"I have had enough!" Phoenix shouted angrily as they stumbled out of the portal, all of them breathless and shaking all over. "I didn't know that thing was aggressive! I thought it was like some kind of big, peaceful creature that just swam around in a big ass pond!" He turned back towards the portal and bellowed, "FUCK YOU, NESSIE!" He shook his head and snorted as he flopped down on the ground. "Fucking loch ness monster. Unreal."

Goten just moved to set up the tent; it was daylight already. Luckily the thick cover of trees overhead would shade Nadia from the sun. He was furious. They had been so close, so goddamn close to catching Antonia that time. And then out of nowhere, that dragon-like creature had reared up from the lake and nearly eaten them alive and the Atlantian had just snapped her fingers and disappeared. He realized then that they were at her mercy. She didn't have to use the portals to travel. She could snap her fingers and go wherever she liked, just like his father's instant transmission. He cursed himself again for not learning that technique. This whole thing was maddening. He sighed and tried to drown out Phoenix's complaining as the younger Saiyan listed off all the places they'd been over the past few months.

"First that Ziz in Isreal, then the Leviathan in the Atlantic Ocean, the Chimera in Greece," Phoenix listed off on his fingers, "Pegasus was cool, though, not gonna lie. ONE creature we encountered that didn't seem to want to EAT US." He was in a foul mood and wasn't afraid to make it known. "And fuck goblins, too. I swear to the gods, if I ever encounter another one of those swarthy little bastards, I will kamehameha his little bitch ass into oblivion. Tricking us like that…" he trailed off and shook his head angrily at the memory. He looked up at Nadia who had a definite I-told-you-so expression on her face. "Don't say it!" he barked and pointed at her before he dug in his pack. "I'm in no mood."

"In all fairness, she did warn us not to trust goblins," Goten said as he stepped back and brushed off his hands, the tent firmly in place. He looked around at the forest. There was a familiarity to it. "We're in Japan," he breathed, a sudden homesickness filling his chest. He turned around, studying the surroundings. "We're not far from home. Just a couple mountain ridges over is the cabin!" he exclaimed, pointing to the north. He was certain if he concentrated too hard, he could feel his parents' energies. He stilled his mind and smiled when he felt them, just a couple hundred miles away. They were sparring in the yard, their energy signals raised. "Keep your energy low. They could fly here quick if they realized we're here." He longed to go see them, to spend a night in his bed in the loft, but he knew if he went there now, Sabriena wouldn't let him leave again. He sighed sadly and grabbed up some dead wood to make a small fire to fix them something to eat before going to sleep for the day.

Phoenix blinked in confusion. "What the hell is so magickal about this place? I didn't think there was anything this close to home that would be that damn exciting." He frowned as he looked around at the forest. It merged with Tien's land; he'd never thought about anything dangerous being out in those woods. "I'mma have a talk with Tien when this is all over."

Paige blinked over at Phoenix, surprised that he didn't know. "There's something about these woods that just as a deep magick imbued into it. Haven't you ever wondered why those matsutake mushrooms grow year round in these parts? There is something deeper at work here." She had to wonder why exactly that was. Perhaps there was some old, ancient god that roamed these woods, keeping them safe, ensuring the wellbeing of its inhabitants.

Goten shivered in the cool air as he got a little fire burning. "We'll get a couple hours of rest and then I'm going hunting," he decided aloud. He knew part of Phoenix's grumpiness was because they hadn't had a lot to eat for a while. They'd both had to ration themselves and neither one of them cared for it. Hungry Saiyans were not happy Saiyans. "If we can spend a couple days here, I can take enough game to keep us fed for awhile. We'll just pack it up in a capsule and we'll be good to go."

They'd stopped back by Dracula's once at Nadia's insistence, and he had provided them with plenty of food to fill their capsules, but Goten didn't want to impose on the vampires' hospitality any more than that. It hurt his pride to have to ask for a favor and he was already deeply indebted to Dracula as far as he was concerned. And neither he, Paige, or Phoenix had much money to go and purchase food. Not like they'd really had the time for that anyway. Besides, Goten liked hunting. He just wished he had a little more time for it on the trip.

They ate quickly and crawled into the tent to huddle together against the chilly air.

Paige stretched and yawned. "You know Dracula wasn't upset with us. And you know he said money has little value to him," she reminded Goten as she turned over on her side and cupped his cheek. "You know better than that." She looked at him, running her fingers through his hair. It would be the full moon again in a few weeks. Maybe less, he hadn't let her touch him during the last full moon, or any of the full moons for that matter. They'd had little time or energy for such things on this trip. And even less privacy. Goten was keeping to his word, focusing more on their relationship than anything sexual. "You are amazing, you know."

