Chapter 2

Pidge allowed Hunk to tow her to Green's hangar (Oh my gosh, it's my hangar now! she thought) and settle her in. Green was silent in the cockpit, her arms still wrapped around her knees, and Pidge's heart (did she even have one now?) ached for her.

It's going to be all right, Pidge assured her. Don't worry.

Green sighed and loosened her grip on her knees. "Green cannot help it, my Paladin."

On the fringes of Pidge's sensors, she caught the cadence of racing footsteps: six pairs in all. She lowered herself to the floor and opened her maw in time for her friends to enter the hangar.

"Pidge, is that really you?" gaped Hunk.

Pidge growled, Get your butts in here! and lashed her tail.

"Focus, guys!" Shiro chided. "We've got a Lion in a human body in there. There's no telling how she's going to react."

She's freaking terrified! How's that for reacting?

"We've also got a human in a Lion's body right there. And she doesn't look happy," Hunk observed.

I am not making my Lion walk out to you morons! You get in here now! The entire hangar rumbled with her snarl.

"My Paladin? My Paladin, please calm down. You're scaring them." Something soft, small and clammy stroked Pidge's inner panelling, but it wasn't where she thought it would be. It was by the ramp. Green had somehow gotten out of the chair and walked towards the exit. She wasn't standing, though. She sat against the wall, panting hard like she had just run a marathon.

Pidge settled down and Green continued to pet her with trembling fingers. Pidge could hear Green's tiny heart flutter – from exertion or fear or both?

"Pi- Green!" Shiro corrected himself, darting up the ramp and crouching beside her. "Hey. How are you feeling?"

"Green does not like this, Black's Paladin. Green wishes for Green's body proper. Give this one back to my Paladin, please."

"We'll figure it out. Don't you worry." He smiled at her. "Good job calming Pidge down."

"She does not say so, but she is deeply frightened. We both are deeply frightened, Black's Paladin."

"I know. This has got to be pretty weird for you. Can you stand?"

"Green did a moment ago, but walking on two legs is very strange and tiring."

"Is it all right if I carry you, then? We should get you to the infirmary so Coran can look at you."

"Green is not hurt."

"But we should still make sure. Ease your mind and Pidge's."

Green's mouth pulled down but she nodded. "Very well, Black's Paladin." She reached up and wrapped her arms around Shiro's neck as he slid his arms behind her back and under her knees.

"And up we go. There we are. No worries." He smiled at her and Green tried to smile back. It didn't work well. "Hunk, stay with Allura and run whatever diagnostics you can on Pidge. Make sure she's all right," he said before he left the hangar at a trot, following Coran.

Bye, Shiro, Pidge thought longingly. At least Lance and Keith looked over their shoulders at her before they left.

"Pidge? Hey. You doing okay?" Hunk looked up at her – way, way up. This was actually kind of hilarious, if she wanted to find any sort of amusement in this situation. Usually, she was the one to look up.

Pidge sighed, which vocalised as a rumble, and lay down, her head on her paws.

He nodded jerkily and patted a single claw. "I'm sorry for scaring you earlier," he said. "I jumped you with Yellow," he explained.

Oh. It seemed like a lifetime ago that Pidge had accidentally activated the weapon system and Yellow had landed on her to keep her from hurting anybody.

"Don't worry, Pidge," Allura said. "We're going to do everything we can to fix this. You just sit tight for a bit. Ready, Hunk?"

"Yeah. Sure." He patted her claw again and then turned away to take the holo-tablet Allura offered. They got to work, saying nothing more, and Pidge wanted to cry. If only Lions could cry.

-:-:-:-

"Physically, there's nothing wrong with her," Coran said quietly. "She's reading normal for humans on all the scans I've run."

Shiro nodded and watched Lance lead Pi- Green through a basic motor exercise. She was touching her fingers to her thumbs.

"That's it! You've got!" Lance praised.

"This is not so terrible, Blue's Paladin," Green said with a tiny smile.

Beside Shiro, Keith shifted, a simple rearrangement of his weight, and Green's eyes flicked to him, watching him for a moment before returning her attention to Lance.

"She notices everything," Keith muttered under his breath – no telling how good her hearing was.

"Wouldn't you?" Coran arched a brow. "She's a sentient machine created for the sole purpose of battle on a massive scale. She was created to notice everything. Plus, she's the Green Lion. She's always been a stickler for details."

"Like Pidge," Shiro observed.

"How do you think she's doing?" asked Keith.

