I'm sorry for the poor editing that I did on my last update! It was 2AM when I posting and editing, and I was running on fumes.

XxXxXxX

Keith awoke when a cold breeze brushed against his back, he blinked and turned to the night stand next to him, the big red numbers on the alarm clock read 2AM. His left hand stretched out to feel a cold mattress. "Sakura?" He called. Shifting his body, Keith pushed himself up and got out of bed. He walked towards the bathroom and after a few minutes came out and walked out of the bedroom.

Pausing at the entrance of the hall, he looked into the living room of the quarters, Sakura is sitting sideways on the couch, Cosmo sitting in front of her with his head resting in her lap as she gently petted and scratched behind the wolf's ears.

Walking over to the couch, he wrapped his arms around her from behind, kissing her cheek. "Kura don't do this to yourself." He told her softly.

"Our world is crumbling apart because of Sendak." She tried to swallow the lump in her throat.

Keith pulled away and walked around the couch, sitting next to her. "I don't know how he got here, but I do know that he will regret it." He petted Cosmo, before the wolf turned and walked away.

"Everything's changed now." Sakura sighed heavily. "And what happens when everything is all settled down? Me, Shiro, Lance, and Hunk will have to renew our drivers license because they are probably way way over due no doubt, and they won't believe you."

He made a face as he leans back. "What?"

She turned to face him, her tears gone but her beautiful face is still tear stained. "You went through a time machine and aged two years. Your birthday and your now current age, do not match."

"We'll get to that when the time is right." He paused and sighed, running his hands through his hair. "Kura." He leaned to her. "We are now home. And Shiro is just down the hall that hall." He points towards the door of their quarters.

She nods. "I know." She looked down. "I don't know why I'm getting worked up and so overwhelmed."

"Because Sendak hit us where it hurts us the most. It's overwhelming, yes. We really haven't gotten time to breath."

"I'll breath as soon as Sendak and his forces are good and dead this time around!"

Keith grinned. "That sounds like my Sakura." He wrapped his arms around her. "We still need to sleep, we have an early and long day tomorrow."

"I guess."

He kisses her gently, pulling her close, her hands roamed his chest before locking around his neck. As the kiss deepened she leaned backwards, pulling him down with her.

XxXxXx

Leah set down a cup of hot coco on the kitchen island in front of her as she sits on a bar stool. Her chin is resting in her open left palm as her elbow rests on the smooth surface.

Shiro walks in. "Leah. Sweetheart." He walks over to her and kisses the side of her head. "You ok?"

"I'm not sure." She said with a shrug, and looks down at her hot coco. "It'll make your blood boil what Admiral Sanda, ordered after Sam and I returned home."

Shiro sat down in the stool next to her. "What happened?"

She stood up and walked around to the stove, she started nursing another cup of hot coco. "It's not pretty."

He was watching her. "I don't care, tell me."

She walks back to him, and placed the mug in front of him. "After returning home, I woke up in a secure room, it turned out that I had been asleep for a week. Admiral Sanda played the 'I don't care' card. If she wasn't the Admiral, I was gonna punch her teeth in. But Sam stopped me and led me away." Leah continued to explain further about everything.

When she finished, she had walked over to the sink and leaned on it. Standing up, Shiro walked over to her and wrapped his only arm around her.

"It's ok now." He told her gently, nuzzling her neck. "We're back. And the world now knows the cover up the Garrison did thanks to Admiral Sanda." He pulls away. "Come on. We have a long day in the morning."

Sniffling as she wipes her tears, Leah nods. "Ok."

Shiro wrapped his only arm around her waist, pulling her close. "I'm impressed that you brought the Prisident of the United States here." He smiled as they walk back towards their bedroom. "How did you pull that off?"

Leah smiled with her head resting on his shoulder. "I can't take all the credit. Sam and Colleen helped." She replied. "After Sanda and Sam had a really big arguement, Sam came to me saying he wanted to tell the world what the Garrison has done. I jumped at the chance, even after Sam warned me it's going against orders. I didn't care. Me and Colleen went on camera and we broadcasted ourselves, and everything that the Garrison is doing." She explained.

The two climbed back into bed and she snuggled into him, resting her head on his chest. "Your turn." She said as she rested her arm across his waist. "What happened to you?"

"To make a long story short. My clone went full evil on Keith, they were in a heated battle, and after Sakura nearly got killed Keith went full Galra and destroyed my robotic arm."

Leah pulled away from Shiro, leaning up to look at him. "He went full Galra? Can he really do that freely?"

Shiro shook his head. "I don't know, but he said, something in him snapped and he was able to destroy the Galra arm I had." He then explained how he got the white hair.

Leah bites her lower lip. "It sounds like when Keith did that, he killed your clone."

He nods. "Yes." He takes her arm and gently pulls her down, she cuddles into him, but stays awake, her fingers tracing the scares on his bare chest.

"Shiro?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you for coming back home."

He smiled. "Nothing is going to stop me from coming back to you. And plus, Sakura refused to return home without me."

