Scarlett sat in the loft, looking into her now dirty and torn school backpack. She'd overheard her grandpa making plans with Tien and Faelon about going out near the barrier to hunt down any aliens who wandered too close. It made her wonder if she would feel better if she killed her mother's killers. And just like her grandpa had said, every one they killed was one less they had to fight.

She toyed with the pink revolver in her hand. She'd only shot it a few times at home under her parents' watchful eyes, and even then it was only at tin cans. She'd never killed anything before. But there was an ache in her heart, a bitterness and fear that just wouldn't go away. She missed her parents. Both of them. And as it was, she didn't know if she'd ever see her father again. If she killed a few of the aliens too, that would be less people to hurt her daddy, right?

Scarlett got to her feet and dumped the box of ammo into her pocket, then carefully tucked the gun into the back of her jeans and climbed down the ladder. She waved at Paige in the bed with the new baby, then turned to Goten and Sabriena in the kitchen. "I'm going outside for a bit. I just wanna walk around. I won't be gone long," she said.

"Okay, just stay inside the boundary," Sabriena answered absently as she and Goten poured over a cookbook together.

Scarlett hurried outside, peeking around to see where her grandpa and Tien were. She hadn't mentioned that she'd brought the gun with her. In all honesty, it had slipped her mind. But somehow she thought they might not let her go with them when they went out and she was determined to get some sort of revenge on these aliens. She spotted them near the barn and quickly snuck around the side of the cabin in the opposite direction, feeling rebellious and vengeful and slightly giddy in an odd sort of way.

Tien looked up as he heard a gunshot, a frown pulling at his lips as he returned to his work. "This is why we have to scare them off from here," he said as he poured the grain out for the dairy cows and the horses that pulled Faelon's wagons. "They aren't out there hunting. They're just shooting game for the hell of it." A dark look crossed his features. "Makes me sick. They're throwing everything out of balance. I won't have it. I'm sick of hearing those guns going off." He hadn't heard them a whole lot, but it was enough to get under his skin. "I don't mind so much if people hunt for food. But those aliens are just killing to be killing. It's not right."

Faelon nodded. "Especially when you are trying to conserve and provide for your family. They do not even thank the earth, the animal for their sacrifice. They have no place among this world," the elf said as he carefully brushed down the horses. He looked over to Goku who was doing his part to feed the chickens. He smiled, "You have a natural gift with animals. I do not think I have seen you without your little shadow since we arrived."

Goku smiled and looked down at the rooster that was following him. "Yeah, I don't know how that happened. I'm sure Sabriena and Tien will disagree with you. They want to fry him up and eat him," he said as he spread more chicken feed in the coup. "These aliens though. I don't like it how they are still in the woods, shooting the animals here, scaring them off."

"I won't let her eat your rooster," Tien muttered, watching the bird as it pecked at Goku's pant leg, demanding attention. "Crazy thing," he said under his breath and put away the bucket he used to feed the animals. He slowly shook his head. "I really let you and Sabriena turn this place into a zoo." He looked to Faelon, "They'll be asking for elephants next, you watch." He clapped Goku on the shoulder, "C'mon. Let's get our bows and head out. I think it's time we put some fear into these aliens."

"Dammit," Scarlett hissed as she dumped out the empty shells and reloaded the gun. Shooting a moving target was tougher than it looked. And now she'd drawn attention to herself. The alien was hunkered down behind a tree; she could hear him speaking into the radio that shots had been fired. She wiped at her eyes, feeling them sting with frustration. She was so close to one of the bastards that had killed her mother, that had her father prisoner. She wanted this alien dead. Her hands shook as she managed to finally get the rounds into the gun and clicked the cylinder in place. She raised it again, aiming towards the tree she knew he was hiding behind.

The alien didn't move. Scarlett waited and waited, but he refused to come out from behind that damn tree. She lowered the gun and looked around, her eyes widening when she found a big stick laying on the ground. She picked it up and heaved it near the alien, causing a ruckus in the brush. "Come out, come out wherever you are," she whispered and raised the gun again.