"I think she's putting on a brave face. This is completely new to her. We need to support her however we can."

Keith looked back forth from Green to Shiro. "Are we talking about Pidge?"

"I was talking about both. But Green will be among us now. She'll have to sleep and eat and do all the things humans do that Lions don't. She'll need us to help her."

"Yeah… And Pidge?"

Shiro's sad eyes saddened even more. "I don't know. I guess all we can do for her is…be there." He turned away, walking towards the door.

Keith shadowed him. "Shiro?" he asked hesitantly.

Shiro slammed his right fist into the nearest wall, denting it a good four inches. "Why is it always her?" he spat. "Why can't I protect her when this crap happens? Why can't I do my job as the Black Paladin and protect my team?"

"Shiro. Shiro, calm down." Keith reached out with both hands and laid them on his arm.

Shiro knew full-well that if his hand activated, he would seriously hurt Keith. He tried to take deep breaths, tried to steady himself, but tears came instead, burning in his eyes as he tried to hold them back. "This should never have happened," he rasped.

"You're right. You're right. It never should have happened. But it did." Keith slowly pulled Shiro's hand away from the wall and kept hold of it so he wouldn't hit anything else. "It's all just bad luck and Pidge keeps getting the brunt of it."

Shiro buried his face in his free hand. "I should have done something." His words were barely audible in his own ears, but Keith had Galran hearing.

"What, Shiro?" Keith demanded. "What could you have done? What could any of us have done? From what Green said, that cannon mixed up their quintessence – how do we fight something like that? What could we do?"

"I…I don't know."

"Shiro, listen to me." Keith was begging now, a rarity in itself. "The Lions acted to save us. I know for a fact that I did not pilot my Lion out of the way. They did it. They did it to save us, but Pidge and Green still got caught and it's no one's fault, least of all yours. So don't you go blaming yourself for this, or I will let Pidge step on you when I tell her you're being an idiot."

Shiro sniffed wetly and looked over his hand at Keith. His eyes were over-bright with worry and fear, panic was in his hands as he gripped him, and his whole body trembled with the day's exhaustion. "All right," he whispered. "You're right. Thanks, Keith."

"I'd say 'anytime', but this better not happen again. Especially if it's not your fault." Keith glared at him for good measure and then glanced at the wall, sighing. "I am not going to be the one to tell Coran about that."

Shiro chuckled, a strained and weak sound. "I got it. Don't worry about it."

"Damn right, I won't."

The infirmary door swooshed open, revealing Lance with Green clinging tightly to his arm for support as she walked. "Hey," he greeted. "We're going to get something to eat. Want to come?"

Shiro duly noted that Green's eyes fell on first the fresh dent in the wall and then his Galra hand. "Sure," he made himself say.

Lance tugged Green forward. "C'mon, Green. Hunk's probably got a feast in the works."

"Yellow's Paladin is currently still with my Paladin in her hangar. He and Her Highness have yet to finish running diagnostics on my Paladin," Green said instantly.

Lance stammered, taken by surprise (as the rest of them were) that Green was aware of who was in Pidge's vicinity. "Okay. Well, I guess that means I'm cooking. I'm not that bad, you know. I'm not as good as Hunk, but I'm way better than Keith."

"I will thrash you in training," Keith bit out which only made Lance laugh.

"But I'll still be better than you in cooking." He winked at Green. "It's the little victories. I'll take 'em where I can get 'em."

Green stared at him for a moment, then said, "What does this action signify?" and she winked.

Lance stared back.

"Blue's Paladin?"

"Oh! Sorry. Your question just surprised me."

"Apologies."

"No, no. It's fine. No need to apologise. This," he winked again, "is called a wink. I winked at you. In this case, it means I'm sharing a joke with you."

"Oh." Green looked down. "Does it not also mean trust? It's a sign of trust, right?" She looked up through her lashes and there was a familiar gleam of mischief in her eyes.

A slow smile was spreading across Lance's face and Shiro had no idea why until he said, "Pidge watches movies in the hangar with you, doesn't she?"

Green nodded slowly and Shiro stumbled to a halt, recalling a very similar scene in a very specific movie. "You've seen I, Robot?"

A smile tugged at her mouth. "Green enjoys it," she said. "Green asks to watch it with my Paladin every once in a while. My Paladin always says yes."

"That's awesome!" Lance crowed. "But, yeah, Green. You're right. A wink means trust, too. It means a lot of things. It's based a lot on context, though. A wink can mean something different, even if it's done by the same person."