Leah lifted her head up to look him in the eyes, then kissed him gently. "I love you." She whispered.

"I love you too."

Leah cuddled up into him again, and finally feeling safe, she was able to sleep peacefully with no more nightmares.

XxXxXxx

The following morning, the Paladins walked towards the conference room, when they got close to the door, it opened to reveal Admiral Sanda stalking out along with a few others. Team Voltron quickly devided into two groups as they quickly stepped to the side. Sakura, Lance, Allura, Pidge, and Coran on one side while Hunk, Romelle, Keith, Leah, and Shiro on the other side.

Sanda paused and turned to look at Shiro. "Commander."

Shiro nodded. "Admiral."

With that she continued to stalk off, when she rounded the corner, the door opened again, this time to reveal Sam.

"That was the coldest of cold that's she's ever gave." Sakura commented as the team continued to look toward where the Admiral had stalked off too.

"Never mind her." Sam said gently. "Come in." He side stepped for them to enter. "The conference is about to begin."

In single file, Team Voltron walked into the room. All the world leaders were there waiting along with the Prisident.

"Sir." Shiro walked up to the Prisident. "Is the Admiral not joining the briefing?"

"Admiral Sanda has been relieved of her duties." The Prisident turned to him. "Along with those who have chose to stand by her. Is your team ready for this meeting, Commander?"

"I'm sorry to correct you sir." Shiro answered. "But I'm not the leader of Voltron anymore." He turned to the side to show Keith standing behind him. "Keith's been the leader for almost three years now."

The Prisident nodded. "Apologies." He stepped up to Keith. "Keith Kogane?"

Keith nods. "Yes sir."

"I've read a lot about you from everyone's files. You have a sketchy past, a hot head and bull headed temper with a short fuse." He listed them off as Keith stifened and Sakura grabbed and hugged his arm.

"Sir, I'm the one who-." Shiro trailed off when the Prisident held up a hand.

"But from what I've heard from both Commander Holt and Commander Shirogane. You've turned yourself around." He nods. "I like it." His eyes slide over to Sakura who's still hugging Keith's arm, he looks back at Keith. "I should repeat my question. Is your team ready for this meeting Mr. Kogane?"

Keith nods. "Yes sir."

The Prisident nods. "Alright." He turns to the big table to face everyone else in the room. "Ladies and gentlemen. Let's all get started."

The leaders all quieted down, and the Prisident turned to Sam. "Commander, if you would please start the meeting."

Sam gave a nod. "Yes sir." He walked up to an orange board that had a map. "Sendak's forces remain at may, but without a meaningful supply line, we're slowly being suffocated." He began.

"No one else is putting up a fight against Sandak?" Shiro asked.

"Small underground pockets of resistance have attempted to do so with varying degrees of success." Veronica answered. "Eventually, all were discovered and systematically wiped out. Earth's offensive capabilities simply don't stand a chance against the Galra."

"Why don't we bring more people into this base?" Hunk asked, his voice laced with concern.

"We've had to put a halt on our extraction ops as they were proving to be too risky." Sam answered gently.

"But there are good people out there." Hunk protested. "They could be protected." His voice is now thick with worry, Romelle who was sitting next to him, placed both her hands on his shoulder gently. "My family's out there." He continued.

Sam closed his eyes briefly. "I'm sorry, Hunk."

"But if we have an opportunity."- Hunk still protested.

"Hey, do the Paladins not understand the chain of command?" James Griffin cut him off sternly. "Your CO said it was too dangerous!"

Sakura placed her right hand gently on Hunk's shoulder, while she placed her left hand on his arm not caring that her ring caught some attention as it glittered in the light, she loves her ring and the man who gave it to her.

"Cadet Griffin, I don't like your tone." The Prisident said sternly, while giving him a glare. "The Paladins are aloud to speak." He turns to look at Hunk with a gentle tone. "We all have families out there, but we have to weigh our options." He said gently. "We can't lose ten people to save 12. I'm so sorry."

Romelle then removed her hands, before wrapping her arms around Hunk's arm and hugged it as an uncomfortable silence fell, until Allura stood up.

"Well, then let's find out what we can do. You said you've integrated Altean tech with Earth weaponry?"

The meeting continued with questions from the other leaders.

XxXxXx

Once the meeting finished, the leaders and the Paladins lingered as they talked. The Prisident walked over to Griffin.

"Cadet, I would like to talk to you out in the hall." He said politely, and Griffin gulped.

"Yes sir."

The two headed for the door, passing Allura and the Empress of Russia.

"It's such a joy to meet another royal." The Empress was saying with a smile. "I'm so excited."

Allura returned the smile. "And it's an honor."

"From one royal to another, I've never been fond of politics. There have been times and moments where I have questioned my choices."

Allura nods sadly. "Yes." She looked down at the table. "I've been there too, just recently before we made our journey to Earth, we had been tricked by a man who we believed had turned his ways around. And he played with my heart." She looked up and looked towards Lance, who was talking with Keith. "Lance was deeply hurt by the actions that I've made."

