It was late by the time they returned to the hotel and Goten had had just about enough of his nephew. He loved him dearly, but Phoenix's energy could exhaust anyone if they were around him too much. "I think you syphon everyone else's energy and that's why you never stop," he remarked dryly as they walked down the hall to the rooms they'd rented for the night.

"Nah, I just downed a bunch of coffee when you weren't looking!" Phoenix answered brightly. He looked at the door to the room he shared with Faelon and Nadia, a frown on his lips. "Man, I really don't wanna go in there. What if they're all over each other or something?"

"Well you're not coming in here," Goten replied as he unlocked their door. "Cause we WILL be all over each other." He snickered to himself as Phoenix groaned behind him. "You could always sleep in the hall," he teased as he opened the door and stepped inside to click on the light. "We'll be nice and give you a pillow." He stopped short as his eyes adjusted to the light, a cold horror settling into his stomach.

The room had been torn apart. Their clothes and belongings were strewn across the floor, the blankets on their bed thrown about, drawers ripped out of the dressers. Everything was trashed.

Goten moved slowly, disbelief singing through his system as his eyes scanned the floor. It didn't appear as if anything had been taken. Why then would someone go through their things? "Someone was looking for something," he muttered as the realization dawned on him. "But what? We don't have anything special with us that anyone would want. I spent all my money on the hotel and dinner. There wasn't anything worth taking!"

Paige felt her stomach drop, a cold stone settling in the bottom of it. "The book!" she cried and ran to the dresser where she had stashed it. It had been ripped apart and a cold horror trickled down her spine. "Antonia took the book!" she hissed. No one else would have been interested in an old book like that, she was certain of it. Now she was angry. Just like that, all wonderful thoughts of resting in a real bed with her new mate was suddenly ripped away. "Shit!" she said as she grabbed her pack and began throwing things into it. "I doubt she used the door! Get Faelon to use that item he has, we have to get the book back. Who knows what she can do with it now that the back section is unlocked?!"

Goten felt like he'd swallowed a block of ice. He gave a nod and turned sharply on his heel to push past Phoenix, who was rooted to the spot. Goten pounded on the door to Faelon's room, wincing as the wood cracked slightly. "Faelon! Nadia! Get up! The book's been stolen! We need to get moving!"

Faelon gave a jump and shared a look with Nadia before they both jumped out of bed and began throwing on their clothes. He felt rather sour at being interrupted. An uncomfortable wince crossed his features as he tucked his hard length into his pants and tried to will his erection to subside. Nadia's venom had long since worn off, but they were nowhere near done with their lovemaking. He'd never enjoyed himself so much; they'd spent the night absolutely worshiping each other, hard and fast, slow and passionate, and everything in between. He glanced quickly over at Nadia to make sure she was dressed before he shouldered his pack and threw the door open. "What's happened?"

"Someone tore our hotel room apart. They took the book. We think it was Antonia," Goten answered in a panic and rushed back across the hall to his own room as they followed him. He ran his fingers through his hair, tearing at it. What would happen now that Antonia had the book? Hadn't his own parents gone to war over that very thing? People had died trying to find that book or to protect it. Tora had traveled across the universe to help search for it, Krillin had died to keep it out of Atlantian hands, on and on the list went. He realized in that moment just how powerful Gramma's spell book truly was. "We have to stop her! Who knows what she'll do?"

Faelon frowned as he looked around the room and withdrew the Arulin'holm from his pocket. He looked down at the little silver mirror with its ornate frame as the glass turned smoky and swirling again. "I wonder as well," he murmured before his eyes went wide. As if to answer his question, an image appeared in the glass of his forest burning, his people being slaughtered. "No," he breathed as he held it out for the others to see. They squeezed around him to look as the image changed. A castle was smoking in the morning sunlight as though a fire had recently gone out. Vampire corpses littered the ground outside, their bodies charred and ashy as the sun slowly burned them away to nothing. The Lookout appeared, the stone tile slicked with blood, Goten's and Paige's families piled in a heap of bodies as though they were nothing.

