Special Thanks to: SecretEnigma, CrazyRedmanelion, Prophe-Cass, CarnelianWing, TooEasilyDistracted, Guest, Star, KatieGunderson, TeenTitansFanForever02, kelli.n.c, lotravengersninjagohttyd.15 (one is never late to the party where fanfiction is concerned. Welcome!), ThatOneGuest, Glass Seer, and TheSunsetPhoenix (welcome to FFnet! I'm so honoured that my fic is your first time reviewing!). Thank you so much for your kind words and encouragement!

Author's Note I: This fic has 1 039 reviews, 631 followers, 614 favourites, and was added to 2 communities! A big shout-out of gratitude to Imp Pixie, GreenCode, and FeatherstormofSkyClan. All three of you favourited the story on the same day, so I'm not sure who was the 600th, but it doesn't matter because you're all wonderful! *throws confetti* Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Welcome to all new readers, followers and favouriters since I last updated! It's a pleasure to have you here, and I hope to hear from you. :)

Author's Note II: This next chapter is a bit of a time jump. All of the chapters up until now have been 'set' during Seasons 1 and 2. Since I'm uncertain how to deal with Kuron's infiltration and Shiro's disappearance/death in this fic, I'm opting to ignore both of them for now. That being said, I have no idea if I will eventually bring in Kuron and/or the other clones (albeit in a completely different manner from canon, most likely), so I'm just going to leave it all alone. Having said that, I've had a few requests to bring Matt in (hence the time jump).

Dedication: For Graham Crackers Are Awesome (your prompt on Chapter 8), CalYourPal (your prompt on Chapter 31), and everyone who voted on the poll and/or messaged me. My sincere thanks in helping me make a decision. Your input was invaluable.

Chapter 37: Reunion

It was supposed to be a break. Resupply, interact with the locals, go souvenir shopping, fun stuff like that. Klif'vi, a populated region on the planet Gawrin, was beautiful with sweeping plains and great hills atop which sat towns and cities of splendour, the rooftops coloured in such a way as to look like gems in the twin suns' light. Silver rivers from the mountains in the south cut through the valleys and flowed north, emptying into dense swamps and chain lakes. The Klif'vi people were humanoid, came in a variety of colours that mirrored their gem-hued roofs, and were short, the tallest adults standing barely taller than Pidge. When Allura had warned them all that their buildings were geared for that height, Pidge had inwardly cackled, looking forward to her taller compatriots cracking their skulls on the doorframes.

It was supposed to be a break. It was supposed to be fun.

On the tour around town, the mayor no less as their guide, Lance was the first to start coughing. He coughed and coughed, and through the Pride bond, Pidge felt his growing terror when he couldn't stop, couldn't breathe.

They all felt it.

"Lance!" Shiro rushed to his side, catching him when he fell to his knees, gasping and failing to get enough oxygen. "It's okay, buddy. Just breathe. Try to breathe."

Mayor Dathri was beside them in the next instant, moving so quickly that Pidge nearly activated her bayard. "Did he eat anything?" she demanded. "Drink anything?"

"We ate before we left the Castle," Allura supplied, her forehead pinched with worry. "The fare wasn't anything out of the ordinary for us."

"Junan!" Dathri called and another Klif'vi knelt beside them. He brought out a peculiar scanner, holding it in front of Lance's white-rimmed lips. It beeped and flashed purple, and the surrounding Kliv'fi - civilians drawn by the commotion outside their doors and Dathri's bodyguards - backed away.

"What is it?" said Allura, her tone losing its diplomatic politeness. "What's wrong?"

"Forgive them," Dathri said. Though she stayed where she was, she trembled. "They are merely alarmed. We haven't seen a full-fledged case of the swamp sickness in decaphoebes."

"Swamp sickness?" Shiro echoed, still holding Lance.

"We eradicated it long ago," Junan explained. "Everyone is vaccinated, so it appears only as a mild fever or cold. It appears that Paladin Lance has caught it. It sets in quickly."

"Clearly," Coran said worriedly. "What can we do for him?"

Dathri and Junan exchanged glances. "We no longer keep the cure on-site in our clinics," Junan said slowly. "There's no need, now that we have the vaccine, and we get so few off-world visitors here. If the cure is not found, made and administered quickly, the only thing we can do is...make him comfortable."

"No!" Pidge echoed the roar in her heart and mind from Paladins and Lions alike. "That's not going to happen!"

Dathri looked at her with pity in her garnet-red eyes. "I'm afraid it happened far too often until we found the cure and procured the vaccine. Swamp sickness was lethal in four out of every five cases. Thirty decaphoebes ago, all we could do was let it run its course and pray."

"Then we find it," said Hunk. "We find the cure. We can do that, right?"

"It's been so long..." Dathri cast Lance a weary look. "The cure is the rafgho lenditrig, a plant that grows in the Loathsome, the great swamp to the north. There are precious few of us who are trained in navigating the swamp."

