Merry Christmas to one and all. :) My dear friend Harmony inspired me to finish writing this one when I had done a bit for a story she was working on, but she decided not to use it. This is for you dear girl. Many thanks to the ladies that edited for me, CMS, Wade Wells and Xia Cheyenne, couldn't have made it look right without you ladies...all your hard work is much appreciated.

This story does have some foul language, please don't read it if you are easily offended.

I make no claims to Voltron or any WEP characters, they were only borrowed for this story. This story is based on A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

Until next time...enjoy the holidays and I hope everyone has a Happy New Year.

Mertz

A Voltron Christmas Carol:

Walking down the hallways of the Castle of Lions, Princess Allura, dressed in her pink pants suit, carries a box toward the rec room. Glancing behind her, she ensures the maids carrying more boxes are still following. Her sapphire blue eyes aglow with excitement, her cheeks have a rosy color that matches the rosy color of her lips. She enters the room a moment later and sets the box down then directs the maids to do the same.

The door to the rec room opens and Allura turns to find Coran, the castle advisor, walking into the room. "Princess Allura, what are you doing?"

Her face alit with joy, Allura responds, "Preparing to decorate for Christmas! I know it is the second Christmas with the boys here, but we couldn't celebrate last year with Zarkon attacking us daily and the castle just coming up." She bends over a box and opens it to look at the items inside. Pulling out some mistletoe, she turns back to Coran, "I want to make this year's Christmas especially extraordinary for the boys since they won't be able to go home and visit their families."

The door to the room opens again to admit two men carrying in an evergreen tree. "Oh! Excellent! Over here please." Allura directs them to the corner of the room and watches as they place the tree in it's holder.

"Very well Princess...enjoy yourself." Smiling at her enthusiasm, Coran turns to walk out of the room, stopping when Allura calls out to him, "Coran! Can you please call out to the Force and have them come to the rec room in fifteen minutes?"

Coran nods to her then walks out of the room. Allura turns back to the boxes and starts opening them to look at the treasures inside.

VVVVVVVV

"Voltron Force, please come to the recreation room."

Lance looks away from the magazine he is reading when the announcement is heard over the intercom system. Sighing, he stands up, stretches then walks out of his bedroom. Meeting Keith in the hallway as he exits his room, Lance asks, "So, what's going on?"

"No idea." Keith answers as they walk toward the rec room together. They walk silently and meet Hunk and Pidge just in front of the door. Pidge also asks, "What's going on Cap?"

"I really have no idea guys." He presses the button to the door and the sounds of Christmas music escape as they enter.

Princess Allura stands in front of the undecorated tree, a wide smile on her face as she waits until the last of them walk in the room to call out, "Merry Christmas!"

Pidge's face lights up in a smile as he runs forward, hugs Allura then starts going through the boxes, pulling out ornaments. Hunk quickly joins him, sifting through a different box. Lance stays to the back of the room, his arms crossed while leaning against a wall as Keith steps forward, "This is a pleasant surprise Princess...but Christmas isn't for another week."

"I know...but I wanted to surprise all of you and have the decorations up long enough to enjoy them." Allura replies as she plays with the mistletoe in her hands.

Keith's eyes drift down to the mistletoe briefly before he smiles at Allura and turns away to help the other two with the decorations. Allura's eyes follow the handsome commander for a moment before she looks over at his lieutenant and smiles at him, "Merry Christmas Lance."

Having caught her staring at Keith's back, a nasty look enters Lance's eyes but he remains silent. Confused, Allura walks over to him asking, "What's wrong?"

"Wrong? Why would anything be wrong Allura?" Lance answers as he pushes away from the wall. He focuses his glaring eyes on the tree and the others going through the decorations before turning back to the princess, "I just think Christmas is a waste of time, money and doesn't mean a fucking thing."

A hurt look enters Allura's eyes as Keith stands up, turns to face him and growls, "Lance..." in warning.

Lance ignores him as Pidge turns to look at him, "Come on Lance...you know Christmas is more than that. It's a time to celebrate..."

"Oh shut the fuck up!" Lance screams at him then adds, "All it is, is a time for stupid little boys who believe in Santa Claus to ask for stupid gifts that they don't really fucking need." As Pidge looks away to hide his tears, Lance turns on Allura to continue, "And for girls to scam a guy to kiss them under the mistletoe when they are too fucking afraid just to ask for a date to begin with."

As Allura flushes and turns away, the mistletoe falling out of her hands, Keith rushes over to stop Hunk from running at Lance. Holding the big man back, Keith orders Lance, "Lieutenant McClain, you will remove yourself from this room..."

"I think I'll go to bed." Lance interrupts him. Heading toward the door, he calls over his shoulder, "Wake me up when this stupid ass holiday is over."

