"We've received several reports, sir." Wilkinson set the stack of papers he'd been carrying on the desk. "All of them describing some kind of explosion or earthquake."

Detective Castle snatched one up and leafed through it, confirming what Wilkinson had just told him. "So we've got unhappy union members making show. What of it? I thought this kind of thing usually went to the police."

"Well, Mister Castle, this was an isolated incident. No such accidents have been reported elsewhere in the city, and the police haven't been contacted."

Castle plucked another report at random from the pile, and read through the eye witness accounts: "Jes' mindin' my own bisness gettin ready fa bed, when there was dis BOOM! an' a kind of rumble... Yeah it was close, jes' a cuppa blocks away, in the direction of that house where whatserface lives- no, I knows her name jes' gimme a hot minute... Aha, there we go- Helen Keller, dat deaf-blind girl. Naw, never met 'em..." The report dropped to the desk, and Castle quickly drew another from the pile and flipped to the eye witness account: "-Very loud, it woke me up If I had to guess I would estimate it to be close, near that house where Helen Keller lives-" Comprehension dawning, Castle looked over the top of the report at Wilkinson.

"They're all from within a five block radius around the residence, Detective, and none of them saw what caused the event."

"Two things," Castle said, holding up the fingers as he stroked his chin and leaned back in his chair. "One: there's been an attempt on Miss Keller's life, in which case this definitely goes to the police; and two, there was some kind of failed weapon test, a part of some plot. I heard that teacher of hers married John Macy, and you know how those socialists are... I'll be-" Wilkinsin interrupted with a well-practiced cough.

"I was contacted twice, by the same neighbour." Wilkinson offerred the report he'd been witholding, opened to the eye witness accounts. "The first time, I was pruning my gardenias- quite ordinary business. I waved to Misses Macy as she came out of her house, but she didn't notice. Oh, and then I saw what she had come out to inspect: a most curious notion, a shiny metallic globe resting in the center of that mysterious crater on her lawn, which I am certain it caused. Heavens! I sound mad, but I swear 'tis true- in any case the metal sphere did something to frighten her, for after walking around it she hurried off back into the house. Just as I was putting my pruning shears back into my bag of gardening tools, the metal sphere lifted off the ground in a burst of fire, and flew off into the sky before I could say 'what?'

I keep my gardenias pruned very well, but I was pretending at it again this second time. I had seen nothing in the week between, but expected everything- so it was hardly a surprise when there was this odd burst of light from her back yard, and a loud yell..." Castle and Wilkinson shared a look over the report. "I'll investigate the Macy house, and you interview this lady, see if anything else has come up. Let's get on this today." Castle stood and nodded to Wilkinson, who led the way out of the office.

~oOo~

Confusion had kept things from being sorted out. Helen had followed Annie to her room and they had talked.

"No, it's nothing serious, Helen. John... he's focused on writing to the point where he justs shuts me out."

"Maybe..." Helen hesitated to form the handsigns for a moment. "Maybe he needs room to breathe and work in silence; I- I think Vegeta is the same way." As Helen knew very well hands could not lie, and feared Annie's response to the slip-up.

"I have no desire to be shut out of my own house, or by my husband. And what do you mean, 'Vegeta is the same way'?"

"He... I tried to ask him how he felt, but he didn't say much- something about internal damage. I tried to talk with him after that, but he pushed me out of the room."

Surprisingly, that little twist of the truth went over better than Helen hoped for. Internal damage? What organ could it be? His armor vest was wrecked... "Some people don't like to rely on others," Annie signed bitterly. "They think it makes them look weak." Annie reached up and smoothed back a stray lock of Helen's hair, wondering how and if she would be needed.

~oOo~

Though he never would admit it, Vegeta needed Helen. He felt excluded when Helen and Annie conversed in hand signs. Well, no longer: after their breathing exercises they stood close, as Helen taught Vegeta the letters. Helen was surprised to see that he leaned them so fast, angrily throwing them down into her palms until he got them right. They even had conversations, but Vegeta would quickly tire of signing and their talks were short, almost like puzzles Helen tried to piece together so she could figure him out. "Tongue on gums," "In through your nose," "Almost have it..." Helen then remembered Vegeta was telling her to watch her breathing patterns, and resumed them.