"So we get them. Hire them to take us to the plant," Keith said, steel in his voice and eyes. He made to say something else, but he cut off in a fit of coughing.

"Keith!" Hunk cried while Coran braced him when he stumbled.

"Easy, my boy. Easy," he soothed and lowered him to the ground. "Stay calm now."

"It sets in quickly." Allura's eyes were round as she said it.

"It is extremely likely that you all have contracted the virus," Junan said. "We should get you back to the mayor's estate."

Allura began to say something only to succumb to coughing; Hunk caught her.

"Princess! Allura!"

"Move them. Now." Dathri's voice rang out and her bodyguards - six in all - converged.

By the time they reached the mayor's estate, Hunk barely longer walk and Coran and Shiro fought back dizziness and constricted lungs. Pidge was the only one to walk through the front door of the guesthouse under her own power.

The too-small beds had been cleared out in favour of mattresses, blankets and cushions on the floor. Here, the six were settled, stripped to their under-things and covered in blankets. Attendants brought water, cloths and broth, and Pidge was ushered out of the way. Standing in the corner, she watched everything unfold, her heart pounding a staccato against her ribs.

Junan, Dathri's personal physician, stood beside her since there wasn't much else he could do either. "I've sent for the navigators," he said after what felt like hours. "They will take you into the Loathsome." He looked up at her, barely an inch's difference between them.

"Why am I not sick, too?" Pidge asked in a whisper.

"You are the Green Paladin, the Guardian Spirit of Forest. Perhaps you are immune to some things?"

And yet I still have allergies, Pidge thought resentfully.

Our bond is stronger, Paladin-mine. Green's voice nearly startled her, but she refrained from jumping. A stronger bond means many things.

Then...if our bond was as strong as it is now, I might not have almost died on Vyrk? The incident of nearly dying due to a spore bomb no longer haunted her, but it was something she would never forget.

It is possible. But we mustn't focus on the past. Team Voltron is in grave danger.

Yeah, and it looks like I'm going on a field trip.

Return to the Castle, Green urged. You will require the Paladin armour. She paused then added, The headband may also prove useful to you in this venture.

Pidge shut her eyes, steeling herself. Okay. I'm on my way. Turning to Junan, she said, "I have to go back to the Castle for my gear. Make sure the navigators meet me here and don't let them leave without me."

Junan inclined his head. "Go quickly, then. I will inform Madam Mayor."

Pidge was out the door before he finished speaking.

-:-:-:-

Pidge returned in full armour, her headband secured in her hair and under her helmet, to a small welcoming committee. Mayor Dathri was at the head and around her were four Klif'vi, one green, one pinkish-white, and the other two deep ruby. Dathri stood out with her diamond-white skin.

"Paladin Pidge, you made good time," she began.

"Yeah, well, you know. I'm kind of on the clock here. Dying teammates and all." She didn't mean to sound so flippant but she was hardly in the mood to perform these diplomatic dances.

Dathri nodded, looking properly chagrined. "These are our navigators: Soondra, Haythen, Ambik and Ku. They know the Loathsome best and will do all they can to help you."

Pidge gave the group a swift once-over and nodded. "For the record," she said, "since I have no experience in this, I'm deferring to your expertise. I won't be in the way."

Soondra and Ku let out audible sighs and Haythen and Ambik looked relieved. "That is good to know," said Ambik, her charcoal-coloured eyes warm. "There are too many who think they know better than we who have experience."

Dathri smiled and clasped hands with each of them. "Be careful," she told them all, and then she disappeared inside.

"Short and sweet," said Soondra. "Come. We don't have much time." She took the lead, heading down the hill.

Pidge fell into step with the group and glanced at Ambik. "How much time do we actually have?" she asked.

"At most? No longer than four days. Madam Mayor's staff have orders to fire flares if your friends pass or if they survive before we return."

Pidge's throat constricted and she fought back sudden tears. "What colour are the flares?" she pressed.

"Purple in the daylight and white in the night mean dead," was the gentle reply. "Red in daylight and pink at night mean life."

"Okay." It wasn't, but she made herself say it anyway.

"Paladin Pidge, I have to ask," said Ku. His brows were furrowed along his ruby forehead. "What is it that's on your head?"

She blinked in surprise, her fright derailing. How could they sense it? It was enclosed in cloth, tucked under her hair and hidden beneath her helmet. "Uh, it's...it's an Olkari gem," she said after half a second of inward debate. Her guides should know what resources she had.

Haythen stiffened and turned around to stare at her. "Truly?" he said in awe.

"It was a gift," she answered.

"I'll say!" exclaimed Soondra. "With that on your head, you could navigate the Loathsome on your own!"

"What do you mean? Is the swamp that dangerous?"

"Oh, yes. The Loathsome presents dangers at every turn: animals, plants, unclean water, mud pits. It was one of the reasons why it took our people so long to find the rafgho lenditrig. We didn't dare venture in to see if there was anything useful in there."