"NO!" Phoenix choked out, his eyes flooding with tears at the sight of his parents, his siblings, his grandparents bodies. "We have to go to the Lookout! Did she do this?! Are… are they really dead?!" He felt his knees shake as an intense pain lanced his heart. He wiped angrily at his eyes. "Tell me this isn't true!"

Faelon shook his head. "It is a prediction of things to come," he answered. He could understand the young Saiyan's anguish, for he felt much the same way. He concentrated on the mirror again, pushing away the horrific images from his mind as he focused. "Show us where she is."

Paige felt horrified, her gaze glued to the mirror as she stared at the bodies of her mother, sister and father. Just like Dende and Rose. The image shifted, but the scene still stayed in her mind's eye. "She is going to pay. I won't let her do this. No fucking way," she spat, venom dripping from her words.

Nadia watched in horror, she would not let that happen to her family. Dracula was like a father to her and there was no way it was going to happen while she drew breath. She watched as the scene shifted when Faelon asked his question. It shifted into a dark swirling mass that seemed to shimmer though there was no obvious light to be seen.

Faelon frowned at the Arulin'holm. He had never seen it act in such a way. "What is this?" he growled. He gave it a shake, but the glass remained dark.

Goten had moved away and started packing his bag. Angry tears burned his eyes as the images the Arulin'holm had shown them swam in his head. Both of his fathers, his mother, slaughtered like cattle. He packed up Paige's bag for her and shoved it roughly into her hands. "Get your shit," he barked at Phoenix and watched as his nephew scurried across the hall to grab his own bag. "We're going after her. I don't give a damn if we have a direction or not. Nadia, you're going to take us through every goddamn portal you can think of until we find this bitch. I'll be damned if I let that happen to our families. Any of our families."

He looked longingly at the bed as the others nodded their agreement. He so wanted just a few hours of sleep in a real bed, just for one night, one day with Paige. He pressed his lips to a thin line and marched out of the room, the others falling into step behind him. He wordlessly tossed their keys to the receptionist and stomped outside, heading out of the city to where the portal awaited them. No one spoke a word as they walked.

He stood expectantly by the portal as Nadia stepped forward. "Take us anywhere," he instructed. "I don't care where it is, just as long as we keep moving until we find her."

Faelon still held the Arulin'holm in his hands, trying to figure out why it wasn't working as it normally did. "It makes no sense," he muttered to himself. He gave Nadia an apologetic look as he showed the mirror-like object to her. "My apologies. It has never failed me before. I do not know if this will help guide you in your decision or not."

Nadia took the mirror from Faelon as they reached the portal and she frowned at it before she raised a hand to the portal, feeling into the magick and trying to find the place the mirror showed. Her face paled when she did. "Oh shit," she breathed. "It's not a world. It's not anywhere on earth. She stopped in between the spaces of the world. It's nothing but an area full of magick. I... I don't know what this world has. I don't know the dangers of going in between the spaces of the worlds. It is not natural."

Paige scowled. "At this point, we don't have a choice. It's probably a trap. Most definitely. But Gramma entrusted the book to me and I have to get it back. It belongs to Lindsey," she said as she gripped her bag tightly and jumped into the portal without another word.

Goten exchanged a serious look with Phoenix before they both followed Paige into the portal. His eyes went wide as he took in his surroundings. Always before, they had stepped into the portal and out the other side, the realm in between passing by in a flash of darkness. But this time was different. They didn't cross through the other side. It was dark, with only tiny pinpricks of light around them as if they were standing in the vastness of space.

"What is this place?" he breathed and let his pack slip from his shoulders. An echoing thud sounded throughout the air around him as it hit the floor. He turned to see Nadia and Faelon as they stepped into the portal and the space behind them seemed to close off, fading to only a tiny dot of light. He knew then what the little lights were; they were openings to other magickal places in the world.

A sudden coldness seemed to wrap around him and he spun on the spot, his eyes narrowing at the pale figure that seemed to glow in the darkness. "YOU!" he snarled.

Antonia glanced up from the huge book in her hands and scowled at them. She'd been reading over the spells, committing them to memory as best as she could. She thought she was safe here in the realm between the portals, but that damn vampire must've understood them even better than she'd anticipated. She slammed the book shut and tipped her head eerily to stare at them.

