#'oh right of course must have gotten caught up in reviewing case files my mistake'

[chiyana]

Jon: Damian, I have a suggestion that you're going to hate, but I need you to bear with me and seriously consider it Damian: very well Jon: *takes a deep breath* I think we should go on an adventure with our brothers (Kon and Tim) instead of our dads Damian: *visibly vibrating with anger* *deep inhale* ...eXpLaIn Jon: our dads are constantly talking about responsibility and the importance of a well-balanced SuperBat partnership, working together as a single unit and approaching things seriously Damian: they are respected heroes, above reproach in their conduct and two of the three main founders of the Justice League Damian: meanwhile our "brothers", as you say, have a public history of being reckless and idiotic when teamed up together and are regularly involved in inane, useless shenanigans Jon: they would let us ride laser dinosaurs into battle without question Damian: they- Damian: -later- Damian: father Jon and I are going on an adventure with Drake and his clone boy

[rosieclark]

51 and 66 with Plance 😏

So sorry its so late! hope you enjoy your angst! 

Accidentally married/its not you its my enemies 

“Remember you mission Lance.” Lotor was examining his fingernails. “That girl, Katie, is nothing but a pesky side effect. Do you even remember your objective?” 

Lance nodded numbly. “Infiltrate the Holt residence and destroy all potential evidence of one Matt and Sam, while deterring anyone interested from investigating their case.” 

“Correct. Now explain to me how you somehow managed to get married to the Holt girl in the process?” 

“Its--” Lance signed. “It’s a long story.” 

“I see,” Lotor mused. “Well it has come to my attention that your little wife has organized a hearing with the Supreme Princess Allura today to have the tragic accidents of her family relooked at. Is this true?” 

Lance nodded again, his throat dry. What could he say?

“Interesting. You know Lance, the Agency doesn’t take kindly to mistakes. Surely you’ve heard the story of Agent Shirogane?” 

Of course he had. What first year recruit hadn’t heard the story? Shiro had gone rogue, defying the Agency and breaking protocol. The next thing anyone knew, he was back, missing one arm, and assigned to trash missions. Lotor must have noticed a change in his face because he smiled. 

“Good. I’ll tell you what Lance. We’ll give you a second chance, a do over if you will. All we ask in return is in court, you testify against your wife, and then later dissuade her from ever investigating her family again. Make sure she never wants to see you ever again.” 

Lance felt like a hand was crushing his heart. Sure, at first Katie had just been a mission, but now she was so much more. She was smart, and passionate, and kind and funny and witty, and… well, the list could go on and on. And on top of all that, Lance was pretty sure her theories about the Agency were correct; that they were kidnapping and using their top agents for ulterior motives, motives the New Altea Regency had no idea about. 

He had to say something, but what? Lance cleared his throat. “You know, maybe I’ll just retire. Married life isn’t so bad after all and--”

He was interrupted by Lotor tsking him. “We were afraid you might say something like that. So Lance, I’ll offer you another deal. Do what we ask, or we take out our frustration on Katie.” 

Lance stilled, his blood running cold. They wouldn’t. 

“She’s quite adorable isn’t she? I can see how you’re so enamored by her, with those big eyes and how she sometimes whispers in her sleep, it's quite endearing.” 

That quizancking son of a bitch. He had Lance exactly where he wanted, and knew it. Lance couldn’t allow anything to happen to Katie, not to the woman he loved. 

“Okay,” he whispered. “I’ll do it.” 

Lotor smiled, a cruel, wicked thing. “I knew we would work something out eventually!” 

*

When he got home later that night, Katie was still up, wrapped in a blanket, staring at her laptop screen. She looked up when he entered, her face lighting up. 

“How was the meeting?”

“Same old, same old.” He shrugged off his jacket and kicked his shoes to the corner before joining her in their bed. “What are you up to?” 

“Just reviewing notes for the case.” She adjusted her glasses. “I guess I’m just scared I’m not going to be good enough.” 

“Oh Katie,” he pulled her to him, savouring her warmth. “You will always be good enough for me, and you’re 100% going to kick ass at court. I promise.” It’s me who’s going to screw it up for you.

Her arms wrapped around his torso, and before he knew it, they were snuggling under the covers, sleep edging on his mind. “Thank you Lance.” Her voice was muffled by his chest. “I love you.” 

It was barely a whisper, and he wasn’t sure he heard right, but his heart soared anyways. She loved him, and he loved her. And for that night, Lance held his wife, and pretended everything was going to be alright. 

