Shiro and Pidge walked into the Mcclain home without knocking. The last time they'd knocked, Layla had ranted at them for not treating the place like their own house. It still felt odd just walking in, but it was also slowly becoming normal.

"Any news?" Layla asked, and Shiro had to shake his head.

"We offered a healing pod to Paul, but he turned us down," Pidge said, "said it might be safer if he just stayed put."

"That's my Paul," she grinned, "he knows when to stay out of the way. But I am keeping a sharp eye on him. You look for Lance, and i'll make sure Paul stays where he is supposed to…the moment he's off morphine he'll want to go out hunting himself."

"He's still on morphine?"

"The bullet nicked his intestine. Its going to take a lot longer to heal and the doctors say another surgery might be necessary."

"Yuck," Pidge wrinkled her nose as she flopped down on the couch, "I'm sorry, but this is why i work with computers."

"Is Victoria doing ok?"

"She's…having fun," Shiro allowed himself to grin, "She's with Allura and Coran tonight. hunk is also staying with them. We've done almost everything short of kicking in everyones door…i'm really sorry, Layla."

She reached up and patted his cheek, "the twins have always been the lucky ones in our family. It was a miracle they were born as healthy as they were, it was a miracle that they healed as fully as they did when they were children, and its about time we get another miracle."

()

They were careful, Lance gave them that.

The Galra stood just by the bottom step, his own weapon pointed forward.

"I was told," the Galra said slowly, "by my subordinate, that he saw someone take the blue paladin in here. I see that it is true."

"We don't know what you're talking about."

"My captain wants the blue paladin."

"What's a 'blue paladin'?"

The galra snorted, "lesser life forms, THAT is THE blue paladin, and my Captain demands he be handed over!"

Lance felt a shiver. Which was worse: The Cartel or the Galra?

"We own this brat, you think we're going to hand him over so easily?"

"You own him?" The Galra considered this statement, "Then you wouldn't mind if I bought him from you?"

"Che," Lance muttered under his breath and Monroe smacked him.

"Just who…what are you?!"

"Finally," Lance muttered and got smacked again.

"That is none of your concern, human. I am after the paladins, and I grow weary of this conversation. Either state what you want in return, or I kill you all to get what I want. After this one, I have the others to collect."

"I doubt you have the Benjamins to cover the cost this brat is worth," Ugly snapped, "This kid can move so quietly, you would never know your throat was slit till it was too late. He can-"

"-he can systematically take down our defenses and cover for his comrades at a long distance, yes, I am aware of this paladins skill set, what I want is to make sure its never used against us again."

"What do you have that you're willing to …trade?" Ugly eyed the weapon in the galras hands. Noticing the look, the galra grinned.

"We have 500 of these in stock on our ship. I shall go speak with my captain about a possible trade, will that do?"

"Get me 1000 of those and I'll see if I can't help you get the others as well," Ugly said and held out a hand to shake. But the Galra turned and left.

()

Victoria had refused to leave the hangar were Blue was. She was cordial with Coran, and blatantly rude with Allura. The princess had dropped all presences and was starting to argue back.

"You are insufferable!"

"Oooo, big word there Guin, are you sure you can handle it?"

"STOP CALLING ME THAT! I am Princess Allura! ALLURA!"

"Aaaaand we're your only hope, got it," vik rolled her eyes.

"I looked up this…Guinevere person and we are NOTHING alike! I'm not married! And I don't even like anyone!"

"Everything just went right over your head," Vik sighed and posed as if she were on stage, "Oh the fair maid Guinevere! Who loves two men and stands back while one is sentenced to death because she couldn't make up her mind. Wo unto Guinevere who could not lift her own two hands and deal with her own problems. Instead of being happy with what she had, she sought out what should not have been hers."

"What's that supposed to mean!?"

"IT MEANS YOU DIDN'T LET LANCE COME HOME!" Vik roared getting in Alluras face, "Lance is MY brother! MY BLOOD! You played to their heart strings and got them to work for you, but you didn't even have the DECENCY to ASK!"

Allura stammered for a moment, but found her words quickly enough, "This is a war! There was no time for any of our own desires! We were being attacked! Whole worlds were and are dying! there wasn't any time to do anything but act!"

Vik folded her arms and stared at Allura with a fierce intensity. not sure how she should react, Allura did the same.

"That's what Lance said," Vik muttered, "still doesn't mean i'm not pissed off about it. He got upset when I refereed to you as Guinevere…seems he actually thinks highly of you….which pisses me off even more."

"I wasn't even part of that conversation!"

"Whatever," Vik took a deep breath, held it, and then let it out slowly, "Fine. I'll work with you, but its too late to change your name in my head."

"…right…of course it is."

()

His hands were just starting to go back down to their original size when they brought out the zip ties again. they shoved a wad of cloth in his mouth before taping it shut. What they didn't realize was that when they cut his legs free, he wasn't able to walk. Both feet were swollen and both legs were numb from sitting for over a week.

