This got out of hand... It was supposed to be only about ten pages (most likely less), but... it ended up being 97 (around 41,000 words if you measure fics that way (it's actually above 41,000)). If you want me to put it into chapters then I will, but I figured having it as a one-shot was perfectly fine! Hope whoever reads this enjoys it though!

Tell me what you think!

Disclaimer: Don't own Voltron or the song used. Came up with Emily, the OC though.

P.S. Check out the song because it's amazing! I cry every time I listen to it! The name of it is Unsaid Emily and it's a son singing it to a mom originally, not how I put it.

Edit: Just fixing up some grammar mistakes that I forgot about when I first posted this. If you find anything else then just tell me in the comments so I can fix it.

Fun fact: Sendak is the last name of a children's author!

-Lance's P.O.V.-

This wasn't supposed to happen. We were supposed to just come to space, defeat the Galra and go back home as heroes. Of course, the world would also accept Aliens and we would continue to keep the universe safe as the Defenders of the Universe. But now… "This doesn't make any sense!" I yelped once more, staring at my reflection.

We had gone to visit Oriande and our first attempt at entering had failed. Now, the lions were stuck out in space with no way for us to bring them back to the castle and somehow, I wasn't the same as I was before. I had white hair, blue markings like Coran (but they were glowing so it was a bit hard to figure out the color) and violet-blue eyes, "I wonder if you're full blooded Altean or just part," Coran wondered, being the first one to move after me.

Lotor shook himself out of shock, "No matter, only we can enter Oriande," He gestured to himself, Allura and me.

Allura nodded, "Right. Lance," I turned to face her, still trying to calm down, "Do you want to come with us?"

I looked around, then shook my head, "I think I'll stay here Princess," I still needed to realize that I was at least part Altean.

So, Lotor and Allura left soon after and I did my best to think of anything besides being part Altean (I had a sneaking suspicion that I was a full blooded Altean, but that couldn't be true). The others finally kicked me out of the control room and Shiro talked to me about how he felt. Soon after, we all gathered at central command so we could conserve oxygen. It was just our luck that Allura and Lotor came back and turned the Castle back on, "Alright, lad," Coran pulled out a scanner, "Let's see the results."

Everyone was in the room with me, wanting to know how Altean I was. When the scanner beeped, Coran didn't say anything, "So… what does it say?" I finally asked.

He blinked, then looked at me, "You're a full blooded Altean, but.."

Allura just took the scanner from him and looked, "It says your…" Then she couldn't even talk.

Finally, Pidge grabbed it and read it, "It says your King Alfor's child."

Everyone stared, "What?!" Hunk finally broke the silence, "Lance and Allura are siblings?! How? Lance is only eighteen years old! He can't have lived for over 10,000 years! He has a family on Earth! I've seen all his siblings and even met his parents! And doesn't that camouflage thing exhaust you? You said you couldn't do it forever and if this is true then he's been doing it for years without knowing!"

"Is it weird to say that it kind of makes sense?" Pidge asked, interrupting, but Hunk just continued rambling.

Lotor nodded, "It does."

"Well," Coran put his hand on my shoulder, "Looks like we'll have to teach you about your powers. Maybe you'll be able to steer the Castle!"

"This still doesn't change anything," Shiro smiled at me, "You're still going to have to train."

I laughed, "I wasn't expecting any special treatment. Allura still has to train with us, so why wouldn't I?"

"Your right," Shiro backed away to let Allura walk so she was right in front of me.

Neither of us moved for a moment, then she smiled, "I may not be able to call you my brother just yet, but I have already started to think of you as one."

"Are you sure you're alright?" I asked, "It turns out that you're not an only child! Your parents never told you!"

"I had my suspicions all my life," Allura admitted, "But since it was just an empty room, I thought that my parents wanted to have more children. Now I understand why the crib in the room had the name Lance on it."

"Oh good!" I sighed overdramatically, relieved, "I'm glad I have the same name!"

Hunk eventually calmed down and we had an amazing dinner (Hunk figured that with what we just went through, we all needed something more than food goo), then went to bed. Well, most of us did, "Lance," Hunk finally stopped my pacing, "Just talk to me."

I didn't even try to hide anything, "What if Emily doesn't like this?! What if by the time we get back she's already moved on?! I don't want her to avoid me just because my DNA is different! What if she never wants to speak to me again once she knows I'm an alien? What if she's not even alive when we get back? She could break up with me just because I'm an alien! Or maybe because I'm apparently a prince! She might not want to speak to me again," I slumped on the couch.

Hunk already knew about the fight Emily and I had the day before we were blasted off into space. It's why I secretly gave Pidge's father another flash drive with another video for her. I was going to apologize that night, but then Iverson told us to work on our team work and I wasn't sure if she wanted to see me that soon afterwards anyway. So, against my better judgement, I decided to drag Hunk and Pidge out for a night of bonding which turned into us getting blasted off into space. Hunk pulled me into a hug, "Lance, if she doesn't, then I'll stay. I'm not going to leave you just because we found out you're not human. We're friends with aliens! If she doesn't want you back, we'll always be here for you."

He knew that was the best he could offer and he knew it would be a while before I fully recovered from that heartbreak if she did break up with me. We hadn't officially been together long, but with the little time we had together already, they were some of the best moments of my life, "Alright Hunk," I told him, "We'll wait until we get to Earth."

Then Lotor betrayed us. Breaking Allura's heart and making us disappear for four years without us ageing a day and nearly everything we knew had changed. Everything was different. We just left Olkarion when Hunk finally talked to me, "She's still there," He said as soon as I answered, "But I don't know where."

I just curled up on my seat, letting Red pilot for a while, "She'd be 20 right now," I mumbled, "There's no way she waited for me. What if she never even got my apology? Or didn't realize what I was trying to tell her?"

"Look," He stated, "When we get back, I'll help you look for her and if we don't find her, we'll search the whole world."

I shook my head, "I guess I should realize that she's moved on by now. It's been four years."

"Hey, don't give up hope," He smiled, but we were forced to join the communal channel once more.

"Hey, Allura?" I asked, on a different private channel a few days later, "If you were with a guy that you argued with, then they disappeared for four years with no way to contact them. How would you feel?"

Allura blinked, "I'm not sure," She admitted, "It seems a bit out there, but I'm assuming that that's what happened between you and a girl on Earth?"

I nodded, "We got into a fight earlier the day we snuck out of the Garrison, but I never got the chance to apologize. I was thinking of doing it that night, but then I thought she wouldn't want to see me so soon afterwards."

"Then you ended up finding the Blue Lion and coming to the Castle," I nodded as Allura smiled sadly, "I'm sorry you weren't able to apologize or tell her what's happened."

"I'll be able to tell her when we arrive," I admitted, "I just don't know if she waited for me or not.

"Why don't you tell me about her?" Allura suggested, "I may be able to get a better picture if you tell me about her."

I smiled, "Sure," I don't know how long we were talking, but the others eventually interrupted us to tell us to get back on the communal channel (we had been talking for a few varga and didn't realize it).

"Lance," Allura came up to me once we landed on the planet for the night, "Since you're my brother, Coran and I made you this," She gave me a gold circlet that sort of looked like her crown, but looked more like waves and fire crashing into each other. There was even a small Balmera crystal at the center of it, "We found the Balmera crystal in our supplies. This seemed to be the perfect place to put it."

She put it on me and I smiled, "Thank you Allura."

"You're welcome," She smiled and we joined the rest of the group around the campfire.

When we arrived on Earth, I had already changed my appearance once more back to human so I could talk to my family about it before everyone else figured it out. When we arrived back at the Garrison, I was disappointed that Emily wasn't there to greet us. I didn't feel it until later since I was reunited with my family, "I haven't seen her yet," Hunk told me after the meeting, "But we'll keep looking."

"Don't worry Hunk," I patted his shoulder, "Just concentrate on getting your family back."

He smiled and nodded, but before we could leave, I saw her. No one noticed as I slipped away from the group and just reassured myself that it was her. She could have changed a lot over the years, so I wasn't sure, but I was planning on seeing if it was her soon. Sadly, I was quickly dragged away to see the improvements the Garrison had made and the Atlas, the ship we would be using if we figured out how to get it to work.

That night, we all came together to tell everyone the progress we had made (it became a habit when we were traveling through space towards Earth) and there was a knock on the door, "I'll get it," Hunk quickly got up and checked on the door.

"So," Shiro continued, "Is there anything else we can think of to power the Atlas?"

"Not a permanent solution," Pidge mumbled, "We came up with a few ideas, but all of them are only temporary and would only get the Atlas into space. Then it would be a sitting duck."

"Uh… Lance?" Hunk came back to us, "The door's for you."

"Really? Who is it?" I stood up, wondering which family member wasn't asleep yet.

"Emily," And I froze for a second.

Quickly shaking myself back to reality, I nodded and walked to the door, "Emily?" I asked tentatively once I reached it.

She looked up and was mostly how I remembered her, just… grown up. She had light brown hair, tan skin and blue eyes, but her hair was a tad different. She had a braid on the left side of her hair that was all blue, "Lance," She nodded.

Neither of us knew what to say and when I looked back at my team, they were all watching me. So, I stepped out into the hall with her and closed the door behind me, "Are you alright?"

She nodded again, "I- I just wanted to say sorry for that stupid argument we had before you left," I smiled, "I didn't mean what I said and was just trying to hurt you."

"I was too," I apologize, "Neither of us should have let it get that far."

"You already apologized," She hit me lightly on the shoulder, "You don't need to do it again."

"I'm glad you got it," By now both of our hands were in the others, not willing to let go just yet, "But I still wanted to tell you in person."

"I listened to it every day," She admitted, "I was so scared that I would never-"

I pulled her into a hug as she started to cry, "Don't worry about that now. I'm here and everything's going to be just fine," I felt her nod as she wrapped her arms around me as well. After standing there for a few doboshes, I finally asked, "When did you get a blue streak in your hair?"

"I got it after that video," At least she was smiling now, "I figured since you were the Blue Paladin or… used to be the Blue Paladin, I could do it. It helped me keep hope up during these four years you were gone and it just made me think of you… It helped me feel closer to you."

"I kept the bracelet you made me," I pulled my sleeve down a bit, "I use it as my good luck charm and it helped me keep spirits up while we were fighting Zarkon. I always knew, even if I hadn't apologized yet, that I was going to see you someday again."

Neither of us moved for a bit, then Emily moved first, "We have a lot to talk about."

"Yeah, we do," I nodded.

"We'll do it after Sendak's beaten," Emily nodded, then pointed to the window, "For now, I think your team wants to talk to you."

I turned to see everyone 'not looking' at the window. They were very bad at hiding their curiosity, "We will," I nodded, "I promise."

Emily smiled, "Well, I've got to get back to the lab. Allura asked me to help with a present for Shiro and I want to go over it again."

"Alright. See you tomorrow then?"

I slowly entered the room, "Definitely," Then the door closed behind me.

Almost immediately, Pidge and Allura dragged me over to the couch and forced me between Hunk and Shiro, "Who was that?" Pidge asked with a wide smile on her face.

"That was Emily."

"Oh!" Allura smiled, "Is it that Emily?"

My red face was all she needed as Keith looked at me in shock, "Is that your girlfriend?!"

"Maybe?" I honestly wasn't sure, "We weren't on the greatest terms when we left and now… I don't know what we are honestly."

"She's the one preforming the surgery for my arm tomorrow," Shiro admitted, "She's the best doctor the Garrison's had in years."

"Yeah, she's really smart."

"Aw!" Pidge smiled, "You like her!"

Hunk shook his head, "Try love Pidge. He loves her."

"Guys, nothings going on between us," I tried to derail, "We fought the day we left Earth and we've just barely apologized to each other. Besides, she's probably already moved on."

"You're worried about how she's going to react to you being Altean," Shiro realized, "Aren't you?"

"How could I not?" I asked, not bothering to hide it, "Not only am I Altean, but I'm a prince and have weird magical powers! That could be a huge deal breaker and that's something I'm going to have to tell her before we get back together! If we ever do!"

"Lance," Keith stood up and put a hand on my shoulder, "If she likes you as much as you like her, none of that will matter. If it does, then she's not the one for you."

Everyone was staring at him, then I finally asked, "When did you learn how to give pep talks?"

The small amount of tension broke and everyone laughed, "Alright," Pidge asked once more, "Tell us about this girl you're in love with."

They teased me until Shiro got us back on track and we talked about what we could do. The next day, Emily was the surgeon who put Shiro's arm on, but I wasn't able to talk to her for a long time. With the missions, meetings and just getting ready to defeat Sendak, I wasn't able to find time. Especially since my family was crowding me every moment of free time that I had (although I didn't mind. I had missed them too). Then the battle happened and I honestly didn't think we would survive. The crash didn't help anything, "I'm sorry Emily," I whispered just as I crashed onto the ground.

When I woke up, I found out that I was the only one who passed out from a very bad head injury. I also had a broken leg while Keith and Allura had concussions as well as a cut on their heads while Pidge and Hunk had sprained wrists (Pidge's right and Hunk's left) with nearly twisted ankles (both on the left). So, while everyone was going to be able to leave the hospital in a week at most, I was stuck with closer to a month, "Don't move from that bed," Emily (my doctor) warned before my family came, "You need the rest."

"I won't," I smiled, "Promise. I'll stay right here!"

"Uncle Lance!" My niece and nephew cried out and ran into the room.

"Silvio! Nadia!" I beamed and started to get out of bed.

Emily pushed me back down, "What did I just say?!" She was smiling as she helped Silvio and Nadia onto my bed and gave me a hug.

"Don't worry Aunt Emily!" Nadia stated, "We'll make sure he stays in bed!" Then she curled up on my lap as I sat up, making sure she wouldn't fall over.

We watched Shiro's speech together, but I was mainly watching my family as we caught up once more. The next few days were much the same, but Shiro visited along with everyone else. When I was finally able to leave, the only one that was there was Emily, "So, I'll be able to walk, just with crutches?"

She nodded as she gave me my crutches, "And no piloting "

Since I had a feeling I wouldn't be able to pilot for a while, I just smiled, "Reds going to miss me while I'm gone! I've just gotta be able to pilot!"

Emily rolled her eyes, but smiled back, "Doctors orders. And I'll tie you down if you don't listen!" Her smile grew into a smirk, "And I'll get your team to help."

l flopped back on the bed, 'defeated', "The ultimate weapon! Now there's no way for me to pilot!"

She lightly hit my shoulder, "You know that's not the ultimate weapon. Voltron is!"

"You want to get my own lion against me?!" I looked at her quickly to see her nod with a bigger smile, "Red will never do it! Neither will Blue!"

"Unless it's for your health," She pointed out as she pulled me back up so I was sitting again, "Now, what's been bothering you?"

Even though it's been a year (four for her) she can still read me like a book, "What are we exactly?" I finally asked, "I mean…. Unless I'm reading this wrong," I lifted her blue strand, "Then we both still like each other."

"Lance," She took both of my hands in hers, "We never broke up. Yes, we fought, but that doesn't mean we're not together. We're going to fight, what matters is both of us doing something to get over it."

"So…" I smiled, "Are there any guitars here? Then I could put forth my entire effort to get past it."

She seemed relieved, "I was really hoping you would sing it for me in person. There's already one in your room. We've just got to get you in there."

Soon, we were sitting on my bed side by side and I had the guitar in place, "Do you want to hear the one on the recording?"

"Please," She sounded a little desperate, like she wanted to hear me do it in person. So, I started to strum and sing. Neither of us noticed my team standing outside, listening in.

First things first, we start the scene in reverse.

All of the lines rehearse, disappear from my mind.

When things got loud, one of us running out.

I should have turned around, but I had too much pride.

No time for goodbyes, didn't get to apologize.

Pieces of a clock that lies broken.

If I could take us back, if I could just do that.

And write in every empty space.

The words 'I love you' in replace.

Then maybe time would not erase me!

If you could only know, I never let you go.

And the words I most regret are the ones I never meant to leave…

Unsaid Emily.

Silent days, mysteries and mistakes.

Who'd be the first to break?

Guess we're alike that way!

He said, she said, conversations in my head.

And that's just where they're going to stay forever!

If I could take us back, if I could just do that.

And write in every empty space.

The words 'I love you' in replace.

Then maybe time would not erase me.

If you could only know, I never let you go!

And the words I most regret are the ones I never meant to leave…

Unsaid Emily.

We were both crying, but smiling at the same time. After a few moments, I started singing once more.

If I could take us back, if I could just do that.

And write in every empty space.

The words 'I love you' in replace.

Then maybe time would not erase me.

If you could only know, I never let you go!

And the words I most regret are the ones I never meant to leave…

Unsaid Emily

I finished strumming as we slowly stopped crying, but I still meant every word, "Do you forgive me?" I asked.

She huffed, "Of course. Do you forgive me?"

I set aside my guitar and pulled her into a hug, "You have nothing to apologize for."

We were alone for a moment, then Pidge burst into the room, "Why were you worried?! And where was this romantic side of you before?!" Both of us quickly turned towards the door in shock as everyone came into the room.

Allura frowned, "How come you were flirting with me and others when you first came to space?"

I turned a bit red, "I actually thought of Emily whenever I saw you for the first bit, but then it just… became a habit even though we're like siblings."

Emily stifled her laughter with her hand, "So… every girl you flirted with, you thought of Emily?" Keith asked in shock.

I nodded, completely embarrassed, "I knew it!" Pidge cried out, then looked at Hunk, "I win."

Hunk grumbled and handed her some gak, "You bet on whether or not that was true?" Keith was once again shocked.

Hunk nodded, "I thought it was him trying to get over Emily because he didn't think they were together anymore. He talked to me a lot about it."

Emily smiled and kissed me on the cheek, "Don't forget to rest. I'll see you later," Then she left me at the mercy of my team.

"I think it's safe to say that you're together," Hunk smiled.

I flopped onto the bed, "I still need to tell her everything we figured out," I let my camouflage drop.

"When are you planning on telling her?" Shiro asked, "Then we could all be there for you when you do."

"First," Hunk handed me a plate of food, "Eat actual food. Then you need to follow the doctor's orders."

Pidge huffed out a laugh as I quickly stuffed my mouth with Hunk's delicious food. Pidge just laughed harder, "You are hooked!" When her laughter died down, she quickly sat next to me on the bed, "So, what should we do to help you tell her?"

Oh man, she really wanted to help and I had no idea what to do about that. Because when Pidge put her mind to something, she was going to get it done or make sure that it got done by someone else, "Please, Pidge, don't trap us in a room unless I ask for it," I pleaded.

Pidge smiled as Shiro crossed his arms, "You're not going to get locked in a room with anyone. Not unless there's a minute time limit. That's as high as I'll allow."

"Calm down Space Dad," Pidge nudged him, "We'll be watching through the video cameras everywhere."

Eventually, they left me alone to actually rest and I was able to get used to the crutches in a few days. Emily came to help every day as we just talked, like we used to. It was my first day out of the cast when I finally decided to tell her the truth, "Emily," I asked after a meeting, "Could I talk to you for a moment?"

She nodded, "What's wrong?"

Hunk interrupted me before I could answer, "You need any help?"

I shook my head, looking at the rest of the team, "I can do this myself."

Surprisingly, Keith was the one to speak up, "If you need any help, just use the coms."

I blinked, then nodded, "Sure," And I was pulling Emily into a 'secret' room. It was actually only a room the Paladins and Shiro could enter (but we could bring anyone in with us).

Emily was a bit worried, "Is there something wrong?"

"No," We finally sat down on the couch in the 'Paladin lounge', completely alone, "I just… need to tell you something before our relationship goes any further."

"Oh," Now she was really worried, "Is it anything bad?"

"I guess it depends on how you look at it? I just-" I cut myself off with a sigh, "I found somethings out about myself when I was in space."

"Lance," Emily smiled, "We've both grown."

"No, I mean- Yeah, I've grown, but it's not like that," After trying to figure out how to explain it, I decided to just go for it, "I think it's better if I just show you."

"Show me?" I closed my eyes and dropped my disguise. My hair turning white, ears turning into points, blue marks under my eyes and violet-blue eyes (she couldn't see that part yet since I was scared to open my eyes, but she'll see it soon) with my crown on as well.

She gasped as I looked down, opening my eyes, "I'm Altean. We figured it out when we went to Oriande."

I couldn't bear to look at her until I felt her hand on my cheek, lifting my face to look at her, "Somehow… you were able to look handsomer than before," I stared in shock as she fingered my markings, "These might be my favorite part. Right next to your beautiful eyes."

I finally blinked, "So… you don't mind that I'm like this?"

"Not at all," Emily smiled, "As I said before, you look handsomer."

"That's not a word," I smiled as well, "But thank you."

"Anything else weird that you found out about in space?" She asked jokingly.

Sadly, there was one more thing, "Actually," Her eyes widened in shock, "I'm Allura's brother, so…"

"You're a prince?!" She asked and I nodded once more.

After giving her a few moments to let the information sink in, I asked, "Emily… are you alright?"

Emily just looked at me, then asked, "Is there anything special I have to do in order to date you now?"

I laughed, "No. I'm just a regular guy. Although if Coran drags you away to teach you about Altean customs, you don't have to do any of them. I barely know any of them and they've been teaching me for a while now."

"That's good to know," We wrapped each other into hugs and just sat there for a moment. Then she was looking at my ears, "I always knew your ears felt a bit weird," Oh no, she was definitely going to- Yep! I was out.

-Emily's P.O.V.-

I scratched a certain spot behind his ear to help him relax, but as usual, he fell asleep. Probably needed it anyway so I didn't mind. I gently maneuvered him so he was leaning against me just as his team came barging in, then froze, "Oh," Hunk was the first to speak, "I guess everything went well?"

"Is this what he's been freaking out about?" I asked them as they quietly sat around us, "Well, this and finding out that his family isn't related by blood?"

Pidge nodded, "He was so worried, he talked to all of us about it."

"Even Keith?" That didn't sound like something Lance would do.

Keith nodded, "Trust me, it was weird."

"He probably would have kept on worrying if we weren't about to land," Hunk added.

"Lance continued to worry even after we landed," Shiro added, making me smile, "But by then, he didn't care if we were listening or not. I think he just wanted to say it."

Allura smiled, "Did he tell you everything?"