Paige stalked forward, powering up so her energy glowed softly around her. "You dare threaten us again with the murder of our families. You've murdered Dende and Rose, hundreds, maybe thousands of other people. We can't let you go on. You have no place here. You might have at one time, but not anymore. The only life you have left is in the afterlife with your parents, if the good Mother shows you mercy," she spat.

Nadia let her eyes wander around the area, looking for any obvious traps that might have been waiting to come crashing down on them. There was nothing to be seen in the dark void around them and she focused her attention back on the pale woman.

Faelon drew his bow, moving cautiously behind Nadia, his sharp eyes scanning the space around them. "You murdered my sister," he snarled. He was angry with himself as he looked at her. If only he'd listened to Goten and his company when they'd told him she was the enemy. He could've spared his sister the horror of such a gruesome death. Not only that, but Antonia had enchanted that dragon to hurt Nadia so bad, it had been her companion that had nearly killed Nadia. Just the mere thought of it angered him in an entirely new way.

Phoenix felt his hackles raise and he lowered himself into an aggressive stance, preparing to attack. But the next moment, he cried out in shock as thin, black vines rose up out of the darkness and tangled themselves around his legs, his wrists, wrapping him up in their inky blackness. "What is this?!" he screamed as he thrashed about, trying to free himself. But the vines only coiled tighter around him and lifted him off the floor. A ball of energy formed in his hand and he tried to blast the vines away, but it ricocheted off as if it were nothing.

Paige's eyes widened and she narrowed her eyes at Antonia the next minute. "Guess you learned that from the back of the book," she growled and turned to dash towards Phoenix, "Hang on! I'll get you out in a sec!" She shouted and raised her arm above her head, the glow of a magickal attack growing between her fingers but the next second, something slammed into her and sent her flying. She shook her head as she rolled to a stop and looked up, shocked to see Nadia standing above her. She blinked, was it just her or were her eyes glowing red?

"Nadia!" Faelon cried out in surprise. He couldn't believe that she would attack Paige like that. They were on the same side, weren't they? He didn't understand. Betrayal coursed through his veins. He'd trusted her, he'd shared himself with her, and all along she was on Antonia's side? He unsheathed his sword with a growl, but his eyes were suddenly drawn to Antonia, who was staring intently at him as her hand glowed with an intense green light. He opened his mouth to shout at her, but before the words could escape his lips, Antonia threw her arm out, the light erupting from her palm, and hit him full in the chest.

Goten watched with wide eyes as the spell wrapped around Faelon and dropped him to the ground. Well, he supposed it was still Faelon that hit the ground. In his place was a small, wooden doll that greatly resembled the elf. "What the fuck did you do?!" he roared at Antonia. A low, feral growl rumbled in his chest as all she did was smile at him in an amused sort of way. Phoenix was still screaming as he tried to fight off the vines; Nadia was stalking towards Paige with that strange red glow in her eyes. Goten made up his mind in a split second and rushed forward to knock Nadia away from Paige. "I'll handle her. You're better at magick than any of us here. Get that book back from her, Paige!"

Paige shook off her shock and nodded, flipping herself up. "I think Antonia is controlling her! Like that time your father was controlled!" she shouted at him as she rounded on the Atlantian who held the book protectively, "I don't think so, lady. That book isn't yours. The spells will never truly obey your whims. You will destroy this world with it."

Nadia grinned sadistically as she heard Paige. She spoke, it was her voice, but it was broken. Different. "That's the point, bitch. I will remake this world as it was intended to be. Back to the old ways. But I am wiping out your families first. It's only fair. They wiped out mine. Took away everything that ever meant anything to me," she snarled as she glared at Goten and roared as she rushed him, "DIE!"

Goten grabbed Nadia by the shoulders and rolled back, using his foot to throw her over his head before he jumped back to his feet and turned to face her again. That was Nadia speaking, but he knew it was actually Antonia speaking through her. He raised his arms, prepared to defend himself against the vampire, but nothing more. He would not be tricked into hurting her. She wasn't in control of herself right now. "Antonia!" he roared, not tearing his eyes away from Nadia as she got back to her feet. "It was your family that started this! Your people! Not ours! All our families ever did was protect the earth. There are still people who follow the old ways! You just can't force everyone to do it. And that's where your people were wrong! THEY DIDN'T GIVE OUR PARENTS A CHOICE!"

