Welcome back. This is the beginning of part 2 of the story. I know that it's really just chapter 13, but the story itself is kind of set up in three acts. So for those purposes, this is Act II. Anyway, thanks to all of you who have stuck with it so far and continue to show your support via your wonderful reviews (hint, hint).

Enjoy!

Planet Doom was not as Lotor had remembered it. When he had been on the planet last, his father's castle had still stood proudly – rising to stratosphere, striking fear into the hearts of all that would oppose him. Now, it was a crumbling reminder of how King Zarkon and his witch, Hagar, had perished. That was just before Lotor had been taken by the revolting Voltron Force. While he had never really loved his father – and could care less if he was dead or not – Lotor was glad that he had not been there to watch his own legacy destroyed by the wretched robot.

The one part of the castle that still stood was the throne room. The prince ordered his new Drule charges to stay with the ship, and he, alone, climbed through the rubble until he pushed his way through to the open room with the tall staircase. Large boulders, dust, and debris covered the once golden chair that had been his father's. It was his now. Gritting his teeth, he climbed the massive staircase. After sweeping dust and rocks off of the throne, he sat and looked out over the Great Room. It was empty, but he still felt the immeasurable power that came with sitting atop his new perch. The emptiness was no matter. He would rebuild the castle and fill it with slaves. He would reign supreme.

"Enjoying your new throne, King Lotor?"

He had been so lost in his own thoughts that he never noticed that figure skulking in the shadows behind him. Standing quickly, he spun around to face the voice, reaching for his sword.

"Heh heh...a little jumping, aren't you?" The robe figure emerged into the dim light.

Lotor's jaw dropped. "Hagar?" he said, distaste dripping from the name. While he couldn't see her face under the hood, her glowing, red eyes blinked at him and he was sure that she was laughing quietly at him. "I thought you died with my father."

"Tsk, tsk, Your Majesty. You father was a great wizard, but his magic was still no match for my own. I have died and returned from the underworld."

The words sent a chill down his spine. Was she a ghost? She looked real enough. He reached out and felt her cold cloak beneath his fingers. She was real alright. "I'm standing here talking to a dead woman. Wonderful."

"I am not dead. And I am not a ghost. I am alive as I ever was."

Lotor grunted. "That's not saying much, Hagar." He was answered with a solid smack across the face. His face screwed up in anger. "How dare you strike me!" He moved to confront her only to find that he was frozen in place as she raised her hand.

"Shut up, Lotor," she commanded. She lowered her hand, releasing him from her spell. He stood for a moment, speechless, before shaking his head in disgust and dropping back into his chair. "I am here to help you destroy the Voltron Force," she claimed.

Lotor laughed loudly. "You are too late, Woman, the Voltron Force is on Earth, being hunted by their own people. Why do I need your help?" he sneered. "I've got the entire Drule army at my call."

"No amount of ships or Drule technology can give you what I can give you."

"And what exactly can you give me?"

"Voltron."

"Ha!" Lotor was getting bored from the conversation. "Once Arus falls, Voltron will be mine!"

"You are overconfident. The one thing that you have always overlooked is what lies at the very core of Voltron."

"And what is that?"

"Magic." Hagar paused to let him comprehend. "Voltron is magic. Created from white magic. And as long as it is under the protection of white magic, you will never control him."

"But the Earth pilots. How did they...?"

"Voltron chose them. Because they are noble, loyal, and sacrificial. They will always put their own lives in peril to save the innocent. These traits are the embodiment of light magic."

"So how do I...?"

"Only dark magic can break the spell of protecion on Voltron, Lotor." She paused again. "I have clawed my way out of hell to return to you." The witch leaned in closer, and Lotor could feel the deathly cold that surrounded her. "I have the power to break Voltron's spell and bring the robot under our control."

Arus – Three Days Later

The flight back to Arus had been bittersweet to say the least. The Voltron Force had evaded capture and managed to make it back to the planet without incident. There had been a brief moment when they thought they would be stopped by an Alliance blockade just outside of the Denubian galaxy. With a detour through what was known as the Void system, they had routed their way around the blockade – losing nearly two days.

The tension and the close quarters had taken its toll on the team, and by the time they made it back to Arus, they had found ways to all but avoid each other. After a very welcomed reunion with Rebecca, Hunk had been more than excited when Keith assigned him to rewire most of the castle's internal circuitry.