*

The trial seemed to drag on forever. Allura asked question after question, and Katie had all the answered. Lance’s heart swelled with pride as she pulled diagrams and reports as evidence. His eyes caught Lotors and suddenly that pride turned into dread. 

Finally, Allura thanked Katie, and looked at all her notes. “I would like to call Lance Mcclain to the stand.” 

He ignored Katies look of shock as he made his way to the stool in the middle of the room. He forced himself to look straight ahead, at the princess, instead of at all the other people in the room, people he knew he was about to disappoint.  

“Lance Mcclain, do you have a relationship with Katie Holt?” 

He took a deep breath. “I do not.” 

He heard Katie let out a small gasp. The fist on his heart squeezed tighter. 

Allura looked surprised. “You two are married, are you not?” 

“It was more a marriage of convenience.” He sounded nonchalant. “Honestly Princess, can you picture a girl like her with a guy like me? I’d much rather be with someone as stunning as you.” He winked. Allura looked away in disgust. I don’t blame you, I’d be disgusted with myself too. 

“And what do you have to say about case 2840, regarding the deaths of Matthew and Samuel Holt?”

Lance shrugged. “Only that their really dead. I saw the file report myself.” 

Murmurs and disbelief made their way through the crowd. 

Allura raised a brow. “And can you prove this?” 

“No, but I can tell you this,” He pointed at Katie, her eyes ablaze with hurt, fury, sadness. “The time I’ve spent living with her has proved nothing except she is mentaly delusional. Her head is filled with crack theories that she uses to cope with the very real fact that her family is dead.” Lance sat back down, breathing heavily. “That is all Princess.” 

Allura pursed her lips, releasing a sigh that betrayed the weight of her job. “Very well. In light of a new testimony, I regret to inform you that your families case must remain closed. Court dismissed.” 

 Lance stood and walked as fast as he could. He needed to get away before he had to face Katie. He couldn’t bear to think of what he’d just done, and if she followed him, it would only make things worse. 

“Lance!” 

Quizanck. 

“Lance!” She was getting louder. He walked faster. Suddenly, she was right behind him. 

“I trusted you,” she cried, grabbing his jacket sleeve, forcing him to turn and face her. 

His eyes were cold and heartless, so unlike the joyful, giddy Lance she had gotten to know. “You’re mistake.” 

“Did you really think I actually cared about you?” Lance sneered, spitting his words in her face. For once he thanked Alfor that he was a natural actor. “Pathetic.” 

He could see her fighting her reactions, trying to show him that he wasn’t getting to her. 

“We’re supposed to me married Lance!” She shook her left hand at him, the ring catching the light and glinting in the sun. “Married people love and support one another!” 

“It was all fake! God, how pitiful are you to think we were actually real? Well news flash Katie, none of it was real!” 

“I think you really want to help me, that you--”

“Do you know what I think Katie?” He crossed his arms over his chest, looking her directly in the eye. In his peripheral vision he caught sight of Lotor watching them. Lance needed to make sure she never wanted to talk to him again, no matter how much it hurt him, her getting hurt because of him would a thousand times more. “I think you’re a scared little girl who wants to find her family even though, guess what? Their probably dead by now. Actually, their 100% dead, I saw the report myself. I think you just want to live up to their legacy, but that's never going to happen because you’re not good enough. You hear me Katie? You’re not good enough. You’ve never been good enough and the fact that you thought a guy like me could ever like, let alone love, a girl like you makes me sick.”

This time she couldn’t stop from flinching back as he used her own words against her, slapping her in the face with them. But he wasn’t done. His heart ached, but he knew she would just come back to him again and again unless he broke her heart. Lance took a deep breath, steadying himself for what he was about to say. 

“I would never give you a second glance, but I had to. I had to swallow the urge to vomit every time I looked at you because you were my mission. You were nothing more to me than another name on a file with--”

“Stop it!” Katie raised her hands in surrender, tears flowing freely down her cheeks. “Stop it. You made your point.” She turned away, walking a few steps before turning back. “And Lance? If I ever see you again, I will not hesitate to send Keith and Shiro after you.” Then she took off her wedding ring, the ring that had meant nothing, and yet everything to him at the same time, and threw it at his feet. It clattered harmlessly to the ground, rolling until it hit the toe of his boot. 

Lance bent to pick it up, but she didn’t wait to see what he did with it. By the time he looked up, she was already gone, and the weight in his chest was replaced by an overwhelming sense of loss. 

At least she was safe. That was all that matters.