The music was loud in the back of the house by the pool, mixed with casual conversation amongst the many guests. Insistent that they not go without a proper goodbye to their son, Lance's parents chose to invite him and the rest of the group over for what was essentially a farewell party. The grill by the pool sizzled with the sound of meat cooking and many of the guests partaking in burgers and hot dogs, while coolers nearby ensured everyone was satiated. Throughout the area, the various Paladins were either being engaged in small talk with the guests, while Allura and Coran experienced music quite different from any they had heard on a regular basis, asking numerous questions about everything from the music to the food to the drinks with various members of Lance's family.

For Lance, it was just nice to see everyone again, family members he hadn't seen in years, coupled with some who he had to remind exactly who he was (Not that he minded declaring himself Earth's savior). He had no idea when he would be able to return, and did his best to enjoy the time he had, enjoying a hot dog and moving in between various people. Hunk, who was holding a hamburger, stood next to him.

"It was nice of your family to invite us over like this."

"Hey, we deserve the break," Lance replied, eating the hot dog. "Besides, it's not like I get to introduce new friends every day now!"

"Well it was nice of you to let my parents come along," Hunk responded, looking over at Mr. and Mrs. Garrett speaking with a few of the guests, the group laughing for a bit.

"It's no problem man. What's the alternative? Being stuck at the Garrison?"

"Well Shiro was…mmph, insistent we go."

"Shiro had an office," Lance reasoned.

"You kept my stuff?"

"Yes, Captain Shirogane. It is policy to ensure that we have to keep the personal effects of all ranked personnel killed in the line of duty, which is what we believed you were."

"What about me?" Lance asked, standing with the other Paladins besides Shiro. Staring at him, the receptionist, an older man with graying hair and a flat tone of voice, looked up to answer.

"The personal effects of cadets are thrown away if not collected within 30 days. I have no way of knowing if your items were collected.

Lance appeared deathly pale hearing this, a fact that Keith couldn't help but laugh at.

"What's with you? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Let's just say there's stuff of mine that I rather my parents hadn't seen when they came to collect my stuff."

"Oh really?"

"Like you're any better, amazon chaser!"

The two continued to yell at each other but Shiro paid them no mind. He looked on at the photo of family members that had since died, a mother who hadn't been heard from since the invasion began, and photos of him with his old colleagues. Taking the box, he uttered a quick "Thank you" before walking off.

"I'm going to head back," Shiro explained. "We'll catch up."

Walking away from the arguing of the Red and Blue Paladins, Shiro continued down a hallway until he saw a familiar face, and one he was not expecting to see him off.

"Lt. Tong."

"Actually, it's Captain Tong now," Daniel explained. "Larmina, Vince, and I all got a promotion for helping deal with Keats for good."

"Are you still looking for a fight?" Shiro asked. "I don't plan on staying on Earth very long."

"Right, you and the other kids are supposed to head off into deep space to fight the big boss himself. Do me a favor."

"What?" Shiro asked.

"Stay safe until you take care of him. We'll settle up when you get back."

Smiling, Shiro nodded.

"That seems fair. Just make sure you and your team keep Earth safe while we're gone. I'd hate to come back and find out you're not around for us to settle things."

"Will do," Daniel replied with a smirk. Walking off, he turned around the corner, seeing a smiling woman.

"Well, well, you really can't let things go, can you?"

"We struck a…agreement Larmina. We stay alive, he stays alive, and we settle things when he gets back."

"You're a brat sometimes," she went as the pair walked down the hallway.

"And you love me for it," Daniel joked.

"No, I love you DESPITE that. Or maybe that's just the adrenaline rush from all the flying."

"Works for me," Daniel said, getting close to Larmina. She playfully batted him aside but the two soon met in a kiss, looking on at each other while giggling slightly.

"You know I feel bad not having Vince come with."

"Next time."

"Next time?" a voice asked. Turning around, Daniel, with his hand on his head, quickly changed his tune.

"Did I say next time? I meant tonight! How rude of me…heheh."

Walking down to the cooler, Lance saw the smiling face of his uncle Raymond, holding a bottle in his hand as he saw the pair by him.

"Lance the superhero now, huh?"

Laughing, Lance said "I guess. The Blue Paladin does sound like a superhero name."

"Well, that or a Pow…"

"Uh, NO," Lance interrupted. "We are totally not like that. We're way cooler. Speaking of," he continued, opening the cooler up, "we could use a drink."

"Well if you're heading back into space, I guess you deserve a few to see you off."

