Title: Staying Afloat

AN: 'italics' - thoughts

**********

The scent of battle still clung heavy in the air, blanketing everything in a thickness like an invisible fog. After hearing Sven was in trouble Keith cared little about the princess's safety and ran with Lance to the spot where the pilot had left him. Sven lay motionless on the ground, a sword discarded on the ground next to him. Keith's face paled as he began to run even faster, the sight of all the blood making him feel queasy. The captain dropped down by Sven's side, his brother's labored breathing the only sign that the man was even still alive. Keith gently placed a hand against the side of Sven's head. "Just hold on Sven…just please hold on…"

Sven could barely open his eyes, much less talk. "Keeiitthh..."

'I shouldn't have left him alone! I should have stayed!' Lance watched helplessly as Keith gently pulled Sven into his arms. Sven was Keith's rock, but now the rock was breaking. The pain and helplessness in Keith's eyes tore Lance's heart out of his chest. "I...I'm sorry Keith. I'll contact Coran...have them send a ship..." Lance whispered as he placed a reassuring hand on his lover's shoulder.

Keith squeezed Lance's hand briefly before putting his hand back against Sven's hair, gently stroking. He couldn't believe this was happening - this whole mission was failure right from the start. He should've quit as soon as they had been captured by Doom, that alone was proof enough that he couldn't handle being captain. "Everything's gonna be okay…you'll be okay." Keith said quietly, his words sounded distant to his ears as though they weren't even his own. The words were spoken almost glibly as his heart and his mind didn't believe they were true.

****************************************************************

Lance stared sadly from the doorway at the lone figure in the dark rec room. Keith was sitting on the windowsill, staring out the window. Rain was pouring outside, but Keith was not seeing any of it. Quietly, Lance crossed the room and stood behind his lover, placing a hand gently on Keith's shoulder. "Sven will be fine. The medics on Planet Ebb are the best in the galaxy."

"Nobody knows that for sure…nobody can guarantee that Sven will be okay and it's all my fault." Keith closed his eyes tightly to force back his tears as he cursed himself for his carelessness.

"Hey." Lance whispered, wrapping his arms around Keith as he pulled him back against him. "It's not your fault. I was the idiot who ran off and nearly got captured, putting all of you in danger. I'm the one who didn't listen to orders..."

"It's not your fault. I am the one who placed everyone in danger…it was obvious even to you after…after we were captured that I couldn't handle leading this team. I almost got everyone killed…and…and almost Sven killed again…" Keith said sadly.

"What happened with Doom was not your fault, Tiger. They surprised us. Not even the finest generals could have got us past their sensors." Lance said quietly, slowly rubbing Keith's arms. "Besides we would be dead if it wasn't for you. It was you that helped us escape from Doom. And I think you are doing just fine handling the team. We all feel that way. If you don't believe me, then just ask them yourself!"

Keith leaned against Lance. "This just seems like a nightmare that I just can't wake from."

"I know Keith. I know." Lance whispered, holding Keith even tighter. "Me too."

"I just don't know what to do…" Keith glanced down at his hands that were still stained with dried blood. "There was just so much blood…if he doesn't make it…."Keith's voice faltered and was choked by tears, preventing him from saying anything else.

Lance sat down on the windowsill next to Keith. He placed his hands on Keith's shoulders and slouched down so that he could see his lover's face. "The only thing you can do is not give up hope. Sven is tough...he'll make it. He's a fighter...and you are too."

"I don't know what I'll do if I lose him…" Keith's voice trailed off for a moment. "I have to call mom and dad …and Jeff…Sven would've been so much better off if he gone with Jeff…"

"Hey now...there is no way for you to know that for sure. So don't go blaming yourself for something that you have no control over. Right now, just focus on being there for him and helping him all you can...even if only in thought. Thinking about what should have or might have been is not going to help him. You are not going to lose him!"

Keith wrapped his arms around Lance's neck and buried his face against Lance's shoulder allowing his tears to flow freely for the first time.

"It's going to be okay, Tiger. Go ahead and let it all out." Lance whispered, hugging Keith tightly. It was taking all his control to not burst out into tears as well. "We'll see this through together. I promise."

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It had been a rough week for Keith. The battles against the forces of Doom had been hard that week, and then they had received word that planet Ebb had been attacked and there was nobody left alive on the planet, everyone had been killed or taken prisoner. There was no word on Sven, but he was assumed dead as the hospital had taken a direct hit and like most buildings was now nothing more then a pile of rumble. By the end of the week Keith had lost countless hours of sleep and was having trouble keeping his emotions together during the long hard battles. Finally it came to a point where Keith asked Lance to move into the room with him, needing the closeness of his lover. Lance readily accepted, wanting to do all he could to help Keith through this trying time.

Keith was clearing space in the closet as Lance carried in the last of his boxes. Keith turned to greet Lance when everything seemed to happen in slow motion. As Lance moved to shut the door, the top box slipped from his grip and came crashing down. It struck the dresser and knocked off a crystal ball that had been sitting there. The ball had once shimmered in a rainbow of colors when held up to the light, and when one looked closer at it there was the image of a stallion inside, its mane and tail trailing out as though it was running free in a world of beauty.

The ball had been a gift from Sven when Keith was very young shortly after he had lost his parents, and Keith had spent hours gazing into the ball and holding it up to the light. Now there were only shattered pieces of it remaining on the ground. Keith could only stare at the fragments with tears in his eyes.

Lance paled, quickly putting the boxes down and kneeling next to Keith who was on his knees staring at the pieces. "Oh man! I'm so sorry Keith! I didn't mean to."

Keith didn't say anything, just reached out to begin picking up the pieces of the shattered ball. Then a sharp shard of crystal sliced his finger, drawing a small dot of crimson red blood. Keith flinched slightly and brought his finger to his lips, sucking lightly on the cut.

"Maybe it can be put back together." Lance said doubtfully, wrapping an arm around Keith's shoulders. He knew how much that ball meant to the captain and felt terrible that he had broken it. "I'm really sorry."

Keith blinked back the tears that threatened to fall. He couldn't believe that the ball had been broken, not by something so simple or so quickly. It all felt like a terrible dream, one that made his heart ache with sorrow.

Lance wrapped his arms around Keith, turning his lover's head away from the fragments. "Let it out, Keith. It's okay to cry." He whispered softly, holding the other man tightly.

Keith just shook his head and buried his face against Lance's shoulder. "It can't be broken…not now." He finished the sentence almost too quietly for Lance to hear.

"I should've been more careful. I know how much it meant to you." Lance whispered, holding Keith even tighter. "I'm so sorry."

"Not your fault." Keith said quietly. He closed his eyes tightly against the tears. He refused to cry in front of Lance, wanting to act brave and maintain the control he had been struggling so hard to keep the past week.

Lance sighed, his voice pleading. "Please Keith. Let it out. Keeping it in is tearing you apart!"

"I can't…" Keith said, his voice trembling slightly.

"Please! You're tearing me apart as well!" Lance pleaded. "It's okay to cry. It's not your fault."

"I can't let myself cry…I'm afraid I won't be able to stop crying if I start." Keith said quietly.

Lance smiled sadly as he picked Keith up and carried him to one of the chairs. Then he sat down, holding Keith tightly in his lap. "The longer you hold it in, the harder it's going to be. I'm not going to leave you. I promise."

"Sven promised that too…" Keith whispered. The tears burned his eyes and he fought to keep them from falling.

"And he's still with you...just like your parents." Lance whispered, kissing Keith's forehead as he slowly rocked them in the rocking chair. "And they all love you and wouldn't want you to hold in your pain."

"It doesn't seem real…it…" Keith shook his head as the words to express himself eluded him.

"I know. I don't want to believe it either. But that doesn't mean he is dead. Jeff hasn't given up hope and neither should you."

"It's hard not to lose hope." Keith said quietly. "So many of the people that I love have died…" Keith's voice cracked slightly on the last word and a couple tears managed to course their way down his cheeks.

Lance nodded his head, his hand reaching up to caress Keith's cheek. "I know Tiger. I've been there too. You and the guys are all I have now. But love never dies."

Keith turned his head and glanced at the broken ball again before burying his head against Lance's shoulder, the tears he had been trying so hard to hold back finally began to flow freely.

"I'm never letting you go, Keith." Lance whispered, resting his head on the black head and holding him tightly. "I promise."

For the longest time Keith said nothing, he only cried. When he finally spoke the tears could still be heard in his voice. "It feels like a dream…Sven can't be gone, the ball can't be broken…"

Lance pulled Keith's chin up so that they could see eye to eye. "Physically, they are gone. Mentally, they will never be gone. You once told me that light like that can never be extinguished. That it will always be inside of you. Forever."

Keith shook his head. "Sven is gone and it's my fault. That's why fate shattered that ball…"

"Explain to me how it can possibly be your fault?"

"I messed up…I wasn't ready for the responsibility." Keith reasoned.

"Wrong!" Lance snorted. "You did everything that was in your power to do. No one could've done more. You didn't know that Doom was going to attack Ebb."

"Sven shouldn't have been there in the first place! It's my fault!" Keith pulled away from Lance and moved over to the pieces of the shatter crystal ball. He dropped to his knees and began to pick up the pieces.

"Keith..." Lance sighed and knelt beside him, pulling Keith's hands away from the pieces and grasping them tightly in his own. "It wasn't your fault. If you're going to blame anyone over what happened to Sven, blame me! You did everything that you were supposed to do. I was the one who didn't follow orders."

Keith shook his head. "It wasn't your fault. It was MY fault."

"Keith. Look at me." Lance grabbed Keith's shoulders and shook him slightly. "It wasn't your fault! Sven didn't blame you and neither did Jeff. So don't blame yourself for something that you had absolutely no control over!"

"It's just not fair. Sven always took care of me…and I couldn't…couldn't do the same when he needed me." Keith whispered. Tears flowed freely down his cheeks as he looked at the ball. "And I just don't know how to start putting the pieces back together." It was obvious that Keith was referring to more then just the broken ball.

"You can start by stop blaming yourself." Lance said firmly, his hands reaching up to cup Keith's face. "You did take care of Sven. You sent him to the best place for healing with the finest doctors in the universe. No one knew that Doom would attack there...no one! If they hadn't then Sven would be back here with us, as good as he was before Haggar."

"I'll kill them all for what they did…kill them for taking Sven from me." Keith vowed in silent rage.

Lance smiled slightly before kissing Keith lightly on the lips. Then he pulled the man back into his arms. "I know, Tiger. I'd probably want to do the same thing. But promise me you won't do anything reckless. I need you...more than you'll ever know."

******************************************************************************

News of the attack on planet Ebb shook everyone, especially Keith. Sven had been starting to recover, now there was no way of knowing if Sven was still alive. It felt like an eternity before the day came when they found out that Sven was alive and in good health.

Leaning against the launch bay doorway, Lance frowned as he watched everyone get ready for Princess Romelle's arrival. Something didn't feel right. True, he only saw her through the telecam, but it was enough to set off his alarm. There was something in her eyes that didn't sit well with him. Also the fact that Sven never appeared to talk to Keith further raised his suspicions.

