Gohan slipped out of his brothers room sometime later, closing the door quietly behind him. It really was getting quite late. However, somethings needed to be resolved and now. If the conversation he had just had with his brother had told him anything, it was that the tension between himself and Goku needed to end. Now.

As he had helped his brother drift back off to sleep, a plan had begun to formulate in Gohan's mind. Now he just needed to implement it.

He decended the stairs, and entered the livingroom to come across his father sat dejectedly on the sofa, head in his hands and his mother sitting anxiously besides him.

Gohan knew that the last few days had been rough on his mother, and for that he was truely sorry.

He knew that she hated seeing him so stressed out and unhappy, and of course the situation earlier with Goten hadn't helped any. There was no point hiding his feelings from his mother. She could always tell when something was wrong with either of her "babies".

But Gohan also knew that his mother had missed his father terribly over the years. Even after all the time he had been gone, she still loved Goku desperately. She wasn't blind to his faults as a person, or as a father, but she loved him terribly nonetheless.

They both looked up as he lingered in the doorway.

"Hows Goten?" his mother asked quietly.

"Ok. He's finally off to sleep. He was a little confused and scared about what's been happening recently, but we had a conversation and he seems ok now. Should be down for the count provided nothing startles him." Gohan finished with a meaningful pause at both his parents.

"Lets move outside shall we?" Chichi said, rising off of the couch to hug Gohan and then steer him towards the door. Goku watched them go and then followed them into the cool night air.

The small family of three sat around the small table that was placed in the field surrounding their home. All that could be heard was the chirping of crickets.

"So. This situation clearly isn't working," Gohan broke the stillness looking seriously at his parents.

"Wha..." his mother started, but was broken off when Gohan continued.

"Oh come on Mum, you know what I'm talking about. This whole situation at home. Its just not working. Dad's just come swanning back without a care in the world, I can't cope with it and its totally messing with Goten – which I will not tolerate!" Gohan snapped. He kept his temper in check and his voice low. He knew losing it with his mother would get him no-where and he wouldn't disrespect her by doing so anyway.

"Gohan, I, I just don't really understand. I know I messed up earlier but I really am trying." Goku murmured quietly.

"Exactly. You don't get it. You never have. You 'try' to be a parent, but you just don't get it." Gohan got up and began to pace in front of the couple at the table. He was aware that Piccolo was hovering in the distance, ready to swoop in if things got out of hand, but he was determined to keep things under control. He would not blow up again like he had earlier. He felt a steady thrum of anger under the surface, but he pushed it down in order to keep calm. The movement was helping to get rid of some of his excess energy.

Gohan sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "Let me try to explain this in a way that you'll understand. When you get into a fight you try and win right? Because you know that if you lose then the enemy will do bad things right?"

Goku nodded along.

"Well you've been fighting to be a parent. And you know what Goku? You lost. You lost big time." Gohan said staring straight at his father's face.

Chichi gasped.

"Every time you chose fighting, or to stay away from this family you lost. You let bad things happen, just because you weren't here to stop them. By being more interested in fighting and training than your son's development, it was like if you had turned away and giving into the enemy. You lost so badly at being a parent that when you stayed dead after the fight with Cell that you left your woefully unprepared eleven year old to pick up the pieces of a broken home and never even got the chance to know your youngest son!" Gohan said all of this very calmly, but power hummed all of the way through his words.

Goku looked at the man his son had become and was honestly scared. This calm Gohan was much more intimidating than the insanely powerful, yet manic one that he fought earlier. But not just that. He finally understood what he had done wrong. And he recognised the truth in his statement.

He suddenly felt completely ashamed. All of his many mistakes flashed through his eyes. He realised all of his failings as a parent.

Looking up at the strong man before him, Goku broke down into tears.

After a little while, Gohan rejoined his mother and father at the table and watched impassively while they waited for Goku to calm himself. As the tears subsided, Goku spoke to his son through small sniffles.

"Gohan I'm so sorry. You're right. You're right about everything. I don't know how I can show you how sorry I am, but I will do anything to attempt to make this up to you."