Hunk yells out, "Asshole!" as the door closes behind him.

VVVVVVVV

Stomping his way down the hallway, Lance continues to swear under his breath until he reaches his bedroom. Slamming his hand on the button to open the door, he enters the room, stomps over to his desk, picks up his chair and throws it against the opposite wall.

Moving back to his desk, Lance opens a drawer, pulls out a bottle of whiskey and after opening it, starts downing the contents.

VVVVVVVV

Back in the rec room, Keith glances over at Allura, who refuses to face any of them before turning to Pidge, "It's alright Pidge...you know Lance."

Angrily wiping the tears from his cheeks, Pidge picks up a box of decorations and throws them across the room, listening to the glass items inside breaking before running out of the room. Hunk sighs deeply then looks over at Keith, "I'll go talk to him."

Keith nods at him then watches him walk out of the room before moving over to Allura. "I'm really sorry Princess..." he starts then stops as she turns to face him, tears running out of her eyes.

He pulls her into a hug as she weeps on his shoulder.

VVVVVVVV

Late that night, Lance mumbles in his sleep, the empty whiskey bottle still in his hand. A sudden bright light fills his room and he groans as he turns over, hiding his head beneath his pillow.

"Wake up Lance..."

The light in the room grows even brighter as the voice calls out again, "You must wake up son...my time is limited."

Recognizing the voice that he hasn't heard in years, Lance pulls his head out from underneath his pillow. He rubs his blurry eyes then looks at the figure before him. "WHAT THE FUCK!" escapes him a moment later as he crawls backward off his bed, falling onto the floor behind.

The figure moves around the bed, looking at the lump that is Lance lying on the floor. "Did you hurt yourself?"

Lance lets loose a tortured gurgling sound before he manages to right himself enough to back away along the floor. He only stops when his back hits the wall behind him. Facing the figure before him, he asks, "What the hell are you?"

The figure smiles softly at him before answering, "I know you haven't seen me since I died, my son...but one would think you would recognize your own mother."

Shaking his head, Lance quietly replies, "You can't be her...my mother is dead."

"And so I am..." She responds to him as she moves to stand just before him. The light of her presence softens, showing a middle age woman, her long brown hair flowing behind her. Her soft green eyes gleam with amusement as she looks down on her son. "Lance...I do not have long. While I know you don't want to believe your eyes right now...I am here."

Bending down, she sits on her haunches before him. Her ghostly hand reaches out to touch his cheek, but Lance pulls away with a cry. Sighing deeply, Olivia McClain tells him, "My son...since my death you have become a bitter, angry man, especially around Christmas."

"You don't think I have a right?" Lance demands as he slowly gets to his feet, anger radiating from him.

Shaking her head at him sadly, Olivia stands as well. Much shorter than her son, her eyes look up at him pleadingly, "Lance, while you may have lost me during Christmas time...that doesn't make the season not worth celebrating. It is a time to rejoice and thank God for the things you have..."

"What the fuck do I have?" Lance demands, "Everything has been taken away from me at Christmas time and after you left, even Dad didn't believe in it anymore."

"Oh my son...he does still believe in Christmas. It is simply too painful for him to celebrate..." She begins to reply before Lance interrupts her once more.

"Too painful my ass!" Lance yells at her.

Looking sadly at her son for a moment as he takes several deep breaths, she finally speaks once more, "I must go...you will be visited by three spirits tonight. They will show you the errors of your ways..."

"I don't want any fucking spirits bothering me." Lance declares before sitting down on his bed, "This is only some fucked up, drunken dream I'm having after drinking all that whiskey."

She shakes her head at him once more before saying, "Heed them my son." and disappearing.

Lance glares at the spot where she was standing for a moment before laying back down on his bed thinking, I've got to stop drinking that shit...it gives me some weird ass dreams.

VVVVVVVV

An hour later, Lance curls up in his blankets, ignoring the sudden chill in his room. In his half awake state he registers the sounds of bells ringing and forces his eyes open while thinking, There are no clocks with bells in them here...

Blurrily he looks around the room then sits up quickly with his back against the headboard of his bed as he states, "WHAT THE SHIT?"

The vision in front of him smiles softly as she floats above the ground near his bed, "Hello Lance McClain...you are expecting me."

Lance's eyes move up the dim shape in front of him, taking in the shadowy blue, regal dress, the long, pale, blond hair hanging to her waist and stopping at the face...a face he sees every morning across the breakfast table. With disbelief in his eyes, Lance mutters, "Allura?"

She smiles softly at him as she shakes her head, "Not quite...but very close."

Taking a second look, Lance notices some subtle differences and finally remembers a picture he has studied a few times in the throne room. Drawing in a deep breath, he mutters, "You are Allura's mother..."

