A Dreary Predicament.

Krolia scooped up a small rock, tossing it up in the air. The lack of gravity sent it spiraling up before she quickly reached out and expertly grabbed it. After a quick scan, a smirk spread across her face.

"This is it!" She called to her son, Keith drifting around the asteroid a few feet away.

Keith turned, easily pushing off of the rock and floating towards her. He sailed a few feet out of reach, but she easily clutched his safety cord and pulled him back to her side.

"Are you sure?" He asked after studying it for a long moment. "It's…smaller then I thought it would be."

"Well, it's part of a sacred statue, of course it'd be small. The statue itself is only about half my size." Krolia turned the stone around in her hand. "So, in answer to your question, yes, I'm sure."

"So, the idol is Pidge-sized." Keith nodded, taking the rock from his mother.

"For the last time, I don't know what a 'Pidge' is, and the statue is NOT a idol. Finally, we should get off this rock. The meteor should be here any moment."

"We just got here, Krolia!" Keith whined, stubbornly refusing to refer to her as 'Mom'. "We get next to no time off at the Blade. Can't we hang around here for a few more minutes?"

"Kolivan would not approve…" Krolia warned, a doubtful expression encircling her face.

"Mother/son bonding…" Keith persisted, blinking at her. He could see her face, although it was shaded in darkness, through her helmet. She, on the other hand, could not see his face in the slightest.

However, his words got her. She slipped the rock into her suit's miniature pocket, sighing. "Fine. But in three doboshes we're heading back."

"Fine by me." Keith shrugged, his head turning back and forth as he scanned the area around them. "Too bad there aren't any squishy asteroids around here."

"Do you realize that half of what you say has no meaning to me, right?" Krolia inquired, having no idea what a 'squishy asteroid' was. What had his father been teaching him in her absence?

"Half of what I say isn't supposed to come past my mouth." Keith flashed back, picking up a pebble.

Earthlings.

Krolia hardly managed to stifle an eye roll, nearly forgetting that Keith could see her.

How she acted wasn't very motherly, but she had no idea how to act around teenage male offspring. Females were a different matter…

Krolia picked up a flat stone, hurling it at Keith with all her might. There was nothing to stop it as it hurled towards him, but, even at its speed, managed only a soft impact as it hit his head.

Krolia snorted as he wheeled around in surprise, the cord wrapping loosely around his waist. The moon would be more fun than this miserable rock.

Keith stared at the pebble drifting away from him before smirking at his mother. Still, she could not see his face, and wondered if he was made at her.

"You remind me of Shiro. Or, at least, how he used to act." Keith informed her; beginning to slowly turn upside down. He wasn't used to navigating in nearly zero-gravity without a jetpack.

"Shiro? I don't believe you've mentioned him before." Krolia recalled, staring quizzically at him.

"He's a Paladin of Voltron. He's been my best friend since I was…eight, maybe?"

"Voltron?" Krolia perked up. She had heard about Voltron from Ranvage as he ranted about how the Empire could be put in a bad position unless HE took over the throne.

"Yeah. Voltron. Ever heard of it?"

"Heard of it?! It was all Ranvage would talk about after Zarkon died. You know one of the Paladins?"

"One?" Keith scoffed. He wasn't one to brag, but he often got carried away. "I am-was-a Paladin. I know ALL of them. I know what their objectives were before we left Earth, I know their family's names. I know their favorite colors, how old they are, even their nationalities! I know that Hunk never had enough to eat in Samoa, but that everyone always shared. Lance's youngest cousin's name is Jamie, and she likes bubbles and thinks that snow is pale sand, I know that Pidge has never actually seen Italy, nor even pictures, but that her brother was born in Italy, and she was born prematurely in a airplane over the Atlantic Ocean. Shiro's very anti-television. The only time he watched TV was when his mother was looking at beer commercials. Allura's birthday was on a traditional berry festival, and that's why she loves them so much. She doesn't like blue at all, but it is the color of female royalty. Coran's mustache grew in when he was three months old, and his clothes are made from Weblum skin-" Keith's voice broke, and he hugged his shoulders.

Krolia didn't notice the sobs that shook his shoulders, and spoke calmly. "Wow. Keith, that's wonderful! I didn't know you were a Paladin."

"Of course you didn't!" Keith lashed out, his anger at her finally exploding. "You've been gone my whole life! You weren't there for my soccer games, you never helped me bandage myself up when bullies picked on me, and you certainly weren't there when Dad died! Where were you? Oh, that's right! You were out doing who-knows-what out in space! You never cared about me! Maybe I didn't matter more then hiding from the mess you made!" Keith spat, his entire body shaking. "You didn't realize how much I miss my friends, my REAL family…"

"Keith." Krolia put her hand gingerly on his shoulder. "I'm…sorry. Truly sorry. I didn't realize you felt that way."

"You don't notice much." Keith hissed, his heart squeezing with every word.

"Oh. I don't notice much?!" It took you FOREVER to realize it was me. First it was 'oh, look, by some weird magic I can activate your blade', then I told you that 'I'd never leave you AGAIN'. And we have the same quiznaking hair. A PERSON HALF AS SMART AS RANVAGE COULD NOTICE!" Krolia shoved him away, fury pulsing from her very suit.

"I NEVER want to go on ANOTHER QUIZNAKING MISSION with YOU EVER AGAIN!" Keith hollered.

Krolia winced at his loud voice pounding from the radio. "FINE!" She shrieked.

"FINE!"

"FINE!"

"FINE!"

Krolia crossed her arms, jutting out her lip at him, snarling. After a dobosh of them glaring at each other, Krolia noticed a dim light that was friend brighter be the tick behind Keith. It took her only a moment to comprehend what she was looking at.

"Keith," she gasped, beginning to back away.

"What now?" Keith grumbled, unaware of the meteor.

"The comet! Follow me to the other side! From there we can get to another meteorite." Krolia instructed, already clambering across the asteroid.

"What the-?!" Keith turned to look behind him, instantly recognizing the impending danger.

"Com'n! We need to get out of here!" Krolia ordered, swearing quietly underneath her breath.

Keith pushed himself over to her, gasping in shock. In only a few ticks they would be overcome.

They were on one of the many ice and rock rings circling a planet much like Saturn. They were right on the the brink of the atmosphere. Close enough that the meteor caught fire, but they were far enough away that gravity had no hold on them.

Keith's heard pounded in his chest as he and Krolia hurried along, neck in necks if they made just one slip up, they could die.

That's when Keith pushed to hard against the asteroid and he began to float away from his mother.

"Keith!" Krolia yelped, leaning out as far as she could without also breaking away from the rock. She grabbed his wrist firmly, handing on for his dear life.

The comet chose that moment to strike where they were, the explosion rocking them and tears no their grip of each other.

The flames engulfed Keith, and he knew no more.

Author's note; if I get five reviews before Monday, I may add a part 2.