Chapter 2: Dinner and Surprises

Hours later, Lance woke again, pleasantly surprised to find that he had fallen back into an undisturbed slumber for the first time in ages. He rolled over in bed, only to get a face full of Felix, who was curled up next to Lance's head. Lance spat fur, Felix grumbled and shifted out of his face. On his other side, the communicator blinked, indicating a message had been received. Lance rubbed sleep from his eyes as he squinted at the screen.

K: Sorry buddy. Still working out some stuff with the Galra. Gotta wait until the last of the war leaders arrive to cast their vote on who will be the representatives for the Galra in the Galaxy Alliance.

Lance frowned, and then caught sight of the time. 9:06! He swore under his breath. The Atlas was scheduled to arrive at 9:30 and he had a fifteen minute drive to get to the Garrison where it would land.

He began to dash around his room, throwing on a pair of jeans and a tee-shirt. In his closet he caught sight of his old Garrison uniform and wondered briefly if he should wear that instead, but decided it wasn't worth the time. He dashed to the bathroom, splashed his face with water and brushed his teeth quickly, avoiding his reflection. Looking in a mirror and seeing those marks on his face only made his heart ache. He hated seeing the dark circles under his eyes, accentuated by the brightness of the blue Altean marks high on his cheekbones. He hated that reminder of everything, of Allura's absence, of his own failure. He knew she meant for it to be a gift, a reminder of her love for him, but sometimes he hated Allura for leaving him with the burden of remembering her every time he looked at himself in the mirror.

Lance dashed down the stairs, his Mamá and Papá were awake now and already preparing for the dinner his Mamá wanted to host for the other paladins and their families. Papá was complaining about the early start.

"Mi amor, why must we start cooking now? No one will be arriving for hours!" Lance grinned as his mother smacked his father on the wrist with her wooden spoon "¡Cállate y cocina!" She snapped, turning to see Lance at the foot of the stairs, reaching for his keys.

"¡Mijo! Why are you still here? I thought you left!" Lance winced, and grabbed a familiar red jacket that Keith asked him to look after while he was gone from the hook by the door. It felt right to wear it today since everyone else would be together.

"Yeah.. I overslept actually, but I'm leaving now!" He chuckled as his mother rushed him to the door. "Go! Before you miss your friends!" she cried, herding him out. "Bye! I'll be back soon!" Lance called as he shut the door behind him.

At the Garrison, there was a hubbub of activity as everyone prepared for the return of the Atlas. Lance waved to Hunk's family and Sam and Matt Holt, who were all crowded toward the front of the landing area. The family and friends of the rest of the crew were milling around, waiting for their loved ones to arrive. General Iverson stood at the front of the crowd with the Holts and the Garretts. Lance made his way to the front where they stood, greeting Sam and Matt with a friendly handshake.

"Katie and the others should be arriving by wormhole above the Garrison in.." Sam checked his watch. "Approximately 2 minutes, you're right on time!" Sam and Matt had stayed on Earth to help Iverson improve the defense systems on the Garrison while Pidge had been accompanied by her mother back into space. After the whole "running-away-and- fighting-a-war-in-space" situation, Colleen had decided that Pidge was not to leave Earth unaccompanied anymore until she turned 18, which was only a few months away now.

Lance stuck his hands in his pockets and smiled warmly. "It sure will be great to see everyone again. Before I forget, you all are invited to my family's house for dinner this evening- and that includes you and your family Mr. and Mrs. Garrett!" Lance called to Hunk's parents, who exclaimed their thanks and delight, with promises from both to whip up a dessert to bring.

"Does your mother need help cooking, dear?" asked Mrs. Garrett sweetly.

"I don't think so Ma'am, she's employed my father already and I'm going to help too when I get home. Thanks for the offer though!" Mrs. Garrett opened her mouth, probably to say something else incredibly kind or thoughtful, when suddenly there was a huge whooshing noise, and Lance watched the Atlas appear from a wormhole in the sky, high above the Garrison, and begin its descent. They were home.

The Atlas touched down, and a door slid open. A ramp clicked open, and immediately people began pouring from the entrance to see their families. Lance smiled as two very familiar figures shoved through the crowd.

"Katie!" Sam shouted joyfully, running to embrace his daughter. Lance hung back a few moments as he allowed his friends time to greet their families. Pidge looked up and spotted him behind her father, who moved to find Colleen.

"Lance!" She tackled him, and then Hunk joined in on the bear hug. Lance embraced his friends, emotion creating a hard lump in his throat.

"You guys!" He choked out "I've missed you! How was your trip? How were the Olkari? Hunk! Did you make progress with the Alliance? Did anyone else join?" Pidge laughed and pulled away from Lance.

"One at a time, Lance! We missed you too, the trip was great, we have so much to tell you!" Lance beamed in response. "You can tell me all about it at dinner. You and your families are all invited to eat some genuine Cuban cuisine at my place!" Hunk pumped his fist in the air.

"Yes! Dude, your mom is an amazing cook. She made the most awesome masitas last time we ate there. Think she could give me the recipe?" Lance looked up suddenly.

"Hey, where's Shiro?" he asked, looking around the outdoor area now filled with the crew and their families. "Oh, he'll be out in a minute. He was making sure that everyone got a chance to see their family and- There he is!" Pidge pointed, and there Shiro stood at the base of the ship with his boyfriend, Curtis. A young man who was the navigator for the Atlas now that Coran was back on Altea with his people. Lance waved to the pair frantically, and Shiro spotted him, smiling. He met Lance with a hug, and Curtis greeted the younger boy with a friendly handshake.

Just as Lance thought the morning could not possibly improve, while Shiro mentioned something to Pidge about needing to talk to Sam, Lance noticed someone else exiting the Atlas. His jaw dropped as he registered who it was.

Keith.