The regal woman before him nods her head silently as she stares at him with Allura's eyes. Keeping his sarcastic nature in check, Lance asks, "What do you want?"

"To show you the way..." The ghostly figure before him replies.

"What way?" Lance asks, maintaining his position against the headboard as the figure moves closer.

"Lance McClain...you must know your past to see its affect on your present and future. Only with understanding can you move forward." She bends toward the nightstand beside his bed and an ancient candelabrum with lit, dripping candles appears as she picks it up, "I will be your guide."

"I know my past!" Lance states hotly as he stands up on the other side of his bed, "I don't need a ghost to show it to me!"

She smiles softly at him as she moves through his bed to stand beside him, "Do you? Do you really know?"

Uncertainty fills Lance's eyes as she lifts her ghostly hand to him, "Take my hand Lance McClain...take my hand and know."

Unable to stop himself, Lance reaches forward and takes her hand. The ghostly queen smiles softly at him then in an instant they are moving through space and time, everything a blur as if Lance were standing in a wind tunnel.

Soon the blur stops and as the room they are standing in becomes solid, the scene before them appears. They are standing in the middle of a living room. A large, brilliantly decorated Christmas tree stands before the large bay windows of the room. Snow can be seen gently falling outside and landing against the glass before melting.

Unopened presents lie underneath the tree and Lance exclaims, "This is my old house..."

The ghost queen smiles gently but doesn't answer as Lance turns toward her, "What are we doing here?"

She points and Lance glances down to find a young boy lying before the tree, curled up into a ball as he quietly cries. Stepping back, Lance turns back to the ghost, "I don't understand..."

Placing a finger to his lips, the queen silences Lance then points across the room. He turns and watches a teenage girl dressed in her pajamas walk down the stairs and into the room. She pauses before the couch as she studies the young boy then picks up a blanket from the back of the couch and lies down on the floor beside the boy, throwing the blanket over both of them before pulling the young boy into her arms. "Don't cry Lance..." She whispers against the boy's head.

"STOP!" Lance calls out turning back to the ghost, "I don't need to see this! I know what happened!"

"Do you...do you truly know?" The ghost asks as she points back to the two children on the floor, "Watch...remember."

Unable to stop himself, Lance turns back and watches as his sister, Anna, continues to comfort his younger self. "It's ok Lance..."

A young voice sobs out, "But Mom...Mom is gone..."

"Yes..." The young girl replies calmly, "But you still have me and we still have father."

Another racking sob escapes the boy before he replies, "But Mom is gone..." Lance watches his younger self turn around in his sister's arms, his chocolate eyes filled with tears, "Why did God take Mom today? It's Christmas..."

"He needed Mom..." Anna starts but a soft sob escapes her as well before she adds, "He needed another angel in heaven Lance." She pulls the little boy close to her as she whispers, "Mom will always be our angel Lance...she will always look out for us."

The scene fades and Lance turns back to the ghost, angrily brushing the tears off his face, "Why show me that? Why make me relive one of the worst days of my life?"

The queen smiles sadly at him but simply points in answer. Turning back around, Lance watches the room dissolve then become solid again. Lance looks around, they are once again in the living room but there is no Christmas tree, no presents, only the snow falling outside the window is the same.

Gritting his jaw, Lance watches as he appears again, this time sitting on the window seat, his forehead against the window pane as he watches the snow fall. Lance turns when he hears a soft voice behind him, "Merry Christmas Lance..."

His sister walks into the room, five years older than the last vision, carrying a box, setting it down beside the window seat before joining her brother.

"What's merry about it?" Lance asks, not removing his forehead from the window as he continues to watch the snow.

"Oh Lance..." Anna says as she sits with her shoulder against the glass, her eyes on her younger brother. "This was always mother's favorite time of year..." she starts.

"Yes...until a drunk driver hit her car and killed her." Lance interjects, still not bothering to look at his sister.

Smiling sadly at her younger brother, the teenage girl whispers, "Lance...it's Christmas. It's time to be happy, to appreciate family and celebrate life!"

Lance moves away from the ghost to walk closer to the two people before him, watching as his younger self turns away from the glass at last to exclaim, "What is there to celebrate? Father hasn't celebrated Christmas since Mom died..." The boy looks away again, "There is no Christmas."

Anna sighs sadly as she watches Lance stare out at the falling snow. Bending down she opens the box and pulls out a small decorated tree, barely a foot high. She plugs the electrical cord in and places it beside Lance as it lights up.

The young boy glances over as Anna smiles at him softly then reaches down into the box again, this time removing a small wrapped box. She hands it to her brother whispering, "Merry Christmas Lance..."

