I am so sorry that it has taken so long to get this out! I was going to try to get it out right after VLD S8 but, it crushed me, and of course it was also the holiday season so it just has taken time to get this written. So, here it is! Enjoy!

As Hunk snuck down to the cafeteria to get Lance a cup of milk, Lance rest his forehead on his knees, leaning up against the pillow he had originally been clutching, while his soulmate's pain attacked him.

He hated that he was stuck in the Garrison while his soulmate was suffering.

He hated that he had no idea who she was, and that he couldn't help her.

He hated that she had to go through pain, and wished that he could take it all and bear it for her.

The Cuban boy lifted his head and tugged his left pant leg up, just until he could see the mark on his ankle. It was a green vine, in an odd form. One that made it seem like the vine was wrapping around something. Lance reached down and lightly rubbed his thumb over it. In an odd sense, the mark brought him comfort. It was the only clue he had to who his soulmate was. A very vague clue at that. Whoever the girl was, she liked nature. Or at least had some connection to nature.

An idea entered Lance's mind. Well, not really an idea, but a memory. One from when he was around ten. He had just been getting the hang of blocking his soulmate's feelings and was about to put up an emotional barrier, when a burst of anger radiated from his soulmate. As any boy would, or at least how any boy in Lance's family would, Lance felt quite a bit of confusion and concern. Then, on a spur of the moment, he tried to calm himself, hoping that his soulmate would feel it. A few moment's later he felt assurance come from his soulmate, and could feel her calm down. Immediately, he felt joy, as he mainly did at that age. That caused annoyance to come from his soulmate. But, since he knew that she was fine, he put the barrier up and that was one of the first, and last, times that he and his soulmate communicated through feelings.

Maybe, just maybe, he could do that again.

Lance closed his eyes and tried to think of all the things he loved. He didn't know if he could force himself to feel love. Didn't know that, even if he could, his soulmate would feel it through her grief.

"Mi Amor," He softly spoke, "I wish that I could help you. I wish that I was there with you. I love you so much."

Out of the corner of his eye, Lance could see the room door open.

"Hey buddy. I, uh, I got you some warm milk." Hunk handed the cup up to Lance before asking, "Is she doing any better?" Lance shook his head and downcast his eyes.

"I'm sorry, man. For both for you. I wish there was more I could do."

"You and me both." Lance whispered, before clearing his throat and giving the cup of milk back to Hunk. "But, it's okay Hunk. The only think either of us can do is pray, and... That's okay.. Because at least it's something."

Lance's word's seemed to calm Hunk, and the Somoan gave his friend a sad smile before chugging down the rest of the milk and crawling into his bed.

Not knowing what else to do, Lance lay back down. The only reminder of his soulmate's grief was the dull pain that raked his body. For a while, the teen just stared at the ceiling while his friend would make a comment here or there. Eventually, Hunk fell asleep and Lance just listened to the soft snores.

"Father..." He whispered, an hour or so later. "I know that I don't do this often, and I'm sorry for that. Tonight, all I ask is that You watch over my soulmate. She is hurting really bad, Lord. And... And there's nothing I can do." Lance could feel tears start to pour out of his eye's, and he took a deep breath before continuing. "Please, please, Father, let her feel love. Let her know that she is not alone. I pray that you will let her know that there is someone out there, wishing that he could be there for her. Wishing that he could hold her and tell her that everything will be okay. Father, please just hold her and comfort her. Be there for her. In Jesus name, amen."

As he uttered the last bit of his prayer, Lance could feel a, small, weight lift off his shoulders, and he knew that his Amor would be okay. With a small sight, Lance closed his eye's and, finally, drifted off to sleep. Dreaming of the day when he could be there to comfort his soulmate.

The light made her eyes hurt. It was too bright and it didn't help her migraine at all. Nor did it help the feeling of loss that came upon her as she remembered the events of the previous night.

With a groan mixed with a cry, Katie pulled the blanket over her head. "Make it go away!" She cried out, squeezing her eye's shut as she felt them fill with tears.

"Sorry, Sweetheart, but I can't do that. It's time to get up." Colleen walked over to the bed and pulled the blanket off her daughter, who promptly turned her face into one of her pillows.

"How can you act happy? Dad and Matt are gone!"

"No, they're not." Colleen stated, perching on the edge of the bed so she could smooth her daughters hair.

"Yes they are! The Garrison said-"

"But we are the ones with the soulmate marks."

Katie lifted her head as the words her mother spoke tumbled around in her mind. "What?"

"When a person's soulmate dies, their soulmate mark fades, and loses its shine. But, I checked, and your father's mark is still very vibrant." The woman nodded her head towards Katie's wrist. "And I bet Matt's heart mark is still glowing."

Katie looked down at her wrist and felt her heart stop, and tears prick her eyes. Only this time, they were tears of joy.

"But, why would the Garrison lie?" She asked, as she lightly rubbed her thumb over Matt's heart mark.

Colleen sighed as she got back up, "I'm not completely sure, but I have a feeling that they will be sending someone here soon, so you might want to go and get dressed. Don't worry about school, you won't be going today."

Katie watched her mom walk out of her room and just stayed on her bed for a few more minutes, trying to wrap her head around everything that just happened. Last night she thought her father and brother were dead and spent hours crying, then she wakes up to find out that their not dead, and instead the Garrison is lying to them, bringing up the question on what exactly happened to her father and Matt.

With a sigh, the young teen got off her bed and headed towards her closet. It was then that a thought entered her mind. If she had been so overcome with grief the night before, what did her soulmate feel?

Katie groaned, nevermind, she knew how he felt because she had once gone through it. Granted, his grief hadn't lasted nearly as long as hers, which was actually a little comforting, because she was pretty sure that meant that he hadn't lost anyone really close to him, but the pain was horrible. And not just the pain, but the fact that you had to live with knowing that you couldn't do anything for them. That was even worse.

The girl took some deep breaths, trying to fully calm herself before she brought down the emotional barrier. Once she did bring it down, she was hit with waves of concern, fear, sadness, and more concern.

"I'm okay!" She cried, fighting to keep herself calm, "I'm okay." She knew that he couldn't hear her, but it helped to say the words out loud. "Last night was hard, and I'm confused," She made a point of trying to feel as confused as possible. "But I'm okay,"

Katie took a deep breath as an idea came to mind. "But if mom and I don't get answers soon then, I might not be okay."

Before anyone asks, I did not like season 8. Not because of the ships, but because characters seemed OOC, there were dead ends, the messages that were sent shouldn't have been sent, the animation and voicing seemed off to me, and everyone deserved better. But, I did like seeing Pidge with pigtails. That, was wonderful.