Keith was happier than he had been in a long time. He stepped in front of Lance, draping his hands over his lover's shoulders and caressing the back of Lance's neck while brushing a butterfly kiss across his lips. "Sven's actually coming home, can you believe it?"

"It's great!" Lance smiled slightly. "He may not be one hundred percent yet, so be ready in case you need to help him."

"You know I'd do anything to help Sven." Keith grinned even brighter. "I can hardly believe it… it's been so long, but I'm finally gonna have my brother back."

"I know, Tiger. I just wish we could have talked to him before today." Lance sighed as he glanced around the bustling bay.

"I wish that too, but it really doesn't matter now. Sven's going to be here soon and that's all that matters." Keith grinned.

'Then why does everything feel so wrong?' Lance quickly pulled Keith into an embrace. "It's great, Keith! I can't wait to see him!"

Keith leaned into Lance's warm embrace, not moving or saying anything for several long minutes when the sounds of the arriving shuttle filled the air. "He's here." Keith said happily. He pulled away from Lance and grabbed his hand as he pulled up further into the hanger to greet Sven.

The feeling continued to intensify as the craft slowly landed. 'This is bad...this is bad...' Lance thought over and over as he tightened his grip on Keith's hand. 'I don't like this...'

Keith's face lit up with a bright smile when Sven stepped off the shuttle, his mind not even registering the fact that Sven and Romelle were holding hands. He let go of Lance's hand and rushed forward to greet Sven. "Sven! I'm so glad to see you."

Walking behind Keith, Lance frowned as Romelle immediately moved between Keith and Sven. "It's good to finally meet you captain."

Keith blinked. "Um yeah, same with you. Thanks for taking care of Sven."

"No problem. It was my pleasure." Romelle smiled casually, though her eyes suggested something more. "We wanted to see you before returning to Pollux."

Keith barely heard anything she was saying as he stepped around her and threw his arms around the taller man's neck. "I've missed you so much. I thought you were dead."

"Well I'm not, but that's no thanks to you." Sven quickly shoved Keith away. Keith blinked at he stared at Sven, shock and hurt written clearly in his features.

"What are you talking about?" Lance glared at Sven as he moved to stand behind Keith. "We have been doing everything in our power to locate you."

"It's obvious how hard you tried." Sven said, his blue eyes like ice.

"We did everything we could…" Keith said quietly.

"Sure you did." Sven snorted. "Then why is it a mere princess helped me while Voltron could not!"

Lance's eyes narrowed as he glared fiercely at Sven. "You were with us when we were first captured by Doom. You know how tight their security is...not to mention how they have slave camps all over the blasted galaxy! What is your fucking problem?"

"The fact that I have to be here." Sven smirked.

Keith looked at Sven with open pain in his black eyes. "You can't mean that…"

"I mean every word!" Sven snarled. "I am only here to turn in my resignation and then I am out of here!"

Lance placed a reassuring hand on Keith's shoulder as he stared hard at Sven. "I don't think you do, and I think I may know why." He turned his glare on a smirking Romelle, who glared right back at him.

"You…you can't resign." Keith said quietly, he looked overly pale as though he was going to be sick at any second.

"He's not going to either. Sven's not himself." Lance growled as he stared down Romelle. "I smell a blond haired rat." He quickly turned to the others in the room...Pidge and Hunk. "Why don't you two go tell Coran and Allura that the shuttle has arrived, but not to come down yet."

Hunk and Pidge nodded, having been doing little more then standing there with dumbfounded expressions until Lance had spoken to them.

"Back off." Sven said threateningly, getting between Lance and Romelle.

Keith placed a hand on Sven's shoulder. "It was a long flight…you've got to be tired…your room is still the way you left. You can lay down in there."

"I told you." Sven growled as he knocked Keith's hand off of his shoulder. "I want nothing to do with you, Voltron, or Arus!"

"You…can't mean that…"

"Why can't you get it through your thick skull that I mean every word that I say." Sven growled. Keith raised his hand to put it back on Sven's shoulder, but before he could Sven grabbed his wrist and squeezed it tightly. Keith flinched in pain.

"Keep your fucking hands to yourself or next time I swear I will break it." Sven threatened. He gave Keith's wrist one last squeeze before shoving the hand away.

"That's it!" Lance snarled as he shoved Sven back and stood between the two men. He glared at Romelle. "I don't know what you've done bitch, but I know that Sven would never hurt Keith, no matter how mad he got at him! And I'm not going to let you get away with it!" Turning his eyes back on Sven, Lance spoke to Keith over his shoulder. "Sven's sick, Keith. Don't ask me how I know, I just do. You better go get Goram."

"You're delusional, I am not sick." Sven snorted.

"If you are not sick, then what are you? " Keith asked as he stepped up beside Lance and looked at Sven. He trusted Sven to never actually hurt him, feeling in his heart his brother would never betray that trust despite the threat he had made.

"I'm just fine. I've just finally seen the truth. Something that you never wanted to see!" Sven snarled.

Every muscle in Lance's body was tense as he studied Sven. Sven was about to snap. He could clearly see the battle going on in Sven's midnight blue eyes. And the cause of that turmoil was the smirking bitch clinging to his arm. "Oh really? And who showed it to you? That slut next to you?"

"You little bastard! How dare you talk to Romelle that!" Sven growled as he raised a hand to strike Lance. But before his hand could make contact Keith grabbed Sven's hand.

"Just settle down, bro." Keith said.

"I told you to keep your fucking hands to yourself!" Sven yelled as he jerked his hand back, only to grab Keith's arm and throw him into the side of the craft. "I'm not your brother! Not any more!"

"That tears it!" Lance growled as he shoved Sven back, stepping back to stand in between the two men. His eyes burned as he glared at Sven. "I know you are somehow being controlled Sven. Don't make me fight you." He briefly glanced at Romelle. "I suggest you let him go. I'll come after you next and I promise you will not like it!"

"You don't know that Lance…I mean…things are just different now…" Keith tried to blink back his tears but a few tears still streaked his cheeks. "Too much happened because I couldn't handle things…I made a mistake and now I have to pay the price."

"That is a bunch of fucking bullshit Keith and you know it!" Lance growled, never stepping out of his defensive stance or taking his eyes off Sven. "If you have ever trusted me, trust me now! I grew up watching how people control others. It is all the same, just the means are different."

"What nonsense are you talking about? Sven is just tying up some loose ends." Romelle smiled fakely. "Really captain. Your pilot can really be paranoid."

Keith just looked at Lance for a long moment before turning his eyes back to Sven. He wasn't sure what to believe. After a moment he finally spoke. "You said you saw the truth… what truth exactly would that be?"

"That is something you need to figure out yourself, captain!" Sven snorted. "But since you are such a shitty captain anyway, you probably will never figure it out...even if it hit you in the face!"

"That's not true…" Keith said. He just looked at Sven with hurt eyes, wondering how this dream turned into a nightmare. "I'm sorry for what happened but it wasn't my fault…IT WASN'T MY FAULT!" He yelled with conviction for the first time since the accident. He slowly approached Sven again. "What happened to change you?"

"Keith...wait..." The look Keith gave him was enough to stop Lance. As much as he hated to have Keith get close to this 'Sven', he also knew that Keith may be the only one to help him. Lance would not interfere. That didn't mean that the bitch was off of his hit list though.

"As much as I don't want to admit it…I know something is wrong. I don't know what exactly, though I doubt it's actually brainwashing. I know a lot has happened to you and I know you are angry and hurt…I just want to help you. I'm not saying you have to go back to flying Blue…I'm just saying you should be here around the people that care for you the most." Keith said softly. It was pure habit that made him reach out to lay a comforting hand on Sven's shoulder.

Romelle smirked, stealing Lance's attention. Lance growled. "What is so funny bitch?"

As Keith turned his attention back to Lance, Sven's right hand shot up and shoved a small hand knife deep into Keith's left shoulder. "I warned you about touching me!" Sven growled as Keith stumbled back in shock.

Keith just blinked as his legs gave out from under him and sat down heavily on the cold floor. A white fiery hot pain radiated through his left arm. His right hand flew up to the handle of the knife, making a quiet pained whimpering noise as he tried to pull the embedded blade from his shoulder. But his muscles didn't want to cooperate. His mind was reeling from shock...not wanting to accept that the one person he trusted and had depended on his whole life had just stabbed him.

"FUCKING BASTARD!" Lance yelled, rushing forward and punching Sven in the gut before shoving him backwards. As much as he wanted to check Keith, Lance also knew that to take his eyes off of Sven could be dangerous. "Keith, get to the doctor. NOW!"

Keith sat unmoving, his face pale and his body trembling in pain. "This can't be happening...it can't…Sven couldn't have stabbed me."

Keith jumped when he felt a strong pair of hands take a hold of him. "Just relax Keith." Hunk said. He removed the knife in a swift pull, being mindful of the angle it had gone in. Pidge handed Hunk a cloth to press against the steadily bleeding wound. "Lance, you should take Keith to the doctor. We'll watch Sven and Romelle."

"When did you two get in here?" Lance growled.

Pidge snickered. "We never really left...just watched from the shadows. Anything that makes you suspicious and jumpy, does the same for me!"

"Smart boy." Backing up, Lance grinned slightly before bending down and gently gathering Keith in his arms. "Keep Romelle and Sven separated. I don't care that she is a princess, she is to be treated as a possible threat. If Allura, Coran, or anyone else complains, refer them to me immediately and ignore their demands. Understand?"

"Don't worry, we'll keep them under control even if we have to restrain them both." Hunk smirked.

"Just keep them separated." Lance paused on his way to the door to meet Romelle's glare. "You don't scare me witch. And I'm not done with you yet."

**********

"It's going to be okay Keith. Just relax." Lance whispered as he quickly carried Keith down the hall toward the medical wing. "It's not Sven's fault. He's not in control. That witch is!"

"How could…" Keith gave a small gasp of pain. "How can you be sure?"

"I can read people. I could see the battle in his eyes. I could see the cruelty in hers. I had to learn to recognize the signs in order to stay alive growing up." Lance paused to kiss Keith's damp forehead. " And I could sense it."

"I just want Sven back…I'll do whatever it takes to help him…even kill… kill that bitch." Keith mumbled more to himself then to Lance.

Lance laughed softly as he carried Keith into the medical room. "Not if Jeff gets to her first. But we will get our Sven back." He gently laid Keith down on the exam table. Dr. Goram and a nurse were there in an instant. "Now just relax and get that wound taken care of." Lance whispered before the nurse pulled him back so that they could treat the captain.

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A couple hours later Keith was out of surgery, his shoulder thickly bandaged and his arm in a sling. Lance was walking very close to him in case he needed help, even though the painkillers had eliminated any kind of pain. Keith had a plan of a way to try to get Sven back, which meant getting him away from Romelle, and that was going to be challenge. Romelle was locked into a room in the castle under guard, which had been nearly impossible to do with Allura's endless protests. He just hoped Romelle would at least be kept in the room for a few hours. Sven was in the castle's interrogation room for questioning.

Keith paused before the door of the interrogation room. "This feels so strange…having to question Sven."

