Sabriena was practically bouncing on her toes as she waited for Goku to return to the newly-built cabin with their son. Goten hadn't seen the cabin since the old one burned down and they had just finished building the day before. She banged around in her new kitchen, wiping down the new countertops and fussing with the gorgeous cast-iron stove Goku and Tien had surprised her with. It felt weird to have a kitchen to work in now instead of just a fireplace. But she loved it.

The cabin was just a little bigger than it had been before. The main area was pretty much the same, only slightly bigger, with a larger table and chairs and Tien had made the bed king-size this time instead of the full they had before because he claimed Goku was going to push them out of bed with the way he liked to sprawl out while he slept. And then there was the loft. Sabriena wasn't sure which she was more excited about showing to Goten. The kitchen or the loft which would be his own room when he came to stay with them.

"The kitchen is clean, you know," Tien said in a low but amused voice as he leaned against the doorframe of the kitchen. He crossed his arms over his chest as he stared at his wife. A smile touched his lips as he watched her moving around nervously. Butterflies erupted in his stomach and he knew that that feeling for her would never go away. "C'mere, girl," he rumbled and pulled her tiny frame into his arms as he kissed her. "What has gotten into you?"

"I'm sorry, I'm just so nervous and excited for Goten to see the cabin!" she answered and looked up at him, her eyes dancing. "I can't wait to play with my new stove! You know it's killing me not to just start whipping up every possible dish I can think of."

Tien chuckled and ran his fingers through her long blonde hair. "I know, I know. Just take a deep breath. Goku will be back any second now and then you and Goten can spend the whole day in the kitchen if you want. I know Goku won't complain," he laughed with a wink. He turned and looked over his shoulder as Goku appeared in the middle of the cabin with little Goten in his arms.

Sabriena pushed past him and beamed at the little boy. "GOTEN!" she cried and threw her arms wide.

Goten smiled widely and rushed forward into her arms, wrapping his arms around her neck, nuzzling her cheek. "MOMMY!" He giggled as she wrapped around him, squeezing him tightly, "I missed you!" He smiled around at Tien, "Hi Tien! Wow!" He looked around the inside of the entire cabin, "This is amazing! It's bigger than before! Did you guys do all of this?!" He squirmed in Sabriena's arms to get a better look.

Goku chuckled at Goten as he looked around, "We sure did, kiddo! We even added a loft for your bedroom and check out the new kitchen we got Sabriena!" He wasn't sure what part he liked best about the newly redone cabin. The bed was always a plus. The fireplace was a close second; they built it out of the smooth stones they gathered from the nearby river.

Sabriena giggled as Goten looked like he could burst with excitement. "Tell you what," she said in a low voice as she hugged him, "why don't you let Tien and Daddy show you your new room upstairs and when you're done, you can come play with me in the kitchen?" She squeezed him tighter and pressed a big kiss to his cheek before she released him.

"Yeah, c'mon kid," Tien grinned and waved Goten over to the ladder that led up into the loft. "C'mon, Goku," he called over his shoulder as he climbed the rustic ladder. He smiled proudly at the room they'd set up for Goten. It was about half the size of the downstairs with a railing that looked down into the main part of the cabin. He'd built a full-sized bed for Goten and the walls were lined with shelves and cubbies that Sabriena had filled with cookbooks and storybooks alike, with plenty of toys interspersed in between. It felt good to be able to give Goten his own space in the cabin now. Tien rested his hands on his hips and smiled down at Goten as he climbed up into the loft. "What do you think?"

Goten's eyes went wide as he saw the decent sized room. He looked up at Tien with wide eyes, "This is all for me? Really?" He looked around, his smile growing wider as he looked at the bed. "Holy cow! That is huge!" he cried out before he bounded over and jumped on the squishy bed before he burrowed under the sheets and popped out on the other side. "It's PERFECT! I can't believe it!" He rubbed at his little eyes, "Thank you so much!"

