Goten and Paige scraped together some cash they had and rented two hotel rooms for the night. Phoenix practically begged Nadia to let him stay with her and Faelon. He didn't want to share a room with Goten and Paige; he was convinced they were going to be all over each other and he didn't want to hear it. Or somehow accidentally see it. He'd shuddered and gagged exaggeratedly until Nadia gave in and let him into their hotel room.

Goten couldn't deny that he was relieved to finally have some true privacy with his new mate. He insisted on letting her shower on her own before he took his turn. He felt dirty and worn out from the trip and he knew she had to feel the same.

He groaned as he washed in the shower, the hot water soothing his aching muscles. He knew they were wasting time by taking a day off, but they had a small victory in eliminating Orion, so that deserved a celebration, didn't it? Okay, so he was lying to himself. His reasons were purely selfish. Something in him just called to sequester himself away with his new mate and he was using this as an excuse.

He stepped out into the hotel room, one towel wrapped around his waist, using another to rub at his hair. He smiled when he saw Paige lounging on the big bed, wrapped in a soft, plush robe. "Gods, you take my breath away every time I look at you," he grinned and tossed away the towel he'd dried his hair with as he walked to her. He stood at the foot of the bed, his hands on his hips, and admired her for a moment. "I really am glad we did this, Paige," he said seriously as he rubbed at the fresh mark on his neck.

She smiled at him, appreciating the wonderful view of his body as he stood before her. Paige rubbed at her own mark on her neck, shivering at the delicious sensation that coursed through her body. "I just can't believe we waited so long," she purred. "Mmm, but it was worth the wait." She leaned back and looked at him, "Well, what are you waiting for sexy? Give us a turn, I want to see the whole packaged deal."

Goten's eyes went wide at that. Oh gods, he hadn't even thought about what would happen after they mated. How was he supposed to hide those scars from her for the rest of his life? 'Don't panic,' he told himself and gave her a cocky grin. "I think I'd rather watch you put on a show," he teased. He raked his eyes over her and licked his lips obscenely. He could feel his nerves making his stomach coil. He prayed to the gods to help him figure out how to handle this. There had to be a way. There had to.

Paige sat up, narrowed her eyes at Goten's reaction to her request. Even now, she could see the fear that sparked in his eyes. Papaw had taught her how to read her opponents because one move, one glance could mean life or death. "Goten, what aren't you telling me?" she asked him in a calm voice before she moved to get off of the bed, stalking towards him.

Goten backed up from her, swallowing nervously. "N-Nothing," he lied. He didn't like the way she crept towards him, like a big cat stalking her prey. The backs of his legs hit a low dresser and he fumbled, nearly falling over as he grabbed it to steady himself, never tearing his eyes away from her. His expression darkened, a serious, intimidating look crossing his face. "Paige, don't," he said firmly. "Just leave it alone." He felt a tremor run down his back as he thought about the scars that covered his skin and how she would react if she saw them.

Paige tilted her head at him, her own expression softening. "Don't you trust me? This is going to be a sad relationship if you start lying to me now. What are you keeping from me? What's on your back?" she asked before she moved, lightning fast to grab hold of Goten's wrist. "Don't back away from me, Saiyan," she hissed at him.

Goten nearly whimpered, knowing she spoke the truth. "Paige," he said softly before he sighed and gently moved to grasp her wrists to lead her back to the bed. "Sit down," he said as he sat at the foot of the bed. "Of course I trust you. It's not that I don't. It's just…" He trailed off and drew a deep breath to calm himself before he met her eyes. "Do you remember when we were little and I didn't live with either of my parents for awhile? When I was in foster care?"

Paige relaxed and moved to sit next to him, watching her carefully. "Yeah, I remember that. It sucked balls not being able to visit and play with you," she said, remembering the time, hazy but she remembered the time she had been separated from her best friend. "What happened Goten? You know you can tell me anything. I'm your mate now. No secrets between us."

