(( BLOOD AND VIOLENCE WARNING! This chapter is very graphic and VERY, I repeat, VERY ANGSTY! I'm sorry in advance, but just know, I'm crying with you all.))

Shiro, after shooting the knob off the back door, rushed inside of the mansion. Lance and Keith followed behind him, and the three took cover behind a wall. The other members were two minutes out, and there was about to be a clash of colossal proportions.

" Keith, Lance, you two take the upstairs! I'm going down to look." Shiro ordered.

" I can't even see where I'm going!" Keith whisper shouted. It was nearly pitch black in the mansion. That was until the lights flicked back on. Lotor was messing with their heads and distracting them, and Shiro wasn't about to let him win.

Lance was about to argue that they should stay together, but shots richocheted by their feet from behind. Lotor had his minions on them, and they had to get out of the line of fire. Lance got in back of Keith, placing him in front as they ran to the right. Shiro went left, sprinting and trying to get out of the hall. He needed to find cover, and Adam.

Lance remembered the layout of the mansion somewhat, from when Keith had been abducted. He knew where the staircase was, and he went toward that way with Keith. Both of them kept their handguns down and close to their sides while running.

" Get up the stairs! We need a better vantage point!" Lance told Keith, who went up the steps two stairs at a time. Lance looked behind himself and found that Lotor's people were hot on their tails. Keith took Lance's hand and pretty much dragged him to the top.

Lance took cover behind a pillar at the top of the grand staircase, peeking out and hitting one of them in the chest. Next, he aimed and got another in the shoulder. Shots hit the wall behind him, one zipping right in front of his face before he ducked back.

Keith was standing beside him, peeking over the guard rails. He was positively shitty with long range shooting.

Lance tugged Keith down, putting him behind the safe spot of the pillar.

" You handle the closer ones." Lance told him, aiming for people near the bottom of the stairs. He wished he had something with a scope, but he didn't have time to pout about it. He had to take them out before they could make it to the top.

It was almost like Lotor's mansion was a beehive, Lotor being the queen, and everyone else being his workers. The people were almost endless as they flooded out. It was disgusting how huge the drug industry was, and that Lotor could afford to compensate that many guards.

Keith saw some of the same girls, the ones who'd been involved during the clash on the date of his kidnapping. Acxa? Whatever the fuck her name was. He could've sworn the other one was Ezor, but he didn't care. They saw him peek out from behind the pillar, and their guns were pointed at him. He shot, but they were too quick. The stairs were a great area to be if someone was trying to get shot down, mainly because there wasn't a spot to take cover. However, these girls didn't seem to need it.

Keith shot, hitting the taller one in the hip. She rolled down the flight of stairs, and Acxa was still coming. She was so fast that Keith couldn't predict her movements. He knew he might have to use his knife, and that meant he'd have to disarm her.

Once she reached the top of the stairs, Keith was stealthily pressed against the back of the pillar. He quickly delivered a kick, hitting the gun right out of her hands. She was immediately punching, and the two seemed to be matched in their martial arts abilities. Keith found himself being taken to the ground as the two tussled, and she was on top of him, ready to go for the kill with a switchblade.

Keith felt blood spatter all over his face as another pop of a gunshot sounded through the echoey mansion.

" Keith, you okay?!" Lance asked him, and Acxa rolled to the side, blood leaking from her after Lance's shot to her chest. Keith nodded and respired rapidly, grabbing his gun that had hit the floor. He was taken back to Lance's fatal shot to Kinkade, but he couldn't get caught on it.

They had more serious matters to address.

Lance shot down from the balcony, landing multiple kill shots. He ran out of bullets, then had to switch out his cartridge. He and Keith seemed to have gotten most of the ones in immediate vicinity. Bodies were littering the floor near the front door and scattered on the steps.

Keith and Lance both had beading eyes while looking at each other.

" Let's clear the upstairs."

...

Shiro was rushing around the back rooms of the ground level. He was going to check everywhere for Adam.

Something rushed out in front of him, and Shiro drew his gun.

" Woah!" Matt exclaimed, and Shiro jumped back. He heaved a sigh of relief. That could've been bad if his reflexes took control.

