A/N: Alright, I know NONE of you will read this part even if its bold and at the top of this shit but this is my FIRST VOLTRON THING I've written so if characters are ooc then deal with it. If season 3 has come out by the time you read this, don't yell at me if Lotor is ooc, because this was written way before season 3. Also the title MAY change because I forgot to give it one and whatever i half assed the title. 

"You've made the right choice, my blue paladin," the alien spoke. The soft smile on his face seemed to brighten his golden eyes. The purple lighting within the room made his skin appear more violet, which, to Lance, made him all the more stunning. His long, white locks were soft and inviting, making the teen want to run his fingers through his hair.

'Yes...I have. This is where I wanna be,' Lance thought to himself, content in the presence of the breathtaking prince who stood before him. 'This is where I belong, with someone who loves and wants me.' The paladin looked down sadly however, remembering those who he once considered his friends.

'Lance, stop wasting time!'

'Quit flirting all the time!'

'Who says you're a sharpshooter?'

'Be serious, Lance!'

"Lance, my dear, stop thinking about them." His train of thought was broken by the Galra prince, who had gently tilted Lance's head up. His hand caressed the side of the human's face, so gently it was like he was afraid of breaking him. "You don't need them, they didn't want you anyways. I want you here with me..."

"I'm sorry, you're right. I gotta stop thinking about them...they don't need me," Lance said, his voice cracking slightly. He didn't want to admit it. Every fiber of his being wanted to run out and join his old friends...but he had made up his mind. Lance wanted to be with his prince, and Prince Lotor wanted his blue paladin.

"We can go anywhere together, just the two of us," Lotor said softly, taking both of Lance's hands in his.

"Anywhere...?"

----

"We have to get him back!"

"Keith, we know, but there's no doubt that Lotor has a whole fleet waiting for us! We can't just barge in and expect to live!"

The remaining paladins had boarded back onto the Castle of Lions, and Keith had immediately started talking about getting Lance back. The four of them had watched as Lance turned his back on them, leaving with the Galra Prince. They all felt betrayed, especially the red paladin, who attempted to attack Lotor before being dragged back by Shiro. 'We're outnumbered,' he had reminded him. 'And without Lance we can't form Voltron. We need to get out of here.'

"That idiot! Why would he side with them?! WHY?!" Keith banged his gloved fist down on a control panel, not giving it a second thought. Normally Coran or Allura would scold him, but they understood his anger. Lance was the last one they'd expect to leave.

"We don't know, but we will get him back. Lotor must have manipulated him in some way," Shiro said, already brewing ideas in his brain.

"But if Lance has truly sided with the Galra, on his own will," Allura started, looking down before continuing the next part, not wanting to mention it. "...we may need to have someone else pilot the Blue Lion."

Something inside Keith snapped, even more than he already has, when Allura uttered those words. Someone else? The red paladin couldn't think of anyone else more suiting than Lance.

'I will get you back, Lance, just you wait.'

----

"So this is an ocean?" Lotor asked his partner, staring out at the seemingly endless blue sea. He wasn't a fan of the sand; it made his walking slower and clumsy, it somehow managed to get into every nook and cranny, and even while dry, it managed to stick. He could get get used to the gentle breeze however, and the calming sound of the waves crashing.

Lance loved every bit of it. It was where he felt most at home. He sat in the warm sand, watching the waves roll back and forth. "You've never seen one before? There's gotta be other planets with oceans, right?"

"Well, yes, but it's not like it's common. I believe your Earth has the most water," Lotor said.

"Yeah..." Lance muttered, letting his mind wander more. Earth...he missed Earth, his family, even the Garrison. He picked up handfuls of sand, letting it slip through his fingers and blow away in the gentle breeze.

"....nce!"

The blue paladin's head perked up at what he thought was his name being called. He looked around in every direction, but all he could see was sand, water, Lotor...and his helmet a few feet away.

"Is something bothering you, my paladin?" Lotor asked, trying to hold back his disgruntled tone. Of course he heard it, better than Lance even. Galra hearing was nothing to scoff at.