"Until a bunch of reckless youths discovered interesting pockets of..." Ku trailed off, trying to find the right word.

"Peace," Haythen supplied. "They were like little bubbles of non-danger that surrounded a specific plant."

"So they took the plant with them," Soondra continued. "Scientists examined it and, well, the rest is history."

"Do you not grow your own?" Pidge wondered. "Can't you grow it in labs or gardens, so you don't have to go into the swamp?"

"You'd think, but no," said Ambik sadly. "It has something to do with the swamp itself. The rafgho lenditrig can only grow in the swamp, so the swamp is where we must go to harvest it."

"We also require fresh leaves," added Ku, "so we can't dry or press them."

"And...you know where to find it, right?"

"We rotate through the areas so we don't over-harvest any one place, but we also harvest alongside navigators from other nearby towns" Haythen replied. "There are a few places we can go, so long as no one else has been there in a while."

"Great," she grumbled.

Ambik smiled kindly at her. "Don't worry, Paladin Pidge. We're on a time-crunch, sure, but we'll return in time to save your friends."

Ku grinned suddenly and said, "You know what I just thought of? We're saving the Paladins of Voltron. We're saving the universe!"

As soon as he said it, however, his grin faded and he looked nearly nauseous at the thought. So did everyone else, their colourful skin paling.

"It's rather frightening, isn't it, knowing that the universe lies in only a few pairs of hands?" Pidge said grimly.

No one could say anything in response.

-:-:-:-

They arrived at the edge of the Loathsome an hour before what Haythen called 'last dusk', the first of the suns having set two hours before. With the last sun slowly nearing the horizon, they stopped and set up camp.

"Masks on," Soondra said. "The air here isn't healthy."

Pidge's helmet was already on, so she nodded and asked, "Oh?"

"Fumes from the muck and some of the plants cause hallucinations," Ku said as he walked over. "Inhale too much and you'll be so busy running from imaginary monsters that you won't notice when the real monsters eat you."

"Or you fall into a mud pit," Haythen added helpfully.

Pidge made a little 'hmm' sound and fell silent.

It was around the campfire that night, after supper (packets of fluid that were fed intravenously into the body), that Pidge reached out to Green. How are they?

Green opened the Pride bond in reply and together they sank into it. /Green will protect my Paladin from the pain and fear. It will be good for Team Voltron to know you are here./

/Too bad I can't do the same with Allura and Coran,/ said Pidge as Green helped Blue shuffle through the bond and allow her entry to Lance.

Despite the fact that Lance was near-lost to fever dreams, Pidge noticed when his weak attention turned to her. /Pidgeykins,/ he moaned.

/Hush,/ she ordered gently, curling around his heart as Blue or Green would. /You just rest. Save your strength./

/D'you go somewhere?/

/Not far. The mayor got us help. We've gone to get the cure, but I'll be back soon. I promise./

/Hm,/ he hummed. /Good ol' Pidgey./ There was something else, something he didn't say but which floated haphazardly in an underlying layer through his exhausted mind.

Trust.

Trust in her.

Pidge squeezed around him as she had learned to do when she was a Lion for Green. Through the Pride bond, she felt Blue's spirit fill Lance's heart and lungs, strengthening them. Comfort, warmth and reassurance flowed through them all, and she smiled when Lance drifted off into a deeper, less painful sleep. She stayed a moment or two longer, pressing love and peace into his subconscious. Then she pulled away.

/Next,/ she thought with hopeful determination.

Green assisted her, lending her strength to give to Shiro, Hunk and Keith as their own Lions did the same for them, and it was well past moonrise when she came out of the Pride bond, blinking her eyes open to find all four navigators grouped around her.

"We were getting worried," said Soondra, her green forehead furrowing. "You didn't move all evening."

"Paladin stuff," was her vague reply. She didn't want to delve into the intricacies of the Pride bond right now - probably not ever to anyone outside of Team Voltron. The Galra, after all, had many spies.

They nodded, though, accepting her answer, and Haythen told her they would head out at first dawn. "Don't worry about keeping watch," he added. "We've got it."

Knowing that they would know better than she would on what to keep an eye out for, Pidge tucked herself into her blanket on the ground and fell asleep to Green's comforting purr.

-:-:-:-

First dawn splashed the treetops in orange fire, pink, red and purple licking at the pastel clouds overhead. It would have been beautiful to look at, but Pidge was too focussed on her feet to even notice. As soon as she set foot into the swamp, the Olkari gem warmed slightly. It was an unnerving feeling, but it proved useful. A wrong step could mean injury or death, so they followed Soondra in single file, stepping in her footprints exactly in the spongy earth. Pidge was in the middle of the group, behind Haythen, with Ku and Ambik behind her. She made to step down in Soondra and Haythen's footprint when the gem heated harshly.

Stop.

