Leave it All Behind, Cult to Follow.

I spent all of last night re-reading this fic, trying to find inspiration. I want to finish it so badly. It worked, because I finally finished this chapter and am halfway through the next.

I want to thank everyone who has continued to like and read this - I see you, and it means the world to me, more than you could know. I'm determined to mark this fic as completed by the end of the year.

Castellan Place, June 10th, 2016. 12:41 am.

Lance leaned against the door to Pidge's room, dressed in his Voltron uniform and a backpack slung over his shoulder. He watched her for a moment, hunched over her desk, staring blankly at one of her three computer monitors. It was running data on it that Lance couldn't begin to process, but she didn't seem to be looking at it. She was half dressed, her suit gathered at her waist and the tank top she wore under the suit half pulled down.

"Pidgeon?"

She startled, shoulders tensing, and quickly tugged her tank top down the rest of the way. Her hand dragged across her face as she turned, eyes red, and she started shrugging into the rest of her suit. "Yeah, what's up?" she managed valiantly. Her voice was thick.

Lance let his backpack drop onto her bed and he stepped up to her, spreading his arms. "C'mere."

She hesitated – Pidge had never been one for physical contact. But in mere seconds, she was collapsing against Lance harder than he'd expected. He stumbled back with a grunt, found his footing, and wrapped her in a tight grip. She was shaking against him, heaving with sobs. The sound of her, so broken, so like the night she'd been told her father and Matt were dead, shattered Lance's heart.

He pulled her gently to the floor, dragging her into his lap like he'd done when she had those breakdowns as a kid. She clung to him all the harder. He pulled her glasses off her face gently and set them up on the bed, rocking a little subconsciously as she gripped his back.

Soft footsteps at the door, and Hunk was standing there, watching them with sad eyes. "Shiro and Matt are downstairs. Ready to go whenever."

"Give us a minute," Lance murmured.

Hunk nodded and, instead of leaving, he dropped his own bag at the door and sank down on the other side of Lance, scooting in until he could set a firm hand on Pidge's back. She relaxed a little under the touch, her crying dying down, and Lance rested his chin on top of her head.

"I know you know," he murmured, shutting his eyes. "How I feel about him. How…how I still feel about him. And you also know how much I love you. So if it upsets you, or makes you feel betrayed, please know that I would choose you over him any day. You've been my friend my whole life, Pidge. Say the word."

Pidge shook her head and pushed back from Lance, looking up at him. Her eyes were puffy, her nose red and running. The look in her gaze floored Lance. "I love you too, you idiot. And I also love Keith. He's like another brother. I'm angry. I'm so angry I…" Her voice broke off and she took a breath, shutting her eyes. "But he makes you happy. You make him happy. I would never ask you to-"

"Let me make this very clear," Lance interrupted. "You are not asking. I am telling. If me being with Keith in any way, friend or…or other, makes you uncomfortable, I won't."

"It doesn't," she promised softly. "I don't forgive him. But I love him. I know what he had to go through. Matt knows better than me what he had to go through, and he trusts him to do the right thing here. So do I. And I trust you. You're an idiot, but you're a smart idiot, and you know him better than any of us. You know who he is at his core. I like to think we all do."

She paused, swallowing, and Hunk silently handed over a water bottle that he'd seemingly pulled from nowhere. Pidge took a long swallow and then a breath. "It will take me a long time to fully forgive what he did. But I can, because he didn't want to do it. He was forced into it. I can't blame him for that, and I can't blame either of you for feeling what you do. I feel betrayed, but I…but I want him to stay in my life. In our lives. So I won't ever tell you not to feel how you do. Okay?"

Lance studied her for a long second, hands gripping her shoulders tightly as she screwed the cap back onto the water bottle. "Okay," he said finally. He squeezed her shoulders. "Okay. But you tell me if that ever changes, all right?"

Pidge nodded, handing Hunk back the water bottle and dragging the back of her hand over her mouth. "Okay. Where are we going?"

Altea High. June 10th, 2016. 1:04 am.

The man who greeted them at the door wasn't someone Lance had seen before. He was probably Shiro's age, had dark skin, curly hair, and probably the smoothest complexion that Lance had ever seen on a man in his life. He was clad in jeans and a button down flannel, but there was a belt and a badge strapped to his hip, a pen tucked over his ear, and glasses on the bridge of his nose that he took off when he spotted them.

"Curtis," he offered, glancing behind them. "You must be the uh…the Voltron group Officer West mentioned."

Shiro stepped forward first. "We are." His gaze was steely, and despite the fact that Curtis was his exact height, he seemed almost to look down at the man. "Can we assume it is safe here?"

Curtis nodded, throat bobbing just a little. "Yes sir. Myself and my colleague, Ina, set up perimeter cameras and connected our own systems to the school cameras that already exist. We saw you all coming from the parking lot."