"No, it was nothing..." The blue eyed boy mumbled, staring at his helmet a tick too long for Lotor's taste. The prince didn't go through all of this just for his paladin to turn on him.

"You seem a bit on edge...let me go fetch us some drinks," the prince offered, turning away from the ocean and leaving Lance by himself. He didn't trust him alone though, he locked the door upon leaving. He wasn't going to let Lance escape this base, alive anyways.

Once he knew Lotor was gone, Lance got up and stumbled over to his blue and white helmet, slipping it on.

Static. Perhaps it was just his imagination... 'Of course no one's coming for me...they don't care,' Lance thought to himself, putting his hands on the sides of his helmet, about to pull it off.

"La...ce!" The teen froze, hearing his name once again, and it was definitely coming from his intercom. And he knew that voice.

"Keith?"

Upon speaking his partner's name, the simulation faded away, leaving Lance in the middle of the room he and Lotor were first speaking in, except now all the purple lights were gone and the only source of light came from the paladin's armor.

"Lance! Are you there?!" He could clearly hear his rival's voice now, and the static silenced.

"I'm here, but what are you doing here?" Lance questioned, not moving from his spot.

"I'm getting you back, you idiot!"

"Getting me...back? But you guys were fed up with me, you didn't need me..."

"You really are a dumbass!" Lance flinched at Keith's tone. "We weren't fed up with you! You're just as important as any of us! We need you..." Keith paused before going on. If he was going to say it, now was a better time as any. "...I need you..." He whispered out softer, a tone Lance didn't think he was capable of.

"Do...do you really mean that?" The blue paladin whispered back.

"I mean every word of it," Keith replied, feeling his face burn up.

"As touching as this is," a third familiar voice spoke up. "we really don't have time for this gay shit, so come on!" Lance laughed at the sound of Pidge's tone, and Shiro shouting, "Language!" afterwards. Collective laughter was shared over the intercoms. As much as Lance missed Earth, he missed he and his friends laughing together again like this just as much. But, just like sand slipping from your grasp, it wouldn't stay forever.

"Like Pidge said, as nice as this is, we should really get out of here before we have a ton of angry Galra soldiers chasing after us," Hunk spoke up.

"Lance, meet me and Keith outside. Hunk and Pidge, get back to the Green Lion and come get us," the black paladin commanded. Everyone nodded in understanding before going their way. Lance finally pulled himself off the ground and ran over to the door. Pulling his bayard out, it morphed into his signature blaster and he shot the door down after a few successful hits.

Things were going smoothly; Shiro got outside, took care of some soldiers on the way to ease a path for Keith and Lance, who probably weren't too far away. Lance barely ran into any Galra, but when he did it was easy to shoot down. Same went for Keith, except instead of shooting he sliced them up. Pidge and Hunk had just made it to where the Green Lion was kept, hidden of course.

It was then they heard painful screams and groans on Shiro's line, before static was heard.

"Shiro?" Keith called out, hoping for a response. When there was none, his legs carried him faster down the long, seemingly endless hallways. His boots clanked against the metal floor. Everyone was yelling, "Shiro?!" or "You okay??" but they still got nothing.

'No no no no!' The red paladin panicked. If he wasn't getting a response, Shiro was in trouble; either unconscious or helmetless. He had made it to the door and had to forcefully pry them open. Keith's legs were burning and he was out of breath, but he wasn't going to let that stop him from making sure the black paladin was safe. The doors opened with a groan and he rushed out, seeing Shiro in front of him.

All the other paladins nearly threw their helmets off at the sudden noise over their intercoms. Keith didn't even realize he was screaming until the others were shouting over him. "What happened?!"

Shiro wasn't alone out here. Prince Lotor was there, his sword slick with blood. He wore a sadistic grin on his face, as if he were pleased by the blood and screams.

"If you've come to rescue your black paladin, I'm afraid it's too late," Lotor said, still grinning. To Keith's dismay, the Galran Prince kicked Shiro's lifeless body so he could get a clear view of his lifeless eyes. His armor was broken in various places and blood soaked him and the ground beneath him. His black helmet lay a couple feet away, nearly broken. Keith cringed at the impossible angle Shiro's right arm was bent at; his shoulder probably completely dislocated.