Lance watches as his younger self stares at the box for a moment before tears fill his eyes and he runs out of the room, his sister calling out, "Lance! Stop!"

The scene fades again and Lance turns back to the ghost, "Enough!" He glares at the ghost that stares at him solemnly, "Why are you doing this?"

"You followed in your father's footsteps and stopped celebrating Christmas, you stopped celebrating life. Do you understand? Understand how your past affects your future?" The ghost asks as she moves forward with the ghostly candelabra within her hand.

Lance continues to glare at the ghost for a moment before his face falls and he turns away from her, "That was the last Christmas I spent with my sister..."

"Yes..." The ghost steps forward, placing her ghostly hand on Lance's shoulder, "She was also taken from you...a life taken too soon."

The room dissolves around them and reappears as the room Lance stayed in during his years at the Academy. Walking around the room, he exclaims bitterly, "My dorm room...Father sent me to the Academy shortly after that last Christmas, determined to remove all remembrance of my mother from his life."

"Perhaps..." The queenly ghost replies then speculates, "Or perhaps he knew that he wasn't doing well taking care of you and your sister and wanted to send you to someone that could."

Lance snorts in reply then turns as the door to the room opens and his seventeen year old self walks into the room, throws his books over onto his bed then moves to stand beside the window, a note crushed in his hand.

Standing very still, Lance's eyes move from his younger self's face to the note then he turns back to the ghost, "NO! I demand you take me back now!"

The ghost shakes her head sadly in reply and Lance turns as the door to the room opens once more and a seventeen year old Keith walks into the room. He watches as Keith glances at his roommate then moves across the room to place books down on his bed. Turning back to his roommate, Keith asks, "Everything alright?"

"Do I fucking look like everything is alright?" his seventeen year old self replies.

Keith raises his eyebrows at him then asks, "What's wrong?"

"Every fucking thing."

Turning around, Lance's eyes are filled with tears as he throws the note at Keith then tries to hit him. Keith yells, "HEY!" and grabs his roommate around the waist as Lance yells, "Let me go you bastard!"

Pushing Lance away from him, Keith's hands are up in case he needs to defend himself again as he watches Lance sink to the floor before his bed, his knees to his chest, tears running down his face. Bending over, Keith picks up the note off the floor, un-crumples it then reads it. Getting to the end of it, he swears softly before looking back at Lance.

"God hates me..."

Keith moves to sit beside his roommate before answering, "God doesn't hate you Lance...anymore than he hates me. These things happen..."

"Happen..." Lance snorts. He angrily wipes at the tears on his cheeks before retorting, "I've lost two members of my family...both on Christmas. Don't tell me God doesn't hate me!"

"Lance..." Keith starts, but Lance doesn't let him finish as he stands up, "I have to go. I need to make arrangements to go home for Anna's funeral."

Keith watches sadly as his roommate leaves the room. The scene dissolves again as Lance turns back to the ghost, tears running down his cheeks, "What are you trying to do to me?"

"To remember...to remember the past is to remember yourself." She tells him as she steps forward, placing a hand against his cheek.

The image of Allura's mother disappears and everything goes black. Lance looks around, his voice echoing in the chasm, "Hello?"

Fear fills him as he reaches out with his hand in the darkness, trying to find anything solid, "Hello?" Suddenly a small shaft of light shines at one end. Lance moves toward it to find a door, the light coming from the crack underneath.

Reaching over, he turns the knob then gently pushes the door open. Hesitantly walking forward, Lance steps into the room then exclaims, "Where the devil am I?"

He finds himself standing in the middle of a mostly empty pub, decorated for Christmas. His eyes move over the bartender standing near the end of the bar, speaking to one of the patrons. Moving along, Lance's eyes stop on the back of an older man sitting at the other end of the bar, drinking alone.

The bartender's voice rings out, "Everything alright down there McClain?"

"Yeah...everything is just great." the man quietly replies.

Shocked, Lance whispers, "Dad?"

"Yes Lance, that is your father."

Turning around, Lance finds the ghost of King Alfor standing right behind him. His eyes latch onto Lance's as he continues, "This is how your father spends his Christmas...every Christmas since the death of your sister."

Lance becomes angry, demanding, "What the hell is this?"

Arching an eyebrow, the ghostly king replies, "Christmas present...this is how your past has affected the present."

Opening his mouth to reply, Lance stops and turns his head when he hears the other patron ask the bartender, "McClain...isn't that the guy that used to run Starsky Enterprises?"

The bartender nods in reply then adds, "He has lost everything. A drunk driver killed his wife years ago and that was the start of his downfall. But what really made him lose it was when his daughter was killed six years later in a car crash during that big blizzard. She had been on her way home to see him for Christmas, ran off the road and hit a tree. His son came home for the funeral, but hasn't visited since...blames his father I imagine."