Goten leaned into her touch and shook his head. "I'm not feeling it right now," he murmured, ignoring the disgusted groan from Phoenix. He lowered his voice, staring deeply into her blue eyes. "I feel like I'm letting you all down. It's like no matter how many times we get close to catching her, she just slips away. It's maddening. We've been out here how many months now? I thought we'd have been done with this a long time ago." He settled more on the sleeping bag and pulled her close. "I'm sorry, Paige."

"What are you sorry for? I'm the one with the book and I haven't been able to find anything either." She sighed, closing her eyes and sensing the familiar energies of Goten's parents so close by. "It's tempting, isn't it? To just go home? We've come too far though. We can't just give up," Paige said sadly. "I just want her to face us already. No more tricks, no more monsters or surprises."

Goten nodded sadly. "I wish I could at least go say hello to them. But you know Mom wouldn't let us leave. She'd try to lock us in the cellar or something," he chuckled. He sighed the next moment. "It does feel good to feel their energy, though. I miss them. And I know you miss your parents and your sister. Don't worry. Antonia's going to slip at some point. And when she does, we will end this."

It killed Goten not to go visit his parents over the next two days as they camped out in the woods, taking a much-needed break from their adventure. While they felt better with fuller stomachs, the stress of the situation continued to press upon them. He'd stocked their capsules well enough to keep them going for awhile and they finally decided that they needed to venture out, to figure out why the portal had brought them to this place. Yes, Tien's land had a magick all its own, but Goten didn't think it stretched that far out. But perhaps he was wrong. This wasn't Tien's land they were on, even though they were terribly close.

"Let's head out that way," Goten said, nodding to the south. He didn't want to venture any farther north for fear of the temptation of going to see his parents. He made sure they had all their supplies packed and ready to go before they set out on foot. He wouldn't risk raising his energy to fly just then, even though he'd felt his parents' energies drop off about an hour before, telling him they were sound asleep in bed.

"Greeeeeat," Phoenix drawled. "Yes, let's go see what monster wants to eat us next." He trudged along with them, snapping more twigs and small branches than was necessary as he walked. He did feel better after their short rest, but dammit if he didn't want to go see his grandpa and the rest of his family. "We gotta find this bitch. This shit's wearing me out."

Paige followed behind Phoenix, taking her time to look at their surroundings as they walked. The portal had brought them there for a reason, but for what, she wasn't sure. It was never good. "No wonder the back section of the book was locked. It wasn't to keep people from discovering power, but to protect them from it."

Nadia laughed at that. "Now you are beginning to understand. The powers contained in the places are heavily guarded. It could be that Antonia has been using us all this time to see if we can break the hold nature has on these items of power so that she can come in and claim them later. A disturbing thought, really."

Goten paused at that. "Well that's just lovely," he muttered sarcastically. "I really don't like the thought of somehow helping her." He frowned angrily at the thought. He felt his knife in his boot, taking comfort in its presence. The knife he'd nearly used to cut off his own arm he would use to carve Antonia's heart from her chest. "Let that little bitch play her games. She can't hide forever."

They continued to walk, the woods around them becoming denser, the underbrush thicker. It was unnerving that they had walked so far and hadn't encountered anything yet. Usually the monsters were right there in their faces, ready to attack before they even had a chance to register what was happening. Phoenix kept muttering under his breath, complaining about everything under the sun. Goten rolled his eyes and pressed on further, determined to put some space between himself and his nephew before he turned around and slapped the kid. Phoenix had already proven himself time and time again, Goten didn't regret bringing him, but at the moment he was painfully reminded of Phoenix's immaturity.

"Yes, just bitch about every single little thing. Because the rest of us are just having a damn blast," Goten muttered under his breath to himself. He froze the next moment at the sight that met his eyes. It was the house he'd lived in when his parents were still together, right there before him. His heart skipped at the sight; he hadn't set eyes on that place in years. But it didn't belong out here in the forest near Tien's home. It was located in a totally different part of the country. What in the hell? He shook his head, certain his eyes were playing tricks on him, but when he opened them again, it was still there. He turned to see if the others were seeing the same thing as he was, but they were far behind him. A voice met his ears that made his blood run cold and he slowly turned towards the house to see Chichi standing in the doorway, a pleasant smile on her face. "The hell do you want?" he breathed.

