[Dedicated to -pyaarse for the lovely fanart, thank you!]

FOOTSTEPS WERE APPROACHING. The abrupt sound caused my heart beat to accelerate, my breathing to rapidly increase and my palms to sweat. All of my senses were alive and kicking, sparking into action like a disconnected electrical cord. It felt like my entire body was on fire; I was ready – ready to see Louis walk through that door. Nobody else, only him.

If the unfortunate were to happen and a different person did decide to wander into the room then I would retaliate if need be, throw a few punches if provoked. With that in mind, I tried to mentally prepare myself for the moment I walked out into the open - who I would find, what trouble I'd possibly run into.

Trouble, I thought facetiously, you're not that lucky - you'll probably run straight to your death.

A shudder ran down my spine.

God forbid if it was Klaru because I wouldn't even try to restrain myself from initiating a cat fight.

Pushing myself off of the tiny bed, I approached the rear of the fireplace and pressed my ear to the cold marble, listening out for another sound to give me some clue as to who was about to enter. There were no voices in the corridor to indicate if it was male or female and judging by their foot-falls they were alone.

The stranger drew closer. As the sound of the door-knob turning echoed through the spacious chambers, my eyes widened in realisation – realisation that this was really happening, that soon I would have to discover who was out there or have them discover me. I drew in a deep breath as I continued to listen. The identity of the newcomer would either make me or break me.

For a moment there was silence. Then the door opened and closed. More footsteps – heavy and slow, like how I imagined a zombie's would sound as it dragged its decaying body through a deserted street. But this person was certainly not dead considering the very alive sound that broke the quiet – a loud sigh.

My heart skipped a beat because that sigh was all I needed; it was a male.

I stood perfectly still and allowed my patience to stretch to full capacity, forcing myself to remain hidden within my small hiding place. My desperation to leave the safety of the shelter was eating me alive - I had to know who was out there and the fact it was a man only made me more curious. Was it Louis? A guard? There was only one way to find out but I couldn't force my legs to carry me over the threshold - I had to remain cautious and hidden because I was no use to anybody dead.

Even if I suspected that the stranger was someone other than Louis, I'd have to eventually pluck up the courage to throw open the door and find out who I was in fact dealing with. Looking round, all I could substitute as a weapon was the lamp, not that it would do me much good. It all depends on how you use it, reminded the voice in my head. That decided it: if I opened the door to a Councillor or Klaru, the lamp would be connecting with their head faster than they could say 'Earthling.'

Another exclaim followed shortly after the newcomer's sigh – a groan, louder and more irritant. Yes, definitely a male. It sounded like whoever it was had just retired from an extremely unpleasant day. My first thought was obviously the prince because out of us all, his day had gone completely downhill and even that was an understatement. His whole world, his whole life was in the palm of the woman he had trusted and was betrothed to. I couldn't even begin to imagine how much pain it had caused him when I'd told him the truth. The look on his face still haunted me.

It had to be him out there. Who else had any reason to enter his bedroom?

Still they said nothing. I was about to retreat to sitting apprehensively on the bed when there was a great ruckus, like possessions were being thrown to the floor in a mighty rage. I jumped at the sudden clatter, an unknown object bouncing off the fireplace and causing an echo to reverberate around the tight space. I was prepared to go grab the lamp in case whoever it was decided to investigate the shelter but then I heard something that made my heart leap into my throat – the man spat out one short word in the Junite language, full of anger and hurt, a word which I instantly assumed was a swear.

And I recognised his voice.

The waiting was worth it in the end because as soon as the voice registered in my brain I was heaving the secret door open and running at full speed towards him with no care in the world as to what dangers I could have perhaps been exposing myself to. What if there was another person in the room? What if I'd been running straight into a trap? But as I drew closer without anyone pointing a weapon my way or hands reaching out to grab me, I realised there was only him and it was safe. He was safe.

"Louis!" I cried as I slammed into him, nearly knocking him off his feet.

"Flora?" In his voice I detected an odd mixture of confusion and relief, like he wasn't quite able to process my being there. I hadn't even realised he was still in his true form until I raised my head from the crook of his neck and up to observe his face - his handsome, usually happy face which now looked cold and tired. As his complexion slowly melted from blue, the light in those wondrous eyes seemed to follow suit.