The other patron shakes his head sadly, "It's a shame that they aren't closer...they only have each other."

Nodding, the bartender continues, "He lost his job shortly after that, sold his house to move into a small apartment. I understand he is living off the investments he had made before that. Don't know what he will do when that money runs out."

Lance turns away from them to look at his father closer. An older version of Lance, Christopher McClain's hair is completely white, his thin back and shoulders hunched over as he sits on the bar stool. Swearing softly, Lance utters, "He barely looks like my father anymore..."

"Yes, see what grief and loss can do?" King Alfor questions as he moves beside Lance. He looks at the older man before him then back at Lance, "After the death of your sister, he tried to communicate with you..."

Snorting, Lance turns away, "He didn't bother to talk to me before Anna's funeral, why did he need to talk to me afterward?"

"Ahh son...sometimes it takes losing everything to appreciate what you had." The wise dead king states then adds, "Look a little closer..."

Lance moves around the bar so that he is standing in front of his father. Tears run down his cheeks as Christopher stares at a small picture in his hand. Lance leans in closer as he hears his father whisper, "I miss all of you..." then lets the picture fall out of his hand as he grabs his glass to down the contents.

Looking down at the picture, Lance is shocked to find the last family picture that was taken before his mother died. Shocked, he looks back at his father muttering, "Dad?" before the room goes dark.

"What the fuck?" Lance turns around to find the ghostly king staring down on him with a sad smile on his face, "Time to move on Lance McClain, you need to see how your actions affect those around you."

The room reappears, but this time they are back in the Castle of Lions. Lance looks around to find them standing in the middle of the rec room. Christmas decorations still line the floor, some in boxes, some sitting out waiting to go on the tree. His eyes move to the couch as Keith and Allura appear before them, tears running down Allura's face.

"I just don't understand why Lance got so nasty about it..."

Keith sighs deeply as he moves his hand around Allura's back to pull her closer to him. Once her head is resting against his shoulder, he whispers against the side of her head, "Lance has had some bad experiences during Christmas Allura..."

"So..." Allura pulls away to glare at Keith, "Now he feels he has the right to take it out on the rest of us?"

Exasperated, Keith tries to placate her, "Princess..."

"No Keith!" Allura interrupts him as she stands up to face him, anger emanating from her, "I know Lance can be a jerk sometimes...it is just who he is and how he deals with situations. But I won't put up with him ruining Christmas for everyone just because he has had a bad experience."

Standing up slowly to face his infuriated princess, Keith replies, "I'll go talk to him and explain..."

"Explain..." Allura's voice rises as her anger does, "Explain?" She pokes a finger into Keith's chest, "I want you to take him into the gym and kick him from one side of it to the other until he is willing to apologize for his behavior."

Taken aback, Keith nods silently in reply then watches as Allura turns around and stomps out of the room. Lance looks over as King Alfor laughs softly before turning his merry blue eyes onto him, "My daughter...she does have my temper."

"Yeah...ha ha...very funny...considering she just ordered Keith to kick my ass." Lance sarcastically replies.

"Oh...you think you don't deserve it?" The ghost king asks while raising an eyebrow at him.

Lance blushes as he looks away. The room turns black once more and reappears in the mechanical bay for the lions. Looking around, he finds Pidge sitting on the ground with one of his devices, tears running down his cheeks.

His gaze moves to the big man that walks into the area, pausing before walking over to Pidge and sitting down in front of him, "You ok little buddy?"

Pidge shakes his head, but doesn't look up as he uses a wrench on his gadget. Hunk sighs then tries again, "I'm sure Lance didn't mean it...you know he is always an ass this time of year."

Sad eyes look up as Pidge whispers, "He did mean it...Lance always means what he says." He looks back down on his project before grabbing a hammer and starting to smash it while releasing his anger. Hunk grabs the hammer from him to stop him from doing anymore damage then wraps an arm around Pidge's back as he continues to cry. "You will see Pidge...Lance will apologize...I know it."

King Alfor steps in front of Lance, as he tries to look away, shame filling him. "Do you still think you don't deserve the beating my daughter ordered?"

Refusing to answer, Lance turns away from the ghostly king. He hears a final remark, "Your past has turned you into a bitter man Lance McClain...a man that hurts his friends and family."

Everything goes black once more as Lance yells out, "Hello?" and tries to find something to grab onto. Nothing happens as the dank blackness seems to completely envelop him. Swearing as he stumbles forward and falls to the ground, Lance yells out, "What the fuck is going on?"

A sudden maniacal laughter echoes around him, seemingly coming from every direction. Lance pushes himself backward along the ground trying to get away from the evil sound. He stops when his back hits something solid. Turning his head, he yells out in fear when he sees that it is a black hooded figure he ran into.