"Goten," Chichi said with a warm smile on her face, "I've been waiting for you. You are just in time for dinner. I made your favorite, pasta, just the way you like it." She said, stepping aside and gesturing inside the house. "I… I'm glad you are here. We have so much to talk about."

Goten didn't know what to think. He wanted to scream at her, to tell her to fuck off, he wanted nothing to do with her. But there was something different about her. She didn't have that malicious gleam in her eyes like she normally did. There was something warm and inviting about her that reached out to him and pulled him in. He let his pack slip from his shoulders as he took a cautious step towards her. "What do you want to talk about? I don't know if I should trust you," he said, his brain feeling foggy. He shook his head violently, but he couldn't seem to shake it. The scent of food wafted out to him and made his stomach growl. "Why should I trust you?"

"I know I haven't given you much reason to trust me, I have broken the trust between us and I am sure it will never be the same between us. I just want to make things better between us. I can't sleep at night, I'm always thinking about what I did to you and your father. It's unforgivable. I want you to know just how deeply sorry I am. Please. Come in and sit. I made plenty for you and your friends." She smiled at him, extending her hand out to him, fingers curling invitingly.

Any part of Goten's brain that had thought this was a trick seemed to stop. None of the Atlantians or the creatures they'd encountered had known about what Chichi had done to him or his father, did they? Was it possible that this was really her? His mind stopped questioning it. He couldn't believe that she was apologizing, admitting that she'd been wrong. It was all he had ever wanted from her; an apology. She was right, things would never be perfect between them, but he still saw her on occasion and he couldn't stop thinking it would be nice if she could just be a little kind to him. "Okay," he said finally and stepped closer to her, reaching out to take her hand.

"Dude, what the fuck?" Phoenix gasped as they caught up to Goten. "Grandma? What are you doing out here?" he asked in confusion. It was the old house his grandpa still owned and there was his grandmother, standing there holding Goten's hand. It didn't make sense at all. Goten hated Grandma Chichi. Truth be told, Phoenix was no fan of hers either. She always criticized his hair for being so long, sneered at his tail, and just generally was cold and uncaring towards him and his siblings. He didn't know why his father even let her in the damn house most of the time. Something about the situation totally put him off, not to mention there was no way to explain the house being out there in the middle of the woods like that. "Goten, I think we should go."

Goten had an almost dreamy look in his eyes as if he'd been drugged. "No. I want to hear what she has to say," he answered, looking at his biological mother. He longed to hear a proper apology from her, thinking that somehow it would heal all the anger and bitterness he'd carried with him all those long years. The things she'd done to him as a child were abhorrent. And she had mistreated his father for so long, despite the fact that Goku had done nothing but love her. He needed to hear this.

Paige felt her hackles raise and exchanged a look with Nadia. "Goten, I don't like this. Think about it. What is Chichi doing out here? She hates the woods, it's too simple for her. She has to have that big mansion and a husband with wads of cash stuffed in his pockets." She didn't like this at all. There was something about this woman that had a cold shiver running down her spine. "She isn't who he thinks she is."

Chichi fixed Paige with a look. "Come in. This is a rare chance for me to have my son and his friends for dinner." She looked at Goten and lovingly ran a hand through his hair, lightly scratching at his scalp. "Come, the food will get cold."

Nadia hissed at Chichi, "Foul demon, what trickery of the mind have you played on him? Release him at once and show us your true form! Or is it so hideous you must hide behind such a petty glamour?"

Goten had leaned into Chichi's hand, but froze and frowned at Nadia's words. "Hey! Don't say something like that! She's finally turned around. Give her a chance!" he snapped, but he cried out in alarm the next moment as the scene around him began to shift. The house was no longer there, and in its place was a huge, dark cave, penetrated by the roots of trees. But what frightened him even more was that Chichi had changed, her figure twisting horribly, melting away to reveal the most grotesque giant spider he'd ever seen in his life. "Oh, SHIT!" he cried and jumped back, the fogginess in his mind disappearing at once.

Paige's eyes went wide at the sudden change. "Holy fucking shit! Goten!" She screamed as she powered up an attack and flung it at the giant spider. The creature just laughed and batted it away, making the walls of the cave crumble and shake.

The spider licked its lips and shot out strands of silken, sticky thread at all of them. "So rare for me to find such willing prey! Do stay for dinner! It's to die for!" The spider cackled and gestured up towards the ceiling where there were hundreds, maybe thousands of smaller spiders. "My family needs your nourishment!"

