Warning: Much angst and character death ahead.

Three days later, Gorma had stolen a moment to brood over Lance's test results. The commander's pneumonia raged unchecked by the antibiotics, and with the added stress of his injury, his compromised immune system simply couldn't fight it off. It was going to kill him. Losing patients hurt; to lose a patient as young as Lance, no matter how expected, was agony. Briefly he wondered how Keith would take the news. Despite his own illness, he remained at Lance's side, humbling Gorma with the strength of his love for the other man. Gorma knew he should have banned Keith from Lance's side, that Keith could very easily contract pneumonia himself, but he couldn't deny them the comfort of each other. He shook his head; such thoughts had no place in his profession. Leaving his office, he walked the few steps to Lance's room to give the couple the news, stopping to put on the mandatory gloves and mask that their conditions demanded.

He realized when he saw Keith sitting on Lance's bed, holding his hand, that they already knew. The resignation on both faces made it all too clear. "How do you two manage to know bad news before I can ever tell you?" Gorma asked with a sigh.

Lance shrugged and pulled his oxygen mask away. "Not hard . . . to figure. Drugs. . . . not working." He doubled over in a coughing fit; Keith replaced the mask and supported him for as long as the coughing went on. When it subsided, Lance looked up at Gorma. "How long?"

"Days, I'm afraid. I'm sorry, Commander, Captain. I wish I could do more."

"Nothing for you to be sorry about," Keith sighed. "We knew this would happen eventually. Just. . . not so soon."

"I understand, Captain." Gorma stepped closer to the bed, to check the monitor readings. "Do you want me to tell the Princess?"

"No. That's. . . for us." Lance put his hand on Keith's shoulder. "Go get them, Keith. . . Should tell them. . .all together." Keith nodded and squeezed Lance's hand on his shoulder, then stood and left the room. Lance watched him go, and then turned his attention to Gorma. "Sit . . .down, Doc. Want to. . . talk to you."

Puzzled, Gorma took a seat in Keith's abandoned chair. Lance took a breath, then pulled his oxygen mask down. "My grandfather . . . died when I . . . was twelve," he said. "He lingered . . . for a week, in a . . . coma. . . Hardest thing I've ever . . . watched." He coughed harshly, then continued, "I don't . . . want that. Don't want. . . Keith . . . the team . . . to go through that."

"What are you saying, Commander?" Gorma knew, but he wanted to hear it from Lance anyway.

Lance locked gazes with the doctor. "I'm saying . . . don't let me . . . linger. Let me say . . . goodbyes, then . . . give me something . . . stop my heart. I don't know . . . you do. All my. . .life . . . about speed. Why die . . . slow?" He chuckled, only to have it turn into another coughing fit. Gorma reached for the oxygen mask, but Lance pushed his hand away and got it himself. After a few deep breaths, he asked softly, "Can you . . . do that . . . for me?"

The doctor opened his mouth, about to say no automatically, when he got a good look at the expression on Lance's face. A scared, vulnerable boy faced him, with no trace of the cocky pilot of Red Lion. All at once it hit Gorma how very young they all were: the Captain had just turned 23; Lance himself was barely 22. And he'd already seen his last birthday. Abruptly he made up his mind. "It will be my privilege, Commander. Let me know when you are ready." Lance nodded, and Gorma got to his feet and walked out.

A minute later, Keith stuck his head back in. "They're here, koibito. How do you want to do this?"

Lance thought for a minute. "Tell them. . . all at once. Then. . .want to talk. . . to each alone."

Keith vanished from the doorway; a second later, the entire team, including a very pale Sven, walked into the room. Allura made a beeline for Lance, sitting on the edge of his bed and taking his hand. He squeezed hers gently, and then looked around at his family, trying to come up with the right words to say to them. Finally, he decided to just lay everything out, and be his usual blunt self. He took a slow breath and laid the oxygen mask aside again. "Gorma's drugs. . . aren't touching. . . this crap," he rasped, "and between. . . my shoulder. . . and my. . . fucked up. . . immune system. . . can't fight it. . .myself." He grabbed the oxygen mask and sucked in several shallow breaths, fighting off a coughing fit.

Sven caught his meaning first. "Gudihimmeln," he breathed. "The pneumonia is killing you, isn't it?"

Lance nodded slowly, and Pidge's eyes went wide. "No—not both of you so soon—NO!" He ran from the room, tears streaming down his cheeks. Hunk threw an apologetic glance at Lance and went after their youngest teammate.

"Sometimes, we forget that Pidge is only fourteen," Keith said softly.

"Yeah," Lance sighed. "Go bring. . . them back. Please?" Keith nodded and kissed his cheek, then slipped out. Lance closed his eyes for a minute, then opened them to look at Allura. "Princess. . . let me. . . talk to. . . Sven a minute, OK?"

"I'll be right outside," she promised through her tears, and then stepped out of the room. Lance looked up at his Norwegian friend.

"Didn't think. . . you'd be here. Know. . . you hate. . . hospitals since. . . .Ebb." Lance managed a shadow of his old grin. He debated taking the oxygen mask off-it was very hard to talk through-but he was having enough trouble breathing with it. Breathing without it seemed about as easy as lifting Red.

Sven pulled a chair up to the bedside, dark eyes troubled. "You needed me. Keit needed me. I could not let my own fears stop me from being here."

Lance coughed. "Counting. . .on you. Me, then Keith. . . . Not going . . . to be easy. . .for the team. Up to. . . you to. . . hold them. . .together." He took a deep breath. "You've been. . . the best. . . friend I ever. . . had. Saved my. ... life. Cost you. . . so much."

