Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Monday, April 3rd, Time 20:00 and three ticks

Katie sighed as a tall Galra man politely took her coat. Beside her, Allura gave a grunt of disapproval.

"I'd rather be home playing Killbot Phantasm III…" Katie mumbled under her breath as she and Allura proceeded to the grand ballroom that was hosting the intergalactic gala that most major figures of the races of the universe were attending.

"Pidge, please, act like a lady for once." Allura chided under her breath, causing Katie to snort unattractively causing an Olkari couple to look at Katie with interest.

"Coran got me in a dress, how much more ladylike do you want me?" Katie questioned, flashing the Altean Princess a wicked grin.

"Pidge." Allura's voice held a note of warning.

"Fine, I, Katie Pidge Holt, will try as quiznakingly hard as I can to act like a lady." Katie giggled with a mock salute. Allura flushed bright red as a Galra couple behind them began to snicker at the Green Paladin's rather hollow promise. Allura didn't have a chance to respond as a male voice called her name. Allura and Katie turned to find Shiro, Keith, and Lance handing off their over jackets to the Galra attendant that had helped the ladies with their coats. "Hey guys, where's Hunk?!" Katie nearly screamed, sauntering over to the male paladins.

"First off, is that makeup on your face, Pidge?" Asked Keith as he leaned in to examine Katie's face.

"Hunk is in the kitchens, he will join us later." Supplied Shiro as Keith swiped a finger along Katie's forehead, coming away with the tip of his finger the same color as Katie's skin.

"Kkkkkeeeeiiitthhhh!" Katie whined as she covered her forehead with her bangs. The former red paladin laughed loudly as he reached over to pat Katie on the head. Lance chuckled quietly as Katie swatted Keith's hand aside muttering about kicking him square in the quiznak.

"Now, now. Keith, stop antagonizing Pidge, and Pidge, watch your mouth." Shiro sighed in his "Space Dad" voice.

"Yes, Dad…" Katie grumbled. Shiro shot Katie a look, muttering that he was not her father and that he would be needing many a drink that evening.

"So, uhhh, anyone know why we're supposed to attend?" Asked Lance as Shiro headed into the main ballroom with his husband, Curtis.

"You are the most current former Paladins of Voltron, the war may be over, but you still have a duty to keep up appearances." Allura chimed in almost scoldingly as she placed her hands on her hips. Keith groaned.

"I thought we were done with the parties and stuff two years ago?" Keith half questioned, pulling at his collar as if he couldn't stand to wear a tie. Allura gave a click of her tongue as she reached over to Keith and adjusted the black paladin's tie which was a rather boring red and black striped bowtie.

"Well, we are still technically paladins, we haven't passed our bayards on yet…" Katie mentioned as she patted her emerald purse. Lance couldn't help but smile, noting that her purse was small enough to be acceptable for the occasion but big enough to hide her green bayard. It was at that moment that Allura exclaimed Keith's name under her breath.

"What? I thought we were supposed to keep these on us at all times?" Keith asked in sincere confusion as Allura had discovered that Keith seemed to be on the same page as Katie, as he was wearing a special shoulder holster for his own bayard.

"This is a peaceful occasion, Keith!" Allura hissed. Katie resisted the urge to laugh at the confusion radiating from Keith while Allura began to argue that it was irresponsible that Keith had his bayard on him.

"Hey, Pidge, while they're arguing, wanna hit the dance floor?" Lance asked from behind his hand while leaning over to whisper in Katie's ear.

"Sure, if you're ready for me to wipe the floor with you." Katie shot Lance a wicked grin, fluttering her lashes at the former blue paladin.

"Are you challenging me, Pidge?" Lance asked holding out an arm for her to take.

"I'm cuter and better at flirting than you. Twenty dances before twenty-two hundred?" Katie countered, looping her arm through his.

"Oh, you drive a hard bargain, Pidge, game on. Can I have the honor of the first dance of the evening?" Lance inquired as he led Katie toward the ballroom. Katie snorted unattractively.

"That's cheating, Lance, but you know what, sure." Katie laughed. Lance smiled, unable to stop himself.

"We haven't danced together since the Altean Intergalactic Independence Gala." Lance seemed almost thoughtful. Katie seemed to tense as he mentioned the evening that had happened over three years prior.

"I was drunk…" Katie muttered with a blush.

"That didn't stop you from nearly seducing both me and Lotor on the dancefloor. And if I remember correctly, weren't you only eighteen? And I do believe it was you, not me, who screamed: "Vrepit sa, mother quiznakers!" after standing on the table in the middle of a gaggle of our Galra guests..." Lance snickered quietly.

"I was nineteen, you quiznak. Coran is the epitome of irresponsible for supplying an innocent underage girl with alcohol." Katie said firmly, refusing to look at Lance.

"You enjoyed it, and even Coran mentioned in passing that the legal Altean drinking age was much lower than the current legal American drinking age." Lance chuckled. Katie reached over with her free hand to slap Lance on the shoulder. "What? It's true. It was a great night, and you can't deny that. I mean, you even got Keith to dance a decent salsa with you." Katie narrowed her eyes at Lance as the two arrived at the dancefloor.

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"Don't make me gag, Lance. Let's get this dance over with, I've got a decent looking Altean looking my way." Katie nodded toward a gaggle of bystanders who seemed to be eyeing the red and green paladins in curiosity. Lance pulled his arm from under hers and gracefully caught her by the hand, managing a rather graceful bow as a new song began to pulse through the ballroom. With a rather sultry grin, Lance twisted Katie's wrist, gently sending her into a spin before he caught her about the waist. The green paladin couldn't help flushing as she realized Lance was leading her through a rather sensual tango. "You quiznak." Katie hissed at Lance who merely pretended not to hear the insult. When the dance ended, Katie pushed away from Lance quickly, her face bright red.

It was apparent that the red paladin was pulling all the stops to make the evening interesting. Katie couldn't help but roll her eyes, though secretly she was glad that Lance had been her first dance of the evening. To her surprise, a rather tall Galra man gently captured Katie by the hand, his low voice barely registering in her head that he had asked for the next dance. She was barely able to reach the man's shoulder (mentally she was cursing her short arms and stature), as he carefully led her through what she assumed was a Galra waltz.

"You dance divinely, Paladin." The man chuckled so that only Katie could hear. Katie managed a nervous giggle.

"Thank you, fine sir, I've had years of practice." Katie grinned with a hint of pride. Her mind wandered back through her memories.

~~Flashback~~

"Quiznak! You can't dance?" Lance had asked incredulously.

"Nope, and I don't feel like learning." Katie had muttered in response, her eyes following along the long lines of Galra and Altean text that scrolled across her many screens. "Besides, for some reason the translation program that Hunk and I developed isn't. Quiznaking. Working." Katie snarled, her fingers furiously tapping keys on her keyboards.

"Lighten up a bit Pidge, you're getting nowhere with that code anyway." Hunk said as he nudged Katie in the shoulder.

"Stop touching my shit, Hunk." Katie had snarled as she slapped Hunk's hand away from her equipment for probably the umpteenth time that conversation. Without warning Lance had plucked Katie, effortlessly, from her seat, throwing her over his shoulder.

"Necesitas algo de ejercicio, adicto a la tecnología.(You need exercise, you tech junkie.)" Lance chuckled in Spanish as Katie began to kick and scream.

"Damn it, Lance! Put me down or I'll-" Katie had trailed off in loud offensive expletives from different languages from both earth and the rest of the universe ranging from Human Italian to Altean.

"Cálmate(Calm down), Pidge, you're going to learn even if I have to teach you myself." Lance had grumbled temporarily remembering to translate himself from human Spanish to human English. Katie merely had started to scream louder and began to struggle harder.

"Lance, put my sister down, her mouth is getting on my nerves. You could probably hear her halfway across the universe." Matt had called, removing his welders mask as they entered the bay housing the blue lion.

"I forgot you were in here doing repairs." Lance said sheepishly as Katie glared daggers at her brother. Lance gently set Katie on her feet before the small paladin stomped full strength on Lance's foot. Lance bit back a curse, grabbing Katie by the wrist. Lance sighed as he gently twisted Katie's arm so that she was forced to awkwardly twirl. "No, inténtalo de nuevo.(Nope, Try again.)" Lance sighed.

"Mordimi, Lance.(Bite me, Lance)" Katie hissed in Italian.

"Ewww, you're jailbait, Pidge." Lance had retaliated, "Seriously, it's in the hips." Lance demonstrated with a rather exaggerated motion with his own hips.

~~End Flashback~~

Katie was shaken from her reverie by the dance ending with her mindlessly spinning backward toward the Galra gent. The man bent to whisper gently in her ear.

"By the way, Paladin, I don't think "Vrepit sa, mother quiznakers" is a proper sentence, even among the Galra." The man mused as Katie quickly looked at the man with a look of horror.

"Quiznak, you were there for that? I'm so sorry. I had no idea that the Alteans regularly consume alcohol by age fifteen." Katie gasped. The Galra gent smiled.

"It was a good night, Paladin. It united the Alteans and the Galra, after thousands of years of war under Zarkon. We owe you and the other paladins so much for freeing our people. If it means finding humor in the improper combination of Altean and Galra, so be it." Katie flushed, unsure if she should apologize again or if she should thank him.

