Chapter 21: Keith

Keith strode with determination towards the hangars after leaving Pidge. He could feel the Red Lion urging him on. Waverly was still on his mind. He could picture her smile and hear her laugh, which only pushed him to move faster down the hall. When he reached the lower level of the hangars, Keith felt pulled towards the Blue Lion's hangar.

The image of Waverly grew stronger. They were back at the beach, splashing and laughing. The Lapis highlights in her hair shining while her hazel eyes glowed blue, reflecting the cerulean sea. Keith smiled making the connection between the two for the first time.

The Red Lion's presence was so near and Keith sensed he was close to finding Waverly. As he approached the hangar doors to the Blue Lion, he saw someone pacing in front.

Keith didn't slow down but sped up as he recognized the blond mullet, realizing for the first time Lance's frustration and irritation with Keith's own hair. "What are you doing here?" Keith growled.

Lux jumped at the sound of Keith's voice and as Keith approached, Lux met his gaze. Keith saw the Altean's bronze eyes widen in fear. "Captain, I-" Lux stuttered.

Keith heard the Red Lion growl in his mind and he saw Waverly. "Where's Waverly?"

Lux tensed up even more. His hand reached for his dog tag around his neck. He slid the metal across the chain, avoiding looking at Keith. "I went to get you. I swear I did, but you weren't in your room or hers. I checked the other hangars. I couldn't-"

Keith's body moved before he even realized. He slammed Lux up against the wall. "Where's Waverly!" Keith felt a pit in his stomach.

The fear that blazed in Lux's bronze eyes falter. He didn't resist Keith's hold on him against the wall. His body drooped and quietly he said, "I'm sorry."

Keith let go of Lux, stepping away. His heart pounded in his chest. He felt the straps on his wrists. He pictured Waverly terrified and alone strapped to the table. Keith turned towards the door, but Lux grabbed onto his arm. With more confidence in his voice, he told Keith, "You can't go in there."

Keith's blood boiled as his pale skin turned red. "Like hell, I can't," Keith ripped his arm out of Lux's grasp.

"Therron's still inside," Lux protested, grabbing on tighter to Keith's arm.

"So what? I'll kill him for this." Every word out of Keith's mouth came from both him and the Red Lion. He knew what he would say and felt the Red Lion's rage spread through out his body. "I need to see my sister."

Lux pulled against Keith's arm as he tried to tug away. "You can't. She's gone, Captain."

Keith couldn't hold back his fist as he clocked Lux with his free hand. Forcing Lux to release Keith's right arm. Once free, Keith headed towards the doors and as he stood in front of the hangar, the doors flew open. Two Altean women dressed in white gowns pushed a hovering table out into the hallway.

Keith jumped out of the way so he wouldn't be run over by the table. He eyed the Altean that lay on the table and recognized Therron, but something was wrong. The Altean's mocha colored skin was a shade paler and his silver hair appeared grayer with even darker gray stripes on the front right side of his face. Keith was puzzled, but as he stepped forward to intercept the two Altean women, Lux held him back.

Keith turned on the blond Altean, but before Keith could get another swing in, Lux pulled Keith by the arm and pinned him up against the wall. "For once in your life, don't make this about you."

"You helped him kill her." Every word tasted like acid in his mouth. "What gives you the right?" Keith shoved Lux off of him.

"She was dying. She couldn't wait anymore. That includes waiting on you." Lux sighed, pacing the hallway as he ran his fingers through his blond hair. "It wasn't enough." Lux met Keith's indigo eyes and added, "She didn't have enough Altean energy for the transfer."

Keith rushed Lux, grabbing him by his open navy blue military jacket. "What are you saying? The transfer didn't work. She died for nothing."

"No, it worked." Keith lessened his grip. "After Therron transferred some of his own energy to her," Lux finished. Keith stumbled away from Lux back into the opposite wall. Lux continued, "He lost a lot of energy. It could have cost him his own life, but he was willing to give it up to uphold his promise. However, what he did is going to have repercussions."