A smirk pulled at her lips as the alien finally moved and she squeezed the trigger. She heard a cry of pain before the alien slumped to the ground and didn't move again. "HA! That's what you get, fucker," she hissed. She walked closer to the boundary, narrowing her eyes as she peered through the trees. A sudden idea struck her. If her family had better weapons, maybe they could put up a fight to help get her dad and the others back. Why hadn't they thought of it before?

After carefully tucking the pistol into her jeans again, Scarlett crept closer to the alien, looking around for any sign of others. She felt it when she passed through the barrier and it made her shiver. She looked down her nose at the alien with a sneer on her face. "Serves you right, you bastard," she spat. She kicked him hard in the ribs. "That's what you get for hurting my daddy!" She kicked him again. "That's what you get for killing my momma!" She pulled her foot back to kick the corpse once more, but the alien's hand suddenly shot out and grabbed her ankle, yanking her off balance, and she screamed at the top of her lungs as she hit the forest floor.

Faelon's ears twitched as he heard the scream from where they were, making their way towards the edge of the barrier. His hand's tightened on his bow and notched arrow as he recognized the voice. "That sounds like Scarlett! What is she doing out here!?" he cried as he took off running, his long legs quickly taking him through the forest as he nimbly jumped over fallen trees and avoided trunks. His eyes widened as he saw the scene through the barrier. A wounded alien had a hold of Scarlett and more were approaching, their weapons drawn, but they held fire as they could clearly see the Saiyan's tail. "NO!" he cried out and raised his bow, letting the arrow fly into the heart of the alien as he dashed out of the protection of the barrier to get the young girl.

Scarlett whimpered as the alien holding her released his grip. He'd grabbed her tail, leaving her nearly paralyzed in his grip. She gasped as she saw Faelon running towards her and she could hear her grandpa and Tien shouting in surprise behind him. She managed a small smile for him as he took her hand and dragged her back into the safety of the barrier. "Thanks," she said sheepishly as she looked up at him, his high cheekbones, those beautiful blue eyes, that perfect hair. She felt her cheeks burn and she didn't let go of his hand just yet. "You saved me."

Faelon blinked down at her, feeling a blush gathering in his cheeks at the way she looked at him. "Ah, you are welcome, young lady. It was the least I can do. Though…" he said as he looked up, seeing the alien's fellow comrades gathering around his body not but a few feet away, "I would suggest we move back."

Goku skidded to a stop next to the elf, gathering up Scarlett in a protective hug. "Oh my gods, Scarlett, what are you doing all the way out here?!" He looked at her, pausing when he felt the gun in the back of her jeans. "What were you doing? Did you go out of the barrier to shoot at them? Scarlett!" He squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to think of what would have happened if she had been captured or killed.

Scarlett felt her face go hot for an entirely different reason as her grandfather scolded her. "No," she answered. "I stayed in the boundary when I shot him. But when he fell, I thought maybe I should see if he had any weapons on him. But… he wasn't dead."

"Give me the gun," Tien demanded and held out his hand. A disapproving frown pulled at his lips as she reluctantly handed it over. "That was stupid, Scarlett. You could've been caught! You could've been killed! Don't you think this family is suffering enough as it is?! Where did you get a gun in the first place?" He shook his head angrily and turned away from her, his stomach coiling painfully. "The hell were you thinking?!"

"It was Mom's," Scarlett answered as her eyes teared up. "I wanted to help!" She looked to her grandfather, "You said the more aliens that were killed, the less there would be to deal with later. They have Dad! I wanted to do something to help!" she cried and wiped at her eyes, trying not to cry.

Goku pressed his lips thin, looking over at his husband before he turned back to his granddaughter and pressed a kiss to her temple. "Hey, shhh, it's okay. You know, I don't think we would know what to do if we lost you. You are too important to us, but I can understand why you want to help. You have no outlet, right? And anything that would be an outlet, doesn't work around the house," he said as he ruffled her hair. "You should have said something to us. Do you really want to help us find the other aliens like this?" he asked as he pointed towards the aliens that were standing over their fallen friend.