The Saiyan breathing exercises brought Helen a calm she'd rarely felt in the city, one that reminisced her of walks in the wood in her childhood. It became easier to sense Vegeta during them, his breath- ki- warming her, and Helen felt her own heat growing. And it had only taken a handful of days for her to reach this point. Vegeta himself seemed to be benefitting from them, slowly but surely moving around more and more each day. Today, he felt well enough to begin teaching her the basic martial arts forms, which Vegeta assured her would help with her ki placed his hands on her hips and positioned them in the correct place, then stood aside as Helen went through it.

A punch here, careful foot movement to the second position where there were a few more punches and a block; turn right, repeat. Helen slowly went through the form and ended with a hah!, palms thrusting forwards and trying to project her heat through them. Vegeta nearly jumped. He wasn't quite sure he'd seen what he did- a brief golden-white flare that quickly died out.

Meanwhile, Detective Castle was trimming hedges. Not really- he did give the occasional snip here and there but he was actually only peeking above the hedge to observe Helen and Vegeta. And until a moment ago nothing had appeared out of the ordinary, just two people doing a slow boxing sequence and talking with handsigns. Castle wondered what the strange light had been, but he ducked out of sight and made note of it. Then when he came back up, it happened again! The golden-white flash was more prolonged this time, forming a sort of globe shape that flew forwards a few yards before dissipating. The man seemed to approve of that time. Is he capable of that as well? Scribbling down a few more thoughts on his notepad. Then this time when Castle made a few snips and looked up again, Helen and Vegeta were kissing! It was slow and intense, forcing Castle to look away and note the contact on his pad. I think I've seen enough for now. Head back to the office and discuss this with Wilkinson. Snipping off a last stray twig, Castle took one more glance above the hedge: Vegeta and Helen were still kissing, so he nodded and walked away, putting his clippers and notepad in the bag on the way to his bicycle.

Thoughts were organized on the way to the office, ideas balled up to bounce off Wilkinson. The city slid past in a blur. There were pedestrians who respectfully moved out of the way as he sped down the sidewalk, and others who had to be reminded with the bell. The cool Spring breeze wrapped around Castle as he turned the corner of an office building a few doors down from his. Gradually braking and coming to a stop outside the front door, Detective Castle tossed his "worker" cap into the basket on his bicycle and walked in.

He offered a couple nods on his way to the office at the back, and caught the eye of Wilkinson, motioning for him to follow.

"Back already?" Wilkinson asked, shutting the door behind him.

"There were some things that just couldn't wait for tomorrow," Castle explained as he opened his bag and took out his notepad. He dropped down into his chair and snatched a pencil from the holder. "Item number one: there's a strange man living with Keller."

"Well. I'm sure she's had a number of suitors but I can't imagine her in a relationship right now. Isn't she in college? It could be that he's only a butler."

"Would you kiss your butler full on the mouth?"

"What?"

"I've known for years, relax. So that brings up point number two: the relationship appears to be intimate."

"That could mean any number of things. A true relationship, maybe, but that's unlikely; more probable is that- ah, favors are being exchanged to keep both sides quiet."

"Freud be damned, Wilkinson- I think you're on to something there! That man and the metal sphere, let's suppose they're connected: he's just been informed he's landed in a high-interest spot, and Keller's taken a shine to him. What does she do to keep him around? Give him a way to keep her mouth- or would that be hands?- occupied, if you will."

"And then you have the opposite side," Wilkinson picked up. "This man knows exactly where he's come to, and is using that to get what he wants from Keller." Castle nodded as he scrawled notes in the margins on his pad. "So assuming the man really did fly here in a rocket ball to her house, that still leaves the flash of light with no possible leads."

"No... I got something for that too... Listen I'm not the type to buy into this, but before the kiss Keller and the man were doing these slow movements, and..."

"And...?"

"There were two flashes of light, both from Keller. I think they were connected to the movements, these slow boxing patterns-" Castle was abruptly interrupted by Wilkinson laughing, and after a moment chuckled along with him. "Like I said I'm not the first to believe these things, but I saw what I saw."

"Well then, what were Keller's flashes of light like?"