Taken by surprise, she nearly toppled, but Ku caught and steadied her before she landed in the mucky water. "Are you all right?" he asked, his voice muffled and mechanised through his mask.

"Fine. Yeah. Thanks." Pidge cast the suspicious footprint another look and lifted a foot experimentally.

Stop. Protect. Stop.

She stopped.

"What's wrong, Paladin Pidge?" Haythen asked, turning around.

She pointed at the footprint and said, "The Olkari gem doesn't want me to walk there."

"It's perfectly fine. It held our weight," said Soondra from the front, but Haythen turned fully back around. All four had walking sticks - or tester sticks as Pidge thought of them. They were four feet long, made of a sturdy wood and shod at both ends with some kind of gem-like coating, so they were perfect for testing unstable ground.

Carefully stepping back the way he'd come, Haythen used his stick to press down on the print in question. The ground gave way instantly with a soft squelch...and kept going. He whistled low as his stick sank halfway in. "I didn't touch bottom," he announced to the silence, pulling the stave out. "Looks like the surrounding ground supports some trick footing. You would've broken a leg at least if you'd stepped there." He looked up at her in contemplation, his sapphire eyes unreadable behind his transparent visor. "Come on up front with Soondra. She has the map, but the swamp is not called the Loathsome for nothing and it tends to change on us."

He extended his hand and Pidge took it, steadied by Ku behind her, and hopped awkwardly across the ground until she bypassed him to Soondra's side.

The gem warned her only twice more during the rest of the day; Soondra navigated the treacherous footing with practised skill, the others following diligently and keeping wary eyes on their surroundings.

"Oh no."

Pidge snapped her head up to stare at Soondra who had voiced the quiet exclamation several hours later. "What? What's wrong?" she asked as Haythen, Ku and Ambik pressed closer.

Soondra pointed to a patch of solid ground in the shade of a tall and scraggly tree. "This is the closest plant site. Some harvesters have already been here. There's not enough left for six people..." She trailed off, glancing at Pidge with solemn eyes. "We can take what's here but... I'm sorry, Paladin Pidge."

Pidge barely heard her.

"There are other sites we can try," Ambik put in gently.

"We have to head back tomorrow," Ku pointed out. "If we're to make it in time, we have to start back tomorrow."

Tomorrow. They had less than a day to find what they needed. Scratch that, Pidge thought with a glance to the western sky and the low suns. They had only a few hours. She looked back over her shoulder, back the way they'd come. There had been no flares today, but that didn't mean there wouldn't be any tomorrow or the day after...

Paladin-mine, Green purred, you unlocked Green's hangar doors before you left. Green can supply the ride back to the town, if you ask it.

Pidge blinked, her frantic heart settling back into her chest, and she nearly wilted with relief. "We've got a ride back," she said. "The Green Lion will come if I call her. We'll make it back within minutes - doboshes."

Everyone stared at her with wide eyes.

"Truly?" whispered Haythen.

Pidge nodded and tried a smile. "We have time."

"Okay, then," said Soondra. "Okay, then. Let's grab what we can and keep moving."

The first sun was setting when they heard the shouts and screams.

Pidge had her activated bayard in hand before she even thought to move, the others gripping their staves with expert hands.

"Where is it coming from?" wondered Ambik.

"Hush!" Haythen snapped just in time for everyone to hear a ground-shaking roar.

"A vahgrit," Soondra rasped, her eyes round in her paling face. "It's close."

"We should get out of here," Ambik said.

Pidge was only half listening. Keeping her eyes open, she focussed on the Olkari gem, felt it warm, felt it reach. Danger, danger. A vahgrit. Soondra had called it a vahgrit.

Where, where?

There.

Protect.

"That way." She lifted a hand and glanced down at the mucky water squelching around the half-solid ground they stood on.

The vahgrit roared again. More screams echoed off the struggling trees.

Protect.

"I'm going to help. Follow me if you want to." Pidge darted into the ankle-deep water before anyone could grab her.

"Paladin Pidge! No, stop! The sink holes! The vahgrit! Your friends!" Their voices blended together in a cacophony of worry and terror.

Pidge turned, the water now up to her shins. "I'm a Paladin of Voltron. I must help." With that, she turned back around and continued sloshing her way towards danger. The gem continued to whisper, Protect, protect, and guided her every step.

Splashing behind her alerted her to followers: Soondra, Haythen, Ambik and Ku all followed her, all in a neat line with their eyes glued to the water.

Or something in the water?

Protect, the gem whispered again, and when Pidge looked down and behind her, she saw glowing green footprints. They had to have been quite bright to be visible through this muck, but visible they were and the navigators were following.

Thank you, Pidge thought to the gem.

Protect.

With the gem as her guide, Pidge and the others made quick work of the impassable waterway and found the vahgrit - and its victims - all too soon.

"Holy hills, it's huge!" Haythen despaired as soon as he caught sight of the...beast.