Scarlett wiped at her eyes again and looked the direction he pointed. She nodded her head as she looked at the ground again. Her face felt terribly hot with embarrassment. Not only had she made a fool of herself by putting herself in danger, but then Tien had to scold her like that in front of Faelon, which bothered her for some reason. "I just want to help," she whispered and wiped harshly at her cheek again.

Faelon gave her a smile, though he wasn't sure if she could see it looking down at the ground the way she was. "That's all anyone can ask for," he said before he looked up into the trees. They were not like the trees back at home, but they would do. "Come, climb on my back and we shall find us a perch. Then I will show you how to fire a real weapon. Bows and arrows are silent and you can strike without a sound. If you strike your target in the correct area, they will not be able to cry out and alert others to your presence."

Scarlett's head jerked up at that and she blinked her eyes widely at him. "Uh… what?" she asked, feeling a bit dumbstruck. She hadn't expected that. Not at all. She looked to her grandpa, who only gave her an encouraging little push towards the elf. "O-Okay," she stammered. Still feeling a bit awkward, she stood behind Faelon and wrapped her arms around his neck, hauling herself onto his back. "I'd be able to fly up there if I still had my powers," she muttered under her breath. Not that she was complaining. She felt her face blush again and she was grateful the handsome elf couldn't see her in that moment.

Faelon smiled as he easily carried her weight and jumped up to the first low hanging branch within his reach. "And where is the fun in flying when you can climb? You haven't really lived until you've climbed the great trees of the elven forests." He said as he easily made it to a high enough branch that could support both of their weights. "Now. I will show you what a proper weapon can do, yes?" he said as he reached back behind him, drawing one more arrow to add it to the other one already notched on his bow. He carefully aligned them with practiced ease and took aim at one of the aliens. "Now you see, if you know precisely how to aim for your prey's weak points you can prevent them from crying out and kill them at the same time," he said as he released the arrows, watching with satisfaction as his target was hit both in the throat and in the heart. Where he supposed the alien's heart was any way. He startled the two aliens that were standing next to him when they died.

"Whoa," Scarlett breathed, leaning over a bit more to look at the fallen alien. Her fingers curled around the branch, keeping herself steady. "That was cool!" She grinned brightly and looked to the elf again as the aliens below gave shouts of surprise, drawing their weapons. "Do it again! Do it again!" she encouraged, looking to the aliens once more. "They all deserve to die for what they've done," she muttered darkly, her enthusiasm waning slightly.

Faelon smiled and watched as the two remaining aliens in the area started to run for it. "Alright. How about this?" he asked as he grabbed two more arrows. It was child's play. He learned a thousand years ago how to fire two arrows at once and even more than that. He honed his skill like a fine blade. He raised his bow again, carefully moving the two arrows apart, watching his prey for a moment, watching the way they ran, and how fast before he let his arrows fly. Both hitting their marks and felling them.

Tien crossed his arms and watched as the elf took out the other aliens. He gave a nod of approval before he turned to Goku. "I'm sorry I snapped at her, Goku," he said. "I just can't believe she would do something so foolish. She scared me with that little stunt," he admitted. "It's bad enough that Phoenix and Alice have run off. I understand why they've done it. But we don't need Scarlett taking a page out of her brother's book."

Goku shook his head. "No, I think you were right to," he said as he looked up into the tree as Scarlett watched Faelon with total focus and interest. "If you hadn't, she might be feeling like she could get away with it if she did it again. I don't think she will not. You have that firm touch."

Tien shrugged. "Just didn't want to, you know, overstep my bounds," he said quietly as he looked down at the gun in his hand. "If she'd stayed inside the barrier, I wouldn't have been so worried. She should've told us what she was up to." He looked up into the tree, an amused smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth as he watched Scarlett and Faelon, the way she giggled and blushed as she talked to the elf. "I think your granddaughter's got a crush."

Goku laughed as he looked up at his granddaughter. "I think she's going to be disappointed, if that's the case," he said before he looked to his husband, "Don't worry. She's as much your granddaughter as she is mine. You are just looking out for our family. She needs to learn."