Stumbling away, Lance finally gets back to his feet and faces the figure, "Who the hell are you?"

The hooded figure turns its head slightly in question, the hood turning with the movement. Stepping backward to get farther away, Lance whispers, "What do you want?"

The figure raises its hand, showing a black leather glove, a finger pointing past Lance. Turning to look in the direction of the finger, he finds the darkness fading and the pub coming into view once more, once again decorated for Christmas. The same bartender stands behind the bar, only several years older.

Glancing to his side, Lance notes that the hooded figure is standing next to him. He turns his gaze to the door when it opens and a homeless looking man slowly walks in. Lance hears a deep sigh coming from the bar before the bartender says, "You know you need to buy something to be in here Mr. McClain..."

Shocked, Lance looks back at the homeless man, his back mostly bent over as the faded brown eyes look up pleading with the man behind the bar. He hears another sigh coming from the bartender before he says, "You know...it's Christmas. Come up to the bar...I'll buy you a drink."

"Thank you Peter..." Christopher McClain whispers as he moves to the bar and gingerly lifts himself to sit up on the bar stool. The bartender sets a glass down in front of the older man and fills it with a shot of whiskey.

Christopher removes his gloves, his shaky hand reaching for the drink. As he sips it, the bartender places a second cup near him, this time filled with coffee, "Drink up Mr. McClain...I'm closing in thirty minutes."

Nodding in reply, the older man lifts the coffee cup and sips the contents, a sound of relief escaping him. Unable to help himself, Peter asks, "Can you contact your son Mr. McClain? I mean...surely he would be willing to help you..."

"No..." Christopher interrupts him, "I burned my bridges with my son long ago...when I couldn't take care of him after his mother died." He releases a sad sigh, "I couldn't impose on him now..."

"But sir...you have no home, you are living on the street...surely he would be willing to help." Peter tells him.

Shaking his head in reply, Christopher McClain finishes the cup of coffee. Setting the cup back on the bar, he starts to pull on his gloves again, "Thank you Peter...I am feeling warmer."

The bartender throws a towel down on the bar in exasperation before saying, "At least head for the mission Mr. McClain...it is supposed to get down to twenty below tonight."

Lance watches as his father nods at Peter in reply before opening the door and leaving again. He starts to move to the door to follow him, only stopping when he hears the bartender say, "He will likely freeze to death tonight...old fool won't go to that mission...his pride won't let him."

"NO!" Lance cries out while running toward the door, but the room goes black again, the scene disappearing. Turning back to the hooded figure, he calls out, "NO! That can't happen...not the last of my family...not on Christmas."

Another maniacal laugh fills the darkness as the scene changes again. Standing in the control room in the Castle of Lions, Lance looks around until he spots Keith standing near the controls. Glancing back to find the hooded figure following him, Lance walks forward, stopping just before Keith and looking him over, "Holy shit...Keith looks old."

Silver streaks the sides of the Commander's hair, lines cover his face and a signet ring sits on his finger. Lance's eyes stop on the ring and he sputters, "What the hell? King?"

"Father, mother is looking for you."

Lance turns around to find a teenage boy walking toward him. He has Keith's build and hair color, but the eyes are all Allura. Keith turns around then smiles at his son as he walks up to the dais, "Lance...what are you doing out of bed at this hour?"

Shocked, Lance looks at the boy again muttering, "Lance...Keith and Allura married and named their son after me?"

He turns back as the boy stops beside his father, "She is worried that you never came to bed...not that she said anything. Mother came to visit me...the look on her face... Father, why was Mother so sad?"

Walking closer, Lance listens to Keith sigh deeply before responding, "Because my son, this is the time of year we lost your Uncle Lance."

"The original pilot of Red lion?" The boy asks.

Nodding in reply, Keith puts a hand on his son's shoulder, "Yes, my best friend and the one you were named after."

"Father..." the young prince starts, then finally continues, "What happened to him?"

The look on Keith's face changes as his eyes harden in anger. Lance watches him struggle with his emotions before he responds, "He died just before you were born...during Christmas. He always became angry over Christmas...having lost most of his family during that time." Keith looks at his son closely before finishing, "He took more chances when he was angry like that and died after a battle with Lotor."

Taken aback, Lance tries to step backward, his back hitting the figure behind him. The scene turns black again and he turns toward the hooded figure, "Why the hell show me these things if I will be dead and can't change them?"

Another maniacal laugh fills Lance's ears before the hooded figure raises its gloved hands to the hood. As it starts to pull the hood aside a voice Lance knows and hates rings through the silence, "So you will die knowing how you hurt your family and friends!"

The hood and cape drop away as Prince Lotor pulls out his laser sword and swings it at Lance.