Phoenix felt glued to the spot, staring up at the spiders with his mouth gaping open. "I knew this couldn't be real!" he cried out before he focused on the giant spider. "You're almost as scary as the real Grandma Chichi!"

Goten turned to run, but the next thing he knew, his foot was caught by a thick rope of spider web and he fell face-first to the earth. "No! NO! Goddammit!" he cried desperately as he tried to crawl away, but the spider merely grinned at him, drawing him back closer. With a roar, he threw an energy blast and severed the thread. He looked at Paige and Phoenix, "GO!"

Phoenix ran forward and grabbed Goten's arms to pull him away. "AGH!" he shouted as the spider threw more webs, sticking to his arms, his face. "Ew! This stuff is disgusting!" he cried, letting go of Goten to swing at the webs, but all he managed to do was to entangle himself even more. He twisted this way and that, more webs wrapping around him. He could see Goten struggling, but he wasn't getting away either. "FUCK!"

Nadia was doing her best to dodge the sticky threads, but her efforts were starting to fail as the spider threw more and more at them. "Stupid wretch!" she spat at the monster. She looked up as she heard hundreds of legs starting to move, scrabbling as the spiders began to descend from the ceiling, "Fire!" she shouted at the others, "We need fire! Where is your pack?!" She looked around for it, but recalled he had dropped it out of the cave. "Shit!"

Goten powered up, transforming into a super Saiyan, and fired another blast, but it seemed like every time he severed a web, the spider just threw even more to replace them. He could hardly move, the threads sticking all over him, tangling him in them even more. "Son of a bitch!" he cursed.

Phoenix didn't even register Nadia's words as panic seemed to consume him. He was sick and tired of these creatures that wanted to eat him. Literally. He could see the spider grinning, venom dripping from her fangs, as his uncle and his friends were drawn in closer. He could hear her saying something about how she was hungry, how they would make a perfect meal for her and her family. "NOOOO!" he screamed, one word of Nadia's catching in his mind. Fire. Without a second thought, he screamed again and a brilliant light erupted around him for just a moment as the webs caught fire, freeing them from the sticky strands.

Paige's eyes went wide as suddenly flames engulfed their world. Hot, glorious flames that burned away the spiders webbing. "Fuck yes!" she cried as she shook off the rest of the burning webs, but paused the next minute as the flames licked higher and traveled upwards, setting the entire spider's nest on fire. "Shit! We gotta get out of here or we're going to be burnt to a crisp!" She watched with a grim satisfaction as the bodies of the baby spiders fell dead in the flames. Just as she turned with the others to head out the way they had come in, a large chunk of flaming debris fell from the ceiling and blocked their path. "Now what do we do? Put it out!"

The spider screeched in pain and agony. "My babies! You've killed my babies!" she shrieked even as her own body was slowly being burned. She turned and leveled her gaze at the group of travelers who were not paying attention to her. "I'll kill you!" she hissed.

Goten coughed as hot smoke filled the cave, making his eyes stream and his lungs burn. He leveled his hand at the blocked passageway and fired a blast, but it ricocheted off the flames and he had to duck as it flew back at him, narrowly missing his head. "They're magickal! I can't blast through them!" he shouted. He looked at Paige, narrowing his eyes against the heat and smoke. "Think, Namek! Didn't you learn any of that water magick from your mother?!"

Her eyes widened and she nodded, concentrating much like she did when she healed. She felt the cool water starting to form around her, flowing over her hands and she opened her eyes. She flung the water at the burning debris in front of them, keeping a steady stream on it as she heard the hiss and crackle as the water fell on it. When it died down enough, she shouted to her friends, "Go, go, go! I'll cover the rear!" She watched as they jumped through to safety. Just as she was about to follow them, she gave a pained scream as something sharp dug into her leg and she looked down in horror to see the mother spider's head attached to her leg, her fangs sinking deep into her calf. She didn't even think, powering up a blast and held it point blank. "Dodge this you bitch!" she shouted as she fired, melting the spider away from her before she turned and ran through the debris to freedom, stumbling on the way out, and fell face first into the dirt.

Goten and Phoenix paused in their argument outside as they turned to Paige. "Are you okay?!" Goten cried, rushing over to her and pulling her to sit up. She looked a little roughed up, but she wasn't burned and he breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank the gods. You saved us, Paige."

