Rose sat in her apartment, staring miserably at the photos on her wall. In all her years at school, all of the on the job training, the cases she'd handled, nothing compared to this. Yes, she had seen children abused far worse than even Goten, but never had she found a child in such an odd situation. The sound of Goten wailing still echoed in her head. He'd begged to go back to his father's house, promising he would be good. He wanted to play with his daddy, he wanted to make supper with Sabriena, he wanted to help Tien in his garden. When Rose hadn't answered, he asked if he could at least go see his brother for a minute; a request Rose also denied. She had to practically pry him out of the back of her car to take him back into his foster home. He pleaded for her to come get him the next day, to let him see his daddy again. Never once was a word spoken about his mother. He hadn't asked to see her yet, a fact that unsettled Rose. There must have been a reason Goten didn't ask for her. Most children asked for their mommy, not their father, when they were upset or scared. But Goten asked for daddy - the man who had hit him so violently. There was something not right here. Mrs. Son may have been cold and overly proper, but she didn't seem dangerous or violent. But then again, neither had Mr. Son until that afternoon. Either he wanted his son to be taken away or he was really just that stupid.

Rose pulled her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms around her shins. What was she going to do? She hated to break a family apart. She'd done it before and it always hurt. She didn't want Goten to go back to his mother and she didn't know why. It was just a feeling she got. But judges didn't award custody based on feelings. If she had her way, she'd adopt Goten herself and bring him home with her. She'd never thought that about any child before, but there was just something so endearing about little Goten. She just wanted to wrap him up and hold him and tell him he was safe. But her apartment was small and her pay wasn't the best. All those years earning a Master's Degree to help children and she was barely able to put anything away for savings at the end of the month. No, it was in Goten's best interest if he was adopted by a well-established family who was able to love him and care for him like he needed. The realization made her heart sink as if it were made of lead and she dropped her forehead to her knees, feeling like a failure.

Goku appeared in the strange apartment, looking around the small place, the photos of children and Rose that lined the wall. He spotted her second later looking as miserable as he felt, her eyes widening at his sudden appearance. He fell to his knees his hands up, "Please, Rose, please hear me out! It wasn't what you thought happened! I love my son, I would never in a million years hurt him! Please, I'll die if you take him from me. I can't live without my son."

Rose felt glued to the spot as she stared at the man kneeling before her. His eyes were bloodshot with tears and his voice sounded like it was going to crack. Where had he come from? Had he broken a window? Or did she forget to lock the door? "How did you get in here?" she whispered, edging back along the couch, her eyes wide. "How did you get in here?!"

Goku backed up, wiping his eyes with his hand, "It's a move, a technique I learned off the planet Yardrat." He tried to stifle a sob, "It's called instant transmission. I can focus on a person's energy and appear where they are. Just like I did at the cabin earlier with Jenny and Piccolo. I'm sorry, but I had to talk with you. I couldn't let you think that I was hurting my son on purpose. It's just training. We do it all the time! I know it's difficult to grasp but, it's normal for us." He was desperate for her to listen to him, for her to understand.

"This is NOT normal!" Rose cried. "None of this is normal!" She was climbing backwards over the couch, keeping her eyes on him, just as she had done when she went for her car. "I want you out of my home. Go! Or I'll... I'll call the police! I don't understand what's going on here, but I want no part of it!"

Goku looked up at her, looking into her eyes, his own felt like sandpaper. His hair was wild and he knew he had to look a bit crazy. He felt his hope dying and he wilted to the floor, crying some more. "You have to understand. You accepted this case. You care for my son. You are part of this already. Please... I'll do anything. I can't lose my son over a misunderstanding. I can't... I almost lost Gohan and it nearly killed me. I had to watch him die. If he hadn't been revived, I don't know what I would have done. l... this is worse, knowing my son is out there and I am helpless to do anything for him."