I nodded, "He told me everything. Even about you two being related."

Allura seemed relieved, "I'm glad," Then she leaned over and whispered loud enough for everyone to hear, "And I won't mind if you tie the knot. He seems to be better with you around."

My entire face was red with embarrassment, "Thanks Allura, but I don't think we have to worry about that yet. We're just dating for now."

"For now," Pidge stated as she poked Lance in the face, "How did you get him to sleep anyway? He never seems to fall asleep unless everyone else is."

I smirked, glad for the change of topic, "That's my secret. Although, even if I tell you guys, you wouldn't be able to do it. Apparently I have a 'magical touch' as Lance puts it."

"Wait," Hunk stared at me in shock, "You mean the ear thing?" I nodded, "Really? He only just relaxes whenever I do that!"

Before anyone could ask about the 'ear thing', the intercom blared, "Everyone, please start going outside. Lunch is over for the day," Startling Lance awake and we quickly left to help.

Everyone at the Garrison had been put on a schedule so we could help out as much as we could around the world. With the Lions and MFE Pilots, we were able to actually do that. But once everything was done for the day, we would all be able to have some down time. Lance usually spent it with me or his family. Voltron met up every night and slept in the 'Paladin lounge' because they were too tired to go to their rooms. Then came the day everyone found out about Lance being Altean and Allura's brother, "You're alien?!" Griffin asked, shocked.

Lance nodded, everyone in the meeting was staring at him in shock, "Lance was able to blend in with you all because of an ability all Alteans have," Allura picked up when no one said anything, "We're chameleon like people, it was why we were known as great diplomats," She even used her ability to show everyone how it worked, but Lance also let his disguise down.

"This doesn't change anything," Shiro finished for everyone, "But we all thought you should know before we left Earth."

No one denied that it would be great information to have, especially if Allura was in the infirmary and they needed a wormhole to get away. Although, his family's reactions were the best. His parents had already known, but when they learned that Allura was his sister, she was adopted into their family immediately as Sylvio and Nadia kept asking him questions about everything he could do and if they would be able to learn, "Alright," Luis finally picked them both up and guided them towards some of their toys, "How about you let your uncle get back to work?"

"I have plenty of time to answer their questions," Lance quickly followed, "I was forced to take a day off today so I have nothing better to do!"

Nadia quickly started asking once more, "What's everything you can do? Can you change your voice with your abilities? Are you able to look like anyone you want? What about the blue stuff? Are you able to create images of it for us to see?"

He stayed with them the rest of the day and I was only able to tell him the news a few days before the launch, "Wait, you're coming with us?" Lance asked, sounding a bit scared.

I nodded, both of us relaxing on the couch in the lounge, "I'm coming as the main doctor so I'm going to be busy. Especially if one of you is hurt."

Lance didn't seem that happy about that, "I thought you didn't want to go into space," He didn't want me to get hurt and I understand that, but I just couldn't stay on Earth again, "What changed your mind?"

"You," I wasn't about to lie to him about this, "When you disappeared, I broke down. I wasn't able to get back to normal before Samual Holt arrived with a video that you sent him with for me. After I listened to it, I was relieved to know that you were alright and not dead like the Garrison kept telling me. Then, I wanted to do everything I could to help you while on Earth. I actually helped the Holts sneak into the communication room and broadcast to the entire Earth about Aliens being real," He smiled as I continued, "Anyway, when the Galra attacked and we learned you had all gone missing for six months, I decided that I wasn't going to just sit here on Earth while you went into space."

"So, you signed up as the Doctor for the Atlas," Lance guessed, "And waited for the day we returned."

I nodded, "We all thought it would come a lot sooner, but I'm glad you all made it back safely."

Then the day before the launch arrived and I dragged Allura, Pidge (who was harder to bring then I thought because we had to convince her mom), Romelle, Ina, and Rizavi shopping for new clothes. It was plain luck that Pidge was with us and we were able to trade most things with just an autograph from her, "Emily," Allura asked as we walked back to the base, "Are you going to Lance's family dinner tonight?"

I nodded, "Lance invited me. Veronica was about to do the same, but learned that he'd already done it. Are you going?"

She nodded, "His family said that I'm part of their family now. I don't know what to feel about that," She admitted.

"Don't worry Allura," I patted her on the shoulder, "The most they'll do tonight is probably embarrass Lance as much as they possibly can."

Allura chuckled, "That will be interesting to hear. How many stories do they have?"

"You'll find out," I hid my laughter, knowing how many there were.

Turns out, I was right! They did tell her (and me even though I'd already heard them before) all about the misadventures of Lance's childhood and a few of their own. We had a pretty good night, but Allura seemed down with one line, "To family," Everyone agreed with Veronica, but both Lance and I noticed Allura looked a little down at that.

So, Lance, being who he is, pulled Allura to stand with him, "New and old!"

"Especially new!" Lance's mother agreed.

His dad nodded, "Our family grows bigger every passing day."

Allura was smiling by now, no doubt still thinking about her birth family, but happy to be here with us, "To family," Allura finally said, "New and old."

After a delicious dinner, Lance and I snuck away to the park we used to always go to, "I was hoping this place didn't change," Lance admitted as we walked down the path, hand in hand.

I smiled sadly, "It stayed in bloom for a while, but it died three years ago," Still, I led him towards our carved initials, "I came here as often as I could and just stayed."

I couldn't read Lance's expression as he asked, "Would you like to see that again? Everything in bloom?"

"Of course," I quickly agreed, "It reminds me of the first time we met!"

-Flashback-

I was going for my weekly run, usually doing walks every other day, when I ran into someone, "I'm so sorry!" I quickly apologized and got up, holding my hand out, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah I'm fine!" A brown haired boy grabbed my hand and let me pull him back to his feet, "It takes more than a tumble to get me down!"

I giggled, "Well, that's a relief! I was scared you hurt yourself or something worse!"

"Nah! I only let myself get hurt if I want to get hurt!"

This time, I fully laughed and held my hand out, "I'm Emily."

He shook my hand with a smile, "Lance."

"Lance!" Another voice called out, "Where'd you go?!"

"Since it seems like you have to go," I quickly wrote my number down and gave it to him, "Text me later?"

He stared at the slip of paper in shock, blinking a few times, then nodding enthusiastically, "Definitely! I'll text you right now!" After sending a quick text to my phone and double checking that it was him, he started to leave, "See you later Emily!"

"Bye Lance!" I waved, then started running once more when he was out of sight.

"Hunk!" I heard Lance enthusiastically say, "You'll never guess what just happened to me!"

I just smiled and continued running around the blooming tree and back towards home.

-End Flashback-

Lance smiled, "I honestly didn't think we would become friends the more you got to know me. You were just so amazing!"

I hit him lightly, "You're amazing too! A paladin of Voltron who has two bayard forms? That's something!"

Lance just smiled and put a hand on our carved initials, concentrating. After a moment, the flowers and tree started to turn healthy once more and everything was as it should be, "So," Lance asked once he had finished and I had enough time to look around, "What do you think?"

"It's beautiful," I smiled, "Thank you."

He just smiled, knowing I would like it and not caring about the consequences. Then he turned serious, "Emily, the first day we were out in space, I didn't really have time to think about what had happened."

"You were kind of ejected into space in a Blue Lion that could talk to you with your best friend, teammate, rival and hero," I nodded, "And you were who knows how many light years away from Earth. That's to be expected."

He still seemed a bit nervous, "Well, when things finally settled down… all I could think about was you. I couldn't stop thinking about how stupid our argument was and how much I wanted to apologize. So, I tried thinking of my family, but I kept coming back to you. When Coran started showing the distance between us… I've never felt that hopeless before. I never want to feel that way again either," I frowned, wondering where this was going, but happy knowing that he never forgot about me, "I don't like being apart."

When he didn't say anything for a moment, I smiled, "I don't like being apart either, but now we don't have to be. We'll be traveling together as we finish liberating the planets of unfair Galra rule."

"I don't actually want you coming with," He admitted, "But I'm not going to stop you as long as you promise to do everything you can to stay safe."

"Only if you do the same as well," Our hands intertwined, "I can't lose you again."

"I can't lose you either," Then he closed the small distance between us and enacted our first kiss.

Both of us arrived at the Garrison with beaming smiles.

-Lance's P.O.V.-

After I invited Emily to dinner with my family, I talked with Hunk, "Hunk," I walked up to him in the kitchen, "Can we talk?"

Hunk took one look at me and was guiding me to a counter the next second, "What's wrong?"

"You know how I was missing home?"

Hunk nodded, "You kept me up that first night telling me about wanting to take back everything you said to Emily the night before we left."

"Well… I think I love her," Hunk just blinked, knowing that I'd never admitted to that even though both of us know that I've loved her since before we went into space, "I don't know what I'll do if she dies."

"So, what are you going to do about it?" I stared at him, wondering what he wanted to tell me, "Look, Lance, you can't avoid it. If you don't want to live without her, then do something about it. Make sure she'll always be with you."

I didn't say anything, then I asked, "Do you think you could help me with something?"

That turned into Shiro, Keith, and Hunk coming with me to the mall, "You didn't have to come with me," I told Keith and Shiro, "I know you're both busy."

"And miss out on watching you worry about one thing?" Keith asked, smirking, "No way."

Shiro just smiled, "It's something you need as much help with as you can get. This is a big step you're taking."

"Do you think it'll be too early?" I asked, nervous and wondering why I talked myself into doing this, "What if she's not ready?"

"Lance," Hunk interrupted me before I could ask anything more, "Stop worrying. She put a blue streak in her hair just to remember you, she doesn't want to leave your side which is why she's joining us on the Atlas, she makes sure you're healthy before worrying about herself and she was a mess when we disappeared because of you… if what I heard was correct."

"What happened when we disappeared?" Keith asked as I started looking at the different shops around the place, hoping to find one with what I wanted.

"Apparently, Emily locked herself in her room for days without eating or drinking and had to be in the hospital for a few months," Hunk answered, making me feel a bit worse about my plans, "And just as she started actually talking and acting like a regular human, the Galra attacked."

"Lance," Shiro draped an arm over my shoulders as he led me towards a stall, "I don't think you have anything to worry about."

Keith huffed, "Especially since you kept on bringing her up on the ship and how much you wanted to see her again."

I turned to face him, frowning, "How do you know about that?! I only told Hunk!" Pidge knew a bit about it, but not nearly as much as Hunk, she thought that some of my sadness came from my family (which was true, just not as much as she thought).

"I overheard you on my way to training," Keith shrugged.

"I blocked the others from knowing everything whenever we did the mind meld," Hunk admitted, "If I didn't, then we wouldn't have been able to do what we needed."

I looked at the stall, not finding what I wanted, but keeping it in mind as we continued looking, "Yeah, the first few days were the worst and the others definitely felt it when we formed Voltron."

"Wait," Keith frowned, "That sadness and longing came from you?!"

I nodded as Shiro looked shocked as well, "I thought it came from Keith," He admitted, "Still getting used to the idea of me being alive after a year."

After looking at a few more stalls, the question I was waiting for was brought up by Keith, "Why didn't you tell us about her? We wouldn't have teased you that much."

Looking through another stall, I answered, "I didn't want anyone to have the burden of telling her if I died. Our last conversation before we were ejected into space was a fight and I wanted to apologize in person. It's why I made a video for her long before we saved Pidge's dad. Hunk knew where it was just in case anything happened, but I didn't want everyone to know… I also didn't want anyone else burdened by my problems when we had plenty to do at the time."

Shiro stopped me from going to the next stall, "Lance, we're a team. That means we share each other's burdens, no matter how small and insignificant they may seem," Man! Throwing my own words back at me from calming him down after a flashback.

It had been a few months after we left Earth and were in space when I found him. He was having a full blown flashback and he was alone. Once he was back with reality, I pulled it out of him of how often they had been happening and everything else. When I learned about everything he was going through alone, I told him what he just told me and encouraged him to tell the team. When he finally did, we just became stronger, "I know that now," I admitted, "But at the time, I really didn't think it was that important."

Nothing was said for a moment, then Keith started dragging me by the arm, "Come on. If you want to do it tonight then we need to find it fast."

Then we went to dinner and I sort of drained myself when I rejuvenated the park we first met at. When I got back to the Paladin Lounge, I was ambushed, "So, how'd it go? Did she say yes?" Hunk asked, actually it was more like pleading.

I slumped a bit, "I didn't ask," Shiro, Keith, Hunk, Pidge and Allura (who somehow found out about what I planned on doing) all deflated, "It just… seemed too early."

"Maybe throwing in some Altean customs will help," Allura smiled.

"If it's anything like Coran tried to show me, then you shouldn't," Pidge pipped up, "Well, at least for the 'courting vestments' he showed me."

"What about that promise ribbon you were telling me about?" Shiro asked Allura, "That seemed like a nice one."

"Promise ribbon?" Keith asked suspiciously, "Why would you be talking to Allura about promise ribbons?"

"Keith, I don't know if you've noticed, but Shiro and Allura like each other," I told him, smiling, "So when they get married, we'll become actual siblings!"

Keith looked a bit horrified at that thought, "How would we become siblings?"

"Because you're Shiro's younger brother," Pidge stated, "We've all known that since day one. Even Lance!"

"We're not even related by blood," Keith seemed put out by what we were saying, like he was denying it.

Hunk also realized, "You can deny it all you want, but you two are brothers," Then he pulled me into a side hug, "Just like me and Lance!"

I laughed, "Yep! Hunk's my brother from another mother! And he's going to be my best man when I finally ask Emily."

Hunk teared up and pulled me into a tighter hug, "I gladly accept!" He sniffed, "It's going to be beautiful to watch!"

"Hunk, you may want to put Lance down," Allura gently placed a hand on his arm, "He still needs to breathe."

I gulped in small lungful's of air just as Coran and Romelle entered, "The Altean has woken up," Coran reported, but we could all tell that he didn't have any good news to share. The next day, Allura and I were saying goodbye to our family just before lift off as Emily was doing the same with hers. No one knew, but I brought the rings with us, just in case.

The first few days were filled with training, getting used to the Atlas, and figuring out where everything was. It became routine for me to check in on everyone, make sure Keith and Shiro rest, taste test foods Hunk tries while helping him make them and relax, making sure Pidge takes care of herself so she doesn't work herself into the ground (luckily her parents really help her with that so I don't have to worry too much, but sometimes they get lost in their work so I take care of all of them (they still don't know I'm the one who does it)). Most of the day I spend in the med bay or training if I can't help with anything or am just getting in the way. Most of the workers in the infirmary don't mind me being there since I make them smile and I know when to be serious, "Lance?" One asked me a few days after lift off, "Would you mind distracting Doctor Emily? She's been working a little too hard lately."

I smiled, knowing that they just wanted some fun on a slow day, but I nodded seriously, "That sounds very bad. I'll go do something right away."

The worker laughed as I marched into Emily's office, "Hey Lance," She greeted, not looking up, "What's up?"

"I've heard that you've been working too hard," Her head shot up in shock as I stood in front of her desk, "So, I've been sent to help with that."

"I just barely started looking over this!" She defended, "And that was after an hour break with you!"

"Emily, you've been in here for three hours," I pointed to the clock she hadn't looked at yet.

She looked at it shocked, "Ok, so maybe I've been working too hard," She admitted, "But I do need to test this out," She showed me the paper, "Do you want to help? If this works, Shiro's arm will work a lot better."

"What's wrong with his arm?" Nothing really made sense on the paper, but I got the jist of it.

"He keeps saying that it glitches out sometimes," She shrugged and smiled, looking at me hopefully, "So, do you want to help?"

"What do you need?" I smiled and we left to go into the main area just to grab a few things, then go into a private lab.

We worked for about thirty minutes and I didn't think anything would go wrong, but things don't go as we want. Just one shock to Emily and I forgot how to breathe. The next one brought me back to the blackness when I died… I actually think I died again after that moment.

-Emily's P.O.V.-

It was fun working with Lance, even if he didn't put any of the pieces together. He made sure I was putting the right ones in the correct places, "No, that goes here," He would say and guide me to the correct place.

I would just smile, "Thanks," And put it in the correct place. Since he was looking at the blueprints a lot more than I was, I trusted him to know what went where.

We had been there for about thirty minutes when it happened. There was a knock on the door and my hand slipped, shocking me slightly, "Doctor Emily?" Brett, a co-worker of mine said, "The weekly reports are on your desk for when you have time to go over them."

"Thank you Brett," I nodded as he left, closing the door again. I turned back around to a horrifying sight. Lance was completely still, "Lance?" I asked tentatively, scared that something had happened to him while training and had been hiding it, "Are you alright?"

He wasn't even breathing, just frozen in place. I set the part down on the table a bit too close to the device, gaining another shock, but that wasn't all that happened, "Lance!" He dropped to the ground, lifeless, "Lance, what's wrong?" I lightly shook him, but nothing happened. It took just a second after that for me to slip into what Lance calls 'Doctor Mode', "Brett!"

He burst into the room, "What's wrong?"

I cleared the table, ignoring the semi expensive parts I was working with crashing onto the ground, "Help me get him onto the table, then tell the other Paladins including Shiro! Somethings wrong!"

He quickly helped me lift Lance to the table and ran out of the infirmary, gaining a lot of attention, but the door closed behind him so no one came in to see what was going on. Working quickly, I set him up to a heart monitor, took his blood pressure, checked his breathing rate, and even checked his blood sugars. Nothing was wrong with him, except for his breathing (which was quickly rectified with an oxygen mask). The paladins arrived sooner than I thought they would and ignored all of my co-workers, "What's going on?!" Hunk freaked out, then freaked out even more when he saw the still Lance, "Lance! What happened?"

"I don't know," I admitted, "He was helping me when he just stopped moving!" I was freaking out as well, but keeping a clear head, "Then he collapsed and everything's turning out normal except for his breathing!"

Lance's lips were turning blue from lack of oxygen, which was worrying, "Is there anything you can do to figure out what's wrong in the next dobosh?" Allura asked, worried.

There weren't all that many options, "Everything else will take a bit longer," I answered honestly, "It could be brain damage."

Pidge looked terrified at that thought as Shiro brought her closer to him in a hug, "Do we have anything that could help him breathe?" He asked.

Keith beat me to it, storming right next to me, angry, "There has to be something you can do!" His fist was brought down to the table, shaking everything on it including Lance.

I was actually lucky that he did it because I noticed something. It barely happened for a second, but Lance started to breathe. So, knowing what to do, I pushed Keith out of the way while 'asking', "Move!" And gently pressed on Lance's chest.

He still didn't breathe, so I pressed harder, "What are you doing?" Pidge asked, curious.

The others were probably just too scared to ask me what I was doing, "I'm forcing him to breathe without a ventilator," I answered, "But I don't think I'm strong enough."

"Keith," Shiro looked at him.

Keith just shook his head, "Your arm will be stronger."

When Shiro opened his mouth for a comeback, I dragged him over and placed his metal arm on Lance's chest, "Press down. Now," He did, but it wasn't hard enough and we were running out of time, "Shiro," He looked at me, a bit scared, "Do it harder. Much harder."

Shiro nodded, but closed his eyes as he lifted his hand slightly to push harder on Lance's chest. It was definitely going to bruise, but it was worth it. Especially when, a second later, Lance took a shuddering breath and started to actually breathe, "How did you know that would work?" Hunk asked as I kept my eyes on Lance, making sure he kept breathing.

"Keith," I answered, "He started to breathe again when he hit the table so I figured that he just needed a little push."

No one said anything for a moment, then Pidge asked, "So, what exactly happened?"

"We were working on an project," I frowned, trying to figure out how this happened myself, "When one of my co-workers came in to tell me about some reports that I still need to look over, but he left soon after," Keith started picking up the broken parts that were on the floor, "After he left Lance wasn't moving, so I set the part I was using down."

"Were you shocked?" Allura asked.

Shiro frowned, "What does that have to do with this?"

There has to be a reason she asked, "I was shocked when he came in and when I set the part down. Why?"

Allura didn't answer right away, but Keith was impatient, "Allura, what aren't you telling us?"

"Lance didn't want me to tell, as he didn't want anyone to worry," She started nervously, "But something happened. It was during the shield incident."

"Shield incident?" I asked, not having heard about that yet.

Hunk nodded, "When we thought Lotor was a good guy, we helped a Galra base repair a shield that had broken. Did something happen to Lance that caused him to stop responding?" Everyone turned to Allura.

Which caused no one to notice that Lance had woken up, "As you know, the broken plate shortened out," Allura answered, "Lance noticed something wrong and pushed me out of the way… He…"

"I died," Everyone quickly turned to Lance, who's eyes were open and mostly just concentrating on breathing, "But Allura brought me back to life."

Everyone was staring at him in shock, but I was the first to move, pulling him into a hug and not planning on letting go any time soon, "H-How is that possible?" Keith asked, turning to look at Allura.

"Honestly, it wouldn't have worked if Lance and I both were not connected to Blue," Allura admitted, "If not then it would have been a life for a life. Blue sent quintessence through me into Lance so he could live."

No one moved, then Hunk charged forward and gave Lance a light hug, like he was scared to hurt him further. Then Pidge joined in on it and Allura dragged Shiro and Keith into it as well. When they finally let him go, I adjusted the oxygen mask so it wasn't crooked yet, "You're stuck on bed rest for the rest of the day, but I'll let you go back to your room for the night and don't move that mask. You need it for a few hours just in case."

He nodded, leaning a bit more against me, "Why didn't you tell us you died?" Hunk asked, "That's something we need to know!"

I was probably the only one who knew the reason, which I thought we had resolved. Actually, I know it was resolved before he disappeared, but our fight could have brought some things back and there are probably things that happened in space that pushed it along, "If he doesn't tell you, I will," Allura promised, "But we should probably let Lance rest for now."

Hunk didn't like that idea at all, "What if something happens again?"

"Then you'll be the first to know," I promised, "I'm not going to leave to make sure there aren't any side effects from the lack of oxygen."

Since Hunk trusted me, he left with the others, but not before Keith stated, "Tell all of us if something changes."

"I will," I waited until they left the infirmary to help Lance to his feet, "Come on. Let's get you somewhere more comfortable."

He followed without complaint, but was shocked when I sat next to him, "Don't you have to look over the weekly report?" He asked.