"You monster! I'll kill you!!" Without hesitation, he had ran forward, sword and shield ready, and put all his strength into attacking Lotor head on. His foe effortlessly dodged and blocked, almost treating this like a game.

"If you want to end up like your friend here, I'll be glad to help."

Meanwhile, Lance was still making his way to Keith. 'Why did I have to be so far away?!' He mentally cursed. Once he started seeing Galran soldiers with slashes over them, he knew he was going in the right direction.

"I'm comin' guys, hang on!!" The blue paladin called out, seeing the door that was forced open by his rival earlier. "Keith, I'm--!"

His feet froze in their tracks and his breath got caught in his throat. It was like time slowed down, just so Lance could witness this one single moment. It had only taken a single tick, maybe even less, for Keith's own bayard to pierce his flesh. Lance could have sworn he heard the sickening snck of the sword entering his abdomen and protruding from his back, cutting both flesh and armor. From Lotor's pure strength alone, he was able to dangle Keith above the ground by just the sword, leaving him there for what felt like an eternity; letting the blood seep and drip onto the already dirty ground. And somehow during all of that, the two paladins managed to lock eyes, just before Lotor threw Keith to the ground while still holding onto the red blade.

"You call that a challenge? I thought you guys were the Paladins of Voltron!" The white haired prince spat, before throwing Keith's bayard down. "You should have stayed on my side, Lance...now you'll have to join your other friends."

"Y-You...but...y-you cared about me, you wanted me...!" Lance stuttered, still in shock. His brain just wouldn't allow him to form sentences and his eyes couldn't look away from Keith.

'I have to get him out of here, before it's too late!'

He jumped at Lotor's loud cackling. "Me? Love you? That was all a trick to pry you from Voltron and weaken you! After all," he looked down at the two bloodied bodies. "Bonds may be your greatest strength, but it is also your greatest weakness."

"This is all my fault..." Lance's voice cracked. 'I ruined everything!'

"If anyone, I'd choose your precious red paladin over you, but you were just so weak, it would have been so easy taking you away," Lotor continued, feeding more dark thoughts into Lance's head. He barely felt the warm tears drip down his cheeks. The Galra in front of him only laughed at him. "See what I mean? Weak."

Lance couldn't move his head to face Lotor. He knew he was going to kill him, just like Shiro and Keith. He only shut his ocean blue eyes, waiting for the sword to strike.

The ground beneath them suddenly shook, as if a large mass crashed into the planet. The remaining paladin stumbled before opening his eyes, seeing the Red Lion viciously attack Prince Lotor with it's large metallic claws.

Lance took the chance to run over to Keith and Shiro, violently shaking both of them to make them conscious. "Come on guys, we can't lose both of you! We need you!" The oldest of them wouldn't wake; he was already too far gone. The other teen groaned in pain, struggling to keep his dark eyes open.

"L...La..." Keith croaked, but stopped once he starting painfully coughing.

"Shut up, Keith! Can it for now; whatever it is it can wait until after you get out of the healing pod!" Lance shouted at him, praying to whatever deity was watching 'please let him live! I can't lose him now!'

Without a moment to spare, Red scooped the three of them up into her mouth and took off for the Castle of Lions. Lance got all of them into the cockpit and sat on the floor next to Keith, pulling him into his lap. His eyes were shut once again and had to be forcefully woken up again.

"Keith, stay with me!" Lance pushed down on the wound, trying to slow down the bleeding but there was already so much blood everywhere.

"L-La..ance...I-I don't..." Keith went into another coughing fit, this time coughing up blood which just dripped down the sides of his open mouth. The deep red clashed with his pale skin, which was getting paler and colder by the minute.

"I said shut up!!" Lance couldn't stop his tears now, and just openly cried over the other boy. He shut his eyes tightly as warm tears escaped, drenching his cheeks. "You'll be f-fine! Allura w-will get you into a pod and y-you'll be healed by tomorrow!"

