"Lance!" Coran shouted, catching his breath as he ran up to the Paladin. "There you are!"

"Oh, hey Coran," Lance gave his new smile. "Hey, do you know what time it is?"

"Umm . . . " Coran tapped his chin, trying to act calmly, "about 11 am in Earth hours. Why?"

"Oh, no reason . . . " Lance trailed off, crossing his arms. "So, you've been looking for me?"

"Y-yes!" Coran gave a weak smile, "erm, I . . . I need you to help me with some . . . repairs! Yes, repairs!"

"Repairs on what?" Lance's brow raised.

"On the uhm . . . " Coran suddenly beamed, his pointer finger going up, "on the thrusters, of course! Haven't you noticed them acting up?"

"No, Coran, I can't say I have."

"Well then, you have much to learn about this ship!" Coran grabbed Lance's hand gently, taking him towards the control room of the ship. "You see, the thrusters can only be controlled by the room, usually by Allura, but I can use them if I press a few buttons . . . Anyways, we'll have to do a few tests, screw a few screws, you know . . . machine things."

"Uh huh," Lance lazily showed signs of his interest in the conversation, eyes trailing towards the walls.

"And of course, we'll be doing it for a while . . . "

"Probably,"

"So if you want to, oh I dunno, talk about anything, then we sure could!" Coran gave a wide smile, eyes sparkling.

Lance smirked a bit, "oh, I have plenty of things to talk about."

"You do?" Coran's smile grew wider every second.

"Yes. Like Keith's ass, for instance."

"Like . . . " Coran's smile faltered, "what?"

"Yeah, he has a great ass, don't you think?"

"I . . . um . . . what?" Coran sputtered, his smile long gone.

Lance stopped suddenly, "hey, I gotta use the bathroom real quick, I'll meet you in the control room, mmkay?"

Coran was too dumbfounded to answer, "I, erm."

"Great, I'll be there in just a tick!" Lance shouted, already half way down the hall.

It took Coran a few seconds to realize he'd let Lance get away, and be alone once again. "Quiznack . . . "

_

"Alright, are we clear on what we're going to do?" Shiro asked, his hands sitting firmly on his knees.

Pidge nodded, "be as nice as possible."

"Let him know we're there to talk," Hunk continued.

"Compliment him at every chance," Allura added.

"And be as supportive as heck," Keith finished.

"Good," Shiro nodded, getting up from the floor. "And don't act too different, we don't want him to feel uncomfortable. Just . . . be nice, okay?"

"Okay," everyone agreed, getting up themselves.

"And if he seems like he needs to say something," Shiro added, "let him know he can say it."

"Got it," Keith nodded, memorizing every instruction like his life depended on it.

"I just feel so horrible . . . " Allura commented, looking down. "I feel as if this is partly my fault."

"It's all our faults," Hunk put in, "none of us even noticed . . . "

Pidge looked down solemnly, "I wonder how many nights he's laid there, wondering if anyone loves him."

"Too many," Shiro stated, opening the door. "Let's go. We've been away from him long enough."

Everyone nodded, following him out the door.

_

The faint clicking of Lance's heels was all that could be heard in the dark hallway as he headed towards the bathroom. He entered it cautiously, looking around to make sure nobody else was present. He sighed as he walked in, looking into the mirror. He frowned at his hood, pulling it back down as it usually sat.

Are you alone? a voice asked, the sound vibrating throughout his entire body.

"Yes," he answered aloud, barely knowing what he was responding to. He didn't know why he was in there, he didn't even have to use the bathroom.

Good. The voice was smooth, each word seeming inviting, yet dangerous. Now listen to me, Lance. You must find out their weaknesses. Find out what will kill them. I'll help you.
"Kill them?" Lance repeated, his mind clouding the sound of his own words. "B-but . . . they're my friends . . . " he felt a new uncertainty saying that, his lips dipping into a small frown.

Keith betrayed you, so what makes you think the others won't? They aren't your friends. They don't care about you. You're just a seventh wheel.

The reality of it all came crashing down on him at the mention of those two words. He'd almost forgotten about the remark he'd made to who he'd thought to be Slav, but he could hear them ringing clearly in his mind now. Seventh wheel. That's all he was.

Lance shook his head, "but I couldn't . . . they're saving the universe!"

Are they? How do you know that the Galra aren't in the right here? What if everything you know is a lie? What if they're working for Zarkon?

"But . . . aren't you working for Zarkon?" Lance asked, thinking that could be the only possible explanation for the voice.

No! I'm trying to overthrow him! Listen, Lance, your friends aren't what they seem. They're only going to hurt you . . .