Keith couldn't wait in the hallway anymore. He strode into the hangar and saw the lab equipment. The monitors, console, and table, which were identical to the equipment in the hangar when he went through the transfer. Keith walked up to the table and saw the white dress and light blue-cropped cover Waverly wore lying on top. Keith picked up the dress. "What happened to her body?"

"It converted into pure quintessence and dissolved," Lux answered at the doorway.

Keith lay the dress back down on the table, turning to gaze up at the Blue Lion. "How do we know the transfer worked?"

There was a pause while Keith waited for Lux to respond.

"We don't. And we won't until Waverly gives some indication through the Blue Lion. However, it may take a few days before Waverly is able to operate and activate the Blue Lion."

Keith walked forward and placed his hand on the Blue Lion's paw. He bowed his head and said quietly to himself, "I'm so sorry I wasn't here, Waverly."

"What the hell are you doing in here, Mullet?"

Keith spun around to see a surprised puffy faced blue paladin. Lance's hickory brown hair was sticking up at weird angles and Keith assumed he came straight from his quarters. He appeared shaken up and his Caribbean eyes scanned Keith with intense apprehension. "Lance-"

Keith was cut off by Lance's interjection. "Last time I'll ask. What are you doing in here?" Keith noticed the Bayard for the first time in Lance's hand and as his eyes darted towards it, the shape changed into Lance's gun.

Keith raised his hands, hoping to calm Lance's uneasiness. "I was led her by the Red Lion. I saw another memory. My guess is you had one too."

Lance didn't answer, but the gun reverted back into the Bayard form. Keith took it as a good sign and lowered his hands back down. Keith noticed Lance staring up at the Blue Lion and saw the tear slip down the Paladin's face. Keith didn't even think Lance was aware of it, his gaze remained fixed on the lion.

Keith recognized that look. He hadn't cried, but it was the same longing hopeful look he had that morning when he looked up at the Red Lion. "Lance, what did you see?" Keith asked, gently. He knew how easy he could set Lance off and didn't want to risk it.

"I-," Lance struggled to gather his thoughts. "I was in here."

Keith slowly helped lead the conversation, "You were on a table. There were monitors surrounding you."

"How do you know that?" Lance demanded, his Bayard returning to gun form.

Keith stepped forward, ignoring the gun. "Because I had a similar memory, which at the end, all I felt was pain and my whole body burning up."

Lance nodded, "It hurt."

Keith put his right hand on Lance's shoulder. He didn't know the Paladin well, but understood his fear and wanted to reassure him he wasn't alone.

"That wasn't the worst part. Someone Blue cared about never showed."

Keith's eyes stung. Lance had seen the memory only minutes before Keith arrived. Keith knew the someone Lance referred to. In that moment Lance disappeared and he saw Waverly before him. He wasn't one for touching, but Keith wrapped Lance into a huge. Startled, Lance threw his hands out to the sides and let his Bayard fall to the floor. "I'm sorry, Waverly," Keith repeated the phrase over and over.

Lance remained still with Keith clinging to him. Slowly he wrapped his arms around him, taking in the hug before pulling Keith away. Keith watched Lance's eyes shift across his face. Suddenly, Lance's Caribbean eyes lit up like Waverly's as he realized what was going on. Lance embraced Keith and let his tears fall something Keith thought Lance would never let his rival see, but in that moment they weren't rivals, crewmates, or friends. They, as Hunk had said after they had formed Voltron for the first time, were family.

Keith could hear the Red Lion speak through his voice. "I'm sorry I wasn't there."

Lance squeezed Keith. "You're here now."

Kestle:

I hope the puzzle is starting to come together :)

I wanted to mention I renamed the chapters by name, but wanted to know if people would prefer actual titles to chapters for the tabs. Please let me know :)

Also, I don't think chapter 20 had an update notification so if you didn't read Lance's chapter please go back and do so. I just don't want you to miss it.

Thank you all for always reading :)

Please comment!