"I know. Just remember not to let what he says hurt you. It is not really him talking." Lance said as he hugged Keith lightly. "Do you want me to go in there with you?"

"It's hard to remember…but I know it's not really my brother in there." Keith said. "And yes I want you in there with me…I need you in there with me."

"Alright Tiger." Lance kissed Keith on the cheek before punching in the door code. When the light shined green, he paused before opening the door. "You ready?"

"Not really…but I am as ready as I'll ever be." Keith sighed.

The room had one table with two chairs on one side and one chair on the opposite side. Sven was leaning back in one chair, his arms crossed across his chest. He glared angrily at the two men who walked into the room and took a seat. "What the fuck do you want? And where is Romelle?"

"She's in a secure location until we can get to the bottom of this situation." Keith was looking in Sven's direction but his eyes were focused on a place on the wall behind Sven rather then at the man.

"We would be at the bottom of this situation if you would just use your fucking brains!" Sven growled.

Lance sighed as he scouted his chair closer to Keith, but behind him instead of next to him. This was something between Keith and Sven. Lance would provide support, but nothing more. Though it was going to be hell to listen to this shit and keep his mouth shut!

"I think the bottom of the situation comes to you attacking a superior officer, which in case you have forgotten is a court marshal offence." Keith said evenly and firmly.

"It would be if I was still under your command...which I am not!" Sven yelled as he banged his fist on the table. "Now I demand to be released and not mess with this idiotic nonsense of yours!"

"Your resignation was not officially filed, so you are still under my command. Even if you weren't you could still be tried for the attack."

"Attack?" Sven snorted, a smug look on his face. "I was just protecting Romelle from the street trash over there."

Keith took a deep breath and slowly released it, but it didn't work to dispel his anger. "That bitch is the only one who is trash."

"I won't be so sure of that." Sven smiled cruelly. "You really have poor taste captain."

'I will not kill him...I will not kill him...' Lance was gritting his teeth to the point that he was sure the enamel was cracking. Then he smiled smugly. "Keith...can I ask him a question?"

"Go right ahead." Keith said.

"Sven...have you told Jeff about you and Romelle yet?" Lance asked.

Sven stared at Lance a moment, his facial expression completely blank. Except for his eyes. Pain, confusion, sadness...all swirled around in his eyes as clear as day. Then he shook his head and the anger resurfaced. "What the fucking hell are you talking about? I have no clue who you are talking about!"

"Just asking." Lance smirked, settling back in his chair as Keith's eyes widened slightly at Sven's answer. If Keith had any remaining doubt about Sven's behavior, it was gone now. Indeed, something was very wrong.

"He's talking about the guy you are practically married to." Keith pulled out a picture that had begun to show its age from wear and tear, as though it had been folded and unfolded several times. The picture was taken several years ago, before any of them had even been at the Academy. It had been taken at a carnival, and showed Sven and Jeff standing with their arms around each other's waist and Keith as a child holding a large stuff bear that his brother had won him at one of the games. He held the picture up for Sven to see.

Sven stared at the picture...confusion apparent on his features. He stared for a long time, before finally jerking his eyes away. "Stop messing with my head!" Sven yelled, glaring angrily at Keith.

Keith slowly put the picture away. "You don't remember him because she didn't know about him. You only know the things she told you…and I am not sure if I want to know how she knew all those things."

"What the fuck are you talking about? What are you trying to pull here?" Sven growled.

"I am not pulling anything. Though I am curious as to what Romelle's reasons are for doing this…" Keith frowned before adding in a faint whisper "...before I kill the bitch."

Lance chucked softly before whispering to Keith. "You can't kill diplomats Keith. Otherwise I would have taken care of Allura for hanging all over you!"

"Unless you want to tell us the real reason you came here, you'll be the only one going down for the attack. I might not want to send you to prison, but I will if you don't cooperate." Keith said coldly, even though the words were a lie as he would never send Sven away...he just said the words as though he were speaking to someone else or reciting lines for a part in a play.

"I came down to tell you and the rest of the team to get off my back and stay out of my life!" Sven growled, though not as angrily as before. "Romelle came because she wasn't sure if I was well enough to travel yet. That is all!"

"If that was the case you would've played dead longer and not had her call to say you were alive." Keith frowned deeply. "So tell us the real reason and cut out all this bullshit."

"THAT IS ALL I KNOW!" Sven yelled as he quickly kicked the table into the air. "LEAVE ME ALONE!" Standing up, he picked up his chair and threw it over Keith and Lance's heads into the back wall. Yelling every obscenity in the book, he turned around and walked to the wall, banging it with his fists. Then he just collapsed, sliding down the wall and curling up into a ball on the floor, his head on his knees. "Leave me alone." He whispered.

Keith moved and sat on the floor by Sven. "You know that's not going to happen." He lightly ran his fingers over the side of Sven's head in a comforting gesture. "I'm not about to lose you again."

Sven didn't seem to hear Keith. He just kept mumbling to himself as he rocked back and forth. He was in his own world. Lance sighed as he walked over. "Do you want me to question Romelle?"

"Not yet…help me get Sven to his room…okay?" Keith asked quietly.

"Sure." Lance carefully helped Keith get Sven to his feet. Sven didn't seem to notice. "I asked Pidge to check out his room and remove anything that could hurt him. It should be fairly safe though someone should stay with him at all times."

"Yeah, I figured that much…there's just no way I'm locking Sven in one of the cells." Keith said sadly.

"I wouldn't either Keith." Lance smiled slightly. "Even if he does still think I'm not good enough for you."

Keith rolled his eyes. "Like you said, it's not really Sven talking."

"Who says he didn't think that before?" Lance laughed softly as they slowly walked Sven down the hall.

"True." Keith chuckled. "So I guess some things never change."

"YUP!" Lance grinned. "Don't worry. We'll get Sven back...and as overprotective as ever!"

"Yeah…no matter what it takes we will get him back."

Finally they reached Sven's room and laid him down on the bed. Keith removed Sven's black boots and covered him with a blanket. He looked at Sven for a long time, then turned to Lance. "Can you stay with him for a bit…I want to call Jeff."

"Of course." Lance quickly engulfed Keith in a gentle hug. "It's going to be okay, Tiger. You'll see."

Keith hugged Lance with his one good arm, saying nothing. He stayed motionless for a long time before breaking away from the warm embrace and leaving the room.

Lance smiled sadly as Keith left before taking a seat by Sven's bed. Sighing, he leaned back to watch his friend sleep. 'You better get better Sven...for Keith's sake. He needs you.'

***********

Keith sat on a chair in front of the vid-phone as he waited for Jeff to come take the call. He wasn't sure of what he was going to tell Jeff...he just prayed Jeff would be able to help get Sven back.

Finally Jeff's smiling face appeared. "Jeff Richards here. Oh, hi Twirp! How is everything going? I should be there in forty eight hours."

"Could you possibly be here sooner?" Keith asked.

"Why? What's wrong?" Jeff frowned slightly. Then his eyes widened. "It's Sven, isn't it? What's going on?"

"It's…it's hard to explain." Keith sighed. "I don't think talking over this thing is the best idea. I just…you need to get here soon, Jeff."

Jeff frowned. "If the way remains clear and for as long as the engines can handle full capacity, I'll be there in twenty four hours."

"Twenty four minutes would be better…things are just really bad here and I don't know what to do." Keith said quietly.

"Just do what you have been doing Keith. I'm sure you are doing fine." Jeff smiled encouragingly. "I trust you are doing the best you can."

Keith just sighed. "I hope you get here soon…maybe you can help Sven better then I can right now."

Jeff sighed. "We will soon see. Just hang in there, Twirp. I'll be seeing you soon."

"Yeah, see ya." Keith said, terminating the link. He ran his finger through his hair before standing up and heading towards Sven's room.

**********

Lance looked up from the sleeping figure as Keith walked into the room. He shook his head. "Sven's still asleep."

"Good." Keith said, looking at Sven. "Jeff said he'll try to be here in at least twenty four hours."

"Good. We are going to need all the help we can get." Lance sighed as he studied Keith's tired face. "Get some sleep, Tiger. I can watch Sven for awhile."

"I couldn't sleep right now." Keith sighed. "Even if I could I don't think I'd want to."

Lance nodded. "I understand. But you still need to get out and get some fresh air. It'll probably help."

Keith shook his head. "Right now I just want to be in here with Sven…at least when he's asleep he's my brother."

"He is always your brother." Lance reached over and pulled Keith into his lap, wrapping his arms around his captain. "He just needs help right now. But deep down I know he still loves you."

"He is not always my brother. My brother wouldn't stab me…" Keith's voice trailed off a moment and he leaned into Lance's warm embrace. "I just…don't know what to do to help him."

Lance rubbed Keith's back as he kissed his forehead. "That wasn't your brother doing the stabbing...it was that witch. Something tells me it was Sven that kept him from killing you."

"Then I'll kill her. If she's dead, she can't do anything to hurt Sven."

"Easy Tiger. Though I am all gung-ho for taking care of her, there is something more to this picture." Lance sighed as he rested his head on Keith's forehead. "Why is she using Sven? And why did she try and get rid of you?"

"All I care is that she's using Sven. I really don't give a shit about her reasons." Keith muttered.

Lance gently rocked Keith. "I know. I know. But we need to find out, just in case she is not the only one who may be controlling Sven."

"I just want my brother back…that's all I want." Keith said quietly, his voice trembling slightly as he forced back the tears that threatened to fall from his eyes.

"And we will! I promise." Lance reached up and gently caressed his captain's cheek. "Go ahead and let it out. You are going to need to be strong for Sven. So let it out now."

Keith wrapped his good arm around Lance's waist and let the tears fall freely, pulling comfort from his lover's warm embrace.

Lance pulled Keith tighter against him as he gently rocked his lover. He said nothing as Keith slowly let out all his fear, frustrations, and confusion. He sighed as he glanced over at the sleeping figure. 'You better get better Sven. Before Keith loses it!'

**********

A few moments later Keith stepped back from Lance. "Why don't you go see what you can get out of Romelle? I don't want to leave Sven alone and right now I would be too tempted to kill her if she was in the same room."

Lance frowned as he stood up. "I am not sure I want to leave you alone with Sven in his current condition..."

"It'll be okay." Keith assured Lance. "He's probably going to be asleep for a few hours anyway."

"I don't know..." Lance's frown deepened as he glanced at Sven. Finally he sighed and kissed Keith gently on the lips. "Okay, but only if you promise to contact me at even the slightest sign of trouble."

"I promise." Keith said, he returned the gentle kiss. "Just go now, I'll be okay."

"Alright." Lance paused as he opened the door. "Remember your promise..." He quickly bolted out, just missing being hit by a flying pillow.

Keith sank down on the chair next to Sven's bed, covering his brother's hand with his own. "I promise we're going to get to the bottom of all this…" His voice trailed off leaving the rest of his words unsaid as he watched his sleeping brother.

Suddenly, Sven began to toss and turn in his sleep, whimpering helplessly.

"Sh, calm down. You're having a bad dream." Keith said softly, gently stroking Sven's arm comfortingly.