Rose paused, listening to him. The heartbreak in his voice tore at her emotions. She didn't know what to think. His oldest son had died and been revived? He must have been in a terrible accident. Rose had heard stories of people dying and being brought back if paramedics reached them in time. What a horrible thing for him to have to witness. She suddenly found her heart aching for this man who so obviously loved his children. She'd been too harsh with him, yelling at him the way he did. He wasn't a mean-spirited person, that much was obvious. Perhaps he just hadn't been taught the proper way to raise children. That was part of her job, too, wasn't it? To teach these parents how to treat their children the right way, if she could. Sometimes they just made mistakes. Well-meaning parents who did things the wrong way. She'd seen that before. Maybe that's all that this situation was.

Rose crossed the apartment and knelt next to the man sobbing on her floor. "Mr. Son, please stop crying," she said softly, touching his shoulder. "I'll listen. Just please stop crying."

Goku almost flinched when she touched his shoulder and he looked up at her, his eyes and face red from crying the entire afternoon. His hope was almost gone, "I'm a fighter... a warrior. I've been in several world tournaments. So has Tien. It's just in my blood, part of who we are. My sons are strong, so much stronger than normal humans. I told you earlier what we are. If we don't teach them how to control that strength, they old hurt themselves or anyone around them even if they don't mean it. Vegeta says Saiyans are a warrior class, the best in the universe. We don't age like humans so we can fight longer, we have huge metabolisms because our bodies burn so much energy. That's why Goten and I eat a lot. It's just who we are. We're different." He looked up at her, frightened, "Chichi called us monsters."

Rose searched his tearful eyes, chewing her bottom lip. The things he said, she didn't understand. She'd been amazed at how much and how fast they'd eaten their food that day. What he said about their metabolisms made sense. And if they were that strong, it made sense that he would want to teach his son to control it. It was hard to think of this man as an alien. He looked so incredibly human. He certainly felt things as hard as humans did, if not more so. She'd never had a father come to her like this, begging for his son, willing to do anything to protect his child. Perhaps she had been wrong. There was so much about the situation that she didn't understand. She brushed a tear from his cheek with her thumb. "I don't think you're a monster," she whispered.

Goku searched her eyes, blinking at her, giving her a small sad smile. "Thank you." He sat back, leaning against the wall and looked up at the ceiling, trying to calm himself. He looked back at her, "I will tell you anything you want to know. Thank you for hearing me out. I didn't mean to give you a reason to doubt me. I know it can't be easy for you to do this day in and day out. How many crazy things do you deal with in a week?" He rubbed at his eyes, his thoughts on Goten. He wanted to go to him and tell him it would be alright, that he didn't do anything wrong. "I don't suppose you could let me talk to Goten, just tell him goodnight?"

She eyed him for a minute then looked at the clock on the wall. "It's still a bit early. I imagine they're eating their dinner. We can see about calling them in a little bit," she answered as she got to her feet. She tugged at her shorts. She was feeling incredibly underdressed and unprofessional. "You don't want to know the things I see in a week."

Goku gave a watery laugh, wiping the tears from his eyes. "You'd be surprised what I've been through, try me. It might be good to get it off your chest? This... I can't even imagine how you deal with it without someone to talk to. This is killing me. I don't know how you keep sane, dealing with multiple cases like this." He nodded to all the pictures on her wall. "Do they haunt you?"

"No," she answered, smiling for the first time as she looked at the pictures on her wall. "Those are all the children I've helped. They're safe now, no matter what they endured. They're what keeps me sane, keeps me going." She kept staring at the pictures, of the shining faces. "You'd be amazed at how resilient children can be. This little girl?" she said pointing to a picture, "Her mother scalded her with hot water. Her father had no idea. They moved away and she's safe again. And this little boy was shaken by his father until his ribs cracked. The mother tried to help him hide it. He was adopted by a very loving couple who couldn't have a child of their own." She looked down at Goku, "The children are what matter to me, Mr. Son. All that matters to me is protecting them."

Goku looked horrified as she spoke, but smiled as she told the happy ending for them, "You are like their guardian angel." He smiled brightly at her, "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking earlier. I should have known better to spar with him. You don't like violence in any way, shape or form. I see that now. I just had to find some way to make sure you didn't punish him for doing what we do by keeping him away."

"I would never punish him," she said softly, turning away from the wall to look at him. "I'm just trying to protect him."