"NO!" Lance screams as he sits upright in his bed, sweat pouring off of him. His eyes wildly move about the dark room before he reaches over to turn on the bedside lamp. After making sure he is alone, Lance lays back against his pillows, "A dream...nothing but a dream."

"Was it?" Lotor's voice echoes in the room before he jumps out of the darkest corner of the bedroom at the bed, his laser sword aimed straight for Lance's heart.

"GOD NO!" Lance sits up in his bed as he wakes up, then jumps from it. Grabbing his laser gun, he flips on the overhead light, his eyes moving over every corner of the room. Once he is sure that he is alone, Lance sighs deeply then walks into his bathroom. Running cold water, he splashes it on his face then turns around quickly when he spots an image behind him. Finding his mother's ghost behind him once more, Lance utters, "Mother..." as she reaches a hand out to him. "Lance...do not take this warning as simply a dream..." Her ghostly hand touches his cheek as she finishes, "Live your life...embrace the joys..." then she disappears.

"Mother!" Lance calls out, but she is gone. Turning around to look at himself in the mirror once more, he stares at his eyes...taking in the cynical gleam and then moving down to hard lines around his mouth. Finally he speaks to himself, "When did I become such an asshole?"

Shaking his head, he leaves the bathroom to enter his room. He dresses quickly then heads for the door. Walking quickly down the hallway, he enters castle control to find Coran at the console. "Hey Coran, I need to use the comm. for a moment."

Arching his eyebrows, Coran stands to allow Lance to sit down. The older man watches him for a moment before Lance looks back up at him, "I need to make a private call."

Nodding in understanding, Coran steps down from the dais and leaves control. Lance punches several buttons on the control panel then looks up when an older man shows up on the screen with a shocked look on his face, "Lance?"

"Hello Dad..." Lance replies.

VVVVVVVV

Walking down the hallway, Nanny grumbles under her breath about being awakened early. She enters the rec room a moment later to find Lance up on a ladder stringing lights about the room. Aghast, she inquires, "Lieutenant! What on Arus are you doing?"

Lance glances down at her, a big smile across his face, "Nanny! Perfect." He finishes positioning a light then quickly climbs down the ladder. Facing her, he replies, "I need a favor Nanny...a huge one."

She listens to the request a bit shocked, but answers, "Very well, I will do it."

Bending over, Lance hugs the older woman quickly then releases her, "Thank you Nanny! This is going to be great!"

Nanny can't help the smile that crosses her face as she watches him climb back up the ladder. She looks about the room, at the decorations that are partially up, some even, some not before she turns to look back up at Lance, "I will send you some of the maids to help."

A bit shocked, Lance nods his thanks as Nanny turns around and walks out of the room.

VVVVVVVV

"Would the Voltron Force please come to the recreation room?"

Coming out of his bathroom a bit bemused, Keith quickly throws on some clothing then walks to his bedroom door to leave. Opening the door, he almost bumps into Princess Allura as he steps out into the hallway.

Looking confused, Allura asks, "Do you know why we are being called to the rec room?"

Shaking his head, Keith replies, "I thought maybe you were calling us in there again."

Pidge and Hunk exit their rooms next and upon finding Allura in the hallway with Keith, they are equally confused. They walk down the hallway together, stopping beside the rec room door as Keith reaches over to push the button to open the door.

As the door opens, the sound of Christmas music pours over them. Curious, they walk into the room to find it fully decorated. Lights mixed with tinsel surround the room. The tree is a rainbow of colored lights with bright red Christmas balls hanging from it and a star on the top. A figure steps around the tree dressed in a Santa suit calling out, "Ho Ho Ho! Merry Christmas!"

Keith looks at the figure closely then mumbles, "Lance?" with a confused look on his face.

Lance smiles as he steps forward, his eyes gleaming as he states, "Come forward and receive your gifts!"

Arching an eyebrow, Keith glances at the skeptical looks of the people surround him before he asks, "What's going on Lance? You don't celebrate Christmas."

"Can't a guy realize when he's wrong?" Lance replies, the smile still on his face. As the skeptical look remains on Keith's face he sighs, "I'm serious here..." He glances over at the others, "Come on...who wants their gift?"

Hunk moves tentatively across the room and Lance's eyes fall on him, "Ahh...the first willing participant!" He picks up a box from the floor and hands it to Hunk. Glancing down at the box, Hunk moves to sit down on the couch and opens it slowly. Lifting the lid, his eyes grow huge as he takes in the contents, "Nanny's chocolate delight cookies!" He picks one up and stuffs it in his mouth, closing his eyes blissfully.