" It's us!" Hunk heaved, raising his hands. Matt lowered his gun and Shiro rushed to hug him. Firstly, they took cover behind the dining room wall.

" Thank god you're safe..." Shiro whispered, choking up as he ran his hand through Matt's hair.

" But Adam..." Matt whimpered.

" We'll get him." Shiro assured, looking up to Hunk. " You two stick with me. I'll need cover."

" Where haven't you checked?" Hunk asked, peeking out from behind the wall to find the hall was clear of people.

" The basement, and Lance and Keith are manning the upstairs." Shiro told them. He assumed that the others had snuck in through the back doors at some point. Shots were ringing through the mansion at every second as the two sides fought, and Shiro was thankful that everyone had come to bat.

" We have to get to the basement."

...

" Why don't you go and fight you coward!"  Adam shouted from behind his duct tape, licking his lips to loosen it up from his mouth. Lotor took a drag of the cigarette he'd lit up. He blew the smoke out and chuckled.

" The fight will come to me, you see..." He told him, unbuttoning the top two buttons on Adam's shirt. Adam's hazel eyes were wide as he watched, and Lotor was close enough where he could see what he was doing.

Lotor pressed the cherry of the cigarette to his collarbone, putting it out and screwing it down to burn him. Adam hissed and his head thrashed to the side. He was bruised and battered, and Lotor had placed a number of small cuts along his face and neck. Why? Just because he could.

" James." Lotor ordered. " Go fight. I can handle him."

James looked around at the few other guards in the basement, shrugging. He knew that his time had finally come. His leg was healed, and avenging Kinkade was finally feasible. He smirked while ducking out of the basement. He locked the door behind him and rushed out and into the madness. Those assholes. The ones who had killed Kinkade, his best friend. They were going to pay.

Lotor looked down at Adam, wondering what to do next. He'd debated waterboarding him, but that was too much work. He'd been going easy as far as he saw it. That was going to change. He wasn't even pressing Adam for information, rather, for the sole purpose of making him suffer.

His ultimate goal was to take Shiro out, but there was one thing that he had to do first. And it involved Adam's pain, Adam's agony, because it would trickle down to Shiro as well.

Footsteps could be heard thumping down the stairs outside the basement. Lotor's guards stood by the door, which the doorknob was shot off of. Shiro kicked it open, keeping Matt behind himself.

" How nice of you to show up, Shiro... you're just in time for the big show." Lotor smirked, slicing Adam's arm deeply.

" DON'T TOUCH HIM!" Shiro yelled.

" One step closer and the next blow goes to his throat. Drop your weapons." Lotor put the knife to Adam's neck, quirking his head at Shiro innocently. Shiro shook with rage. He could either take his shot, kill Lotor, and let Lotor take Adam with... or... he could not, and they'd both live.

He dropped his gun.

...

Keith and Lance were clearing out the bedrooms, having met up with some scattered gang members. There was a small slice in Lance's suit jacket, his bicep bloodied from the cut. It wasn't very deep, thankfully.

Keith helped Lance sit down on a bed, undoing his own tie and pulling Lance's right arm toward himself.

" Hold still." Keith told him, and Lance cringed as the red material was wrapped around his arm as a makeshift bandage. " This won't feel good."

" No shit." Lance grit his teeth. Keith was ready to cinch it down on his arm, but he didn't want to just do it.

" 1... 2-" Keith tightened it around Lance's cut, making the taller boy hiss. Keith tied it up tighter and tried to focus on the fact that he was helping him. " Shh... Babe, I promise you'll be okay..." He whispered, and Lance held his arm, pressing it down.

Keith sat on the bed beside him, staying on his right. They both needed a breather after all that running.

Lance felt Keith squeeze his free hand, and he was just so relieved that they'd made it through relatively unscathed thus far. They were both a little beaten up, and Keith had some blood on him, as did Lance, but they were still okay.

That's when a figure appeared in the doorway of the room, and Lance's eyes widened as he saw the gun already drawn. He had a split second to think about it, and as Keith was busy going for his gun, the barrel was already pointed at him. James.