Goku chuckled as he climbed up the rest of the way, watching his son crawling over the bed. He laughed and walked over to the bookshelves, "Look here, kiddo. Sabriena got you all sorts of books! She has an entire row here for cookbooks. And look! Here's one she wrote herself!" He flipped open the homemade cookbook and showed Goten the empty pages. "She said this is so you can write in your own recipes. She worked really hard on this every night since we started the rebuild of the cabin."

The little half Saiyan's eyes went wide and he ran his hand over the smooth paper, his eyes big as he looked up a smile growing on his face, "REALLY? This is amazing!" He threw himself at his father before he pounced on Tien and shouted over the railing, "Thank you, Mom!"

Tien laughed and hugged Goten as Sabriena's voice called back, "You're welcome!" Tien was surprised at how happy it made him to see Goten so excited. He was proud of the work they'd done to give this to Goku's son. "I'm glad you like it," Tien said quietly. "Maybe now you can come out and stay with us a little more since you have your own space." He ruffled Goten's hair and grinned at him. "Why don't you take that book and go cook with your mommy? I think she's as excited as you are. Wait until you see the kitchen we built for you guys."

Goku had to step aside as his son practically launched himself over the side of the loft and floated downstairs, taking everything in again. His eyes grew larger at the sight of the large kitchen. It was still rustic, but it had more. So much more. The stove was amazing and he wandered over to it, reaching out to touch the cool leg of it. "Oh wow, this feels strong." Everything smelled new and familiar at the same time. He couldn't believe it, "This place is even more amazing than it was the first time." He rubbed at his eyes, smiling, "You really want me out here more? I'll do it! I'll come by all the time!"

Sabriena beamed at him. "Of course we do! We miss you when you're not here, buddy." She crouched down and wrapped him up in a hug again. "I'm sorry it's been a few weeks since you could come visit. It took us a long time to rebuild the cabin." She pulled back and looked at him, "But now that it's done, maybe we can talk to Gohan and see about you staying here for a while. At least until school starts. You've still got a couple months of summer left." She lowered her voice to a whisper and giggled, "I might not give you back to your brother until summer's over."

Goten giggled and nodded his head, "I'll just hide out here until it's over." He looked back to the big bed and wandered over. "I'll just hide under the covers! He'll never find me!" he said, running his hand over the soft fur quilt there. His eyes went wide as he touched it, "Oh wow, this is awesome!" he said in awe before he jumped on the bed and wrapped himself up in the quilt. "It's so soft! Warm!" he said happily.

Tien chuckled as he landed lightly on his feet after jumping over the railing from the loft. "Hey now, your mom made that for me," he lightly scolded. He was still a little sad that the original quilt had been lost in the fire, but the new one Sabriena made was just as beautiful and warm as the one before it. "He's gonna end up stealing that just like you used to steal my cloak," he muttered to Goku who had followed him back downstairs.

Goku laughed and rubbed the back of his head. "Like father, like son I guess! Hey! We should make new cloaks. You know? So I can steal yours again?" He chuckled and slid an arm around Tien's waist as he watched his son purring under the warm quilt. "Hey kiddo! Don't you want to help Sabriena cook in the kitchen?"

The little spiky hair peeped out, looking as if he were debating on something. He grinned, "I want this. Can I have it? Please?!"

Tien blinked at Goten. 'Way to put me on the spot, kid,' he thought to himself. "Ah, I think that quilt's a bit big for your bed, buddy," he finally answered, feeling rather uncomfortable. He thought about it for a minute before he smiled. "But I bet if you ask her real nice, your mom might make one for your bed, too. But you'll have to help me get the pelts to make it. I'll take you hunting. Have you been practicing with your bow?"

Goten's eyes widened and he nodded frantically before he scrambled off the bed and hurried over to Sabriena, falling to his knees and clasping his hands so tightly together his knuckles turned white. "Please, please, please, will you make me a quilt like that one if I work real hard with Tien to get the pelts?"

Goku just laughed as he went and made the bed up. "Uh oh, he's doing the puppy dog eyes. I'm not even immune to them. I taught him too well," he lamented.