"I'm still sorry, I wasn't acting like a proper Paladin of Voltron that night…" Katie decided another apology was in order.

"As previously stated, Paladin, you lightened the mood and gave us something to laugh about for years to come. I'm being rude, surely a female human requires nourishment?" The Galra gent offered his arm. Katie hesitantly took his arm. "My name is Kalrepth, if you were wondering." The Galra mentioned as he lead Katie toward the refreshment table. Katie forgot all about her wager with Lance as she saw that Hunk's team of culinary experts had purposefully created a massive spread of peanut butter and peanut butter cookies.

"Oh, umm, I'm Katie… Katie Holt, everyone calls me Pidge though. If you want you can call me Pidge, I don't mind, really. Do Galra like peanut butter? It's like the best thing on Earth! I really like peanut butter, oh, and peanut butter cookies. But I don't like peanuts, they taste funny, which is weird." Katie rambled as she took a plate from the table and began to load it with dabs of peanut butter and piling as many cookies as she could. Kalrepth smiled as he took a cookie from her plate.

"I don't know what this peanut butter is, but I will gladly try it, since a Paladin speaks so highly of it." Kalrepth bit into the cookie, before he quickly turned his back to Katie, soft choking noises coming from the Galra man. Katie merely cocked her head to the side as she used one finger to stuff a huge cookie into her mouth.

"Kel-rep?" Katie asked through her mouth full of cookie. The Galra man turned around, his lavender skin notably more pale.

"Do humans really enjoy such dry foods?" Kalrepth managed through what appeared to be an attempt to not hurl. Katie looked down at her plate of cookies, blinking at them as if they were going to perform a trick. Slowly, she swallowed the cookie in her mouth before snatching another from the table, smothering it in peanut butter from her plate and stuffing it wordlessly into her mouth while Kalrepth watched in almost horror.

"Mo, dez chooeh." She stated through her mouth full, Katie then nodded her agreement to her own statement before she swallowed the second cookie. "Mnnnn, that Hunk knows how to make some quiznacking awesome peanut butter cookies." Katie said more to herself than her companion. Kalrepth gave her a side look before he took what appeared to be a tentacle from his own plate and slurped it almost happily.

"Do all the Paladins swear as much as you do, Paladin Pidge?" Kalrepth asked in interest as he motioned Katie to follow him. Katie gave a snort through another mouthful of cookie. She managed to swallow her mouthful before she spoke.

"Out of all of us, I think Matt swears the most, though he's not actually a Paladin. Then Lance and I come in a close second, then Coran and Allura, and I think Keith, then Shiro. I don't think Hunk swears at all. If you want a list of who swears most to least." Katie giggled. She was interrupted by a short chuckle. Katie looked behind herself to see Hunk with his Balmerian girlfriend, Shay, on his arm. Hunk was dressed in his lion's color of yellow, just as the rest of the Paladins were dressed to match their respective lion. "HUNK!" Katie hooted, shoving her plate at Kalrepth before she turned and dashed to hug him.

"Hey, Pidge, how's it going? After last time, we made sure to have your favorite cookies on hand." Hunk chuckled.

"The cookies are amazing! Aren't they, Kalrepth!?" Katie asked the Galra over her shoulder. The Galra man eyed Katie's plate with wariness.

"If Paladin Pidge is delighted by them, then they must be wonderful." Kalrepth muttered, though Hunk could tell that the Galra was far from impressed by the cookies. Hunk nodded to a table to his left.

"You guys wanna sit and chat, I need to do some catching up with Pidge, anyway." Hunk grinned. Katie happily took her plate from Kalrepth, holding it aloof with one hand, the other grabbing the Galra by the arm and dragging him over to the table indicated. The four sat at the table just as Katie shoved two cookies into her mouth. "Pidge, that's gross." Hunk said with a smile, shaking his head. Katie rolled her eyes.

"It has been a long time, Katie, what have you and your brother been up to?" Shay asked softly. Katie swallowed her cookies before taking one from her plate and trailing it thoughtfully through the peanut butter smeared across her plate.

"We've been working as engineers and inventors for the Garrison, we're attempting to come up with a human equivalent to the Altean Teludav, to scale for the one that was originally on the Castle of Lions… It's boring." Katie admitted, "How's life as an intergalactic culinary master?" Katie returned aiming the question to Hunk. The yellow paladin grinned, his fork piled high with a variety of alien food.

"It's amazing. Shay and I are thinking of investing to open up a few branches of Vrepit Sal's because their food is just as amazing as my own cooking now." Hunk gave a grin. Katie turned red as Kalrepth gave an almost immature snicker.

"Nobody is going to let me live that down, are they?" Katie grumbled waving her peanut butter smothered cookie at Hunk. Shay merely giggled.

"I didn't say a word." Hunk slyly grinned. "But if you want me to go into detail for Shay's sake, I sure will." Hunk shot Katie a wink. Katie growled.

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"You're a quiznak." Katie hissed under her breath. Hunk rose a brow as Shay gasped quietly.

"You've got a hotter temper than Keith." Hunk responded pointing his fork at Katie.

"Hunk, Katie, please…" Shay attempted to calm the paladins before Katie burst into laughter.

"Oh, Hunk, I've missed you." Katie said setting her cookie on her plate and using both hands she reached over to take a hand of Hunk's. "Please tell me you're staying longer than just a few days this time. I know you're busy, but it's been such a long time since the Paladins hung out for the giggles." Katie flashed her best smile at Hunk. "Matt and I are here for the next two weeks, Lance is in town for three weeks, Allura is here for two weeks, and Shiro lives here as does Keith. Please say you're staying a while." Katie asked. Shay frowned at the display as Hunk laughed.

"I'm here with Shay for the next two months. I mean it is our honeymoon after all." Hunk grinned with a sheepish blush as Katie's face lit up and her hands dropped Hunk's to take both of Shay's.

"When did you two tie the knot?! Why wasn't I invited?!" Katie asked loudly. Hunk made a motion for Katie to keep her voice down.

"We eloped a week ago in your human time. That's not the only surprise that we have…" Shay said quietly, flushing slightly as she looked to Hunk who gave her a look of adoration, taking Shay's hands from Katie's. Katie gasped in understanding.

"No…" Katie playfully giggled, "When?" Katie asked. Shay flushed more as Hunk released one of her hands.

"Well, that's debatable, since this is like, I dunno, the first real human and Balmerian kid to ever exist that I'm aware of. We agreed that we wanted to be married when the little one arrived, so… Surprise." Hunk laughed as he gave a wide ecstatic smile. Katie gave a muffled squeal, putting her hands over her mouth, trying to hide her excitement. "I mean, the rest of the paladins have known for a while now that Shay and I are expecting, but you're the first to know that we got married in private. The official wedding will be in a few months." Hunk explained.

"Who cares, Hunk you're going to be parents! Aren't you terrified?!" Katie asked. Shay nodded.

"Very, we are both very surprised that we were able to even have a child." Shay interjected. An odd look crossed Katie's face before she gave Shay a winning smile.

"You two are going to be amazing parents. Hunk is such a sweetheart, and he's just as good as Lance, if not better with kids!" Katie giggled.

"This is an interesting turn of events, congratulations, Paladin." Kalrepth stated as he held out a hand for Hunk to shake. Hunk awkwardly released his wife's hand before shaking hands with the Galra.

"Uhhh, just call me Hunk, also, is this your date, Pidge?" Hunk asked causing Katie to spew water all over the table, choking for a moment.

"What? Date? Me?" Katie asked pointing to herself, "Oh, no, not at all, I just met Kalrepth like twenty minutes ago. He was my second- QUIZNAK, what time is it?!" Katie yelped as she fished into the sweetheart neckline of her emerald ballgown, pulling her phone from her cleavage. She found she had three texts, all from Lance, all three reading that he had already completed his twenty dances, and that he hadn't seen her since they had danced. "Oh, no… He won…" Katie groaned.

"Having another dance contest, Pidge?" Hunk asked as he had began to eat. Katie nodded as she reached for the glass of champagne in front of her.

"Yeah, It's almost 21:00 and he's already got thirty dances on his card." Katie sighed, sipping at the champagne.

"Why don't you take a picture of your new friend and send it to Lance, it might make him jealous." Shay offered, causing Katie to spew champagne at Shay.

"What the actual quiznak?" Katie asked. Hunk chuckled.

"You and Lance have been at this for years, I'm surprised you're both single." Hunk noted as Katie turned a violent shade of red that even her makeup couldn't hide.

"Paladin Pidge is unspoken for?" Kalrepth asked for looking to Katie in interest. Katie giggled hiding her face in her hands.

"Just because I value my career over a fuckboy, doesn't mean that I'm unhappy, Hunk." Katie giggled incredulously through her hands.

"But, if I may be bold, you're rather attractive for a pale skinned human." Kalrepth responded, making Katie look up from her hands, still bright red.

"Oh, that's not true. Even Allura has taken a look at me and screamed that the beacons are lit and Gondor calls for aid." Katie said defiantly, "I'm pale, I'm skinny, I'm also super scrawny, the only thing I'm good at is Science. Plus, I have small boobs, what guy wants to date a girl with tiny tits?" Katie nodded making Hunk groan.