Sven jerked back from Keith's touch, his eyes glazed and fearful as he stared at the other man. "Who are you? Where am I?"

"Sven it's okay…it's me Keith. You're on Arus, you're back at the Castle of Lions."

"I don't know you!" Sven jumped out of bed, keeping the bed between him and this stranger. "Just keep away!"

"Just relax, I'm not going to hurt you…nobody will hurt you, I promise." Keith stood up and slowly stepped around the bed.

Sven growled as he moved further back, sweat running down his face. "I'm warning you, mister. Keep the fuck away from me!"

"Just calm down, Sven. You need to try to get some more sleep. You're in no condition to be up like this." Keith whispered as he slowly approached Sven, his good hand out in front of him in a non-threatening gesture, showing he was unharmed.

"STAY BACK!" Sven yelled as he grabbed a chair and threw it at Keith. "LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Keith quickly sidestepped the chair. "You know I am not going to do that. I will never leave you alone…I am not losing you again."

Sven's eyes were fearful as Keith slowly walked closer. Then he rushed forward, grabbing Keith by the arm and throwing him on the bed. Growling, he pinned Keith to it. "I told you to stay away! I'm not going to let you hurt me anymore!"

Keith flinched in pain as Sven applied weight to his injured shoulder. "I have never hurt you and I never would. Just calm down…I promise I will do everything possible to help you."

"YOU LIE!" Sven growled as he pushed Keith harder into the bed. "Everyone lies in those slave pits! You are no different!"

Tears shone brightly in Keith's eyes, his shoulder was radiating pain down his arm and left side. But it wasn't his pain that caused the tears...it was Sven's anguish. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that…"

Fear, anger, and confusion swirled in Sven's eyes as he gripped Keith by the collar and practically dragged him to the bathroom. "NO YOU ARE NOT!"

"Yes I am. I would do anything to change what happened to you…I would give anything to take away your pain." Keith said as he struggled to pull away without hurting Sven.

"WHY?" Sven cried, tears running down his face as he repeatedly shoved Keith hard against the shower door. "You don't know me! WHY?"

Keith's body shuddered in pain each time his body hit the shower door. "Because I do know you! Because you are my brother!"

"You are not my brother!" Sven screamed as he pulled Keith back, only to throw him into the shower door, shattering the glass. Sven's body was shaking almost violently as he glared down at the man lying in broken glass. "YOU LIE!"

Keith's whole body was trembling in pain! He slowly lifted his head and looked at Sven. "I don't lie, not to you. If you want to kill me go ahead, as long as you remember who I am and still want to. Not because someone else wants you to, but because you want to. If killing me would end your pain, then kill me and end your suffering. I told you I would give anything to help you and that includes my life."

"Oh I want to." Sven growled as he picked up a piece of glass. He smirked as he threw it at Keith's face...only to have it cut Keith's cheek as it flew passed. Picking up another shard, Sven frowned, his eyes confused. "Don't know why I don't."

"I can't answer that for you…not right now…because I don't know if you actually want to…because I failed to protect you." Keith closed his eyes for a moment to try to hold back the tears. "You always protected me and when you needed me I couldn't do the same for you."

"I don't understand." Sven stared hard at Keith, fresh tears flowing from his eyes. He turned his attention back to the shard in his right hand, turning it over and over in his hand. Then he looked as his left wrist, mumbling quietly. "I want it all to end..."

"Then put the piece of glass down…" Keith moved to get up, groaning softly in pain. "I promise we'll work this out."

Sven didn't even acknowledge Keith's presence anymore. He just continued playing with the glass, his hands shaking. "I'm so tired...no more..."

"Sven…please put it down." Keith pleaded, his stomach clenched in panic as he watched Sven play with the piece of glass. He leaned heavily against the doorframe of the shower, trying to catch his breath after the effort it took to just get to his feet.

Sven ignored him, so focused on the shard. Just as he was about to use it, two hands grasped his wrists from behind! "SVEN DON'T!" Lance yelled as Sven struggled against him.

"LET GO! LEAVE ME ALONE!" Sven screamed as he pushed back, sending them both out of the bathroom.

Keith stumbled to the door, his eyes wide with panic, not sure what to do. All he wanted to do was put himself between his brother and his lover, but his sore body was betraying him, robbing him of the energy that action would take.

"Sven, calm down damnit!" Lance growled, struggling to remain on his feet. Between Sven's thrashing around and that damn piece of glass, Lance was having a hell of a time. "Sven, please! It's going to be okay!"

Keith slowly stepped over in front of Sven and placed his fingers over his brother's, taking hold of the glass. "Please give me the piece of glass, Sven."

Sven thrashed harder but only for a moment. Then he stopped and stared at Keith for a while before releasing the glass. Sobs broke free as he crumbled in Lance's arms.

Breathing hard, Lance carefully picked the crying man up and laid him down on the bed. Still holding tightly to Sven, he glanced up at Keith's pale face. "I think...you better...sit down." Lance panted.

Keith nodded slightly and made his way to the chair where he sat down heavily, the piece of glass still held between his fingers. His eyes never left Lance and Sven.

Lance wasn't sure how long he just sat there holding tightly to Sven before the man finally fell back to sleep. Sighing, he slowly got up and covered Sven with a blanket before walking over to Keith. Lance knelt down in front of the captain, gently removing the glass from his hand. "Are you okay?"

"No." Keith answered truthfully. "Nothing is okay and I'm starting to be afraid it never will be again."

"Sh." Lance whispered as he gently pulled Keith into his arms. "Don't give up already. This is not going to be easy, but it will get better. I promise." He smiled slightly. "Have I ever broken a promise to you?"

Keith gave a slight gasp of pain. "No…but this is different."

"The only thing different is it is going to take me longer to keep my promise. That is all. Right now I'm going to call Pidge and Hunk to come in here and take you to the medic."

"I don't know if there is a way to make things right and it's my fault…I failed to take care of him and he suffered…" Keith said quietly. "All I seem to keep doing now is hurting him…maybe I should just stay away from him…let Jeff help him…"

"That is not true Keith, and you know it!" Lance sighed before quickly calling the others. He stared deeply into Keith's eyes. "You had no control over anything that has happened to him! You haven't failed him...but if you give up on him now, then you will!"

"I can't do anything to help him…Every time I try he…only ends up hurting worse…" Keith leaned his forehead against Lance's shoulder. "And I don't know what else to do."

"All we can do is take one step at a time. Help him with every step. And be there for him the entire way."

Before Keith could say anything, Hunk and Pidge rushed into the room. "What happened?" Pidge asked, his eyes wide as he glanced in the bathroom.

Lance sighed. "Sven panicked...wasn't sure where he was. What I need is for Hunk to take Keith to the doctor while you and I clean up the mess in the bathroom before Sven wakes up."

"I don't need to see the doctor, I'll be fine." Keith protested.

"You are going to see the doctor mister!" Lance rolled his eyes. "I'll watch over Sven until Goram gives you an all clear sign."

"I'm fine." Keith frowned. "My shoulder is just a little sore is all."

Lance snorted as he folded his arms across his chest. "Hunk, please take our captain to the medical room. And no matter what he threatens, take him there!"

"Sure thing buddy." Hunk chuckled as he carefully picked up his protesting captain.

"Don't give me that look Keith." Lance smirked as his lover glared fiercely at him. "I can be just as stubborn as you...even more so!"

"Put me down, now." Keith practically growled.

"Be careful with him, Hunk. He got shoved around pretty bad." Lance's face softened. "Just relax Keith. Goram will get you fixed up in no time."

Keith tried to relax but being carried was bothering his back. "I can walk there myself, set me down."

Hunk glanced at Lance. "Go ahead Hunk." Lance nodded, ignoring Pidge's snickering. "Just don't let go of him or let him try to go anywhere else except to the doctor."

Keith visibly relaxed once he was on the ground. "Fine, let's go and get this over with."

"Good boy." Lance chuckled as Keith glared at him while Hunk helped him out the door.

Pidge shook his head. "You know, he is going to get you back for that."

"Probably." Lance laughed. "But right now he is in no condition to argue with me. So let's get that bathroom cleaned up before Keith comes storming back." Lance quickly pushed a snickering Pidge into the bathroom.

**********

"I can make it to the doctor on my own. I don't need you to take me there." Keith growled as he moved slowly down the hallway.

"Don't mean to be disrespectful Keith, but I would rather face you than an angry Lance." Hunk chuckled as he kept his arm around Keith's waist, providing strength. "He has been pissed at me once before...and it was SCARY!"

"So don't tell him and I won't tell him, he'll never know the difference."

"No can do Keith." Hunk smiled sheepishly. "You know how well I lie. Lance always knows when one of us is lying to him. I wish I knew how he does it!"

"So tell him I ordered you to leave me alone." Keith growled. "Because right now that's what I want, I want to be left alone."

"Then I will leave you alone with the doctor. It won't take him very long to look you over...if you cooperate with him."

"Well excuse me for not being in the cooperatory spirit." Keith snapped, his voice dripping with angry sarcasm.

"I don't blame you, Keith. I know this must be hard for you. But we are all here to help if you ever need it." Hunk smiled reassuringly.

"You don't know shit about what this is like for me!"

"Okay...so maybe I don't know exactly. But I can imagine what I would feel if it was Pidge in there instead of Sven. And I know I would be hurting!"

"It doesn't even begin to compare...there's a difference between it being your lover and being your brother. I know it'd be different if it were Lance and not Sven…Sven is the one person I have trusted my whole life and he's tried to kill me twice now…"

Hunk sighed as he opened the door to the med room. "You are probably right. But I am sure that at least Lance truly understands. He has both his brother and lover here."

"At least he takes care of his brother…unlike how I let Sven get hurt…and keep hurting him." Keith said quietly as he stepped into the room.

"You can't be in two places at once." Hunk said as he helped Keith onto the examining table. "And you are probably going to be the only one who can help Sven now, so don't give up."

"I can't do anything to help him… " Keith's voice trailed off and he looked down at his hands for a moment. "I don't know what to do…I think everyone was right before…."

"Right about what?" Hunk asked after asking the nurse to get Dr. Goram...again.

"About exactly what your first opinion of me was. I can't handle situations like this...I ain't strong enough."

"You are strong enough Keith. I was the one who was wrong." Hunk smiled reassuringly. However Dr. Goram interrupted any further conversation.

Goram rushed over to Keith. "What's wrong captain?"

"I fell through a shower door." Keith replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

Goram's eyes widened, but he said nothing. "Take off your shirt and let me check you over."

Keith tried to remove his shirt, but his sore shoulder ceased up with pain making the simple task impossible.

"Here, let me help." Hunk gently and slowly helped Keith remove his shirt. "We don't need to make any injuries worse."

A couple of the stitches in Keith's shoulder had let lose, and red blood was slowly staining the white bandages. The only thing that had kept it from being known sooner was that Keith's red shirt hid the blood. His shoulders had both been bruised slightly. His back looked to be in the worse shape - there were several large bruises from the repeated blows and many cuts caused by the broken glass, though most were superficial.