He gave a small smile at that and looked down at their hands as he drew his thumb over her knuckles. "When I was little, Chichi, well… She used to hit me," he finally blurted out. "With a switch. It didn't matter what I did, if I even did anything wrong at all sometimes. She'd make me lower my power level and when she was done, she made me eat senzu beans so my dad wouldn't find out what she'd done." He looked up and nearly winced at the fire he saw in her eyes. "She hated me, Paige. It wasn't until Mom figured it out one day that anything was done about it. I was seven and Gramma Arthusia uncovered what the beans had hidden. But she never had the chance to heal me back up cause I was put in foster care. And, well, it left scars."

Paige was on her feet the longer he talked and she looked at him. "Turn around," she said firmly, pulling and tugging until he was kneeling on the bed, the scars spanning across his back obvious to her now. She ran her hands over them, feeling the crisscross pattern over his shoulders, and further down against the small of his back, near where his tail used to be. She could see a few lines reaching up from his buttocks. She ran her fingers over them and watched his reaction to her touching them. The deep groves only made her anger towards Chichi soar, "That ugly bitch." She seethed as she moved her hands over the scars. It made sense now, why he had been taken away. And why he kept his back hidden from view. The reason why he had pulled Nadia's hands away from his back and restrained her. "You should have told me, you thick headed dope," she scolded. "You should have told me long ago."

Goten leaned over and pressed his face into the mattress before he collapsed flat onto his stomach. "I know," he groaned. He felt ashamed, disgusted, embarrassed. His face was burning hot as she tugged away the towel around his waist. He winced, shivering, knowing that the scars stretched from the tops of his shoulders to his waist, a few trailing down over his buttocks. He lifted his face just enough so his words wouldn't be muffled. "I was ashamed of them. I AM ashamed of them," he corrected himself. "I hate them. I hate what she did to me. And she never once said sorry. She tried to blame my father for it. Rose saved me from her. She's the one who got the judge to give custody to Gohan."

He cringed as Paige's fingers trailed over the marred flesh of his back. The strangely numb scars felt weird as she touched them. He hated them. It brought back too many memories. He never did understand why Chichi had done what she did. All he'd ever done was try to be good for her, to please her, anything to avoid that vicious stick. He could still hear it whistling through the air, could still feel the stinging crack of it across his back. Always told to lower his powerlevel so that his energy couldn't create a barrier between his flesh and the blow of the switch as his own mother took out her frustration and anger on him. He remembered the last time she'd hit him. Rose had come bursting through the door and carried him away to safety. Rose saved him. And in her moment of need, he hadn't been there to protect her. It steeled his resolve to hunt down her killer, to make Antonia suffer. "Please don't, Paige," he whispered, screwing his face up and pressing it harder into the pillow.

Paige was horrified at the extent of the damage done to his body. She trailed her hands over the scars, tracing them carefully. She could feel the hate seeping from each one of the marks. "Gods, I can't believe you've lived with all of this hate for so long." She felt an anger rising up in her. She had known when they were little that something had happened and for a few months, she hadn't been able to see him. People took him away from his home and made him live with a strange family. She ran her hands over them. "Do they hurt? Did she really do this to you?"

"Paige, don't make me talk about it," he groaned into the mattress. He sighed and turned to his side, unconcerned with the fact that he was completely naked before her. He met her eyes. "Yes," he said. "Chichi did this to me. For years, she beat me. And it wasn't until Sabriena noticed that anything was done about it." His eyes held an intense ferocity as he spoke, his voice was bitter. "Not my dad. Not my brother. No one even suspected a thing was wrong until Sabriena figured it out." He looked at the floor, an anger building in him that he hadn't felt in a long time. Most of the time he could ignore it, but now talking about it brought up all those old feelings. "And, yeah, they still hurt. They'll always hurt. Not the way you're thinking, but... some things never stop hurting."

Paige pressed her lips thin; she didn't mean to bring up something painful for him. She looked over the scars again. Marks of hate, ignored because the people closest to him didn't want to believe it could be true. "You needed her," she muttered, "Sabriena could see what your brother and dad couldn't. No one wants to believe that a mother that could do this to a child." She leaned down, soothing her hand over his left buttock, tracing a line with her finger. There was so much hate left by these lines. She traced the line to the other cheek, placing kisses here and there until she came to its end and moved up to the next line.

