Chapter 20
History Lesson

Vegeta stood at the doorway of the house as Jeremy walked into the kitchen. His head lowered just a bit as he watched, unsure if he wanted to go in more or not. There was nothing to indicate that the slave would be harmed, but then there was no indication that he wouldn't be. A sick feeling would rise from the pit of his stomach as he glanced toward the windows. It seemed a quaint place, a simple two story house. The collar around his throat though reminded him that he was still a prisoner, still at the mercy of the Free.

Jeremy hung up his long brown trench coat and then looked back at Vegeta, his head tipping just slightly. "You seem nervous. Would you like to talk about it?"

Vegeta only kept his gaze lowered and to the side, then he would lift his gaze to the side where the couch and chairs would be arranged, with a fireplace and other items. Taking in the surroundings, he took a deep breath and shook his head. "No, Sir. It's just deep thought." He stated in a matter of fact voice. It was plain and almost monotonous in tone even to him. Vegeta simply didn't feel like sharing how he felt at the moment. Besides, it wasn't like the warrior had anything much to say than how ill he felt. It was best to keep his mouth shut about his own emotions and with the pain that he'd endured; he'd learned not to complain a long time ago.

Jeremy nodded and handed Vegeta a plate of food and as the slave took the food to the corner, he sat and watched until his wife approached. "The kids are due home from school at any time. Now that I see him in a home environment, it's almost heart wrenching to watch his mannerisms."

Jenna smiled a gentle smile. "Now look Jeremy, this is for the best. We discussed this before. We'll give him some room, let him discover things, and then slowly start integrating him with people that for once won't hurt him. The kids will be overjoyed to have a new friend, and I'm sure he could use some friends as well. He just seems so skittish and withdrawn."

Jeremy nodded lightly in the thought. "I can't blame him though. What if he doesn't like it here with us? What if instead of helping him, we end up making it worse? You should have seen him in the holding cells. It was as if he were afraid to move, let alone talk or express his emotions."

Jenna's long dark, brown hair would come down over her husband's shoulder, but she took his hand and looked at Vegeta. "When he gets to know us, he may open up more to us. We have to be ready though to hear what he has to say. If we don't hear him, if we don't listen, then it will hurt him more. "

Jeremy took out a picture and then looked at it as his wife peered over his shoulder. They looked at this beautiful woman and then up at him. "What do you suppose this could mean to him?" Jeremy asked his wife as she came to sit at the table next to him. He couldn't stop looking at the person in the picture.

Jenna shrugged her shoulders. "It's hard to say. It could mean nothing, but then, it could mean everything to him. I wonder though why his previous home never let him have this if it was in his file. It seems as though it could mean the world to him if he knows this person." She looked at her husband with the same questions she seen in her husband.

In the corner near the reading table, the oak grandfather clock would start to chime and in the moment they glanced away to see what time it was, the slave would get up and head for the kitchen. He started to wash the dishes, clean the fridge, and get ready to make dinner for the family. Vegeta had heard them talking to each other, their thoughts now prominent in the room. However, the warrior would not pry into their thoughts. No, questioning the owners of this home was out of the equation. He knew the consequences of questioning the Free.

Alone in the kitchen, he would focus on the tasks at hand that he'd been trained to do, things that became more habit than anything else. It was a schedule that he'd maintained for years prior to his "rescue". There was another dilemma on his hands. How was he going to convince not only Jenna and Jeremy, but the Justices that he was not a threat to those around him? How was he going to prove that all he wanted was to be left alone and to live as he wanted to instead of as told? It was in times like this that he hated the black band around his throat the most.

He then realized how long he'd been kept isolated from the rest of the world. It was perplexing to him, but he knew family matters were something for him not to get involved with, not unless they brought him into them. Vegeta simply went back to work in the kitchen, making sure everything was in order.

When he opened the pantry to select food, he raised a brow at the cans of things. He closed it and went for the fridge instead, pulling out several items and then closed the door to the fridge with his foot carefully so as not to break it. Then it hit him. He'd not had a power shot now since he'd been pulled from the Raven Estates. His ki abilities were coming back. However, if he made them aware of such abilities, he would undoubtedly be given the shot again. He decided to mask his abilities and keep his mouth shut about them.

Barreling through the dining room door the kids anxiously raced into the kitchen, startling the already on edge Saiyan. Turning quickly, he no sooner had his arms raised than the two boys would start tugging on his gloved hands. The girl though would stand back and paused when she seen the black eyes. "You have weird eyes." She would state in a very innocent, childlike manner.

The boys groaned at her comment as they tugged at the warrior to come outside with them. Jenna though was quick on their heels. "Alright kids, you know the drill, homework first then you can play." She stated, shooing the kids from the uncertain warrior in their kitchen. It wasn't long before all three were getting their books out of their bags and sitting around the table. The oldest though seemed to be having issues with his homework.