Monster. The size of a Clydesdale horse on its hind legs and as round as a hippo, the vahgrit was green and brown all over, although that might have just been the moss and swamp muck that covered its...fur?...hide? Impossible to tell. Its hind legs were short but its front legs (arms?) were long and thick, the posture like that of a gorilla. Massive round ears sat atop its head while its giant golden eyes zeroed in on the five new arrivals. It roared, showing off incisors longer than Pidge's arm and slammed fists - yep, those were definitely not front legs - the size of boulders into the soft earth, sending up a spray of water and mud.

The poor souls facing off with the vahgrit numbered four, but two looked like they could barely stand, slumping heavily against the others.

"Get them out of here!" Pidge commanded Soondra who stood closest to her. "Use the footprints. Follow them back. Get them out!"

"What about you?" was the shaky yet determined counter.

In answer, Pidge delved into the gem and the ground beneath her feet trembled. "I will take care of the vahgrit."

Shiro had been the one to tell her that her eyes sometimes glowed green when she used the gem, when she let its power channel through her. Her eyes must have been glowing now because all four of the Klif'vi scrambled to get away from her and heed her order.

She stalked forward, getting the vahgrit's attention. "Go away," she said.

The vahgrit roared again, half-lunging: a threat display.

Still, Pidge continued to advance. The gem pooled power around her, colouring the air and snaking through the earth. "Go. Away," she repeated.

The vahgrit tried to charge, but its hind legs were stuck in the mud. Green power curled and coiled there, glinting sharply. The vahgrit's rumbling growl changed to a frightened whine as it tugged, tugged, tugged and failed to pull its legs out. Claws scraped furrows into the earth, water filling them as quickly as they were made.

Pidge stopped a few inches out of the vahgrit's reach. She lifted her chin, the gem whispering to her that all eight were now safely away, and stared the massive creature down. It whimpered at her, its golden gaze darting about for escape.

She flicked her fingers and the mud released its hold. The vahgrit didn't charge at her, however, instead shuffling backwards, keeping its eyes on her as it retreated. When it was several yards away, it dared to turn and then lumbered away as quickly as it could.

Her return to her navigators and their four new companions passed in a blur that Pidge would chalk up to as a result of the gem, but she made it safely back and everyone was all in one piece.

"...can't thank you enough," one of the new four was saying. It was impossible to tell the species beneath the space suit, but Pidge knew none of them were Klif'vi because they were all taller than Keith. At least all four of them were in suits which protected them from the poisonous swamp air. She half-supported a groupmate and continued, "I thought we were chow for sure."

"What are you doing out here?" Haythen demanded, his gaze darting to Pidge and away. "Where's your navigator?"

"We don't have one. We crash-landed into this swamp day before yesterday."

"I told you we should have replaced that engine part," a second grumbled.

"Yeah, yeah. Be mad at me later, Joon. I'm Olia. Our friends are sick. Can you help?"

Everyone froze.

"How sick?" Soondra asked softly.

"Like, having trouble breathing, can barely walk."

"Swamp sickness," rasped Ambik.

"Yeah, I know," said Olia. "I've been on this planet before. I got vaccinated then. So did Joon. I know the special plant to heal them, but I didn't know how much to take." Here she readjusted her friend's weight and dug through a pouch at her hip. She held out a fistful of the spiny leaves that were the rafgho lenditrig.

"That's more than enough for two people," Ku said stiffly.

"I wasn't sure," Olia began, but Pidge cut her off.

"Is it enough for eight?"

"Eight?" Joon echoed.

But no one answered her because all four navigators were staring at Pidge.

"With what we gathered earlier," Haythen said slowly, "yes, it is."

Green, get here now!

Green is coming, was the instant reply.

"Our ride's coming. We'll be back at town before it's dark."

"How are you going to do that?" Olia asked. "Teleport us?"

"No. Something far cooler."

Three seconds later, a great boom shook the air - like thunder overhead...or something more sonic in nature. Seconds after that, Pidge heard the familiar sound of nearing thrusters.

"Our ride is here!" she shouted to the others. "When the ramp is lowered, get on! Don't hesitate!"

"By the stars, is that a Voltron Lion!?" Joon squeaked.

"Yeah. Ogle later! Get in." Pidge was already racing up the ramp before it was fully lowered. "Follow me. Green, can we take our masks off?"

Green advises that everyone wait three ticks after the ramp closes for Green to adequately ventilate any dangerous fumes that entered.

As soon as everyone was in, Pidge counted. One...two...three. Then she promptly tore her helmet off, tossing it into a corner of the cockpit. "Pull-out cots are on the sides. First Aid kit is here." She kicked the compartment on her right under the console and Ku grabbed it. "Extra blankets are in there." She pointed with her left hand. "Everyone, strap in. We're not taking off until everyone's in a harn-"

Paladin-mine, Green senses something very strange.