"It's completely your fault," Tien agreed.

Sabriena pressed her lips to a thin line in a weak attempt to stop herself from smiling. Damn that look. "Sure thing," she finally grinned. "I'd love to make a quilt for you." She laughed and shook her head. "Well, I think you've got about a million options right now. Do you wanna read your books or do you wanna cook with me? Or do you wanna go hunting with Tien for a while? That quilt will take a while to make, kiddo, just so you know. I used up a lot of the furs we already had, so like Tien said, you'll have to get a bunch more. It's your call, little man."

Goten looked torn for a moment as he thought over what he wanted to do. He was half tempted to ask Tien to teach him the multiform technique so he could do everything at once. "Would it be alright if Tien took me hunting and then we can cook when I get back!?" he asked, "We will get so many! I've really been practicing! Gohan set up a target for me in the backyard! I've been getting really good!"

"That sounds like a brilliant plan," Sabriena smiled at him. "Tien needs to break in his new bow anyway." She smiled at her husband as he got out the bows and arrows he'd made. They'd spent every minute of daylight they had working on the cabin, but in the evenings when it was too dark to see what they were doing, he'd sat up next to the campfire and made new bows for all of them. "Okay, you go on with Tien. You listen to what he tells you, okay? Be good."

Tien slung his bow over his shoulders and handed a smaller one to Goten. "Made you a new bow," he said. "It's better than that silly compound thing you've been practicing with anyway." He shot a wink at Sabriena as he said it. He'd always hated her fancy white bow that she'd brought when she first came to train with him. "Let's go."

Goten nodded excitedly, taking the new bow from Tien and slid his hands over the silky smooth wood. He turned and waved a goodbye to his father and mother before he quickly turned around and followed Tien into the woods. "Wow! This bow is beautiful! Thank you so much Tien!" he said as a quiver of arrows was handed to him. He loved the woods, being outside in them. He had missed being able to come out to visit, but his father said that one of the mean gods burned down their home and he had to wait.

"You're welcome," Tien smiled. "Okay, be quiet now. We don't want to scare off our game." His footsteps became nearly silent as he walked through the trees. His eyes scanned the ground as they neared a creek that would meet the river. He stopped and dropped down to one knee and studied the tracks in the soft bank. "Goten," he said quietly. "Come here. Can you tell what these different tracks are?" There were several animal prints left there and he was curious to see if Goten could identify them or at least guess what they might be.

Goten knelt next to Tien, the excitement of the hunt was growing in his chest that he thought he would burst from it. He looked at the tracks he pointed out to and he pointed to the only one he knew for sure. "That's a deer," he said quietly, "But I don't recognize these other ones. That one might be a dog." He pointed to another, "Do you know what they are?"

Tien smiled proudly at Goten. "Good job. That's deer," he said, pointing at one set of tracks, "and that belongs to that silly mutt back at the cabin. Looks like Dog's been wandering around out here." He couldn't help but chuckle. "These here are turkey. But see those? They look like Dog's prints, but they're smaller. Those are coyote. These deer tracks are fresh. See how they look sharper than the others? If we go that way," he paused and pointed, "I bet we can find it."

Goten watched carefully as Tien pointed out each and committed them to memory. "Wow! You can tell all that just by looking at these things? That's incredible! You're awesome!" he said excitedly before he remembered he was supposed to be keeping quiet and he drew back, holding a finger over his lips. He looked back at the deer tracks and looked up the way it wandered off, "So we follow this direction until we find another track? Or look for the big deer?"

Tien snickered and nodded, moving quietly along the bank of the creek. He paused here and there to show Goten how to track, what to look for. They finally came to a small clearing where a large buck was nibbling at the grass. Tien held a finger to his lips to tell Goten to be quiet. He crouched low, still in the treeline, using the trunks and shadows to his advantage so as not to startle the animal. He gave Goten an encouraging nod, then pointed from the little boy to the deer and back, trying to silently communicate to him that he wanted Goten to take the shot.

