Author's Note:

Hello all and welcome to another chapter. The first half is a scene between Keith and Lance, looking at the aftermath of the switching of the lions. The second is a bit of Iverson's thoughts upon the revelation that was flung at him. Please let me know what you thought, and I hope you enjoy the chapter.

I own nothing.

Chapter 13

The hanger of the Black Lion was silent and empty, as if honouring the absence of the Black Paladin.

The only person present was Lance, gazing solemnly up at the head of Voltron, and he sat down heavily upon the floor.

With Shiro gone, and no sign of him to be found anywhere, they'd eventually decided to find a new Paladin for the Black Lion. Each of them had attempted to bond with him, but Keith had been the one to succeed, not that Lance was particularly surprised.

Keith was like Shiro's prodigy, and if he believed the other boy could lead them, then Lance wasn't going to argue the point, what surprised him was the fact that the Red Lion had then called him, summoning him to be his pilot.

While Keith had been an obvious fit for Red, Lance wasn't so sure about himself. Despite Allura explaining that he suited the role as Keith's second, and right arm of Voltron, he wasn't so sure.

He glanced up at the Black Lion once more.

While each of them had a bond with their own lion, receiving knowledge to help pilot and unlock their abilities, they could, occasionally, sense something from the Black Lion as well. It wasn't as clear as their own lions, but they could get a sense of feelings from him, something of the strong, trustworthy presence that Shiro had. Perhaps this was due to him being Voltron's head, and maybe that's one of the reasons the Lion had chosen Shiro.

It was this presence that Lance was looking for.

Shiro had been one of the first people, besides his mother, whom he'd started to trust. The rest of Team Voltron had quickly followed suit, but the Black Paladin had been the catalyst for that trust. He was where Lance went first if something was troubling him, if there was something he didn't understand, but now, he couldn't do that.

He heard someone behind him and spun his head to see Keith standing in the doorway in surprise.

"Lance?"

His face then morphed into understanding, and he sat down beside him. Lance glanced at him, and the other boy sighed.

"It doesn't feel right, taking Shiro's place." He looked down at the floor, "I get that we need a full team, and that Shiro would be the first to say I can do this, but it still feels wrong." He looked back up at the lion, "I mean, I'm not leader material, I'm a loner, I don't work well with other people, and I let my emotions get the better of me all the time." He shook his head, "I'm not the one to do this."

Lance frowned, then clipped the back of Keith's head, causing the other teen to let out a cry and glare at him, "Ow! What was that for?"

The mute boy simply pointed at the lion, then folded his arms firmly, and Keith responded shortly, "Its true Lance, I'm not cut out for this."

Lance huffed, then pointed at the lion once more, prodded his teammate firmly in the chest, then gave him a meaningful look.

"You think, though he chose me, the Black Lion doesn't need me to be ready right now?"

The new Red Paladin nodded, then gestured to the lion and tapped Keith's forehead.

"You're saying he picked me because I have the potential to be as great as Shiro, and he's willing to help teach me how."

Lance smiled and nodded once more, and Keith looked back up at the still lion.

"I guess, I didn't think of it that way." He gave a small smile, "That's exactly how Shiro saw me, makes sense when you think about it." He addressed the lion, "I'll try and make you proud."

As if in answer, the eyes of the Black Lion lit up, and he lowered his head, and even Lance could feel his comforting presence in his mind, almost as if Shiro himself was there.

Iverson was sat in his office once again, staring at an all too familiar photo.

Lance.

Dr Williams was thorough in her checks, she'd run the tests several times and there was no doubt as to their result. Meaning that he had a previously unknown son, who was now who knows where.

In light of the discovery, he'd used what leverage he had to piece together a more detailed picture of the life Lance had led. He had a fair bit of support, the Garrison were equally eager to understand who Lance was, but his motivations were certainly far more personal.

He supposed it was partly him trying to discover what he truly felt.

He'd never considered having a family, perhaps as some distant, joking fantasy, but he'd accepted himself as a military man through and through. He'd been content with teaching new cadets, now his years of active duty were over, helping them grow and giving the stern pressure they needed to truly flourish. Children of his own had never come into the equation.

And now he had a son.

Though their whereabouts were still unknown, the Garrison was keeping a close watch for anything like the ships they'd detected, and despite the odds, Iverson's instincts told him that they'd all return.

So, he'd tried to discover what he could.

Sadly, it was the story he'd been expecting, of a woman who'd lost everything and ended up being forced into about the only thing she felt she could do. Those responsible were either unknown, or dealt with by the authorities already, but it hadn't been enough for her. Her disappearance suggested that she'd died some time ago, leaving Lance alone to fend for himself.

The worst part was that he hadn't even been able to dig up a name for her, at least, not one among what information they could get. She'd been a complete mystery, likely having left the place of her origin far behind.

He ran a weary hand over his eyes.

So, what would it mean if and when Lance came back, what would happen then? Where would the boy go, and what was he supposed to do about it?

He guessed that the suitable authorities could find somewhere for him, but wasn't it his responsibility to supply that? Could he supply it, would Lance even want him to?

The boy probably had no idea who his father was, would he really accept a man he didn't know and hadn't been there for the entirety of his life? Would he even acknowledge the blood connection between them, want some sort of relationship with a complete stranger?

Did he even want Lance to?

Iverson looked down at the photo once more, the single one taken at the crash sight when the Garrison found him nearby and nodded.

Yes, he did want Lance to acknowledge him, give him a chance to be something of a father. Perhaps it was paternal instinct at work, he barely knew the teen after all, but he wanted to be a part of the boy's life, the way he hadn't been for seventeen years.

However, if Lance wanted nothing to do with him, he'd accept that to, and hope for it to change one day, though something told him that the rejection would hurt more than he could guess right now.

He closed his one good eye.

For now, all he could do was wait and hope, for the chance to see his son once more.

PS-And there we go. Please let me know what you thought, and I'll hopefully update soon.