"Oh yeah, don't mention it. It's not like I did anything to help," Phoenix commented. He shook all over, not knowing how he had summoned that attack. He'd never used magick before and it felt weird to still feel the magick course through his system. It was like there was too much in his body, even though he'd exerted a great amount of it when he set the fire. He tried to think of what his mother did when she got too upset, when her magick seemed to be too much for her to handle. He tossed aside his pack and fell flat on his back on the ground, spreading his arms wide. He sighed at the feel of the earth beneath him, as if it was slowly draining the excess magick out of his body and back into the soil. "Sorry. I didn't mean to snap," he muttered to no one in particular. "I guess Gramma Arthusia was right. I did inherit some of Mom's magick. Looks like Paige did, too."

Paige winced at the pain in her leg, but she didn't want to worry the others. She gave Phoenix a smile. "It's fitting really. Phoenix, fire. You should come up with some awesome attack. You'll kill with it." She laughed and laid down, looking up at the stars in the sky. "So, who knew this monster was so close to home? Practically in your backyard, Goten. At least we know why the portal brought us here."

Nadia shuddered. "I hate spiders. Disgusting creatures," she said as she sat down and pulled out a pack of blood for herself. "Disturbing how many mythical creatures exist in the world and people just walk by them every day without a clue."

"See? That's what I'm saying! That's why I'm having a talk with Tien when we get home," Phoenix proclaimed. He looked over at Goten, "We could've been eaten by that thing any time we came out here in these woods. And I'm with Nadia. Spiders are effin' nasty." He gave a violent shudder before his expression and tone turned accusatory. "Why the hell did you want to talk to that thing anyway? You've never wanted anything to do with Gramma Chichi before."

Goten shrugged and didn't meet Phoenix's eyes. "Must've been another spell," he muttered. He didn't want to admit that he longed for an apology from Chichi. Why, he didn't know. He felt an anger creep into him then, a furious hatred for the woman who had abused him and his father. And in that moment, he decided it didn't matter anymore. She would never apologize because she wasn't sorry. She wasn't sorry for hurting him, for the scars she'd left on him both physically and emotionally. She wasn't sorry for the way she'd treated his father. And even if she ever did say so, she wouldn't mean it. "It doesn't matter," he said sullenly and got to his feet, pulling Paige to stand. "Come on. Let's get out of here. There's nothing here that's going to help us get any closer to Antonia. I want to get as far away from here as we can." He paused and immediately suppressed his power level. "Lower your energy," he hissed at Phoenix and Paige. "Mom's awake. I can feel her. She might've felt us when we were fighting that spider." He looked to Nadia, "We have to go now."

Paige took a step after Goten headed towards Nadia as she led them to the portal again. She winced, biting back a cry as she nearly fell down. The bite was throbbing painfully, more painfully than she could remember any wound hurting before. "Yeah, let's get out of here. I think she just woke up your dads." She knew Goku wouldn't come get them, but Tien was another story. She followed them through the portal, trying to make her limp less obvious to the others. It just needed time to rest, she would heal it later when they stopped for food and sleep.

Piccolo stood in the shadowed doorway, watching his youngest daughter as she worked on her sculpture of the new dragon. The old one had broken when Dende died. He admired her artistic talents, her attention to detail. It would take her some time to complete it, but what she had done so far was magnificent.

He was proud of both of his daughters. They were both so dedicated to what they did, even if they were so different. Alice may not have been as bold as her sister and had no interest in fighting, but he was no less proud of her. She was quiet and kind-hearted, always understanding of everyone around her. She'd been that way since she was little, understanding the world in a way most adults couldn't. She would make a good guardian, of that he was sure.

He sighed as a chill wind blew, drawing his thoughts towards his other daughter. While the cold didn't bother him, his daughter was half-human and he worried about her being out in this frigid weather. It seemed unnaturally cold for only being mid-October. He hadn't seen or heard from Paige in months. It broke his heart. Even though he didn't care much for phones, would it have killed her to at least call and let them know she was okay?

He sighed. That was just Paige. She could get too wrapped up in what she was doing, get too focused on what she wanted to accomplish, and nothing else mattered. She'd always been that way. And while sometimes it was a good thing, other times it was downright irritating. His wife was worried about her too and he hated seeing Jenny distressed. She'd kept herself busy sparring with Vegeta or doting more on Alice, sharing more of her way of doing magick with their youngest daughter. He supposed that was one good thing that had come of this. Paige had always hogged the spotlight, though he suspected Alice was a bit unsure of the extra attention. She'd always been content to just keep to herself or spend most of her time with Dende.