"Und gave me more dan I ever could haf dreamed," Sven answered. "I vould not haf Romelle if I had not been hurt. But, even wit out dat, I vould do it all over again. You are von of de best friends I have ever had, Lance McClain. It has been an honor to know you." He gripped Lance's hand tightly, pulled him into a fierce hug, and then quickly left. Lance swore the Norwegian was actually crying, and felt tears in his own eyes.

Allura peered around the door uncertainly. "Lance? Do you want me to come back later?"

He shook his head. "Don't. . . have a. .. .later, sweetheart. Come. . . sit with. . . me." As she perched on the edge of his bed, he reached for the gold cross he wore, hissing as his injured right shoulder flared with pain. "Help me. . . take this off?"

Allura removed it and put it in his hand, folding his fingers over it. Lance opened his fingers and let the cross dangle, watching the Celtic knotwork and emeralds sparkle in the light for a minute. "This has. . . been in my. . .family for. . . centuries," he said softly. "It's always. . . given to. . . the oldest son." He took Allura's hand with his bad one and put the cross in it. "Want. . . you to. . . have it now."

She gasped and shook her head. "Lance, no. This. . . this is special to you! It should stay in your family!"

"It is." Lance put his other hand over Allura's. "Allie. . . you're the. . . little sister. . . I never had. Wear this. . . remember me." He grinned. "Tell your. . . daughter about. . . the crazy pilot. . . you knew. . . from Earth." Tears welled up in Allura's eyes; he pulled her into an embrace and let her cry into his shoulder.

"Lance, I don't want to lose you. Or Keith."

"I know, sweetheart. . . We. . . love you. . .too. Always have. . .since you. . . first came.. .down those. . . stairs." Lance erupted into another coughing fit; this one felt as though his lungs were shredding. He couldn't get any air, and his vision started graying out. Blood flooded his mouth and spilled onto his sheets; Allura ran to the door and screamed for Gorma. The doctor rushed in and injected Lance with something that stopped the coughing.

"Nothing more we can do, Commander. You're getting the maximum amount of oxygen now," Gorma said quietly as he increased the flow of oxygen to Lance's mask.

Lance looked over at Allura. "Princess. . . find Keith. . . for me?"

She started out the door, but turned back immediately. "He's coming down the hall with Hunk and Pidge," she reported, then came to the bed and kissed Lance's cheek next to the oxygen mask. "Love you, Lance McClain." The tears began to flow again, and she quickly left the room.

Lance looked up at Gorma. "Are you. . .ready for. . . what we talked. . .about?"

Gorma pulled two syringes from his lab coat pocket. "This one will put you to sleep; this one will stop your heart. Are you certain about this, Commander?"

Lance nodded wearily. "I . . . can't fight . . . anymore. And . . . . don't want . . . to hang around . . .with a. . .machine doing. . . my breathing."

"Whenever you give the word, then." Gorma looked out the door. "Lieutenants Stoker and Garrett are on their way in; call when you need me." He walked down the hall to his office, closing the door behind him. As he did, Keith stood up from the visitor's chair.

"Lance asked you to help him die, didn't he?" A statement, not a question; Gorma could only nod, and Keith sighed. "I don't want you to do it."

"You cannot overrule him, Captain. Commander McClain is quite lucid and understands what he is doing."

Keith gave him a look that said he thought the doctor was being unduly dense. "I know that. He and I talked about this; I'd like to keep him with me as long as possible, but I don't want him to linger in pain. I meant, let me be the one to help him. Let me do this last thing for him, please."

Gorma hesitated. He didn't feel right handing over such a weighty responsibility, even to the commander of the Voltron Force. "Captain, I cannot allow that. You aren't properly trained, and there is no time to teach you."

Keith set his jaw. "I know how to give an injection. And between me being hurt and sick, and Lance being the same, I've been in MedTech enough that I've learned. Please, Dr. Gorma. I'm begging you. Let me give Lance those injections."

The Captain never begged, no matter how badly he was injured or how much pain he was in. Gorma looked up, startled, to find the same scared, vulnerable look on Keith's face that had been on Lance's earlier. "All right, Captain. Here." He handed over the syringes, one at a time. "This one first, it will put him to sleep, then this one will stop his heart." He paused. "I wish there was more I could do, Captain. For both of you."

Keith merely nodded and left Gorma's office, heading for Lance's room. He met Pidge and Hunk at the door; both were crying, and Hunk's arm enveloped Pidge's shoulders. They wordlessly embraced Keith for a moment, then turned and walked down the hall. Keith took a deep breath and walked back into Lance's room.

When he walked in, he realized just how short time was getting. Lance's eyes were closed, his face white, and he fought for every breath despite the oxygen. Keith swallowed hard and lay down next to him, needing to be close one last time. As he did, Lance's eyes opened. "Beloved," he whispered. "Wish . . . I could. . . stay longer."

"So do I." Keith put his arms around Lance, mindful of his injured shoulder and IV. "I love you, Lance. I have since I first saw you, and I always will."

"Love. . .you too." Lance pulled the oxygen mask aside and kissed Keith. "Asked. . . Gorma. . ."

"I know. I talked him into letting me do it for you." Keith reached into his pocket and pulled the two syringes out. "Are you sure? Is it time?"

Lance nodded. "Don't. . . grieve me. . . too long, Keith. Be. . .waiting for you." He wrapped his arms around Keith, holding him tightly for a moment.

Keith held him just as tightly, tears streaming down his face. "I'll be right behind you, my love. I can't live without you either." He kissed Lance one last time, then got up. As Lance watched, he injected the contents of the first syringe into a vein in Lance's left arm, then sat and held Lance's hand while it took effect. When Lance's hand went limp in his, he injected the second syringe with shaking hands. Minutes later, the monitor's shrill alarm and Keith's own sobs announced that Lance McClain was gone.