Goten felt a nervousness well up inside of him at Tien's indications, but he nodded his head and looked at his target as he removed an arrow from the quiver and notched it on to his bow before he drew back. He raised his weapon and held his breath as he looked over his target, aiming for what he hoped was where the heart would be. It was certainly more nerve wracking than shooting at the bale of hay in Gohan's backyard! He finally bit his lip, gasping out as he let go of the arrow, watching it fly to the startled buck and thudded deeply into the side of the animal before it started running away. It didn't get more than a few strides before the large animal fell over. Goten's eyes went big and he smiled widely at Tien, "Did you see that? Did you see?!"

"Good job, Goten!" Tien exclaimed and gave the little boy a high-five. "Perfect shot. Your mom and dad are going to be proud of you!" He paused then, thinking about his own relationship with Goten. As far as anyone was concerned, Sabriena was Goten's mother now. And Goku was his father. What did that make Tien? He mentally shook himself; there he was worried about labels again. It didn't matter really, did it? "Come on, I'll show you how to field dress it," he said as he stood up straight and approached the animal.

Goten grinned widely and cheered as he followed Tien out to the deer. He paid close attention to the way Tien described how to field dress the animal. He wasn't as grossed out as he thought he would be.

Tien carried their kill back to the cabin with Goten bouncing along beside him. Once they were back home, he hung the deer up from a tree and pulled out his knife again. "Now let's butcher it and get it put away. Usually it's best to let them hang for awhile, but it's too hot this time of year for that. The meat will spoil."

Goten watched the way to skin the animal just right to get the perfect fur that they would tan later so Sabriena could use it and make it into a quilt. He was amazed at Tien's skill with a knife as he began breaking down the deer into different cuts of meat, how not a single scrap was wasted. It was as if he just waved his knife over the deer and it divided itself.

"Get the door, kid," he said and smiled as Goten threw open the door. "Fresh venison," Tien announced as he set the meat on the table. "Goten's first buck. Eight points, too."

Sabriena's eyes lit up at the meat on the table. "Oh wow! Good job, Goten!" she praised and hugged him. "Look at you. I'm so proud of you, buddy."

"Next time, you're gonna dress it," Tien warned. He went thoughtful for a moment. "You'll need a good knife. We'll see if we can find you one of your own the next time I go into town."

Goten was practically dancing, he didn't know what eight points meant, but by the way his mom and dad looked, it was probably a good thing. "What's the eight points mean, da… I mean, Tien?" he asked excitedly. He wasn't sure if Mr. Tien would want him calling him dad. Or if his Dad would mind him calling Tien "dad." He peered at the antlers that Tien had set on the table as well.

Tien chuckled at Goten's excitement and near-slip. "The points on the antlers," Tien explained and counted off the prongs. "That was a big buck you took." He looked over at Goku with pride on his face. "Clean shot, too. Perfect form. Your boy is something else, Goku." He thought to himself that if he ever had wanted children, he would want a son just like Goten. Hell, he had Goten, he just wasn't sure if Goku would be comfortable with him referring to Goten as his son, too. He didn't want to overstep his boundaries and offend his husband somehow.

Goku chuckled at the excitement, not missing a detail, a rare moment for him, he was sure. "Heh, I'm sure it's not all my doing, He's half yours too! Well, I dunno, do you think two, three people can share one hundred percent of a whole kid?" He looked down at his son, reaching out and ruffling his hair, "What do you think, kiddo?"

Goten's smile returned full force and he nodded eagerly before he jumped into Tien's arms, laughing as he looked at the kill on the table. "I couldn't have done it without you, Dad," he said brightly.

Tien's eyes went wide as he suddenly found his arms full of the little kid and he smiled and hugged him. He felt a knot in his throat at Goten's words and didn't really know what to say. "Okay, come on," he said, his voice sounding a little thick, "You go on and help your mother cook up some of that meat. I'm starving!" He pulled back and grinned at Goten. "I'll put the rest in the cellar. And later I'll show you how we can start tanning the hide so Sabriena can use it for part of your new quilt, okay?"