The Empress smiled at the blue Paladin. "He looks to be a nice young man, and a handsome one too."

XxXxXxXx

In the hallway, the Prisident and Griffin walked along the hall. The Prisident's hands behind his back as he walked.

"Young man, do you like your job as a fighter pilot?" The Prisident asked.

Griffin nods. "Yes sir."

The Prisident returned the nod. "Good to hear." He stopped and turned to face the pilot. "Son, you may value and obay the rules. But you also have to learn to hold your tongue."

"I'm sorry sir."

"You may not like them. But you need to show some empathy towards your fellow pilot." The Prisident told him. "His family is danger while out there."

Griffin nodded. "Yes sir."

XxXxXxX

After the meeting Team Voltron, the Prisident, and the leaders moved into a hanger.

"The Mecha-Flex-Exo fighters, or MFEs, are extremely agile with advanced weaponry, but are only capable of short-range attacks." Sam explained. "Sustaining power with Altean-infused technology is an issue we're trying to overcome."

"Maybe I can help you out with that." Coran offered. "I do have some leftover Faunatonium. It's an Altean fuel additive, but also has some unexpected side effects, so don't get any on you."

The big group walked over to a big ship.

"And this is our battleship." Sam said with pride. "It's large enough to house all the Lions and entire common unit."

"Wow! It looks like a cruise ship." Sakura smiled. "Sam, this is incredible."

"It's built." A voice said, causing everyone to turn to see Admiral Sanda. "But it can't fly."

"Admiral Sanda."- The Prisident started.

"What are you doing here?" Sakura wanted to know, not meaning to cut off the Prisident.

"We can't ignore the subject anymore." Sanda said as she placed a hand on her waist with a cold scowl. "Sendak attacked Earth because he wanted the Lions, and now they're here. It seems that we need to at least discuss our options."

"Options?!" Sakura repeated, folding her arms. "What the hell does that mean!?" She demanded.

"Are you suggesting that we willingly hand over the Lions to the Galra?" Shiro wanted to know with disbelief.

"Our supplies are gone." Sanda seethed. "We spent all our resources on a ship that doesn't fly. The weapons we do have are not enough to mount an attack. All we can do is protect a small pocket of Earth. But for how much longer?"

"Admirl Sanda, you are out of line!" The Prisident stepped next to Shiro.

"The universe needs the Lions." Sam told Sanda firmly.

"So does Earth. They're our only bargaining chip." Sanda replied coldly.

"Our Lions are not bargaining chips for you to play with!" Sakura yelled, storming up to Sanda and getting into the Admiral's face.

"Commander, tell your sister to back off and hold her tongue." Sanda looked at Shiro, who just glared.

Behind Shiro, Hunk leaned to Lance whispered something to him.

"Sanda wouldn't dare." Lance replied. "Not with so many witnesses, not to mention Shiro or Keith or both will try to kill her, and she'll lose her title and stripes."

"Earth has been nearly destroyed. Countless citizens have been lost." Sanda continued. "But it could all be over if we give up the Lions."

"The hell we are!" Sakura yelled, and Sanda glared at her.

"I'm warning you Cadet."

"We have a fighting chance now that the Lions have returned. We need to take it." Commander Iverson told Sanda, who was having a heated glaring match with Sakura.

The Prisident walked up to Sakura's side. "Admiral Sanda, leave this hanger now or be escorted out." He demanded.

Allura walked up to stand on the other side of Sakura, and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I'll settle this argument right now." The Princess said firmly. "We're not giving up the Lions under any circumstances. There is no negotiating with Sendak."

"Maybe you should leave the matters of Earth to the people who live here." Sanda coldly states.

"Do not talk to the Princess like that!" Lance yelled this time, he stalked up to glare at the Admiral.

"Thank you Lance." Allura said gently, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Please, Admiral. I respect that you'll do anything you can to protect Earth. But trust us, we've been through more than you could ever imagine. We have fought the Galra on the fringes of the universe and in their very home. I know there's a way to defeat Sendak."

"How? We barely know what we're up against." Sanda seethed again. "We need intelligence, and we just don't have it."

"Admiral Sanda, I'm warning you!" The Prisident warned.

"Maybe we do." Allura said in thought, then turned to Sam. "That information you downloaded from the Castle of Lions contains Sendak's memories."

"How does that help?" Sam looked confused.

"It might give us some insight into Sendak's plan." Pidge said, then looked up at Allura. "Allura you're a genius!"

Sam smiled at Pidge, then turned to the Prisident. "Sir, we just need some time."

"How much time?" He asked.

"Maybe a few hours." Pidge answered.

The Prisident nodded. "Take as much time as you need."

XxXxXx

I was having so much fun with this chapter! Don't worry.

And to answer a question. Yes, I will do the episode The Ruins, I left it out and to put the episode into a flashback. I thought that would be fun.

Please read and review. Thank you!