Piccolo knew that Alice was taking Dende's death harder than anyone else. He'd heard her crying in her room at night, whispering small prayers to him to help her be a good guardian, to guide her actions and her decisions. She had taken to wearing Dende's guardian's robe and even now, he could see the thin pink cables of the headphones hanging from her ears. He gave a soft snort of amusement at that. He'd never forget the day Sabriena had given them to Dende, or the way his brother would sometimes slip them into his ears when he thought no one was paying attention.

He smiled at her when she turned to look at him and pulled the tiny speakers out of her ears. "The dragon looks good, Alice," he said, finally standing up straighter and walked closer to her, resting a hand on her slender shoulder. "You're doing an excellent job. Dende would be proud of you."

Alice swallowed hard and leaned into her father's touch, slipping an arm around his waist as she looked at the statue, half of it still in the marble she had chosen to craft it from. "Thank you, father. Though it's going to be a little different than the eternal dragon you are used to. I am making this a red dragon. Fiercely protective of this planet, with a white underbelly to signify Dende and Rose. The pure work that they did for this planet." She looked at the dragon, it had been guiding her hands. Every chip, every crack to the design was flawless. It had to be. She was distracted though and it hurt her to shut out all the pain while she worked on it. "I miss Paige, but I know how important this journey is for them. They are alive and well," she said as she closed her eyes and listened for a moment.

Piccolo tensed at his daughter's words. "You can sense them?" he asked, feeling a bit of relief flood through him. He'd tried to search out their energy, but they were too far away and their power levels weren't high enough. He covered his face with his other hand, calming himself for a moment before he looked down at Alice again. "You're certain your sister is okay?" He tried to swallow the lump in his throat. He should've known to ask Alice to begin with.

Alice focused harder and pulled back from her father slightly. "She is in pain, but not in immediate danger." Her sister was trying very hard to ignore whatever ailed her. Alice frowned and bowed her head. "I am not sure what is hurting her. I cannot sense an enemy around her. It must be internal pain. She would be able to heal it, I am sure," she said sadly.

"What?" Piccolo asked, his heart sinking. "She's hurt? Alice, where is she? Tell me where she is and I can bring her back so you can heal her." Paige knew the basics of healing, she'd been able to heal odd sorts of things ever since she was a small child, but Alice was the real healer. She'd learned healing from both her uncle and her mother; there was little she couldn't fix. He didn't like the idea of Paige being in pain. A million scenarios clouded his mind as to what could've caused her pain. "Do you know where your sister is?"

Alice looked up at her father and gently pulled away from him. "Yes, but I will not tell you. Please do not ask it of me. She needs to learn this lesson. She would not come back with you even if you went." She went back to her statue, picking up a bottle of water before she took a long drink of the cool liquid and reached out, running her hand over the marble. She could feel the life force starting to gather inside of it again. "Paige is safe, Dad. Goten and Phoenix will take good care of her, you have to believe that." She closed her eyes, feeling them grow hot as tears gathered, "I miss them too."

Piccolo sighed and reached for his daughter, pulling her into a warm hug. "I know you do," he said softly. Alice didn't have any friends, save for Marron who she saw on occasion. She rarely ventured away from the Lookout. He knew that Paige meant everything to her and that Goten and Phoenix were the closest she had to friends. He was frustrated that she wouldn't tell him where they were, but at the same time, he understood. Over and over he'd heard the same thing, that Paige had to learn this lesson on her own. But damned if it wasn't a hard lesson for him, too. It didn't matter how old his daughters were, they were still his little girls. He kissed the top of her head. "Sorry I put you on the spot. I know. I just want to protect you girls for as long as I can."

Alice smiled against him, breathing in his shirt that smelled of water and earth. "I know, Dad," she said. "It's about time we returned the favor. Everything that you and mom have done for us, we could never repay you for all that you have done and still do for us," she said as she looked at the statue as if it held the answers. She wished her sister had told her what she was doing or that she had been able to sense her intentions. But it was said and done, nothing more than to trust in them to do what was right. She knew that if the worst should be happen, her father, Vegeta, and Goku would make sure the world burned.

Piccolo rubbed her back for a moment, shaking his head. "You girls don't need to repay us for a single thing. We're your parents. It's our job to take care of you," he said. He looked over at the statue again, admiring the intricate detail of it already. "Perhaps we should let the others know that they're doing alright. You've been working day and night on that statue and on taking care of the earth. It would do you good to get away just for a little while. What do you think?"