Shiro nodded, relaxing a little, and clapped a hand on Curtis' shoulder. "Thank you. Sorry, I don't mean to be rude, we just-"

Curtis nodded immediately. "Yes, yes, you have been through a lot. I understand."

Shiro nodded back to the group. "Take Hunk and Pidge to your set up. They can help input some extra security measures. And could you please direct the rest of us to where Officer West and the others are?"

The nod that Curtis gave was quick, and he gestured them inside, holding the door open as they filed past. Allura trailed last, tucked behind Coran, and Lance turned in time to see Curtis' jaw fall a little. The man recovered quickly, he'd give him credit for that. "I assume you are Allura?" Curtis asked, nodding his head and leading them down the main hall towards the gym.

God, Lance didn't miss high school.

Allura nodded, her hands flexing by her sides where she'd stored a couple of knives. "Yes. And I assume everyone here is now well aware that I'm alive?"

Curtis winced, shutting an eye. "Yes ma'am. I'm sorry, we couldn't keep that quiet, not once-"

"Krolia," Lance interrupted as they pushed through the gym doors and his eyes landed on the dark haired woman, who was speaking intently with a very tall, very scary looking man, and also Officer West.

Krolia looked up at the sound of her name, her shoulders slumping as she took in the sight of the group. She said something to the man she was speaking to and he nodded, letting her move over to them. She was stiff upon approach, hands loose but ready at her sides, shoulders back, jaw tense. "Lance," she said with a nod, eyes flickering to the others. "Hunk, Pidge. Lovely to see you again, though not under…the best circumstances."

Pidge shifted on her feet and she cleared her throat. "Did Keith make it back? To…to the Galra base?"

Krolia's features darkened and she ducked her head. "Yes. He's being held in Zarkon's cells. My person still inside is keeping me updated."

Lance could see that, no matter how she tried to hide it, her fingers were still trembling. Her eyes were still glassy. He went to shove his own hands in his pockets before remembering he didn't have any, and settled for crossing his arms over his chest. "We'll get him out," he declared, firm.

Krolia glanced up at him, something almost like a smile playing at her lips. She didn't respond, merely turned to the rest of the group. "I'm Krolia," she said, nodding and easing her hand out. Shiro took it first, and she pumped his hand. "Keith's mother."

Allura snorted. "Right. So you're the reason he grew up indoctrinated into a cult mentality."

Krolia, who had been shaking Coran's hand, dropped her arm instantly, stiffening. "Not all of us had the privilege of getting out and hiding when Alfor was murdered, Princess," she said snidely.

Allura's eyes flashed dangerously. "Don't you ever speak of my father, you-"

"Allura," Coran said, his voice sharp, almost a little angry. He set a hand on her shoulder. "Krolia had been working with Alfor since before you were even born. Show some respect."

Krolia tilted her chin upwards. "It's no problem, Coran," she said steadily. "She is angry. I understand that. But we have bigger problems at hand. Come on. Curtis, please take Hunk and Pidge to your group. We'll update them in a moment, after they help you secure your rigging."

Though they looked ready to protest, Hunk and Pidge stayed quiet, following Curtis out of the gym to wherever it was they had set up their security system. They were halfway across the gym when-

"Lance!"

Lance gasped, spinning on his heel, hand already on a knife before he registered that it was his sister tackling him. He let go of the weapon and clung to her instead, grunting as his mother and father joined in on the hug. Lance shivered, tucking his nose into Veronica's neck, and let his fingers tangle in the short strands of hair on the back of her neck. "I'm so glad you guys are safe," he whispered.

Veronica pulled back, prompting his parents off as well, and Lance was keenly aware of the outfit he was wearing as they studied him. "What the hell is going on?" Veronica finally asked, her eyes sharp behind her glasses.

Lance gave a weak smile. "I'm kind of in a vigilante group that's trying to save Altea?"

His parents looked like they didn't quite know how to react, but Veronica just nodded, like it was something she'd known all along. She squeezed his shoulders, offering him a weak smile. "Can I help?"

Lance looked back at his friends, found them watching the scene with a mixture of sad smiles (Allura, Shiro, and Coran) and impatience (Krolia). "I…I'd rather you stay safe," he admitted, turning back to her and lifting his hands to settle over hers. He glanced back at his parents. "All of you."

Veronica huffed out a humorless laugh. "Oh, that's rich. No. I'm fucking helping, you asshole."

Footsteps, and Officer Rizavi appeared, a smile playing on her features. "Lance, if she wants to help, I say let her. She's got a lot of fire in her. I'll keep an eye on her."

Lance lifted an eyebrow, glancing between Nadia and Veronica, who – was she blushing? A smile crept over Lance's features as she caught his eyes and scowled at him. "You know what? Go for it. She gets hurt, though," he said, looking back at Nadia with a deadly scowl, "and you're dead."

Veronica slapped him over the head and Lance danced away, kissing both parents on the cheeks. "I have to go," he said, jutting a thumb over his shoulder to his friends. "But I promise, you guys are safe here. I'm okay. Okay?"