"HA!" Tien laughed. "Not when she acts like that. Then she's YOUR granddaughter." He reached over and ruffled Goku's hair roughly. "You're right, though. We've trained her to fight, but everyone needs to learn how to defend ourselves without our energy." He looked up to the tree again. "Hey! I think you've cleared out this area. Let's all move somewhere else, see if we find any more out here where they don't belong."

Faelon smiled and looked down at them. "We will scout up here, follow our lead!" He called back down to them before he let Scarlett climb back onto his back again, "Come, help me spot these monsters."

Scarlett giggled again as she wrapped her arms around his neck and he leapt lightly to the next tree and the next. "I wish I could do this!" she giggled. "I'm too clumsy without my energy. I'd fall and break my neck!"

Faelon laughed and carefully jumped from tree to tree, "I am afraid I have a couple of years' experience on you, but if you started learning now, by the time you are Goten's age, you will be quite nimble."

"Maybe I should try," she said. "I bet I could learn with you teaching me." Her eyes went wide when she saw a group of aliens walking near the boundary and she pointed at them before she quickly grabbed Faelon again. Her heart leapt into her throat; she'd felt like she was going to fall for a moment when she'd let go of him. She shakily ran a hand through her hair when Faelon finally sat her down on the branch. She straddled the branch and leaned over to get a look at the aliens again as Faelon perched himself lightly on a fork of the same branch. She blinked widely at him; it looked far too light to be able to support his weight. The way he stood on it, the branch swaying lightly in the wind, boggled her mind. She shook herself and looked down at the aliens. "I wish I could take some of them out," she said with a frown. "I'm so angry with what they've done. It isn't right. It isn't fair."

Faelon smiled at her before he signaled to Goku and Tien. "Come here," he said stepping aside, carefully standing on the branch. "Use my bow, I will show you how fire. Trust my bow, it will guide you," he said as he beckoned her forward. He could see her hesitation, the way she glanced at the branch of the tree. "Do not worry. I have asked the tree to support us. It will not fail. It wants these aliens gone from these woods as well. It says that the aliens have chopped down its brethren too."

"You're insane," Scarlett said, staring at him with wide eyes. She pushed herself to her feet, feeling unsteady on the strongest part of the branch. Her arms flailed and her tail whipped through the air, trying to balance her. "Talking to trees, expecting me to stand out there on a twig with no energy to catch me," she muttered under her breath. She glanced down and saw Tien and Goku staring up at her, watching with amusement. Determination crossed her face as she regained her balance. She stepped closer to Faelon, a pleasant nervous butterfly feeling in her stomach as he offered her his hand and she took it. "Oh gosh, oh gosh, I'm gonna fall," she said, feeling the branch beneath them move and sway in the breeze.

Faelon smirked at her as she finally came over to him and he moved to stand behind her as he handed her his bow. "Here, take this arrow and notch it on the string," he said as he guided her, helping her to pull back the string. He knelt down and helped her aim, his hands covering her own. "Remember to breathe out when you are ready to fire."9

Scarlett felt like she couldn't breathe at all. Somewhere deep in the back of her mind, she knew there was no chance with the elf. He had Nadia, his mate, his wife, and it was obvious they loved each other. But that thought couldn't stop the way her heart raced and her face blushed. His hands were warm as they closed over her own. She forced herself to focus on the aliens as she aimed the bow, and she drew a long, shaky breath before she exhaled slowly and loosed the arrow. Her eyes went wide as the arrow hit its mark and the alien fell. "I did it!" she breathed excitedly.

Faelon smiled as he watched the alien drop to the ground, dead. His friends were looking around in shock, raising their weapons only to drop dead seconds later as both Goku and Tien's arrows hit them. "Good work, little one. You should get your grandparents to teach you how to use a bow. They are more than proficient at it." He looked down at her, watching the way she breathed as she looked on at her kill. "Do you feel better?"

Scarlett thought about his question for a moment before she answered. "A little," she said. It didn't ease the pain and the worry over her parents, but she did feel good to know that there were fewer aliens out there to deal with. It was strange to her. She thought she'd feel vindicated, that she had somehow avenged her mother's death, protected her father in some small way, but then the realization hit her that no matter what she did, the pain in her heart wasn't going to go away. She looked at Faelon again, "Thank you. I… I'm not really sure what I feel right now, though. I've never killed anything before."