"Hurt me . . . "

Me, on the other hand? I'm going to help you. I'm going to save you from them. They don't care about you, Lance, but I do.

"Really?" Lance smiled slightly, only his subconscious now wondering who the voice belonged to.

Yes, really. I care about you deeply, Lance. Very deeply.

"Wow . . . " Lance looked into the mirror once again, "I don't think anyone's ever said that to me before . . . "

I'd never lie to you.

_

"What do you mean you let him get away?!" Keith asked once again, teeth gritting.

"I'm sorry!" Coran pleaded. "He said some . . . things, and then he said he had to use the bathroom, and who am I to-"

"What things?" Hunk asked, raising a brow.

"Well, uh," Coran didn't quite know what to reveal, with Keith standing right there.

"Coran, if it was enough to make you that . . . paralyzed, then you need to tell us," Shiro crossed his arms, a sort of I-don't-get-paid-enough-for-this look on his face.

"Well . . . " Coran gulped, "he just revealed some . . . private information."

"Like?" Pidge tapped her foot impatiently.

"Things I probably shouldn't be telling you, okay? It wasn't anything depressing, I promise," Coran put up his hands in defense.

"I swear to God, if he said he had a crush on Allura or something, we already know," Keith crossed his arms.

"Wait, what?" Allura raised a brow. "He has a what on me?"

" . . . well quiznack," Hunk sighed.

"Ugh," Keith threw his hands in the air, "can we just go find him before he does something stupid?!"

Keith looked at the group with a confused expression, all of them silent.

"What? What is it?"

Hunk coughed, nodding his head behind Keith.

Keith turned around, seeing Lance, hood on once again, and biting his lip.

"Talking about me? I know, I'm awesome," Lance grinned, masking the uncertainty that had been on his face just seconds before. "You guys gonna help Coran and I fix the thrusters?"

"I . . . y-yeah," Keith gave an awkward smile, wondering how badly he'd messed up this time. How much had Lance heard?

"Yes! The thrusters!" Coran smiled, "come on, this way then!"

Coran stopped mid-step, the castle suddenly being filled with red blaring alarms.

"Quiznack!" Pidge shouted, the group running into the control room.

Coran and Allura pulled up the screens, warning signs everywhere.

"It's a Galra ship!" Allura's eyes widened as she grabbed the microphone.

"They're sending us a message!" Shiro pointed out, gesturing towards the screen.

"Please do not fire," the computer read the encoded text, "we are sending our captain."

"Do not come here! What do you want?!" Allura spat into the mic, her fierceness returning.

"Our captain will explain, but we cannot speak over this," they replied, "it's not safe enough."

Allura looked back to the team, raising a brow.

"Let them come," Shiro advised, "they could be allies of the Blade of Marmora."

"Yeah, and if not, there might be some other Galra rebel groups we don't know about . . . " Hunk added.

"Or they could come here and kill us," Pidge dryly argued.

"I say let 'em come," Lance grinned. "If they try anything, we can just beat them up and send them back to where they came from."

Allura sighed, "alright. You may come."

_

Prince Lotor sure was a character.

Team Voltron had made sure every entrance but one - the one the captain would be coming in from - were blocked. They all held their weapons close, ready to fight if anything happened. Allura made it clear that this was not to be taken lightly.

As the small pod arrived, the tension seemed higher than ever. They were about to see this ship's captain, the one they knew absolutely nothing about . . . the one that was seemingly there to help.

Keith bit his lip, Bayard raised as the pod opened, a tall figure in a dark suit stepping out. They took off their helmet, revealing long, almost silky looking white hair. He was definitely a Galra. He gave them a grin, one that seemed to be a mix of trustworthy and completely suspicious, making Keith's first opinion on him a bit unclear.

But Keith felt a rage erupt inside him as he noticed the man looking right at Lance, his grin growing even wider.

"Hello," he said, his voice sultry and dangerous, yet it seemed to draw in anyone listening. "My name is Prince Lotor, the son of Emperor Zarkon."

Needless to say, weapons were immediately drawn at that.

Lotor put up his hands defensively, "yes, I know that introduction was . . . odd. But listen: I'm on your side. I've seen the error in my father's ways, and I've been attempting to overthrow him for years now."

"We're listening . . . " Shiro nodded, though his arm was still glowing purple.

"I found out about your many . . . " Lotor searched for the right word, "quests throughout the universe, and I knew instantly that I needed to ally with this . . . this Voltron. And it seems as if you could use my help, as well."

"What could you possibly offer us?" Allura asked, her tone doubtful.

"Well, for one thing, I know more about Zarkon than anyone in the universe . . . " Lotor grinned. "Not to mention my many ties and resources."