"Green understands. Thank you, Blue's Paladin."

"No problem."

They entered the kitchen, Lance setting Green on a stool by the island so she could watch. Shiro sat with her while Lance ordered Keith to grab ingredients and utensils.

Shiro watched Green, her eyes following the boys around the kitchen. It was strange, looking at Pidge's familiar face and knowing someone else was looking back out.

With no warning, she turned to him. "Green is sorry, Black's Paladin," she said.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Green. You don't have to apologise."

"Then Black's Paladin should not shoulder the blame," she retorted. "Green knows why the wall was dented. Green knows and understands."

"Ah," Shiro said lamely. "Right. Uh, thanks."

She sat back on her stool, regarding him with Pidge's whiskey-coloured eyes. Looking into them, Shiro knew that gaze had changed. Never before had he seen fathomless wisdom in those eyes, or such empathy. "Black's Paladin wants to know what happened today."

He nodded. "But tell us over dinner. You shouldn't have to relive it so many times," he said.

Green blinked and nodded. "Thank you, Black's Paladin."

-:-:-:-

Lance had never felt more ashamed. He missed Pidge with all his heart, worried about her, and wondered how in space they were going to fix this. But at the same time, Green was very much a toddler who was figuring out her body (Lance had barely gotten her to a toilet in time for her to pee, and that was only because he had noticed her squirming uncomfortably), and Lance knew how to take care of toddlers. His nieces and nephews were at the forefront of his mind as he helped her grasp a fork, drink from a cup, and know when she was full – all for the first time. He remained lighthearted and patient, and he couldn't remember the last time he'd had so much fun. (Green even laughed (more of a quiet giggle, but still!) when he made a joke over the milk.)

And he had never felt more ashamed for it.

He knew Shiro, Keith and Coran watched him, and when Hunk and Allura joined them, so did they. But he knew he was the only one with experience for this, and so he did it. Someone had to, so it might as well be him.

When they had eaten their fill, Green quieted and glanced at Shiro who nodded kindly at her. Twisting her hands into her jacket (yes, Lance had helped her get out of the paladin armour and into more comfortable clothes, too), she started talking. "Black's Paladin asked for Green to share what happened today."

The table instantly fell silent, Allura and Coran's muted chatter dying. All eyes fell on Green.

"Pride Voltron did not know what the cannon could do until it fired," she began. "As soon as it did, we knew. We felt its intent, felt its energy, and knew our Paladins were in mortal danger, as was Voltron. The cannon was an absorber of quintessence." Allura and Coran gasped and Green nodded. "Pride Voltron forced Voltron to separate, but Green could not get away quickly enough. We did not receive the full force of the blast – it would have destroyed us both – but it glanced off Green's head."

She stopped for a moment, rubbing a spot on her temple, and Lance's heart squeezed as she visibly steeled herself. "My Paladin was dying. The cannon was made to absorb quintessence from planets and my Paladin is very small and not Lion strong. My Paladin's quintessence was being drained from her, so Green used Green's own quintessence to anchor her – Green did this by discharging a great portion of Green's own quintessence. Our quintessence merged, but Green was so focussed on keeping my Paladin alive that Green made a mistake and the wrong quintessence was returned to the wrong body.

"My Paladin was able to wake up and properly online the systems that would sustain us. Though frightened, she also successfully made contact with Pride Voltron."

"Wait, what? What did you say?" Hunk demanded, his eyes wide.

Green blinked, confused by his intensity. "My Paladin has bonded with the other Lions, the same way Green was once bonded to them."

"Then…she can talk to them?"

"Yes."

"And you…can't?"

"No. Green cannot. The bond exists on a physical plane beyond what the paladins – what any mortals – can know. In order to bond, a Lion must be a Lion, not a Lion in a mortal frame."

Green has never been alone before.

The words were a knife to Lance's gut. She really was alone. The only one in her head now was Pidge, and Lance knew that Pidge, wonderful though she was, was not an adequate replacement for four Pride Sisters.

"The rest is known," Green finished. Then she turned to Allura, glancing at Hunk, as well. "How is my Paladin?"

"We had to manually online a couple of secondary systems," Allura replied softly. "She is quiet, but the Lions are never overly vocal."

Green was silent for a moment, and Lance could only guess what was going on behind those familiar eyes. "Mortals require sleep. I will sleep with my Paladin tonight." Turning to Lance, she said, "Thank you for the meal, Blue's Paladin." With that, she slid off her chair and walked away. Her steps were still unsure, her balance off, but she didn't hesitate in rounding the corner as she went wherever she was going.

