dream at the cabin, the nightmares of his battle with Niloc had stopped but apparently not for good. Too disturbed to go back to sleep, he turned on the light and picked up a favorite book, hoping that it would take his mind off his nightmare. But it hadn't worked before and it certainly wasn't going to work now.

And so as Gwen was falling asleep, Keith was staring blankly at a book, his dark eyes swirling with darker emotions.