"The first one was soft, almost like a candle. Flickered out pretty quick. The second was stronger, and like a beam; the first was more like a ball. And..." A detail briefly glimpsed suddenly came back to Castle. "The tree, her second flash stripped a patch of bark from a tree." Writing down the small fact, Castle looked up to Wilkinson for an opinion but found the man staring blankly at him. After a minute Castle put two and two together, and his jaw dropped open. There was dead silence in the office for a full two minutes before Detective Castle cleared his throat. "You know someone who knows him, right?" Wilkinson nodded. "Let him know we might have a job for him."

~oOo~

"-And it suddenly seemed like your area of expertise would be needed. So yes, Harold, I am officially calling in my favor. I'm counting on you."

Harold- better known as Harry- Dresden crumpled up the note, and with a word set it on fire. Do a guy a small favor... A wasate of power, to be sure; but in his current re-incarnation there was a hard edge to his cynicism that refused to soften. But promises and prophecy aren't so different, and this time I will exploit that and break the cycle.

Though he carried no previous memories besides those related to The Pact, Harry knew interfering in the affairs of those who wielded raw power came with an iron-clad guarantee of ending in disaster. And all signs were indicating that this was exactly what he was headed for.

~oOo~

That afternoon, Vegeta and John met formally for the first time. The talk was short, as John was a believer in work, and had noticed Vegeta was moving but doing none. Surprisingly, Annie saw Vegeta agree on the first task: doing what he could to fill in the hole in the front yard made by the attack ball's landing.

"Simple manual labor, but it will help me get my strength back." So the shovel was retrieved from the shed, and the Prince of All Saiyans got to work. Not like I can get any lower... A slave for Frieza, now a slave on this primitive planet. It's always the worker who gets it worst, and my royalty means nothing here! Vegeta thought darkly, as he shoveled another load of dirt into the wheelbarrow. Come to think of it, who rules this place? Maybe I could steal a page from Frieza's book and just use my power to begin an empire here. With their current level of technology that would be child's play. Take a local woman or two and start a dynasty.

"Do you have a wife, or lover?" Even after a fortnight the question still managed to get through his defenses, and leave him struggling with the answer. Which, Vegeta had to admit, was changing. He'd never really wanted it to before: if he'd wanted a woman before he would have just taken her, no questions asked, and he would never see her again. But he couldn't simply move on here, and it was doing things to him he had never imagined. The mighty Prince of All Saiyans, who lived for the fight, the thrill of the kill, was beginning to think about the future.

And just like that, the decision was made. Vegeta thought over how he would do it a few times, but he was not an elaborate man and put the thoughts aside for the moment. I'll figure it out later, Vegeta thought, as he dumped the wheelbarrow's load into the crater. Then, somtehing caught his eye: and orange ball down in the middle of the crater. Hopping down, he picked it up and jumped back to the wheelbarrow, which he overturned and sat down on as he inspected the strange object. It was smooth, the orange color lightening towards the outside, and had seven dark red stars in the middle that stayed in the same position no matter what angle he viewed them from. Hmph. Weighs enough for her to use as an exercise ball. I'll put in inside the door for later.

It was like a nightmare that kept getting worse. This literally can't be happening, Thought Harry Dresden, double-checking the view through his binoculars. Sure enough, Vegeta was still in possession of the Dragon Ball, and was taking it into the house. That has to be the only one he has. He would have seen it earlier if he had others. Or maybe he was just surprised to find it here... with technology like that metal sphere it could be he has a device that can find them... but I can't let even a whisper of this get out, can't ask around, because if the White Council finds out I know...

In a moment Vegeta was back and shoveling dirt again. Time to try a warning shot, see how he'll react. Raising the rings on his right hand, Harry focused and let the magic come out in a burst of force. The shot almost immediately got Vegeta's attention, and the Saiyan deflected it with an annoyed grunt. Damn.

~oOo~

"You were attacked?"

"They were just testing me. It wasn't much more than you could have done."

I could...? "Were you hurt?"

"Heh! No, I wasn't. That attack couldn't have hit me in my sleep."

"Did you see him? It might be someone John knows."

"He shot from cover, so no." Oh- "And I found something that you could use for exercise. It's a globe." Didn't I leave it on the bed? Ah, there it is. Taking the orange ball, Vegeta handed it to Helen and folded his arms across his chest.

This... it feels like a star; it has that same heat which Vegeta does... "Vegeta, I do not think this was ever meant for exercise... It has its own kind of ki."

