"They're not all dead!" Zarkon raged. "You were supposed to kill them, Witch!"

Hagar bit back a string of ugly words. "Sire, they will all die eventually. When they die depends how much they ate."

"The Princess and the three members of the Voltron Force who are sick, when will they die?"

"In forty-eight hours. Give or take a few minutes."

"They'd better, Hagar, or else..."

His jacket lost hours ago and his sleeves rolled up, Keith helped the medteams tend to the sick. The ballroom had turned into a makeshift hospital with beds and medical equipment scattered everywhere. The medwing was already full with the more serious cases. A good number of the guests were already dead, while others were perfectly fine, having not eaten enough of the food. But no one who had been in the ballroom was free from danger. They had all eaten something. It was only a matter of time.

Lance, Pidge, and Hunk were among the lucky few who hadn't eaten enough. Though they were ill, they would live. Keith looked around the ballroom which had been filled with happy people such a short time ago.

This day will not be remembered for being Lance and Link's wedding day, he thought. It'll be known as the day when the Alliance leaders were massacred.

Allura stood not too far away from him and he caught her eye. She was breathing hard, but she refused to sit and do nothing while the others were working. She'd eaten only her salad and was sure she could make it a little while longer.

"This is a disaster," she said hoarsely.

"Most of the Senators are dead and a good number of royalty," Keith told her, white lines bracketing his mouth. "What are we going to do?"

"Where's Lotor?" Allura demanded.

"He's in the medwing. He's got his own medical team tending to the sick."

"Tell him to take his men and go to his ship. Tell him to stay there until we ask for him."

Keith nodded and took out his communicator. He gave the orders to a team of guards at the medwing and then to his horror, Allura fell to the ground, clutching her chest. Without knowing it, he dropped his communicator and took her in his arms.

"Allura...Allura...." he murmured frantically. "Talk to me, Love..."

She began tugging at her bodice. "It's h-hot, Keith...t-too h-hot..."

He loosened the bodice but didn't remove it. Hand shaking, he brushed the hair from her face.

"Stay with me," he said. "I'm taking you to the medwing. Don't go, Love. We've got unfinished business."

"A bad salad won't take me down," she murmured, her eyes fluttering closed. "I'm not going anywhere, Keith. And you called me Love..."

Then she passed out.

The Alliance was in complete chaos. Most of its leaders were either sick or dead, and its people didn't know who to turn to for guidance. The news had broken from Arus almost a second after the first man fell, and despite the Arusians' best efforts, there were still live camera crews in or around Castle Control. Everyone knew what was happening and if no one stepped in to talk to them, the Alliance would fall apart.

Romelle brushed the hair from her face and wiped the tears from her eyes. There would be time for tears later. She had a job to do.

Her head held high and proud, she faced the gathered cameras and reporters from behind a podium bearing the Alliance's logo. She was one of the few surviving members of the Senate and after meeting with the others, it was agreed that she would speak to the public.

"You all know what tragedy has befallen us," she said, her voice strong. "Many of our leaders lie dead or dying, and the Alliance has fallen into a panic. I implore you: do not turn your backs on each other; do not lose faith. For a century, we have thrived despite adversity, survived despite tragedy. It is during these times that we prove to our enemies how strong we truly are.

"I ask each and every one of you to pull together now when we most need unity. Our beloved leaders would ask nothing less of you. We must survive. For ourselves, for our children, for future generations..." she paused, her eyes looking hard into the cameras. "We cannot just fade away into the night, giving up on the beginnings of a peace that our leaders were working hard for. We have to continue to work and to fight. We will survive."

Romelle stepped down, ignoring the questions being thrown at her. Sven met her and he took her in his arms, leading her away.

"How is everybody?" she asked underneath her breath.

"Doctor Gorma doesn't know vat kind auf poison eet ees," he replied. "Ve are still in very grave danger." He smiled at her gently. "You did a vonderful job, my Lof."

"Thank you. I just hope it worked." She looked a little flushed to him and she pulled her hair back impatiently. "Is it warm in here?"

He looked at her worriedly. "No."

"Then why am I so hot?"

Lance stared up at the ceiling of his quarters, listening to the noise outside. Link lay next to him, her head pillowed on his shoulder. Her arm was around his waist, holding on tightly for fear that he would leave her. Silent tears slid down her face, an inexplicable sadness tightened her face. On what should have been the happiest day of her life, she'd lost her parents, and now she might lose her husband of only four hours. She clutched at his rumpled dress shirt.