"No Goku. I can see that you're sorry and I accept that. You always have been when you've come home from where-ever you've been. Fine. It won't last, and thats why there is nothing you can do to make it up to me. I don't want you to even try."

"But Gohan – I understand now. I can be better, I'll make myself better!".

"I don't think that you can. But anyway, its far too late for you to do anything. The damage has been done, and nothing that you say or do can bring back the relationship we had. Furthermore, I don't want it back. I refuse to be let down by you again. I'm sorry Mum, but you know I can't" Gohan said, addressing his last sentence to his mother who had begun to sob quietly.

She had known that it was a long shot for her husband and her son to repair their relationship, but hearing the finality in her son's tone killed what little hope she had. Goku tried to awkwardly comfort his wife while trying to process what his son had said. He honestly didn't know what to do. He believed in happy endings, but it didn't look like there was going to be one here.

Gohan gave his parents time to process his words before he embarked on what he knew would be the hardest part of this conversation for his mother. It was time to put his plan into action.

"So, like I said at the beginning of this conversation, this situation cannot continue".

"What...what do you mean son?" Chichi sniffled.

"I can't and don't want to rebuild a relationship with Goku again. I think that if I continue to live here with him, things are just going to get worse and we will just end up fighting. It's an unhealthy environment for everyone – especially Goten and I won't continue upsetting him."

"You can't! You can't mean..." Chichi was getting further upset.

"Yes Mum. I'm moving out. I've thought about this ever since Goku came home, but it really is time for this now."

"Oh Gohan!" Chichi sobbed.

"Gohan, you don't need to move out because of me. I'll go." Goku stated forlornly, while comforting his sobbing wife.

"No Goku. Listen to me. I really have thought about this long and hard. It would be so much easier for you to go, but I will not be responsible for separating you and Mum again. You make her happy, and that is what is most important to me. It is time for me to go."

"I don't want you to go Gohan!" Chichi wailed, throwing herself at her son to envelop him in a hug.

"Well its a good thing I'm not going far then isn't it?" Gohan said soothingly as he hugged his mother. At her confused look, he continued "You didn't think I was just going to up and leave did you? Not after all I have said about Goku".

Goku had the grace to once again look ashamed.

"Bulma has agreed to set me up with a small capsule house that I plan to put just across the field there." He pointed some way across the small glade. "I'll be right there. I couldn't leave you or Goten. Besides, who's going to keep all those bills and stuff sorted huh?"

At this Chichi chuckled slightly, cheering up in relief that she wasn't about to lose one of her babies. She didn't think she would ever be able to forgive Goku if he properly drove Gohan away. But it was just like her eldest to find away to be away from Goku, and yet within shouting distance should there be a problem.

Gohan really had been thinking this through ever since his father had suddenly decided to come home. He knew he wouldn't be able to keep living with his father given the amount of anger he had, but he wasn't about to abandon his family. He had gone to Bulma with the problem, and she had come up with the idea of the small capsule house. He had sworn that he would work off the payments over time, but she had waved those concerns away. She knew the problems he had keeping the roof over his family's heads and so had 'gifted' the house to Gohan as a reward for saving the world, and being her "favourite nearly adult demi-sajyin".

Gohan knew he would never trust Goku to provide for the family, so he was relieved that he could still maintain that position without being in even more debt. He would always be responsible for that.

The second and more important reason for wanting to stay close to home was of course Goten. While he truly wouldn't want to cause his mother unhappiness by separating her from his father, he could not in all good conscience leave Goten alone with him. His fears had already been proven true – Goku could not be trusted to look after his second son.

Gohan would never and could never leave the boy he regarded as basically his son. He needed to be close enough that Goten could come to him whenever he wanted. He also didn't trust Goku not to repeat the same mistakes that he had made with him.