Its own kind of ki? Closing his eyes Vegeta tried to sense the Ball where Helen had put it on the bed, but couldn't. "Helen, point to where the thing is." There, I moved it. But amazingly Helen sat down on the bed and leaned over and picked it up. What... what is it about her...

"How strong are you Vegeta? Are... we in danger?"

"No. We're safe." Feeling her own heat growing, Helen moved the warmth of the Dragon Ball to the floor and grasped Vegeta's hands...

~oOo~

It wasn't the first time. Annie loved John, but at the moment there was a wall between them she couldn't break through. Helen was usually her comfort on such nights: sometimes Annie would sit on the edge of Helen's bed in the dark, or watch her sleep at the doorway. Annie wasn't getting any younger, and she was worried her best chance at love was slipping away from her; whereas Helen was still young and had poetry and magic at her fingertips, had the whole world before her for the taking. Annie needed a little of that right now.

So, Helen's tutor made her way down the hall to her pupil's room. Her eyes had trouble adjusting to the darkness, but she knew the way well enough. Perhaps I might wake her, and we could talk for a short while. Hmm? Pausing for a moment Annie stopped to listen at the guest room door. I was sure I heard something from inside there. Annie's hand hovered over the door knob a moment, then took hold of it, then slowly slipped off. Suppose I'm only hearing things. Continuing her walk to Helen's room Annie let her fingers trail along the wall, then fall down onto the door knob and twist it open. There was a dark mess of blankets in the middle of the bed where she assumed Helen slept. Yes, I'll wake her. Softly sitting down on the edge of the bed, Annie gently shook the shape's "shoulder", but something felt wrong. She pushed again, and the shape gave way. These... these are only spare sheets! Knowing her basic arithmetic, Annie put two and two together and gasped as she figured out where Helen was.

~oOo~

It was the most terrifying and beautiful thing Helen Keller had experienced in all her adult life, and she owed it to Vegeta.

Helen had learned the breathing and ki exercises just as fast as Vegeta learned the handsigns. She began to teach him some of her and Annie's "shorthand", and Vegeta began working her ki exercises harder; from destroying blocks of firewood all the way up to rocks, and changing the trajectory of her ki blasts.

She was gaining more confidence with her body, as well. Helen could do Vegeta's martial arts forms faster, stronger, and her skin was becoming more sensitive also. She could sense minute distubances in the air when Vegeta moved near her, and he said she would be ready to start sparring in a week or so.

After the exercise session, the pair were discussing Helen having a signature ki attack. "I feel more comfortable in close range."

"Then go long range. Everyone would expect you to defend yourself close in."

"So would it be a globe? Or a stream?"

"A spherical attack would be more sudden, and a beam more focused."

"I suppose the element of surprise wins the choice; a globe it is." And... "Vegeta, I would like to go flying with you again."

"Fine. Tomorrow. And you need a name for your attack."

"Shadow Flare," Helen signed without hesitation. She could almost feel Vegeta nod his approval.

A few different emotions were conflicting in Vegeta at the moment. He could not help but feel proud at the progress Helen had made, and excited at the things it might meant. He also wondered what use he might be of to her now that she knew, whether she'd need him in the future. But in the present, he suddenly didn't want her near him. "Go make me a sandwich, woman."

"Well... we only have leftover venison and Heinz tomato sauce, but I'll see what I can do." There was a chance the venison had kept well in the ice box, and the Heinz had been bought the day before. On occasion Vegeta scoffed at the quality of the food, so Helen felt sure he would enjoy the sandwich despite its marginally unusual contents.

On the way to the ice box in the kitchen, Helen was interrupted in her quest for deer flesh. The hands grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around. "Did you sleep well last night, Helen?"

These are Annie's hands. "I... I slept very well, thank you for asking."

"Oh? Your pillow was lumpy; I just fluffed it for you."

"That's, kind of you. I've been meaning to do it for days."

"You must have been cold too, to have all those extra blankets," Annie kept on, "Even thought it's Springtime."

Though of course she couldn't see, Helen was sure she was blushing. "You don't know him, Annie. Stop it."

"Helen, you're throwing away a future where you could uphold the rights of women and other deaf-blind people everywhere for some man with a coarse tongue who calls himself a prince!"