Goku watched happily as his son, their son dashed off to eagerly help Sabriena start cooking. He could see a light in his son's eyes that brought a comfort to him. He smiled at Tien. "Let me help you," he said and helped carry the portion that wasn't going to be a part of dinner that day. When they were outside, he chuckled again, "So you guys had a really good time, huh?"

The corner of Tien's mouth twitched in a smile. "Yeah, we did. You know me; I like teaching. He's so eager to learn this stuff. He's like a little sponge," he laughed as he toed open the door to the cellar and carried the meat inside. It was cool enough below ground that the meat could hang overnight without spoiling until Sabriena decided what she wanted to do with it. "He listens well. He's a good kid."

Goku followed Tien's actions, hanging the meat he had in his hands. "Yeah, he is. I'm just so happy that he finally has a family that he can really count on, without worry of anyone hurting him again." He sighed and looked over at his husband, "I know it wasn't my fault, but still, I wish I had noticed what Chichi was doing to him. But that's not the important thing. It's over and done, right? Let's make the most of this while we can. Goten really likes you, you know? You grew on him."

Tien gave a small chuckle. "I like him, too. You know, I never wanted kids. Neither did Sabriena. But, well, something about your boy changed that." He swallowed and licked his lips nervously as he looked down at the dirt floor for a moment before he looked back up at Goku, a questioning look in his eyes. "Are you sure you're okay with it if he calls me Dad? I don't want to, you know, cross a line with you. You're his father, Goku. I don't want you to feel like I'm butting in or something."

Goku blinked at Tien, giving him a smile after a moment and walked over to put his hands on the other man's shoulders. "As far as I'm concerned, we are his fathers. It makes my heart soar to hear him call you Dad. And, you know, if you wanted to call him Son, I would be more than okay with that. We are family, aren't we?" he asked, letting a hand come up and cover the mating mark on Tien's neck, brushing against it affectionately.

A shiver ran down Tien's spine as Goku touched the mark on his neck. "We are," he answered. His heart swelled at the thought of being able to call Goten his son, too. He'd thought about it for awhile now, but as he'd said, he didn't want to overstep his boundaries and had let the subject lie. "Thank you, Goku," he said and pulled his husband close for a tender, lingering kiss as he wrapped his arms around the shorter man.

Goku purred against him, kissing him back just as gently. He would never get tired of this, of his mates. They were perfect. He pulled back and gave him another smile, "Come on, let's go hound those two for dinner. I'm starving." He laughed and slipped his arm around Tien's waist as the shut the cellar door and walked back to the cabin. "It really looks amazing, the new cabin. You've outdone yourself. It's going to last us a few lifetimes."

Tien sat back from the table and groaned. "I ate way too much you guys," he admitted. He knew he should've stopped with the third helping of deer steak, but he just couldn't stop himself. Steak, mushrooms, onions, with loaded baked potatoes. He was in heaven. He pressed a fist to his mouth to stifle a belch and his face turned a bit red. "Good gods, Goku. They really are fattening us up for the kill. We gotta keep those two out of the kitchen."

"No one force-fed you, you know," Sabriena teased back. She was proud of herself and Goten for the meal they'd prepared. It was pretty spectacular if she did say so herself. She sat back in her own chair and slapped a hand to her stomach. "Goten, I think I agree with Tien. You gotta stop cooking so good. I'm going to get fat." She snickered and wrinkled her nose at him before she reached over and ruffled his hair. "Best little chef in the world."

Goten giggled at her. "Don't worry! Maybe Daddy can train us extra hard tomorrow to work it all off! And then we can do it again!" he said with a snicker as he looked over at his two dads, both looking full and rubbing their stomachs. "Heheh, maybe we did make it too good."

Goku laughed, "I know you made it too good. You'll have to roll me into bed tonight, I'm not sure that I can move! Oh! Did you guys make anything for dessert?"

