"I hope he's home," Sabriena said as she and Tien landed in front of Goku's house. They hadn't talked to him for a few days and she was starting to worry about their friend. He was taking his divorce pretty hard, especially since he hadn't seen his son for a few weeks. She wanted to check up on him, see how he was doing. She knocked on the door, calling out, "Goku? Are you home?"

Goku poked his head out of the laundry room. His hair was all over the place, he was down to his last pair of gi and only his suit was left and he really, really did not want to wear that and risk damaging it before the trial. He had done his best to pick up the house. Wasn't too bad since he had taken to camping in the backyard around the fire pit where he spent most of his time cooking. "Yeah! I'm back here!" he called out as he pulled the last load from the washer.

Sabriena and Tien walked inside, following his voice. The house was relatively neat, considering it now belonged to a bachelor. Sabriena was actually impressed - it was better than anything she'd seen from a single man before, save for Tien. "Whatcha doin'?" Sabriena asked, leaning in the doorway, watching as he stuffed a load of laundry into the dryer. Oh goodness, he hadn't separated his laundry at all. She shook her head, but decided not to say anything to him for fear of making him feel bad. She knew Chichi was always up his ass about stuff. "We haven't seen you in a few days, just thought we'd check on you."

Goku shut the door to the dryer and turned around. He was still emotionally exhausted. "I'm doing okay," he lied. "I still haven't seen Goten, though." He frowned and walked past them out into the kitchen, wiping at his eyes with the palm of his hand. "Can I get you guys anything? I have… uh... water."

"We're fine," Tien answered. He frowned, hating seeing his friend so upset. Gods, he hated that woman and what she'd done to Goku. "That's not right, not letting you see your boy," Tien growled. He placed a hand on Goku's shoulder, squeezing it, trying to comfort his friend. If he ever saw Chichi again, he was finally going to stop holding his tongue and give her a piece of his mind.

"You really should try to get more rest," Sabriena said gently. "You eating okay?"

Goku nodded, moving to sit down in a chair at the expensive table Chichi insisted on having, but had left behind. "Yeah, I've been doing okay. I don't know how to use the stove so I've been using the campfire out back." He gave them a weak smile, "it's kind of like camping almost, sleeping out under the stars. I've been eating lots of fish."

"Well that's good," Sabriena said. "What else have you been eating?" She knew Goku had said before that he didn't know his way around the kitchen.

Goku cleared his throat, a blush growing on his cheeks as he looked away from her. He didn't know how to catch or cook anything else. "...fish."

Sabriena blinked at him, seeing the blush on his face. Fish? Just fish? For weeks at a time, this man had eaten nothing but fish? She knew it was his favorite; he and Tien both liked to eat it more than most people did, but to survive on nothing else was absurd. "Goku, you have to eat more than that! You can't survive on fish alone! That's not good for you. You have to have something else to eat!"

Tien agreed, "She's right. You're not going to get everything your body needs if all you eat is fish. You know that."

Goku swallowed and stood up, moving to the fridge and opening it up for them, showing them the bare insides. "I ate everything. Chichi has put a hold on my account with my winnings from past tournaments until the divorce is finalized and I don't know how to cook anything else."

"She did WHAT?" Tien cried. Oh that bitch. That cold-hearted, evil bitch. "That's not right," he growled. "That's not right at all. How are you supposed to pay your bills and buy your groceries?!" At least the weather was warm again, Goku could survive without the electricity and running water if he had to, but that was just flat-out uncalled for.

Sabriena's eyes turned stormy, her lips pressed to a thin line. "Both of you stay here," she said in a dangerous tone. "I'll be back." And she turned sharply on her heel, marching out the front door, slamming it behind her.

Goku winced as the door slam shook the house and he looked at Tien, closing the door to the fridge, "was it something I said?" He sighed and moved outside, "come on. I don't like staying in here, let's spar for a while, if you feel like it."

"Sure," Tien said with a nod and followed Goku outside.


They sparred for over three hours, letting Goku really work off some of his frustration and sadness. Tien was starting to worry about Sabriena when he finally felt her energy approaching. "Oh good, she's back," he sighed in relief. But instead of flying, Sabriena was driving her car. Tien didn't even know she'd had it with her. He and Goku met her in front of the house as she began to pull bags of groceries from the backseat.

"There's more in the trunk," she said. "Gimme a hand."

Goku's eyes went wide at the sight of all the food she brought back with her. Vegetables, hunks of meat; she looked like she bought out most of the store. He kept his mouth firmly shut, about to tell her she didn't have to do this for him, but his stomach growled in protest and he eagerly grabbed up the bags and followed her inside. "Sabriena, I really don't know what to say. Thank you so much. This food... I should get by for weeks with this amount."