Pidge was tasked with breaking into Galaxy Garrison's mainframe to get any information on Wade and Graham. It had turned into an insurmountable assignment. Pidge had decided that the only way to pull it off was to create a signal that could be bounced off of several satellites and still not be detected by Garrison security. It was a challenge that only Pidge could accept with such zeal. He had locked himself in his room, determined that he would figure out how to do it.

Little had been seen of Allura who had been spending the majority of her time in her office working, diligently studying intergalactic ethics and politics in order to find a way to deal with what had happened on Earth – and how she would handle it diplomatically. She leaned back in her desk chair, stretching her hands above her head, and glanced at the clock. Almost eight o'clock. She sighed loudly before pushing her chair back and making her way back to window. Pushing the curtains aside, she stared at the darkening sky. It seemed like an enourmous task. There was no way to avoid sanctions from Earth without first proving herself and the others innocent of the murder. But how could they possibly do that being so far away? Finally having enough, she turned from the window and decided she needed a break. She needed to clear her head.

She found herself heading toward the castle's main control room. There was no question why. She knew that Keith was there helping Hunk finish up his updates on the modified circuitry. While she didn't want to admit it, she was having withdrawls. Since they had been back on Arus, she had taken a self-imposed sabbatical from the commander – making it a point to stay as busy as she could so that she wouldn't 'run into him.' She had even gone so far as to refuse his help as she tried to find a solution to their Earth problem, telling him that he had more pressing matters to attend that didn't involve her planetary affairs. It had been cruel, she knew, but she had decided that she would have learn to get along on her own eventually. She had been fooling herself, of course. The more time she spent away from him, the more she wanted to see him. To her own irritation, she found herself longing for his stoic advice. She needed it desperately now.

Keith was sitting at the main console, watching the black viewscreen with such intensity that Allura thought that he hadn't noticed her come in. She was wrong.

"Try it again, Hunk."

The viewscreen flashed a couple of times before blinking to life, giving them a bird's eye view of the Arus landscape. The sun was beginning to set casting deep reds and purples across the rolling hills. Allura was getting lost in the scene before Keith spoke again.

"Something I can do for you, Princess?" His eyes never left the viewscreen.

Allura's back stiffened. She hated when he called her 'Princess' like that. It was so cold, so formal. It meant that he was still upset with her earlier dismissal. "Well, I wanted to talk to you..."

"I'm sorry, Princess, but Hunk and I are in the middle of something, right now. We really need to get this new circuitry up and running. Can we talk later?"

Now Allura was speechless. He had never written her off like that before. He was always open to talking with her. She bit her lip. She would not cry in front of him.

Before she could respond, the doors slid open and Lance strolled casually into the room as if he hadn't a care in the world. He stopped short, immediately sensing that he had intruded on something important. "Hey, don't mind me, kids, I'm just heading out for my patrol. I'll be out of your hair in a matter of seconds."

"Don't bother," Allura snapped. "I'll go. I'm scheduled right after you, you can take my shift."

Lance cocked his head and raised an eyebrow. After glancing from Allura to Keith and back again, he only shrugged. Better not to get involved. "Suit yourself."

Allura looked pointedly at Keith and motioned to the console. "If you don't mind, Commander."

The commander's jaw ticked, and his expression read that he wanted to say something to her. He obviously thought better of it and pushed the button to reveal the entrances to the lions. Allura turned harshly on her heel, marched to the shute labled 4, and disappeared. As the silence in the control room became unbearable, Keith leveled his gaze at Lance, daring him to say something.

Lance only smirked. "Well, if I'm not needed, I think I will go to the kitchen and find something to eat." He didn't wait for a response as he hurried from the room.

A sound from the console made Keith start. He had forgotten that Hunk was still in the room until the bigger man stuck his head out from under the console. Hunk watched him silently.

"What?" Keith damanded.

"You know, Keith," said Hunk as he climbed out from under the console, a wrench in each hand, "I make it a point not to get involved in other people's business..."

"So don't." Keith snapped.

"But don't you think you're being a little hard on Allura?" Hunk was standing in front of him now, his massive arms crossed in front of him. He hated it when Keith and Allura butted heads. Mostly because he hated what Keith would inevitably do or say to set the princess into a tizzy. To be fair, though, Allura could be like a time bomb sometimes. They never knew what might set her off. Hunk shook his head. But what woman didn't get a little crazy every now and again? But sometimes it seemed like Keith would intentionally be hurtful. Probably to keep the pretty princess at arm's length, Hunk surmised. Regardless, it was bad for moral, and he hated to see Allura in pain.