I wrapped an arm around his shoulders, "There's nowhere else I need to be, then right here," He turned a bit red, "Now, why don't you feel like you matter?"

"You always could see right through me," He mumbled, but didn't sound like he minded all that much.

"Lance," He was avoiding the question, "No one else is here and no one will come in or listen in on us. Why did your thoughts return?"

He leaned against me, resting his head on my shoulder, "It started when Blue shut me out and I became the Paladin of Red. I was once again a replacement for Keith," And it only went downhill from there.

They left him on his own as everyone was doing their own thing and he took care of them. They also didn't check to see how he was doing which was their first mistake. When 'Shiro' was back, it got worse since apparently he was a target for most of the clone's anger and no one said anything about it. He figured later that it was because he was suspicious that it wasn't really Shiro and he turned out to be right. Then he died. That was probably the biggest one that jump started his thoughts again because no one asked him how he was doing, not even Allura who turned out to be the only one who knew about it. When the team kept doing their own things, unintentionally ignoring him, it became clear that the thoughts would come back.

Garfle Warfle Snick was another mistake, especially since no one stood up for him when Bob called him dumb, didn't call Pidge out on attacking Bob, and clearly expressed their disappointment in Lance for not remembering everyone's name. I was really mad when they didn't check on his well-being after being in a tub of acid that was slowly eating away at him (it got worse when I looked and noticed some burns that scared, badly, from it). Getting stranded in space with no food and water along with a limited supply of oxygen afterwards didn't help all that much. But they seemed to be getting better at including everyone.

The biggest thing that they shouldn't have ever done was ignore him and call him names. He wasn't stupid (can't get into the Garrison if you were) and yes he sometimes mixed his words up in English as it wasn't his first language and he started learning it when he was fourteen. I honestly really wanted to lecture all of them about their past actions right then and there, but Lance had fallen asleep soon after he told me everything and I didn't want to move. I had too soon though since I couldn't just stop working, "Just tell me if anything is wrong alright?" I asked my co-workers once more since I had to work in my office for an hour or so, "I want to make sure nothing happens to him or anyone on this ship."

"You got it Captain," Taylor saluted with a smile.

I rolled my eyes and quickly got to work. The faster I was done, the faster I could be with Lance.

-Lance's P.O.V.-

No one really liked leaving me alone for a while after the 'panic attack' that I had. We didn't actually know what to call it since my body just shut down, but we figured that it was as good a name as any. The day after, no one let me do anything. They kept me in bed and if I was able to leave, they dragged me right back to it less than five minutes later. It actually wasn't because of the panic attack though. If someone on the team has one, we spend the night with them and make sure they take it easy the next day while reassuring them that they are safe and we'd be there for them when they aren't.

They were scared that I had actually died. Not even Shiro's done that! Well, we don't think so at least since his soul was preserved in the Black Lion and he just needed a body to come back, we're not actually sure on that one. Surprisingly, Emily was the one to save me, "Please," I pleaded with the team once more, not used to sitting this long since we were in space, "Just let me walk around!"

Hunk, my very best friend and the one on the team keeping me in bed the most, shook his head, "I'm not letting you leave yet. You died and didn't tell us!"

Yeah, I felt bad because everyone else is now really worried that it may have caused lasting damage that I've been hiding, but it hasn't! So, I listen and do what they ask so they can calm down faster… hopefully, "Hunk," Emily finally came into the room after a long day in the infirmary, "Lance needs to walk some today. It's not good for him to be stuck in bed all day."

She helped me stand up as Hunk started to worry, "But what if something happens again?! There could be another shock and we could be too late to bring him back! He completely shut down just seeing or hearing a shock! Granted, you didn't mean to, but still!"

"Hunk," I placed a hand on his shoulder, "I'm not going to die if I have anything to say about it. And now we know what to look out for. I just need to make sure to be careful around machinery that may shock someone."

Hunk frowned, "I'm not letting you into the labs for a few days," He finally said, "And after that, you're not coming close for at least a week."

I chuckled, "Totally, but that means we need to have daily game nights," We were able to bring a few video games with us on the Atlas, but we weren't able to play them much, "Or have movie nights."

"I'll tell everyone for tonight!" Then he was gone.

Emily smiled and started pushing me out the door, "That should be plenty of time for a walk."

I just smiled, our hands intertwining, "Where are we going?"

She smirked, "Where no one has gone before!"

"To infinity and beyond!"

We talked, teased, and just had fun alone together as we walked along the empty halls of the Atlas. There were actually a lot more of those than I thought there would be. Eventually, it became a daily thing so we could catch up with each other and not have to worry about the other Paladins barging in on us during our alone time. Allura did it the most, wanting to know who I was courting and usually Shiro was with her. That also meant I spent a lot of time in the infirmary with her, "Why can't Slav just be more straightforward?!" She barged into my room, angry.

She had spent the entire day with Slav just to make sure Shiro's arm was working and that there wasn't, "A 99.99% chance that it'll break when it's needed most!" By Slav's standards.

"Do you want something else to work on?" I asked, remembering something very important that I wanted to give her already.

Emily just curled up on my bed next to me and wrapped me in a hug, "Please. If I have to spend another day with Slav and hear about how things will go wrong if I don't do some stupid thing I'm going to loose my mind!" She pouted as I stood up and walked to the drawers, but didn't get up, "The only thing I can do is pester every species on this ship about how their anatomy works, but most don't know!"

I just grabbed the data pad I was able to save from the Castle, "Actually, you can," I handed her the data pad, "This is a data pad from the Castle of Lions that has the anatomy of every alien that was in their logs."

She quickly turned it on and looked through everything on it, smiling wider and wider the more she saw. Finally, she tackled me in a hug after placing the data pad on the bed, "Thank you! Oh! This is going to keep me busy for days!"

Before she could actually start reading, I kept it out of her reach, "You can start tomorrow. Right now you need to get some dinner and sleep. So, get ready for bed and I'll bring you some dinner after I check on the Holts and the other Paladins."

Emily crossed her arms, but agreed, "Fine, but don't take too long. We haven't been able to talk to each other much today and I want to know everything you did."

"I won't be, promise," After another quick hug and kiss, we went our separate ways to hopefully get some sleep that night.

The next day we 'freed' another Galra base, but I had to leave with the other Paladins to look at other things and we separated for the rest of the day. What I didn't like was that we had to leave shortly after, but I was able to give her a special, long-distance com that no one knew I had kept from the Castle. It came in handy when we were trapped on a planet, "Wait," I slowly dug around in my pocket as we walked, trying to keep the bounty hunters off our tail, "There might be a way we can contact the Atlas."

"How?" Hunk asked, "We could have used one of the Castle's long-distant coms, but we don't have any."

"You snuck one out when we were grabbing things," Pidge stated once she saw the communicator.

"You gave the other one to Emily, didn't you?" Allura smiled.

I nodded, taking my helmet off, "I'll put it back on soon, promise," Then I turned the com on, "Emily? Are you there?"

Almost immediately, she answered, "Here. What's wrong? Also, why are you guys going to be late? Even if there were a few problems with the lions, Hunk, Pidge and Allura would have them running in no time. Especially since you can travel who knows how fast in Voltron."

"Emily, I need you to tell Shiro that we're in need of a little help. The lions are pinned down and someone's hacked our coms so we can't communicate with the Atlas."

"How are these working?" We could hear her moving through the Atlas.

"Simple," Pidge smiled, "These are working on their own frequency that keeps changing every dobosh so no one is able to keep a hack."

"I love these things."

A dobosh later, Shiro was on the com, "Where are you guys?"

Keith answered through his helmet, sounding a bit muffled to Shiro, but got the message through. He also told them the plan, "Are you kidding me?!" Emily yelled, "If we get there too late then you could all die!"

"We won't get there too late," Shiro stated.

I couldn't help but joke once more, "Space Dad to the rescue!"

Shiro was definitely blushing from embarrassment as the others cracked grins. Veronica and Coran weren't holding their laughter back, "Just don't turn the Atlas into another Voltron unless it's needed, alright Space Dad?" Pidge asked.

That made all of us laugh, "Alright," Keith was the first one to turn serious again, "Let's get started."

The Atlas arrived just in time for me since I never actually put my helmet back on when I pulled out the communicator. Needless to say, I wasn't the only one who was suffering from oxygen deprivation, "If you even think of touching that in the next day then I'm going to lock you in an oxygen room for two days!" Emily yelled at Keith when he tried to take the oxygen mask off for the fourth time.

Keith wasn't that happy about it, "I don't need it!" He protested, clearly not liking being stuck in bed.

Emily just crossed her arms, "Don't care. You're having that there for at least another few hours, then you'll just be on bed rest… maybe. Depends on how you react when we take the mask off."

"I wouldn't go against her Keith," I tried to advise him, not even bothering with it, "Emily is going to make sure we're at a hundred percent before we leave the infirmary."

Hunk nodded, "I remember one time when I was sick. Emily didn't let me out of bed until she was sure I was better."

"When did that happen?" Allura asked, curious.

"About a week after I introduced them to each other," I shrugged.

"It's what makes her a great doctor," Pidge agreed absentmindedly, typing on her computer which she was allowed to have.

Allura, Hunk and Pidge only had to have the oxygen masks for about a varga before Emily let them take them off and just rest in bed. That didn't include not doing any work. If they could do it from the bed, she'd let them. Probably because she was concentrating more on Keith and I, "I don't like it when people are sick," Emily admitted.

Knowing where this could go, I opened my arms, "Emily~ I need help!" I 'protested', "I need someone to cuddle with."

Emily just rolled her eyes, but lifted the bed slightly before letting me hug her, "You're so needy sometimes… I like it."

Pidge gagged, "Can't you wait until you're in your own room?"

"Since you're all stuck in here for another few vargas at least, I don't think they will," Shiro stated as he finally entered the room.

Shiro had really wanted to check on the team right as soon as we were on board, but he had to take care of the pirates that were going after the team which turned out to be Zethrid and Ezor. I just smiled, "Of course we won't. This is a vital part of my recovery!"

"So, who are we supposed to cuddle with then?" Hunk asked.

"Pidge should cuddle with her family and all of you guys should cuddle with your significant other," Emily answered easily.

Everyone turned a little red except for Keith, "I don't have a significant other," He answered.

"Kosmo's your cuddling buddy," I smiled, "Or your mom. Shiro's already taken by Allura."

"Hey, Lance?" Pidge asked after a moment of silence, "Why did you divert the conversation from people being sick?"

The entire team knew me well enough to know that if something was a touchy or hard subject for someone to talk about, then I would change the conversation. Make sure that they didn't talk about it until they were ready, "It's because I don't like seeing people sick," Emily answered, actually talking about it with more than just me, "My parents both died when I was young and I had to be taken care of by my grandparents. They both kept on getting sick and I was the one who always took care of them until Lance found out and he started to help. It's what gave me a desire to become a doctor."

"They're alive though," Hunk pointed out as Coran came in and checked on Allura and I quietly, "I saw you hugging them before we left."

Emily just turned a bit more towards me as I tightened my arm around her, "Both her parents died from cancer. They were really sick and just kept on getting worse until they died."

No one said anything, Allura and Coran knew what we were talking about since there was one cancer patient when we were at the Garrison, "I was with her as much as I could be, but she watched them take their last breaths," I finished.

No one complained about everything she did for them after that.

A few days after we reunited with the Atlas, Emily and I went on a walk around the ship. I finally asked her about it, "Have the nightmares come back?" I asked first.

She didn't bother to lie about this, "Yeah, but… they're different."

We stopped walking, "Different how?"

Emily looked like she was about to cry and I regretted asking anything, "You die too," She choked out and I wrapped her in a hug, "I watch my parents and grandparents die, but then you die too. You're flying around in Red when a huge jolt of electricity goes through you and you…"

Instead of letting her finish, I tightened the hug, "I'm sorry you saw that. I wish I could do something about it."

I felt her hug me back, "Just seeing you alive when I wake up is enough for me."

"Hey!" Someone whisper-shouted, "It was just getting good!"

"That's private stuff!" Someone else answered.

We both turned to see a boot disappearing behind a turn in the corridor, "Let's take this conversation to a more private place, shall we?"

I smiled, "Well, the way I see this conversation going is a cuddle session."

She rolled her eyes but didn't deny it.

The second I heard about Clear Day, I quickly found Emily, "Hey sweetie~" I sing-songed as I walked into her office.

She smiled as she pretended to be annoyed, "Yes Lance? What is it?"

"Well, I was wondering if you wanted to go on a date with me," She blinked in shock, "We're going to a planet that's holding a festival so I was thinking we could go together."

Neither of us moved for a moment and I thought she was about to say no, but she tackled me in a hug instead, "It sounds perfect," She gave me a quick kiss, then let me go, "How long until we arrive?"

"A varga- Uh, one hour," I corrected myself, knowing that she still didn't have a handle on other time terminology.

She glared at me lightly, "That's barely enough time to get ready! Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I just learned about it myself!" I protested, "And I have to go in my paladin armor so I can't dress up."

"That's alright," She smiled as she walked out of the room, "You look very handsome in it anyway."

I was a blushing mess as she left the room and there were many cat calls directed towards me as I left the room. Then I joined up with the rest of the team, "So, did you ask her already?" Hunk asked as soon as I entered.

"Yeah, I did. She's getting ready right now."

"You're going on a date with your girlfriend?" Pidge asked, smirking.

"Who else would I go with? Allura already told me that she's staying here. She said she wasn't feeling well so she's going to get some rest."

Shiro frowned, "I'm going to go check on her, just in case," Then he was gone.

Pidge and Hunk smirked at each other, "Wanna go watch him flounder around?" Pidge asked him.

Hunk nodded, "Definitely," Then they left as well.

Keith sort of looked like he wanted to bang his head against a table, "We're supposed to be planning. We're going there to protect them, not have fun."

"Aw!" I gave him a side hug and smiled as wide as I could, "Come on Keith! Lighten up! We can do both!" Then I started out of the room, "See you before we land!"

Since I couldn't go to Emily's room (Shiro's orders, but she could come to mine because there was an emergency camera that turned on when someone came in and I was asleep or didn't let them in. That was put in for all of the Paladins just to be safe) we met in the hangar. Keith was the first one to see her, "Lance, how did you get her to say yes?"

Wondering what he was talking about, I turned to see Emily walking in and I couldn't look away. She had on a blue summer dress that matched the blue on my armor while her hair was done in one big curl that came over her right shoulder. Somehow, she was able to find light blue eyeshadow and pink lipstick as well and had on heeled sandal shoes so we were now the same height, "He's speechless!" Pidge whispered loudly, "Quick! Someone take a picture!"

I was blushing by the time she reached me and grabbed my hand, "So, what do you think?" She asked, smiling.

There wasn't anything I could think of to say, "Lance?" Hunk came over and poked my cheek, "Are you alright?"

That's when I got my voice back, "You look absolutely perfect," I whispered.

Emily blushed, "Thank you and just like I told you, you look very handsome in your armor," My entire face was red at that.

Shiro burst into the room, "Alright, everyone in the ships! We're going planet side!" Emily and I got onto Red and followed the others onto the ground.

After receiving our complimentary tokens, Emily and I ran away from the others, then slowed to a walk to see everything around us. In the end, she beat me at ring toss and got a Blue Lion for Allura, "That game was rigged!" I protested as we started looking for another game to play.

Emily just laughed, "Of course. But you know I've always had better aim with things that aren't a gun or bow and arrow. Still surprised that you haven't told your team that yet."

"I usually used a gun and it was never brought up," I shrugged, "Anyway, what game shall we play now?"

"We only have three tokens left," She reminded me, "We can't do all that much with them."

I frowned for a moment, then beamed, "I know how to get more!"

"You do?!"

"If they take gak, then yes!" I showed her a bag full of gak that I had, "I saved it all in case I found something for you or if we ever went on a date out here."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" She smiled and started pulling me away, "Let's get some more tokens!"

With how many tokens we got (and not even using half of the gak I had) we had a mountain of tickets that we traded in, "So, what can we get for this many tickets?" I asked the girl at the ticket booth.

She looked at the pile, bored, "Anything you want. Probably two things if you did it right."

Looking around, we found the most expensive prize there and both agreed to get it. It was a white necklace that was made out of the same stuff as the Paladin armor with a heart pendant hanging on it also made of the same material. There was a heart shaped Balmeran crystal in the middle of said heart and we quickly found out that it was a locket, "We could have gotten something else," Emily protested as we walked around, hand in hand, "We didn't need to get this."

"Did you want it?" I asked, smiling.

"Well, yeah," She admitted, "But that doesn't mean we should get it."

"We had enough tickets and you wanted it. Reason enough for me."

She stopped me by giving me a hug, "Thank you. I'll always treasure it."

Noticing a picture booth, I pointed, "Want to fill that locket right now?"

After the picture, we met up with the rest of my team and found Shiro in an arm wrestling competition. All of us were yelling encouragement, "I didn't realize she could be this crazy," Pidge told me when I was catching my breath, "It doesn't seem like her."

I just smiled wider as Emily screamed, "Give it everything you've got Shiro!"

Intertwining our hands, I answered Pidge, "There's a lot that doesn't seem to be like her, but it is. It's what makes her perfect," Then I started cheering for Shiro once again.

All of our moods were ruined when we got back to the ship.

Things were going downhill fast. First, Allura put the entity inside herself, then we tracked Honerva through her mind. When we got back we came up with a plan while Allura rested in the infirmary. When we finally got a plan, I opened portals while Allura joined everyone else because they wanted to keep an eye on her. In the end we ended up at the heart of all realities and Allura was planning on giving her life with Honerva to save everything, "No," I stated, "You can't die here. Not after everything we've all been through. Emily wants you to be her maid of honor at our wedding."

Allura smiled, "So, you've asked her?"

"No, but we both know it's going to happen," I smiled sadly, "But you're not dying here."

"There is no other way."

"No," Honerva surprised all of us, "There may be another way, one where both of you live."

"How?" Pidge asked.

She looked at me, "He is as powerful as you," She turned to face Allura, "Even untrained as he is, he can still help."

"I'll do it," I stated, "If there's another way, I'll do anything I can."

"We must hurry," Allura warned, "Or we may be too late."

I nodded, "Hey Hunk?" I asked as we started to walk away, "If something goes wrong, give it to Emily for me."

Before he could say anything the world turned white and they disappeared.

-Emily's P.O.V.-

I didn't think anything went wrong. The Atlas did take a lot of hits, but everything seemed to be fine. Until the paladins barged into the infirmary, carrying two familiar people, "What happened?" Brett asked, being the first to see them.

"They saved all realities," Hunk answered as I came out of my office.

Pidge continued, "Allura just needs to rest, but we don't know how bad Lance is hurt."

"How do you know about Allura?" James asked.

"Our suits report any and all injuries, including exhaustion or sleep deprivation," Keith answered as I slowly pushed my way forward, "It's how we were able to take care of everyone when we were alone in space."

"Sadly, the suits only connect to technology in the Castle and nowhere else," Coran added, coming in, "We've been trying to work on that, but nothing has worked so far."

"Emily," Shiro placed a hand on my shoulder, "Are you prepared to see him like this?"

I glared lightly, "I don't care what he looks like. If I can save him then I will," Then I pushed past him to see Allura and Lance laying on infirmary beds, unconscious.

Hearing what Coran had told me, I pulled out the data pad Lance had given me and pulled up their stats, "How did you get that?" Coran asked, recognizing the technology.

"Lance," I answered, then got to work, "Alright, Jamie, get an oxygen mask on Allura, she needs the help breathing."

"Got it!" Jamie got to work.

"Brett, get the burn cream and bandages. James, get Lance's armor off of his torso and arms. Lillie, get some water and cloths," I ordered, transferring the data on the pad to the screen above the bed, "Paladins, Coran, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. We're going to need all the space we can get."

They luckily understood and didn't put up a fight, but Coran… "Would you mind if I helped Miss Emily? I can do many things that could be beneficial."

I just nodded, "Help James get Lance's armor off and into shorts or sweats," I pointed to the cabinet filled with them just in case, "His legs are fine, but his chest, arms and back are going to need a lot of help," Then I left to find an oxygen tank and mask for him since he too was having a hard time breathing.

We worked for an hour, taking care to thoroughly clean all of his burns and bandage them as carefully as possible. I didn't know what I was more worried about, him not responding to anything we did or him not waking up. When I was done with Lance, I checked on Allura just to make sure she would only need rest, "Is he going to be alright?" Hunk asked as soon as I walked out.

I nodded, "Coran's watching over them for now, but they will both be fine. Although, no one can visit Lance yet. His burns were some of the worst I've seen and I don't want them to get infected."

"Can we at least visit Allura?" Shiro asked.

I smiled, "Of course. When she wakes up then she'll be able to leave, but will be on bedrest."

"Wait, aren't Allura and Lance in the same room?" Pidge asked.

"They are, but Lance is in a separate corner. You can see him, but you won't be able to go close. He's already at high risk for infection and we're going to try and avoid that as much as possible."

"So," Hunk asked, wiping away some tears, "They're both going to be alright?"

"Yes Hunk, they're both going to be just fine."

If only that was the case. Instead, Allura was able to leave the infirmary within the week, but was on bed rest for another two and Lance… got worse. Despite our best efforts, his burns got infected. Badly. Now, there was an entire room quarantined that only a few people could enter. I was glad that I was one of those few, but I could only go in if I needed to do something, "Hold him down," I told Brett, once again having to clean his burns and try to stop the infection from growing.

Brett did so, but wasn't happy about it. None of us were honestly, but it had to be done, "Is it getting better or worse Doctor Emily?"

I looked at it, then at his stats and sighed, "Honestly, it may be getting worse."

And it was. Now, I barely left the infirmary, sitting and watching Lance breathe. Hunk, being who he was, brought me every meal and sat with me every once in a while. It's like he knew when I needed the company, but he always asked me one question, "How's Lance doing?"

And every day he would receive the same answer, "No improvement," Which was good and bad. Good because he wasn't getting worse, but bad because he wasn't getting better.

After about a week of the same routine with the others coming in to check on Lance and me daily at random times, Hunk went off script, "Do you think he's ever going to recover?"

I sighed, "I don't know. I'm doing everything I can to help him, but I don't know if it will matter in the end."