"Yeah?" she asked, "I wasn't sure. I know how much you like to eat." She set her bags on the counter as Goku and Tien did the same.

"I think that's everything," Tien said, looking over it all. How on earth did Sabriena expect Goku to make meals out of this? There were a lot of raw ingredients; he wasn't sure Goku could manage all that.

Sabriena rolled up her sleeves and started grabbing pots and pans. "I'll cook all this up for you and stick it in the fridge. Then all you have to do is pull out one of the new tupperware containers I've bought, pop it in the microwave and VOILA! You're eatin' like a king."

Goku felt his tears come back, but for a different reason this time. He stepped up behind Sabriena and drew her into a hug, his lips whispering against her shoulder, "thank you." He swallowed hard before he let go, turning away. "I really don't know how I'm going to pay you back for this, but I will. Somehow." He smiled as he watched her cook, "I'll have to save one for the night after the, well, you know, the court date. I think I'm going to need comfort food that night."

Sabriena shook her head. "No, I want you to come to our place for dinner that night," she said. She and Tien had already talked about that, figuring Goku might be a mess that day, or at least he probably wouldn't want to be alone. "You don't have to pay me back. This is a gift."

Tien shook his head slowly as he watched his wife. He didn't know where the spoiled little girl had gone, but he was crazy in love with this beautiful, caring woman that he saw before him. "Never cease to amaze me, girl," he rumbled.

Goku smiled at her and Tien. "I would appreciate that. Thanks guys. I really don't know what I would do without you. At least you listen. It's hard talking to Gohan about this, he loves his mom. I think Vegeta and Bulma are tired of me showing up and complaining. I just had so many questions for Vegeta. I can't tell who he is mad at more, Chichi or myself."

Tien pulled a face. "Yeah, Vegeta's not exactly a sympathetic person," he muttered.

"Tien, tell the truth," Sabriena scolded. "Vegeta's an out-right dick."

"Language," he growled out.

"Wha? Dick isn't a cuss word... is it?" she tipped her head to the side, then shrugged. "Anyway, why were you going to him of all people?"

Goku sighed and pointed at the mark on his neck. "It died. When she shouted at me that she didn't love me anymore, it went cold, it's been hurting ever since. I didn't know what to do. So I went to ask Vegeta about it. He said it needs to run its course. It is painful for both sides when a mating mark dies. "

Sabriena frowned. "Aw, honey, I'm sorry you're hurting." Gods, that thing was ugly. Not what it symbolized, but because of who had left it on him. She'd never really paid much attention to the scar on his neck. But now that he drew her attention to it, she suddenly noticed how much it stood out against his lightly tanned skin. "Isn't there a way to get rid of that or something? I know there's ways to remove scars and stuff. Hell, I'll pay for it to be removed if you want."

Goku looked up at Sabriena and shook his head. "This is one mark, one scar, that will never fade. It's part of the mating ritual we Saiyans go through. Once it is made, it is for life. It is meant to be, anyway. I didn't mate with Chichi lightly. I love her... loved..." He shook his head.

"Sorry," Sabriena murmured, setting aside the spoon she was cooking with and pulled Goku into a hug. "I was just trying to make you feel better. Sorry if I made you sad again." She squeezed him tighter, then turned to grab some paper plates out of another bag and she heaped a big pile of pasta on it and covered it in spaghetti sauce. "Eat up," she said. "You're lookin' skinny." She served Tien a plate as well, then put the rest into a tupperware and popped it in the fridge before she started in on another meal for him.

Goku laughed, "You do make me feel better. I appreciate it. I really do. No one else has been around. I think it's awkward to be around me when I'm like this. I don't blame them. No one else would have thought to cook for me." He sighed happily as he tucked into the meal, inhaling the first, second and third plates of pasta. He took his time on the fourth, savoring the freshly made pasta. "Eating like a king... you weren't kidding."

Sabriena grinned and winked at him.

"Don't let him fool ya, Sabriena," Tien warned. "He doesn't come out because he likes sparring with us. He just comes by because he loves your cooking." He snickered and grinned at Goku to let him know he was just joking. He really did want to lighten his friend's mood.

Sabriena got to a stopping point with the cooking, letting the food set for a bit, and she turned to look around the kitchen. She spied a stack of mail on the counter and picked it up, flipping through it, seeing the disconnection notices. She sighed and shook her head, muttering, "evil bitch," under her breath. She dug in her purse for her credit card, grabbed Goku's phone, and opened the first bill.