Oh, Louis, I thought sadly, reaching up to trace the lines of his face. He was frowning and I tried to smooth out the marks; him being upset was making me upset and that was the last thing I wanted to feel after being reunited with him. Ecstatic or overjoyed was how I should have felt, not overcome with sadness. But I couldn't help it because a smile hadn't even broken his face. Was he not happy to see me?

"Flora," he repeated once he no longer possessed alien skin. "What are you doing here? H-how did you get in here?"

I frowned. I'd been hoping he'd have said something along the lines of, "I'm so happy to see you!" Or perhaps, "I knew you'd make it!"

"Nix and her team," I told him a little sullenly, pulling back and holding his shoulders at arm's length. I inspected his attire; still the same as before, the royal gold and red from head to toe, topped off with his crown sitting atop his nest of unkempt hair. "Would you rather I was still stuck in the cells?" I teased when I met his gaze once again.

Something flashed in his eyes and immediately he shook his head. "No! Of course not, I just ... I just can't believe you weren't killed getting up here. How did you get up here?"

"The evacuation tunnels. Nix, Bu and Alzik stayed behind when the rest of the crew left the ship. They came to get me out of the cells when it was quiet and then led Jason and I to safety-"

"Jason's alive?" he exclaimed unexpectedly, cutting me off. A wide smile stretched from ear to ear and he took both my hands and tightly squeezed them. "Flora, that's great news!"

So he does care about Jason, deep down, I thought, smirking at him. "I know. I was so worried ... ready to blame myself even more for everything that happened ... but he's alive and well and that's all that matters. He's helping us help you and we're going to figure something out before-"

"How exactly can you help me?" he muttered suddenly, casting his eyes to the floor. I followed his line of sight to see a scattering of knick knacks strewn across the polished floor.

"Nix and the others were wondering that too. The main priority was for me to come to you and figure something out and, well, that's why I'm here," I began slowly. I ran my thumbs across his knuckles comfortingly.

He shook his head. "I'm screwed though, Flora!" His voice raised a notch, all the anger and sadness finally coming to light. Considering how long he'd been holding it in I was surprised he hadn't fully exploded yet. It had been there, swimming in his eyes since the day he had found out the truth and right then I could see it, all the emotions that had been eating him alive. Everything he'd been suppressing was now in plain sight. In that moment all I wanted to do was tell him that it would all be OK, despite not being able to promise it.

"It may seem like it just now," I began, "but I promise that you're not."

"But I can't do anything now; it's out of my hands. Klaru's gotten everything she wanted and I can't stop her from bringing chaos down on my people. She'll be the queen soon..."

Something inside me deflated like a balloon. So he has proposed, I realised grimly, my eyes instantly darting down to his left hand. His ring finger was bare and I wanted it to remain that way. Then I began to wonder how the proposal had fared. Of course she'd agreed to marry him but I wanted to know what Louis had said, exactly what he had promised her as a husband. It was like I wanted to depress myself further.

"How did the grand proposal go?" I started, fully aware that my queries were not the most beneficial in the current situation. Still, I was curious. "Where did you get an engagement ring from anyway?"

He must have been able to detect the resentment in my tone, a glimpse of hurt flashing across his face once again. I was going to end up snapping at him for continuously looking so glum – not that the poor guy could help it – because his grief was latching onto my own heart and grotesquely twisting it beyond my limits. I was the one supposed to be helping him, not encouraging him to wallow in his despair.

You speak as though it's easy to forgive and forget, the voice snapped and I sighed deeply because the mini-me was unfortunately correct. David left you grief-stricken for months and all he did was call you names and start rumours. Hardly anything on the evil level like Klaru.

"Flora?"

"Hm?" I murmured as Louis' voice broke me from my reverie.

He had moved over to his bed and was sitting cross-legged near the edge, patting the space next to him. I made myself comfortable by his side and turned to face him properly, waiting patiently for him to say something. Just when I thought he was about to open his mouth and speak, he shocked me by raising a hand up to his head and roughly tugging the crown from its place.

"What're you-" I began but with an almighty clang the crown hit the floor and rolled under the desk, out of sight. I found myself wondering just how heavy the bloody thing was as the sound of metal hitting the marble floor continued to echo around the quiet room. When I tore my gaze away from the space beneath the desk, I found Louis running his hands over his face in a frustrated manner. "Louis..." my voice was quiet, just above a whisper.