"I thought I told you to take it easy." Goram said as he stitched up and bandaged the wounds. "Am I going to have to keep you in here so that you get some rest?"

"I was taking it easy." Keith said firmly. "The shower door just had other plans."

Goram frowned, but said nothing as he continued cleaning Keith's back. Hunk rolled his eyes. About fifteen minutes later, the doctor was finished. He sighed as he helped Keith with his shirt. "I suppose it is pointless to tell you to go straight to bed and rest, right?"

"Very pointless." Keith replied. "I don't have time to rest right now."

Goram glared at the stubborn captain. "You don't have time for a break down either! Get some rest or you will have one! And I know you don't want to have to spend your nights in here!"

"That's not going to happen." Keith glanced at Hunk. "I kept my promise to see the doctor and you kept yours by bringing me here so now we can both leave."

Hunk sighed, throwing his hands in the air. "Alright! You win! I give up!"

Keith slid off the table, not saying anything as he headed out the door.

Hunk gave the doctor a sad smile before following Keith out the door. Goram shook his head and started to check his supplies. Something told him he was going to need them.

**********

A few minutes later Keith found himself standing outside Sven's door. He hadn't meant to come back to the room, but he couldn't stay away. A part of him was afraid to be in there with Sven, while the other part of him never wanted to leave his brother's side…and Keith hated the former part, the part of him that made him fear his own brother. After several long moments of debating, Keith opened the door and slowly stepped into the room.

Sven was still asleep, curled up into a tight ball. Lance was sitting in Keith's former chair, looking tired himself as he watched Sven sleep. He smiled as Keith entered the room. "He hasn't woken up again. What did the doctor say?"

"Not much. There was hardly any point in going." Keith replied.

"Yeah...I believe that one." Lance snorted. "Why don't you get some sleep, Keith? Please? It may help..."

"I don't think I could even sleep right now." Keith sighed as he gently sat on the edge of Sven's bed and looked at his brother. "And it wouldn't help."

"I guess you're right. But you can't stay in here all the time either. It will drive you insane if you do."

"I didn't want to come back in here…but I couldn't stay away." Keith said quietly.

Lance sighed. "I know, Tiger. This has been really hard on you. Just hang in there, okay?"

"You're wrong. You don't know… "

Lance flinched slightly. "Maybe I don't know exactly, but I have seen more than you will ever know. This is hard on me...so I know this is hard on you."

"Hard is a drastic understatement. So can the preaching. Already it's getting rather tiring." Keith said crossly.

Lance was never good at hiding his emotions, so he knew that the hurt was quite evident on his face. He still smiled slightly, ignoring it. "Sorry, but I don't know what to do either Keith. I'm just trying to help out the best I can."

Keith lifted his head and looked at Lance. "I'm sorry…I didn't mean it. You are helping. I'd be completely lost without you."

"Probably not." Lance mumbled quietly to himself before asking louder. "When is Jeff getting here again?"

"I don't know…not for quite a while yet." Keith slid off the bed and knelt on the floor in front of Lance. He took hold of his lover's hand and squeezed it gently. "I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to snap at you like that."

"I know Tiger." Lance smiled as he whispered quietly. "I know. I'm just stressed out too."

Keith shifted his position and laid his head against Lance's knee. "I'm just so afraid of losing Sven forever…it's worse then thinking he's dead…because he's here, but not here…I'm afraid that I'll only end up hurting him more and he'll be lost because of me."

"All you can do is try Tiger." Lance sighed as he gently ran his hand through Keith's hair. "And I will do everything in my power to make sure you don't lose him. I promise."

Keith didn't say anything, he just leaned as close to Lance as possible fearing what would happen the next time Sven woke up.

******************************************************************************

A low growl jerked Keith and Lance awake from their light doze. Sven was still curled into a ball, clutching the sheets in death grips. His eyes were tightly shut as he growled again. "Stop it! Stop it now! I won't do it!"

Keith lifted his head from Lance's knee and looked at Sven, blinking his eyes a couple time to adjust to the dim light in the room. He shifted his weight grimacing as both his shoulder and back complained. He sat on the edge of the bed and placed a gently hand on Sven's forehead, lightly pushing the hair away from his brother's eyes. "Sh, it's okay Sven, just relax. You're okay."

"I won't do it!" Sven yelled, not waking as he rolled away from Keith's touch. "Leave me alone!"

Lance frowned as he got up from the chair. "Be careful Keith. He may be having a flashback. No telling what he may do."

"Nobody is going to make you do anything you don't want." Keith gently rubbed Sven's back in slow circles. He thought back to a time when he was child and was plagued by nightmares that Sven always helped talk him out of. "I promise everything is going to be okay. It will all work out in the end." Then he softly sang a Swedish lullaby he could remember that Sven used to sing to him.

Sven seemed to settle down. Lance let out a sigh of relief. "Hopefully he will remain asleep until Jeff gets here."

Keith nodded in agreement but kept singing softly.

Lance smiled. Keith would make a wonderful father someday. Lance frowned slightly when he brought his attention back to the present. "I wish I knew what Romelle did and what she is trying to pull here. She was smug all while I talked to her. I didn't get shit out of her!"

"All I do know is she hurt Sven…she won't get away with it." Keith said, his eyes flashing with anger and protectiveness.

"Don't worry Tiger." Lance whispered softly. "She won't get away with it. I just wish I knew what she did so we could help Sven better!"

"At this point I'm considering beating it out of her…but with one arm basically tied behind my back I don't think I'd get too far with that." Keith chuckled humorlessly.

Lance sighed. "Perhaps you should try talking to her. You know Sven much better than me. Maybe you would know if she slipped in her story."

"I guess it couldn't hurt to try." Keith sighed. "Just...watch Sven for me okay?"

"Of course." Lance smiled as he leaned down and kissed Keith's cheek. "I'll take care of him. I promise."

Keith smiled and glanced one last time at Sven before standing up. "Thanks love."

"No problem." Lance smiled as he watched Keith leave the room. Sighing Lance sat back down in the chair, mumbling to himself. "In a way, I'm glad you are out of it Sven. It would tear you up if you saw how you were tearing Keith up inside."

**********

Keith paused before the door to Romelle's room, no longer sure if he really felt like facing her. After a moment of debate he took a deep breath and slowly released it as he stepped into the room.

Romelle was sitting near the window, calmly filing her fingernails. She glanced up as the door open, barely giving Keith any notice as she went back to her nails. "Are you here to apologize? Sven and I really need to get back to Pollux."

"Sven is not going back with you, not now not ever. And you'll be lucky if you get to go back alive." Keith growled.

Sighing as if Keith was a naive child, Romelle paused in her filing and looked at Keith. "Really captain. You are so paranoid. And you really need to work on your manners."

"So tell me why you think Sven would even want to go anywhere with you?"

"Because we are engaged!" Romelle laughed. "So naturally he would want to go with me."

"Engaged?" Keith laughed.

"Yes, engaged!" Romelle sighed in exasperation. "We met in the Pit of Skulls. After escaping, we fell in love. Why is that so hard to believe?"

"Because Sven's gay." Keith smirked.

Romelle's eyes widened, but only for a moment. She shrugged. "Well, not anymore. The Pit changes people. You weren't there, so you don't understand."

"Maybe I don't understand what the Pit of Skulls was like, but I do know Sven and that there are some things can never be changed, no matter how hard someone tries to change them."

"I really have no clue what you are talking about, captain. You make as much sense as your second in command. He is even more rough around the edges than you."

"Sven wouldn't be engaged to you, that is the biggest hole in your little scheme. And that is not just because he's gay, it's because he's already found his life partner." Keith said firmly.

"Are you really so naive in war, captain?" Romelle stared up at Keith in amazement. "As I have already said, people change. Why couldn't Sven change as well?"

"You are the one who is naïve if you think I am going to believe a single word that comes out of your mouth." Keith slowly approached her with a murderous gleam in his eyes. "I know about how people can change, and I know that even through changes the truths of the heart remain untouched."

"Oh really? And what are you going to do, keep denying the truth that is in front of your face?" Romelle rolled her eyes.

"I can see the truth, and the truth you is you did something to Sven. You harmed him and I won't let you get away with it." Keith grinned nastily. "You see I tend to be a little protective of the people I care about."

"Good luck coming up with nonexistent proof!" Romelle snorted before glaring fiercely at Keith. "Let me give you some advice, captain. I always get what I desire. When someone prevents it, I take great satisfaction in taking away his or her most precious treasure. Understand?"

"You are not going to get what you want this time, you two bit whore. You fucked with the wrong person this time." Keith growled.

"We shall see, captain. Either way, I will have the last laugh." Bored, Romelle studied her fingernails. "Now, is there anything else?"

"No, you go right ahead cleaning your nails for your funeral." Keith turned on his heels and walked out. Only once he was out of the room did the mask of positiveness and determination crack. He knew he had no further answers of how to help Sven, and he feared that time was quickly running out.

**********

Lance sighed from where he stood, staring out the window. Keith was sure taking a long time. He glanced down at Sven who was still asleep. "I hope Keith is doing all right."

Sven's eyes moved rapidly behind the closed lids. Suddenly his eyes snapped open and he rolled into a defensive position as he glared at Lance, scanning for anything that could be used as a weapon.

"Whoa there Sven!" Lance stepped back, keeping his hands where Sven could see them. "Now take it easy. No one is going to hurt you, so just go back to sleep."

"You're lying." Sven growled.

The door slid open and Keith stepped into the room. "Sven...what's wrong?" He asked, moving to approach his brother.

"Hold it Keith." Lance placed a restraining hand on Keith's shoulder. "I don't think he recognizes us."

"Don't touch him." Sven growled.

"Oookkaayy." Lance carefully pulled his hand back. "I wasn't going to hurt him, Sven. Just relax."

"You are the enemy." Sven glared at Lance.

"That's not true Sven." Keith said as he cautiously approached Sven.

"Great. His dislike for me would decide to pop up now." Lance sighed in frustration. "I guess it is grounded into him...nothing could erase it."

"He is the enemy, he's already attacked once!" Sven snapped.

"That's not true and you know it." Keith sighed. "If you think he's an enemy then what do you think I am?"

Sven stared blankly at Keith, not answering the question. Lance smiled reassuringly. "I would never hurt you or Keith...no matter how much you and I disagree."

Sven shook his head. "STOP LYING! BOTH OF YOU JUST STOP!"

"Just calm down Sven. Everything will be okay…I promise we will get to the bottom of this." Keith said softly.

"Keith's right." Lance said, moving closer to Keith. "And soon Jeff will be here to help you as well."

"Who the hell is Jeff? I don't know anyone named Jeff." Sven growled.

"He's the guy you're practically married to." Keith said.

"The only one I am practically married to is Romelle." Sven said turning a dark gaze onto Keith.

"He is starting to get better...but he still has a long way to go." Lance rubbed his eyes before staring sadly at Sven. "Jeff is someone you are very close to. He has been dying to see you again."

Sven glared at Lance. "Why don't you go crawl back under whatever rock you crawled out from, back where scum like you belong."

Keith sighed. "Don't start with that. Just go back to sleep Sven."