I picked at the plate he had brought me for lunch as he fiddled with something in his pocket, "I don't know if he would want me to give this to you now, but…" He pulled out a box from his pocket and handed it to me, "He wanted me to give you this if anything went wrong," Then he walked away.

The box was a simple jewelry box and was too big for a ring. So, I opened it to see what was inside and nearly dropped it. Inside were two silver rings, one slimmer than the other. The slimmer one had an aquamarine gemstone in the shape of a heart with a silver outline around it. The thicker one had a smaller aquamarine gemstone also in the shape of a heart, but it was embedded into the ring. Then I looked inside them and saw an inscription that read, 'Never again will we leave things unsaid'. There were also two blue ribbons circled around the rings with the same words stitched into them, but in white.

Closing the box, I couldn't hold back the tears. Now more than ever, I wanted him to wake up. He still needs to ask me in person, but it doesn't matter how long he takes. I already know my answer.

Lance started to improve midway through the second week. He even woke up! He wasn't coherent and wouldn't remember it, but he still woke up! Everyone's hopes grew a lot at that. It helped when the colony of Alteans believed us and agreed to go back to the new Altea. The trip back was a lot quicker then the trip there because we found someone who could create wormholes that go that far. Allura can still create wormholes, but they don't go nearly as far as they used to. We were about to land and I was checking on Lance when he woke up for real, "Emily?" He croaked, causing me to whirl around and see him looking at me, still exhausted, "Wha-" He broke out into a coughing fit.

I helped him calm down and drink a bit of water, "Don't talk. You haven't been able to use your voice for a while."

"How… long?" He croaked out.

"A while. Long enough to start back towards New Altea with the colony of Alteans Lotor had hidden from the universe."

He blinked, "What?"

"I'll explain more of that later, when you're more awake," I ran my fingers through his hair, "I… wanted to talk to you about something first."

"What did you want to talk about?" He sounded scared.

"Hunk gave this to me," I handed him the box I always carried around, but never put on the jewelry inside, "I figured you would want to give it to me when you're ready."

He slowly lifted the box to see what it was, then smiled, "Don't worry," He yawned, putting his arm back down, "Soon, you'll get to choose if this ring is on your finger," Then he was asleep once more.

After gently taking the box away from him and placing it on the bedside table next to him, I went to tell the others of the good news.

He was out of bed by the time we reached Altea once again, but he wasn't able to move that fast… or that much. And since he was able to actually move, the entire crew decided to stay and help the Alteans start building a city for them to call home on New Altea. My time was mainly spent with Lance and helping him with some physical therapy on his arms and torso since the burns had healed, but he hadn't moved them in a while. It was painful, but he made it through and was able to help out for a week in rebuilding Altea. Then came another choice, "Most of us are planning on returning to Earth," Shiro stated a day before we were scheduled to return, "But some of you expressed interest to stay on Altea and help."

Allura stood and joined Shiro, "Those of you who will join me in helping the New Altea will be taken care of and will be able to freely visit Earth whenever they want. We are leaving the decision up to you, just tell Keith or Pidge and they will get everything settled."

A hand rose, "Will we be able to contact our families if we stay here?"

"Not for another week," Shiro admitted, "But once the communications are up and running then you will be able to use them freely."

When no one else said anything, Allura spoke up once more, "You are under no obligation to stay and help. I will not fault you for wanting to go home to your families, but any help will be greatly appreciated."

Lance leaned over and whisper-asked, "Are you planning on staying?"

I smiled and whispered back, "There have been ten injuries in the past five days that I've had to take care of. Of course I'm staying."

"Awesome! Maybe we'll be able to work together."

"You're dismissed," Shiro stated and everyone started talking out loud once more.

About half of the crew decided to stay on New Altea with the Paladins to help build up their community, but only at the promise that they would be able to tell their families before the Atlas left the atmosphere and wormholed back to Earth, "Since we have today free," Lance came up to me with a beaming smile, "Wanna go out?"

"Of course!" I grabbed his hand and started leading him away as he laughed.

As time went on, we both got busier and busier. Lance ended up running the planet more and more as Allura went off to explore, needing more and more time to just relax since Shiro was gone and she realized something (she didn't tell either of us though), but he always made time for me every day. There were multiple days where I didn't think he would make it, but he showed up out of the blew with a bouquet of flowers to whisk me off somewhere. I didn't really mind either though, since I was getting busier and busier myself. I sort of became all Alteans doctors with Coran as my assistant. Neither of us have figured that one out yet. We even got time off to visit our families back on Earth or they came to visit us (although that's only happened once so far). Life was going great until it suddenly… wasn't, "She must be buying him off," An Altean girl 'whispered' as I walked through the town, "There's no way the Prince would go for someone like her!"

"I know!" Her friend whispered, "He's of royal blood and would only go after the best! An Altean."

Yeah, not many Alteans agreed about Lance courting me. Most thought that he should be with them, but they never said it when he was around (trying to get on his good side no doubt) and there were plenty of times where they tried to break us up already. All attempts have failed and actually brought us closer together. Like one time when someone 'accidently' slipped a food I was highly allergic to into my meal. No one saw Lance for a week afterwards because he was taking care of me the entire time. It also helps that whenever there's a celebration, festival or parade going on we go together. This includes banquets, dinner parties and just visiting a new town that's finally finished being built. But the voices don't stop at a new place, "The Prince must be blind to not see me," A girl who was obviously at the top of the social ladder said, "We'd be perfect together!"

"He just needs to get his head on straight," Another whispered, "Then he'll see how many potential suitors are in this town!"

"Honestly," The last one in that little group answered, "How and why did he ever agree to go out with trash like her?"

"What is wrong with her ears?" The first pointed, "They look atrocious!"

"And where are her marks?" The last criticized, "It's like she's never had any!"

"That's because humans don't have them," The second one answered, "They don't even have anything special about them."

Another group had different ideas, "The Prince must be under some spell or something to want to go out with a girl like her," The leader said.

"Either that or he's crazy," Her second in command answered, "He plays with the children in every town he visits! That's not normal Royalty behavior."

"Maybe she's using something on him," The last one suggested, "There are many things out there that we still don't know about."

I quickly left after hearing that, not wanting to listen any more. Something Lance already knows is that I also have self esteem issues, but if they come on then it's bad. So, we found a way to keep them in check… until now, "Emily!" Lance beamed and ran straight towards me, "I was looking for you!" Right, there's a dance tonight and because we're not married he always asks me, "I was hoping you could join me tonight for the dance."

"That sounds great, but I can't," I lied, "I've got a lot of work to get done before tomorrow."

"Could I help?" He immediately offered, "Maybe organize the work you have to do so you can do it as quickly as possible and give you everything you need?"

"You still have a meeting with Allura and Coran, remember?" I reminded him, "They wanted to talk to you about something before the Atlas got here for the one year anniversary."

Yep, an entire year has gone by with the whispers that are only said when I'm alone, all the girls trying to get on Lance's good side and taking a break by going to Earth and visiting our families just so they can stop, "It's fine," He walked with me as I started walking away, "I can always reschedule!"

"You've already done that five times," I recalled, opening the door to my office, "And it starts in three minutes. You can't be late," Then I closed the door on him, locking it for good measure.

He still called through the door, "Okay, but if you need anything, just tell me alright?"

"I will!" I tried to sound cheery, but he knew me. Lance knew something was wrong and was going to try and give me time so I could tell him in my own time. I wasn't going to this time.

Although, he's given me a month already and he's gone alone to every event in that time. He's getting depressed, I know he is, but I can't stand knowing that the people think of him like that. Plus, they were right. Lance is an Altean Prince! I'm just a girl from Earth with no special standing. It came to head when he came to tell me the news Allura and Coran wanted to tell him, "They want to make me King!" He freaked out, "Why would they think that's a good idea?! Allura's been groomed for this her entire life! I don't even know what I'm doing!"

"Lance, you'll be fine," I smiled supportively, "Just look at everything you're doing now! You're bacily a King already."

"Really? I know people don't like the way I do things, but playing with the kids is fun!" He sat down on a chair in my office, "They don't think I should be ruling. They don't even think I should be doing what I am!"

"No, they love you," I frowned, "They think that you'll be perfect for the job."

He didn't say anything for a moment, just watching me, then asked, "Did I do something wrong?"

My head quickly came up so I could look at him, "What?" Where was this coming from?"

He slumped, "It's just… we haven't spent nearly as much time as we used to together. If accepting this is going to push you away then I'm not going to take it. I want you to be happy and I don't like seeing you this way. You're… distant, angry and… sad most of the time. I just wanted to see if it was something that I did."

Well, this is what I've been delaying for the past month, so, I told him, "I think we should break up."

He froze, "What?" I barely heard him.

I just nodded, "We should see other people. It's what's best for both of us. We're just too different."

No yelling, nothing, "Is… is that really what you want?" He asked instead.

I nodded once more, "Yes. It's what I want," No, it really wasn't. I wanted to stay together forever, but the people won't accept him if we actually tie the knot and this way he can do what he loves. Make people happy and (even though he hasn't realized it yet) rule Altea.

"Oh," He slowly stood up and started for the door, "Alright. I… I guess this is goodbye then," And he left.

I was glad he didn't stick around or I would have broken and told him everything that was happening behind his back. It's when I heard whispers, "Did that just happen?" A girl asked.

Then, the girl who'd been going after Lance the most, cheered, "Yes! Come on. I'm going to sweep him off his feet tonight!" And they ran down the hall.

When I was sure I was alone, I crossed my arms, placed my head on them and cried.

-Lance's P.O.V.-

I thought all she needed was time, so I didn't push, but that seemed to make things worse. So I tried to match our schedules so we could spend our free time together. That didn't work either since she always told me that she had extra work to do. I know she didn't, but I was starting to think that she didn't want me around or she regretted staying on Altea with me. I know Allura regrets not going with Shiro on the Atlas, "Lance," She told me one day, "I'm sorry for dumping all of this on you repeatedly. I just didn't realize how much I would miss being up there."

"Allura, it's perfectly fine," I reassured her, smiling, "I like doing this. I get to explore Altea, learn about my actual ancestors and I'm closer to Emily this way!"

"Still," She put a hand on my shoulder, "If things become too much for you, just tell me. I'll help as much as I can."

"Will do!" I smiled, then was dragged away by Coran to another meeting.

Then came the worst day of my entire life, including the day I died. This was worse, "You don't have to answer us right away," Coran tried to ease, "But we would like your answer before the Atlas leaves. Allura would like to go with them as an ambassador!"

"Of course if it's too much then you don't have to accept," Allura added, "We just wanted to know if you would like to take my place, since you can, and you told me before that you enjoy doing it."

They wanted me to become King! ME! Why did they think that would be a good idea? I was awful at this stuff, but I liked doing it because it made people happy! Plus, this wouldn't just affect me, "Can I think about it for a few days?"

"Of course, just give us the answer when you've made your decision," Coran told me once more then let me leave.

I… tried to talk it over with Emily since this would affect her as well. We were dating and hopefully to be more. Instead, she dumped me and left me in the hallway with nothing left to say. I wasn't even able to tell if she really wanted this or not, but either way I was now officially single once more. The news must have spread before the dance that night because I couldn't keep some girls off of me, "Will you dance with me?" Minitte asked, the most persistent one of the girls.

"Not right now, but maybe later," I suggested, then walked away.

She didn't let me leave, "Why the rush to leave?" Her smile just screamed obsessiveness, "We can just stay here and talk."

With an increasing headache, I just smiled, "I'm not feeling at my best. Maybe some other time."

"Oh! I can take you back to your room. Make sure you don't pass out on your way to bed," Yeah, not happening!

I got out of her grip, "I'm going to tell my sister, Allura first. Thanks for the offer!" And I got as far away as I could from her.

When I finally knew she couldn't see me or knew where I was in the room, I started looking for Allura or Coran, "Lance!" Coran found me first, "How are you enjoying the party?"

I just gave a small smile, "Actually Coran, I was going to tell you that I'm going to leave early. I think I overdid it today."

Coran frowned, "But you didn't do much today. I know. I made sure you would have plenty of time after we discussed… you know what," No one knew if I was going to accept or not and barely anyone thought it would happen. I still wasn't sure, but I was concerned about other things at the moment, "What happened in that time?"

Allura came up to us and instantly gave me a hug, "I heard Emily broke up with you," She told me when she let me go, hands still on my shoulders, "How are you feeling?"

"Awful," I answered honestly and in more ways than one, "Somehow, every girl on Altea knows about it now and is trying to woo me."

Just because the universe thought they needed to know, another girl came up to us, "Prince Lance," She smiled shyly, "Would you like to dance?"

"Sorry, but I'm not feeling my best," I answered, "Maybe next time?"

"I could walk you to your room if you want. Make sure you make it," She was actually genuinely worried about me, unlike most of the girls I've run into tonight.

I just shook my head and smiled, "I can make it. It's nothing too serious, but I don't want to get worse."

"Oh!" She smiled and walked away, "Well, feel better Prince Lance."

Neither Allura or Coran said anything for a moment, then Allura asked, "Have you been doing that all night?"

I just nodded, "Well," Coran threw his arm across my shoulders and started leading me towards the door, "You should just get to your room and get some sleep! The Atlas is arriving tomorrow!"

"Thanks Coran," I quickly went through the door and walked towards my room.

By the time I got there, my headache had turned into a migraine and I didn't even bother to change out of my formal attire. Instead, I just collapsed onto my bed and thought about the day's events. Eventually falling asleep with tears coming from my eyes.

-Allura's P.O.V.-

We were worried about Lance. He looked much worse than he probably thought last night and didn't come to breakfast. Coran and I decided to let him sleep in (maybe even force him to take the week off) and greet our friends ourselves. Hunk was the first to notice, just as he finished giving Coran and I hugs he asked, "Where's Lance?"

Coran frowned, "He wasn't feeling well last night so we agreed to let him sleep in."

I sighed, "It seems that Emily broke up with him," I told the others and they stared at me with wide eyes, disbelieving, "I wouldn't have believed it either but Lance told us ourselves. We thought we could give him as much time as we could alone so he could get over it."

"I don't think he's going to get over this," Keith stated, "Did you see the way he looked at her?"

"He's never going to want to date anyone ever again," Pidge nodded.

Shiro frowned, wrapping an arm around me in a side hug, "He told me that he was planning on proposing last night."

Hunk nodded, "He already asked me to start thinking about the food I could serve at the reception."

No one said anything, then Coran turned around, "Let's go check on our boy then," And led the way.

It wasn't a good sight. Lance was laying in bed, sweating like crazy, but shivering. Every once in a while he would cough and it looked like he didn't get a single second of sleep, "Lance!" Hunk quickly ran to the bed and checked for a fever, "He's burning up and it's climbing."

"How did it get this bad in just one night?" I asked, a bit scared, "He said it was just a headache."

"Princess," Coran asked warily, "This sounds a lot like…"

I immediately knew what he meant, "No, it couldn't be! That's just a myth! Nothing but a child's tale."

"All stories start from somewhere," Keith said.

Pidge nodded, "What's this one?"

"Well, all Alteans have two people that they will always know will be with them," Coran told, "One as their best friend and the other as their lover. If they find both, but lose the one they love, this happens and eventually they… die."

None of them said anything, "How do you guys know which one is which?" Hunk asked, trying to think of what he could do.

I pointed to my own head, a spot that was close to my ear, "They will both be able to get a reaction if they scratch this spot. The best friend's reaction will help the Altean relax while their lover's reaction will put the Altean to sleep. It only comes into effect if we know so we usually don't let anyone do it. What's wrong?" Hunk turned white.

"The stories are true," Hunk answered after a moment, "Both Emily and I get a reaction when we scratch him right there. I'm his best friend and Emily's…"

No one needed to have him explain further, all of us knew the answer, "Is there a way to help him?" I asked Coran, "Something we can give him to help with the pain?"

Coran shook his head, "I'm afraid not Princess. No one has ever been able to survive this once they've gone this far."

So, not accepting that as an answer, I quickly walked out of the room and towards Emily's office. No one followed me, probably thinking that I was distraught that I would lose all of my family members. Which I was, but I was going to do everything I could to help him survive, "Come in," I heard Emily say tiredly once I'd knocked on the door.

I didn't bother to sit down, "Why did you break up with my brother?"

Emily quickly sat up, wiping the tears from her eyes quickly, "You heard already?"

"Every girl in Altea knows about it by now," How could she not see that? "So, why did you do it?"

Emily slumped in her chair, lookin at the picture of her and Lance on Clear Day, their first date in over four years, "He deserves better. Everywhere I went, everyone was saying that he shouldn't be with me and some even thought I was tricking him into liking me or even using a potion! They don't think I deserve him and their right. I don't. He deserves someone who will help him run the kingdom and treat him like the king he is. Besides, he's a Prince and I'm just a girl from Earth with no promise."

My hands slammed down on her desk, "How could you say that?" She looked at me, nearly dropping the picture, "You have saved countless lives while you've been here on Altea! No one else can learn another species biology in just a few varga and know how to cure most wounds on them! Don't listen to what they say," I pointed out the window to a group of ladies who were most likely gossiping, "Because they don't know you and they just want to be who you are. They are jealous and do not deserve to say what they have about you. Lance loves you and doesn't want anyone else. He just wants you."

Emily muffled a sob that came out, "How can you be so sure?" She whispered, still scared, "How do you know that we're meant to be?"

"If I didn't know for certain, I would tell you that you just have to trust your heart, but I know you're meant to be. You know the spot where you can scratch and Lance falls asleep?" Once she nodded, I continued, "That spot is special for every Altean as only two people can get a reaction by doing it. Their lover is one of them and every time they are put to sleep. The faster they fall asleep, the closer they will be. When you do it, it happens near instantly. Emily," I made sure she looked at me for a moment, "He will only love you and no one else," When she didn't say anything I stood back up straight, "Come to Lance's room once you are done thinking over what I said," Then I went back to his room.

"Pidge just stay out there for a moment longer!" Keith's voice came from inside of the room.

"Pidge," I asked as I came closer, "What are they doing in there?"

"They're getting Lance into different clothes so he hopefully doesn't sweat as much," She answered, crossing her arms, "Did you talk to Emily?"

I nodded, "She knows how Lance feels and we have talked about her reasons for doing what she did. Once she's done thinking, I asked her to come here."

"Good," Was all Pidge had to say. We were let back into the room a moment later.

-Emily's P.O.V.-

I was frozen once Allura left. That was news to me and it was really interesting to know. He wouldn't love anyone other than me. It was honestly reassuring, but a bit scary at the same time. If I kept on doing things that he didn't like then he would be miserable for the rest of his life! But, he loves me and that means we'd work through things together. But so many things can still go wrong! I groaned and slouched in my chair, contemplating what I should do. I wasn't sure I made the right choice anymore.

So, I gave myself a few days to think it over and figure out what I should do. I knew what the answer was going to be in the end and I shouldn't have waited for a week before I 'officially' decided. I was actually walking towards Lance's room since I hadn't seen him all week when I heard the latest gossip, "You haven't heard yet?" A boy asked a girl in shock as she shook her head, "Well, Prince Lance is sick! They don't think he's going to make it either."

The girl gasped as I froze for a second, "Do they know why?"

The boy shook his head, "All they said was that a legend is true, but I don't know which one it is."

"Let's go figure out which one!" The girl started dragging the boy away, "Maybe we can help!" And now I was concerned.

How sick was he? Was it the flu? Cold? Something else? What if he'd been poisoned?! Many people loved Voltron and it's paladins, but there were some people who still wanted the Paladins of Voltron to be destroyed and they would do anything to make it so. It's why there are so many guards and why Lance gave me a personal guard to stay with me whenever he wasn't around. Hoping the gossip wasn't true, I ran the rest of the way to his room and just burst in. No one was there except for Lance in bed, "Lance?" I asked quietly, quickly reaching the bed.

His eyes squinted open, "Emily?" His voice sounded horrible, "Is that," He cut himself off with a cough, then continued, "You?"

"Yes, it's me," I climbed onto the bed and felt for a temperature, "This is high. Almost too high," I muttered, "Wait right here."

He didn't let me go, grabbing my wrist and I didn't have the heart to leave with the look he gave me, "You're really here," He needed to stop talking.

I just nodded, "I am and I'm sorry about what I said," And now it was all coming out, "Whenever I was alone everyone kept on gossiping that I wasn't right for you and that you should be with someone else. Some even thought that you were under my spell or I was doing something to make you date me," His head was now in my lap as I ran my fingers through his hair, "I thought I could handle it alone, but I should have told you."

"You're… mad," He huffed out.

I just shook my head, "No. I decided to do what I thought was best for you, but I was wrong. All I did was make both of us miserable. I love you and nothing will ever change that."

"So… we're…"

"Yes, if you want then we're together again," I gently kissed his forehead, "Now, get some sleep. You need to get better so we can go on another date and figure out how this doesn't happen again."

He hummed and closed his eyes, quickly falling asleep. Once I knew he wouldn't wake up if I moved, I quickly ran into the bathroom. Grabbing a bowl and filling it with cold water and getting a washcloth wet as well. I put the washcloth on his forehead and set the bowl to the side, ready to keep watch until his fever broke. The others came in not long after, "Hopefully we can get him to eat something this time," Hunk said.

"Don't worry," Shiro tried to reassure him as the door opened, "Lance will be fine. We just need to be patient."

"Emily," Allura noticed me first, "What are you doing here?"

"Never mind that!" I argued, raising my voice a little, "How come no one told me Lance was sick?!"

"We didn't want to pressure you into doing something you didn't want," Hunk admitted, "Lance wouldn't want that."

I glared a little, "Just because I was going through things doesn't mean I can't be here to help him get better! Besides, that's been resolved… I think. His fever may be too high for him to remember anything."

"How long ago did he fall asleep?" Pidge asked, staring in shock a little.

"Just recently," I shrugged and my hand resumed running through his hair, causing him to relax even more.

"At least he's sleeping now," Allura muttered, "He hasn't been able to sleep since he got sick."

"Well, I'm going to make sure he gets better," I frowned when I heard Lance panting slightly, "We may need to put him in water. His fever seems to be getting higher."

"He's not going to get better even if you take care of him," Keith stated.

"Keith," Hunk warned.