"Pidge, lay off the Lord of the Rings, first off. Second, why don't you date?" Hunk asked. Katie gave a huff of annoyance.

"I didn't know it was pester Pidge with personal questions day." Katie countered. Hunk chuckled as Katie seemed to look super uncomfortable.

"I, too, am curious, Paladin. A lovely human lady like you should be spoken for and should have a few children by now." Kalrepth added. Katie scowled at the Galra.

"Because I value my job. Kids get in the way, they're more grabby than Hunk. Also, if you're also assuming I should date Lance, you're gross." Katie folded her arms over her chest. In the last seven years since initially becoming a Paladin, Katie had developed an actual figure and it was harder for her to look as androgynous as she had previously. The most notable change was that she had become rather busty, despite her retort that she was not.

"Come on, Pidge, kids aren't that bad." Hunk grinned, noting he seemed to hit a nerve when talking about Lance and children.

"That's a flat out NO from me, Hunk." Katie snapped, flushing brightly.

"Is that right?" Hunk asked with a grin before he took out his phone, tapped the screen a few times before he showed Katie a picture of Katie in her green and white paladin armor with a seemingly Galra child. In the picture Katie looked truly happy, hugging the child who likewise looked happy. Katie knew the picture had been taken shortly after the war had ended and peace negotiations had begun. "You were saying?"

"Drop dead, Hunk Garrett." Katie snarled, standing abruptly. She began to wave a cookie in the face of her fellow paladin. "Look, just because I don't care about dating and crap doesn't mean you can just-" Katie was interrupted by a loud shrill screech that was obviously Matt's voice coming from her phone on the table. Katie paled considerably as she immediately dropped the cookie and picked up her phone, "Matt, what did you DO?" Katie loudly growled into her phone, effectively answering it. Katie seemed to be listening for a minute. "Matthew Holt, that's about as funny as quiznaking in a field backward." Katie snapped at her brother, pulling the phone from her ear to glare at it. Matt's laughter drifted to the ears of the others at the table.

"What's Matt doing? Can I say "Hi"?" Hunk asked. A glare from Katie told him that the green paladin was about as amused as a Zaiforge Cannon about to fire.

"Hold on, Matt. Guys, I'm sorry, I have to talk some sense into my brother." Katie said scurrying away from the table at high speed. Once in a side hall of the convention center that housed the grand ballroom the gala was taking place in, Katie put the phone back to her ear. "Matt, what do I have to pay you to keep Ana in bed and stop giving her so much quiznaking sugar!" Katie snarled at her brother. Matt's laughter continued.

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"Oh, man, Katie. I should take a video of this. It's fucking hilarious!" Matt managed through his laughter.

"Yeah, Uncle Matt being an irresponsible GIT. Come on, Matt, grow the fuck up." Katie grumbled, wishing she was seeing what her brother was seeing, placing her phone on speaker as she rubbed the back of her neck with a frown.

"I'm sorry, Miss. "I'm the paladin of the green Lion, I have responsibilities." I know you have a lot going on with this new peace treaty bullshit with the Olkari, but you know, it's hard to be a good mom if you don't spend time with her at all. You're either working or at meetings for the Coalition, you maybe spend a hour a day, if even that, with Ana." Matt pointed out. Katie sighed in defeat.

"I'll take a vacation as soon as this is all done and over, okay? Until then, will it KILL you to be a good quiznaking uncle?" Katie asked.

"Oh, it will positively MURDER me." Matt laughed sarcastically.

"Matt, I'm serious. Please, I have to get back to the gala, I'm currently being flirted with by a Galra gent." Katie said, in hopes that Matt would actually heed her words.

"A Galra? Flirting? What's that like?" Matt asked in interest, the sound of him shifting the phone was heard.

"I don't know, it's… it's weird. I hate to say it, but I'd rather be thrown over a shoulder and held prisoner by Zarkon again." Katie mumbled reaching up to scratch at the back of her neck. "I know he's just being nice and all, but Galra kind of still creep me out." Katie admitted, "Plus, he acted like Hunk's cookies are gross, and you know I love peanut butter." Matt let out a rather loud snort of amusement.

"Katie, you're a whore for peanut butter. I bet if any guy: Altean, Human, Galra, Olkari, hell - even Balmerian! If they smothered themselves with enough peanut butter you'd be-" Matt was interrupted by Katie screeching in terror.

"Oh my god, Matt, just stop right there. That is by far the worst sexy thing you could be telling your little sister!" Katie groaned.

"Will it kill you to settle down? What about Ana's dad, is he still single? Wait, Ana's dad isn't a Galra is he? ANA! COME HERE, UNCLE MATT NEEDS TO SEE IF YOU HAVE PURPLE SKIN AND HAIRY EARS! Pidge, does Ana purr in her sleep?" Katie groaned as she heard a little girl squeal along with Matt's rambunctious laughter.

"Ana doesn't purr in her sleep, and do you have to keep quiznaking asking about the guy, jeez." Katie practically pouted, "Anyway, no, biologically she is one hundred percent human." Katie responded matter-of-factually.

"You're so boring, Pidge. But you still haven't told me if the guy is single or not." Matt pointed out the flaw in Katie's argument. Katie hesitated for a moment looking to the ground.

"Oh, Matt, I don't even know. I mean, I don't even-" Katie was interrupted by Matt growling in frustration.

"You're such a bad quiznaking liar, Katie Holt. You DO know. You've been saying for the last three fucking years that you were too drunk to remember." Matt countered with an audible frown.

"Matt, I don't want to talk about that. Did you really just interrupt me at the Gala just to pester me? I already have Hunk and Shay down my throat about being Lance's best friend." Katie sighed. For a moment she looked older than twenty-two.

"I'm sorry, no, I just wanted you to hear Ana laughing, I was actually hoping that you would be having a good time tonight rather than being miserable." Matt practically whispered.

"Oh, Matt, I'm beyond unhappy at gatherings like this. I'm awkward, you know that…" Katie countered. "Look, do me a favor and just be good Uncle Matt for a little bit, if you call again I'm coming straight home, got it?" Katie inquired.

"That's okay. Try to have some fun, Pidge, please?" Matt returned.

"With me, Matty, that's a long shot. Anyway, I love you, kiss my girl good night for me?"

"Always, night, Pidge." With that the line went dead and the sound of a tapping foot caught Katie's attention. She turned in surprise coming face to face with Hunk. Guilt spread across her face along with terror. Hunk had his arms crossed and a dark brow raised.

"Okay, Pidge, spill it." Hunk said giving her a gesture with his hand.

"Hunk, I can explain." Katie argued weakly.

"You sure can, why don't you start at the beginning." Hunk ordered rather than asked. Katie looked down to her phone, puffing her cheeks out in thought.

"Fine, one quiznacking word of this to the others and I will break your neck." Katie finally stated. Hunk nodded almost immediately as if Katie hadn't actually threatened him. She sighed before she looked up to meet Hunk's gaze. "I have a daughter, Matt decided to watch her so I would have an excuse to come to the gala." Katie admitted. Hunk's lowered brow quirked again in interest.

"I said the beginning, Katie Holt." Hunk said as Katie gulped. Hunk rarely used her real name, preferring to call her "Pidge Gunderson", often forgetting that wasn't her real name.

Chapter Text

~flashback~

"Hey, Lance, I'm gunna do it~" Katie had giggled letting go of Lance's arm.

"Wait! Pidge! I was joking!" Lance yelped as Katie very clumsily, probably because of the super fluffy green gown she was wearing, climbed up a nearby chair, onto a table. Once standing on the table, arms outstretched for balance, a wide grin on her face before she spoke.

"VREPIT SA, MOTHER QUIZNAKERS!" Katie screamed through a bout of rambunctious laughter. The group of Galra and Altean guests burst into laughter as Lance reached up, grabbed Katie by the arm and pulled her off balance so that she fell directly into his arms.

"I am so sorry, she's not used to drinking, I should have told Coran. Please, don't mind Pidge." Lance had apologized profusely to the gaggle.

"Worry not, Paladin, we do not take it personally." An attractive Galra lady giggled from behind a fan. An Altean Gent nodded his agreement.

"The Green Paladin is usually so serious, it's refreshing to see her relaxed." Commented another Altean, much to Lance's discomfort.

"Right, I'm going to take her home now, you folks have a good night." Lance responded with an awkward bow.

"Are you mad at me?" Came Katie's timid query.

"Katie Holt, we will talk about this later." Lance snapped under his breath.

The ride back to Lance's penthouse was quiet other than Lance calling Allura and explaining in vivid detail what kind of scene Katie had made. Once they arrived at the penthouse, Lance all but shoved Katie through the door.

"Did you think that was funny?! I know for a fact, Katie Holt, that you're not even half as drunk as you think you are." Lance snarled, eliciting a squeak from Katie.

"Well, I thought it was a bit funny, yeah…" Katie admitted softly. "But th-" Katie was interrupted by Lance grabbing her by the shoulders and giving her a good shake.

"You're usually the Paladin with the common sense, why the quiznak would you act stupid in public like that?!" Lance growled.

"I'm not a child, Lance, I'm nineteen I can do what the hell I want!" Katie snarled in return.

"For the love of quiznak, Katie, you're a Paladin, at least show some damn respect for yourself. Allura is just as pissed. In one sentence you very well could have fucked up three years of negotiations between the Alteans and the Galra!" Lance seemed to be losing his self restraint.