"Exactly."

Both Lance and Hunk opened their bottles, but before he could drink his, a forceful hand grabbed Hunk on the shoulder.

"Son, you're not 21. What are you doing?"

"Oh come on Dad!" Hunk protested. "I'm old enough to save the Earth, I'm not old enough to have a beer?"

"Not while you're my son you're not."

"Oh come now," Mrs. Garrett said, looking on her husband. "Just this once. Let's be honest, he's not going to be near the stuff any time soon after this."

"Yeah!" Hunk said, only to be silenced by a quick glare from his father.

"I suppose it's not every day my son stops a tyrant bent on destroying the planet. Fine. But just for tonight, and no more than three. Understood?"

Nodding, Hunk put the bottle to his lips, a slight awkward face forming when he chugged the alcohol. Raymond, who had been observing the scene the entire time, laughed and patted Hunk on the back.

"You'll get used to it. It tastes a lot better when you do."

"Sure," Mr. Garrett replied. "When he's older."

Turning around, Hunk and Lance noticed someone else enjoying a drink, while speaking with several guests.

"I suppose what I'm trying to say is that I don't understand why humans are so obsessed with different kinds of foods! It's so inefficient to have to do things when you can just rely on one type of processed food and be done with it!"

"You say that," a guest shot back, "but you haven't had the steaks yet!"

"I will admit that the hamburgers were rather good, but it seems rather needless."

"Coran?" Lance asked. "How many did you have?"

"You mean the alcohol? Just two so far. Trust me, I learned my lesson from the other day when we went to the baseball stadium."

I could hit it father than that guy! Look at him! Those muscles are just for show!"

Lance did his best to hide the look of embarrassment from Coran's rambling. The Altean had finished his fourth drink, and despite his insistence to the contrary, it was clear that alcohol had the same effect on Alteans that it did on humans, and in fact, may have worked a bit faster given how much he was hollering.

"Coran, do you have to do this?"

"I'm just saying Lance," Coran replied as he sat back down in his seat, "that I've seen your 'baseball' and I do believe that I could do better than most of the people on the field."

"And so do half the people watching on TV," Lance muttered.

CRACK!

Coran's expert observations on a game he had known existed for all of a week were interrupted by the thunderous crack of a bat against the baseball, sending it flying into the stands.

"I've got it!"

"Coran!" Lance yelled, but it was too late. The intoxicated handyman had already climbed on top of his seat, leaping into the air to catch the baseball in front of him. Surprisingly enough, it fell into his hands.

"See? Was that so hard?"

"Coran!"

It was then that Coran realized one of the bigger hazards of leaping for a catch. Namely, that if one leaps for a catch, they must be mindful of how they land, lest the ball gets away from them. It becomes especially hazardous when rows of chairs are below you instead of flat ground, compromising footing.

CRASH!

"My beer!"

My back is still a bit sore actually."

"I'm not surprised," Lance said. As he walked off, he heard Hunk ask about a certain promise from the other crowd goers.

"The steaks? Yeah, those are later, though. You just had lunch!"

"But after this," Hunk answered, "it's right back to the food goo. Food. Goo."

"We fought an insane clone of Shiro, not one but two combining anti-Voltrons, and an entire armada of Galra battleships. We can handle some food goo."

"So what do we do till then?"

Looking up, Lance saw Allura and a few guests speaking, the woman listening intently to the stories of an old lady.

"I think I know," Lance said, but his swagger was immediately interrupted by the presence of a man next to Allura.

"Keith…"

"What?" Hunk asked. "You didn't even think he would be coming."

Keith sat in the hall of the Castle of Lions looking over the book Pidge had given him, The Enlightenment and Modern Culture, a rather thick hardcover on the titular Age and its effect on human history. Why did Pidge see fit to give him this?

Trust me, you'll need it later.

That was all she said before going off a few hours ago, apparently having been told that someone was at a Garrison post asking to meet with her about something. What he didn't know.

Watching TV in the main hall, bored out of his mind, a familiar presence sat next to him, eyeing the book in his hands.

"So, what do you have there?"

"P…princess," Keith answered, showing her a copy of the book. Taking it from him, she began looking it over.

"So, you did want to give me another lesson, didn't you, my little Paladin?"

It all clicked in Keith's head why Pidge had given him the book, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to thank her or curse her for the gesture. It also made perfect sense that Pidge would give him a topic as weighty as the Enlightenment to teach Allura over say, Italian food or romance films.