"I'll be fine, Link," Lance assured her. "The last thing a pilot wants to die from is food poisoning."

"Why did they do this?" she murmured. "Why?"

"They're bastards and we'll find them," Lance vowed.

"Who's going to pick up the pieces?"

"We will. Who else? Buck up, Sweetheart. Like Romelle said, we'll survive." His eyes darkened. "We have to."

Sweat poured from every pore of Allura's body. Keith wiped her forehead with a towel, but her sheets were already soaked. Despite her protests, he'd stripped her down to her underwear, but it didn't seem to help. Unlike the others who were cold and pale, she was a furnace and he didn't understand why. She woke up ten minutes after she passed out, and her eyes were clear, though she was still hot. He was afraid she'd go under again, but she appeared to be holding on.

They were in her chambers instead of the medwing, as Allura didn't want to take up any more room than necessary. The doors were shut but they could still hear people running back and forth.

"You should be out there," she said.

"Everyone is running around giving orders. They don't need me to add to that. There are thirty captains of the guard out there as well as countless Alliance officers. The Explorer arrived, and Hawkins and Jeff are organizing them. I made sure that they're not just running around. Although, if you want me to go..."

She put a hand over his. "No, I don't want to be alone."

He squeezed her hand reassuringly and tucked the loose strands of her hair behind her ear. She smiled weakly and closed her eyes.

"Is Lotor on his ship?" she asked without opening them.

"Yes. He didn't protest. He just said he understood and he cleared out."

"I guess we were wrong about him."

"Yes."

He ran a thumb across the back of her hand. Her skin was so translucent he could see the veins underneath. Without thinking, he turned her hand over and kissed her palm.

"What was that for?" she questioned, her eyes flying open.

His dark eyes were earnest. "I don't know."

She nodded and sighed. "You called me 'Love' back there," she said.

"I hope I didn't offend you," he said with forced lightness.

"No. But don't say things you don't mean."

He tilted her chin up so that she could meet his eyes and she could see how honest he was. "I never do," he said.

She eyed his pale face and his slightly glazed eyes. His hand was ice cold in hers. "Did you eat anything, Keith?"

"The salad."

"All of it?"

"Most of it."

"You should rest."

He shrugged. "I should do a lot of things."

She patted the bed next to her, the situation too good to pass up. "Come on."

"Are you sure about this?"

"Come on," she repeated. "It's perfectly innocent, Commander. Unless you want to sleep on the armchair."

Slowly, without breaking eye contact, he sat in the bed next to her, and rested against the fat pillows at his back. Exhaustion hit him then. He'd been ignoring how weak he was getting, but all that caught up with him now. He shivered and Allura covered him with the sheets. Tentatively, she rested her head on his chest, wrapping one arm across his middle, and he welcomed her warmth. He welcomed the feeling of her against him and he closed his eyes.

"You know, Allura, if all this wasn't happening we'd be in a lot of trouble right now," he said.

"It wouldn't be trouble, Keith," she said, meeting his gaze. She raised herself up and kissed him lightly. "It would be beautiful."

"Yes," he said ruefully, running a hand through her long hair. "It would."

Gwen piled blanket after blanket on top of Hunk, but he wouldn't stop shivering. She kept a worried eye on the heart monitor next to him and watched helplessly as his body temperature dropped. She tucked a hot water bottle underneath the blankets, hoping that he would get some warmth from it.

"Stay with me, Hunk," she said. "I won't be able to go on living if I lose you, too."

"I'm not g-going any-anywhere, G-Gwen," he said, teeth chattering.

"You better not dammit."

"W-where's Morgan?"

"With the babysitter. She's fine."

"Where's everyone?"

"Trying to recuperate," she replied. "Stop talking now, Hunk. You're sapping your strength."

"Just o-one m-more q-question."

She looked at him expectantly.

"M-marry m-me when this is o-over."

She smiled and kissed his forehead. "It's a deal. Now, shut up."

"You guys are making me sick," Pidge said the next bed over.

"No, that's the food, Kid," Gwen said, turning to him and gently tucking the blankets in around him. "You shut up too."

They settled down and Gwen stood back, looking at them. Her heart was heavy and she was afraid she'd lose them all. Fighting back the tears, she turned away to heat up more hot water bottles for the others in the medwing.