"Goku. I have already discussed the failures you have made as a parent." At this Goku nodded. "I have a second motive for being so close to this house. I am going to be here for Goten. Given your past track record, I cannot trust you to be responsible for him. I ask you to try not to be his parent. I can't ask you not to build a relationship with him – he's your son. But I do ask that you don't try be his dad. Be his friend. I can't stand by and watch you hurt him. And believe me, if you do hurt him the way you have hurt me, there will be no place in heaven or earth that will be able to protect you from my anger. Is that understood?"

Goku nodded, processing this information.

"I understand Gohan. I won't do anything to hurt him. And I am truly sorry for all the pain I have caused you. I just...I want you to know that I am very proud of the man you have become. I can claim no part in that, but I want you to know that you are a wonderful man."

Gohan nodded his understanding of Goku's words and continued to comfort the last of his mothers sobs.

The family did do some more talking about expectations, feelings were explored and many angry words were spoken over the course of the night, but eventually the three adults went inside the house.

The morning came, and Gohan explained what was going to happen to Goten. There were many tears and a few tantrums, but eventually Goten walked across the field and helped his brother set up his new home. To his delight, he even had his own bedroom in the property!

Evening came however, and it was time for Goten to go home. He walked slowly across the field with his brother and then stood and watched as his brother turned around (after hugs for him and his mother) and walked back to his own little house.

Goten felt his father approach and realised that he was also watching Gohan's short journey home.

"Daddy?" Goten turned to look up at his father.

"Yes Goten?" Goku answered absently, eyes glued to his eldest son.

"If you ever make Gohan sad and angry again, I will beat you up." And with that proclamation, Goten turned and marched into the house.

Goku just stayed outside, marvelling at both of the boys he had sired, but could not claim to be a father to.

Epilogue

Goten POV

It had been many years since Gohan had moved out of the house into the small one across the field. Things had changed, and yet they had stayed much the same. Goten was now a teenager and was sat outside on a warm summers day thinking about his life as he looked across at the little house that was, for the moment unoccupied.

After Gohan had moved out Goku had stayed around for a while and had made a conscious effort to be more attentive to his family. Goten remembered many days playing and training with his father. He knew that his Dad and Gohan didn't talk, but he did have some fun with the man.

He would do all sorts of fun things with Goku, while his brother did serious things in the house with his mother. Then, when it was time for tea Gohan would go back across to his own place. Goten often stayed with him. It was awesome staying at his big brothers' house!

But then one day Goku started to go off more and more for training with this kid he had found called "Uub". He would come home later, and then would be away for days or even weeks at a time. Goten didn't mind though because his big brother started to come and stay over at the big house more while Goku was away and that was just awesome! It was just like before Goku had come back at all. In all honesty, Goten hadn't really noticed his fathers' absence all that much.

At some point, and he wasn't sure when, Gohan moved back into the big house permenantly. When Goku did eventually come back he and Gohan had had a really really big fight and then it was decided that Goku would be the one to live in the small house across the field.

Goten had remembered his childish vow to beat up Goku for making his brother sad, but didn't actually follow through on his threat as Gohan generally seemed much happier now that he was back at home.

And so the cycle had continued, and if Goku did come home, he would live across the field. It was empty most of the time, but no one was really bothered. Goku seemed sad when he did come home –especially when he looked at Gohan. Goten would almost say that it was the look of a broken man, but Goku was always cheerful when he and his mother went to visit him at the capsule house.

Gohan would be grumpy for a few days whenever Goku showed up, but mostly resolved to ignore the man's presence. His mother was always sad when Goku left, but always went back to being cheerful very quickly.

Goten didn't miss Goku. He had the man he considered his father at home.

The end.

A.N.

Well thats it! It is finally done! I'm not sure that this was what I expected it would be when I started out with the story, but I didn't really know where I was going anyway. I hope that I have brought it to a satisfying conclusion for you all. A MASSIVE thank you to all those who have followed this story from the beginning, and for all the reviews, story alerts and favourites you guys have given me. It means more than you could ever know. I finished this for you guys – If you hadn't been there then I think I would have abandoned it a long long time ago.

Thank you so much.