He smiled appreciatively at her. Good. At least someone was trying to help his son. All he had seemed to do was make it worse. "How did you get into this kind of work?"

"I just always wanted to help those who couldn't help themselves," she said. "My brother's the same way. Our parents always taught us to stand up for those who are too weak to do it themselves, to help those less fortunate."

Goku smiled at her, "Your parents must be proud of you. It's kind of what I do. Protecting the earth and all that. Not all aliens that come to earth are friendly. It's exciting isn't it? To know you are a protector? A guardian angel watching over those under your care?" He lightly chuckled, "You remind me of Kami and of Dende. You hope for peace and safety for all." He swallowed and smiled at her, "Please come back out to the cabin tomorrow. I want to show you some things. Maybe teach you some protective marital arts. It might help you protect some of the children you look after and... maybe you'd like to meet the Guardian of Earth?"

"I can't tomorrow," Rose answered. "I have to take Goten to visit his mother." She looked apologetic as she said it. "But... perhaps the next day? It's my day off. I wouldn't have Goten with me, though. That's probably inappropriate for me to be there without him." She chewed her lip again. "Although meeting the Guardian of Earth would be interesting. I... wasn't aware that the earth had a guardian." Rose blushed as her stomach rumbled. "Excuse me. I haven't eaten supper yet. I was just getting ready to order some food," she said, walking towards her kitchen. "Would you... would you care to join me? I always eat alone. I never have guests."

Goku chuckled and nodded, "I'll try not to eat everything in sight." He winked at her, following her into the kitchen. "And if you wanted to come by the cabin that's fine, too, but whatever you feel is best. And I think you'll like Dende. He lives up at the Lookout with jenny and Piccolo and their two girls."

"The guardian is a Namek?" she asked, picking up her cell phone. Goku nodded. "More aliens," she muttered and dialed the number to the nearest restaurant. She placed a huge order and cringed when she had to give her credit card number. "No," she laughed into the phone, "No party. Just... unexpected company. Okay. Thank you." She stashed her phone in her purse and met Goku's curious stare. "They know me pretty well. I never learned to cook."

She gestured to the tall stool at the kitchen bar. "Have a seat. You want some coffee?" She busied herself with making a fresh pot, feeling nervous, like she had to keep moving. "Tell me about your oldest son," she said, trying to sound somewhat professional.

Goku was touched as he sat down at the little bar. "You didn't have to do that. Now you have to come out to the cabin. I can stop by here and pick you up. We can visit Dende first and then go to the cabin. Would you like to fly again?"

Rose shook her head at the prospect of flying again. "I'm afraid of heights," she muttered.

He smiled as she asked about his son and started telling her all kinds of stories about how Gohan married Lindsey. How he just had his first son. Goku was a proud grandparent. Gohan was nearly finished with his schooling and yes, he was as strong as him and his appetite almost as big as his own.

She listened with interest to his stories about his son. "You don't look old enough to be a grandpa!" she protested as she went to the door and collected several bags of food from the delivery person. She set them on the counter and began to empty the bags. "Help yourself," she said, taking only one small container for herself.

He chuckled at her, "Remember that thing I said about not aging? Fools everyone. But still, I'm only in my thirties!" Goku looked at her for confirmation before he opened up a container and grabbed a pair of chopsticks, "I got married really young; I was ateenager." He laughed to himself, "I thought a wedding was a type of food!" He laughed again and began to eat. He chewed for a moment; he was spoiled for Sabriena's food, but he appreciated a meal where ever he could get one. "Thanks for getting dinner! This is really good!" He shoveled some more into his mouth, "You want me to leave you some leftovers?"

"Eat as much as you want," Rose answered and sat nervously next to him, staring across the bar into her living room. "Do you and your sons ALWAYS eat this much? At every meal?"