Keith just ignored him, "He's sick because of you."

"What do you mean?" Did I give him a sickness without getting it myself? The flu has been going around.

Allura sighed and sat on the opposite side of Lance on the bed, "There's a legend about Alteans where people we're destined to be with um… soulmates as you say," She pointed to a spot behind Lance's ear, "If someone scratches this spot and they relax, it means they will be best friends forever and never leave the other. If they fall asleep, then it means their… meant to spend their lives together."

"You mean they're meant to get married and start a family?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

Allura nodded, "Yes, but if something goes wrong or they… break up. It could be fatal to the other. They'll become extremely sick and eventually die," My eyes widened, "Nothing can make them better unless they get together once again."

I nodded, saddened, but still leaned down to whisper, "Here that Lance? You have to get better so we can get back together… I can't lose you," Then I kissed his forehead and he seemed to relax a bit more.

Hunk sniffed as tears started coming down his face, "Does this mean your…"

He didn't have to even finish his question, "Yes Hunk. If he still accepts me, I would love to get back together. I should have just talked to him about all of it in the first place," I muttered the last part to myself, knowing that all of this could have been avoided if I had just talked to him.

Coran smiled and finally spoke, "That's great news! Now, Number 3 will need something to eat that will be easy on the stomach when he wakes up."

"I'll make it!" Hunk quickly bolted out of the room, "Don't worry! It'll be ready by the time he's awake!" Coran ran after him, wanting to be the one to make it instead.

Allura smiled, "Well, I'd better return to my duties. Thank you for looking after him Emily," She bowed and left the room.

Pidge just shrugged, "Since everything's fine again, I'm going to my lab to finish a project," And she was gone.

Shiro stayed for a moment, "Is there anything you'll need Emily?" He asked me.

I shook my head, "No, I think I'll be fine, but thank you."

"Just tell someone if you need anything," Keith added as they both started to leave the room, "We'll make sure you get it."

"Don't worry, I'll ask for what I'll need," I promised as they left the room as well.

It took a few days with him getting worse for a day, then getting better before he was coherent again. He woke up when I was getting the cloth wet again, "Emily?" He whispered and I quickly turned to see his eyes open and clear, "Wha-" He cut himself off with a cough.

I quickly put the cloth back on his forehead and helped him drink a bit of water, "Just small, slow sips for now. And don't worry about anything right now, you'll have plenty of time to figure everything out. Just concentrate on getting better right now."

He still didn't look ready to do that yet, "But you…"

"We'll talk about everything later," I told him, combing my fingers through his hair, "But for now, just know that I wish I handled things differently and that we never broke up. We're back together if you want."

His smile was enough for me. So, after he'd not had any signs of sickness and an extra day in bed just in case, we talked about everything, "Why did you break up with me in the first place?" He asked the first question.

A perfectly valid one too, "I… I was scared," He let me curl up into his side with his arm around my shoulders, "Whenever I was in town alone I heard rumors… How I was buying you off for us to be together, one even though I was using a potion or something to have us together. I'm just a girl from Earth with no special standing anywhere in the Universe and you're the Prince of Altea who may become king. I… didn't think that I was good enough for you."

"You're the only one for me," Lance stated, no hint of doubt in his voice.

"I figured," I smiled and relaxed a bit more, "But there is something you should probably know about," And I told him about the spot behind his ear and what it meant.

All he did was smile and kiss me on the forehead, "See? We're meant to be together."

I huffed, "Yeah, we are. If I doubt it again I'll just put you to sleep," I reached for the spot, but he dodged.

He smiled triumphantly, "Hah!" He pointed at me, "You missed!"

I ended up winning after running after him for a while.

This wasn't something I was expecting so soon after the whole mess of breaking up only to get back together again because I realized I was being stupid. Yet, here we were, out on a romantic walk on Earth in 'our spot' with Lance on one knee and a ring box held in his hand. We were mainly on Earth to tell our families about Lance becoming King so Allura could travel around the Universe with Shiro like she wanted. It was also meant to be a break, but then he did this.

I honestly couldn't say anything at first, shocked at what was happening, but eventually I nodded, "Yes," I gave him my hand so he could put the silver ring on with a heart aquamarine crystal on it, "Yes, I will marry you."

He put the ring on my finger and stood up, kissing me, "I'm glad you accepted, but since we're going to be on Altea as well… I was hoping we could do an Altean tradition," He brought out a ribbon and explained what it was, "On Altea, they give out promise ribbons. We tie one on each other and when we get married, they seal together, creating a circle that we can't take off. Although this is just a regular ribbon since I didn't want to force you to do anything you didn't want to."

I just put one on him, "When we get back to Altea, we can look for some together."

After another shorter kiss, he wrapped me in a hug, "Sounds perfect," And our plans were set.

Until we got back to Altea, that is, "It'll take how long to plan the coronation?" Lance asked.

Coran just continued twirling his moustache, "About six months. There are many things we have to plan and make sure everything is perfect when the day comes."

We looked at each other, then Lance asked, "Is there any way we can get married before my coronation?"

"It is possible," Coran admitted, "But then it would take a year to prepare everything. This way it goes much smoother."

Lance and I looked at each other, then sighed, "Alright, what do I need to do first?" Lance finally agreed even though neither of us were happy about that.

Coran just smiled, "This way my Prince!" And they were off.

-Lance's P.O.V.-

Things were finally going right. I was mainly glad that Emily and I cleared up the misunderstanding and I was finally able to propose. I was planning on doing it the night she broke up with me, but that obviously didn't happen. Now though, our wedding was going to happen later than either of us wanted because I 'had' to be crowned king first. Things were getting busier and busier for me and I didn't get as much time as I had hoped with Emily, but I made sure to spend at least an hour a day with her. Sadly, that usually ended when I fell asleep, "How was the planning today?" She asked as I walked into the 'living room' of the royal's living quarters.

I flopped down beside her, "Long. More than half the things I'm going to be doing that day is when I'm alone or with Allura and Coran since they're the ones 'handing down the crown to me'. I'm only going to be crowned an hour before dinner since it takes an hour to even crown me," I slumped farther on the couch, "Maybe I shouldn't have agreed to do this."

"You're going to be great," Emily sat next to me and started running her fingers through my hair, "And once all of this is over, it'll all be worth it because you'll be amazing at being King. Especially with me right here with you and making sure you take plenty of breaks," I smiled, "Now, tell me some of the things you're going to be doing on your coronation day."

"Well, the worst one may be this thing called Juniberry Juice that'll keep me energized for nearly twelve hours or, if made incorrectly, could make me miserably sick. I trust Allura, but I don't want to be miserably sick from a drink."

"I'll just nurse you back to health."

"I know, but the way they made it sound was kind of like a mix between a flu and cold times ten for both of them."

"Sounds harsh."

"The stories didn't help at all."

She chuckled, smiling, "Most likely not. So, what else do you have to do?"

"Well, they're going to give me a make-over as soon as I wake up and force me into a traditional Altean outfit, then we're going to have a small, and I mean small breakfast. Afterwards I'm going to have to 'help' Allura make the Juniberry juice for me to drink which is going to take a while and we're most likely going to miss lunch just to finish it. Then we're going to have to do some weird dance/ritual thing before and after I drink it. Which then means we have to see if it worked or not and if it doesn't then the coronation is moved back a week or so so I can recover and it all happens again later."

"Is that when the crowning actually happens?" She asked, looking a bit worn out just by hearing everything.

I nodded, "Yep. Then everyone gets to gather in the same room just to watch me get a crown placed on my head."

"Don't forget the promises," She rolled her eyes, "Its meaning is a lot more than just a crown placed on your head."

"I know," We fell silent for a moment, "There is something we're going to have to talk about soon though."

"What is it? Where are we going to live?"

We both smiled, "No," I was glad that I learned about it earlier then my coronation day though, "Apparently, once I'm crowned we're going to have to get married on Altea because of a few traditions I have to follow, but we can also have one on Earth if you want. Then your grandparents can come along with my entire family."

"If they hear that we're getting married on Altea, they're going to come anyway," She pointed out, "But maybe we should do two. One on Altea for the public and another on Earth for our families and friends to be there."

I just smiled, "I'm going to be blown away each time I see you in the dress you pick to wear."

"Don't worry," She kissed my forehead with a smile, "I'm already smitten with you in just your regular clothes. Just thinking about you at our wedding is making me speechless," That wasn't something I was able to respond to easily. She saved me from responding by scratching the secret spot to put me to sleep.

Halfway through the planning months, the Atlas decided to pay a visit with Pidge and Keith on board as well, "They want to spend time with me?" I asked Emily (who was the one to tell me they were coming) the day before they were scheduled to arrive.

She nodded, "They're thinking that they could help you with planning your coronation to give you more time to relax with all of us."

I groaned, "I'm supposed to be meeting the chef tomorrow to go over the dinner menu!" I was freaking out, but it wasn't the first time I had, "Coran told me that they were the best in the Universe, but I have no idea who they are! Luckily that's everything on my schedule for tomorrow, but how am I supposed to spend time with my friends while trying to figure out what to serve everyone that night! Not to mention the list they gave me of food allergies that I have to remember for people!"

"Don't worry," Emily just smiled at me, "They can help you figure out what to serve the guests. Having multiple people like it usually means most people will like it."

That sounded doable, "Will you be there?"

"No, I've got appointments almost all day, but I will be able to help you pick out dessert!"

"Perfect!"

When the others arrived the next day, Coran surprised me, "Number 2, are you ready to get cooking?"

Hunk just smirked, "I came prepared," He brought out a container with some food in it, "I was thinking of a simple salad for the first course," Why did he hand it to me? "With different sauces people can choose from. What do you think?"

I blinked, once at Hunk, then at the container. Finally, I looked at Coran and asked, "Why didn't you tell me Hunk was going to be the chef?!"

"Would that have helped?" Coran asked, just looking at me.

"Yes!" This was getting to be really hard, "It would have helped me a lot! I was terrified that the cook was going to be this serious person who would get offended if I told them that I didn't think something would work!"

"Well," Hunk interrupted as the others just smiled, Keith and Pidge were laughing, "I'm not going to get offended about that, but I will get offended if you don't even try the food! Come on man!"

"Let's get to the kitchens first," Allura suggested, "We have them all to ourselves today."

Pidge beamed, "And we get to try any dish Hunk can think of! It's going to be amazing!"

"Come on," Shiro started to lead the way, "Let's go before our stomachs growl."

"We missed breakfast so Hunk could cook us something," Keith grumbled, but followed anyway.

"Then let's go!" I ran ahead, somehow leading the way to the kitchens.

It was a fun filled day where we got into multiple 'food' fights that were only done with ingredients. Hunk, being the amazing chef he was, took into account every food allergy from everyone planning on attending and made something delicious that accounted for all of it. Everyone would be able to eat the same thing with no fear of any allergy. Then they had to leave the next day to have plenty of time to gather all of the ingredients and I was back to running around to make sure everything went as planned when the day finally came.

I was scared for the actual day to come.

It was the day before my coronation and the Atlas arrived with everyone else earlier that week. Hunk was busy in the kitchen with his helpers while I was running around making sure everything was ready for tomorrow. At least, I was until Allura decided to mention something, "I don't know how to control quintessence!" I freaked out, "How come you didn't tell me earlier? Are they really expecting me to do something with quintessence?"

"Yes," Allura nodded as I continued to listen to what she was saying while also directing people everywhere, "It slipped my mind until just now, but I can help you practice with it a little tonight. It doesn't really matter how tired you are tomorrow so we can stay up all night if you wish."

I nodded, "We need an arrangement to be on every table and you can do it differently each time, just use the same flowers. Amount and kind," I reminded the flower arranger who looked a bit short on flowers, "We can do that. Start an hour after dinner?"

"Obviously," She smirked and winked as she walked away, "I wouldn't want to intrude on your alone time with your fiance."

I couldn't think of a comeback before she was gone, but that was fine with me since I had other things to deal with, "Wait! Only eight plates per table!" I ran over and started to help once more even as everyone tried to get me to stop.

By the time dinner was done and Emily and I had our one hour together (which we're hoping will become more after tomorrow) I met Allura in an empty room, "The first thing you need to know is what you wish to form your quintessence into."

"I can form it into different things?" This didn't sound like anything I'd ever seen.

Allura just nodded, "Each symbol represents a way you will lead. The shield represents that you will protect Altea from any danger. The sword represents that you will fight any danger that comes to Altea with everything you have and keep the peace on Altea. These two symbols are usually made together, as you can have more than one, to show that nothing will harm Altea and we will have nothing to fear. The quill represents your desire to make peace with other races and grow our bonds for more trade and knowledge to come to Altea."

She stopped, "What's wrong?" I asked, knowing there were more symbols.

She sighed and continued, "The crown represents your want for wealth, but doesn't specify if you want it for Altea or yourself," Are the rest of them just as bad? "It all depends on what it comes with. If it comes with the scroll, then you want it for Altea, but if it comes with the sword, you want it for yourself."

"So, things can mean different things if they are paired together then if they just show up alone?"

"Yes, but they usually mean the same thing. Now, the scroll represents your want to conquer other lands and grow Altea's influence, but it could mean differently then peace. If shown with a quill, it will mean you want to do it peacefully and just grow allies, but if shown with a shield then it means you just want to become a dictator like Zarkon was. You will rule with an iron fist and you will do everything you can to keep your position. Including hurting your people."

"What about other pairs? Do they mean something different?"

"No. Every combination I've told you about are the ones that have been different. If you pair a scroll and sword then it just means what it would mean separately."

"So, are there any more?" I asked after she waited for any more questions I had.

She smiled, "The one every ruler strives for. A heart. If a heart appears, it means that you will rule with compassion and do everything you can to protect and fight for your people and what is right. You will grow the kingdom in both allies and knowledge. It shows that you will help your people in any way possible and love each one of them. You will show mercy in times needed and do everything you can to be there for your people and your family. It barely ever happens, but when it does, it means Altea is going to be prosperous for their entire reign."

Now I was a bit confused, "So, why do I need to know how to control quintessence?"

"In order for you to officially become king, something needs to appear. Yet, in order for that to happen, you need to be able to know how to control at least a little bit of quintessence to channel through your crown and the Balmera crystal on it. It is because of the crystal that it will show you what kind of King you will be."

I thought about it for a moment, then asked, "If a heart appears, then could something else appear with it?"

Allura shook her head, "No. The heart represents everything and proves that you will do everything to the best of your abilities. Now, if you're going to learn enough to control quintessence then we have to get started now."

So, we started my 'lesson' while doing everything we could to get me ready for tomorrow. When I was finally allowed to go to sleep, Coran walked in, "Time for breakfast!" He beamed and set the tray down on the only table in the room (and only piece of furniture).

Grumbling, I ate what I could before I was handed the clothes I was to be wearing today and shoved into the bathroom with instructions to 'not come out until I was ready'. So, an hour later, I came out in my new clothes. My suit looked like Coran's, but it was separated into a pair of pants and a shirt and it didn't go to a point on the shirt, it just ended. The color on the outside was red with the inside color blue to show that I had been/was blue, then reds paladin. The pants were just plain red with a blue belt and blue boots, "This looks really good although I didn't think it was Altean style to have a shirt and pair of pants."

"It's not, but we thought you could show both Earth and Altean clothing since you lived most of your life on Earth," Allura smiled.

"We were hoping you would feel more comfortable in these," Coran added, then moved me into a different room and pushed me into a chair, "Now, time for the make-over!"

The make-over turned out to be coloring my hair with red and blue stripes, but still being able to see its original color. After that they styled it so the crown would 'fit perfectly on my head' but it honestly just looked like it usually did to me. Then we moved onto the Junibery Juice which was… a lot more complicated than I thought it was going to be, "Don't forget to collect the pollen in a jar," Allura reminded me as I plucked the flower's petals, "We're going to need that later."

"No mistakes so far," Coran smiled just five minutes into the process, "The first ten minutes are the most crucial part!"

So, once that was over and I drank it, I finally had energy, "Hopefully this will last all night like you said," I smiled at them.

Allura frowned, "Is that supposed to happen?"

"Is what?" What's wrong now?!

Coran just nodded, "Perfectly normal Princess! That means it's working properly!"

"What's happening?" I asked, curious now.

"Your marks, their glowing," Allura smiled, "Not very much, but just enough to be noticeable, along with your eyes."

"Great! So, is it time yet?"

Coran beamed, "It is indeed my boy! If you'll just follow me, Allura will get everyone to where they're supposed to be."

It sort of felt like a wedding, but not at the same time. I was told to wait outside the door as Coran listened through the door for my que, "Do I have to say anything?" I asked Coran.

He smiled, "Just agreeing to the promises that becoming King brings. Now, before you enter," He pulled out a box and handed it to me, "You'll need this!"

Opening it, I was shocked. Inside was a blue and red cape with the fire and water symbols together on the back, "I get my own cape?!" I beamed, dropping the box and quickly putting it on.

Coran nodded, "Every king deserves one!" He was beaming as well, then listened once more, "Oh! That's your cue my boy!" He pushed me right in front of the door and they opened.

I only knew what to do because I had to practice so much and they made sure I wouldn't forget. Luckily, I was able to look around to see everyone that was here. My entire family was here and I could tell Sylvio and Nadia wanted to try my cape on (which they'll be able to do later). Veronica was giving me a thumbs up with a proud smile on her face while mom was crying, pop-pop had a comforting arm around her shoulders while beaming at me (I had a feeling that they were going to have the same reactions when Emily and I get married). Luis and Lisa were making sure Sylvio and Nadia stayed in the aisle and didn't come up to me (they've already tried a few times). Rachel and Marco were whispering to each other, but both of them were smiling. They were also looking around the room at everything and probably talking about that.

Then I saw my team. Hunk was a mess, crying more than my mom, but he was also beaming like a proud parent and holding onto Shay tightly who just smiled and let him. Shiro was definitely living up to his nickname of 'Space Dad' with how he was beaming. Keith wasn't actually scowling or looking grumpy, he actually looked content with his mother right next to him smiling. Kolivan was next to her and I had a suspicious feeling that they were dating (Keith always denies it, but it really looked like they were!), but he looked just like usual. Pidge was being held back by her brother, Matt. Their parents, Sam and Colleen, looked exhausted just watching them. I was able to realize that Pidge wanted to know why my cheek marks were glowing along with my eyes. Most of the rest of the people there were Alteans, but there were plenty of representatives from different planets that Altea's already made alliances with (most of them I was there for too), but I was mainly looking at who was sitting on the front right row.

There sat my grandparents who were smiling, each of them were probably thinking about how proud they were of me and how far I've grown (they told me the day they came here so I knew just how much it was) along with Emily's grandparents. They were looking at me like they approved, but I was glad that I already knew that (I wasn't going to ask Emily to marry me without asking for their permission first). I just wish their bout of good health stayed long enough for Emily and I's wedding. Then I saw her, sitting right on the end closest to me and crying a little, but looking the proudest out of everyone there. Although I wasn't able to look at her for long or I knew I would trip (which almost happened when I first saw her because she looked gorgeous in that dress).

That's when I realized that my family and friends were all wearing traditional Altean clothing. I don't know where they got it or why they were even wearing it, but it also had a splash of Earth attire. It was nice, a reminder of both of my homes. I finally reached the front where Allura was standing, a box on the small table next to her that most likely held the crown she would place on my head (they haven't let me see what it looked like yet). Once everyone sat back down, we went through everything quickly-ish. It still took almost an hour and when it was finally time, I kneeled, facing everyone as Allura pulled the crown out of the box, "I now crown you, King of Altea," She was definitely beaming as she placed the thing on my head although it was more like hers since it came all the way down to my forehead.

Knowing that it was time, I closed my eyes and concentrated on the Balmera crystal at the center of it. I knew it worked when I heard the entire place gasp, but I honestly wondered why since the people of Altea already knew about the symbols and what they meant.

I opened my eyes to see the symbol and it was a heart.

Dinner was much louder and I was still shocked at what had happened, but so was everyone else. Allura and Coran kept smiling and kept telling me that they made the right choice for letting me become king. The ones who didn't know about the symbols and what they meant quickly learned about them and what mine meant and that just seemed to make my mom cry harder when she found out because she was that proud of me. Hunk was still a bawling mess when he learned, but gave me a bone crushing hug while talking too fast about something.

Shay had to remind him about dinner and the final preparations they still had to make and they were gone, but everyone loved the food! I wasn't able to see the other's reactions about learning about what it meant since I had to make sure everything was ready in the dinning hall and be prepared to greet everyone. Allura, Coran and a few other Alteans were leading everyone to their proper seats. It was just my luck that my friends and family came last, but by then I was called away to discuss a bit of business with one of our brand new allies who just agreed to sign a treaty with us and start trade, then I was called to talk to even more people about our trade and settle a minor argument.

By the time the ball came, I was starting to feel slightly tired, but the Juniberry Juice hadn't worn off just yet (apparently I still had another four hours to go). I was finally able to meet my family, "I'm so proud of you!" Mom came right up and nearly tackled me in a hug, then pulled back and started to cry again, "My baby boy, all grown up and running a planet!"

"Don't worry mom," I smiled, "I'm still going to visit home a lot."

That somehow got her to cry more as Pop-pop came up to join us, "I'm proud of you son. Now, don't forget to take care of yourself, alright?"

Mom nodded, "Even if you get swamped I'm sure someone can help you take a break. Breaks are important too!"

"Don't worry mom, I'm going to take care of myself," Until now I wasn't officially moved out of the house, but now I moved out and just promised to take care of a planet full of people. She was worried.

Luckily, Pop-pop moved her onto the dance floor and they started dancing. I made sure the orchestra played at least one song from every planet represented here tonight so they could feel comfortable at least a little. Then I got tackled by two small people, "Tio Lance!" Sylvio and Nadia beamed at me.

I beamed back and gave both of them hugs, "Hey you two! How's your day been going?"

"Great!" Sylvio was the first to let go of me, "Altea's a beautiful place!"

"Tio Lance, why are you glowing?" Nadia asked just as Luis and Lisa arrived.

"That's because of the Juniberry Juice," I smiled, "Honestly, if I didn't have to drink it then I probably would be sleeping right now."

"Can we have some?!"