He peeked at me through his fingers, sighing deeply as if to calm him-self. "I didn't have an engagement ring," he finally told me, "but she didn't care. Why would she? After all, she only needed the public to hear the official announcement that I'm going to ask her hand. Now the rest is just a waiting game. She made me send away a messenger to have the rings crafted as soon as possible."

"She's crafty," I commented. I found myself desperate to be as blunt as Jason was when Klaru was concerned so I asked him, "Can't you just have her executed?"

He scoffed. "I can't have my first royal decree as murder. I just can't... Believe me, I want justice for what she has done to me – to us - but without any proof that she has committed treason, I'll only make myself look like a fool. She has the Councillors on her side and my crew are scared to death. There are plenty of witnesses but it all depends on whether they are inclined to talk. I don't know what Klaru has on them, you see. This leaves me in a bit of a difficult situation, Flora." He scratched his chin like he was deep in thought. What could possibly have been going on in that tortured mind? He continued: "Can you imagine it? The day I ascend to the throne and all the while I've been accusing Klaru – my wife – that she has been a traitor since the beginning. That's the last thing I need - to ascend with rumours depicting me as an eccentric liar."

"But you wouldn't be lying," I pointed out, kneeling down before him as if I were about to kiss his hand like the old tradition. Yeah, that'll be the day, I thought. I pulled his hands away from his face and held them tightly. "And you're not alone, Loudrix. You're never alone so don't you go about thinking you have to carry all of this upon your shoulders. I'm here for you as is Jason, Nix, Bu, Alzik and so many more. I heard those people cheering for you when you left the ship, I saw the celebration from the balcony, Louis. Those people adore you – I adore you. You have so many people who will help you put things right. And I promise you that I am not leaving this planet without that bitch being tossed in a prison."

My words had apparently left him speechless for he sat with a blank expression for several moments after my mouth had shut. His eyes were darting across the entirety of my face before he finally drew breath and asked, "You adore me?"

I just chuckled and playfully slapped his knee, trying to deny the way my heart fluttered as he picked up on the words I hadn't expected him to notice. "Don't get sentimental on me, Sparkles. I said I am one of many who do ... and I am also one of said many who will help in whatever way I can."

"Sparkles?!" he gasped. "How dare you? I could have you executed for verbally assaulting me, you know?"

"I also slapped you," I pointed out. "So I can get away with hitting you but not calling you names?" I poked his knee teasingly and he just flashed me a wide smile. His happiness was contagious; I was smiling right back at him instantly, overjoyed that I could make him happy if only for a moment. Klaru couldn't make him smile like I could, at least not anymore.

"Hm, we'll see," he chuckled, his fingers encircling my wrists. "It shall depend on how often you hit me."

"Alright," I scoffed. The mood had drastically shifted and I couldn't have been more thankful. Before it had been full of tension and I hadn't been too confident I'd be able to shake the sadness from his soul. But now he was smiling, like he was truly happy to see me and as if my words had finally started to sink in.

"I still can't understand how you guys managed to get in here without being caught..." he mused out of nowhere. "The guards are on full alert and Klaru has ordered extra staff to be working throughout the palace grounds."

"Jason and I were literally carried into the castle," I told him proudly. "We were in the pods – the ones down in the cells? We hid inside there and waited for the staff to come and remove them for cleaning."

"That," he started, his eyes widening, "is genius."

"Isn't it?" I agreed. "It was horrible inside though, awfully cramped and warm."

"At least you don't have to go through that any longer. You're ... here, I mean really here. I don't think I've ever been as pleased to see you. Honestly? You've made my day, Earthling."

I beamed. "I made my day too, by making it in here alive." I let out a laugh in disbelief and it sounded like a mixture of a scoff and a squeak. Glancing around the grand interior of his room, I was finally able to understand why everything on Earth had seemed utterly inferior. Compared to his lifestyle, everything I owned was disposable. Everything here was fancy. "I like your room."

Changing the subject seemed to be the best thing I could have done. I wanted to cherish the time we had together before our lives were tossed into more chaos. Louis seemed to sense the same, for he was on his feet so quickly and blathering on about all the posters and gadgets sitting around on the surfaces like I could keep up. He was so passionate about his work that it made me want to cry. All of his discoveries and scientific break-throughs were things he was interested in and yet he was being punished for it. I couldn't imagine being punished for my interests and academic achievements.