Chuckling at him, Lance picks up a second box and moves over to Pidge who eyes him closely. Stopping just before the younger man, Lance pulls the beard down to expose his face as he looks into Pidge's eyes. His voice loses its joyful tone as he solemnly says, "I'm truly sorry for what I said yesterday Pidge. I was a complete asshole. Will you forgive me?"

Pidge's serious brown eyes look up at Lance then down at the gift. He is silent for a moment before he looks back up at Lance, "Yes." The smile comes back to Lance's face as he hands him the present.

Joining Hunk on the couch, Pidge opens the gift then his face lights up with wonder as he pulls out a comic book, "The latest Captain Avenger!"

Smiling at him, Lance states, "Well, I had gotten it for your birthday...but thought this would be a much better time to give it to you."

"Thanks Lance!" Pidge states with a smile on his face before he starts flipping through the pages.

Out of the corner of his eye, Lance notices Keith move to his customary spot when he wants to simply watch the room and lean against the wall. Grabbing Allura's hand, Lance guides her over to where Keith is standing, "My dear Princess... I decided to make your Christmas wishes come true." He turns his head to smile at the confused look on her face. Stopping just before Keith, he gestures to him with his hand, "For your Christmas gift, I give you our Commander...Keith Kogane to kiss."

As Allura blushes scarlet and tries to pull back on Lance's hand, Keith stands upright demanding, "What are you up to Lance?"

Arching a brow at him, Lance replies, "Well Captain Fearless...you are standing underneath the mistletoe and tradition states that you must kiss a woman." As Keith glances up, shocked to indeed find mistletoe hanging over him, Lance smirks at his cleverness in putting it there. Seeing Keith's discomfort, Lance continues gleefully, "With Princess being the only woman in the room..." He pulls her forward and pushes her towards Keith, who grabs her arms to steady her before turning his black gaze on Lance once more as the lieutenant states, "I consider this your Christmas gift as well." with a wolfish smile plastered on his face.

Stepping back to join Hunk and Pidge, who rose from the couch to watch, Lance calls out, "Well, what are you waiting for? Kiss her!" Hunk and Pidge start catcalling as well and Keith sighs as he looks back down into Allura's flushed face. She won't meet his gaze, her face flaming with color as she looks over Keith's shoulder.

Over the catcalls, he whispers her name. When her eyes finally meet his; Keith smiles softly then asks, "Do you want this? Despite what the others think...we don't have to kiss."

Her body starts trembling as Allura stares into Keith's eyes for several long moments before she nods at him. Keith returns the nod, pulls her gently into his arms then lowers his lips to hers. The catcalls turn into wolf whistles as he presses his lips softly against hers.

Lance sighs as he watches Keith kiss Allura lightly for a moment, lift his head to look into her eyes once more then lowers his head to kiss her again. Laughter bubbles up out of him as he watches Keith deepen the kiss while Allura wraps her arms around his neck, her fingers drifting into his hair. Looking over at the shocked looks on Hunk and Pidge's faces, Lance laughs all the harder. Grabbing the other two, he mumbles around the laughter, "Come on...let's go eat some cookies."

Keith manages to pull his face away from Allura, but maintains eye contact with her as he takes in several deep breaths. "Allura..." her name escapes him like a caress. She smiles softly at him then leans into him, tightening her arms around him as she hugs him.

Turning his head, Keith kisses the side of her head then whispers, "Let's go join them..."

Allura releases him reluctantly and turns to walk across the room. She turns her head to look at Keith a moment later as he takes her hand within his, intertwining their fingers as he leads her across the room, a soft smile on his face as he looks back at her. They sit down on the couch together, finally releasing their hands. Allura sighs contently as she feels Keith's arm move around her, his fingers resting against her arm.

Looking over, she catches Lance watching her. He winks at her slyly then leans over with the plate, "Cookie?"

Taking one, Allura smiles at Lance and replies, "Thank you..." the sparkle in her eyes telling him that the thank you is for more than the cookie. He returns the smile then turns back to the others. After clearing his throat for a moment, Lance states, "I hope you guys don't mind...but I called my father this morning and asked him to come for a visit."

Glancing at the shocked look on Keith's face, Allura turns back to Lance to reply, "That will be very nice...of course he is welcomed in the castle at any time."

"Well..." Lance starts as he rubs the hair upward from the back of his neck, "I'm kind of hoping to talk him into staying here on Arus."

Pidge smiles up at him, "That would be great Lance!"

After the rest echo the sentiment, Lance smiles gratefully at his friends. The remainder of the day is spent singing Christmas carols and telling stories of past Christmases. Lance stands up to refill his cup of apple cider when he glances over near the tree. Standing there are the spirits of his mother and sister, arm in arm as they smile happily at him. A soft smile crosses Lance's face as he watches them look at each other smiling then they vanish. Turning back, Lance rejoins his friends.