"D-Don't...c-cry..." The blue paladin's eyes opened upon feeling the back of Keith's fingers brush his soaked cheeks, wiping a tear away. "A-A sm-smile...s-suits y-you...b-b-better..." He was struggling to stay awake. But they were so close. 'Hang on! We're almost there!' Lance prayed.

The Red Lion got into her hangar, quickly letting Lance get out with Keith in his arms. He ran to the healing pods, where everyone else was waiting, and he never let his pace slow down. They were just beyond the doors...!

"Keith, we're almost there! You're gonna be okay!" But when he looked down, the red paladin's eyes were shut once more. "Keith, buddy, wake up!" Lance tried shaking him awake once again, but this time it didn't work. "Keith...?"

His knees collapsed underneath of him, realizing that once again, he was just a tick too late. Lance pulled Keith's limp body closer and sobbed loudly, blaming himself over the death of two of his friends.

The others quietly stepped forward, gasping when they saw what had happened. Allura covered her mouth and tried keeping her whimpers to herself. Coran pulled Allura close, while also trying to remain strong. Hunk let his tears out, wiping them nonstop with his yellow sleeve. Pidge was almost angry, not at anyone in particular, just at fate for being so cruel to them.

"Y-You s-stupid mullet-head...j-just had to go and get yourself killed..." Lance whispered, feeling his heart ache more and more each tick.

'I never got to tell you...how much I loved you...'

----

"How are you feelin'?"

"Fine, a bit warm though."

"Yeah, sand tends to get hot on the beach."

"Shut up."

Lance's laughter made Keith smile a little though, as they sat there watching the waves on the beach. Lance stuck his bare feet on the sand where the waves would come up, while Keith sat further back refusing to get wet. The warm sand between his fingers and the cold water at his feet made Lance feel more relaxed, even after the long day. A long day of kicking Galra butt and saving the universe, that is.

"...How's Red doing?" Keith asks.

Lance frowns at the question, knowing Keith won't like the answer. "She's still got her barrier up...hasn't let anyone in," he says. "...She misses you."

The ex paladin looks down at the sand, making circles with his finger. "I miss her too...I miss you..."

The blue paladin looked at the projected image of Keith. "I'm right here though."

"Not always...when you leave, I can't go with you. And...you guys are going to go back home at some point, aren't you? I'll still be stuck here..."
"No, I'm staying," Lance says, moving next to Keith. "Home is where the heart is, and my heart is with you," he smiles, putting a hand on Keith's blue one.

"How cheesy," Keith smirks.

"Oh come on! You're supposed to be wooed! We bonded! Remember?!"

"What? Sorry, I don't remember...must not have transferred correctly."

"I cradled you in my arms!!"

"Mmm...nope, sorry."

The door behind them opened, and they looked over to see Pidge in the doorway. "Yeah, so, people are trying to sleep? So if you could, I don't know, shut up, that would be great."

"Yeah, Lance, you should get some sleep," Keith said, after Pidge shut the door again, escaping back to their own room. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Alright...see you tomorrow, buddy," Lance stood up, and the beach faded into Keith's bedroom on the Castle of Lions. "...I'm sorry, you know."

"For what?" Keith asked, standing up as well.

"It's my fault you and Shiro..."

"No, it isn't! It's Lotor's fault! Don't you dare blame yourself...none of us saw it coming," Keith snapped, interrupting Lance. "Don't you ever blame yourself for that!"

Lance sighed. "Yeah...okay, if you say so."

The red paladin grabbed his blue companion's hands, holding them tightly. "Look, if anything, you got me here soon enough that we could transfer my consciousness here..."

"But Shiro..."

Keith was quiet for a moment. "It...it's fine. He wouldn't be angry either. No one's angry at you...But listen to me." Lance looked into his eyes when he says that, wanting to hear whatever his friend has to say. "Do me a favor, and kick Lotor's ass next time you see him."

Lance laughed again, feeling much better. "Yeah, of course."

"Now get some sleep."

"Alright...goodnight, Keith." He climbed into his friend's old bed, which still smelled of him. He held his gaze with the projection for a while longer, knowing once he closes his eyes, Keith will fade away, leaving him alone once again.