Pidge froze mid-word, her hands stilling on the controls. What? What is it?

Green is... Green is currently sensing a...Paladin Candidate.

A pause.

Oh?

Yes. More specifically, a Green Paladin Candidate.

Pidge twisted around to peer behind her. Organised chaos reined in her cockpit: Ku and Ambik dug through the First Aid kit while Soondra and Haythen fetched blankets, and Olia and Joon secured their friends to the cots.

She couldn't see much through the mass of bodies darting around, but something squeezed in her heart.

My Paladin-Pidge, Green said softly, we must go. Team Voltron is weak and Pride Voltron cannot sustain them with the Lion strength much longer.

"Right," Pidge exhaled and turned back around. "Right." Then louder: "Everyone, get into a harness and strap in! We're taking off in a dobosh."

"No!" Olia suddenly snapped. "Leave their helmets on. They can't breathe on their own."

Green flinched, shuffling her paws, and Pidge went wide-eyed with their shared nerves spiralling through her brain. Green? she ventured hesitantly.

But she didn't answer and to Pidge's horror, she felt her close off their bond. It was only a little bit, but it was enough to alarm her.

Green? she tried again.

Please, my Little One, please focus on this task. More is at stake than you know.

Considering it's the whole universe if the Paladins die, I can hardly believe that.

Green hesitated, but then answered carefully, Green stands by what Green said.

Well, all right then.

"Paladin Pidge, we're in! Get us home!" Haythen commanded.

"Hang on!" Pidge thrust both control sticks forward and Green launched them into the sky. She ignored the awed and impressed exclamations and murmurs from her six conscious passengers and made a beeline for town.

Green landed in the mayor's large garden, having a care for the trees and flower beds, despite the life-or-death situation. Pidge was unbuckled before her paws touched earth, snatching the bundles of rafgho lenditrig leaves from Soondra and Olia and racing down the ramp.

"We got it, we got it!" she yelled to those who ran towards her from the house. Mayor Dathri was in the lead.

"Well done, Paladin," she said, taking the bundles and handing them off to Junan. "Our physicians will get to work immediately."

"We have two more patients," Pidge added, turning back towards Green. "We found them in the swamp."

Dathri nodded and looked at two of her bodyguards. "Agronan, Mysu, come with us. The rest of you, prep another room."

Pidge assisted where and when she could with the new arrivals, but then Junan kicked her out and so she quickly changed out of her armour, tucked the headband into her helmet, then darted across the hall to Team Voltron's sick room.

A couple of attendants were here, squeezing water-soaked cloths into her friends' mouths while gently stroking their throats to help them swallow.

"Paladin Pidge," said one, his topaz-coloured eyes glinting in the dim light. "We are glad to see you safe."

"How are they?" she asked, inching slowly forward. They were all so still and silent. No moans, no whines, not even a scrunch of the brow at the voices around them.

The two traded looks and then the first spoke again. "They lost consciousness after second dawn this morning and haven't awakened."

"It's good you returned when you did, otherwise-" The second cut off with an 'oomph' when the first elbowed him sharply.

"Fear not," he said, giving his colleague a fierce look before turning back to Pidge. "Our best now have the plant. We will have the cure within two vargas at the latest."

Pidge could only nod, her throat closed up around the sobs threatening her. She glanced down at Allura who lay closest. Her eyes were closed, a blanket pulled up to her chin. Sweat soaked her brow and her hair was a mess, tangled and snarled across the pillow.

Allura's hair was always flawless.

"May I borrow a comb or brush?" she whispered into the solemn silence.

"Of course." The second attendant swiftly left and returned within a minute, a basket in his hands. "There are some hair-cleaning products in here," he said quietly, holding it out to her. "You don't need water."

"Thanks." Pidge took the basket, dropped to her knees at Allura's head and began to slowly work the brush through the tangles. Once she could run her fingers through the white hair easily, she used the no-water shampoo, working the cream into her scalp with careful, so careful fingers. Once it was all sleek and shiny and clean, Pidge parted it down the middle and braided both sections. Pig-tail braids were better for lying down. She hoped Allura liked them.

A damp cloth passed in front of her, startling her, and she looked up into Ambik's exhausted face.

"Thank you," Pidge managed to say, and dabbed at Allura's forehead. "What are you doing here?"

"We're here to help," was the soft reply.

Pidge blinked and then looked around: Soondra, Haythen and Ku were here, too, washed, clean and out of their Loathsome-tainted suits. They had hygiene baskets on their arms and stood at attention, waiting for her command, though she noticed Haythen wouldn't look at her directly.

She cast her gaze around at her friends - her family - and opened her mouth. "Leave Lance and Keith to me. They're picky about their hair. Hunk likes humming while he's working, so maybe do that. Be gentle with Coran's moustache; it's his pride and joy. And talk to Shiro. Let him know what you're doing so he stays calm."