Keith turned back to the console. "I don't want to talk about it."

Hunk frowned. "Maybe, that's the problem," he observed.

The commander just stared at him, and Hunk knew that he had hit a sore spot. "Can we just finish these diagnostics, Hunk? I'd like to get some kind of sleep tonight."

Hunk sighed. No getting through to the man when he had his mind made up. He nodded sulleningly. "Sure, the mods are finished, I'll start on a complete system scan."

Keith ran a hand through his hair. "Fine!" he finally said, dropping back down into his chair, he watched as Blue Lion darted into the now dark, star spotted sky.

When the doors to the kitchen slid open, Lance was bombarded with a smell that made him think that he had walked right into the gates of heaven. The sweet aroma hung in the air and enveloped him like a sugary blanket. It reminded him of the mornings during the holidays on Earth, when his mother would be up early, already concocting a barrage of candies and sweets for her children. It was the only time of the year that his mother would allow them to indulge. And while she always lectured them on the dangers of too much sugar, Lance knew that she secretly loved baking for them.

He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. It was only then that he noticed the music that was playing in the background. His eyes snapped open with suprise. The music was so familiar to him that he almost had an irresistable urge to sing along with Keith's melodic voice. Of course, Lance had written the snappy guitar riff himself. When they had been in the academy, Keith, Lance, Sven, and Hunk had started a garage band as a hobby. They had even self produced a couple of albums, but their unrelenting training schedule had resigned them to playing only local bars when they were on leave. They had built up quite a local following. And the girls. None of them ever had any problem getting dates in those days. It seemed like a million years ago.

Deirdre was staring at him from where she stood in front of the oven. She was wearing one of nanny's aprons, which hung loosely on her own curvy body, and had both hands covered with oven mitts. "Are you okay, Lance? You look like you've just seen a ghost."

"More like heard a ghost." he quipped, reaching for a cookie still on the sheet. He jerked his hand back and swore loudly.

"They're still hot." she said.

He grunted and stuck his finger in his mouth. "Where the hell did you get that?" He pointed to the music player on the counter with the other hand.

Deirdre smiled before turning back to her cookie batter. "I have both of your albums. I pull them out every now and them."

"Those things need to be sent to the no fishing zone."

She giggled. "Oh come on, they're not that bad."

There was a moment of silence as they listened to the melody coming from the speakers. Even Lance started swaying to the music. It definitly took him back to simpler times. Another lifetime. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"I like to listen to it when I'm cooking," she said, "it used to drive Richie nuts." She smiled as she recalled the memory.

Well, Lance thought, I'm not going to get a better opening than that. He leaned casually across the bar. "Speaking of Richie, what's the deal with the two of you?"

Deirdre kept her attention on the bowl in front of her as she stirred the batter with a wooden spoon. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, Deirdre, that we had a deal. Remember? One that you came up with yourself." He paused and waited for her to turn to him so he knew he had her attention. "No screwing around if either one of us are seeing someone else." He paused again. "No jealousy from a third party, no drama, nobody gets their feelings hurt."

"I remember our deal." she said matter-of-factly. "What's your point, Lance?"

"My point is that your should have told me that you and Richie were...whatever you are."

Deirdre cocked her head to the side and raised an eyebrow. "Just what exactly do you think is going on between me and Richie?"

"Don't be coy, Deirdre, it doesn't suit you." he said. "The way he reacted when he found us at his cabin? I mean, no guy who is just a friend throws a fit like that unless there's something else going on. And honestly, I don't really care what you guys are doing." Okay, that wasn't exactly being honest. "I would just like to be better informed before we continue on with our arrangement."

Now Deirdre smiled sweetly at him. "You're right, Lance. Total disclosure. There is nothing going on between me and Richie because he doesn't like me that way."

"Are you sure about that? Because he sure didn't act like he didn't care when Keith and I showed up."

She through her hands up in the air. "Oh my god! Do I have to spell it out for you?" She slammed her hands on the counter and leaned in towards him. "Richie-likes-guys."

Silence hung in the air for a moment as Lance took in this new information. His first reaction was total shock. "Really? That mountain of a man is..." She nodded and smiled. Then he was in disbelief. "No, that is not possible." He shook his head violently.