"No," I didn't like to see her pout, but that was a definite no, "Juniberry Juice is toxic to some species and we don't know if humans are one of them and we don't want to find out."

"Does that mean the flowers are poisonous to us?" Sylvio asked, a bit scared.

I just smiled again, "They're not. You can touch, sniff and create flower crowns with them all you want," Nadia seemed intrigued by the last idea while Sylvio just seemed relieved, "In fact," I pulled out the flower crown I made from the extra Juneberries we had and placed it on Nadia's head, "There we go! Now you're royalty!"

Nadia ran up to her parents, "Mom! Dad! I'm royalty!"

Sylvio smiled then turned back to me with a bit of a blush on his cheeks, "Tio Lance? Can we dance with anyone here?"

I blinked, then nodded, "Yes. This may be happening mainly because I'm crowned, but it's also to hopefully promote friendships with other species. If you want to dance with anyone then I'm sure they'll say yes."

He looked to the side, then pointed, "Even her?"

He was pointing at an Altean girl that seemed his age with long blue hair, violet eyes and red markings. I smiled and whispered, "I think she'll love to dance with you."

He smiled and I watched as he asked her to dance, then took pictures and a small video of them dancing when she said yes. Then Pidge attacked me, "Why are you glowing? Is it permanent or will it fade with time?"

"That's something I don't know, but it started after I drank Juniberry Juice. Apparently this happens when it's made correctly."

She looked at me for a moment, studying my markings and eyes, then gave me a quick hug, "Congratulations jerk."

"Glad you're here geek," I smiled back.

She frowned, "I'm a nerd! Not a geek!"

"Yeah, yeah," I ruffled her already messed up hair, "Whatever Gremlin."

Matt came before she could do anything about that, "Congratulations man," He gave me a quick side hug, "We know you'll do great."

"So I can call you if I ever need help?" I joked.

He nodded, "Yep! Just call me Advisor Matt!"

"Got it!" Then I leaned over, "So, how are things going with you and Romelle?"

He turned red as Pidge cackled, "H-H-How did you k-k-know about that?"

"Romelle. She talks a lot about you," I answered, "In fact, I think she's waiting for you to ask her to dance," I pointed to the blond Altean who was trying not to look over at us.

Matt blushed as Pidge beamed, "I'll ask her for you!" Then Matt was running after her to try and stop her.

I laughed as Shiro and Keith came up to me, "I know you'll do great Lance," Shiro told me, patting me on the back, "And if you ever need help, Allura's just a call away."

"What about you?"

"... I'll be busy with the Atlas crew," Shiro dodged.

Keith just rolled his eyes, "Sure you will be. You keep calling me because you're bored and can't call Allura all the time!"

Shiro froze for a second which made me smile, "Speaking of Allura," I turned towards her, "Hey Allura!" I waved her over.

When she got here, they looked at me questionably, "What is it, Lance?"

"You're not doing your job," I told her, crossing my arms and looking stern, "You're supposed to be dancing the night away with Shiro who'll become your future husband."

They both turned red as Keith muffled his laugh with his hand, "Yeah Shiro, do your job," He got out.

Shiro glared at him, then turned to Allura with a smile, "How about we ditch these two?"

Allura quickly accepted his hand, "Gladly."

Once they were gone and talking, I turned back to Keith, "So, since it seems I keep playing matchmaker tonight," Keith just looked terrified about that, "What about you? Anyone you've got your eyes on?" His blush told me everything I needed to know and I beamed, "Oo~ Who is it? Is she here? Come on! Tell me everything!" I shook him a little, wanting to know more.

"She's here," He mumbled, "But I don't think she likes me like that."

"Well, if it's Axcia," I knew I was right when his eyes widened, "Then I know she likes you."

"Really?"

"Yep," I pushed him toward the other half-Galra, "Now, go get her!"

Another match made in heaven, I thought to myself as they started talking. Then Veronica came and lightly punched me in the shoulder, "Congratulations Lance, you better not do anything stupid."

"If I do then you have permission to come and punch me in the shoulder again," I answered, "But not the face, that's the money maker."

She rolled her eyes as I winked at her, "Whatever. So, when's the wedding?"

Now it was my turn to blush, "Well… we both decided that I needed a month at least to settle into my new role so it's probably going to be in six months."

Veronica nodded, then turned to Marco, "Marco! I called it!" Marco groaned as she walked towards him and collected money from him.

I just sighed and shook my head. Of course they betted on us, why wouldn't they? Looking around again, I smiled as I realized that there were many species intermingling and getting to know one another, even my grandparents were talking to Coran and a few other species! Although it seemed like they were planning on leaving soon, they needed the rest, "Enjoying the party?" Emily asked as she came up to me.

I gave her a quick kiss and smiled, "I am now that you're here."

She smiled, "Oh really? I was having a blast!"

Coran interrupted my response, "Attention! It is now time for the King of Altea's first dance. King Lance?"

I held my hand out to Emily immediately, "Would you do me the honor of being my partner for this dance?"

She took my hand and curtsied a little, "I would be most delighted."

So, we danced and kept on dancing after the first one. The rest of the night passed by in a blur until Allura and Coran started leading me away when the ball was officially over, "Let's get you to bed before the Juniberry Juice wears off," Allura warned.

I just hummed, still on cloud 9 from dancing with Emily all night. It was plain luck that we made it to my room before it wore off and I passed out.

The sun was shining right in my eyes and I groaned, blocking it out with a pillow to try and sleep some more. I had a pounding headache that I feared would get worse if I got up and moved. Alas, it was not meant to be, "King Lance?" Someone knocked on my door, "It's time for you to get up. The representatives are leaving and you must be there."

I sighed into my pillow and sat up, "Thank you, I'll be out in a tick," So, I got out of bed and dressed for the day. That was the first time I actually saw my crown. The Balmera crystal was shaped into a heart for some reason with fire and waves on either side of it. It actually looked pretty cool.

After quickly getting ready for my first official day, I ran outside to see everyone off. Sadly, that included my family and friends on the Atlas, "Don't forget to eat and take plenty of breaks," Mom fussed over me after everyone else was done saying goodbye, "We don't want you to get sick from stress. And make sure you get plenty of sleep and exercise. If you don't take care of yourself you can't expect to take care of an entire planet full of people."

"I know mom," I gave her one last hug, "I'll come visit as often as I can."

She smiled as her eyes started to tear up again, "I'm so proud of you Lance. Never forget that."

"I don't think I can," I smiled as she started to back away towards the Atlas, "I love you!"

"I love you too!" Then the Atlas was officially ready for take off.

Many Alteans came to see them off (mainly to see my reactions and how I handled it I think, Coran agrees) and seemed impressed by the love for my family and friends. I was Blue's Paladin's first which means I'm loyal. Even though I'm Reds now, doesn't mean I'm not loyal, "Your Highness," Coran came up to me, "I believe it is time for your very first meeting."

"Thanks Coran and please, just call me Lance," I reassured, "You can even call me Number 3 if you want."

Coran just beamed, "Very well Number 3! Right this way!"

Meeting after meeting was done with the departing diplomats to make sure everything was going smoothly, nothing was going wrong with the trade and many congratulations on my new rank. Lunch was the first time I was alone with Coran and Emily since we had it in the private dinning hall instead of the public, "Hey Coran, what would people think about a Garrison on Altea?" I asked him, "We could teach them how to pilot the Altean shuttles and prepare them to explore the universe if they want or they can become diplomats and visit new planets to create alliances."

Coran twirled his mustache, "It seems plausible. Where would you put it?"

"I was thinking a few minutes away so they would have plenty of space to practice with new pilots and they wouldn't risk hitting anything in the city. We also need a better place for ships to arrive because the open field isn't working for some species."

"Well, whatever you decide my boy," Coran smiled, "You are King after all."

That was still new, "Yeah, but I wanted to know what the people thought of it and if it would be used. If they don't want it then we can just build a docking bay in the field for diplomatic or visiting ships to arrive."

Coran looked a bit confused as Emily nodded, "See what the people want to know what will be best. Sounds like a great idea."

"That's never been done before," Coran admitted.

Emily just smiled, "If it's never been done before, then we should probably do it sooner."

Coran smiled and leaned towards me, "Oh, I like this one. She'll make a great Queen."

Of course, Coran didn't whisper and let Emily hear all of it, but I still smiled back, "No, she's going to be amazing," Then we were interrupted because it was time for the weekly Altean complaints.

Every week, anyone who lives on Altea can come into the castle and tell us something that is going wrong or ask for advice. This is also where I learned something very important, "There are many children without parents because of Lotor's 'second colony'," A woman said with many children with her, "I've been trying to take care of all of them, but I can't keep up. I don't have enough money to give all of them food, clothes and other necessities."

I just walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry," Then I turned to Coran, "Coran, could you figure out how many people lost someone to what Lotor did and compile a list of every child and everyone who's lost a spouse or a child?"

"Of course Your Majesty," Coran stepped forward, "How fast would you like that done?"

"As fast as possible," I smiled, looking back at the woman, "I'm going to build a place for them all to stay, but in the meantime you may all stay in the castle. We'll give you an area with plenty of rooms for everyone and take care of everything."

The woman looked like she was about to cry just hearing that, "Thank you Your Majesty," She deeply bowed.

When she straightened, I smiled wider, "You can just call me Lance. Or if that's too uncomfortable for you then King Lance will do. It'll probably help me realize my position," I chuckled.

She nodded and bowed once more, "Thank you King Lance."

"Amelia?" I asked one of the maids, "Could you direct this group to wing B-2? They'll be staying with us for a while."

Amelia bowed as well, "Of course Your Highness."

I slumped a little, "Alright, for everyone listening right now, just call me Lance or King Lance if that's too uncomfortable for you. That goes for everyone who lives on Altea."

Once they left for their new home, I sat back down for the next person to come in. Immediately, I could tell that whatever they were going to say was going to be false, "King Lance," He bowed, "I wish to help you with your decisions and create new alliances for Altea. I am here to offer myself as help in any way you see fit."

I frowned, "Are you planning on taking most of the profit you make for yourself instead of letting all the people in Altea benefit from it?"

That was probably a bit straightforward, but I had a feeling that it was what was needed. And it clearly was as he straightened and glared at me, "Of course not! I want Altea to prosper!"

I nodded, "The thing is, I already have an advisor," I pointed to Coran, "He's standing right next to me and as you probably already know, I ask Emily, my future wife and your future Queen, for help making decisions as well," He was already getting mad, "So tell me, what would you do if you became a diplomat?"

"Gain resources for Altea," He got out behind a fake wall of calm.

He already wanted to break, "And not just for yourself?"

"I wish to help Altea, not destroy it."

"I didn't ask that."

"It still answers your question."

"Does it really? Because you're not denying that you'd take wealth for yourself if you became a diplomat," Coran's eyes widened and he was now able to see the signs that this guy just wanted power.

Everyone else in the room gasped in shock just hearing that, "Well, I would be expected to be paid for my services," He answered.

"How? By forcing new alliances to give you things so you could sell them or by me?"

He finally snapped, "What does it matter?! Either way I'll become rich!"

Everyone looked at him in shock as I stood up, "Your request is denied," I already knew he was a business owner with how he looked, they were people you had to be careful with, "You may leave."

"This is outrageous!" He stormed out, "Just wait! You'll be sorry!"

I sighed and sat back down, slumping in my chair, "King Lance?" I turned to see a maid looking at me with wide eyes, "How did you know he wanted wealth and power for himself?"

"It was how he answered my first question. He truly wants Altea to prosper, but he wants to gain power and wealth while it is. If his intentions were pure then he would have said that he just wanted Altea to prosper instead."

Coran patted my shoulder, "Well, it's lucky you caught it because I didn't even realize!"

"Don't worry Coran, you'll catch them next time," Then I turned back to the door, "Who's next?"

Less than a week after I had been crowned, I got a group call from the rest of the team, "LANCE!" Hunk screamed once I answered, "I heard about some of your plans! A place for everyone who's lost someone because of Lotor?! Building a Garrison?! You're legendary already!"

Pidge smirked, "I heard about how you roasted someone who was trying to gain more power and wealth! I wish I was there to see it!"

"How did you guys already hear about that?" I finally asked, "They happened less than a week ago!"

"Dude, in case you didn't know, but you're famous," Keith told me, "You're King of Altea. Everyone's talking about you."

"So far it all seems like good things," Shiro assured me, "All people can talk about is how great the King of Altea is."

"It's been one week," I smiled and rolled my eyes, "That's hardly enough time to figure out how great I'll be at this."

"It's the perfect time," Keith protested, "The first week for a ruler is the most important. Shows everyone a glimpse of the future."

"Dude, that sounds so weird," I admitted.

"It's just his 'leader lectures'," Hunk smiled, "He gained them when he first became the leader, remember?"

"I remember," Pidge smirked.

Keith groaned as Shiro smiled, "I don't lecture people!"

"You do Keith," Allura smiled, "Nothing you say will convince us otherwise."

We continued talking for a while, but we all had duties to attend to eventually. Although, I had planned to talk to them longer and had another hour of alone time. So, I made sure to keep a promise I had made, "Hey Red," I greeted as I entered her hanger, "Sorry I wasn't able to come visit sooner, but things have been busy. Apparently I have to schedule everything I do. Including visiting family and you!"

"It is alright Paladin, you are still learning. What about the rest of the Paladins though?" Red asked, "Don't you want to talk to them?"

"Their family Red, just like you," I smiled, "I just wish I could just leave and visit everyone whenever I wanted. I guess it'll give me something to look forward to."

"True. Will you still be able to go on missions?"

"Already made plans for it Red," I beamed as I sat on her paw since she was curled up on the ground, "I would never abandon my team. Although on my first day I had to…" Then I told her all about my first week as King, "... I wouldn't have made it if it wasn't for Coran and Emily though. And you," I huffed, smiling, "If you didn't help me remember that the… you know who's appreciated a controlled temper, I would have lost that alliance before it started. I actually wish you could be there to watch it for yourself," I admitted.

I could feel Red smile, "I would as well… and I will."

I stood up, "You what? Red, you can't shrink!... Can you?"

Red laughed at me as she started to glow, "You don't know everything about us Paladin," Then Red was as tall as me, but a physical, living, breathing, lion and red.

My eyes widened, "No way," I breathed, staring in shock. Then I beamed, "This is so cool! Why didn't you do this before?" I asked her as I tackled her in a hug.

She wrapped her head around me, "This can only happen if a bond is strong enough. If you wanted you could even do this with Blue."

"Really? But she's not my lion."

"Your connection never left and it most likely never will," Red purred and sat in front of me, staring me straight in the eyes, "And now I'll be right by your side to help you. Just like I was for Alfor."

I smiled, "Then we should probably start with a grand tour," I gestured to the door and Red was out the door.

Running after her, I gave her a tour of the entire castle without realizing the time it took and all of the meetings I was missing. At least, until Coran knocked on the door to my room (which Red was destroying), "Number 3?" He asked, "Are you alright?"

"Everything's fine Coran," I answered, quickly joining him outside my room, "What do you need?"

Coran blinked, "Are you sure? Red isn't in her hangar and I didn't think you would put her somewhere else."

I just shrugged, "Just wanted to give her a change in scenery. No one wants to look at the same thing every day."

"Alright then," Coran smiled and swung an arm around my shoulders, "Now, you have a lot to catch up on since you've been gone for a few extra varga then intended."

So, I went to meeting after meeting and did everything that was on my schedule (but the time was way off because of Red) and barely got back to my room before dark. Only to hear Emily scream and me running in to see what was going on, "Lance!" She cried out, "Where did you find a lion and why is it in your room?!"

"Don't worry," I reassured going straight to Red and trying to calm her down, "It's just Red."

Emily blinked, "Lance, Red is a giant mechanical lion, not an animal lion."

"We can do this if our bond is strong enough," Red answered and by Emily's shocked face she heard Red as well, "And we can switch with ease."

"I didn't know you could talk to Emily," I told Red, "How long have you been able to do that?"

"Ever since you decided to… tie the knot," Both of us blushed, "When that happens with one of our Paladins then we are able to communicate with their chosen partner."

"Does this drain you?" Emily asked after a moment of silence, "Like, how long can you hold this form before you have to switch back?"

"I get to stay like this for as long as I want!" Red started to get playful once again, "It doesn't do anything to me! Isn't it great?!"

Emily looked at me with a slight smile as I beamed at her while making Red look at her, "We have another member of the family already! Isn't it great?!"

She shook her head and came over to us, "Yes it is. Our family is growing bigger by the day."

Red beamed and then proceeded to groom Emily with her tongue. Nothing I tried stopped Red until she was done, but then she moved on to me. Just something we'll have to get used to, "Can I sleep in here?" Red finally asked.

We both laughed, "You can sleep anywhere you want Red," I answered.

Emily quickly added, "Except for on top of us. You can lay on our laps, but not fully on us."

"Perfect," Red curled up and closed her eyes.

After a moment, I finally wondered, "I wonder if Allura knows this can happen."

"Only one way to find out," Emily smiled, "Or you can just surprise them when they visit again."

"Let's find out how Coran will react," I finalized, "If he freaks out, we'll tell them when they visit next."

He freaked out. Red came with me that morning and the first words out of his mouth were, "Quiznack! Number 3, where did you get a lion?!" Then he frowned as he looked closer at it, "It looks suspiciously like the Red Lion."

"Coran," I smiled while petting Red' s back, "Meet the Red Lion. Apparently they can do this if our bond is strong enough."

His eyes widened as he faced me, "Truly remarkable! Would you mind if I ran a few tests? I want to make sure this isn't affecting either of you badly."

"Sure," I nodded even as Red grumbled, "But don't tell the others just yet. We want to surprise them when they come to visit."

Coran nodded, beaming, "You've got it, Your Highness!" Then he started walking down the hallway, "Let's make sure nothing bad is happening to either of you now!"

The tests just proved that nothing was wrong with either of us and that it didn't matter how long Red stayed this way because it didn't affect either of us in any way. The others were going to be super shocked when they arrived in a few months to start helping plan Emily and I's wedding.

This was so much worse than I imagined it would be. Red always curled up on my lap whenever she could (aka, every meeting I was at and the weekly gathering of Alteans for them to tell me their problems), nearly every day she groomed my hair and slept on the same bed as me. She also grew very protective of Emily and left at random points of the day only to return looking smug and her tail swishing back and forth like she just won the universe for doing something (which turned out that Red always left when Emily was 'listening' to more girls telling her that she wasn't good enough just to scare them away). Red also groomed Emily on the days she didn't groom mine and helped Emily with work whenever she couldn't be with me.

The wedding plans didn't really help much. We may still have two weddings, but it all depends on how things work out. So far, it seemed like we would have the wedding on Altea and the reception on Earth. If things worked out then we could have all of our guests travel with us to Earth an hour after our wedding. There were also a lot more things we had to apparently figure out because it was our wedding to begin with. It didn't help that Emily and I had to keep up with our duties which made us exhausted by the end of the day and we usually just fell asleep on the couch while cuddling with Red and telling each other about our days. Whenever we woke up, we would tell each other our schedules for the day to see when we could actually plan anything for the wedding, "I understand why Coran said it would take six months to plan everything," I told her one morning as we were leaving the room, "We've only planned for half and it's been two months!"

Emily just gave me a hug as we continued walking, "Don't worry. If everything goes according to plan then we'll have the most perfect wedding in the universe."

"Still wish it was easier to plan and we had more time to do it," I smiled, wrapping my arms around her as well.

"Just be glad we don't have to set a date yet. If we did, then we'd probably be in trouble," She smiled.

I chuckled, "We're just lucky the best cook in the universe decided to cater for it."

"That reminds me," Emily stopped and looked right at me, "Hunk's coming tomorrow with everyone to hopefully help our wedding preparations along. Plus, Hunk wants plenty of time to create the 'perfect food' for the reception."

I sighed and looked at my already long schedule, "I hope I can meet them when they arrive."

Emily just clicked on a 'meeting' that was on there, "This is for us to discuss our wedding with them. Although it's mainly for us to talk to Hunk about the type of food we want and for us to tell Allura what we would like for everything. Apparently she's wanted to plan a wedding for a long time."

I nodded as we continued towards the dining room, "Ever since she went to one when she was a kid. She loved the white dress, flowers… actually, she bacily loved everything about it."

"Maybe she can be a wedding planner."

"She can practice with ours first, then she can decide if she wants to continue or if it's too stressful to do," Emily laughed as we joined Coran for breakfast.

The next day was much like the other days, but I was actually looking forward to seeing everyone again. Most people would probably say it hadn't been a long time, but for us it was. Especially since we hadn't needed Voltron for a while, "Lance!" Emily called into my 'office' where I was doing paperwork, "What are you still doing in here? The Atlas is arriving right now!"

My head shot up, "What?! I still have three varga before they get here! Don't I?"

Before I could look at a clock, Emily was already pulling me up and out the door, "You did three varga ago," She answered, "But we can still make it!"

"Race you there?" I asked. She smirked and we were off.

The race ended in a tie, but we did arrive just in time to greet them! "Where's Red?" Emily asked, "She promised that she would be here to see them."

I shrugged, "She told me that she had something important to do."

Both of us froze for a second, staring at each other. Ever since Red was able to walk freely around the castle, she loved playing pranks on anyone and everyone, but she didn't ever do them to me and Emily. She knew that if she did then she could be stuck as a robot lion for a week or two (but that was only because we were really stressed already because of the wedding and keeping up with our schedules). So, we both turned around and cried out, "RED!" While running back into the castle. Coran just shook his head when he realized that we 'lost' Red, but didn't follow us. We could handle it… hopefully.

We couldn't handle it. Red somehow found the kitchen and was trying to climb up to the cupboard that held her food, "Red! Get down! You could hurt yourself!" Emily tried to pull her down, wrapping her arms around Red's middle.

My own arms were wrapped around Red's middle as we both pulled, but she dug her claws in, "Red! You had plenty for breakfast! Besides, don't you want to meet the team? Maybe freak them out a little?"

"I need the food for a prank!" Red retorted, acting a little like a child, "I can't properly freak out the other Paladins unless I have the food!"

"No means no Red!" Emily answered, "We can't waste food!"

"I'm not going to be wasting it!" Red protested, gaining a little ground, "I'm planning on eating it when the prank's over, I promise!"