"Like you're a saint, Lance McClain! How many times have you tried to seduce the Galra ambassador?!" Katie shoved Lance in the chest. "Yes, I'm quite clearly intoxicated, but that doesn't give you the right to act like Matt and Shiro's fucking lovechild." Katie blinked as if she was having trouble focusing while waving her finger in Lance's face, "Have you ever stopped to think how other people feel?! Yeah, I fucked up, didn't I?! But you know what, fuck it, you have always been the epitome of stupidity! Where do you get off lecturing me like a fucking brother, Jesus fucking Christ, why do I even want to bother being in love with an asshole like you?!" As soon as the sentence left her mouth, Lance stared at Katie as if she had just slapped him. She seemed to realize exactly what she had said as she stared at Lance for a moment.

Without warning she grabbed Lance by the front of his scarlet tuxedo and pulled him into a kiss, the contact with Lance's lips eliciting a moan of satisfaction from Katie. For a moment Lance couldn't help but kiss her back, his hands plunging into her hair to pull her closer. After a few seconds, Lance seemed to regain his sense as he gently pushed Katie away. He met her eyes, his reflecting confusion as hers reflected surprise.

"Pidge, what the fuck?" Lance asked softly, confusion in his words. Katie put a hand to her lips before she looked to Lance, her soft pink lipstick was smeared across his lips.

"Lance… I-I…" Katie stuttered as she seemed surprised by her own actions, she looked away, her cheeks burning in embarrassment. "Fuck, this was not what I planned." Katie mumbled to herself as she rubbed her hands over her face, smearing what little makeup was on her face.

"Wait, planned?" Lance asked catching her words. Katie looked at Lance with a look of hurt.

"Planned, you quiznak, this isn't what I wanted to do. Fuck, I may have overestimated how much alcohol I can tolerate… Great, Katie, look at the mess you made." Katie sighed before she faced Lance and made a face. "I wanted to get your attention, the only way I knew to get you alone was to act like I was way more intoxicated than I am. I mean I'm intoxicated, obviously, but I'm not that intoxicated. Like I know what I'm doing, but I could give a quiznak less about what I'm doing. When they say alcohol is liquid courage, they weren't fucking joking. I sure as shit don't have the balls to admit when I'm sober all the gross things I'd love to do to you. Hell I sure as shit wouldn't have kissed you if I was sober, now would I?" Katie questioned.

"Wait, wait, wait, back the fuck up. What does this have to do with your little stunt?" Lance asked.

"I was trying to get your attention, asshole. You're so busy flirting and fawning over everything that walks that you probably don't even notice that I've been trying to get in your pants for the last two fucking years!"

"Wait, what?"

"I have been trying to flirt with you for two years!"

"Seriously? What?"

"Do I have to spell it out?! I want to fucking sleep with you, you quiznak!"

"What? Why? You're my best friend, Pidge?"

"For fucks sake, Lance McClain, I have a name, use it. And yes, astute observation, I am your best friend. Shut the fuck up and kiss me or I'm walking back to my hotel." Katie snapped before she moved to walk past Lance, only to be caught by the arm and twirled almost gracefully into Lance's chest.

"If this is a joke, Katie, it's not funny. Tell me the truth, did Hunk put you up to this?" Lance asked. Katie gave an almost insane sounding chuckle of exasperation.

"Lance, you're a quiznak. Tell me, does this feel like a god damn joke to you?" Katie inquired as she took Lance's hand and put it on her chest where he would be able to feel the frantic beat of her heart. "You make me feel so illogical, just looking at you kills my common sense. I can't help but feel so whole when I'm around you, like I finally found my other half. It sounds cliche, but I guess that's what I get for falling in love with you." Katie hesitated for a moment, bracing herself for Lance to start laughing at her. To her surprise, Lance slid his hand up to her shoulder.

"Say it like you mean it, Katie Holt." Lance whispered seductively.

"I lo-mph!" Katie began only to be interrupted by Lance pressing a kiss to her lips. His hand from her shoulder hooked behind her neck to pull her close, his other hand tight about her waist, holding her small frame flush against him. Lance slowly kissed down her jaw and neck, causing Katie to gasp, flushing bright scarlet. "L-L-Lance…" was all she could manage to stutter as she practically melted into Lance's arms.

~End Flashback~

"Okay, okay, remember how I got drunk at that intergalactic gala on Altea three years ago? Yeah, that's the one I'm talking about, the very one I made a complete ass out of myself at. Vrepit sa, mother quiznakers!" Katie seemed to slowly be becoming hysterical. "I didn't have enough sense to keep it in my pants that night, obviously, I had a fling and poof, Ana." Katie made a wide gesture with her hands. "That kid I always had with me at Coalition meetings before I stopped going? Yeah, that was Ana. My little mini-Pidge." Katie sighed, letting out a deep breath she was barely aware that she had taken. Hunk's stern expression turned to shock.

"Woah, back up. You're a mom? For real? You're not pulling my leg?" Hunk asked. Katie groaned.

"I don't think I stuttered, you quiznak." Katie mumbled darkly. Hunk burst into loud laughter.

"You! A MOM!" Hunk said loudly. Katie took a deep breath.

"Hunk, shut your quiznaking mouth. If anyone hears you, I'm done for." Katie snapped.

"Oh, no, that means you have to tell the others!" Hunk grinned with a rather evil glint in his gaze.

"Hunk…" Katie trailed off in warning.

"What, are you going to put me in time out?" Hunk then burst into hysterical laughter. "Oh my god, I can't believe it. You're a MOTHER!" Hunk gasped between laughter. Katie turned bright red.

"And I've done it without the help of anyone but my family, you overgrown jackass. I work so much to give her a good life, one that hopefully won't keep her awake at night wondering if she's done the right thing." Katie suddenly rounded on Hunk, "I have been alone the last three quiznaking years, keeping MY CHILD happy and ignorant of the shit I've done. If you think for one minute that this is a god damn game, Hunk, then I will personally turn in my bayard right now and be done with it." Katie hissed going up to Hunk and prodding him hard in the chest. Hunk immediately stopped laughing before he stared at Katie.

"Wait, what about your kid's dad?" Hunk asked in a stupor.

"Has no fucking idea that he even has a daughter. I've kept you all in the dark for the very reason you're laughing, Hunk. Look at me, I'm a walking disaster! I swear harder than a Balmerian miner! I-I…" Katie trailed off, her hand that was poking Hunk in the chest fluttered in the space between them as if Katie were trying to indicate all of herself, "You know what, Matt's right, I'm a bullshit mom and I know it. I haven't spent any decent amount of time with her since the day she was born. You're right, Hunk, I'm a laughing stock. Ha ha, Pidge the mom, isn't it absurd." Katie allowed her arms to awkwardly flap at her sides. "Hell, I probably couldn't get her dad back if I tried. I mean, look at me, Hunk, I'm a trainwreck." Katie concluded looking almost miserable as Hunk's laughter stopped completely. He stared at Katie as if he didn't know her for a moment.

"I don't think I like this side of you, Pidge." Hunk said gently. Katie gave a snort of disgust.

"That makes two of us. Look, the reason I never told anyone is because… Well… It's weird. I mean, Allura and Keith have been talking kids since the end of the war, and according to Coran, they're thinking of adopting sometime soon. They'll make great parents. Lance is great with kids, and he loves them, he would make a great dad if he ever decided to settle for just one woman. Now you and Shay, happily expecting a sweet little Hunk baby. Then there's me, I can't stand being around kids. Even my own kid, I can't stand to be around her for long because she reminds me of what I'll never have. A constant reminder that I made a terrible choice and chased away the only man who probably ever loved me for the fact that I'm just a geeky little nerd. She's the only piece of him that I have left, really. And, well, quiznak… Now you know." Katie admitted. Hunk frowned.

"Knowing you, you weren't that drunk… Theoretically, that means you know who your kid's dad really is." Hunk eyed Katie suspiciously. Katie opened her mouth before slowly closing it and glaring at Hunk.

"You're baiting me, it's not going to work." Katie stuck her phone back in her cleavage before crossing her arms over her chest.

Chapter Text

"Nope, it's either you spill it, or all of the Paladins will know by morning." Hunk threatened. Katie hesitated.

"You would really do something so petty, Hunk?" Katie questioned in defeat, "Fine. Her real last name isn't even Holt, it never has been." Katie paused before she approached Hunk and grabbed him by the collar, pulling him down so that she could whisper a last name in his ear, "It's McClain." Katie whispered before shoving a rather startled Hunk away.

"Wait, what?" Hunk asked.

"That's all you're getting out of me, Hunk. You can work out the details yourself, or maybe you can even ask him yourself." Katie said snidely as she turned to walk off.

"Wait! Don't go that-" Hunk seemed to be trying to warn her before she ran into Lance of all people. The physical contact with Lance actually sent Katie backwards to the floor. "Pidge! Are you okay?" Hunk asked rushing to try to help the green Paladin to her feet. She literally shoved Hunk aside.

"I'm fucking fine other than the fact my pride is shattered and not to mention all the dirty laundry that's just been aired." Katie mumbled, not seeming to take note that she had run into Lance.