Alice smiled and nodded. "I would like that," she said as she pulled away and pulled a cloth over the statue before she turned and slipped her arm into her father's. "You know they don't call because they know you would tell them something they don't want to hear," she said as they emerged from the maze, stepping into the bright sunlight. She could hear the world speaking to her. There was so much work to be done since the first human had left the world, it wore on her greatly since she was alone. That thought made her heart ache.

"Oh? And what would that be?" he asked, a slight chuckle in his voice as they approached the edge of the Lookout. He could see the look in her eyes, the way her work wore her out. "Try to tune it out, Alice. I know it's hard, but it's okay to take time for yourself every now and then. You're only one person, you can only do so much." He lifted into the air as she did the same, letting her guide the direction as to where she wanted to visit first.

Alice lead the way to Gohan's house, looking over at her father as they flew. "I know, but it is louder now that Dende is not here to stem the flow," she said and closed her eyes, embracing the wind that wrapped around her as they flew through the air, the chill that foretold that winter was on its way. "And what child wants to hear no from their parents?"

"Well certainly not your sister," he answered, an amused tone in his voice as he recognized the direction she was heading and picked up the pace a bit. He didn't want to waste time and let her get too cold in the chill air. "Let them know that Goten and Phoenix are okay, but don't tell them your sister is hurt. They'll just worry and Goku might be too tempted to go to them if he thinks they're in too much danger. I know, I know. I just asked the same thing, but I know you're right. They have to do this on their own." He frowned at the expression on her face. "Don't look at me like that," he muttered and turned his face away from her.

Alice chuckled at him. "Glad you can see the error in your ways," she said with a laugh as she spotted the familiar house on the horizon and dropped out of the air to land on the ground. She adjusted the guardian robes around her. They were still a bit big on her and she had to tie the cinch a little tighter to keep it from slipping.

Piccolo slowly shook his head as they walked up on the porch and he knocked on the door. "Even you weren't able to escape your mother's smart mouth," he teased.

Scarlett's eyes went wide when she opened the door and she beamed at them. "Alice!" she grinned brightly. "Come in!" She stepped back to let them into the house before she shut the door a little too loudly and shouted, "DAD! PICCOLO AND ALICE ARE HERE!" She bounced across the living room and grabbed up a controller as she flopped on the couch next to Rowan. "You wanna play with us?" she asked Alice, her eyes bright as her tail swished behind her.

Alice smiled and nodded. "I don't think I've played a game in forever," she said and followed Scarlett back to her brother, sitting between the twins and taking the controller offered to her. "We came to tell you that Goten and Phoenix are well. I can sense them with Paige out in the world. They are keeping each other safe."

Rowan slumped back against the couch, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched the girls play for a moment. "Hmph," he huffed. "Just like them to go running off and not invite me. Figures."

Lindsey walked into the living room, frowning at her youngest son. "That's because you're only fourteen. Besides, you haven't even trained, remember? Your grandpa keeps trying to get you to train with him and you won't do it. As far as I'm concerned, your brother is too young, too. I'm still gonna skin his ass alive when he gets home." She muttered under her breath, "Ornery lil shit, sneaking out in the middle of the night without a word. I'mma tan Goten's hide while I'm at it, just for good measure." She slicked her hair out of her face and gave Piccolo a big smile. "Hi!" she breathed, "Come on in the kitchen. Gohan's in here." She led the way, running her fingers through Gohan's hair as he sat at the kitchen table, pouring over some papers he'd brought home with him from work. "Piccolo's here, honey."

Goku popped into the kitchen a second later, looking concerned. He had felt Piccolo and Alice as they left the Lookout and headed towards Gohan's house. He relaxed a moment later in the warmth of the kitchen and seeing Piccolo's calm expression. "Uh, hey guys. Sorry to pop in, but we felt your energy here and thought that you might have news or that maybe something happened." He looked to his son and daughter. "Any word from the kids?" he asked.

Lindsey had her hand over her heart. "Goddammit, Dad," she breathed. "You'd think I'd be used to that after all this time. Every frickin' time…"

Piccolo shook his head before he turned his attention to Goku. "Alice felt them just a little while ago. She said they're all fine. She's been working tirelessly on the new dragon, I thought it would be good for her to get out for just a little bit. Plus I figured everyone would want to know how they were doing. She didn't say where they were, but they're fine," he answered.