"Red, you can't play pranks that involve food!" I reminded her, "We've told you this before! You're not supposed to be in the kitchen in case you shed!"

"My fur will grow back," Red rolled her eyes, pulling us along a little, "I don't need to worry about it falling off."

"Fur in food isn't healthy," Emily answered, exasperated because we've had this argument multiple times already, "Not even for you!"

This time, Red changed her response, "No! I don't want to leave until I get what I need! I've been planning this for too long!"

Emily and I just continued to try and pull her away and out of the kitchen. Emily was standing on the counter, trying to pry Red's claws away as I was practically sitting on the floor trying to pull her away when the others came in, "Hey Lance," Hunk's voice came first, "Coran said you and Emily would be in here. Are you-" He cut himself off when he came into the room.

Red had already jumped around the room to get the cooks and staff away when she came in and Emily and I didn't think of cleaning it up yet. So, I leaned my head back and smiled as much as I could to see Allura, Shiro, Pidge, Keith and Hunk staring at us in shock, "Hey guys! Just… give us a moment," Then I turned back to Red, "Let go!"

"Never!" Red was enjoying this way too much.

Emily sighed as she continued to try and help, "This isn't a game! We've got things we need to do!"

Red was going to reply, but turned her head so she could see the Paladins. She let go, causing me and Emily to drop to the floor and ran to the team, growling, "Stay away from my Paladin and his mate."

I groaned and hit my head on the floor, or I would have if Emily didn't start lifting me up, "Red!" I complained and everyone's eyes widened even more somehow, "They're my teammates and friends! You don't growl or threaten them."

Red's tail swished, agitated, "They hurt you once with their actions, I won't have it happen ever again."

Emily just nodded and got right in front of Red, "Red, they did, but it's alright now. They're here to help us."

Even that didn't work, even though it usually did, "Red, if it makes you feel better you can stay right next to us and tackle them if they do something you don't like, okay?" I compromised.

Red thought about it, then nodded, calming down, "That sounds acceptable Cub."

Ignoring the 'cub' part, I smiled at the others, "It's great that you made it! Sorry we weren't there when you arrived. Red was getting into things she shouldn't."

"A-are you talking about Red as in the… the Red Lion?" Keith asked, shocked.

Emily nodded, "Apparently if a bond between a Paladin and Lion is strong enough then they can do this," She wrapped Red in a hug as Red purred, "Red's been like this ever since and she's great at protecting us!"

Allura blinked, "I didn't think this would be possible!"

"I wanna know how it's possible," Pidge adjusted her glasses and leaned closer to Red only to lean back when Red started to growl a little, "And see if Green can do it. It would be so cool to be able to talk to Green!"

"Wait," Hunk stopped the talking, "Emily, how come you can understand Red as well?"

Emily and I looked at each other, then blushed, "Uh… Red told us that it's because we're… getting married."

Shiro smiled, "Did she use different wording?"

Emily nodded and answered, "She called us mates."

Pidge quickly stifled her laughter along with Hunk. Keith just nodded, acting like it was normal for him to hear that as Allura and Shiro just smiled, "Are all the lions capable of this?" Keith asked, ignoring Pidge and Hunk finally letting go.

I nodded, "Red said that all of them are able to, so they should be. Why? You want Black to stay with you?"

"No!" He totally wanted that, "I already have the Wolf to keep me company."

"Keith, just call him Kosmo like everyone else," Emily and I sat down with Red in between us and the others sitting around the still messy counter, "He won't be able to talk to you on his own."

Keith pouted and crossed his arms, sinking slightly in his chair, grumbling. I smirked as Hunk started pulling everyone back to their feet, "Alright, before we get started we need to get this kitchen cleaned up! Red did a number on it so we need to clean everything up before we start working on the reception!"

We all worked together to get everything ready for Hunk to cook his masterpieces.

It was a month before Emily and I's wedding when Voltron was needed. So, after telling Emily and leaving with a quick kiss, I joined the rest of my team. Things didn't go exactly as planned though, "Splitting up is our best option right now," Keith stated, "If we stay together then we'll become a bigger target."

We were tricked into landing, thinking that they wanted to make peace with Earth, Diabazall and Altea when they literally open fired as soon as we were far enough away from our lions. The good news was that Red was able to run with me, "I still don't like the idea of splitting up," Hunk raised his hand slightly as we continued running.

"Then why don't we go in pairs?" I suggested, "Keith can go with Allura and Hunk and Pidge can go with each other. Red will come with me and when she can we'll get into the air."

Allura nodded, "We need to try and get back to the lions and this way, someone will have our backs."

Keith nodded, "Alright. Hunk, Pidge, stay together and get to your lions as soon as possible. Lance, whenever you and Red can, get into the air. Allura and I will try and get to Blue and Black safely."

"You got it boss!" I saluted and ran in a random direction with Red right next to me.

Then Pidge added, "If you're in trouble, don't hesitate to call."

"We're not rookies Pidge," I grumbled, then Red hit me in the back of the head with her tail, "Ow! Red! Come on, you're supposed to be on my side!"

"Sometimes, you act like a restless rookie," Red stated.

"Red, you're even worse than me sometimes! Your pranks usually end up with someone getting a bruise even when you promise me that they shouldn't hurt anyone."

"The people who trigger them are to blame," Was all she said.

I glared, "No, it's because you rush in setting them up which causes them to break."

"Lance, stop arguing with Red," Keith said.

I frowned, "Red started it. She's not listening!"

"Pick it up after the mission," Allura added, "But maybe we should mute our coms so we can hear everyone else, but they can't hear us until we're needed."

"Already did," Pidge answered, "Want me to just do the same thing with all of you?"

"Please?" Hunk asked, "It's sort of hard to figure out which way we need to go with the static in my ears."

"Alright, it should turn on automatically when the camera in your helmet sees a bad situation," Pidge answered, then the static was gone.

Just because with our luck things always went to the lowest point before they got better, that's when I was attacked. Using hand signals for Red, I openly fired at them as she went around and tackled them from behind, "Just be careful," I told her, "If we can, we should try and convince them to join the Voltron Coalition."

Without even seeing her, I knew she rolled her eyes. I just smiled and continued using my gun. Until there were more troops and I had to switch to my Altean Broadsword. I even used a few arrows with a quick switch of my bayard, turning it into a mostly white, but with a red line in the middle bow. All I had to do was pull the red string that was humming with energy back and an arrow would appear, hitting my target (as always). I learned how to switch my bayard into any weapon I needed at any given time with Red's help. When I suggested teaching the other Paladins, she disagreed, saying that it was different for every bayard and lion. So, I just continued fighting and trying to get them to back off, "Guys?" I asked experimentally.

It was plain luck that they answered, "What is it, Lance?" Allura asked.

"Need a bit of help!" I shot off another arrow and quickly cut another with my broadsword a moment later, "Red and I can't keep them at bay and are slowly getting overwhelmed!"

"Really?" Pidge asked, "We haven't run into any trouble."

"Yeah, it's like they're gone," Keith agreed.

Hunk's breath hitched, "What if they were purposefully going after Lance and Red? Can Red get injured in this state? What if she can and they know that'll ground him for good?"

Nothing was said for a moment and all anyone could hear was the sound of my breathing, "Hunk, Pidge, get to the lions and find Lance and Red as fast as you can. Allura and I will try finding them on foot," Keith answered.

Changing my bayard once more, I shot with my rifle at a few, then changed back to my broadsword because they kept getting that close. I huffed, "Just follow the sounds of fighting and you'll find us," I told them, then turned, "Red! Now!"

Something we found out was that Red could still blast fire out of her mouth, summon her jaw blade and send out a stream of fire from her mouth. She even had a laser that could come from her tail! Although, doing it a lot came with a price. She wouldn't be able to hold her form and would turn back into a giant robotic lion for a few days, "Got it!" She blasted fire in a circle around us as I pulled out another sword (Emily and Coran gave it to me in congratulations of becoming King and it was always disguised as a belt, but didn't look anything like one when it was a sword!).

Spinning both swords in my hands lightly, I ignited the non-bayard sword (something it could do since they thought it would be fitting) and grinned, "Let's do this Red," And charged.

We worked side by side, not having to communicate any words and just knowing what the other will do before they do it. Any enemy that got close to us were down in seconds, not standing a chance against our force. Even when they started using guns, I would take care of them with my bow, rifle or sniper while Red kept us both safe from the ones closer to us. When that was happening, I also used my extra sword as a shield, protecting us both from stray shots from the others using long distance. Yet, even with our skill, we were still outnumbered.

Then, I saw something just barely too late, "Red!" I cried out and pushed her just far enough so she didn't get hit. Instead, I got hit, right in the stomach.

"CUB!" Red roared. The look she sent to their enemies would have sent any sane person running, but they weren't sane. Red let out an extremely loud roar into the sky, then pounced.

The Atlas, which was waiting in space for the Paladins to return, heard the roar and knew something was wrong, "Get us down there," Shiro stated, "Something's wrong," No one said anything, just started following orders.

The Paladins froze for a moment when they heard it, but quickly kept going, "Pidge," Keith asked, "Can you pinpoint Red and Lance's location?"

"On it," She muttered

Surprisingly, they didn't have to worry about where he was since all of the lions responded to the call as well. They each let out their own roar and started flying towards their paladin to pick them up. When the lions reached their Paladins, they weren't given a choice on whether or not they wanted in or not, their lions 'ate' them and continued flying, "Red must have activated something," Allura muttered as they all made their way into their lions, "But this has never happened before. Even in the stories of the Paladins of old."

"Then we'll learn as we go," Keith answered, "Right now, we've got to save Lance and Red."

When the others finally arrived, I could barely keep my eyes open any longer, "You… took… your… sweet… time," I told them slowly, trying to stay awake.

"We literally took a few seconds!" Keith was exasperated, but I could tell he was relieved that I was still awake.

The Atlas cut through the atmosphere as the others landed and started fighting their way towards us. Unsurprisingly, Keith was the first one to make it, "Hey," I smiled, slowly fading.

Keith just glared, "Don't fall asleep Lance!"

"I'm sorry."

"Don't you dare close your eyes!"

"Tell Emily I love her."

"Lance, I'm ordering you not to close your eyes!"

"Sorry… I can't obey this time," My eyes finally closed.

The last thing I heard before I was completely out was Keith and Red crying out, "LANCE!"

This is the second time I didn't expect to wake up from getting injured, but I did. The only difference is that this time, it definitely wasn't just for a few minutes, it had been days. The first thing I saw was a white ceiling above me and I heard the beeping of a monitor next to me. I moved my arms to try and push myself up when Emily appeared right in front of me, "You're awake," She sighed in relief and gave me a very gentle hug, then my bed started moving so I was sitting a bit more up.

I blinked and looked around, noticing the plain white room and the uncomfortable chairs that I was trying to get changed so they were more comfortable, "What happened?" I croaked out, my voice sounding awful.

Emily sighed as she held my hand, still very worried, "You got shot protecting Red. The others brought you into the Atlas fast enough so you didn't die, but you still lost a lot of blood. You nearly died."

I interrupted her before she could continue by holding my hands out, "Please~?" I asked with a pouty face.

She rolled her eyes with a smile and curled up next to me as I wrapped both arms around her, "When they came back with you a few days ago, everyone was worried if you would wake up since it had already been two weeks. So, after I checked your vitals and got all the information on your wound, I figured you would wake up soon," She leaned in closer and whispered, "But don't tell Red. She's going to be super mad that you woke up when she wasn't in the room."

I smiled, but agreed, "Let's not tell her that just yet. Maybe next time I wake up," We sat there for a moment, then I realized something, "Wait, what about our wedding?! Is that still happening?!"

"Yes," Emily pushed me back onto the bed again, "I just moved everything back to a day where you'll be fully recovered. Now, rest. By the time you wake up, the rest of your team will be here."

"Yeah," I rubbed my eyes slightly, "I was wondering where they were…" I yawned.

"I sent them away to eat and sleep. Now, get some sleep. I'll wake you for dinner," She started running her fingers through my hair to help me relax and I was out.

The next time I woke up, it was to a lecture, "If you do something so stupid ever again you're going to be suspended for a week," Keith was saying, "You're a king now and you do so much for Altea. We didn't realize how much you did until now since we've had to do everything for you. So if you ever get hurt again then you're going to be forced to stay on Altea for a week worth of missions! And what about Red?! She was so worried that she activated an emergency protocol that was in all of the lions apparently. You nearly died! Again! And what about your wedding?! You've been talking about it every time we get together! It has to happen!"

"Keith," Shiro interrupted, "You're rambling."

Without opening my eyes, I already knew Keith was glaring, "I don't care. We have to make sure this kind of thing doesn't happen again. I'm not going to sit at a desk all day and do paperwork ever again."

"None of us like it," Pidge answered, typing away, "But since Coran is busy with the wedding with Emily, we have to step up and do it for him."

"I'm wondering how he handles all of it," Hunk huffed, "I mean, figuring out what to do with more problems coming up every day and just the paperwork alone keeps three of us busy all day! That's not even counting the meetings he has to be in! Why are there so many meetings!?"

I opened my eyes with a smile as Allura answered, "There weren't nearly as many when my father was on the throne, but Lance wants to hear what the people think before making decisions. That is why he's always busy."

"18 meetings," Pidge deadpanned, "In one day?"

"... That does seem a bit excessive," Allura admitted, "But it may help him keep things in order?"

No one said anything, then Hunk stated, "We're going to force him to rest more after this. He deserves it."

"It could just be because of his wedding coming up now that the day's been moved farther back," Shiro reminded, "He could think that doing this stuff is relaxing."

"18 meetings Shiro," Keith was the one to say this time, "In one day."

I smiled a bit wider and answered, "They'll go down the longer I'm king," Everyone whipped around to face me, "But I usually have more so I can learn more about Altean history and traditions."

"Most of the ones we went to were about other planet's traditions and history," Pidge glared while making sure I was alright, "Not Altean."

"Those are to help me prepare for when new planets visit so I don't accidentally offend them or just to brush up on our allies traditions," I tried to sit up more, but quickly stopped when pain flared in my torso, "I've actually started to keep a book so I can remember everything."

"... How long have you been awake?" Keith asked.

I smirked, "Long enough to hear your lecture Mullet, but don't worry. This won't happen again if I have a say in it."

Keith just nodded, "Good," Then sat down.

"So, how long have I been out exactly? Emily told me before but it's a bit blurry."

"It's been…a few weeks. The last time you were awake the doctors noticed that it was still too early for you to be awake and put you back to sleep. If everything goes as it should then you should be out of here in a week," Hunk answered, "But you still won't be able to move around much for a while."

I already knew that, but I was just hoping it wasn't true. Allura smiled and placed a gentle hand on my shoulder, "Don't worry about Altea. We'll take care of everything for you while you recover."

"And stop thinking about ways you'll help us," Pidge spoke up quickly, "You just need to rest."

I grumbled, "It's just paperwork! I can do that from bed! What's so wrong with that?!"

"No work," Keith stated, "We all know what will happen if you do."

All of them frowned, remembering the last time I did that while injured and I ended up with an infected cut and was stuck in bed for much longer. It… wasn't good for anyone, "Fine," I agreed, "I'll stay in bed and just do nothing."

"You can watch TV if you want," Shiro offered.

Before I could tell him that TV wasn't all that interesting anymore, Red burst into the room with Emily calling behind her, "Red! What did I just say?!"

Red just jumped on the bed and sat on my legs, front paws on the bed next to my shoulders, "Don't. Ever. Do. That. Again." She threatened as I blinked in shock and a bit of fear, "My skin in this form is just as strong as it is in my other form. I will be fine."

"Red," I placed a hand on her paw, too tired to figure out which one I did, "I'm going to protect you, but now I know how to do it properly. I'll just pull you down the next time someone tries to shoot you so you're on top of me."

Red beamed, her tail swishing back and forth in excitement, "Perfect! Then I could protect you and you had protected me! That will happen next time we are in a situation like that," Then she curled up on my legs and stared at me.

Emily finally reached the room, huffing, "Sorry, she got away from me. Once she learned you were awake there was no stopping her."

"Just as long as she doesn't lay on his stomach," Keith grumbled, "I don't want to know how bad it'll be if it gets infected."

"Don't worry, Red already knows what to do," Emily reassured as she checked everything.

Then Coran knocked on the door, "Sorry to interrupt, but there are a few things that still need to be done today," The others grumbled, but left the room.

Emily just continued to check the monitors, IV, stitches and even the blankets and pillows, "Emily," I gently grabbed her hand, "I'm going to be alright. I promise."

She gave up and quickly moved me to the side so she could collapse on the bed next to me, head on my shoulder with her legs curled up against Red, "Sorry, but it was really close. You nearly died and if it wasn't for the technology the Alteans have made, you wouldn't have made it. I watched as your heart nearly stopped and was scared we'd never…" She didn't have to finish for me to know.

I held her tighter, "I'm not going anywhere for a long time. Not if I can help it."

"And I will be there to make sure you make it," Red grumbled even though her eyes were closed.

We both smiled as Emily scratched behind Red's ears a little, "I feel much better, knowing that you'll be watching each others backs while on the field."

If anyone came in for the rest of the day, they would find all of us sleeping on the small bed with tear tracks on our faces, but all of us were smiling slightly.

"Hey Coran," I asked him, "What's all this?"

Coran was bringing in multiple packages, bags and letters into my room. It was the first day I was allowed to be in my room, but I had to stay on the bed. So, Coran made it his job to give me everything I needed while Emily, Shiro, Allura, Hunk, Keith and Pidge watched over Altea for me, "Just some things from your people," Coran answered, handing me a bag that was filled with letters and other things, "They all wish you a speedy recovery."

I started reading the first one and almost immediately teared up. Reading the next one, it was similar to the first and I knew that I wouldn't be bored anymore, "Coran?" I asked, "Could you find me some paper and a pen?"

"Of course Number 3!" He started out of the room, then paused, "What for?"

"To write back," I answered, continuing reading all the letters and looking at all the stuffed animals and chocolate that kids sent.

I didn't notice when Coran left or when the materials arrived, too engrossed in reading the letters and getting well wishes from nearly everyone living on Altea… actually, I think I got one from everyone on Altea. I wrote letter after letter and set them all in a pile, ready to send out, "What's going on?" Keith was the first one to enter my room that day.

I smiled, "I'm answering the people back! I can't just not thank them!"

Keith looked at the pile of trash, then at the pile of letters ready to be sent out, "Do you want me to clean up a bit?" He asked tentatively.

"Actually," I held up a stack of letters, "Could you get these ready to be sent out for me? I can clean all this up really easily on my own."

Keith glared lightly, but took the stacks of letters anyway, "I'll send someone who'll help you go through everything," He left before I could tell him not to.

Surprisingly, he sent Shiro in to help me to keep everything in order. He kept my bed clean, made sure I had everything I needed and even started to help me 'decorate' with the letters and things everyone sent me, "Are you planning on thanking everyone who sent you something?" Shiro asked as he pinned a letter to the wall.

I nodded, "Yep! They went to all the trouble to give me something and/or write me a letter. I've got to thank them for their time at least! Oo~ More chocolate!" I ate another piece of chocolate, making sure to save some for Emily if she wanted some later (and some for Shiro because he's been helping me with all of this), "Do you think Red could eat chocolate?" I asked Shiro, "Or would it kill her?!"

"You probably shouldn't give her any, just in case," Shiro answered as Hunk came in.

Hunk smiled, "I brought you lunch! Tell me what you think!" He moved the small desk I was using and placed a plate of food on my lap, "Eat up!"

"Hunk~ I was writing!" I protested, even as I set the pen down and started to eat.

Hunk frowned, "I thought you promised to not work until you were fully healed!"

Shiro smiled, "He wasn't working Hunk. He was writing thank you letters to everyone," He gestured to the many packages, some open and some unopened with a stack of letters ready to be sent out.

Hunk blinked in shock, "Oh," He smiled while looking around, "Well, do you want some help? I can organize things by family!"

"Actually," Shiro pointed to the wall, "He wants to put all the letters on display here and I haven't even been able to do more than half of them."

"Say no more!" Hunk walked over and grabbed a stack, "Where should I put them?"

After lunch, I went back to writing and took a small nap in the middle. Allura entered a few varga before dinner, right as I was walking up actually, "What is all of this?" She asked.

"Some people wanted to send him well wishes," Shiro answered, still smiling.

Hunk beamed, "They want him to get better fast!"

Then Pidge burst into the room with another sack, "Why is there so much mail for Lance?!"

"Is there more downstairs?" Hunk asked.

Pidge shook her head and set the sack down with a thud, "No, but an entire sack full of stuff is too much mail for one person!"

Shiro sighed and looked around, "And I thought we would almost be done."

That's when Pidge noticed the wall and the stacks of letters, waiting to be sent out, "What's going on?"

Hunk beamed, "The people love Lance!" He then told Pidge everything that I had been doing today and what was going on. Then she joined in helping organize everything as well as she could. Honestly, she mainly talked to me, trying to figure out what I was writing to everyone, but I made sure to keep it simple, but different.

By the time Emily came into the room to check on me, Keith had joined us and we were all on the verge of sleep. I barely felt her hand run through my hair and the kiss she placed on my forehead, "Good night," She whispered, then closed the door.

-Emily's P.O.V.-

Lance's recovery took a while, but I didn't mind. The only hard part about it was convincing his friends to let him work on some paperwork that can only be done by the actual ruler of Altea. Everything else they had to pass through Red and Coran before they did anything about it or made anything official. What they didn't know was that Red kept on asking Lance what he thought of everything his friends were doing and made her decision match his… most of the time. There were a few times I had to intervene so things didn't go disastrously wrong for Altea.

Honestly though? I was just glad my grandparents were able to make it to our wedding, "He's a keeper," My grandpa told me once more the day before the wedding when they arrived, "He'll take great care of you."

My grandma smiled, "Don't let go of him," She told me, "He's one you want to keep for the rest of your life."

"Don't worry grandma," I reassured her, "I'm never going to let him go."

She nodded, "Good."

The next day, Allura and Blue came into my room with Pidge and Green, who were surprisingly excited about today, "It's time to get ready!" Allura said, carrying my dress as well. The rest of the Paladins were now able to have their Lions follow them around wherever they went. There have been multiple stories of Pidge and Green playing pranks or scaring people on Earth already.