Goten shuddered again. He hated that Paige had to look at those hideous marks. He wanted them to go away so bad. His heart was aching. Goddammit. A fresh anger for his biological mother sprung up in his chest. But alongside it was an affection for Sabriena, for Rose. Rose had saved him and Sabriena had shown him what a mother was really supposed to be like. He may have lived with Gohan, and Lindsey was good to him, but as far as he was concerned, his real mother was Sabriena. She'd taught him so much over the years. It was because of her that he liked to cook so much, that he learned how to appreciate the little things in life. His dad had taught him to be a fierce warrior, to laugh at himself. Tien taught him a respect for nature, to be practical and to rely on only your skills to survive in a harsh wilderness. They were his parents, all three of them, but it was Sabriena's softness that had soothed those marks, had shown him that he wasn't bad or evil or a monster like his mother tried to make him believe. "I hate them, Paige," he whispered as she kissed and licked at his skin. "I hate these marks. I wish they'd go away."

Paige hated the sound in his voice. She kissed her way over each mark, finally ending up on his shoulder, kissing the last one. She moved and kissed his neck, the new mark there, draping herself over his back, nuzzling with him. "They show you how strong you are. How much you survived." She smirked against him before she pulled back and sat back on her heels, regarding him for a moment before moving her hands over his buttocks again. A warm blue light shimmered softly from them. She remembered the dragonfire scars. These pathetic scars made by a pathetic woman were mere child's play.

She closed her eyes, willing her own magick forward. "Didn't you remember, you goof?" she asked as she carefully cupped his buttocks, "Way back when Leelee got burned by dragonfire?" She ran her hands over his scars, watching with satisfaction as her hands passed over them, the whole unblemished skin that was left behind. She moved up, careful to skim around his tail scar, but removing the painful one near it. She winced. That sick bitch. She'd hit his scar.

Goten tried to grasp her words, but something was happening to his body that made his mind go foggy. It was if he could breathe easier, like a weight was lifting from him that he didn't even know was there. A warmth from her hands eased into his flesh and seemed to wrap around his heart, his soul. His whole body went limp as he felt her trail her hands up over his back, slowly. Deliberately. Methodically. "Paige," he moaned. "What are you doing?" It dawned on him then, the reference to Leelee and the scars that she'd received in battle when she'd been burned by a dragon. Paige had healed those when she was only a toddler. He jerked and looked over his shoulder at her, his eyes questioning, but the next second he let his head fall back to the mattress as a contented moan escaped his throat.

Paige chuckled as she soothed her hands up over his back, watching with pleasure as the scars seemed to melt away into nothing. "Come on now, I think you know what I'm doing," she said as she reached the top of his back, but left a diagonal scar on his shoulder. One thin, silvery line. "This is the only one that stays. So you never forget," she said calmly. "Not that you would forget the horrors that bitch put you through. Lowering your power level. That fucking bitch," she muttered as she finished healing away all of his scars and stepped back from him to view her work. "Wish granted." She took his hand and carefully twisted his arm back so he could touch a spot where she had healed him. "But you must keep one so you never forget. Remembering such horrible events helps us appreciate what we have and look forward to a brighter future."

Goten's eyes went wide as he felt the skin on his back. It felt smooth, unblemished. He gave a jerk and pushed himself up to look over his shoulder at her. "Really?" he asked. "Paige," he breathed, staring up at her in shocked wonder. "Paige!" he cried and ran past her into the bathroom. He turned this way and that to look over his shoulder in the mirror. Nothing but smooth, unblemished skin met his eyes, save for the one thin line on the back of his shoulder. "PAIGE!" he cried gleefully as he rushed back into the hotel room and grabbed her up in his arms, spinning her around. "Oh my god, you healed them! They're gone! They're actually gone!" Happy tears stung his eyes as relief crashed through his system. He grabbed her face and stared into her beautiful eyes, stroking a thumb across her cheekbone. "I fucking love you, you know that?"