"Pidge, I've been looking all over for you. Shay said you ran off because of a phone call from Matt." Lance finally spoke up, reaching a hand down to help Katie up. Katie groaned after briefly meeting Lance's gaze.

"I quit. I give up. If you need me, I'll be drinking. And someone tell Allura she'll have my Bayard by dawn, guaranteed." Katie said ignoring Lance's hand as she got to her feet, brushed some dirt off her dress before she practically marched back into the ballroom.

"Was it something I said?" Lance asked looking to Hunk in confusion.

"Oh, buddy… We need to have a long heart to heart…" Hunk grimaced shaking his head.

Back in the Ballroom, Katie quickly found the table where she had left Shay and Kalrepth.

"I'm sorry, there's trouble at home, I need to go." Katie lied smoothly.

"Oh, do take care, Katie. If you'd like, Hunk and I can come visit you at the Garrison before we leave?" Shay seemed to be pleading with the female paladin before Katie smiled sadly.

"I'd like that, really. You're a doll, Shay. Keep in touch, okay." Katie said as she collected her things and bent to hug Shay, whispering: "Talk to Hunk, later." in Shay's ear. Kalrepth merely nodded as if he could sense that her need to leave was urgent. Departing the table, Katie spotted Allura across the room. She made a beeline for Allura, being stopped by none other than Keith.

"Pidge! There you are, did Lance try anything funny earlier? He's been looking for you." Keith stated with a scowl. Pidge gave a grimace.

"No, Lance didn't do anything other than dance with me once. I promise, I just need to go home, there's something I need to take care of." Katie hesitated looking around Keith's shoulder toward Allura.

"You just want to go play games, come on Pidge, we haven't seen you in almost three years since you stopped coming to meetings." Keith very nearly whined, that is, if Keith were capable of whining. Katie shook her head before she reached down to her purse and opened it to reveal her bayard. "Pidge?" Keith questioned.

"I… I can't do this, Keith. Can you give this to Allura, and apologize for me. I… I can't do this anymore." Tears welled up in Katie's eyes as she tried to mentally beg Keith to understand.

"Pidge, you're the green paladin, what will we do without you?" He asked quietly. Katie looked away.

"Find someone else, okay? I just can't." Katie closed her purse and shoved it at Keith before she took off at a dead run.

Meanwhile, Lance ran a hand through his hair staring at Hunk in disbelief.

"Dude, it's a joke, it's gotta be. I mean Pidge hates kids." Lance repeated for the fourth time, "It's a joke, all we gotta do is find her and you'll see." Lance looked almost a bit lost as he attempted to process what Hunk was telling him.

"Lance, I'm not kidding. This really isn't a joke. I came to find her after she ran off saying she had to talk to Matt. She had Matt on speaker, it's legit, Lance, Pidge is a mom." Hunk said calmly with a sigh. It was at that moment, Lance's phone rang.

"Hello?" Lance asked still in shock as he barely registered that Keith was the one calling him.

"Lance, stop whatever flirting you're doing and get out here, we have a problem." Keith said shortly.

"Calm down, Keith, what's the issue?" Lance asked seemingly still distracted by the conversation with Hunk.

"It's Pidge. She just gave me her bayard and told me that she's leaving the team. Given the fact she ran off in tears only solidifies the fact. So, what did you do to her?" Keith asked almost accusingly. Lance pulled the phone from his ear and stared at it.

"What do you mean? I haven't done anything." Lance retaliated defensively, "I mean it, I haven't seen Pidge since we got here and she ran off after I ran into her and Hunk talking. That's the only times I've seen her all night, I swear." Lance explained as Keith gave a growl.

"You went to go find her and then she turns in her Bayard with no reasoning other than she couldn't do it anymore. We all know Pidge well enough that she doesn't do shit like this." Keith said loudly as if he were trying, and failing, to keep his temper.

"Honestly, tell him Hunk, I haven't done anything." Lance looked to the yellow paladin with a lost look of confusion.

"He's right, he didn't do anything. Pidge made up her mind probably before the Gala even started. Given her behavior the whole evening, I don't think she's going to come back…" Hunk said uneasily as he had obviously very easily heard Keith through Lance's phone. "Listen, of all of us, Pidge listens to Lance and Shiro more than anything. At this point, based on a conversation I overheard between her and Matt, I think Lance should be the one to go talk some sense into her." Hunk said carefully.

"What conversation with Matt?" Keith's voice asked, his tone actually soft with confusion. Hunk looked to Lance for a second.

"How hysterical would it be if I told you that Pidge is a mom?" Hunk countered. Keith went silent for a moment.

"That… Would explain a lot, actually. Which means the reason Pidge left was because of a child. So, which one of you idiots knocked her up?" Keith said with a verbal glare. Hunk and Lance stared at one another.

"Woah, time out, Keith. Are you trying to say you think Pidge is expecting?" Hunk broke the silence after a few moments, daring a nervous chuckle.

"Well, duh, it would explain her reluctance to be a paladin." Keith said in a matter of fact.

"Keith as hilarious as your theory is, Pidge hates kids. Hunk is just messing with us on Pidge's orders, AREN'T YOU Hunk?" Lance gave Hunk a look as if he was trying to avoid telling the truth.

"No, I'm not. Lance, face it. She's been a mom for a few years now. From what I overheard and from what Pidge herself has said, she rarely spends time with her daughter." Hunk looked up to meet Lance's gaze. "Keith, did she say where she was going?" Hunk asked, remembering that Keith was on the line still.

"No, she didn't." Keith said shortly. Lance put the phone back to his ear.

"I know where she's staying thanks to Matt. I'll go after her." Lance said before he turned his back to Hunk.

"No, you're staying here, Lance." There was a short pause before Lance took the phone from his ear and pressed the end call button.

"I'm leaving, I have to find her." Lance said before Hunk approached him and placed a hand on the younger paladin's shoulder. "Be honest with me Hunk, be as brutal as possible. Do you think Katie is leaving because of me?" Lance asked quietly as he tucked his phone into a pocket inside his suit jacket.

"No, she's leaving because of her kid. Well, okay, you might be involved, but I'd go talk to her." Hunk said softly. "Who knows, maybe it's time to end the charade of friends and maybe take a risk you should have years ago."

Chapter Text

The door to the suite opened loudly as Katie shrugged off her coat and threw it angrily to the floor as she slammed the door behind herself.

"Pidge? Why are you back so early?" Asked Matt's voice from the couch as the older Holt looked up over a sea of curly black hair.

"I can't do this anymore, that's why! Hunk overheard our conversation!" Katie seemed to explode as the Child curled against Matt's chest stirred, sleepily looking up at Katie.

"Mommy?" The child asked, holding out her small pudgy arms out toward Katie. Katie threw her keys to her jacket before she went to Matt who was looking rather shocked as Katie immediately took the little girl from Matt's chest, cuddling her against her own.

"Wait, Hunk heard you and me talking about Ana?" Matt asked as he stood, looking at his sister more closely. Her face was stained with tears, and her makeup was smudged from crying.

"I made up my mind, they can find another Paladin for the Green Lion. You're right, Hunk is right, everyone's right. I'm shit as a mom, and that's going to change." Katie looked down at the little girl in her arms, smiling softly as she noted the girl was fast asleep with her ear over Katie's heart.

"Pidge, you didn't…" Matt said slowly.

"I did. I gave Keith my bayard, I told him to find another Paladin. I've spent the last three years running from the only responsibility I should have focused on." Katie paused to lay her forehead against her daughter's. "It was the end of the world for me, Matt, when I found out I was pregnant. I'm not fond of children, I was convinced that I had made the biggest mistake of my life. I mean, just look at Ana, she's an amazing little girl, and I've been pretty much pushing her off on you and Mom since she was born. I mean, I tried, but I always failed at being a mom. I'm going to be the most badass quiznaking mom I can from now on though." Katie kissed Ana on the forehead with a smile.

"That's nice and all, but what brought on the sudden change of heart?" Matt questioned as Katie carefully sat on the couch where Matt had been sitting previously. "Pidge?" Matt asked. Katie looked up to meet her brother's gaze before she gave a small smile.

"Our conversation, plus the conversation I had with Hunk and Shay. I mean they're so obviously in love and they're expecting their own little Hunk Balmerian baby… I guess I'm jealous, really, that Ana's dad will probably never know she exists and that she'll never know just how wonderful he is." Katie nuzzled her nose against the sea of curly locks before she gently caressed the child's cheek, "I love you, so much, Anabelle McClain…" Katie said softly to the little girl, but loud enough that Matt could hear. Matt stared at his sister in shock.

"Katie, are you saying that…" Matt couldn't bring himself to finish as Katie gave him a sheepish look.

"Yeah… Ana's dad… Is Lance. I wasn't drunk enough to not know what I was doing, but I was drunk enough that I didn't care. The whole being best friends thing sucked, I hated watching him flirt with other girls… I was jealous, to say the least. After the whole standing on a table thing screaming at Galra guests, Lance took me to his place. I mean it was closest, after all. He didn't buy the fact I was acting more intoxicated than I was. In fact, he called me out on it. We got into a rather big fight where we just stood there screaming at each other. I think I scared him when I screamed that I had no idea why I even loved him if he was just going to not let me live my life and act like a bigger brother than you." Katie smiled with a sigh, "Well, I shocked him enough to shut him up." Katie gave a soft laugh before she looked fondly at her daughter. "I took advantage of his stunned stupor and I kissed him. One thing led to another and I'm sure you don't need a play by play." Katie then shrugged before she pointed to the small bathroom of the Suite. "Can you grab me some makeup wipes, my face itches." Katie said snapping Matt out of staring at Katie in wonder.

