Wait (Keith Kogane X OC)

Chapter 1

"Promise me you'll come home."

"I will. I always do."

"Keith..."

"I won't take months this time, I promise. You have to promise me something too, Sarah."

Tucked away in a rare, quiet corner of the Garrison, Keith and Sarah were finally given a chance to talk. With everything crazy going on since they arrived back on Earth, finding that the entire planet was in a state of emergency due to the Galra invasion, they'd barely had enough time or energy to have a conversation. With only a few hours until the Paladins and garrison pilots had to fight, they decided to make time, even if it was only a few minutes. It was time they needed. They might never see each other again.

Keith took both of Sarah's hands in his and squeezed them gently. Her hands were always so soft but he knew they held great strength. Through half-lidded eyes he gazed at their hands, debating about how to voice the thoughts that had plagued his mind since they arrived. "I... I know you like to try and protect me," he began earnestly, daring to raise his eyes to meet Sarah's, "but don't. Not this time. This is more dangerous than anything we've ever faced, and I don't know what I would do if you got killed because of me." His voice wavered. He struggled to contain his emotions more and more with each passing second. "Just do your job. Help people in the camps evacuate. Don't put yourself into any more danger than you have to."

"Only if you promise to do the same."

A heartbeat of silence. Keith and Sarah just stood there, looking at each other, thinking about what they were about to agree to. Would they keep their promises? Or, should the situation arise, would they go out of their ways to save someone? They both knew the answer, but the truth wasn't what they were each after.

Finally they nodded, an announcement over the intercoms was made, and Keith had to leave. He pulled Sarah into a tight embrace, and with wide eyes she put her arms around his shoulders. "I love you," Sarah whispered.

Releasing a shaky breath, they let go. Keith's hands ran down her arms and squeezed her fingers gently. "I - I love you too." Throat tight and mind now whirling with anxiety, he left.

Please don't leave, she thought, and the pleading phrase was on repeat as they parted. Sarah watched him go. Tears threatened to spill out of her eyes but there was no way she'd let that happen. He wasn't going to die, and neither was she.

Soon Keith was out of sight and Sarah needed to go too. She should figure out where her group leader was and where she was supposed to meet in a few hours time. Keith was right, though; he was needed in the air, and she was needed on the ground. Sarah would keep her promise, at least to the best of her ability. Hopefully Keith would, too.

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Sarah was assigned to the rescue division, and her job was to make sure people from the camps got to the rescue transports safely. She was to help anyone she saw that was struggling and encourage them to keep going, focusing on parents with multiple children. With fighting going on above them in the air, she was worried people may be struck by debris falling and Galra soldiers lurked behind anything they could, attacking randomly.

In the middle of that chaos, remembering her promise was difficult. There were so many people to help and support. Not everyone was well; there were many who were too sick to move, who were injured, and who didn't want to leave the bodies of their deceased family members behind. Sarah did her best to encourage people to keep going. In the end, she ended up helping a pregnant woman and her two-year-old son. The woman was named Cameron and her son was John, and both were sobbing as they ran. Sarah kept a hand on Cameron's shoulder, gently urging her along from behind while she held John's hand to help him keep up.

"I can't keep going," Cameron rasped. She stopped running and groaned, clutching her belly with a loud groan. She'd expressed her concerns about her pregnancy when Sarah found her. Due at any time, she had many anxieties about bringing a child into such a terrible world.

"Are you having contractions?" Sarah questioned. She immediately let go of John's hand to feel the older woman's belly.

Cameron managed to nod as she cried out again and clutched her belly, bending over to try and ease the pain. "I can't keep going," she repeated.

"You have to. You need to keep going for John's sake, and for your baby. We're almost to the rescue ship!" Cameron nodded and straightened up. Sarah knew the baby was coming but she wouldn't get the help she needed if she stopped now. Sarah reached out to grab onto John's hand, but the boy, who had done so well sticking up she and his mother, was nowhere to be seen. Sarah looked around frantically, trying to spot his bright red hair in the crowd rushing by us.

As Cameron began to wail, crying for her son, Sarah pulled her to the edge of the crowd. Maybe they could find him easier that way. Praying that John hadn't been found by the Galra, Sarah craned her neck to see over and around the crowd of people running for safety. She could feel frustration starting to cloud her judgement, tunneling her vision on just making sure this woman and her baby made it out alive.

After a few minutes of searching, they still couldn't find John. "Maybe he lost us and kept going," Sarah tried to reason to keep Cameron moving, but the woman refused to budge. Her son was in danger and she wouldn't rest until she found him.

Suddenly Cameron shrieked. There was John, running away from a Galran soldier. The soldier was quickly closing the gap between them. Without a second thought, Sarah darted off towards them, running as fast as she could. She thought of the promise she made to Keith, briefly feeling a flash of guilt, but how could she leave this battle with a clear conscience if she let this boy die? Surely Keith would forgive her.

The soldier raised his weapon as Sarah dove for the boy, pushing him out of the way. She was vaguely aware of a cracking noise before splitting pain erupted in the back of her head. John fell to the ground, scraping his knees and hands. He turned back to watch Sarah, eyes wide.

Sarah managed to stand on shaking legs, shouting at John to run, and then turn back to the Galra to try and home him off before more help could arrive. After another blow to the head, this time from the Galra's fist, Sarah crumpled to the ground and her world went black.

John, unaware of what had just happened to Sarah, ran back to his horrified mother. She couldn't check to make sure she was alive, but she hoped she was. Human soldiers came to take care of the Galra and carried Sarah away. Cameron hoped she was alive so she could thank her for saving her son's life. Until then, the imagine of Sarah's limp limbs and dripping blood would be imprinted in her mind.

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Edited Sept. 16, 2020