They had tried to get him to stand and move, but he'd just collapsed, his legs cramping and his feet burning.

Not one to delay what he'd been told to do, Monroe reached down and grabbed a fist full of Lance hair and began to drag him across the floor and up the stairs.

Lance blinked the tears from his eyes as he looked around the upstairs and actually cried out.

It was Keiths place!

He didn't know Keith's place had a basement…

The wall that had everything all about the cave with the lions in it was still behind a sheet on the wall! the thugs had no idea! Lance looked around and sure enough, Pidges old note book was on the floor by the couch!

As Monroe dragged him out the front door Lance almost laughed. If he could just get the feeling back in his legs, he could book it to his lion in no time!

"Are you going to take the car?"

"What and risk being late?" Monroe laughed and walked up to Keiths speeder, "I'm sure our trading partners would respect us more if we arrived in style."

Keith is gonna kill you… Lance thought as Monroe pulled him across the front. Lance tried to back off by squirming a little, but the man was larger and stronger. Soon they were speeding across the desert into the canyon maze.

()

The sun was setting and the light was in Lances eyes as Monroe lifted him from the Speeder.

Shoving him backwards Monroe said, "here, this is what you wanted right?"

Lance looked up as hands grabbed his shoulders, and his heart stopped. He had been trying to tell himself that all this wasn't real, that he was slowly going insane from hunger and thirst and all this was his brain slowly shutting down.

A Galra stood looking down at him. The alien then lifted his arm and a holographic picture of each paladin appeared.

Lance quickly turned his face down and away. But it was useless as the Galra spun him around and grabbed his head, forcing his face upward.

"Yes," the Galra finally spoke and tossed a bag to the ground, "this is one of the humans we are after. Get the others and you can have all the weapons you want."

Ugly wasn't going to be happy, thought Lance.

"That wasn't the deal, but, I'll tell Boss you said so," Monroe nodded, "can i ask what you're gonna do with the brats?"

"That's our business," the Galra replied, "i suggest you leave. Now."

Monroe shrugged and left with his bag of newly acquired weapons.

()

The Galra dragged him further into the canyon. Lance was still trying to figure out how the Galra had been able to land without being noticed by the garrison…or them, for that matter! What was the use of a Galra detection system if it didn't detect the Galra!?

And then Lance saw the problem.

A small Galra carrier ship sat skewed between a divot in the canyon wall. They had crashed. Their supplies were piled neatly to one side of their makeshift camp grounds and Lance couldn't help but notice the large amount of weapons of all shapes and sizes.

It would be Earths luck that not only did the Galra crash into it, but it was a supply ship full of weapons.

wonderful.

Three other Galra came forward.

"Captain Bok, the ship is ready to be lifted and an area has been cleared."

"Good," the captain shoved Lance at the others, "Keep an eye on the prisoner. Ketak, you come with me."

()

"Excuse me, sir?"

Shiro stood at the checkout line of a Dillan's. Layla had asked him to pick up some items for dinner tomorrow night. The guy behind him tapped his shoulder. He was a smaller man, clean shaven, but with a bushy mustache.

"You're the guy that's been going around asking about that missing kid?"

"Yes," Shiro couldn't believe his luck, "Do you know anything?"

"I just noticed something…hinky, out in the canyon while i was gathering rocks for my collection."

"What did you see?"

"More like i heard something," the man sighed, "I can't say i understood a lot, but if you haven't found that kid yet, i'd say the canyon is a good place to look next. I know of many people who get lost out there."

"It is kind of a maze," Shiro said, thinking. Lance was fully capable of escaping on his own, but Shiro wouldn't put it past the boy to get lost, "Thank you so much for the tip."

"Of course," the man said nodding, "Children are our greatest treasures."

()

Lance shivered in the night time cold. The Captain had been able to land the ship and three of them were working on repairs. That left Lance with only one guard.

He was sore, but he felt better than he had the day before. All he had to do was pay attention and make use of every opportunity.

Lance laughed and earned a kick.

Even he knew he couldn't do it anymore. He used to be able to; that much he could remember. In fact he remembered a little more than what he'd told everyone else. But it made them feel better that he didn't.

If he really thought about it, he could remember the feeling of blood pooling in his hands. He could remember the smell of a persons last breath, and remembered thinking how odd it was that it smelled different from all the others.

"We've got our systems working," Ketak said walking over, "so you can put him in the store room for now."

"Yes Sir," the Galra saluted and picked Lance up by the back of his shirt. The boy stumbled along, still trying to work out how his legs were supposed to work. If he was going to escape, it needed to be now.

Lance twisted and pretended to fall. The Galra let go for a split second to get a better grip, but Lance took that time and pushed off. His feet were screaming at him, but he didn't stop. He could hear them running after him, but he allowed fear to take over and his adrenaline kicked in.

then the rock wall he was running along side of exploded. He tripped and fell for real this time, skinning every piece of available flesh on his left side. His right side burning from being so close to the explosion.

His ears ringing, he tried to stand and run again.

But his body had reached its limit.