"So what's the catch?" Keith asked, his sword still pointed at Lotor.

Lotor smiled, stepping towards him confidently. "You're smart to think of yourself first. I'm sure it's saved you from a lot of . . . heartbreak. And yes, there is a catch. My Galra ship is too obvious to fly in anymore. Allies have mistaken me for the enemy, and its technology is . . . well, it's not the best ship in the world. But this castle . . . " Lotor gestured towards the room. "It has everything. And it's safe. My father would never suspect me being here. If you all let me stay here, I can help you, and I'll be able to stay hidden from the Galra Empire. My crew will stay on my ship, of course, so my father will be thrown off by my actual whereabouts."

Lance spoke before anyone else could respond, "I say we trust him. I mean, he helps us defeat Zarkon, and all we have to do is give him a room? Seems easy enough."

"Yeah, but . . . " Hunk tapped his chin, then pointed at Lotor, "how do we know you're telling the truth?"

Lotor just gave another grin at that, pulling something out of his pocket. "This chip holds all the information I have about my father's ship. Guard schedules, security measures, the best times for an attack . . . I can give it to you right now, and you can review it. If you still think you can't trust me, then I'll leave, and you can keep it. But if you decided to let me stay . . . I'll be your greatest asset." Lotor held the chip out, ready to let it be taken.

The group took a moment to think about it, each person seeming somewhat hesitant to take the chip; until finally, Lance took it from Lotor's opened hand. He smiled, looking at it curiously, before handing it to Pidge.

"Let's just look at it, guys. I mean, what do we have to lose?" he said, looking to the others.

Needless to say, none of them could bear to say no to him after what they had (mistakenly) discovered. So Allura just nodded, and the rest of them lowered their weapons, Keith being the last to after giving Lotor a nasty look. He didn't trust him . . . but he supposed he'd let the chip do the talking. Well, he'd still be suspicious of him, and if he did anything even slightly out of line, he would end him. But if he did end up being a good ally . . . Keith didn't want to ruin it for the team.did end up being a good ally . . . Keith didn't want to ruin it for the team.

"You stay here, we will be back soon with our decision," Allura told Lotor. "And don't try anything. We have . . . security measures in this castle."

Then she led the group out of the room, silently telling her mice to keep an eye on the mysterious prince. Lance was the last to leave the room, giving what seemed to be a suspicious gaze to Lotor. But to the two men, it was clear that this was a look of trust.

Lotor was the voice in Lance's head.

_

Lance lazily fiddled with his sleeve as the others did most of the analyzing, not really having much to say on the situation. He couldn't help but think about Lotor most of the time, though . . . He really was going to help Lance. He'd come all this way . . . just for him.

I'll be here whenever you need me, Lance. Your friends won't be able to hurt you again.

Lance smiled slightly to himself, knowing now that it was Lotor speaking to him. He still didn't know how he did it, but hearing his voice made him feel . . . safe. Like one of his mother's warm hugs.

And once they die, we'll be able to rule the universe the right way. And we'll do it all together.

Lance's smile grew a bit wider, his perception of the world around him completely disappearing as he gradually became lost in his own mind. He imagined he and Lotor commanding thousands of Galra soldiers, saving planets that had previously been enslaved . . . It would be great. They would be great.

But his mind soon became filled with horrible, horrible images. His friends, hurt and alone, as if they'd all been abandoned. By him. But he saw something in their eyes. Something . . . frightening. They were all trying to hurt him. They were all going to hurt him.

Just like they always did.

Just like Keith.

Lance shook his head, arms crossed as he tried to recapture the images that had been in his mind just moments before . . . all the glory and support he was going to have soon. Lotor was the only real friend he had.

"Lance?"

Lance blinked, looking over to the group. "Sorry, I got lost in thought. What did you say?"

"We asked what you think of Lotor." Pidge straightened her glasses.

"Lotor? Oh, well . . . I mean, he seems cool, ya know? I think he'd be a good ally." Lance responded, a bit disoriented.

"Well then," Allura sighed, "that settles it. We're allying with Lotor, and we're letting him stay in the castle."

Keith seemed a bit unsure of that, Lance noticed, only furthering his distrust of his friends.

"Let's go inform him of our decision," Shiro said, already heading towards the door.

Everyone nodded, following him out.

Keith bumped into Lance by accident, his face going a bit whiter as he realized just who he'd run into. "S-sorry, Lance . . . "

What was that face for? Did Keith really hate him that much?

Lance hesitated before looking in front of him once again, his hood falling down. "It's fine."

"Seriously, I'm sorry."