"It is never easy to take a life. When you have that power, you must always ere on the side of caution. The reasoning behind why you want to take that life and the question of can you live with yourself after the fact. These aliens have killed before, unlike you. They left your mother out in the dirt and shot her for keeping you and your grandfather safe."

Scarlett pressed her lips thin and nodded. "They all deserve to die. They still have my dad, too," she said quietly as she looked on at the bodies laying there. She felt no remorse for what she'd done. She didn't feel sorry for them at all. "I just want to keep everyone safe," she said quietly. She looked at him again, a tiny smile pulling at her lips. "Let's go find some more." She looked ahead, focusing on a sturdy-looking branch. She hoped she could do this and not make a fool of herself. She wasn't even aware of the cat-like wiggle her hips made a split second before she launched herself forward and managed to land on the branch, grabbing it with her hands to steady herself. Okay, so she wasn't as graceful as the elf, but still, she'd managed it. She shot him a beaming grin. "I did it!" she giggled.

Faelon laughed and waved down at the men below. "The trees will not fail you today. If you watch them, you will see how they move so that your feet land steady without any effort at all. Find our next targets. Let us make them sorry for ever coming to this planet in the first place," he said as he followed her, carefully watching her jumps. They stayed in the barrier and moved on until someone spotted the next group. "They have seemed to flock to this area, they must be very desperate to catch your grandfather."

Scarlett looked down at her grandpa and nodded. "You'd be surprised how many people have tried to hurt him," she said. She'd grown up hearing the stories, how many times Goku's life had been in danger simply because of who he was. "He's the strongest warrior in the universe. I guess it sorta puts a bull's eye on him, you know?" She carefully moved to stand up straight as Faelon jumped to the branch next to her. She reached and took his bow when he offered it to her. It was almost as if the bow held a magick of its own that she could feel pulsating through it. She drew it back, letting it almost guide her movements before she let the arrow fly, smirking when it hit her target. "This thing is doing all the work for me," she said. She drew again, feeling a little too confident, and loosed the next arrow. Her eyes went wide when she missed her mark and the alien grabbed his leg with a scream of pain and fell over. "Oops," she snickered, "That one took an arrow to the knee. Guess he won't be an adventurer anymore." She giggled at her own video-game reference.

"Slow down, Scarlett," Tien warned as he drew his own bow back and put the alien out of his misery as the others panicked, looking around to see where the arrows had come from. Tien drew again, but paused. "Leave one alive. Let him go back and tell the others what happened here. Scare them into not wanting to come back," he said before he shot another one.

Faelon pouted at that. "So true, but damned if we don't want to kill them all. Shoot the one to live with an arrow in the arm. So the bastard can still walk, but he will never forget. His death will come for him on another day."

Goku kept a careful eye on Scarlett, but he didn't feel worried once Faelon took her under his wing. The way she started moving through the trees, the way the bow she used seemed to fire for her, the arrows curving to hit the desired target. "I'm not sure if I am ever going to understand the magick of elves. "

"You know," Tien commented casually as he loosed the final arrow, striking the alien in the arm just as Faelon had suggested, "I stopped trying to understand a lot of this stuff a long time ago. I just go with it. It felt like I was losing brain cells trying to figure it all out." He gave his husband a small smile. "Let's just be glad we have good friends who are able to help us. I don't know how they're able to do what they've done, but I'm glad they did it. We wouldn't last the winter if it wasn't for them."

Goku chuckled. "I'm glad that Goten and the others met them while they were out saving the world. Maybe it was all meant to happen this way. Makes me feel small," he said as he moved to lean against Tien, wrapping his arm around his mate's waist.

Tien chuckled and pressed a kiss to Goku's temple. "I understand that feeling," he said as they moved on. "It's strange, letting the kids handle more and more on their own. It's good though, to know that there will always be someone to protect the earth, that our knowledge will continue to be passed on." A smile pulled at his lips as he slung an arm around his mate's shoulders. "And don't even ask if things will ever get back to normal," he chuckled. "Things were never normal to begin with."