Vegeta glanced over as the kids worked at their assignments. After a few minutes he finally walked over to the oldest that had not written a thing down. "I don't get this, it sucks." He stated with fervent disdain. Throwing his pencil down, he balled his hands and rested his forehead in them. Giving a heavy sigh, he stared at the book and paper before him as if It were some poisonous animal about to lunge out and bite him.

Vegeta leaned down, bracing one hand on the table to look at his homework as he held a glass in the other, setting it down for the eldest child to drink from. "What is the subject?"

Eric shook his head. "It's history. I don't even know why we have to learn it. It's stupid and boring. Who wants to read about a bunch of dead guys in the past? I mean honestly, it's dull."

Jeremy held Jenna back before she could jump in on helping her eldest son as he whispered in her ear. "No, let him help Eric, it's something I've not seen before from him. He's doing this of his own will, let him try."

Jenna turned and smiled once then nodded, letting the Saiyan help him with the subject he had most trouble on. However they would continue to listen as the warrior looked at Eric and spoke with seemingly years of wisdom. "History is where we come from; it makes us who we are. Remembering the past also can prevent a repeat of harsh events from surfacing again."

Eric looked back at Vegeta as the warrior dried the glass and put it away. "So then by knowing this, you're saying that we can learn from our mistakes to try not to repeat them?"

Vegeta nodded once. "If you walked into a house that had a slave, what could you pull from the past to help you deal with the situation?"

This got Eric thinking about it. "But slavery was abolished back in the 1930's. It'd be illegal for a slave to be held these days."

Setting the glass in the cupboards, Vegeta took a deep breath, wishing it had been so easy to do for his own situation. However, this was not about him, it was about Eric and his History lesson. "How do you know it has been?"

"Because I learned it a while back in…History." Eric looked down at his homework now starting to realize the importance of a situation, and then he looked back up at Vegeta. "Can I ask you a question?"

The Saiyan turned and looked at Eric, his gaze just a bit lower so as not to make direct eye contact, remembering his harsh lessons. "You may ask me as you wish. I will answer accordingly."

Eric rose from his seat and then looked at Vegeta's collar. "What is that thing around your neck? Is that something you like to wear like a new fashion or something?"

Vegeta shook his head lightly. "It is a collar that marks me as a slave. It has been around my throat for decades. It's not something I like, but I cannot remove it. It's bound around my throat by a single document. The courts are going to decide if I can have my freedom or if I am to remain a slave. Either way, I must abide their decision."

The twelve year old neared the warrior and then tipped his head. He never thought he would see living history in his home. He looked closely at the collar finding no way to remove it otherwise. He had always heard about the slaves back in the day, and how horrible they were treated and the laws that forced their obedience. Now that he was seeing a slave up close, he wondered how much was right about how slaves were treated. "What is it like? I mean, do you have to do whatever people tell you to do?"

Vegeta looked back at him. "It is only part of what is required of me as a slave, but yes, I have to." He tried to keep the answer short; he didn't want to go into depth on what it was truly like, nor the frightening predicament that he was in. He couldn't say that his life was in the hands of the Free and that they could easily kick him out or even end his existence on a mere whim. Eric nodded and then headed back to the table. Vegeta would once more speak up. "What part are you learning about?"

Turning the book, he started to read about the Chicago fire and how it had started when a cow had kicked over a lantern. It was a massive blaze that had destroyed several city blocks, making the Fire Departments evolve and learn from the incident. For an hour, Vegeta and Eric would converse about the fire and in time Eric started to show genuine interest in the subject he had hated for so long. It was a stark change in the boy that his parents were delighted to see.

When the kids were done with their homework, they went out to play except Eric who was still upstairs getting his stuff put away when Jeremy and Jenna motioned the slave into the kitchen. Vegeta could sense Eric coming down, but he couldn't acknowledge the fact as the boy stayed hidden from their sight. The warrior figured that he was eavesdropping on the conversation that he and his handler was about to have.

Jeremy looked at Vegeta. "That was a surprise. I didn't expect that of you."

Vegeta turned his gaze down and to the side. "Please forgive me, I didn't mean to speak so freely. It won't happen again. I should have gotten Sir instead."

Eric was shocked to hear the warrior slave say something like that. He couldn't believe that something so simple could be grounds for punishment for the one that had helped him. It was definitely an eye opener but his father continued. "You did nothing wrong, Vegeta. In fact, I'm impressed. I didn't know you were so good with kids. Eric has been struggling with that subject for a long time now, yet you took the time to explain it on his level, to his understanding."

Jenna was next to speak as she rested a hand on his shoulder. "I don't know what your other Owners were like, but you're not with them anymore. I think its marvelous how you stepped up to the task on top of getting dinner started. After dinner is done you can relax however you wish to. Jeremy and I wanted to thank you is all."

With that the two would leave the warrior to himself in the kitchen as Eric snuck outside to play with his brother and sister. Once he was alone, he sighed a breath of relief. He certainly didn't want to press the boundaries in this home. This time, he was lucky. He didn't want to fail this test.