His mother pressed a kiss to his forehead. "All right, mijo. Be safe."

Lance squeezed her hand and moved back to his group, flinching a little in surprise as Shiro clapped a hand on his shoulder. He didn't say anything, but Lance was grateful for the support nonetheless. He looked at Krolia, who was stiff as ever. "So. What's Zarkon planning? That's what you're showing us, right?"

Krolia's eyes were dark when she looked back at Lance, and she pointed at the folding table someone had set up in the middle of the gym, a giant map of the city made of individual pieces of copy paper taped together on top. There were dark red X's strategically all over the pages, surrounding what looked like-

"That's City Hall," Coran noted, frowning as he set a finger on the black square with a circle around it.

"Yes," Krolia said steadily, holding out a hand. The scary man from earlier, who Lance hadn't even heard approach, let alone seen, stepped up and slapped a sharpie into it. She scratched another red X over the church across the street from City Hall. Capped the marker, set it down, and looked up.

"This Tuesday is election day for town council. Zarkon is planning a massacre during the speeches. In the chaos-"

She scowled down at the map, fingers practically ripping the pages under her. "In the chaos, he kills the candidates, kills the bystanders, and takes Altea as his own."

Ryner's Bed and Breakfast. June 10th, 2016. 1:13 am.

"This hallway is secure," Rax said, shutting the door behind him and locking it firmly. "Two rooms used – the couple two doors down said that some of the shooters looked like cops."

Shay frowned, staring pensively at the hunting rifle laying on the bed in front of her. "From what Hunk said, that's not surprising."

Rax snorted, sitting down next to his sister and picking the gun up, checking the weapon over. He hadn't held a gun since he'd been taken from the farm, but the motions were like reflex to him, and he set it down feeling a small sense of accomplishment. "Yeah, I'm not shocked. The Galra…they infiltrated almost every business they could in this town. I saw people in uniforms from everything to cops down to janitors."

He scowled, resting the gun across his knees and pinching the bridge of his nose. "This was probably one of the only truly Galra free spaces in town, and now it's compromised. We need to leave."

The sound that came out of Shay's mouth was a mixture of a scoff and a laugh. Rax looked over at her surprised. "What?"

"Leave?" she repeated, aghast. "Are you kidding me? If they're shooting up a motel, who knows who's next?"

"And what, exactly, do you propose we do about it?" Rax demanded. "We can't go back home. Mother and Father will be safer without us there, if they think you've just run away. And we can't stay here much longer – I'm sure the Galra will be back within the hour to make sure they got all the rebels they could find. There's a ton of cars in the lot, and I had to hotwire the tractor enough times that I'm sure I could still do it."

Shay rolled her eyes. "Please. I could hotwire a car faster than you could say "Balmera." We're not leaving. At least, I'm not. I might not be an insane fighter, or a great shot, but I'm a damn good driver."

She stood, grabbing the clothes that she'd grabbed from home the night she and Rax had been reunited, and started shoving them in her backpack. "I had to be, after over a year of you not being on the farm," she muttered. "I'm going to find Hunk, and I'm going to help them. Something is going on, and I'll be damned if I lose someone else I care about to the Galra."

Rax's fingers wrapped around her wrist and Shay froze, staring down at his hand for a moment before following his grip to his gaze. His eyes were intense, the scar on his face standing out in the poor lighting of the room. "Shay-" he started.

Shay pursed her lips, tried to pull her hand back without being aggressive about it, but when he wouldn't let go, she yanked it away. "Don't. I don't need you trying to stop me from doing what I need to do, again."

He reached out again, this time putting his hand on her shoulder and turning her gently to face him. "I won't," he said before she could snap again. When she paused, he softened, squeezing her shoulder. "I won't. I'm not making the same mistake twice. I don't like it, but I'll help. For you."

Shay searched his face for a moment and, seeing that he was serious, she slumped in relief and threw her arms around him, hugging his still too-skinny frame to her body. "Thank you," she whispered as he hugged back.

"I'm not losing you again either," he mumbled into her shoulder. He pulled back, squeezed her shoulders once, and then nodded to her phone. "Now. You have Hunk's number?"

"Do I have my boyfriend's number?" Shay scoffed, rolling her eyes and turning her phone on, watching the power up signal light up the screen. "Gee, I don't know, let me check."

She pulled her phone to her ear and stuck her tongue out at Rax, who rolled his eyes but let a fond smile slip over his face as Shay turned to the call.

"Hey babe? So listen…me and Rax are at Ryner's Bed and…yes. Yeah. No, we're fine. Everyone here so far is fine, but it's only a matter of time before they come back."

She looked up at Rax, nodding at something he couldn't hear, and then her head tilted, an almost giddy smile crossing her cheeks. "No. We were wondering if you and the rest of Voltron needed help."

I hope to see you all soon! Thank you for your support and your continued reading of my works, even during my hiatuses.