He had little time to think about it. Allura had literally flung Keith over one shoulder, her strength effortlessly keeping him aloft. As he looked downward, he could see the ground getting further and further away, realizing that Allura was turning back to her Amazonian form from the other day, an utterly massive being of power mixed with femininity.

She didn't see the smile on his face until he was deposited inside her bedroom, the massive princess looming over Keith.

"I take it you like what you see?"

Keith nodded, dropping the book, attempting to grab what was in front of him, but he was quickly pinned to the bed by a powerful arm.

"You were going to teach me about the contents of that book, were you not?" Allura asked, her face quivering into a cute pout. "There's so much about human culture that I don't know yet."

"Then let me educate you."

He began to read the contents, offering his own comments on events and people. As he did so, she let him up from the bed, allowing him to feel every inch of her body. Occasionally, he would linger on a word or a point the same way he did on a body part, feeling them, teasing her with a cliffhanger just long enough for her to show a desire for it, at which point he would relent and resume.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

"Hey, Princess? I was wondering if you wanted to…well…"

"Lance!" Allura exclaimed. "Quick, hide!"

"Hide?" Keith asked, only to be violently shoved into a closet, unable to move as he was crammed between several dresses, suits, and other items.

"Come in."

From the other side of the door was Lance, wearing his usual cocky grin as he looked inside.

"Princess?"

"Yes?" Far from the muscular amazon that had listened to Keith intently, the Allura in front of Lance was her slender, seemingly petite form. She tried to wear the smile on her face genuinely, just waiting for when the Blue Paladin would unleash a lame pick up line that would inevitably make her groan.

"My parents, the ones you met back in Florida? They thought it would be a nice gesture to throw a party to see us off tomorrow since the ship is almost ready. I was wondering if you wanted to come so I could introduce you to everyone."

"Really? That's very nice of them. And I did enjoy your mothers cooking. Tomorrow, you said?"

"Yeah. You can see where the McClain charm comes from. Maybe afterward we can make some fireworks of our own."

There was the obnoxious pickup line.

"I promise I'll see you tomorrow."

"Looking forward to it," Lance replied, winking before taking his leave.

With the door shut and Lance went for the moment, Allura opened the closet door, allowing Keith to fall out with several dresses on top of him. Looking up, he saw Allura grinning at him.

"Well then, shall we continue our lesson, little man?"

Keith offered a smile, removing himself from the pile of clothes and picking his book up.

"Now where were we, little man?"

What are you doing mullet boy?" Lance asked.

"Enjoying the party. The one you invited me to, remember? I was talking with your grandmother and a few of the other guests. Very nice people. Makes me wonder how you turned out the way you did."

"Lance?" Hunk asked, looking on at the brown haired boy sizing up his obstacle.

"I'm surprised you're not brooding in the corner with a drink."

"Now that would just be anti-social," Keith said.

"Well go be social over there," Lance answered, clearly annoyed at Keith not taking the subtle hint.

"Why?"

"Because you've been scaring the people around you! Poor Abuelita is probably terrified!"

"Actually," the old woman by Lance replied, "he's been nothing short of a gentleman."

Smiling, Keith leaned back with his drink, saying, "I'll think I'll stay right here."

Lance could only offer an angry stare at Keith, a stare that did not go unnoticed by two other guests.

"Are they always like this?"

"Most of the time. It's a cover for their unrequited crushes on each other."

Lance's eyebrow raised at Pidge's voice. Turing around, he prepared to once again re-assert his masculinity as well as his annoyance with both Keith and her, but when he turned around, he was surprised to see a middle-aged woman next to her.

"Um, hello Miss…"

"Missus, actually," the woman responded.

"Lance?" Pidge began. "This is my mom."

She had no idea why she was called away back to the Garrison headquarters, having filled out all the paperwork and being cleared of all charges. Were they going to throw a parade or something? Were they still wondering how she was able to pass for a boy? (It's amazing what short hair and forged records can let a person get away with, although she was sick of the people suggesting more…complicated solutions). What could have possibly warranted them to call her in?

"Katie."

"M…mom."

In the hall in the Garrison office was Mrs. Holt, wearing an expression of worry with a pair of jeans and a shirt. She didn't waste any time, immediately embracing Katie.

"Why didn't you let me know?" she asked. "Why did you run off like that?"

"Mom…" Katie began, "it's complicated."

"Complicated? I lost your father and your brother. I thought I lost you too. When I heard that you were still alive, I flew out here as fast as I could to make sure I didn't miss you again."