Paige laughed as he grabbed her up and spun her around in a circle. She could see the light in his eyes, the freedom that he had now. She smirked at him, unable to stop the purple blush from tinting her cheeks. She leaned into his touch. There had been a lot of hate trapped in those marks. She snorted, Chichi might not have known it, but she had been casting her own form of magick those days, so much hate put into an act that left a mark on such an innocent child left behind a residue. Over time it would have poisoned a normal person, but so much love from his family had saved him. She grinned at him, reaching up to her own face and wiping away a stray tear of happiness. "I fucking love you too, Goten. I wish you had told me sooner, I could have healed them from the beginning," she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck, smiling widely at him. "Now, I suppose you could consider it a mating gift." She grinned at him as he set her down, "I feel like celebrating. I know, I know. Probably counting our chickens before they've hatched, but hell, we've been through too much, we need to savor this. Gods, I love you."

Goten nodded eagerly. "I love you, too," he answered before he smothered her mouth with his own, kissing her passionately. He moaned against the kiss and held her tighter, drinking in the taste of her mouth, the sensation of her smooth, soft skin against his own. He pulled back and smiled at her. "How about dinner?" he asked. "I've still got some money. We can all go out and celebrate. Just this once. Cause tomorrow we've got to get back on task. But gods, I just want this one night with you." He nuzzled against her, kissing at the mark he'd left on her neck.

Paige moaned out and nodded. "Oh gods, yes. I wish we could just seclude ourselves away for a good long while. All I want to do right now is fuck your brains out, you sexy Saiyan," she purred at him as she let herself slide down his chest until she felt his hard cock poking at her. "Mmm, take me just like this."

Goten wasted no time and grabbed the backs of her thighs, spreading her legs wide as he slid her down onto his hard cock. "Oh gods," he gasped out as her tight heat engulfed him. He cupped her buttocks and slammed her against him, crying out in pleasure. "I love how tight you are," he breathed in her ear, nibbling at it as he fucked her. She was so light in his arms; he smirked as he pulled her over him again and again. "Take it, Namek. You know you love it. Tell me how much you want it," he commanded in her ear.

Paige threw her head back, groaning out as he filled her over and over. "Gods, I fucking love how big you are. Make me take all of your cock. Gods, I can't get enough of you. I just want more and more of you. Gods I love you so much." She moaned, throwing her head back and exposing her breasts to him, "Please baby, touch more of me."

Goten moaned as he ran a hand up her side and cupped her breast, massaging it as his face went to the other and he lightly bit and sucked at her nipple. His cock throbbed deep within her, growing harder at the taste of her skin. She smelled amazing and tasted even better. "I can't wait to get home," he muttered as he drove himself faster into her. "We can… nnnngh… do this all the time."

Paige grinned and squeezed his cock tightly with her muscles. "Oh gods yes. We will make that bitch pay for interrupting our time together when we should be bonding after we've mated," she purred at him. She could feel him pulsing inside of her. "I can't wait much longer. I just want to worship your body all night long. Fuck you long and slow." She slipped her fingers into his hair, giving a firm tug. "Gods, you are just amazing. I can't believe that bitch hurt you."

Goten hissed as she pulled at his hair, the sharp sting only making him harder. "Don't talk about it," he said, "It's over and done with now." He sucked at her neck before he moved back down to her breast, licking and nipping at the firm flesh. He had a sudden thought, wondering what it would be like. "Scratch my back," he begged softly. "Touch me. Please?" Plenty of women had tried to hold him or claw at his back during sex, but he'd never let any of them do it. Now that he was healed, he wanted to see what it was like.

Paige blinked at him, biting back a moan and she grinned. "I would love nothing more." She moaned at him, reaching behind him and scratching at the smooth skin there. "Mmm, never let anyone do this to you, huh?" she purred at him as she repeated the action, letting her long nails scratch carefully at the skin, "The difference with these marks is that you are going to feel the lust and love I feel for you in them. Aren't you? My good little Saiyan."

He hissed as her nails scraped over his skin and he nodded. "I've never let anyone do that," he breathed heavily. He felt the goosebumps erupt over his skin, a shiver running down his spine at the slight sting and heat he felt. "Do it again," he begged and moaned loudly as she complied. Now this he could get used to. The slight amount of pain that mixed with pleasure nearly drove him wild with lust and he set a brutal pace, thrusting into her as hard and fast as he dared. "You're going to make me come."