He nodded, swallowing his mouthful of food, "Every meal like it's our last. One of my friends, who is not an alien, called us a bottomless pit once." He cringed as he thought of Krillin. "Was not an alien," he corrected himself. He polished off the container and reached for another one, inhaling the delicious scent first before he tucked in, "I know it's a lot, just can't help myself." He chuckled, "We have healthy appetites." He paused, "Which does make Sabriena worry. This will be my first winter with them, I'm hoping I don't eat them out of house and home. She and Tien don't like to eat store bought food, but I can, so we went to the store and bought a bunch of food to put into the root cellar. We should be okay once I get a little better at hunting. You know, I brought down a bear this summer? That was a lot of fun to hunt." He swallowed another mouthful of food, "You said you don't have guests over very often, can I ask if you have dinner with your parents or brother at least? Boyfriend?"

"I see my parents on weekends sometimes," she answered. "My brother's not here. He's in Africa right now. He's part of The Water Project. He's helping villages there build wells and learn how to clean their water. I'm really proud of him." She paused and took a bite of food, chewing it slowly for a moment. "I've never had a boyfriend," she admitted sheepishly.

Goku blinked at her like she'd grown a second head, "Never? You... you just haven't found the right guy yet, right? I can't imagine the guys staying away, you're kind, you work hard. You care for others instead of yourself. And you're pretty, too! Even Sabriena thought so. Surely there's someone who's got your eye!"

She pushed her glasses up on her nose and shook her head, a blush creeping across her cheeks. "I've always focused on my career. I only have one friend; I don't see a lot of her. I don't go out. It's hard to meet someone when all you do is work and sleep." She gave a slight laugh. "Oh well."

Goku laughed, "Well, I know why you work so hard, but remember to take a day for yourself here and there. You'll go crazy otherwise." He ate some more, "Now you have to come out to the cabin. Think of it as a relaxing day. Sort of. Just watch out that the goat doesn't eat you. You can dress down, go swimming. Read a book. Whatever you like. I'll be out here, ah, what time do you think you'd be ready to go?"

She blinked at him. She was torn. It did sound like a nice time, but she wasn't sure how much trouble she could get in if someone from her work found out. "Mr. Son, you really think that's appropriate? I mean, I want to go... I REALLY want to go. I haven't been swimming in ages."

Goku grinned at her, "Okay, what would you normally do on your day off? Stay at home? If no one saw you leaving, who would be the wiser? If anyone asks why you didn't come to the door, say you were sleeping with earplugs in. I can come in here like I did today and we can leave the same way. No flying, just instant transmission."

She bit her lip. "No flying? You promise?"

Goku laughed and took his finger and made an X over his heart, "Cross my heart." He looked like a little kid when he leaned across the table with his hand up as if he were trying to keep the neighbors from hearing and whispered loudly, "I won't tell if you don't." He laughed out loud, bubbly and warm. He was feeling much better now that he sat down and talked to her. Like a giant weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He looked at her and smiled, a serious look settling on his face after a moment. "But really, thank you for listening. I know it's not easy to do when I just randomly pop up, but thank you."

"I'm glad you came," she answered earnestly. "Really. I almost made a very bad decision." She drew a long breath, "I guess it wouldn't hurt if I came to visit you again. You can come get me whenever it suits you. I get up early and I'll be here all day, just going over casework." She paused and took a long drink. "Even on my days off, all I do is work," she muttered to herself.

Goku smiled. "These kids mean the world to you. I think that's why I like you so much. You have a kind heart. I'm not sure how many parents thank you. You really are just looking out for the kids they should have been taking care of from the moment they were born. So thank you. For all of them." He looked down at the empty cartons on the table, "Let me help you clean up." He stood and gathered up the trash and took it over the garbage can he spied in the corner.

Rose wiped her eyes. No parent had ever told her thank you before. Most of them just tolerated her long enough to get their children back. And the ones who lost custody certainly never thanked her. She swallowed the lump in her throat. "You're the first," she said, reaching for her glass again.

Goku went back over to her, kneeling beside her, seeing the unshed tears in her eyes. "Hey now, none of that," he said as he reached up and brushed them away, "Now I don't want you to think I came over here to convince you to give me Goten back. I want you to do your job and place him where you think is best. But I couldn't sit by and let him be taken away from me on a misunderstanding." He smiled at her before he stood up and stretched, looking around, "Is there anything else I can do around here to help thank you for that wonderful meal? Dishes or cleaning or something?"