I rubbed my eyes, still waking up, "Already? The sun isn't even up yet!"

"I tried to hold her off," Pidge said half-heartedly, meaning that wasn't the case, "But she insisted."

Allura rolled her eyes and set my dress down so she could pull me to my feet, "If we're going to do your hair properly then we need plenty of time to do it," She pushed me towards the bathroom, "Now, get ready!"

Sighing, I just did as I was told and only got excited for what today was when I was awake (mainly because that's when I remembered what today was). I came out in my bathrobe and sat on the chair Allura had already set everything around, "So, what's the plan for my hair?" I asked.

Allura beamed and picked up the comb, "It's an Altean traditional hairstyle."

Pidge just sighed and got things ready for Allura to use, "How long is this really going to take?" She asked.

She only got her answer when it was done. Which was nearly five hours because Pidge kept accidentally messing Allura up by asking a question, "Alright," Allura nodded when she was finally done, "It's finished."

"Finally!" Pidge cried out, even though she'd been able to move around and do literally anything she wanted, "Now, let's see the finishing look!" She shoved my dress in my hands and pushed me towards the bathroom.

I laughed and quickly changed, coming out quickly, "What do you think?" I asked, twirling for them.

My hair was done in a crazy complicated braid with roses woven into my hair as well, blue and white. My dress was all white with a form-fitting top, loose, off the shoulder, flowy sleeves that went in a circle all around me, connecting to the top of the dress as well. The skirt was puffed out like a ballgown a bit, but not as big as an actual ball gown skirt would be with layers of white until it reached the floor. Each layer had a 'blue' hemming on the end, same as the sleeves, but it looked white honestly. I also had a 'blue' ribbon wrapped around my waist, just where the skirt started that didn't seem to have an end or beginning. My shoes weren't really shoes, more like fancy sandals with a heel on them. The straps on the sandals looked like ribbons that tied into a bow on the outside of the shoe after wrapping around my ankle a few times.

Pidge nodded as Allura beamed, "Perfect," Allura whispered as my grandparents entered the room, "Absolutely perfect."

Grandpa interrupted, "Sweetheart, I know you're getting ready, but can you tell that boy to calm down? He's been running around the place trying to make sure everything's ready! He should let other people worry about that today!"

"That's just how Lance works Grandpa," I answered, giving him a hug, "It's mainly because he's nervous and doesn't want anything to go wrong."

He sighed and turned back around, "Well, I'd better go help him calm down then! He's going to need to be able to talk at the ceremony."

I chuckled as he left and my Grandma walked forward, "Now, for the finishing touch," She pulled out a box and opened it.

I gasped as I saw what was inside, "What is it?" Pidge asked as she and Allura came over to see what it was.

My grandma smiled, "These have been passed down for generations in my family to the firstborn daughter on their wedding day. Tradition is that if they wear it, good fortune will stay with them during their marriage."

Inside the box was a necklace with a diamond heart dangling from the silver chain with a silver edge around it and behind it to connect it to the chain. There was also a simple silver tiara with a similar heart diamond in the middle with curly designs around it, making it point, "Thank you grandma," I told her while putting the necklace on.

She smiled and took the tiara out, setting the box down as I allowed her to place it on my head, "Wear these proudly," She told me after making sure the tiara was secure on my head.

I beamed, "I will."

Allura sniffed, "You look perfect now. I thought you looked perfect before, but now…"

Pidge smirked, "Lance's going to be speechless."

Allura nodded as there was a knock on the door, "Uh… Emily?" Hunk asked tentatively, "It's time."

"Thanks Hunk! We'll be right there!" I answered, then turned to the others.

Allura was looking at Pidge while Pidge just frowned at her, "See? It was a good idea for us to get ready before helping Emily."

"Yeah, yeah," Pidge waved her off and started dragging me away, "Let's get there already!"

So, with Pidge leading the way, we made our way to where everyone was already waiting and ready. Nadia skipped up to us with a beaming smile on her face and a basket full of flower petals, "Do I get to go now?!" She asked excitedly.

Lance's mom laughed and held her back, "Not yet, but soon."

She pouted, but nodded. We all got in line as I waited with my Grandpa at the end. Just before we entered, he told me, "I wish your parents were here to see this. They would have been so proud of the woman you've become."

I tried not to tear up, "Thank you Grandpa," I whispered, then we had to walk forward.

It was easy to tell when Lance first saw me because his eyes widened and his mouth dropped open slightly. Hunk actually reached forward to close his mouth quietly as I chuckled. Pidge was right though, he was speechless. He actually had to be nudged when it was his turn to speak. I don't even blame him a single bit since I was also a bit awestruck by how he looked. His suit was nearly the same as his coronation one, but it was white with silver accents. Honestly, all I really heard was, "You may now kiss the bride," At the end.

Almost as soon as that was said, we were kissing. Until Red jumped up in between us to lick both of us on the face which caused everyone to laugh. After that the rest of the night passed in a blur. We had delicious food and had plenty of dances throughout the night, but we were both excited that we didn't have to clean anything up afterwards. Although, since Red didn't trust any other ship to take us off planet for our honeymoon, we rode off in her. We had the best time of our lives during those two months.

I couldn't believe my eyes. This was actually happening! I stared at the results, not daring to move for fear of being wrong, but there was no chance of that happening. When I finally realized that I had things I still needed to do, I whispered, "How am I going to tell this to Lance?"

We had been married for a little less than a year, our anniversary coming up in just a week actually with my grandparents' deaths coming just three months afterwards. I wouldn't have made it through that without Lance there with me and just being there to reassure me that I wasn't alone. It still hurt, but I was going to make sure I lived my life to the fullest… for them. Although, right now, Red was having to push me around to move, "We should tell him right now," Red told me, being extra gentle with me.

I just nodded and gripped the fur on her back, "Yeah, the sooner the better," Then I started to cry a little, "Red… it's finally happening. We've been planning this ever since we found each other again."

Red just smiled as her tail swished back and forth cockily, "And this one will be a strong one. I can already tell."

"When should we tell the others?" I asked, looking around to see if Lance was nearby.

Red just smirked, "We'll tell them the next time they arrive. I can't wait to meet my sisters and brothers again!"

I cleared my tears away and walked into Lance's office with a smile, "Hey!" Lance beamed and immediately stood up to give me a hug, "Everything turned out alright?"

The reason I tested myself was because I just haven't felt right for the past few weeks and Lance was getting concerned. So, I checked to see if my suspicions were correct, "Everything's fine."

Lance frowned, "Then how come you've been feeling different for the past few days?" I was already crying again with a beaming smile as I handed him a shirt with the words 'World's Best Daddy' on it in blue. He just frowned as he took the shirt and looked at it, then his eyes widened as he looked at me, "Are you serious?" He asked in shock.

I nodded, "Yes," I sniffed lightly and whipped a few tears away, "I'm pregnant."

He blinked as Red chuckled, "How…"

"Almost a month."

Finally, he broke as he smiled wider than ever, "YES!" He yelled and pulled me into a hug, then ran out the door yelling, "WOOHOO! IT'S FINALLY HAPPENING! I'M GOING TO BE A DAD!"

"Number 3!" Coran interrupted as I finally exited the room to see Lance already down the hall, almost turning the corner, "Just because we do not have any visitors does not mean you can yell."

Lance just ignored what he was saying and grabbed Coran's hands, running in a circle, "I'M GOING TO BE A DAD!" He yelled, then continued running while yelling at the top of his lungs, "I'M GOING TO BE A DAD!" While cheering in between.

I smiled and shook my head, "Red, please go make sure he doesn't tell the whole kingdom yet. I want to make it to the second trimester before we tell anyone."

Red nodded and was running after him a moment later. Coran just made his way over to me, "Is that true?" He pointed down the hall where Lance disappeared to, "You're going to have a child?"

I nodded, "I'm already a month along."

Coran blinked, then smiled, "Well, I'd best let the staff know not to tell anyone yet."

"Thank you Coran," I smiled as he quickly left to, hopefully, stop Lance from telling everyone and get everyone who already knew to be quiet. If things go wrong, I don't want anyone to know.

When I told Lance, I didn't think he would be like this. I did think he would be a little more protective, but this is stretching it… a lot, "What if you slip up and poke yourself?!" He asked, moving the needle out of my reach as I glared at him, "I don't want anything to happen to you or the baby!"

"Lance," I glared, "I know you're worried, but I'll be fine. This is literally part of my job," Since he still didn't do anything, I added, "If you want, Red can watch out for me while you do your duties."

His arm lowered just enough for me to grab the needle, "Hey!" He pouted, "I didn't say you could have it! What if you hurt yourself?!"

"Lance," I've had to tell him this at least once a day since he learned I was pregnant, "Nothing is going to happen. I promise."

"... Can Red watch you for me?" He finally asked.

I nodded, "Of course, Red is welcome to come with me anywhere I go. Now you'd better hurry, you have a meeting in two doboshes."

"It'll be fine if I'm late," He leaned in and kissed me on the cheek while giving me a light hug, then started out of the room, "Red, if anything happens to her, come get me. I don't care where I am, you come get me, alright?"

Red nodded, "Nothing is going to happen to my Cub's Mate," Then she was glaring at everyone who came close.

I just sighed, "I really hope they calm down soon. This is getting to be ridiculous," I muttered while writing on the chart I was carrying.

I ran as fast as I could out of the dining room because of the smell. Whatever it was, it smelled awful! It smelled so bad that I felt like I was going to puke… which I did when I reached the nearest bathroom. Recently, it has been really hard for me to eat most foods because something just… didn't smell right in any of them. I puked just as Lance entered the room and held my hair back with one hand and gently rubbed my back with the other, "That's off the menu for now," He muttered to Coran who also followed me.

Red pushed herself up to my side until I buried one of my hands in her fur, "I'll ask the cook to prepare something she's been able to stomach before," Coran nodded and left the room.

I breathed for a moment, then leaned against him, "Sorry," I apologize, "I don't know what's wrong with me."

"It's all right," He let go of my hair and held my hand, "We'll figure this out together… Besides, you're pregnant which means you're going to be affected."

I glared, "Are you saying that I'm different because I'm pregnant?"

"Uh…" He looked unsure of himself, "Yes?"

Tears welled up in my eyes as I started to cry and he quickly pulled me into a hug, "I knew it. Soon, I won't be able to do my job and I'll just become an ugly hermit who lives on a desolate planet!"

"That won't happen as long as I'm here," Lance retorted, slowly sitting me up and helping me look somewhat presentable, "And you'll never look ugly. In fact, I think you look more beautiful every time I look at you."

More tears streamed down my face as I tackled him in a hug, "You're the best guy in the universe!" And I gave him a kiss, right on the lips.

Red looked at us confused, as she usually did when I had mood swings, "I guess everything is alright?" She whispered to herself.

"WHAT?!" Hunk was the first one to be able to talk once we told the Paladins, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?! I could have come to help!"

"You were busy on the Atlas," I defended as Lance just smiled, "Besides, we wanted to wait until the second trimester in case something went wrong."

Hunk just waved away my concern, "Shay and I have been trying to find a place to settle down close to someone we know. We're actually expecting as well!"

Lance beamed, "Alright! Now we officially have a club!"

"What club would that be?" Pidge asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Lance just smirked, "The Dad club!"

Shiro frowned slightly as Hunk beamed, "Alright! Shiro, Lance, when is it a good time to have our first official meeting?"

Shiro groaned, "I'm not a dad so I'm not part of the 'club'."

"You totally are," Pidge answered, then smirked, "Space Dad."

Keith smiled as well, "You kind of earned that title Shiro. I can't deny it."

Allura chuckled, "Maybe if we get married then he'll become an actual father."

Lance burst out laughing at Shiro's beet red face as he sauntered over to them and threw an arm around Shiro's shoulders, "So, Shiro, is there something you want to tell me about my sister?"

Not even Keith was able to keep his composure after that. Allura was the first one to stop laughing as the guys started teasing Shiro, "Do you know the gender?" She asked me.

Pidge beamed, "Oh! Boy or girl?"

"We're actually keeping it a secret until the big day," I answered, smiling, "We want to be surprised about which gender it is," Then I whispered, "Plus, I don't know how Lance will react if it's a girl."

The entire time the others were there, the Lions were always making sure I was alright and wasn't over doing it. Yellow and Red were the worst, but since Yellow was looking after Shay, Hunk's wife, then she wasn't nearly as bad as Red was.

With Hunk cooking all of our meals, I was able to eat a lot more things and not throw up at just the smell. It was mainly because he figured out what was causing it, "It's a really strong spice that I've found most pregnant women can't stand to smell, but it doesn't affect them at any other time," He admitted, not showing me which one it was, "So, I'm just making sure that I keep it locked away until the kids are born."

Lance was very pleased with this since I could start eating normally again… mostly, since some things still bothered me. Although Shay and I spent a lot of time talking to each other and brainstorming baby names, ideas for a nursery, what we think they'll look like and more. It was really nice to just have someone else to talk to during this that didn't get bored of baby talk. Honestly though, Hunk and Lance were sometimes worse than we were!

As the time neared closer for the birth, Lance's mother came, as well as Veronica, Allura, Blue and Shay's mother to help both of us out. Yet, like most births, it didn't come when we expected it to. I woke up that day feeling slightly uncomfortable and figured that I just didn't get enough sleep since that was something that just seemed to leave me every night no matter what we tried. So, I got up and got ready for the day. I was going to be in meetings all day with Lance since the Alteans loved to see both of us together. Whenever they saw us together they just kept on gushing about how in love we were and how excited they were about the baby.

So, I did my best to be with him during the weekly complaining/discussing session held with everyone on the planet. Until it started, just a slightly stronger uncomfortable feeling in my stomach, but I just figured that it was because I ate or drank too much. Then it started to grow and I knew what was happening, "Lance," I whispered when someone finished talking.

He hummed, turning to face me as the next person stepped up, "What's wrong?"

"We have a Code B-2," I answered.

His eyes widened immediately, "Are you sure?" Now everyone was listening and watching in a bit of fear for our wellbeing and a little bit of shock since we never stopped right in the middle of these sessions.

I glared as another spike of pain came, "Of course I'm sure! I'm the one feeling it!"

That scared him into action, "Coran!" He called out, "Code B-2!"

Then Coran's eyes widened and everything fell into chaos. The only people who knew what that actually meant was the staff, everyone else just looked confused as Lance proceeded to freak out, "Alright Your Majesty," Coran told me gently as Lance tried to calm down his excitement and worry, "Can you walk?"

I nodded, slowly getting up with Lance's help, "The pain isn't too bad yet," Then I groaned as another wave of pain came at me.

Lance just picked me up, "I'll carry you. Coran, can you tell our family what's happening?"

He nodded, "They'll be informed within the qunitent."

"The doctor is here My King and Queen," A guard told us as Lance carried me out of the room.

I smiled, "Thank you Fredric."

Everyone in the other room was trying to figure out what was going on, but the guards and servants were just trying to calm them down, "In here," The doctor directed us to one of the many rooms that were already set up for this. Lance wanted to make sure everything was ready for when the baby came and had a room in nearly every hallway ready for this.

"Lance," I gripped his hand once he set me down, "Everything will be fine. Please calm down, you're making me more nervous."

"Sorry," He sat next to me and let me lean against him as I tried to control my breathing, "I just don't want anything to go wrong."

"It won't," I smiled and groaned again from another spike of pain, "I've got you right here with me to keep me calm."

He smiled, but kept holding my hand through it all. Turns out, there wasn't much we could do until it was 'time' which didn't make sense to me yet, but I didn't really care at the moment. Lance was talking about everything and anything to keep me distracted until it was finally, finally time. It was painful and I was exhausted by the time I heard the baby scream (and Lance probably had to have his hand looked at from how tight I was gripping it), but it was all worth it, "Congratulations," The doctor smiled, wrapping our baby in a blanket, "A beautiful baby girl."

She was set on my chest as I held her carefully as she calmed down. Lance, using one arm to hold me up, reached out to gently touch her cheek, "She's perfect," I whispered, smiling. I turned to the doctor, "Thank you. Will you inform Coran and the others for us?"

The doctor nodded, "Of course Your Highness," Then we were alone in the room.

She had a little very light brown fuz as hair on her head and purple markings under her big, closed eyes. Her ears were slightly rounded, but they did come to a point at the top, "Caroline," Lance finally whispered, crying slightly, "What do you think?"

More tears came to my eyes and I wasn't able to hold them back, "It's perfect. Our little Caroline," Named after my grandmother. After another moment, I held her towards Lance, "Here, I don't think I'll be able to hold her for much longer."

Lance slowly, gently took her from me and just cried more while looking right at her, "Hi there," He 'baby-talked' to her, "I'm your daddy little Carol."

I smiled and rested for a bit. Sadly, it didn't seem to take a long time until Lance was too emotional again and I had to take her back so she didn't fall, "Our little Carol," I smiled. Then the door opened and we looked to see Red peeking her head in, "Come on in Red. Come meet the new member of our family."

Red slowly walked over and just stared, wide eyed at Caroline, "Red," Lance introduced as Red climbed onto the bed to sniff her, "Meet Caroline. Caroline, this is Red. She's bacily your big sister."

Red looked at Lance in awe for a moment before Caroline's face scrunched up and she opened her eyes, "Blue," Red answered, moving forward to sniff her and making Caroline laugh, "But there's a fire inside her," Then she sat up and looked right at us, "If anyone even thinks of hurting her then they will be punished."

My eyes widened as Lance nodded, "I won't stop you Red."

"Lance! Red!" I yelped, "That's not how we do things!"

The door opened, but we didn't realize until later, "It's how I do things!" Lance defended himself, "I don't want her to get hurt!"

We realized the others entered the room when we heard Lance's mother laugh lightly, "Sometimes, we get hurt sweetie, but our family is always there to help them get right back up."

His family and the Paladins formed a semi-circle around the bed as the Lions watched near Red and Nadio and Sylvio just climbed onto the bed to get a closer look. I lowered Caroline slightly and smiled, "Everyone, meet Caroline. The Future ruler of Altea."

That's when Hunk started crying and it got worse when we allowed them all to hold her. He wasn't the only one though, Lance's mother, Allura and Lance himself were crying as well. When it was Shay's turn to hold her, she smiled, "I hope our little one will bring us as much joy as this one," She told Hunk.

Hunk sniffed, "They're going to be best friends growing up."

Lance, who was standing next to Caroline to make sure nothing went wrong, placed a hand on his shoulder, "Just like us buddy," Hunk pulled him into a hug as Shay passed Caroline to Shiro who just… stared.

I chuckled, still exhausted, "You alright Shiro?" I asked him.

Instead of answering me, he just turned to Allura and said, "Let's get married. I want to start a family with you."

All of us stared as Allura beamed, "Give it a month so we can plan the wedding, then we can start our family."

Shiro nodded as he passed Caroline to her, who then passed her to Pidge, "Don't worry Caroline, I'll make sure you get into plenty of trouble with your parents," Pidge smirked as Lance frowned.

He opened his mouth to say something, but Caroline cut him off with a laugh, "I guess you've got a trouble maker on your hands," Keith joked, then froze when Pidge handed him Caroline.

Lance quickly fixed his arms, "Here, it'll feel more natural if you hold her like this."

None of Lance's siblings were any better. Lance actually took Caroline out of their arms when they started telling her about all the things they would teach her aka pranks she could do. It was the best day in the universe for us as we heard the entire kingdom cheer at learning about Caroline.

"Caroline," I asked her seriously, "Did you take Alistair and sneak into the Garrison again?"

She pouted, "Red came with us! She was the one leading the way!"

I sighed and shook my head, "It's dangerous to go there Carol. We don't want you to get hurt so please, don't go there without me or your father, alright?"

"I won't!" She beamed, then ran over to Alistair, "Come on! Let's go play in the Juniberry field!"

Alistair beamed, "Let's go!

Alistair was Shay and Hunk's first born baby boy who, as predicted, was Caroline's best friend. They were only five years old, but they both loved to play with each other since Hunk and Shay sort-of permanently moved into the castle so they could stay together. He was practically Hunk and Shay mixed together! His skin wasn't as hard as Shay's but it was the same color as hers with smaller then normal ears that looked like a mix of human and Balmeran ears. His nose was almost exactly like Hunks, just turned up more while his eyes were green with huge yellow pupils, "Miura!" Caroline called out, "Are you coming?!"

"Come!" Miura, Shiro and Allura's so far, only child and three years old already, also loved when her and her parents came to visit us. She had shocking white hair and slightly rounded ears like Caroline and red markings under light brown eyes.

"Wait!" Dustin called out, "I wanna come!" Dustin was Keith and Axcia's kid who looked more Galran than anything else. He had dark purple hair with light purple skin and dark, stormy purple eyes with some yellow in them. His parents were just excited that he didn't have fur anywhere else but his head like some Galran have.

"Us too! Us too!" Roxy and Max ran to follow them, Romelle and Matt's twins that were identical except for their gender, Roxy a girl and Max a boy. They had shocking red hair with purple eyes and blue markings under their eyes with slightly rounded ears, but they seemed pointer than any of the other kids.

Lance smiled as he wrapped me in a side hug, finally done telling Red why she couldn't take the kids to the Garrison whenever she wanted, "Red going to listen to you now?" I asked, smiling.

Lance half shrugged, "Probably not, but I know she'll keep Caroline safe."

I smiled and gave him a quick kiss, "You're worried. Calm down, Red will never do anything dangerous with Caroline."

"I made it!" Pidge called out, bursting into the room, "Finally!"

"Hey! I thought you were bringing your boyfriend!" Matt frowned, "I still need to meet him!"

Pidge frowned right back, "Aayan did come, but he has things he needs to do first."

Lance's eyes widened, "You mean that Olkari dude you brought last time you were here?! Man! I didn't think either of you would have the courage to admit your feelings to each other!"

Pidge slumped in her chair as Green smirked and sat right next to her, "They didn't," Matt smirked, "They could both understand Green and that's when they realized they liked each other. Aayan asked her on a date moments after that."

Pidge was beet red, "Matt!"

I smiled, looking around the room at the huge family I've found. I wouldn't trade this for the world.

… Now I just need to tell Lance that I'm expecting again.