Goku blinked over at her, "Sabriena, what are you doing? You don't have to pay those. My money should be unlocked after the court hearing... " he trailed off as he realized the electric bill would be late by then. The electricity would be turned off and all the wonderful food she just bought and prepared him would spoil and go to waste. His mouth formed an o and he was embarrassed again. Chichi was always telling him to get a job and now he didn't have one and someone else was paying for his stuff. "I'm so sorry..."

She made a face at him and shook her head. "It's NOT a big deal," she said, listening to the annoying elevator-type music on the phone. "Seriously. Let me help you." She jumped when someone answered and she turned away from him, reading off the account number.

"Really, Goku, don't worry about it," Tien reassured him. "I think it's been driving her nuts to not use her money anyway," he said with a chuckle. He dropped his voice a bit lower, "She has more than she knows what to do with." He didn't know how much, exactly, but it wasn't hard to figure out from the way she'd been before she came to train with Tien that she had more money than you could shake a stick at.

Goku sighed and nodded, finishing his plate of food and pushing it away as he watched Sabriena pick up the bills that were there and paid them. "She's not the woman when she first came to you, huh?" He smiled at his friend, "thanks, both of you. I really, really would be lost." He sighed, leaning his head on his hand as he pushed the traces of sauce around on the plate. He had to stop himself from picking up the plate and licking it clean. He had been so hungry. He would have to limit himself on the meals she prepared, make them last as long as he could.

Sabriena threw the bills into the trash one by one as she paid them. "That's all taken care of," she said simply and turned back to her cooking. She was actually kind of having fun, helping her friend out. He'd done a lot for her over the years, she owed him this much.

Before he knew it, Goku had a refrigerator and freezer full of prepared meals. Sabriena grabbed a piece of paper and a pen out of a drawer and wrote down instructions on how to thaw and reheat everything, then set it on top of the microwave. "There. That ought to hold ya over for a bit," she smiled and went to him. "I hope I'm not, you know, overstepping my bounds. I just wanna help. Is there anything else Tien or I can help you with?"

Goku chuckled, looking over the instructions, in case he had any questions about them, but they were pretty straightforward. He smiled at them, "No. You guys have done more than I could ask for. I appreciate everything you've done." He smiled at them, giving them each a hug, "it's a weight off my chest like you wouldn't believe. I have enough on my mind and this on top of it was just the icing on the cake." He smiled brighter. "Hey! I know. You guys can use the hot tub. I can fill it up and heat it. I know it's not much, but it's at least a little bit of a thank-you."

Sabriena's eyes lit up. "The hot tub? Oh my god, that sounds like heaven!" she squealed. She looked at Tien, "can we, honey? Please?"

Tien chuckled. "Sure. I think you've earned it." He picked up the paper plates and plastic cups Sabriena had bought and threw them in the trash. Good lord, when had she become so considerate? Goku had struggled for years with glass and Chichi had refused to budge on the subject, choosing instead to yell at him every time he broke something. "I think we'll take you up on that offer, Goku," he grinned at his friend.

Goku smiled, "great! I'll get it ready and you guys can help yourself to the towels in the dryer!" He was humming to himself as he went outside, filling the tub up with water from the garden hose before he lit the fire beneath it.

Sabriena squealed and grabbed three towels from the dryer. "Oh, wait, I don't have my bikini with me," she murmured, looking down at herself. She shrugged. "Oh well. My bra and panties match, that's close enough right?"

"Yeah, I guess," Tien said, taking one of the warm towels from her. Usually he and Goku and any of the other guys would just soak naked, but it was different with Sabriena there. He couldn't remember a time when a female had been in the hot tub with them. "I guess it's not that much different," he said.

They headed outside, seeing the tub already steaming. Sabriena grabbed the rim of the tub and smiled as she looked into the water. She started pulling off her jeans as Tien stripped down to his boxers. "Are you gonna soak with us?" Sabriena asked Goku.

Goku blinked at them. "Are you guys sure? I can go do something else if you want some alone time," he said. At their nod, he shrugged and stripped down to his boxers and climbed in with them. He let out a sigh as the hot water seeped into his muscles, and for the first time since the war was over, he felt more at peace than he could remember.


Author's Final Notes: Thanks everyone for all the reviews, favorites, and follows! JC 87 and I will be working on the next story immediately, which will be titled "Trinity." I hope to get the first chapters of it posted later today or sometime tomorrow. Hope you enjoyed the story!