Paige grinned, feeling her own pleasure growing at the pleased sounds he made when she touched his back. "That's the idea, dear. I want you to come so hard, fill me up. I want to have your babies. But not for a while. Not until we are so tired of fucking each other. I think it's going to be a while." She purred and ran her nails up and down his back, "I want to give you a back massage, with hot oil. Gods, you've never had one have you? I wonder if I could make you come just from a massage, thrusting your hips into the bed until you can't stand it anymore."

Goten's head swam with the ideas she suggested. "Gods, yes," he purred as his balls drew up tightly against his body. "I want it. All of it." His breathing grew ragged and he held her tighter to him. "I'm coming, baby," he whimpered as his cock swelled an instant before he flooded her body with his cum. He continued to thrust into her as he rode out his orgasm, growling low in his throat at the intense pleasure.

Paige howled out her pleasure as blissful heat filled her so completely. "Oh my gods, you are so fucking amazing," she howled as she came and scratched him a bit harder than she intended and she moaned out, the scent of blood met her nose. "Oh fuck me! YES, YES, YES! You are so good."

Goten cried out as she clawed his back, triggering a second orgasm from him. He bucked wildly into her until his knees went weak and he sank to the floor, still holding her to him. He was sweating and trembling all over as he kissed her sweetly. A soft chuckle escaped his lips. "You're really gonna have my babies?" he asked, his heart warming at the thought. He'd never really thought about having his own family before, but now, he could see it with her. And he wanted it. He wanted it so much, especially if it would make her happy.

Paige cupped his face in her hands as she kissed at his face gently, "Gods, yes. I want your kids. Little yous running around. I want to plan our restaurant, help you plan the menu with steaks and mushrooms, the pasta you love, Dracula's plum wine, everything."

He smiled and leaned into her hands. "You're gonna make me all emotional and shit," he scolded lightly. He could picture all of it with her. "It might not be easy at first, you know, getting started and all that. But we'll make it happen, Paige. I promise. I just want to give you everything you could ever want in life." He paused and searched her eyes for a moment. "Do you want a ring? I'll get you one if, you know, if you wanna do the traditional thing. Anything you want, baby, just name it and I'll move heaven and earth to give it to you."

Paige smiled at him. "Goten, all I need is you. No silly trinkets, baubles. Nothing but you." She grinned, looking up at him, those dark eyes like the night sky, she could get lost in them forever. "That and a hot dinner. Come on, let's get dressed. I want to go eat somewhere. We are in London! Need like fish and chips or something fancy." She gave him a wink, "You are the foodie. What's good around here?"

"Oh, we'll find a place to eat," he said, already thinking of a place he wanted to go. "Just as long as you don't break out that bad fake British accent," he teased and moved her off his lap, shivering as the cool air hit his flesh. "And you're giving me a message as soon as we get back." He stood and stretched before he went to his bag to pull out fresh clothes. "Get dressed and we'll grab the others, see if they wanna come with us."

Paige smiled and nodded enthusiastically and hurried to get dressed. "Well, I know what Nadia will say," she teased as she pulled out fresh clothes and started to dress. "Damn, I can't wait to get back home and do laundry. What I wouldn't do for new clothes," she grumbled as she pulled her jeans on. "Let's ask Phoenix, if he didn't already raid room service."

Goten's heart hammered against his ribs, his excitement flooding through his veins. He couldn't wait to get back and show his dad that the marks were finally gone. His dad had always felt so guilty about the whole mess. He couldn't blame his dad. Chichi was a conniving, manipulative excuse for a human being. She'd hid it from him. And Goten couldn't blame him for that. He suddenly found himself longing for Tien's cabin, for Sabriena's cooking, for his Dad's laugh. "Thank you, Paige. For being here with me, for finally healing me. I don't know what I'd do without you." He pressed a firm kiss to her forehead and gave a soft laugh, "Dad's gonna flip when he sees what you did for me."

Author's Note: Thank you everyone for the reviews! Although, I have to say that Bbflacy's comment cracked me up. Ya'll don't like what I write? GO DUCK YOURSELF. *snicker* Thanks for that. I needed a laugh this morning.

This chapter is a bit shorter than normal. We wrote it and the next to be one chapter, but then it made more sense to me to break them up. So the next one will be posted soon so you don't feel like ya'll got jipped today.