No protests. No snickers or murmurs or jokes. Just nods and swift obedience as they all left to their tasks.

Ku had a lovely voice as he softly sang what sounded like children's rhymes. Interspersed with Haythen's baritone as he spoke, it eased the tension in the room, and Green purred in Pidge's mind as she turned for Lance.

They can hear them, she said. Pride Voltron can hear their words and feeds them back into Team Voltron's hearts. Team Voltron can hear them.

And working a comb through Lance's once-pristine hair, Pidge cried.

Take heart, my Little One, Green encouraged. All is not lost.

Pidge could think of nothing else to do but to cling to her Lion and her words and continue to work.

-:-:-:-

Pidge was resettling Keith's bangs across his forward, keeping them out of his eyes, when shouts erupted from across the hall. At the exact same second, Green surged in her mind with alarm.

One of them has stopped breathing, she said, quivering.

Why was Green quivering? Why would she be this worried? Unless...

Was it...the Green Paladin Candidate?

As soon as she thought it, Green's little blockade in their bond slipped and a very familiar presence wafted through them both. A strong and indomitable mind, a laugh, a face.

No.

My Paladin...

Green, it's not. It can't be.

Green was sorry and sad as she said, It is. Green knew him from your memories. You filled Green with your Matt, told Green to find him because you were dying. It is your Matt, my Paladin.

He's here.

Yes. And he is dying.

Pidge was on her feet and out the door in a second, barging into the next room with a shriek of "Matt!"

Olia turned, astonished, as Junan and two other doctors worked feverishly over...Matt. It was Matt. His hair was longer and he had a scar across his cheek, but it was Matt. It was her brother. He was haggard and pale, sick and dying.

"Matt!" she cried again, lunging forward.

Olia caught her around the waist with both arms. With her suit and helmet off, she had a distinct dog-like appearance with a short muzzle and floppy ears, but Pidge barely took in those details as she tossed her weight sharply to the left and then punched hard. Her bayard was in her other hand when Olia didn't let go and then she was letting go immediately, stumbling back at the sight of the weapon.

"Paladin Pidge, what are you doing?" Junan demanded.

"That's my brother!"

"Then let us help him!" was the sharp retort, bringing her up short. Without saying another word to her, he turned back to Matt and his colleagues. "Any change?"

"He's breathing again, but it's too shallow. And his heartrate is thready. If we can't stablise him, his heart will give out. Where's that cure?!"

"They're still working on it!"

Matt, Pidge despaired, staggering away several feet. Her back hit the wall and she slid down it, curling her knees to her chest.

In her mind and heart, Green curled around her and purred, offering comfort because there was nothing else she could do.

Or was there?

My Paladin? Green asked nervously.

You said he's a Paladin Candidate. He's a candidate for you. You can help him, right? Save him?

My Paladin, dearest Heart, you don't know what you're asking. No Lion can have two Paladins.

But... But he wouldn't be a Paladin, not really. Pidge just needed Green to bond with him enough to give him some of Pride Voltron's strength. She didn't have to open the Pride bond to him completely.

But that is exactly what would happen. A simple bond cannot stay simple. It grows. It expands. Sooner or later, the Pride bond would open for him.

Is that really so terrible?

It has never been done, but my Sisters-

/Pride Voltron supports you in this, our Sisters./ Black's voice was a startling surprise, but then Pidge registered the words.

/Seriously?/ she gasped.

/Seriously,/ Blue answered. /We are here and we support this./

/All of us,/ Red and Yellow said together.

/But.../ It was Green who was hesitant.

/Green Sister,/ said Black, and her tone was deep and dark, the great and endless expanse of space. Pidge shivered even though that tone wasn't directed at her. Then something brushed past her, as dense and heavy as a tonne of lead, yet as fleeting as a butterfly in the wind. Pidge couldn't make out the words Black said, but there was an underlying layer of urgency and - dare she think it? - command.

It was a short moment, yet it felt like an eternity, before Green spoke. My Heart?

Yes?

Green will not break your heart, Dearest One. Green will do this for you, for Voltron and for the Universe.

Pidge had barely a second to wonder at those implications before Green yanked on her...soul. Something in her soul twisted and she curled tighter against the wall, fighting back a yelp.

It is done. Green knows you are tired, my Paladin, but we must keep on for a while longer. Call to him. He is weak, but perhaps he can hear you.

Pidge gathered every ounce of strength she possessed and flung it across her bond with Green and, now, the teeny, tiny shred of thought that steadily weakened: Matt. She was bonded to Matt now, as she was with Shiro and Lance, Keith and Hunk, as all of Pride Voltron were. She threw all of her remaining strength and energy down the bond to that struggling thought and screamed with her whole soul, mind and heart: MATT!

A stir of consciousness, a flutter of disbelief mixed with hope, and the barest whisper. Pidge?

Yes, yes! I'm here. I'm right here. Stay with me, Matt. Stay with us.