Wisely, Matt didn't comment but went to fetch the wipes that Katie had asked for. Once he handed them to her, she began to wipe them all over her face, coming away a slight darker shade of her actual skin tone, her face looking rather tired and the dark rings under Katie's eyes were much more prominent. When she had wiped off her entire face she tossed the wipes to the table in front of her, kicked off her green pumps and put her feet on the table, making herself comfortable while attempting to keep from waking the child against her chest. Neither of the Holt siblings spoke, both seeming to enjoy the quiet before Matt turned toward the small Kitchen area and pulled out a pack of paper cups.

"I'm actually surprised you kept that from me this whole time. Would you like some tea or some coffee?" Matt asked. When Katie didn't answer, he looked over to see that Katie was now sound asleep, her cheek resting on Ana's hair. Matt smiled before he began to make himself some tea. As he put the cup of water in the microwave, a soft knock sounded at the door. Matt finished punching in numbers on the Microwave before he went to the door. He slowly opened it before he was greeted by a rather frantic looking Lance.

"Is Katie here?! Please, I need to talk to her!" Lance said loudly. Matt stole a glance over his shoulder before he put a finger to his lips and ushered the red paladin into the suite. Words died on Lance's tongue as he took in the sight of Katie, still in her emerald ballgown, fast asleep on the couch with a small child clutched protectively against her chest.

"She just got back almost a half hour ago. She's probably exhausted from the flight and then Allura dragging her to the mall to get that dress. I'm guessing from the look on your face you had no idea that Pidge had a daughter, did you?" Matt asked trying to make conversation. Lance reached up to rub the back of his neck.

"I thought Hunk was trying to pull a fast one on me. You know, at her expense." Lance returned as he watched Matt go to the microwave and take out the cup of now hot water, plopping two tea bags in it, just as Katie suddenly sat up mid-soft snore.

"Quiznak! How long was I asleep!" Katie asked loudly, before Ana stirred looking up at her mother with a sleepy look of confusion.

"Just a few minutes, to be honest, by the way you have a visitor." Matt said nonchalantly, turning around while sipping his tea. This was a trainwreck that he wanted to watch. Katie looked over to where Matt had indicated Lance staring at Katie in shock. Katie slowly sat up, removing her feet from the minute coffee table in front of the couch, and standing carefully to not disturb Ana who was now nuzzling Katie in the neck. Katie's face darkened with anger before she spoke.

"Are you here to beg me to come back?" Katie snapped. Lance stared at her like she had grown a second head, "I'm sure Keith already told you, I'm giving up being a Paladin." Lance frowned before he looked rather guilty.

"Pidge, you know as well as I do, I don't listen to Keith. I've been trying to find you for the last hour and a half. I wanted to talk to you privately for a while now." Lance said defensively while crossing his arms across his chest as if daring Katie to defy him.

"You're so full of shit, Lance. I'm done with the paladins, I can't keep doing this to myself and to my daughter." Katie snapped, forgetting that Ana was in her arms.

"Katie Holt, I didn't come here to ask you to come back! I came here to see if you were okay, and find out why you've lied to us!" Lance snarled in return. Katie growled loudly as she laid Ana gently on the couch. The toddler looked up at Katie, then stole a glance at Lance, tilting her head to the side in confusion as if she didn't understand why Katie was so angry.

"It's none of your business, Lance McClain! Since when have you ever cared about anything other than flirting with everything that walks!?" Katie's voice rose in pitch and volume. Lance seemed surprised that Katie had a low blow retort in her arsenal. The thought didn't last long as he noticed the toddler inching her way off the couch.

"Hey, be careful little one!" Lance yelped as the toddler stood on the couch. Katie's attention flashed to the toddler seconds before Ana tumbled over the side of the couch.

"Ana! Oh, quiznak, are you okay, honey?" Katie asked as she went to check the little girl, kneeling on the floor beside her at the same time as Lance arrived at the toddler's side. The toddler seemed unfazed by the fall as she looked between Katie and Lance. "Ana? You okay, baby?" Katie asked noticing the curiosity on the toddler's face.

"Daddy?" Ana asked softly as she met Lance's eyes which were the same shape and color as her own. Lance could only stare at the little girl before he managed to find his voice.

"I was going to ask you this while we were dancing, but I kinda lost my nerve. Three years ago at the Altean Intergalactic Independence Gala, you faked being trashed…" Lance finally looked to Katie, licking his lower lip in thought, "You turned my world upside down that night, I mean you're not supposed to fall in love with your best friend, right? You left before I could confront you about it. I chalked it up to the alcohol talking, to be honest with you, Pidge. I never once thought that you had meant every quiznaking word of it." Lance paused to chuckle nervously, "I mean look at us, every time we so much as look at one another we fight. I never stopped to think that I had gotten you pregnant. I know for a fact that you don't sleep around, and three years ago I was your first. I mean, logically… What?" Lance asked noticing that Katie was looking at him in utter confusion.

"Do you ever shut up, Lance?" Katie asked, a small smile on her face. "The answer you're looking for is, yes, Anabelle McClain is your daughter too, not just mine." Katie hesitated looking to Ana who was still staring at Lance in curiosity. "I never said anything because, in all honesty, I've been an absolutely shit mom. I figured I could run from that responsibility rather than accepting it. I mean, when have I ever really liked kids that weren't some other species entirely? I had wanted to tell you about Ana sooner, but I honestly didn't think you were the kind of guy who would want to be tied down to just one woman when you could very easily have any woman in the universe." Katie gave a short giggle of embarrassment before she looked to Lance who had moved his hands to Ana's pudgy little cheeks.

"She's… She's perfect, Katie. Dios mío, es tan hermosa. (My god, she's so damn beautiful.)" Lance murmured as he stole a look at Katie. Katie managed a small smile.

"I know, she gets it from you." Katie said as she gently reached over to place a hand on Lance's shoulder.

"You two are so gross, just kiss and get it over with." Sneered Matt from across the room. Katie jumped as if forgetting that Matt had been there the whole time.

"MATT!" Katie screeched turning bright red.

"Right, since you and Lance are here, I'm going out for booze. Later, love birds." With that Matt left the Suite leaving Katie staring at him in a stupor. Lance surprised Katie by reaching up a hand to rest on hers still on his shoulder.

"So, what are we going to do, Pidge?" Lance said gently as he gently squeezed her hand, bringing her back to the situation. Katie gave a soft laugh.

"I have a name, Lance, use it." Katie said smiling. Lance smiled back at Katie before he stood and reached down to pick up Ana. Katie stood looking up at Lance who nuzzled his nose against Ana's, eliciting a giggle of happiness from the little girl.

"Let me try again then, what should we do now, Katie? I mean I have to get back to the Gala before Keith decides to gang up with Shiro to kick my ass for coming after you.. What do you say dulce niña?(Sweet girl.)" Lance asked of Ana. Ana threw her arms around Lance's neck and hugged him tight.

"I wanna go with Daddy!" Ana said loudly, making Katie smile.

"Of course you do… Listen, Lance, I'll re-do my makeup and if you could get Ana dressed, I'll join you. I mean, I still owe Allura an explanation, don't I?" Katie asked. Lance didn't verbally respond, but rather gently pressed a gentle kiss to Katie's forehead before he verbally responded.

"It's up to you. I'll be more than happy to do whatever you'd like to do." Lance said honestly. Katie gave a watery smile.

"You're such a quiznak, but that's why I love you." Katie said as she kissed Lance on the cheek before she went in search of Ana's suitcase.

Chapter Text

The gentle hum of the hovercar's engine filled the comfortable silence as they glided through the illuminated streets back toward the embassy district. Ana had fallen asleep within minutes of being buckled into her car seat, her small fist curled around the fabric of her little dress, dark curls falling across her peaceful face.

Lance found himself stealing glances at her through the rearview mirror every few seconds, still trying to process that this perfect little person was his daughter. Three years. Three years of bedtime stories, first words, first steps – all of it gone. His chest tightened with a mixture of wonder and loss.

"She's been walking since she was ten months old," Katie said quietly, as if reading his thoughts. She'd caught him looking again. "Climbed out of her crib at eleven months. Matt jokes that she inherited my problem-solving skills and your... enthusiasm for getting into places she shouldn't be."

A soft laugh escaped Lance despite the weight in his chest. "Sounds about right. What was her first word?"

"'No.'" Katie's lips quirked up slightly. "Very emphatic about it too. Though 'Mama' came pretty quickly after that."

Lance nodded, filing away every detail like precious treasure. They fell back into silence, the city lights creating patterns across their faces as they passed under streetlamps.

"So," Lance finally said, his voice carefully neutral, "what exactly are we going to tell everyone when we walk back in there together? With..." He gestured gently toward the back seat.

Katie's hands twisted in her lap, her emerald dress rustling softly. "I honestly hadn't thought that far ahead. I was so focused on just... getting through tonight without falling apart completely."