"He may not be the most charming, but his tongue softens once you know him-"

"I'm sure you know all about Vegeta's tongue, but you're already getting criticism for mimicking John's political views; your career couldn't survive a scandal of this sort!"

"This isn't a scandal! You cannot call it that just because neither of us has seen fit to advertise our relationship. Vegeta has nowhere else to go, an as far as we know no friends anywhere nearby, no house, job, or money... and you and mother have denied every man I've considered courting."

"Helen," Annie huffed, "You're blind."

"And not once has Vegeta taken advantage of that. In fact, he's opened up a whole new world for me by-"

"Just like you opened up for him, I'm sure!"

There's so much anger in her hands, they're so tense. She's so set on bringing up last night, it's... wait, could she be...? Of course with her and John's arguments lately... Helen lifted her chin. "I am a woman, and I have a sandwich to make. Excuse me." Helen then turned away from Annie and resumed her task of making Vegeta a snack. But it was with a sour mood, for trading barbs with her friend and mentor always weighed heavily on her.

~oOo~

Vegeta had noticed Annie's dark mood at supper the night before, not even bothering to serve anyone except herself, not saying a word the whole night. John didn't say much either, but did send a few meaningful glances in Helen's direction. Having been trained in elite mathematics, Vegeta put two and two together, and found John and Annie thought one plus one equaled three. "So that's it, that is what this is about?" He yelled, staring at the Macy couple. "She's your wife, John- fuck her!" Annie coughed, nearly choking on a bite of food, then threw her napkin on the table and stormed out of the dining room.

Helen had come in during the night, but only to say she would explain things tomorrow. Dawn had come a little too early, waking Vegeta from soft and luxurious dreams of Helen. He only caught a few glimpses of her during the morning before she left for her classes, and then it was back to filling in the crater his attack ball had made when it landed. The job was nearly done, so Vegeta took his time shoveling dirt into the wheelbarrow and dumping loads into the crater. Despite his easy pace the Saiyan broke a sweat once heat peaked after noon, and he paused to wipe his brow as he looked up towards the sun. About three o'clock? Probably. Glancing back down at the dirt he stuck the shovel in, Vegeta realized he was done filling up the crater. Barely noticed. Wasn't that bad; almost got used to it. I could do more work like this if I- wait, what kind of way is that for a Saiyan prince to think? Deep down, though, Vegeta knew why those thoughts were circling around in his head. Helen. He would do the work for Helen.

After returning the shovel and wheelbarrow to the shed Vegeta came in the back door, made a stop in the guest room to pick up spare clothes John had loaned him, and arrived in the water closet. He took his time washing up, determinedly scrubbing every inch of skin, even the ones Helen had touched. The clothes felt a tad rough on Vegeta's freshly clean skin, but he ignored the feeling and went out to the back yard and leaned up against the house. Several minutes passed in uncharacteristically deep thought, and then finally he sensed her approaching. Helen slowly walked to his side, and grasped his hand.

"Wanna fly now, or talk first?" Signed Vegeta.

"Fly," Helen replied. Using her ki, helen lifted off the ground a few inches then soared into the air. The feeling was every bit as exhilarating as the first try a few days prior. The rush of fear and wonder and pure energy was like nothing else, the feeling of the wind blowing through her hair simply incomparable. having ascended for several moments, Helen halted her climb, and felt for Vegeta's arm, Finding it, she drew him in and began to sign, "I had an argument with Annie, the night before last..."

"And?"

"And she doesn't approve of us being together, just the same as she and my mother have never approved of me courting anyone. I fear she will try to force you away."

Now, Vegeta. Now or never. "You could come with me; I go, you go too. We could fly to anywhere in the world, wherever you want." Vegeta waited for Helen to reply, but she didn't, so he carried on, "I could conquer the world for you, and we would rule together. Our word would be law. We... we could start a dynasty that would last for a thousand years; our children would be given entire nations as playthings...

When I was a soldier for Frieza, it used to be I could have my way with any female I wanted on the planets we pillaged," Not counting Dodoria- "But this time, I want to ask. I... Helen, will you be my wife?"

The proposal had left Helen breathless, the joy and awe and fear and desire and triumph easing away her consciousness and lifting shadows off a dream once broken, sent Helen's hopes skyward as her body plummeted down to the earth.