He was so distracted. It was almost as if hell wasn't crashing down on us.

Then I remembered Nix's face and how worried Bu was for her Prince and how Alzik had sacrificed himself to make sure the halls were clear for me to be there, with Louis to discuss a way out of everything. I pictured Jason's face and my parents and my friends – hell, I even envisioned Imogen! If the madness wasn't confronted soon I'd never see them again.

"If I could tell you something that would brighten your day, would you be interested?" I cut him off as he moved towards the chest of drawers near the back of the room, still rambling.

He raised a brow and swivelled round to face me. "Interested in what?"

He caught me off guard with that one and foolishly the first thing that came to mind was me.

"In hearing some good news," I told him.

"Oh," he mumbled, like he had been expecting me to say something completely different. "Yes, of course. Though I must warn you, I'm not convinced that good news will make me feel any less useless right now. No matter how good it actually is."

"I doubt that." I pushed myself up from the bed and began to wander around his room to inspect all the knick-knacks close up. So many buttons and switches. "When Klaru took me that night and I ended up on the Mothership, Nix had been the one to come and rescue me. Obviously she was a little nervous to begin with but once I told her she could trust me, she pointed to the ceiling and let me know about her own little plan."

Louis was frowning. He looked worried. "If you're going to tell me that Nix is a traitor too, I think I'll cry." I could see his lip quivering ever so slightly and I shook my head so quickly it hurt.

"No! God, no. She's not a traitor, I promise you."

His expression softened immediately and he blew out a breath loudly. "Alright, that's so good to hear. You have no idea how good it is to hear that." He chuckled nervously.

"She told me that she'd suspected from the beginning that the Councillors were up to no good so she deployed several little recording gadgets around the ship in hopes of catching a confession from them or Klaru."

Louis was suddenly by my side, grasping my shoulders tightly. "Are you telling me she has proof?!"

"I am indeed, Your Majesty!"

"Oh, my... This changes everything! I thought the only proof would be the confessions of witnesses but that I knew was going to be difficult to extract from them. This is brilliant! You weren't joking when you said you were about to make my day. Well, make it more. Seeing you made my day."

The way his voice softened to a whisper made my heart constrict. "Same," I told him. "I was so worried I'd not see you again. I was convinced we were going to get killed."

"I still can't believe you weren't."

"It sounds like you wish we had been," I pointed out and he just shook his head.

"I would never wish for such a thing," he promised, pulling me into his chest. I allowed myself to bathe in his warmth, the feeling of his arms around me calming my nerves and relaxing my muscles. I'd been so caught up in the worry that we were going to get caught that I hadn't even considered what would happen once Louis and I were reunited. Now what?

You know what. Stop avoiding it.

"Louis, I need to tell you something else. Well, not tell so much as ask," I mumbled against his chest.

"What is it?" He sounded troubled again. After everything he'd gone through I wasn't surprised. Unfortunately I was about to panic him a little bit more because his decision was what would save us all or destroy us.

"Nix wanted me to ask you to consider bringing a higher authority into the situation. She suggested I be the one to talk to you because apparently you'll only listen to me." Louis laughed and nodded as if it were true. Was I the only person that could get through to him after all?

"OK, so by higher authority you mean...?" he trailed off, something in my expression seemingly giving it away. "Wait a second. You don't mean-"

"Your parents," I concluded with a nod. "Please Louis, consider it. They are the only people who can help rectify the situation right now. The Councillors may be traitors but they won't want your parents to find that out so they'll have no option but to follow their orders. Klaru's plan will be ruined and there's the proof Nix has to make sure she pays for her crimes. Give me one good reason as to why it's not a good idea."

Louis' face had turned to stone; his eyes were vacant as he looked sadly back at my face, his body rigid. Another sigh. Blink. His fingers ran through his hair hurriedly before he finally announced, "That one good reason would be my father."

Thank you for reading, as always! Sorry for the long wait between chapters, I'm really struggling to sit and write at the minute. I will finish my stories though. It may take a while but it'll be done x
Space joke: What exercise does Saturn do to keep in shape? Hoola-hooping! 
Cazza