She laughed. "There's no dishes. I don't cook." She stood as well. "I just come here to eat and sleep, mostly. It stays pretty clean. Thanks for offering, though. I'll probably just watch a movie until I get tired enough to go to bed..." she trailed off again, wondering how inappropriate it would be to invite him to stay and watch a movie with her. Now that she wasn't so afraid of him, she rather enjoyed having his company.

"Alright then," he smiled down at her, "Ah, if you could... if you call Goten later or when you see him tomorrow, could you tell him I said hi? I'd appreciate it. It wasn't his fault today, it was mine. I'd hate to see him depressed because of my mistake." He shuffled his feet around, "Guess I'd better get back to the cabin. I kinda left without telling them where I was going. They're probably wondering if I got arrested or something," he laughed, "I'll get out of your hair."

She watched him prepare to go. "You can stay!" she blurted out. Rose felt her face go ten shades of red. "W-Well... I mean... I guess not, if they're expecting you... Sorry." She looked at her feet, scrunching her toes in the carpet.

Goku blinked at her innocently before a smile crept over his face, "You really want me to stay?" He felt a twinge of something for this poor girl. How lonely she must be with nothing but these disturbing cases to keep her company. He chuckled, "Tell you what. You pop us some popcorn and I'll pop back and let them know I'm alright. I'll come back here and we can watch a movie together. Sound good?"

"R-Really?" she smiled. "I can do that! I CAN work a microwave at least!" Rose felt giddy for some reason. She never had company; the one friend from high school who she rarely saw anymore. "You don't think they'll mind, do you? I don't want them to be mad."

Goku laughed, "Oh they won't be mad. I just gotta tell them the good news and they'll probably enjoy a few more hours to just themselves." He smiled at her, the way she was excited all of a sudden. There was just something about her. It was like she was buried under all of this work, pain, and loneliness. Did she not even have but one friend? "Be back in a jiffy!" He pressed his two fingers to his forehead and the next second he appeared in the cabin.

He smiled brightly over at Tien and Sabriena who were looking glum. "Hey! Good news! I went to see Rose and I was able to talk to her. She understands now. She's just never seen people hitting a child that ended well."

"So she's not keeping Goten from you?" Tien asked.

Goku shook his head.

"Oh thank the Goddess," Sabriena breathed, her voice shaking as she let her head fall onto her arms on the table. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," she whispered over and over.

Tien sat in thought for a moment. "Maybe I misjudged her. I've been a little too harsh. I suppose I should try to be nicer to her when she's here. She's never going to trust us with Goten if I don't at least attempt to be friendly."

Goku laughed, "Yeah. She's a good person. I, ah... invited her out the day after tomorrow. Just to relax and maybe show her some defensive martial arts moves. She'd like to go swimming, too. And I'm gonna take her to meet Dende. They're both guardians in a way!" He smiled sheepishly at them, "Is... is that alright?"

"Well, if you think it'll help your case, spending more time with her, I guess it couldn't hurt," Tien answered. "Maybe if she got to know you real well, she'd take your side."

Sabriena nodded, "Can't do any more damage than what we did today. You can bring her out."

Goku went over to them. "Thanks guys. I mean it. You've been really awesome today. I couldn't have made it through what happened if I didn't have you two." He leaned over and kissed Sabriena soundly before he pulled back and gave Tien the same attention. He pulled back again with a goofy smile on his lips. "She, ah, invited me to watch a movie with her tonight. So you guys can have some time to yourselves." He winked at them, "I think that jar of honey is still under the bed."

"A movie?" Tien blinked.

"How'd you know about the honey?" Sabriena gasped, turning red. She jumped up and poked at Goku's abs as he backed across the cabin, laughing. "You nosy little Saiyan!" she scolded playfully. "I will tickle you until you scream like a little girl!"