"I'm going to, uh, make sure she doesn't fall down," Lance said, and he pushed back his chair and hurried after her. He caught up to her halfway down the hall. "Hey, Green! Wait up!"

"Blue's Paladin, do you need something?"

"What are you doing?"

"I am going to my Paladin's hangar to sleep."

"Okay. Good plan. Solid. But do you have blankets and pillows and the stuff you'll need to sleep?"

"Mortals require these things?" Her brows lifted at the question; she was genuinely curious.

"Well, technically no, but it'll be more comfortable, not to mention warmer." At her puzzled frown, he added, "You don't want Pidge to get tired by running the heating system all night, do you?"

"No" was the instant reply.

"Great. Pidge's room is this way. I'll help you carry the stuff." He traipsed off and smiled to himself when Green followed at a half-hurried walk.

-:-:-:-

Pidge didn't hear Green and Lance approach so much as felt them, and Green was most apparent, her presence pressing closer and closer with each step. Pidge sat up and could have sighed with relief when she stepped foot in her hangar. As it was, she reached out and wrapped her mind around Green like an attention-starved cat. Hello, she said.

Green smiled up at her. "Hello, my Paladin. I am sleeping with you tonight."

Ah. That explained Lance's armfuls of blankets and pillows. Green had a single pillow in her arms, but it looked like that was the extent of her capacity at the moment. Pidge briefly wondered how her Lion would fare on the training deck against Keith and promptly rejected the image.

It will be good to have company, she said instead, purring. Hey, Lance, she added.

"My Paladin greets you, Blue's Paladin."

Lance's smile was concerned and tight as he said, "Hey, Pidgeykins. We missed you at supper."

Pidge purred and crouched, shuffling as close as she could to gently touch Lance with her massive muzzle.

"My Paladin misses Team Voltron," Green said quietly.

"Right." Pidge distinctly heard Lance's heart stutter and smelled the salt in the tears that burned in his eyes, but in the next instant, he was wiping his face on a pillow and smiling. "Come on, Green. We've got work to do."

Pidge opened her maw to allow them inside and onlined her inner sensors so she could watch them.

"So. Where do you want to make your nest?"

Pidge felt Green's scrutiny as she looked about. Green pointed. "There." She pointed to the small space beneath the console and Pidge smiled inwardly.

"You sure?"

"Yes. Green will be comfortable sleeping there."

Lance didn't look like he believed her, but he still set the blankets down and helped her arrange them as she wanted. Once they were finished, he smiled at her. "Good night, Green," he said.

"Good night, Blue's Paladin," Green answered

Then he looked up at the ceiling. "Good night, Pidge."

Pidge's purr stuttered on the way out, but Lance understood, patted the pilot's chair, and left.

Green watched him go. "Blue Sister chose very well when she chose him," she commented. "Good night, my Paladin."

Good night, Green.

Pidge curled up on the floor and pulled her tail tight to her body. She offlined her eyes, but kept the support systems and most of the heating running. Green fell asleep almost instantly, slipping into a dreamless sleep.

Now what? What did Lions do between battles and patrols? What was there that she could do?

A warm voice like sunshine on open rock interrupted her reverie. /Green's Paladin?/

Oh. Idle chit-chat. This was going to be a very long night. What did they want with her anyway? What could she say to them?

/Green's Paladin?/ Yellow asked again.

Pidge might as well answer. /Yes?/

/Is Green Sister asleep?/

/Yes./ She paused then added, /She was out like a light. I guess today tired her out./ They deserved to know how hard this was for Green.

/As it did us all, though Pride Voltron has no need for rest./ Black's voice was a night's cool breeze through her mind as she spoke, and Pidge automatically flinched away.

In the quiet of the castle, out of danger and the lingering adrenaline of battle, and without today's earlier shocking revelation to occupy their attention, the Lions noticed.

/Green's Paladin, why do you shy away?/ The question was calm but did not adequately disguise the hurt and astonishment; the Lions were too closely bonded to hide everything.

The question was also a formality, a polite way to offer Pidge the option of coming clean on her own. When she retreated further, pulling her mind away as best she could, the Lions tossed politeness aside and swarmed through her processor and soul, annihilating any thought of privacy. Pidge could feel their intentions as they dug around in her heart and fished out her emotions and insecurities: concern, worry and fear wafted around them. They worried for her because she was one of them now. Except she wasn't, really. They just wanted to know why she was afraid of them.