"Well, Hunk already knows something's up. And Keith definitely noticed when I took off after you like my hair was on fire." Lance glanced over at her, noting how she'd chewed off what was left of her lipstick. "Plus, you did dramatically quit being a Paladin in front of everyone."

"Don't remind me," Katie groaned, covering her face with her hands. "Allura's going to kill me. I just... I panicked. When Hunk overheard us talking about Ana, I realized how tired I am of living this double life. Of pretending like the most important thing in my world doesn't exist."

Lance felt something warm unfurl in his chest at those words. "The most important thing?"

Katie's cheeks flushed pink in the dim light. "She's everything, Lance. Even when I'm terrified I'm screwing it all up, she's... she's the best part of me."

"You're not screwing it up," Lance said firmly. "Katie, she's incredible. Happy, curious, clearly loves you to pieces – you can see it in how she looks at you."

"You don't understand. I've been pawning her off on Matt and my mom constantly. Every time Voltron needed something, I'd just... leave her. What kind of mother does that make me?"

Lance was quiet for a moment, considering his words carefully. "The kind who was trying to save the universe so her daughter would have one to grow up in."

Katie's breath hitched slightly. "That's... that's a very generous way to put it."

"It's the truth." Lance's voice was gentle but certain. "Look, I'm not going to lie and say I'm not hurt that you didn't tell me. Because I am. But I also get why you were scared."

They stopped at a red light, the silence stretching between them. Katie finally spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. "I was terrified you'd think I was trying to trap you. That night... Lance, I meant every word I said, but the next morning I convinced myself it was just the alcohol talking for both of us. And then when I found out I was pregnant..."

"You thought I'd run," Lance finished quietly.

"Wouldn't you have? I mean, be honest. Three years ago, if I'd shown up at your door and told you I was carrying your baby, what would your first reaction have been?"

Lance opened his mouth to protest, then closed it. Three years ago, he'd still been the guy who flirted with anything that moved, who treated relationships like a game. The guy who deflected serious conversations with jokes and finger guns.

"I would have been terrified," he admitted. "But Katie... I wouldn't have run. Scared out of my mind? Absolutely. But I wouldn't have left you to handle it alone."

The light turned green, and they continued through the quieter streets near the embassy district. Ana made a small sound in her sleep, shifting in her car seat, and both adults automatically looked back to check on her.

"She has your eyes," Katie said softly.

"And your stubborn chin. I can already tell she's going to be trouble." Lance's voice was fond. "What else should I know? Favorite foods, toys, bedtime stories?"

"She's obsessed with those little pouches of fruit puree – refuses to eat actual fruit most of the time. Has about twelve stuffed animals but only sleeps with this ratty old bear Matt got her. And she makes me read her the same book about space exploration every night." Katie's smile was soft, maternal. "She asks a million questions about everything. Very scientific mind."

"Wonder where she gets that from," Lance teased gently.

"The curiosity, maybe. But she's got your charm, Lance. She can wrap anyone around her little finger with that smile."

They were approaching the embassy now, its grand facade lit up against the night sky. Other hovercars were dropping off late arrivals and picking up early departures from the gala.

"So what's the plan?" Lance asked, pulling into the circular drive. "Do we just walk in there like nothing happened? Do we tell people tonight, or...?"

Katie bit her lip, looking down at her hands. "I don't know. I mean, I already made a scene by quitting. Walking back in with you and Ana is going to raise questions no matter what we do."

"We could always tell them the truth," Lance suggested quietly. "That we have a daughter together, and we're... figuring things out."

"Are we? Figuring things out?" Katie's voice was small, uncertain.

Lance put the car in park and turned to face her fully. "Katie, I meant what I said three years ago too. All of it. And finding out about Ana... it doesn't change how I feel about you. If anything, it makes me realize how much time we've already wasted dancing around this."

Katie's eyes were bright with unshed tears. "Lance..."

"I'm not saying we have to figure everything out tonight. But we're connected now, whether we like it or not. Ana deserves to have both her parents in her life. And maybe... maybe we deserve a chance to see what we could be together. As a family."

Through the car window, they could see other couples walking hand in hand into the gala, laughing and celebrating the peace they'd all fought so hard for. It seemed like a different world from the complicated reality they were navigating.

"The other Paladins are going to have questions," Katie said practically, but her voice was softer now.

"Let them ask. We'll figure out the answers together." Lance reached over and took her hand, threading their fingers together. "One step at a time, okay?"

Katie looked back at Ana, still sleeping peacefully, then at their joined hands, and finally met Lance's eyes. "Okay. But if Allura starts lecturing me about duty and responsibility..."

"I'll distract her with my devastating good looks and charm," Lance said with a grin that was only half-joking.

Katie laughed despite herself, the sound lighter than it had been all evening. "You're ridiculous."

"But you love me anyway," Lance said, his voice hopeful.

Katie squeezed his hand. "Yeah. I do."

---

Meanwhile, back at the Gala, Keith had his phone pressed to his ear, the rest of the Paladins and Coran all standing around him with worried expressions.

"She's not answering her phone. Neither is Lance," Keith announced as he pulled his phone from his ear, frustration clear in his voice.

"Well, in my opinion, those two need some time alone. Perhaps Hunk is correct... They have some issues between them that they need to sort through," Coran interjected, stroking his mustache thoughtfully.

"That's not the point, Coran. We need to know exactly why Pidge is leaving the team," Keith snapped. Allura, who was standing to Keith's left, placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sure if anyone can talk some sense into Pidge, it's Lance," Allura said soothingly.

At that moment, Allura's phone chimed. Upon inspection, she found a message from Katie. "She says she and Lance are on their way back with a 'special guest'..." Allura frowned at her screen. "That's odd. What special guest could they be talking about?"

Hunk's face broke into a knowing smile as he looked at the rest of the group. "I think I have a guess. I'm thinking she's about three years old, super adorable, looks like Pidge, and her name starts with A." Hunk's comment caused Shiro to raise a skeptical eyebrow.

"You've been insisting that Pidge has a daughter, but what reason would she have for bringing a child to an intergalactic gala?" Shiro asked.

"Lance," Hunk said firmly with a decisive nod.

At that moment, the grand front doors were opened by two Olkari attendants, revealing Lance and Katie. Lance had Ana perched on his hip, the little girl wearing a cute red and green sundress that complemented her dark curls. Keith's jaw dropped as Hunk chuckled softly under his breath, "See?"

"Lance! Pidge! Where have you been?" Shiro asked in his sternest "Space Dad" voice.

Katie reached up to scratch the back of her head sheepishly. "We sure weren't—"

"Katie, language," Lance interrupted with a gentle cough, nodding toward Ana.

To everyone's surprise, Katie giggled and leaned her head against Lance's shoulder with a soft smile.

"Sorry."

"I know you said not to go after her, Keith, but let's face it—since when have I ever listened to you?" Lance asked with a grin.

"Uncle Keith!" Ana suddenly shouted, her bright eyes locking onto Keith's face. She held out her pudgy little arms toward him expectantly.

Keith pointed to himself in confusion. "Me?"

Lance chuckled and carefully transferred Ana to the part-Galra man, who accepted the child with obvious surprise and wonder.

"Aww, she likes her Uncle Keith," Lance cooed, earning a playful slap on the shoulder from Katie as she straightened and stepped away from his side.

"You act like I never talk about the Paladins to her, you jerk," Katie mumbled, but her tone was fond.

"So..." Keith said slowly, adjusting his hold on Ana as she gave him a rather bold kiss on the nose, "You want to tell us what's going on?" Lance and Katie exchanged a look.

"Um... Katie?" Lance asked, raising his eyebrows at her. Katie shrugged.

"Sure, make me do all the work." She took a deep breath, then began to ramble—something she did when nervous, excited, or embarrassed. "I'm sure Hunk has told you all already, but... Surprise! Ana's my daughter. I mean, she's actually the result of a one-night stand I had with Lance when I was drunk a few years back, but that's not really the point—" Lance had the nerve to laugh before pulling Katie into a one-armed hug.

"You guys remember that gala on Altea where Pidge got drunk? The one where she screamed at our Galra guests?" He grinned as several of them winced at the memory. "Well, Katie and I got into a huge argument because she was acting more intoxicated than she actually was. I took her back to my place since it was closest, and we got to screaming at each other. In the middle of all that screaming..." Lance flushed, shooting Katie a look. "Things just... happened." Katie's face went red at the thought.

"Lance, you absolute quiznak."

"Wait," Keith said, confusion clear in his voice as Ana played with his hair, "All along you two have been having an affair and passing it off as being best friends?" Katie burst into hysterical laughter.

"No! Like I said, it was a one-night stand. I didn't tell Lance about Ana until he met her tonight. He literally had to track me down through Matt." Her laughter died down to a soft smile. "And now here we are. I wanted to stop being a Paladin so I could focus on Ana." She approached Keith and gently took Ana back, who gave a happy squeal.

"I haven't been the world's best mom between working at the Garrison, being a Paladin, and trying to help with treaties and intergalactic policies... I literally have no time for the one responsibility I've been running from for the last three years."

Lance moved to put his arm around Katie's waist, the gesture natural and protective. "We discussed it on the way here. Pidge will remain the Green Lion's Paladin if—and the key word is if—she can spend more time with Ana."

