Lance followed a few feet behind them. Victoria and Hunk had gone to the castle to look for the diary and Shiro and Pidge were to keep him company at the garrison so that he wouldn't suspect anything. He seemed suspicious of them already, but they had specified that 'Shrio' was 'Shirogane' and therefore he needed to go with them. as they walked towards the building with the labs they were working in, they saw Keith march out, flinging the door to one side.

"Allura said he'd gone home," Pidge said, "what's he doing here?"

Keith sped walked down the sidewalk and into the top security building. The one with their special prisoners.

"Oh boy," Shiro sighed, "this can't be good."

They ran after him and Lance followed at a walk.

"Let me in there," Keith growled as Iverson pushed him back.

"We're interrogating them now," Iverson said, "no one is allowed in until we've got the information that we want."

"Too bad," Keith snapped, "I'm gonna rip their tongues out and feed it to them."

"Keith, what the heck!" Pidge ran up and Shiro grabbed his shoulders.

"Sorry, Commander Iverson," Shiro said, "we'll take him."

"Oh no," Keith pushed Shiro back, "I've got a score to settle and i'm pissed as Hell! They destoyed my house! My house! and in my house they…they…MY HOUSE!" Keith saw Lance walk in and Shiro saw him go pale.

"Keith, you ok?"

"…no, i'm not," Keith swallowed and turned back to Iverson, "I'll get whatever you want from these guys, but only if i can make them bleed."

"That's not how we do things, Kogone," Iverson stated, "get out."

The door opened behind Iverson and Robert stepped out. He grinned at his audience.

"Well, well, i feel so special," he said, his gravel voice grating on their eardrums, "there a purpose to the honor?"

"Yeah," Keith snapped trying to throw a punch, but Shiro pulled him back. Robert laughed. He was laughing and Keith was starting to see red.

"Hey, hey!" Robert called, "Lance! Come to visit your old uncle? Thought i'd just forget you tried to blow me up? That little present in my car before you all skipped the country was nicely done!"

They looked at Lance whose face had gone stone cold and unreadable. Shiro reached out and grabbed Pidge as well since it looked like she might attack as well.

"your old man and i taught you well! Everything you are today you can thank us any time now. Those lies you told me? Yeah, don't you dare think i've forgotten about that either! You guys wanna hear? This kid told us that you were a teady bear and you'd give your hand before a weapon, Hahahaha! He neglected to tell us that your hand WAS a weapon! Isn't that a riot?!"

"Hurry and take him back to his cell," Iverson snapped at the guards. Shiro was starting to get angry and if he snapped there would be no saving this guy.

"Oh, but," Robert sneered, "i'm working out that deal, right? Iverson? Buddie? I work for you and I can reduce my sentence, yeah?"

"WHAT?!"

All three paladins rounded on Iverson who raised both hands, "Its not my desision," he muttered through clenched teeth, "I offered to flip the switch on his chair myself, but its out of my hands."

Robert laughed, and then stopped.

he was looked past them and they looked at well. Lance was smiling. His eyes a cold blue that they'd never see before. Raising one finger, he tapped his nose, turned around and left.

"…on…on second though," Robert said quietly, "i'll settle for a life sentence. Whatever you do…don't let me out…"

"Like i said," Iverson shrugged, "out of my hands."

"No, you don't get it," roberts voice cracked as they pulled him away, "I'll…no! Don't let him near me!"

Keith, Shiro, and Pidge watched as the monster who had started everything now was almost crying in terror.

"Keith," Shiro said quietly, "I think you need to explain your side of things. But make it fast."

()

"Got iiiiit~!" Vic shouted raising an old journal in the air.

"That's it?" Hunk crawled back out from under Lances bed. It wasn't very big. Not much could be written in it.

"I found it in his jacket," Vik said, "there's a pocket on the inside."

"Hunk?!"

"Yeah, Shiro, what's up?" Hunk stretched and worked out a kink in his shoulder.

"Lance is on his way back to the house. we had a run in with Robert. hurry back."

"Oh for Effs sake," Victoria sighed.