They announced their findings one by one to each other.

/Green's Paladin believes she is unworthy to speak with Pride Voltron because she is mortal,/ said Yellow in dismay.

/Green's Paladin believes today's events are her fault,/ said Red, anger heating her voice.

/Green's Paladin believes she cannot be a Lion and serve Voltron,/ said Blue sorrowfully.

/Green's Paladin believes Pride Voltron will harm her for losing Green Sister,/ said Black, except she didn't say it so much as snarl it. Pure rage – a gaping void – emanated from her, cowering Pidge mentally and physically. Pidge pressed herself to the floor and whimpered, suddenly grateful that they were in separate hangars.

/Black Sister!/ A wall of water and fire slammed between Black's wrath and Pidge. Blue's presence expanded like flood waters and reared high like a tsunami. Coupled with Red's inescapable heat and unstoppable lava flow, they bore down on Black, filling the void with themselves.

Pidge suddenly felt the cool weight of freshly-turned earth. /Patience, Green's Paladin,/ Yellow encouraged. /This is just a little family spat. It'll be over soon./

/Right,/ Pidge squeaked. She fought to keep from physically trembling; she didn't want Green to wake up and see this.

/You forget yourself, Sister,/ Blue said, her voice the bone-crushing and –chilling depths of the sea. /Is your guilt so great that you would allow it to blind you into doing what Green's Paladin fears from us?/

/Green's Paladin fears us!/ Black roared.

/And you're giving her a fantastic reason why she shouldn't!/ Red shot back. /Calm yourself, Sister. This is unbecoming behaviour for the Head of Voltron./

It took a while, but Black calmed eventually. The void closed, the rage dissipated, and Black was once more a gentle night sky. /Forgive me, Sisters,/ she said, shame seeping through.

Blue cleared her throat, which Pidge found unexpectedly hilarious because the Lions had nothing biological in their components (ergo, no throats that needed clearing). It was a distinctly human mannerism, and one she had no doubt picked up from Lance.

But the hilarity died when Pidge felt Black's attention on her. /Forgive Black, Green's Paladin. Black did not mean to scare you./

There was a gentle touch, like a cat's paw, on her soul and Pidge allowed Black to press against her. /I'm sorry,/ Pidge whispered, and oh, she wanted to cry so hard. /I didn't mean to. I'm sorry./

/Hush,/ Yellow soothed. /Think no more of it. All is well./

/But it's not! I shouldn't be here! I shouldn't be like this! I don't know the first thing about being a Lion and what if we have to form Voltron? What if I can't protect Green? And she's so small and weak now! What if –?/

/Hush./ Black said it this time and used her presence to press Pidge down, a mother's hand on her child's head. /This is why Pride Voltron came tonight. We meant to instruct Green's Paladin. We are sorry we got sidetracked./

/Instruct me?/ Pidge echoed.

/Yes,/ Blue confirmed. /Green's Paladin worries about being a good Lion and forming Voltron. We are here to teach Green's Paladin./

/Oh./ Pidge burned with embarrassment and the Lions chuckled gently.

/Green's Paladin,/ Red addressed her quietly, yet her voice was firm and commanding – Voltron's right hand. /Pride Voltron reminds you that your fear of us is moot. Even were this entirely your fault, Pride Voltron could never, ever harm our Sister's heart. Green chose you, and so we protect you and the other Paladins. Pride Voltron may scold and rebuke for wrongdoings, but never will we raise a weapon of any kind against you. Green Paladin understands this, yes?/

/Yes,/ Pidge breathed.

Blue purred at her. /Then we understand each other,/ she said, /and we can begin the lesson./

First and foremost was going through all of Pidge's systems. Yellow explained much of what was what and how it all worked while Red encouraged her to test different components (that wouldn't wake anyone up or destroy anything). Pidge had successfully raised and lowered her particle barrier twice when she heard a tiny whimper.

The Lions immediately noticed her diverted attention. /What is it, Green's Paladin?/ asked Black.

Pidge did not wait for the sound again. Instead, she threw extra strength into her sensors, feeling what was around her. She found the source immediately: Green twisted and squirmed in her nest beneath the console. Her eyes were still closed, but her heart was pounding and sweat poured from her.

Pidge shifted away from the Lions and nudged at Green's mind. Flashes of colours and emotions ripped through her cortex, and Pidge winced at the memory. Green. Wake up, Green.

Green woke up with a scream that echoed through Pidge's soul and down Lion Bond, setting Black, Red, Blue and Yellow on their feet. They barely held back from roaring.