Lance didn't hesitate to shield Keith with his entire body, hearing the gun go off as he covered his boyfriend up. Keith felt some fresh blood skip across his cheek. He raised his gun, pointing it right at James, who collapsed instantly after the headshot.

Keith felt tears rushing to his eyes as Lance started slipping more over top of him, nearly falling off the bed.

" LANCE!" Keith screeched, holding him and laying him across the bed. " NO!"

He saw a wound in the left side of Lance's chest, just below the collarbone. Keith couldn't tell if his heart was hit or not, but it sure as hell was close.

Lance coughed, and more blood gushed from his chest. Keith felt himself sobbing as he leaned down and pressed his hand on Lance's wound.

" Sh-shh..." Lance stuttered, some blood slipping out from the side of his mouth. The burn was indescribable, and he could still feel it. There wasn't an exit wound, and the red hot piece of metal was still lodged inside of him somewhere.

" P-please! NO!" Keith choked and shook his head, pulling out his phone and calling 911. He didn't even say anything to the operator, focusing completely on Lance. " You'll be f-fine! Th-this... this is nothing!" Keith squeezed his eyes shut and tried to stop sobbing.

Lance felt everything slowing down around him, and his eyes felt progressively heavier.

" B-Baby... I love y-you..." He croaked, trying to smile. Keith leaned by Lance's neck, choking on the lump in his throat and holding the back of his head with his palm. He cradled Lance in his arms while shaking.

" I love you t-too..." Keith whimpered, his bracelet jingling as he clenched his fist and put more pressure on the bullet hole.

" To the m-moon and back?" Lance smiled, voice weak. Even as blood leaked from him slowly, he found his lips curling upward. Keith loved him. He'd told him himself. He couldn't even feel the pain anymore thanks to his body going into shock.

Keith was confused at first, but then he looked at the charm on his bracelet. He broke down and stared into Lance's teary ocean eyes. He nodded rapidly.

" To the moon and back. Forever..." Keith shakily told him, leaning down and pressing a kiss onto Lance's lips. He was jittery all over the place, and he could taste Lance's blood as he pulled back.

911 wasn't going to make it in time.

This was Lance, the love of Keith's life, the person he would hopefully marry and get kids with one day. He couldn't be slipping away. Keith felt his heart beating out of his chest as he sat there, trying to figure out what to do.

Lance had done it for him. All of it.

Lance began trembling in Keith's arms, and Keith made a split second decision. Fuck the gang's rules. He was saving Lance. Period.

Lance hissed as Keith scooped him up into his arms and tried to carry him.

" I'm getting you help." Keith tried his best to move, stepping over James' dead body while carrying Lance. He was fucking heavy, and Keith could feel his muscles yelling at him already.

Keith had Lance in his arms while running from the room, looking around and seeing everyone was gone. All the shots were coming from elsewhere. He made his way down the stairs, clutching his boyfriend to his chest.

" I love you god damn it! I'm not going to let you die! Not like this! Not now!" Keith exclaimed, prying the front door to the mansion open. He felt Lance going completely limp in his arms while he rushed toward the cars out front.

Keith's tears felt like they were boiling on his cheeks as he lugged Lance toward a random car. He didn't have much time, and that was even if the doctors could save him. His knees gave out while he got Lance in the passenger seat of the thankfully open car. After securing him with a seatbelt, he tried to scramble over to the driver's seat.

Prying off the bottom part of the steering wheel, Keith found the wires. He fumbled around, shocking himself a few times before managing to hotwire the car and start it.

Keith sped out of the driveway, going 80 in a matter of seconds. The hospital was ten minutes away, but he'd be damned if he didn't get there in three or less. The snow falling around him was begging to differ.

He didn't care what it took. He was going to make sure Lance made it.

" Wh-why..." He gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles were white. " He should've..." Keith whispered to himself.

He wished that he was the one with a hole in his chest, the one who was unconscious, the one who was in the passenger seat. Somehow, Keith felt like his own existence was fading as Lance struggled to make it by in the seat beside him.

Keith hated himself for not getting hit, for not shooting James first, for stopping to fix Lance's arm. Because he had, he might've just lost the love of his life, and the one person he'd come to value above everyone.

(( Someone wanna spot me some tissues? I'm bawling my eyes out over here...))