Sabriena groaned exaggeratedly. "Yessssss," she answered and forced herself to get up from the chair. "C'mon, short stuff. Your dads want their dessert." She smiled as Goten happily bounced after her into the kitchen and they returned shortly with big slices of apple pie. She handed a piece to Goku before she sat in her chair with her own and gave an approving nod as Goten gave a piece to Tien. "I don't know if I can eat this," she muttered, but picked up her fork anyway.

Tien practically had to force himself to eat the pie, even though it was delicious. "Oh my god," he drawled around a mouthful. He swallowed harshly as he finished off his plate. "No more or I'm gonna be sick." He heaved a big sigh and looked over at Goten. "Hey, kiddo, I think it's about time for bed. Marron's birthday party is tomorrow. You don't want to be sleepy for that. You want me to tuck you in and read you a story?" he offered.

Goten's eyes widened and he nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, please! Mom! Daddy! You should come up too!" he said excitedly as he hurried to put the dishes in the wash bin before he scrambled over to the ladder and climbed up to the loft. He really did love it up there. It was like his own little hideout. He peered over the railing at the moaning and groaning adults, still full from dinner. "Ya coming?" he asked curiously.

Tien managed to push himself out of his chair and he kicked off his boots before he climbed the ladder up to the loft. "Alright kid, get changed into some pajamas and get a book," he said as he laid back heavily on the bed with a groan. His eyes felt heavy as he laid on the squashy mattress. "Hurry up before I pass out in your bed," he chuckled.

"So many rungs," Sabriena grumbled as she climbed up into the loft. "Here, Goten. Let's get you changed." She opened the bag of clothes Gohan had sent and pulled out some pajamas to help him change. "We need to get some clothes to keep here for you. Tien built you that dresser. Might as well use it. That'll make it easier on Gohan and Lindsey when you come to visit, too." She yanked the shirt down over his head and planted a little kiss on his nose. "Go get you a book."

Goten giggled and hurried off to the bookshelf as he looked over the titles. He picked out a rather thick book and pulled it off the shelf and hurried over to the bed and climbed up in it handing the book to Tien. "Harry Potter!" he announced proudly, before he laughed at Goku for flying up into the loft instead of using the ladder. "That's cheating, Dad!"

Goku laughed as he landed down on the floor. "No it's not! I'm so full, I was sure I would have fallen off of that thing and then you all would laugh at me because I couldn't get up again," he teased and crawled into bed as well, pulling Sabriena into his lap as he peered over her shoulder at their husband, "Which one is it? Chamber of Secrets, huh? That's a good one!"

Sabriena settled back against Goku and let him wrap her up in his strong arms as Tien began to read to Goten. She smiled sleepily at the way Goten cuddled up to Tien's side and listened eagerly to the story. But she could see the tiredness in his face, the way his eyes grew heavy. Tien's low voice was hypnotic as he read aloud and she tried to stop herself from yawning but didn't quite manage it. "He's gonna put me to sleep," she whispered to Goku.

Tien threaded his fingers through Goten's hair as the little boy leaned heavily against his side. He was used to Sabriena being the one to read aloud, but he didn't mind this. He became so wrapped up in reading the story that he wasn't sure at what point Goten fell asleep, but he heard a loud snore from the little Saiyan and he stopped his reading to smile. "He's out," he said to his husband and wife as he shifted Goten to lay his head on the pillow and covered him up a little better with the blanket. "Come on, let's go to bed. Busy day tomorrow."

Goku chuckled. "Sabriena's out too," he said, looking down at the sleeping woman in his arms. He smiled over at Tien, watching the other man run his fingers through his son's hair. "You did good, Daddy. Let's get to sleep," he said as he floated over the railing, carrying Sabriena in his arms.

Tien got out of the bed and smoothed the blankets once more as he smiled at Goten. "Goodnight, son," he rumbled and kissed Goten's forehead before he put the book away and hopped the railing to land next to their own bed on the lower level. He smiled at Sabriena's sleeping form in the bed and peeled off his shirt before he crawled in to lay next to her. He smiled at Goku, who was laying in the same spot he used to sleep in under the window. "I had fun today. Thanks, for, you know, everything."