Lance sauntered down the hallway, smirking as he remembered the arguement he'd just had with Nanny.  It was so easy to make her angry that he couldn't resist.  So when he crashed into the scurring person who came rushing around the corner he was taken by surprize and as a result was knocked flat on his back.
    "Geez, why don't you...."  Lance's voice trailed off as he looked into Keith's angry face.  Lance wasn't afraid of anything but seeing Keith angry was such a rare thing that a small chill ran up his spine.
    "Why aren't you working on those new moves with your Lion?  What if Zarkon and Lotor show up?  We won't be able to do any of the new manuevers because you aren't ready!"  Keith barked, unlike Lance he had remained standing after their collision.
    "I was just.... "  He tried to explain but Keith cut him off.
    "I don't want to hear your idiotic excusses.  Just get out of my sight."  Keith yelled, waving his hand in dismissal.
    Lance's anger bubbled up inside him and he began clenching and unclenching his fists as he looked up at his Commander.  Biting down on his tongue he managed to get out a 'yes sir' as he got up and brushed himself off.  Then at a fast pace, just enought to please Keith and just slow enough to make it evident he wasn't please, made his way to the control room where he jumped into his elevator and grabbed the T-bar as he swung down to his pod and zoomed to the Red Lion.
    Inside the Lion he grumbled as he put in his key and punched in the launch code.  As he imerged from beneath the lava in the volcano he did a couple of wild tricks, trying to cool his temper off and then made his way back to the Castle of Lions.
    When he got there he noticed that all of the other Lions were practicing.
    "About time you got here Lance!"  Keith commented saracastically as his face appeared on the Red Lion's screen.
    "Never fear, Keith, Lance is here."  Lance said smirking.
    Immediately Keith's smile turned into a sneer.  "Shut-up and get to work, Lance.  I don't want any of your goofing around."
    Then his screen went back to the terrain view.
    "No fooling around, huh?  Well we'll see about that, won't we?"  Lance mumbled to himself as he joined the formation.  He didn't stay long in the 'V' formation before he opened a private communications link with the Black Lion.  "If you can catch me than maybe I'll consider not goofing off anymore."
    Keith's brow wrinkled in anger.  "Do that and I'll ground you."
    Staring at Keith's hard, determined face Lance did something he never did, he gave in.  "Fine, sir.  No goofing off."  His voice was steady and calm without any sign of insubordination.
    For the entire practice he was polite and courteous and didn't pull even one hot shot move.  When he got back to the castle for supper he sat at the table not craking a joke or a smile.  About half-way through the meal Keith slammed his fists down.  "Damn' it Lance, quite acting like a spoiled child.  I only did what I did in order to get some real work done."
    "No offense taken, sir."  Lance replied.  His voice normal but with a formal respect that was unusual for him.
    "Look, Lance, sut it out."  Allura said, trying to resolve the situation.
    Lance's eyes hardened.  "If the Commander wants a responsible, no nonsense pilot than he's got himself one."
    "I was just having a bad day and because you were available I took it out on you.  I'm dorry, okay.  Now will you stop it."
    Lance stood and he lowered his voice to a dangerous level.  "This is war Keith, get used to it.  You went too far threatening to ground me.  No one can get away with that, not even you."  Then abruptly he turned on his heel and stormed out of the room leaving the other pilots to stare after him, mouths agap.
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    Keith couldn't believe what he'd seen.  Lance was difficult at times and hard to control.  He, in fact, was one of the few Lance would even try to listen to.
    In the back of his mind he faintly remembered that Lance had been grounded once but why and what had happened, he wasn't sure.  Now though, he was determined to find out why.  Excusing himself he stood and went to the control center to use the computer.
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    About an hour later, Keith hurried to Lance's room and entered without knocking.  Lance was laying on his bed, hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling.  Keith let the door slam shut, "I want to know, your story, of what happened that day Commander Sanders grounded you."
    Lance remained silent.
    "Why did he ground you Lance?"
    Silence.
    "That day there was a battle, your squadran went out to fight Drules.  What happened to them?"  Keith asked, teeth grinding together in frustration at another wall of silence.
    Then slowly in a quiet, monotone voice Lance began to talk and Keith saw a tear drop from the corner of his eye.  "They died.  All of them."
    "There's more to it, isn't there?"
    Lance nodded slowly, eyes still fixed on the cieling he found so fasinating.  "Both the Commander and I knew that if I hadn't been grounded they would have come back alive."
    "Oh?"
    "I know it makes me sound full of myself Keith but it's just a fact.  To the Drule I was a distraction with my wild tricks.  It was like a game for them to see which one could get the 'best' pilot.  My antics made me look like the best and it gave the others some room to work with."
    "So you feel responsible for what happened and that's why you were trying so hard to do what you thought I wanted after I threatened you."
    Silence.
    "It wasn't your fault."
    Silence.
    Keith sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair.  "If it makes a difference, I never would have grounded you.  Despite your tricks, I kind of like them actually, your too good a pilot to ground.  And, yah, we need you.  Though I wouldn't admit that in a court of law."
    Silence.
    Keith turned to leave.
    "I'll never let you down, Keith."
    "I know Lance.  I trust you with my life after all."  Then he left.