"Don't tell me what to do!" Sven grabbed Keith and flung him against the bed. "I don't take orders from a weakling like you!"

Growling, Lance shoved Sven away from Keith. "Throw all the shit at me you want, but leave Keith alone!"

Sven grabbed Lance and slammed him against the wall. "If you continue to be such an annoyance then you will be crushed like an annoying little fly!"

The force nearly knocked the wind out of Lance. "Am I annoying our Sven or Romelle's puppet Sven?" Lance growled as his hands wrapped around Sven's wrists, trying to pull the man's hands off of his shoulders. "Chill out!"

Keith grabbed Sven's shoulder with his good hand. "Let him go Sven."

"Don't touch me." Sven released one hand off Lance and shoved Keith backwards. Keith stumbled and fell to the floor, hitting his head on the edge of the desk. He moaned lightly as his vision swam before his eyes and darkness threatened to overtake him.

"Keith!" Lance yelled before growling at Sven. "I'm warning you Sven. I don't want to hurt you, but if you don't let me go now there is no guarantee that I won't!"

"Just both of you stop fighting." Keith mumbled as he tried to get to his feet.

Lance took deep breaths to reign in his temper. "Are you okay Keith?" He asked though he never took his eyes off of Sven.

"I'll be okay." Keith sighed. "Just let Lance go, please Sven." After a moment Sven released his hold on Lance, but he didn't step away from the brown haired man.

Lance rubbed the back of his head. Looks like this fly was going to get to be annoying for a little while longer. "Okay...that was definitely not fun!"

"Just lay back down and get some more sleep." Keith told Sven.

"Don't tell me what to do." Sven growled.

"Get some sleep." Keith said firmly. After a long moment, Sven returned to the bed and laid down.

Lance cautiously moved to stand next to Keith. "I think you might be getting through to him."

"Maybe…but not enough to help him…just barely get through to him then things get worse." Keith sighed deeply.

Lance watched as Sven's breathing finally leveled off to sleep. "But at least he is starting to be responsive. Maybe he just needs more time."

"I don't know how much more time we have…that bitch has something planned and if nobody can get through to Sven it'll be too late to stop her."

"What did you find out?" Lance asked as he carefully wrapped his arms around his captain.

"Not much. She's after something and seems to think that she always gets what she wants." Keith frowned as he leaned into the embrace.

"Then we will just have to make sure that she doesn't! At least you got her to talk." Lance chuckled softly. "She didn't even acknowledge my presence! I think she mentioned something about I wasn't worth the effort."

"I think she only talked because I shocked her with the fact that Sven's gay." Keith chuckled.

Lance grinned. "That is good to hear. It means there's a hole in her plan. The bitch hasn't won yet."

"I just don't know what else to do to help Sven…what if she is at least half right about things being different after…everything?" Keith asked quietly.

"What do you mean?"

"With everything that happened in the Pit of Skulls…it…she could be right that Sven's not the same anymore."

"Well, Sven is probably not the same...exactly." Lance hugged Keith tighter. "But to change this much? Not likely!"

"I don't know anymore." Keith said quietly.

Lance sighed as he rested his head against Keith's. "I don't either. But I'm not going to let you deal with this alone."

"That's the only thing I am sure of right now."

"I love you, Tiger. That will never change." Lance reached up and gently touched where Keith had hit the desk. "Does it hurt?"

Keith flinched slightly. "Not too much, unless you touch it."

Lance chuckled softly. "Okay, I won't. Why don't you get some ice for it? It shouldn't take very long and I seriously doubt Sven will wake up before you get back."

Keith thought about it for a moment. He glanced at Sven then back at Lance. "I guess…I'm just am not sure if I like the idea of leaving you in here alone with him."

"Don't worry, I’ll keep by the door. If he does start to pull anything, I'll just step out and lock the door. Then I will holler like a banshee." Lance smiled. "Will that work?"

"I guess." Keith smiled slightly before kissing Lance's cheek. "I won't be gone long, so hopefully he just stays asleep."

"He will. Now get going. Don't make me get Hunk to take you to the doctor again."

"Anything but that." Keith chuckled as he headed for the door. "Just take care." He told Lance before leaving the room.

Lance sighed as he leaned back against the wall, watching Sven sleep. "Even brainwashed, you are still pig headed Sven! Damn how I wish a swift kick in the head would cure you so that both you and Keith would stop hurting each other!"

******************************************************************************

For fourteen hours Keith and Lance never left Sven's room. They took turns dozing, waking up the other when Sven showed the slightest signs of waking. Fortunately, they were all false alarms. Finally, Pidge sent a call that Jeff's ship was landing in dock number four. Both Keith and Lance agreed that the captain should be the one to update Jeff on all that was happening, though Keith was still reluctant to leave Sven's side. Keith waited as patiently as possible while Jeff's ship went through the proper docking procedures. After what seemed liked an eternity, he saw a much missed face walking down the ramp.

Jeff quickly walked up and wrapped his arms around Keith. "Gods how I missed you, Twirp! How are you holding up?"

Keith wrapped his one good arm around Jeff. "To tell the truth, I'm not."

"Tell your brother-in-law what is going on. Don't try to skip or sugar coat anything!" Jeff said grimly.

"Basically that little bitch Romelle brainwashed him, we still don't know why but she did."

"Great." Jeff mumbled as he looked Keith over. "Sven did all that, didn't he?"

"Yeah…he did." Keith said quietly.

Jeff closed his eyes for a moment. "It must be bad for him to do that. He would freak out if you came home with the snuffles!"

"I know…I just keep hoping that he really doesn't know about this…the real Sven I mean. I don't want him to be hurting because of this because it's not his fault." Keith sighed deeply. "I mean if when he's in this state he don't even know who you are…maybe that means his real mind don't know about this…right?"

"Um...when was the last time you slept? You are talking in run-on sentences."

"I got a little bit of sleep off and on over the past day. Can't exactly sleep much right now."

"That bad then." Jeff sighed. "Well, one of the members of my team worked with brainwashed victims. If I remember correctly, Ginger said sometimes suppressed memories can be awaken by being around elements of the victim's past. Has Sven done anything to suggest that he might be remembering something?"

"At times I guess…I mean he hasn't killed me yet so I guess that's a good sign."

Jeff smiled slightly. "That is a very good sign! Anything else?"

"Just brief passing moments…that always seem to make things worse."

"It just means he's fighting it...I think." Jeff smiled sadly at Keith. "He doesn't remember me, does he?"

Keith shook his head. "I'm afraid not…which might be good. At least that way Romelle couldn't turn his mind against you…."

"Maybe I will be able to get past the defenses she may have placed in him. I don't know." Jeff shook his head. "This is out of my field, Keith. I don't know what to do anymore than you do."

"You might be able to help him more then I can…all I end up doing is hurting him…" Keith said quietly.

Jeff wrapped an arm around Keith's shoulders. "You are doing everything you can. You're probably helping him more than you realize."

"It's not enough. He's hurting and I only keep adding to the hurt. Maybe the truth is he does blame me for…for the fact he suffered so long in the Pit of Skulls."

"Keith McLane, that is a bunch of shit and you know it!" Jeff glared at Keith. "He hardly blames you for anything! He doesn't even blame you for falling in love with Lance. He blames fly boy for that one!"

"He should blame me. I didn't save him…if it was the other way around he'd saved me…"

"You did all you fucking could, Keith! Sven couldn't have done any better! So stop blaming yourself for something you have no control over! You will never be able to help Sven if you keep doing that!"

"I CAN'T HELP HIM ANYWAY!"

Jeff jerked Keith into his arms, holding him tightly and talking soothingly to him. "But you are, kitten. You are."

"No, I'm not...I just keep hurting him and…and….I can't handle this."

"You're doing fine, kitten." Jeff whispered as he slowly rocked Keith. "I know this must have been hell, but to be frank I wouldn't want anyone else helping me to get Sven back."

"Me neither." Keith mumbled.

"We'll get him back, Keith." Jeff laughed slightly. "Do you really think I would give up that pig headed asshole without a fight?"

Keith chuckled slightly. "Hey, don't call my brother names. He's not a pig."

"Well then, what would you call him?"

"I don't know…."

"Chicken!" Jeff smiled. "Never mind. Where is your stubborn other half?"

"He's with Sven. We've been taking turns watching him and trying to sleep while Sven sleeps. It's been about fourteen hours since he was last awake."

"They're in the same room and they haven't killed each other yet? Scary." Jeff playfully rubbed Keith's head. "How about you show me to my room? You can tell me everything that has happened that way I'll have an idea what to expect when I go see Sven."

"Actually Sven's more apt to kill me then he is to kill Lance." Keith said as he led Jeff toward an empty room that was near Sven's room.

"Just remember that our Sven would not!" Jeff frowned as he followed Keith. "Never forget that."

"I know that." Keith sighed. "I just hope we can get the real Sven back before it's too late."

"We will if I have any say in the matter." Jeff growled. "Sven is mine and I refuse to share him with some princess bitch!"

"He loves you, not her. There's no competition who he wants to be with." Keith smiled.

"He better if he knows what's good for him." Jeff snorted as he followed Keith into the room. He shook his head and smiled at his accommodations. "Nice. This sure beats my room back at the base."

"You even got your own washroom." Keith motioned at the door to the right.

"That is good to know. It's going to be strange to have privacy for a change. Someone was always barging in my room at strange hours!" Jeff laughed. "So, is this the guest room or am I pushing someone out?"

"It is a guest room now." Keith smiled slightly. "Lance hasn't used it in a long time."

Jeff smirked. "Oh? And where is Lance staying now?"

"With me of course." Keith smiled.

"And how, pray tell, did Sven handle that little arrangement?"

"He doesn't know. Lance moved into the room with me after we lost Sven." Keith said in a less cheerful voice then before.

"I see. Well, when we get him back, warn me before you tell him. I don't want to be on this planet when he finds out!" Jeff smiled.

"I'll be sure to do that." Keith grinned slightly.

Suddenly, Pidge burst into the room. "KEITH!" He screeched to a halt when he saw Jeff. "Oh...hi Jeff."

"Is there a problem?" Keith asked worriedly.

"You could say that." Pidge gasped out. "The guard in front of Romelle's room is knocked out! And that witch of a princess is missing!"

"How the hell did the guard get knocked out? Her room was locked from the outside." Keith frowned.

"How the hell am I suppose to know!" Pidge rolled his eyes. "How about we find her so you can ask her yourself!"

"Is Lance still with Sven?" Keith asked.

"I'm sure he is. I'm going to tell him too, but heard your voice first." Pidge said.

Jeff frowned. "Probably wouldn't hurt to have a few extra eyes on Sven."

Keith nodded. "She'll probably make some move to come after Sven now that she's free." Keith ran out the door and down the hall to Sven's room. Jeff and Pidge were close behind.

**********

Sven's room was in complete disarray! Books were scattered all over the place. Chairs were lying on their sides and a few shelves were broken. Lance was on the floor, unconscious. Sven was nowhere to be seen.

Keith rushed though the clutter and carefully rolled Lance onto his back. His heart pounded with fear and worry as he saw a small trickle of blood on the man's left temple. "Damn…already too late."