Goku laughed at his wife, looking mischievous. "Oh come on, if it involves food, you know I'm going to find it!" He laughed as she found a ticklish spot under his ribs, "HAHAHA! No fair!" He caught her and spun her around so her back was to him and he held her arms behind her back, "Yeah a movie. Sounds like she hasn't had company in a while. I figured why not? I promise not to try anything funny." He winked at Tien and leaned down to press his lips against Sabriena's ear, "At least not with her." He nibbled on her ear, "Really though, you should see what I could do with one of those jars of preserves and the two of you." He looked at Tien coyly from behind Sabriena's head, his voice low and sultry, "I would devour you both." He let it sink in for a moment for he released her and was goofy once more, calling out, "See you guys later!" And he vanished.

Sabriena's knees buckled. "Oh, that was SO not fair," she breathed as Tien laughed at her.

"You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?" he asked.

"That we should both be naked and coated in honey when he returns?" she asked.

"We're gonna need a LOT more honey," Tien said thoughtfully, touching his chin with his hand.

"Race ya to the cellar," Sabriena challenged.

They looked at each other for a split second and bolted for the door.

Rose had two big bowls of popcorn sitting on the coffee table and was rummaging through her DVD collection when Goku reappeared in her apartment. She jumped with a high-pitched squeak, then took a deep breath to calm her nerves. "Sorry. Not used to that yet." She turned to her movie collection again. "Anything in particular you'd like to watch? I'm pretty open to anything. I've got comedy, romance, horror..."

Goku shuddered at the horror category. Most of those movies were far too gruesome for his taste and the last time he'd been tricked into watching one, the guy at the end had been pierced with a bunch of needles and pumped full of acid. He scowled as he remembered Vegeta laughing at him as he climbed over the back of the couch at Capsule Corp to hide. "Horror movies scare me. You up for a comedy? I could use something happy after today." His stomach grumbled as he smelled the hot popcorn and he settled down on the soft grabbing a handful and munched on it with a sigh, "Oh, man. I haven't had popcorn in ages! " he smiled over at her.

"This one's pretty funny," Rose said, holding up a DVD. "Have you ever seen Office Space before?"

Goku shook his head. "Can't say that I have! I'll take your word for it that it's good!" He smiled brightly at her, "Lets watch it. You can educate me in movies!" He patted the seat next to him. "Hurry before I eat all the popcorn."

Rose settled onto the small couch next to Goku and pulled the bowl of popcorn into her lap, leaning it slightly towards him to share. She was giggling before the movie even started. She popped a piece of popcorn in her mouth, staring bright-eyed at the TV screen. It was nice to sit here next to someone for a change. Even if that person was a flying, disappearing alien monkey who ate too much. She pulled her feet up on the couch and tucked them under her. "Thanks for coming back, Mr. Son. I never get to watch movies with anyone. This is kinda fun."

Goku settled next to her and laughed, "Yeah, this is fun! Thanks for inviting me back. And if I'm here as a friend, you can call me Goku."

"Goku," Rose said softly, a small smile pulling at her lips. She sat back against the couch, trying not to smile too broadly at the thought of him being her friend. They laughed together as the movie rolled on, sharing the bowls of popcorn. Rose felt her eyes growing heavy and fought to keep them open. It was no use. Her day had been a long and emotional one and now that she was calmed and comfortable, sleep was pulling at her hard. She leaned against the armrest, trying to stay awake, but her eyes slid shut and sleep finally overcame her, the bowl of popcorn slipping slightly, threatening to fall from her hand.

Goku had been reaching for another handful when he saw it slip and he grabbed it quickly before it slipped and made a mess. He chuckled as she slept, standing up and emptying out the rest of the popcorn in the trash. He set the bowls in the sink, washing them quickly before returning to the couch. He found the remote on the floor and clicked the movie off before he carefully picked Rose up to carry her back to her bedroom. It was plain, few more photos of kids she'd helped, her parents and brother in a picture frame on her nightstand. He held her with one arm and pulled back the covers, slipping her between the sheets and covered her back up. He smiled down at her and ran his fingers through her hair once. "Thanks again," he murmured. He felt good. The day had taken a turn for the better and he felt relieved. Goku pressed his fingers to his forehead and vanished, reappearing back at home a moment later.