()

"Mmmba….bbha…"

Lance flipped his mattress off the bed and then his sisters. he took out every drawer and emptied them. the closet was turned inside out and he was about to rip out the floor boards until Victoria got there and was able to drag him out.

"B-b-b-b…"

"Its not in there," Vik said, "You took your book into space, remember it."

He shook his head and pointed to his room.

"Think really hard, Lancelot," Vik grabbed his head and gave it a bit of a shake, "its not in that room."

Lance sat in the middle of the hall and Vik had to try and calm him down. His hands shook as he pointed at their room again.

"Nope, its not in there," Vik said quietly, "you know where you put it. Its in your head somewhere."

She hugged him and winked at the others standing at the end of the hall behind him. Pidge raised the book and motioned the others to follow her.

"You sure its ok to keep it from him?" Shiro asked.

"Its small," Pidge said, "we'll flip through it and then give it to him."

()

The first half of the book was unreadable; the pages were caked in what they told themselves was really dry paint. further back the edges of the pages were marred, but you could make out a few sentences:

"-nd then just as we cor-pled pulled it together. Kevin tried to end it too quickly. We still had information to get from him."

"This is Morgana, I assume…" Keith muttered. Hunk rolled his eyes.

"Well, this must be the other guys notes, because that's not Lances handwriting," Hunk said scooting away from Keith. When keith gave him a look he apologized.

"Can we turn the page?" Pidge complained.

All the other pages were the same, only a few lines readable on each page.

Then it was over.

"I don't get it."

"Nothing you could read really said anything."

"I'm so confused."

"Guys," Pidge tapped the book, "He didn't let Vik near it because its covered in…yuck. I mean, look at this!"

"I'm trying not to."

The book was suddenly snatched from Shiros hand. Looking up, they saw the angriest face.

Lance looked down at them with a furry, clutching the book to his chest.

"MINE!"

The word was clear and he stormed back up the stairs.

"Funny," Vik said, who had been standing behind him, "that was his first word last time as well."

"I thought you were going to wait and make him stay upstairs while we did this!"

She shrugged, "He said he needed a drink. I thought he was going to go to the bathroom to get one, but instead he came down here. I guess I could've stopped him…but I wanted to see what he'd do."

"You are no help."

Vik grinned as though it were a compliment.

That was when Lance raced back down the stairs and threw the book at them. The corner of the book smacking Shiro squarely in the back of the head.

"PICTURE!" Lance roared, "PICTURE! MINE!"

They all looked at Victoria while she looked at them.

"I have no idea what that means," she said, "I know nothing about a picture….honest!"

They didn't believe her.

"What is the picture of?" Shiro asked, rubbing his head, "maybe it fell out some time over the last few months…"

Lance kept shaking his head and pointing at them, accusing them, "NOW! My..My….my Picture!"

Tears filled his eyes and he ran outside.

"And we're now in trouble," Vik said, but didn't move.

"I'll go," Shiro said, "the rest of you try and find…well…a picture."

He ran after Lance leaving the others with the hard job.

()

"Mm," Shiro watched as Lance looked around. They had reached the park at the edge of town and the boy walked around with a very confused expression on his face.

"Ah, Lance, if you had wanted to get to the castle, then it was in the other direction…"

Lance stared at him, little spot of color on his face the only indication that he was embarrassed. But he shrugged and began to walk back the way they had come.

"Pidge and Hunk are looking for it," Shiro said following close behind, "the moment they find it i'm sure they'll contact us."

Lance shook his head and kept walking. The longer they walked the redder his face got.

"Are you ok?" Shiro asked and Lance nodded.

"Are you lying?"

Lance shrugged.

Not good enough. Heaving a large sigh Shiro grabbed Lances shoulder, spun him around and forced the kid to look him in the face.

"Ice cream," Shiro said and Lance blinked, "we are going to go get ice cream."

()

"I'm not finding it!"

"What about the mice?"

The mice squeaked indignantly.

"They haven't either!"

"Just remember you're CLEANING the vents as well as LOOKING in them!" Coran shouted.

"WE KNOW!" came the chorus of irritated paladins.