Jeff and Pidge burst into the room. Pidge rushed over to Keith and his brother. "Is he alright?" Pidge asked worriedly while Jeff placed a hand on Keith's shoulder.

"He took a nasty bump to the head…but Lance has a thick skull so he should be okay…it doesn't appear to be serious…" Keith said softly. "As long as he wakes up soon."

Pidge carefully pulled Lance into his arms. "You two go look for Sven and that bitch. I'll take care of Lance."

"You better wake up soon." Keith sighed and kissed Lance's forehead before standing up. "The best thing to do is to split up and look for Romelle and Sven." He glanced at Pidge. "As soon as Lance wakes up contact me."

"I will." Pidge smiled reassuringly. "Take Hunk with you. Jeff is not too familiar with this area and it probably would be better to have Hunk with Jeff."

Keith nodded. "Let's get to it."

**********

Keith and Jeff found Hunk and told him what was going on. As Jeff and Hunk searched the ruins of an old village to the east of the castle where there was a lot of places that people could hide, Keith searched the caves that lined the river.

After a while, the Keith noticed a glimmer of light coming from near the top of the waterfall, like the sun reflecting off something made of metal. He carefully climbed the slippery rocky path to the top of the waterfall. The river rushed towards the long drop, flowing quickly over jagged rocks. The ground was wet, and moss covered the rocks in the area around the waterfall drop-off. Keith saw Romelle and Sven standing a few feet from the edge.

"Your little outing is over." Keith said firmly.

Romelle turned and smiled sweetly at the Voltron captain. "What do you mean? We only just got here."

"Your little stunt just cost you some time in cell." Keith said, slowing approaching Romelle and Sven. He was a few feet away when Sven pulled out a gun and aimed it at him. "Put the gun down, Sven."

"Then I suggest you back away." Sven growled, though the hand holding the gun was shaking.

"My fiancé is a little protective of me." Romelle smiled as she shook her head. "I told you I always get what I want. This is only the first part."

Keith shot a chilling glare at Romelle before turning his attention back to Sven. "I am not going to back away and you know it."

"Back off." Sven snapped.

"Not going to happen. I made a promise and I always keep my promises."

"I'm warning you, captain. Don't interfere with my plans or you will pay the price." Romelle glared at Keith. "I have spent too long planning this entire show to allow you to mess it up!"

"Whatever your fucked up plan is all about you won't get away with it." Keith snapped. "Just put the gun down Sven. We both know you aren't about to shoot me."

The gun started to slip through Sven's fingers, but Romelle rushed and grabbed the gun, firing a shot at Keith. Keith dove to avoid the blast and landed hard on his injured shoulder. The captain groaned lightly at the pain that radiated through his body.

"I could kill you now, and nobody would ever suspect me. After all, I'm not the one who has been making attempts on your life." Romelle grinned as she aimed the gun at Keith.

"You won't get away with this you bitch." Keith growled as he drew his own gun and aimed it Romelle.

"Stop it!" Sven yelled as he jerked Romelle's arm up, the shot firing wildly and hitting a tree.

Romelle growled as she tried to jerk her arm free. "Let go of me! You have a job to do! Do it now!"

Keith slowly got his feet, his gun still aimed at Romelle. "You don't have to listen to her, Sven. She can't control you if you don't allow her to."

"Do your job! He'll kill us both if you don't!" Romelle yelled.

"STOP LYING TO HIM!" Keith screamed, firing a shot off over the princess's head. The shot appeared to be a mistake as Sven charged towards Keith and fought for possession of the gun.

"Mind your own business!" Sven growled as he tried for Keith's gun, though keeping himself between Keith and Romelle and preventing her from taking another shot at the captain. "Get out of here now!"

"This is my business." Keith said firmly. His injured shoulder and the injures to his back left him at a disadvantage, but he was determined not to give up! "You have to fight this Sven…you can't let her ruin your life."

"Get out of the way Sven!" Romelle yelled. "Or I swear I will shoot you both!"

Keith froze, his hold on the gun loosening at the sound of her threat. Sven growled lowly at Keith, still standing in the way. "Get out of here! This is personal!"

"I'm not leaving...maybe you should move before she shoots you." Keith took an unconscious step backwards towards the edge of the waterfall.

Romelle laughed. "Perhaps I should kill you both anyway. He's no good to me. I figured he would have at least killed your lover, but he just knocked him out. With you two out of the way and the others searching for both of you, nothing will stand in my way!" She smirked slightly. "Well, except maybe that trash of yours captain, but I seriously doubt he's in any condition right now to stop me. So he will be easy to exterminate."

"YOU BITCH!" Keith tightened his grip on the gun and fired a shot at her.

He never had the chance to see if he met his mark as Sven lunged for the gun again and they both fell off the edge of the waterfall into the river below. The current swept them along the river before eventually tossing them both ashore.

Sven slowly sat up, coughing. He wasn't sure how exactly, but being tossed around in the river seemed to clear his head up. He paled when he saw Keith lying motionlessly nearby. "Keith..." Sven said hoarsely as he crawled over to his brother. He gently tapped the side of Keith's face. "Come on Keith. Please be okay."

Keith moaned slightly and his eyes moved behind the closed lids, but other then that he showed no signs of waking. The long fall and the rough water had aggravated his injures, and the stitches in his shoulder had let lose allowing the cut to bleed again.

"I'm so sorry." Sven mumbled as he tore off a part of his shirt and wrapped it around Keith's shoulder. Exhausted, he collapsed next to him. "I'm sorry."

Keith shivered and mumbled something inaudible, but nothing more. Sven weakly pulled Keith into his arms, praying that his own heat would keep his brother warm. He lightly kissed Keith's forehead. "Don't worry, I have you. I promise to make it up to you."

"This dream is nice." Keith mumbled as he shifted closer to the warmth.

Sven chuckled softly as he held Keith closer. "Yeah. Just hope the nightmare is finally over. And that help gets here soon."

Keith made a soft sound of agreement. "Don't care...as long as I got my brother back."

"You have him back." Sven whispered as exhaustion started to claim him completely. "You have him."

"Good." Keith mumbled before darkness laid claim to his mind and body, and he went limp against Sven.

"I love you, little brother." Sven whispered, trying to fight the darkness attacking his senses. In the distance he could dimly make out someone yelling and soon saw a human shape burst through the forest. Smiling, Sven relaxed and let sleep take over, knowing Keith would be taken care of.

******************************************************************************

Keith groggily opened his eyes, shutting them again as the brightness of the light hit them. "Just take it easy, Tiger. Everything is going to be okay." A soothing voice flowed through Keith's mind as a hand tenderly ran through his hair.

Keith opened his eyes again and smiled at Lance. "How are you feeling?"

"Hey, that's my line." Lance laughed softly, lightly fingering the bandage wrapped around his head. "Got a killer headache, but I'm fine. You?"

"Feeling a little stiff and sore." Keith sighed. "Is Sven okay? The last thing I remember is going off the edge of the waterfall…"

"He'll be fine. Don't worry." Lance smiled as he gently brushed the hair away from Keith's eyes. "He is sleeping right now. Jeff is with him."

"I want to see him."

Lance sighed. "Promise you won't strain yourself, and I think I can sneak you in there without Goram finding out."

"I promise."

"Okay." Lance wrapped a blanket around Keith before carefully picking him up. "Am I hurting you?"

"Not at all." Keith leaned against Lance. "In fact it feels kinda nice."

"You can be such a flirt at times." Lance chuckled softly as he kissed Keith's forehead. He then glanced out the door, making sure all was clear before stepping out and heading to Sven's room.

"Is he really okay?" Keith asked worriedly.

"See for yourself." Lance whispered as he somehow managed to punch in the code without dropping Keith. Sven was sound asleep, Jeff sitting next to him in a chair. Jeff glanced up and smiled at Keith and Lance, though he never let go of Sven's hand. "How are you feeling, Keith?" Jeff asked quietly.

"Been better, been worse." Keith smiled slightly. Lance set him down on a chair that was at the other side of the bed and Keith picked up Sven's other hand. "Right now I'm more worried about Sven then I am about any of my own injuries."

Jeff nodded slightly as he stared at Sven's face. "Goram says physically Sven will be alright. Though emotionally, he may have a way to go." He smiled reassuringly at Keith. "But Sven is a fighter. He'll recover and will be annoying you in no time."

"I hope so." Keith said squeezing Sven's hand. "I've missed him so much…and am going to do everything in my power to be sure that he gets better as soon as possible…" He smiled at Jeff. "So then the two of you can finally get married."

Jeff coughed at that one...Lance just smirked. "Now don't get carried away Keith." Jeff cleared his throat, though his face was still red. "It may be awhile before we even consider that step!"

Keith laughed. "You two have been practically engaged for years, so throw on a ring and make it legal."

Lance had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing at the way Jeff was squirming in his chair. Shaking his head, Lance gently rubbed Keith's neck. "I'll stand outside and make sure no one bothers the three of you."

"Just stay here. You're a part of all this now, don't forget."

"I know." Lance squatted down so that he could see Keith eye to eye. "But when Sven wakes up, he's going to feel bad about what he did to you. And I think he may feel more comfortable dealing with it with just you and Jeff here."

"Maybe… " Keith frowned slightly. "I guess you're probably right. Even though I'd feel better with you here, who knows how Sven will feel about it."

"I'll just be outside the door." Lance smiled as he gently caressed Keith's cheek. "Besides, you need your brother right now, not me. And he needs you."

Keith turned his head and lightly kissed Lance's fingers. "I'll always need you too, just remember that."

"Just like I need you. But right now you need the comfort that only your brother can provide." Lance kissed Keith's forehead before standing up. "Besides, I really don't want to be here when he finds out that we share a room now."

"I think I'll wait a bit before telling him that…just wait and see how he is before…." Keith's voice trailed off for a moment. "Hopefully he wakes up soon."

"Don't worry, he will. He's too stubborn." Halfway out the door, Lance paused and winked at Jeff. "Oh, and that was good advice you gave Keith awhile back. He's damn good!" Smirking at Keith's red face, Lance quickly fled the room.

Jeff burst out laughing. "I see...do I really want to know?"

"No you don't want to know." Keith blushed even more.

"Uh-huh. I'm sure." Jeff smirked. "Well, don't tell Sven you got it from me. He would have kittens, puppies, and gods know what else!"

"I'm not crazy enough to tell him. Besides that was a few years back now."

"Not tell me what?" Sven mumbled sleepily as he tried to wake up fully.

"You're awake." Keith said happily as he squeezed Sven's hand.

"Kinda hard to sleep with you two laughing so loud." Sven smiled slightly though his eyes were sad. "I...I'm so sorry Keith. I...I didn't mean it..."

"It's okay. It's not your fault." Keith said firmly.

"Yes it is. I wasn't strong enough." Sven mumbled before turning to Jeff. "I'm sorry, Jeff. I'm surprised both of you are still here."

"We both care too much about you to be any place other then here." Jeff smiled as he squeezed his lover's hand.

"I don't blame you for anything that happened. The only one I blame is that damn bitch." Keith said, giving Sven's hand a reassuring squeeze. "I'm sorry I couldn't do more to help you."