Lance guessed that apology was for more than just bumping into him. But he didn't care. His apologies were lies. Everything was a lie. Keith lied. So Lance didn't respond, his pace getting a little faster.

He could barely hear the small sigh Keith let out.

They arrived back at the docking bay, where Lotor was leaning against his ship. He straightened up as he saw them coming towards him, a small smirk forming.

"So . . . ?"

Allura crossed her arms, "we've all agreed to let you stay. But you will be dealt with if you step out of line. Don't make any decisions regarding Voltron without our consent. Agreed?" Allura put out her hand.

"Of course, Princess," Lotor took her hand, kissing her knuckles lightly after he shook it. He released it carefully before Allura could even pull it away.

Shiro seemed especially disgusted by that, but his face showed little of his emotion to someone who didn't know him well.

"Where will I be staying, exactly?" Lotor asked, his constant smile seeming to win the group over more with every passing second.

"There is an extra room in the hallway where the Paladin's reside. You will sleep in there." Allura responded, waving for him to follow her.

She began walking towards the exit to the room, everyone following her as she gave a miniature tour to Lotor, who seemed impressed - yet also completely stoic - by everything he saw.

Lance, meanwhile, couldn't help but drift back into his world of half-consciousness. There was no doubt in his mind that Lotor was there to help him, and the doubts of eventually killing his so-called friends were faint whispers in the fog of his thoughts.

He didn't care about them anymore. Why should he? They were only going to hurt him.

He glanced at Lotor, who was grinning widely at something Hunk had said, probably having to do with food, and smiled slightly. He was going to be okay. It was going to be okay, and it would all be because of Lotor.

Lance itched the back of his neck unconsciously, pulling his hood up afterwards. Speeding up his pace as to get closer to the Galran prince, he barely even noticed the sudden feeling of tiredness and calm that spread over him. It was different, but he didn't mind. He smiled brightly, thinking about how great it would be once it was just him and Lotor . . . how great it would be once his friends were gone.

Then came another feeling, once Lance just couldn't describe . . . It was weird and different, but it was almost like bliss.

And almost like he wasn't himself anymore.

_

It was nighttime (according to the ship's timezone), and most of the castle was tucked nicely into their beds, sleeping silently. Even the mice were all cuddled up against Allura's pillow, snoring quietly in the darkness.

But Lance was still awake.

He'd been feeling great, better than ever before . . . until he suddenly became confused, disoriented, depressed . . . it all happened around 1 am. He was having doubts about his plans with Lotor . . . doubts on who he thought he could trust . . . Maybe Keith had hurt him, and maybe his friends would, too . . . but that didn't mean they deserved to die, right? Lance wasn't the type of person to just go and murder people, anyways . . . though, he did recall Lotor saying he'd only have to help with the plan to kill them. Or maybe he was just confused again . . .

But he knew he didn't want to hurt anyone, right? He'd always been taught to solve his conflicts with words and with actions, but never with violence. Violence was the last resort.

Always the last resort.

In the midst of all this confusion and anxiety, Lance had found himself itching at his neck again, though he had no idea why.

And then he heard it: Lotor's voice, though less clear this time, in his head.

Are you okay?

"I don't know . . . I feel really . . . weird," Lance responded aloud, running his hand through his hair.

I can help you to feel better. Meet me in the training deck.

Lance only nodded at that, getting up to make his way towards the deck. He arrived there only moments after Lotor did, and they both smiled at the sight of the other.

"Lance, come here," Lotor gestured towards himself, and Lance jogged over to him. "Turn around, I'm going to put something on you."

Lance did as he was told, still feeling a bit uneasy, but he knew Lotor was about to make it all go away.

Lotor placed a small bug-like device on the back of Lance's neck, the boy's eyes widening in surprise.

"Agh!" Lance shouted out, his body going a bit limp as he fell into Lotor's arms, his pupils dilating and irises being drained of their color.

"Good boy . . . " Lotor grinned, lifting Lance up slightly, "now let's talk about your 'friends', shall we?"

Lance only nodded, his body still unable to do anything else as he blankly stared at Lotor.

AGGHHHH! I'm so sorry this chapter took so much longer! I had a bad case of writer's block for about a week, and then it was difficult to write Lance going into such a downwards spiral . . . my poor boy! Anyways, I hope you guys are ready for the next chapter because things are about to get real. (I have exams soon, so the next chapter probably won't be up for a few weeks . . . unless I can somehow write it quickly?)

Next Chapter: MORE KLANGST (I PROMISE!) LOTOR'S PLANS? LANCE'S PATH TO DARKNESS! CONFUSED PALADINS? AND VERY HARD DECISIONS!