"That's why I didn't want to see you," Katie replied, her tone accentuated with a clear air of guilt. "I've been looking for Dad and Matt for months, and I don't know where they are. I want us to be together again."

"And I'm sure that you will find them," Mrs. Holt responded, looking at her daughter square in the eye. "But I wouldn't have been ashamed of you for any reason, and you know that!"

"Mom…"

"My daughter saved the Earth! The Stoker's kids are barely able to graduate college! I'm more proud of you than you could ever know, and I'm sure your father and Matt would say the same thing."

Katie was normally not one for grand displays of emotion, but hearing this, she burst into tears, her mother hugging her again.

"You know I'm going to be leaving in a few days, right? I haven't…given up looking for them."

"You must do what you think is right, Katie," Mrs. Holt replied. "But know I'll always be proud of you, no matter what happens. Don't hide from me the next time you visit."

"OK," was Katie's short reply.

Time passed, more alcohol was consumed, steaks were eaten, and in the midst of an argument, both Keith and Lance found themselves flung into the pool with all their clothes on. It was a moment, that even when sopping wet, Lance wanted to last forever. Even if mullet boy was there.

Alas, the night grew late and everyone began to depart, wishing the Paladins luck and good health before they prepared to return to space. Sure enough, the day passed, and the Castle of Lions, along with Voltron itself, began lifting off from the atmosphere following a brief ceremony, and the five Paladins packing as many things as they could, like food, personal effects, and other items to avoid homesickness. During said ceremony, Commander Hawkins handed the team medals to commemorate their bravery in defending the Earth, before formally sending them off to the stars to resume their journey.

With a thunderous roar and the approval of the gathered crowd, the Castle of Lions flew off into space with its robot escort. Nearby, several other machines began approaching, but Shiro was unconcerned.

"Don't worry. They're friendlies."

First approaching was the transformed form of RAMROD, its 'hat' glistening in the sun of the clear blue sky.

"We had some fun out there, didn't we guys?"

"Sure did Colt," Hunk replied. "Maybe next time we get together we can do something that doesn't involve us getting shot at."

"I'll let you set that up, big man."

Next in the line of escorts was the form of Vytor, surprisingly enough, with two people inside, Fireball and a blond woman.

"Lance, be safe. May your blade always be true."

"Uh, same to you," Lance replied. "Who's the lovely lady?"

"April," the woman replied. "I'm the assistant for Vytor and Captain Hikari."

"Assistant?" Lance asked, only for Fireball to chuckle before flying off. The annoyance on Lance's face was palpable.

As they flew higher into the stratosphere, two more machines flew by Voltron and the Castle of Lions, performing their escort duties.

"What I don't get," Pidge said, "is how that machine is called 'Gladiator Voltron'. It doesn't look a thing like Voltron!"

"I'll ask the boys in R&D that," Saber Rider replied. "You stay alive long enough so I can give you the answer!"

"Deal!" Pidge said.

Finally, the form of Warrior Voltron flew next to the Lion Voltron, extending its hand. Voltron's right arm took it, the machines shaking hands as best they could given the hand of Lion Voltron was a lion's jaw.

"Next time Shiro."

"DAN!"

Chuckling, Shiro nodded.

"Next time Daniel."

Flying off, Daniel went, "See Larmina? I told you we reached an understanding."

"I guess so. Now I just need to keep your dumb ass alive for your stupid promise!"

"The thought of you doing that keeps me going."

With the formalities done with and the members of Earth's defenses having returned to rebuild and redouble their defenses against the world, while the Lions had docked with the Castle, preparing for their next mission.

"Well," Shiro began, "ready to go back to work?"

"Do we have a choice?" Hunk asked.

"Nope."

"Then I suggest we go here," Allura began. "It's a Galra supply depot that's providing fuel and resources to their southern fleet. If we take it out, we can cripple their fleet in that sector and allow beleaguered resistance groups a fighting chance."

"Then let's get back to work."

The warp gate opened, as the Paladins of Voltron prepared to resume their duty to defend the universe.

THE END

FOR NOW

Notes for this chapter - Most Voltron fics I've seen are domestic comedies or inter-Paladin romances. I think mine is maybe one of three that actually has Voltron in it, and the only one so far with any attempt to cover Vehicle Voltron? Is that good or bad? Would you want more Paladin interaction or is the mecha stuff interesting? Please let me know in the comments. I want to keep producing material for this fandom, even if it can be kinda nutty sometimes.

As always, big shout and thank you to the people who did review, did favorite, were following. I appreciate everything from you guys.