Katie looked up at him with a grateful smile before bending to set Ana on her feet. The little girl immediately skipped over to Allura and hugged the Altean woman around the leg, giggling, "Auntie 'Lura!"

"Aww, I'm surprised she knows who we are," Hunk said, kneeling on the floor with his arms out as Ana danced over to him shouting, "Uncle Hunky!"

Katie gave an inelegant snort. "Of course she knows you guys. She's seen pictures of us together, and I can't exactly avoid talking about you if I tell her anything about being a Paladin."

Ana then dashed to Shiro, arms outstretched. "Space Papa!"

"She came up with that one on her own," Lance explained with a wink at Katie's eye roll. "Pidge tried to get her to call you 'Uncle Shiro,' but she's super stubborn like a certain Green Paladin I know."

"It's because I referred to Shiro as 'Space Dad' once," Katie explained with a shrug.

Shiro bent to pick Ana up with a warm smile. "It's perfect either way, Pidge. And as touching as this reunion is, we do have a gala to get back to." He looked between Lance and Katie. "Mind if I borrow your daughter for a dance?"

"Absolutely not," Lance said with a grin. "I get dibs on her first dance, Shiro."

Ana happily reached for Lance, who set her back on her feet and offered his hand to the little girl. She took it with a delighted squeal.

"Well then, second dance?" Shiro asked hopefully.

"We'll think about it," Katie giggled, then curtsied playfully. "In the meantime, I would love a dance or two, Shiro."

---

Later that evening, Katie sat with the other Paladins, Ana dozing lightly in her lap as Allura took the stage to give her closing remarks about the wonderful turnout from across the universe.

"I would like to invite the Paladins to the dance floor for one final dance of the evening," Allura announced, her voice carrying clearly through the ballroom. "I give you Shiro—former Paladin of the Black Lion and tactical advisor of the Voltron team!"

A spotlight highlighted Shiro as he stood and made his way to the dance floor on the arm of his husband, Curtis.

"Our resident sharpshooter, former Paladin of the Blue Lion, and current Paladin of the Red Lion—Lance!"

Lance gave an awkward grin as Katie carefully handed Ana to a kind Olkari gentleman who had been sitting with their group. Lance stood and offered Katie his hand.

"Our resident tech expert and current Paladin of the Green Lion—Pidge!"

Katie giggled as Lance led her to the dance floor, the spotlight following them.

"Our current leader, former Paladin of the Red Lion and current Paladin of the Black Lion—Keith!"

Keith actually grinned before pulling out a microphone from his tuxedo jacket. "Let's not forget our head mechanic and culinary expert, the current Paladin of the Yellow Lion—Hunk!" He pointed to where Hunk stood with Shay, the spotlight nearly blinding the Yellow Paladin. "And last but not least, our very own Princess and current Paladin of the Blue Lion—Princess Allura!"

Keith gestured to the stage where Allura was gracefully descending to join them. "Paladins, I'm sure you all remember the dance lessons Lance gave us when he was bored during our early days in space."

Katie covered her face to hide her laughter, and Keith grinned. "I see Pidge remembers."

Katie approached Keith and grabbed the microphone. "To be fair, I stomped on Lance's foot and argued with him in Italian while he was instructing me in Spanish," she said, causing a ripple of laughter through the ballroom.

"Since I'm wearing a rented tux and I'm not about to waste Hunk's cooking with a reenactment of our first 'fun' dance lesson in space..." Keith's grin widened as Allura gasped.

"Keith, that's devious," Allura said, loud enough to be picked up by the microphone.

Keith merely flashed his eyebrows at her before giving a brief snort of laughter. Lance took the opportunity to do a short bout of the Macarena, making everyone laugh.

"No, Lance, not the Macarena," Keith chuckled, running the microphone back to their table. "DJ, if you wouldn't mind—I picked a special song for our final dance."

Soft strands of music began to play. Hunk gave a bow to Shay, Keith to Allura, Shiro to Curtis, and Lance gave a rather flamboyant bow to Katie. A male voice began to sing in Galran—it was one of the songs Lance had frequently used for their dance lessons, a haunting melody about surviving war and coming to terms with why everyone fought for their beliefs.

Keith led Allura through a graceful waltz, Hunk guided Shay through a foxtrot, and Shiro and Curtis gleefully swung around the dance floor. Lance, meanwhile, led Katie through a salsa, practically showing off that he had danced with her most often during those long-ago lessons.

To Katie's surprise, Lance began singing along softly with the Galran lyrics, his voice harmonizing beautifully with the recording as he gave her a tender smile. After a moment's hesitation, Katie joined in with a soft laugh, her own voice weaving through the melody as they moved together across the dance floor, finally in perfect sync.

As the song began to wind down, Lance's steps slowed, and Katie noticed his hands trembling slightly where they held hers. The confident dancer she'd been following suddenly seemed nervous, almost hesitant.

"Lance?" she whispered, concerned. "You okay?"

Lance took a shaky breath, his blue eyes meeting hers with an intensity that made her heart skip. "Katie, I... there's something I need to tell you. Something I should have said a long time ago."

The music was ending, but neither of them moved to leave the dance floor. Around them, the other couples were beginning to separate, but Lance kept Katie close, his hands steady on her waist now as if anchoring himself.

"Three years ago, after that night..." Lance started, then stopped, running a hand through his hair. "God, I've practiced this speech a hundred times, and I still don't know how to say it right."

Katie's brow furrowed with worry. "Lance, what—"

"I bought a ring," he blurted out, then immediately looked like he wanted to take it back. "I mean, not right after that night, but... Katie, I've been carrying it around for over a year. Every time I thought about asking you, I'd chicken out because I was convinced you'd laugh in my face or tell me I was being ridiculous."

Katie's eyes went wide, her breath catching. "You... what?"

Lance reached into his tuxedo jacket with trembling fingers and pulled out a small velvet box, worn around the edges from being carried so long. "I know tonight has been crazy, and I know we just figured out we have a daughter together, and maybe this is terrible timing, but Katie..." He dropped to one knee right there on the dance floor, and Katie heard several gasps around them as people noticed what was happening.

"Katherine Holt," Lance said, his voice stronger now, more sure, "you've been my best friend, my partner, the person I trust most in this universe. You're brilliant and stubborn and beautiful and you drive me absolutely crazy in the best possible way. Finding out about Ana tonight... it just made me realize how much time I've already wasted being scared."

Katie's hands flew to her mouth, tears starting to stream down her cheeks as Lance opened the box to reveal a simple but elegant ring with a green stone that seemed to shimmer with its own inner light.

"I love you, Katie. I've loved you for years, and I love the amazing mother you are to our daughter. Will you marry me? Will you let me spend the rest of my life proving that we can be the family Ana deserves?"

The ballroom had gone completely silent around them. Katie could see the other Paladins watching with bated breath—Hunk had his hands clasped together hopefully, Shiro was grinning, Keith looked stunned, and Allura had tears in her eyes. Even Ana had woken up in the Olkari gentleman's arms and was clapping her little hands together.

"You absolute quiznak," Katie sobbed, laughing through her tears. "Yes! Of course, yes!"

The ballroom erupted in cheers as Lance slipped the ring onto her finger with shaking hands, then swept her up in his arms and spun her around. When he set her down, he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her deeply, pouring three years of love and longing into that single moment.

"Daddy! Mommy!" Ana's voice cut through the applause as she wiggled free from the Olkari gentleman and ran toward them on unsteady legs. Lance and Katie broke apart just in time to scoop her up between them, creating their first family hug as an engaged couple.

"Did you see that, Ana?" Lance asked, pressing a kiss to his daughter's curly hair. "Mommy said yes!"

Ana looked between her parents with the serious expression of a three-year-old trying to understand something important. "Daddy stay now?"

Katie felt fresh tears spring to her eyes as she looked at Lance over Ana's head. "Yeah, baby girl. Daddy's staying now."

"Forever and always," Lance confirmed, pulling both his girls closer. "Forever and always."

From across the dance floor, Hunk let out a loud cheer. "I KNEW IT! I've been waiting for this for YEARS!"

Keith shook his head with a fond smile. "Leave it to Lance to propose at a peace gala."

"It's actually quite romantic," Allura said, dabbing at her eyes with a silk handkerchief. "And look how happy little Ana is!"

Indeed, Ana was giggling and clapping, clearly delighted by all the attention and the fact that both her parents were holding her at the same time.

"So," Shiro said, approaching the new family with Curtis on his arm, "I guess this means we're planning a wedding?"

Lance grinned, that cocky smile Katie had fallen in love with years ago. "Well, we've got a peace to celebrate, a family to plan for, and apparently the universe's most impatient daughter who's been waiting three years to have both her parents in the same place."

Katie laughed, looking down at her ring—the green stone caught the light beautifully, and she realized it was probably meant to match her Lion. Trust Lance to think of that detail.

"Just promise me we don't have to plan it while also planning intergalactic treaties," she said, leaning into Lance's side as Ana settled contentedly between them.

"Deal," Lance said, pressing a kiss to her temple. "Though knowing us, we'll probably end up with the most diplomatically complicated wedding in the universe."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Katie murmured, and as the music started up again for the final dance of the evening, she realized that maybe, just maybe, they were finally going to get their happily ever after.