Confusion darted across the bond, but there were no words. On the other side of the room, the physicians exhaled with relief. "He's unconscious, still, but he's stable," someone said.

We did it, my Paladin-Pidge, said Green and her voice was a thrill of relief. Pride Voltron has him now. We will not let him go.

I hope he doesn't mind sharing heart-thoughts, Pidge thought absently and then darkness swallowed her.

-:-:-:-

She dreamed a vahgrit was eating Matt. He was screaming and so was she.

"Pidge!"

"Matt!" Pidge bolted upright, her hand going to the bayard - that wasn't at her hip. Where was it? Matt. She had to save Matt.

"Pidge, look at me. Look at us. We're right here. Look at me, Pidge!" Large hands took her face, turning it up to a pair of dark eyes.

"Sh-Shiro?" she gasped.

He was sitting next to her mattress on the floor in Team Voltron's sick room and he smiled at her. "That's right. We're right here, Pidge. Easy now. You were just dreaming." He hugged her, tucking her under his chin and his arms winding around her back.

She scrambled for clarity. Something terrible had happened. "You were sick. I didn't dream that, right?"

"That's right," he said, and she could hear his smile. "You went into some hellish swamp and helped get the cure for us. We're on the mend. We're all on the mend." He leaned back, then, letting her see the whole room and everyone in it.

Keith, Lance and Hunk knelt on the floor beside her while Allura and Coran hovered anxiously. Allura was still wearing the pig-tail braids. They all smiled at her, and Lance carded his fingers through her hair.

"Do you have any idea how freaked out I was?" Pidge demanded. "You all almost died, did you know that?" She swatted Lance's hand away and dove into his lap instead, winding her arms around his waist, her head on his stomach.

"Yeah, sorry, that's our bad," Lance quipped. "We'll try not to contract dangerous pathogens in the future."

"On the upside, we're scheduled for vaccinations next week, so we get to stay awhile," Hunk put in with a tremulous grin. "A mini vay-cay."

"You're ridiculous!" she snapped at him, but she hugged him, too, and then everyone else got a hug.

She was about to let go of Allura when she remembered something else. "Wait, Matt. Where's Matt?"

Everyone stiffened and shared looks.

"What are you talking about, Pidgey?" Lance finally asked.

"Matt's here. We rescued him from the swamp...right?" She looked around at the dubious expressions and scooted away, standing. "Matt's here," she said, trying to be firm.

"I think you were dreaming," Shiro said softly. "You woke up screaming his name."

My Paladin, Green interrupted gently, you are correct. Team Voltron has received no news of the others. It is not yet first dawn - you were asleep for several vargas - but your Matt is here.

"He is?" Pidge caught herself on the nearby table.

He is.

She was barrelling for the door before anyone could stop her.

"Catch her!"

"Pidge, stop, wait!"

She flung open the door, only to pull up short at someone blocking the way. She was about to push when hands came down on her shoulders and a familiar face peered into hers.

"I heard you calling me," Matt said, tears streaming down his face. "I could feel it."

Pidge threw her arms around his neck and toppled them both to the floor. "I knew it, I knew it!" she wept, not at all aware that everyone behind her had frozen in shock. "Green saved you. I asked her to save you, and Black and the others all backed me up."

"I know," he replied, hugging her hard. "It was freaky waking up to a voice in my head, but the Green Lion has been sharing plenty. I can't believe you're a Paladin of Voltron! My baby sister: a Defender of the Universe!"

"It sounds so much cooler when you say it!"

"I can't believe you found me!"

"I told you I'd come get you!"

They laughed and cried and hugged and cried some more. At some point, they stood and Shiro and Matt embraced hard, tears falling down both faces.

"I'm so glad she found you," said Shiro. "She was looking for you this whole time."

Matt threw Pidge a knowing and grateful grin. "Yeah, nothing can stop her."

Then Matt was introduced to Keith, Lance, Hunk, Allura and Coran. Pidge tried very hard not to smirk when he went positively goo-goo eyed at Allura, and then tried very hard not to groan when he and Coran started to talk shop about the Lions' mechanics. Hunk chimed in and so did she, but for the most part, she sat back and watched her brother integrate himself into Team Voltron. It was kind of startling how seamlessly everyone accepted him.

Of course it is seamless, Paladin-mine, Green said with a smirk of her own. He is one of the Pride, after all.

-:-

Thank you for reading! Please review.

Author's Note III: Hi, everyone! So I know I've kind of (really) fallen out of updating recently. Forgive me. Life has been weird and my muse hates me. I'm also running out of steam a little. Anyway, the short of it is that I hope to continue updating this fic. I'm not ready to end it just yet, but I must warn you all that my updates are going to be (more) sporadic and there will be longer time spans between posts. Just as a head's up for you all. I'm really sorry. I appreciate everyone sticking with me this long, and also thank you to all the new readers. It truly is a pleasure to know you're out there. :)