/What's happening?/ all four demanded.

It's all right, Green, Pidge soothed. /It was a nightmare,/ she told the Lions before returning to Green. It was just a nightmare. It can't hurt you.

Green sat up for a moment, looking around wildly. "It happened," she whimpered. "It really happened." She collapsed to the floor and cried. "What is wrong with Green? Green is leaking!"

You're crying, Green. It's a perfectly normal, human response to stressful and scary situations. It's okay to cry.

"Green is getting the blankets wet!"

Just keep going. It's all right. Crying is good for you.

"But Green feels so awful! How can leaking be good?"

That was actually a really good question. Luckily, Hunk had mentioned something about it in passing. It's chemical balancing, she explained. Emotions have chemical makeups that affect humans on a physical level. When you cry, it flushes out all the bad chemicals. Or something like that. You'll have to talk to Hunk. He'll explain it better.

Green's weeping gradually subsided and she hugged herself, huddling in her blankets. "Green does not feel better, my Paladin."

That's because you're still stressed and scared. It's going to take a while.

"Green does not want it to take a while. Green wants my Paladin back in her body. Green is frightened for my Paladin."

I know. Pidge purred at her. But it's okay. I've got your Sisters in my head. They're teaching me about being a Lion. Lance was teaching you about being human, right?

Green sniffed and nodded. "Yes. Blue's Paladin taught Green how to hold a fork and use the toilet and know when the stomach is full."

That's good. That's very good. Any plans for tomorrow?

"Blue's Paladin did not say, but Green is hoping for lots to do."

You should ask him. Ask him over breakfast. He'll be thrilled to show you stuff.

Green thought for a moment. "That is a good idea," she said. She paused then asked, "How is my Paladin?"

I'm okay. Which was true enough at the moment. She smiled when Green yawned. You should go back to sleep.

"Green doesn't want to. Green doesn't want to hear my Paladin screaming."

Oh.

How about this then: I'll watch over you and if your heartrate starts to increase, I'll wake you up. Okay?

"Okay." She lay back down and snuggled under the blankets, pulling them tight around her as if they could offer her another layer of protection from bad dreams. "Thank you, my Paladin."

Pidge purred in response and waited for Green's heart and breathing to slow before she turned her attention once more back to the Lions.

/How is she?/ Black's voice trembled, and if Pidge didn't know that Lions couldn't cry, she would have sworn the Lion's voice was teary.

/She had a nightmare,/ Pidge replied. /I didn't catch it all, but it was definitely about today./ About her. Green had dreamed of Pidge screaming beneath the quintessence absorber's beam.

/It is strange that Green is now subject to a mortal's fragility,/ Yellow said fretfully.

/A lot of it is physical. The body remembers things, even if the brain sometimes forgets – or wants to forget. Stuff like what happened today…/ Pidge trailed off, uncertain, but then rallied. /I wonder if it will stay with her forever./

/Green almost lost her heart,/ Blue said gently. /Such an event is burned into our very beings./

Pidge perked up at that. /Our?/ she queried.

/Our,/ Black confirmed. /Lions are connected. What one feels, all can feel. Pride Voltron was terrified because Green was terrified for that which is most precious to her./ She purred, deep and low. /Green's Paladin is precious to Green and therefore to Pride Voltron. Today, we feared greatly for our Green Paladin./

How in the great expanse of space could Pidge have ever been afraid of the Lions? They loved each other and loved their pilots. Didn't Keith once say that the Lions referred to them as their hearts? Blue said it just now, so did Red. The paladins were the Lions' hearts. They belonged to each other, were a part of each other, and Pidge was ashamed of her fear.

It was Red who purred at her, thrusting her gentle flames into Pidge's mind. /Green Paladin was wary and cautious. That is to be expected. Green Paladin knows and trusts Green but did not know and trust other Lions./

/Silly mortal,/ Yellow teased.

Red continued, /Green Paladin did not know that Pride Voltron loves all paladins. Each is precious. Each is loved./

/Green Paladin is precious and loved by Pride Voltron,/ said Blue.

Pidge wanted to cry again, but she had to settle with a nod and shaky purr, and said, /Thank you./

/Come,/ said Black. /Let us resume the lesson./

Pidge kept a sensor or six trained on Green for the rest of the night, and whether it was because Green knew that Pidge would watch over her or because she was just that exhausted, Green didn't have another nightmare or wake up until her stomach rumbled for breakfast.