Goku let out a sigh of relief. "I knew they would be alright. Sabriena woke us up the other night. She swore she felt their energy nearby, but by the time Tien and I woke up, whatever she felt was gone," he said before he moved to draw Lindsey into his arms, kissing the top of her head and rubbing her arms. "I didn't know they would be gone this long. We are all missing them. Sabriena is still taking it hard. Each day they don't come home, I can see her growing more and more sad."

Lindsey wrapped her arms around him, drawing comfort from his embrace. "Me too," she admitted. She'd lost sleep over it, growing more and more worried by the day about her oldest son. "It's been months. I don't know how much longer I can stand this. I don't give a damn about that Atlantian they're trying to track down. I just want them all to come home safe." She squeezed him tighter before she let go and turned away to wipe at the already clean counter. "It's like I can't sit still. I'm running out of things to clean," she muttered.

"Jenny's worried, too," Piccolo said, leaning against the opposite counter. "She's out training with Vegeta again. I think it's her only way of blowing off steam. It's that or fussing over Alice. You know how Jenny always tries to take care of everyone but herself."

Goku nodded. "Same with Sabriena. She and Tien go out a lot to hunt. Our root cellar is full to bursting because that's all she does it seems. Not that I'm complaining, but I want to see her happy and not worried. Same with you guys. It's just, I know they need to do this on their own, but it's not what I want. They shouldn't have been gone this long."

"That's the part that concerns me," Piccolo agreed. "I never would've thought it would have taken them so long to track her down. I thought maybe a couple of weeks at best." He'd tried not to think about how long it had been since he'd seen his daughter. He dragged a hand over his face before he crossed his arms over his chest. He looked over at Goku again. "I know you said they need to do this on their own, but are you sure one of us can't meet up with them? Do you really think Arthusia would be that upset if we interfered? I don't like going against the old woman's wishes, but this is getting ridiculous, Goku. It's getting cold out there. The snow is going to fly before we know it. And something tells me that Atlantian isn't hanging out on the beach in a warmer climate."

Gohan rubbed at his face, looking over at his mentor before looking to his dad. "I'm not sure it's Gramma we would have to worry about if we interfered. There's something deeper at work here. I'm trying to stay calm and think of it as like an extended training period for them." He shook his head, he ached to see his brother and his son again. He didn't like the situation at all. He was hating to see his wife so torn up about it and he wished there was more he could do to help.

Goku frowned and nodded. "I just wish they would call or something. If we could just let them know how much we miss them, how much we are hurting for them." He prayed to the Goddess that this would be over soon. He didn't want to go through the holidays without his son and grandson there to celebrate with them. They had lost too much already.

"They didn't even take their damn phones," Lindsey grumbled. She looked questioningly at Piccolo, but he shook his head. Obviously Paige hadn't taken hers either. She sighed and moved to stand behind her husband, rubbing at his shoulders. "Take a break from your work, baby," she said softly. "Surely they'll be home soon, right?" she asked hopefully, looking from Goku to Piccolo and back again. "They can't be gone forever. Eventually they have to find her, won't they? I just hope they come home in one piece."

"They'll be home soon," Piccolo said, although he wasn't sure if he was trying to convince her or himself in that moment. He frowned, "They'd better be. Jenny will have a fit if they're not home by Christmas. She likes to spend that day with her family. I don't even want to think about what it would be like if Paige isn't there. It'll be bad enough without Dende and Rose this year." He swallowed the knot in his throat. Jenny and Rose always made Christmas a big production, decorating the tree, making cookies, the works. It was going to be so weird without them.

Gohan nodded. "I can't imagine what Vegeta will be like if Paige isn't back by then. The Christmas party won't be the same if we aren't all there. I just want them back home. It isn't worth it," he said as he leaned back, pulling Lindsey into his arms.

"If they aren't back by thanksgiving, I'll go and get them myself. Enough is enough," Goku agreed, wiping at his eyes. He really didn't know how much more they could all take.

Lindsey nearly whimpered and leaned over her knees in Gohan's lap. "That's over a month away," she murmured into her hands.

Piccolo didn't know if he wanted to stick around much longer. He was hoping to cheer everyone up by letting them know their children were okay and instead, it just seemed to open up the emotions they'd all been trying to ignore. He stood up straighter and gripped Goku's shoulder. "They'll be home before then. They're smart kids. All of you try not to worry. And tell your mates not to worry, either," he said. "I'm going to take Alice by Capsule Corp to see Bulma and Vegeta for a bit before we head home. Take care of yourselves. We'll see you soon."