"Why not?" she asked, enjoying his confused reaction.

"Because..." Lance stammered, "because he never..."

"Hit on you?" Deirdre finished for him. He nodded. If there was one thing she knew about Lance, it was that he was incredibly vain. "Lance, are you really that full of yourself?"

"Oh come on, Deirdre, you know that gay men love me!" he stated. "I've got great hair, great clothes, and I'm suave and confident, I can dance..." He stopped short when she began laughing loudly. "What is so funny?"

She waited until she caught her breath. "Really, Lance, you should hear yourself." When she was finally done giggling, she dawned a faux serious face. "I think Hunk is more his type."

"Are you serious?"

Deirdre shrugged. "I guess he likes the bigger, manlier types."

Lance crossed his arms and pouted for a moment, then he relaxed slightly. "So, if you two aren't a thing, why does he hate me and Keith so much?"

She was silent for a moment as she searched for the right explanation. "He's very protective of me. Especially when it comes to you guys. He knows our history," she said, shrugging, "and he doesn't think it's good for me to mess around with you. He also blames the two of you for me leaving Galaxy Garrison."

Lance frowned. "You did explain to him that it was your idea right?" She nodded. "And that it was Keith, Sven, and I that went after you when you were sent on that suicide mission."

She nodded again. "He says that if I hadn't been involved with Keith that I never would have ended up on his team. Ergo, I would never have been sent on the Dias Mission in the first place."

Lance shrugged. "There's a certain twisted logic to that I suppose."

"He just never got the bond that we all had back then. He never understood that we would have done anything for each other. And..." she continued, "I think when Richie and I were dating, he was kind of jealous of you. He never really got over that either."

The last statement jerked Lance out of his stupor. "Jealous of me?" He grinned. "Well, that's not too hard to understand."

Before Deirdre could come up with a snarky retort, the kitchen doors opened and Pidge strolled in. "I thought I smelled something good coming from in here."

Deirdre smiled and dropped a plate of cookies in front of him. "Brain food. My mom's special recipe."

Pidge proceeded to stuff his face with the delicate treats, he looked up just long enough to notice Lance's maniacal grin. "What's up with you?" he said between bites.

"Oh, Lance is just having a self appreciating moment. He'll get over it." Deirdre informed him, getting a scowl from Lance, but Pidge had already turned his attention back to the plate in front of him.

There was nothing better for a troubled soul, in Allura's opinion, than soaring over the Arusian landscape at night – especially during peace time. Nothing pleased the princess more than flying over dotted lights of the cities that populated her kingdom. Her people were safe and at ease, and it reflected in the landscape. Farms were being planted, smaller towns were popping up throughout the land.

She sighed as she relaxed her grip on Blue Lion's controls and gazed into the dark. Her people were some of the most resiliant in the universe. They had most certainly suffered more than the average population, yet they had always perserved, rebuilt, and always – always – stood behind their monarch. Allura was unsure whether or not she truly deserved such loyalty. Then there was always the silent fear that the shoe would drop and her planet would be at war again. It was always a terror that loomed over Allura's very being.

While her mind wandered, Allura was unaware of the changing atmosphere until her sensors began beeping loudly. She peered out the viewscreen and saw the very strange fog that was beginning to roll in.

"Princess?" Keith's voice pierced the silence in the cockpit. "What's going on out there?"

"I'm not sure, Keith." Allura watched her scanners. They were beginning spike at an alarming rate. First to one extreme, then the other. "My sensors are going haywire. I don't know what's causing it."

Then the first tremor jerked her in her seat.

Keith was standing now staring at Allura's image as it flickered on the screen. "What just happened?"

"I don't know. Blue Lion is...acting strange." The screen suddenly went dark, and the lights in the control room flickered. "The controls are not responding. I'm losing altitude! Keith...!" A horrifying scream ripped through room and slammed into Keith's chest.

"Princess...what's happening?" There was no answer. "Allura!" There was a high pitched squeal from the monitor before the Castle of Lions was plunged into complete darkness.

You all know that I love a good cliffhanger :) I am going to give everyone a Fair warning: Things are going to get a little darker from here on out. Lots of angst, some violence, and a lot of action. Alas nothing that might tarnish my T rating (maybe on the next one). I know you can handle it. Til next time!