"Just having you here...both of you...is more than enough." Sven smiled. "But whatever happened to Romelle?"

Jeff growled slightly, unconsciously tightening his grip on Sven's hand. "The bitch got away! No one could find her. However, Allura put out an alert so the Alliance is on the look out for her."

"If she ever shows her face around here again I will kill her." Keith growled.

"Not if I beat you to it!" Jeff glared at Keith.

Sven smiled slightly before looking worried. "Lance...is he okay?"

Keith smiled at Sven's concern. "He's fine. He's just outside the door making sure nobody disturbs us."

Sven sighed in relief. "Good. When you said about not telling me something, I thought that might have been it." He paused as Jeff and Keith suddenly turned red. "Or is it something else about him that you weren't going to tell me?"

"Umm…" Keith's blush darkened.

"We'll talk about it later." Jeff blurted out hastily. "Right now you probably need to rest more. That and the three of us have lots of catching up to do."

"Yeah, we have more important things to talk about." Keith leaned forward and hugged Sven. "Things like how good it is to have you back."

"It's great to be back." Sven mumbled sleepily as he hugged Keith tightly. "It's great to be back."

**********

Lance smiled as he watched the family reunion. He purposely made sure the door didn't slide all the way shut...though all three of them would definitely kill him if they ever found out! Shutting the door quietly, Lance leaned back against the wall. Everything was going to be okay now. He glanced up to see Allura coming toward him. "Hi Ally."

"Hello Lance. I'm surprised to see you here. I figured you'd be with Keith after not finding him in his room." Allura smiled.

"Oh I am. Keith is with Sven and Jeff right now. Figured they needed some private time." Lance smiled. "You probably shouldn't disturb them right now."

"Oh. Well even though I never really did get a chance to know Sven, it's nice to have him back."

"That it is, Allura." Lance frowned slightly as Allura played with her dress. "Is something wrong? If you are worried about no longer being able to fly Blue Lion, don't. We'll be able to work something out."

Allura nodded, though she looked very relieved. "I'm sure Keith will have no problem working something out. Well I hope everyone is okay."

"I think everything will be just fine." Lance smiled reassuringly. "So don't you worry your pretty little head. I'd be more worried about how to convince Coran and Nanny to continue letting you fly!"

Allura chuckled. "True. Well I'm going to talk to them and make sure they don't try to keep me grounded."

"I believe you can do it, Ally." Lance chuckled before waving his hands frantically as Hunk and Pidge rushed up. "Whoa there fellows! Everything is okay!"

"Why don't you tell us?" Hunk snapped. "How's Sven?"

"And Keith?" Pidge added.

"Both are okay. Right now Keith and Jeff are talking with Sven." Lance smiled sadly. "Sven has some...issues...that he needs to deal with right now. So it might be better that we leave them alone for a while."

"Yeah…I think you're right. I can't even imagine how hard it must be for him to try to deal with everything that happened." Hunk smiled sadly.

Lance sighed. He knew what it was like to unintentionally hurt the ones you care about. Sven definitely would need some time alone with Keith and Jeff. "Don't worry guys. I'm sure he wants to see all of you too." Lance smirked slightly. "Though...since Keith and Sven are busy right now, it looks like I'm in charge. Think y'all can handle it?"

"I worry more about you being in charge then I do about Sven not getting better." Hunk smirked.

"Yeah, we know Sven's made of pretty tough stuff and with Keith and Jeff with him right now he'll be fine. Though with you in charge…none of us may survive." Pidge snickered.

"Hey now. Watch your mouth." Lance grinned evilly. "I suggest you two apologize or I won't order you to go and have fun together."

"Apologize? To you?" Pidge laughed.

"Now, Pidge. If he wants an apology we should give him one." Hunk said seriously.

"We should?" Pidge asked looking confused.

Hunk nodded. "We should." He turned to Lance, with a serious expression still on his face. "We're sorry we spoke the truth about being afraid of you being in charge." Hunk said it in such a serious tone that Pidge couldn't help but start laughing.

Lance glared darkly at Hunk, but he was grinning. "Well you should be afraid. VERY afraid! But I'm going to be nice and order you two to get out of my sight. Go find a nice dark corner in the gardens." Lance winked. "Don't do anything that I wouldn't do."

"That's an order I don't mind obeying." Hunk smirked.

"Me either." Pidge laughed.

"If you talk to Sven before us, tell him that we're thinking of him." Hunk told Lance. Pidge nodded in agreement.

"I will. Now get lost before I change my mind." Lance chuckled as Pidge and Hunk disappeared, leaving only a dust cloud behind. Then he smiled at Allura. "I noticed that Coran is really busy with paperwork today and Nanny is still trying to clean up Romelle's room. This would be a perfect time for you to sneak in some martial arts practice. Since no one will be practicing in the gym today, I don't think anyone will look for you there."

"Thanks Lance!" Allura quickly turned and walked off, knowing she would need a lot of practice to prove herself if she hoped to stay on the team. She still had aspirations of one day having command over the Voltron Force and flying the Black Lion.

Lance smiled as he watched Allura walk off before moving to sit in a chair. His head was still throbbing, but he didn't want to lie down yet. He told Keith he would be outside if the captain needed him, and Lance meant it. He would wait outside no matter how long it took.

**********

It was a little more than fifteen minutes later when Jeff stepped out of the room. "How are you holding up?" He asked Lance.

Lance smiled. "Probably better than you and Keith. How's it going in there?"

"Sven was awake for a while but he fell back to sleep a couple minutes ago. Keith refuses to leave the room, of course, so I came out here to check on you and see about finding something to eat. I know I could use something and even though Keith said he isn't hungry I know he needs it." Jeff chuckled.

"He hasn't been eating very much since all this shit happened, so he definitely needs it." Lance sighed and rubbed his eyes. "But I'd probably be the same way if Pidge was the one in that bed."

"You should think about trying to get some sleep. You look like you need it and there really isn't anything you can do right now." Jeff frowned slightly.

"I'll be fine. This chair isn't that uncomfortable." Lance chuckled. "Though you probably better get the food. I might accidentally make him a peanut butter and pickle sandwich."

"Sounds like a real delicacy." Jeff chuckled. "Though I still say you should get some sleep. It's really the best thing you can do right now, both for yourself and for Keith. Not to lecture you or anything but the last thing he needs right now is for a second person he cares about to be in bad shape."

Lance yawned and rubbed the bandage around his head. "I do have a lovely headache. But I told Keith I would wait for him out here. I'll be fine."

Jeff sighed. "Fine. I'll get you something for your headache too." He said before starting to walk off down the hallway.

"Thanks Jeff." Lance smiled, watching Jeff leave. He was grateful that Jeff didn't really try to force him to leave. Sometimes that man could be scarier then Keith and Sven combined!

**********

Keith sat quietly beside the bed watching his brother sleep, his hand laid gently over Sven's. He knew there was still a long rough road ahead of them, but he figured that that the worst of it was now behind them.

Several minutes passed before Sven stirred once again. He slowly opened his eyes and smiled when he saw Keith. "What're you still doing here? You need to rest. You look like shit."

"Well at least I don't look like you." Keith retorted with a grin.

"I don't doubt it." Sven chuckled softly. "I know I must look like hell. Feel like it too."

"That's because you need at least twenty-four hours of good solid sleep."

"Like you don't. I put you through hell and back. Go to bed."

"No, you didn't. None of it's your fault, so don't go blaming yourself." Keith smiled gently at Sven and squeezed his hand. "Because I sure don't blame you, nor does anyone else."

Sven sighed and closed his eyes. "I know. Thank you. But it is going to be awhile before I forgive myself. You know that."

"I know." Keith said quietly. "I keep thinking of all the things I could've done differently to avoid some of the things that happened over the past couple of days…but I have really started to realize there's no reason to dwell on all those should'ves and could'ves. I'm just grateful that everything turned out for the best."

"Why does that sound so familiar?" Sven chuckled.

Keith chuckled. "Kinda sounds like a speech I've heard a few times in the past…I guess I'm just starting to see how true it is."

Sven grinned. "Well if it is good enough for you, then I guess it would be good enough for me, huh?"

Keith smiled. "You got that right." His eyes were bright with unshed tears of happiness as this relaxed moment allowed the full reality of Sven's return to sink in. "I'm so glad that you're back."

"Me too. I missed you. You and Jeff were the only things that kept me going." Sven whispered softly as he squeezed Keith's hand. "You two helped me to keep my sanity and hope alive."

"Like you were ever sane." Keith couldn't help but tease.

"Watch it shorty. I've got more sense then you. And I definitely have more sense than Lance!" Sven smirked.

Keith chuckled. "Well that certainly isn't saying much."

Sven laughed. It was a beautiful sound to Keith. Once he regained some control, his face became serious. "I'll be fine, Keith. You don't need to worry. With you and Jeff with me, I'll be able to deal with this. You need to get some rest now."

"I know you'll be fine. You're made of some pretty strong stuff after all." Keith smiled. "Though, for now I just want to stay in here with you."

Sven sighed. "Okay. But promise me you'll get some rest soon."

"I promise." Keith assured Sven. "This chair really isn't all that uncomfortable so I'll probably fall asleep here."

Sven snorted but knew that look in Keith's eyes. "You're so stubborn."

"I am not stubborn just…very persistent when I need to be." Keith smiled.

"That is just another word for stubborn." Sven chuckled.

"What can I say, I learned it from you."

Sven blinked and was silent for a moment. Then he sighed and closed his eyes. "Damn. You're right. Crap."

Keith smiled brightly. Talking to Sven like this was one of the things he had missed most, and after everything that happened he was glad that they were still able to joke around like this.

Opening his eyes, Sven smiled and shifting over in the bed, motioning Keith to climb in. "Get in brat. I'm tired and I know you need some sleep too."

Keith chuckled and climbed into the bed, laying down next to Sven and smiling at his big brother. A great weight felt like it had lifted off of him now that his brother was 'truly' home, and he planned on doing everything in his power to be sure that he never lost him again. "It's good to have you back."

"It's great to be back to this crazy crew." Sven chuckled softly, wrapping his arms around his brother before closing his eyes. "I missed all of you...even Lance believe it or not."

"I believe it. After all you two or so much more alike then you'll admit. "Keith chuckled. He could sleep peacefully now knowing that Sven would be okay.

"Oh shut up and go to sleep." Sven mumbled softly before falling asleep. He was never going to admit to that.

Keith smiled and closed his eyes. He knew the old say was true and that time would heal all of their wounds. And he could sleep peacefully now knowing that Sven would be okay. It would take time, and it may not always be easy, but they would all be okay.

Lance smiled as he opened the door to check on the two men, both sound asleep. He grabbed a spare blanket and carefully wrapped it around the two men, pausing to lightly kiss Keith's forehead. "Everything is going to be fine, Tiger. Love you." Lance whispered, tucking Keith in before moving back for the door. Probably would be a good idea to get some sleep himself...the last thing he wanted was Jeff getting on to him! Chuckling softly, Lance quietly left.

owari ^_~