Antonia narrowed her eyes at him. Foolish child. It didn't matter to her who had started the war; all she cared about was that she had been used all her life, silenced by a stupid spell, and then ultimately ended up completely alone. And for that, they would suffer. They all would suffer. She turned her eyes on Paige and dropped the book before she slid it far behind her with her foot. A wicked smirk split her face as she stared at the half-Namek. This was the rematch she'd been waiting for. She withdrew the jagged dagger from her belt as a silvery magick danced across the blade. The same blade she'd murdered the first human with. She stretched out her free hand and beckoned Paige forward, welcoming the challenge before her. This time, it would end differently.

Paige narrowed her eyes at the magick dagger. She recognized the shimmer about it, it looked like the bows that Goten's parents used, imbued with magick. She calmed her breathing and let herself tap into her own magick well. It was something she wanted to learn more about. To start training with the magick as much as she trained with energy, her ki. She and Antonia circled each other, like two wolves preparing to battle for superiority. "It's a shame, really. If you weren't a puppet of theirs, we could have been good sparring buddies. But you killed my uncle of your own choice. For that, you die!" she shouted and with her fists glowing, she lunged at Antonia.

Nadia just laughed and fell silent as she focused on Goten, licking her lips as she stared at his jugular. "Be a good boy and hold still. This is only going to hurt for a second," she hissed. "I will feast on your blood and throw your corpse at your beloved family. I will watch them break before I finally kill them."

"Nadia, I know this isn't you. I know you're still in there somewhere. Fight it. You have to fight against the spell she cast on you!" he pleaded, backing away from the vampire as her fangs flashed in the small amount of light. A shiver ran down his back. The last thing he wanted was to come this far, only to be finished off by someone he counted as a friend. He grabbed her by the arm as she lunged at him and threw her away again. "Nadia, stop this!"

Antonia swiped at Paige with her blade, smirking in satisfaction as it cut the Namek's forearm. But the next instant, her head snapped back as Paige's fist connected with her nose. Her eyes streamed as heat bloomed across her face and she bared her teeth at the other woman. A powerful energy burned and swirled above the palm of her hand and she heaved it at Paige with all of her strength. No more fooling around. She wanted to end this now and be rid of these pests for good.

Paige's eyes widened as she saw the attack thrown at her and she cried out as she jumped to the side, her foot getting caught in the blast. She hissed out and hit the ground, pushing herself to jump up and land on her good foot. She looked down at it and saw the nasty burn on her flesh. She breathed out slowly and glared back up at Antonia. "No more games, huh? I can do that too, bitch," she said as she spread her arms wide, shimmering with energy and magick alike.

Nadia began to speed up, dancing around Goten as if she were a cat toying with its food. "Hey there, lover. Don't worry. Antonia promised me that I can keep you as a sex slave after we change the world. You were such a good lay, but I think you can do better," she purred, smirking as she saw Paige's hateful glare shot over at her. "That bitch can't satisfy you. I was the first, wasn't I? Not her. Join me, I could keep you coming for a long time, the longest orgasm of your life. Over and over."

Goten swallowed hard at that. He'd never expected for that to be thrown back in his face, and certainly not in front of Paige. How did Antonia know about that? Had she somehow read Nadia's mind? Or had she seen them together, spying on them when they thought they were alone? "I would never betray my mate," he spat at her, a protectiveness for Paige growing in his chest. He would not have her dishonored like that. "No one satisfies me like she does. I know that's not you talking."

Nadia smirked. "You wish it wasn't me," she said as she got on her feet again, casting a glance over at Paige. She sighed as she saw that Goten's look didn't falter. "You know your dad, the triclops? He had the exact same look on his face, right before I shoved coals in his eyes. The scream he made was... exquisite."

Paige growled, looking back towards Antonia only to cry out as she felt a knife slide into her leg and she gave a strangled cry, the energy she had been building up dispersing. She scowled and looked down at the dagger embedded in her flesh and she yanked it out, throwing it back at Antonia. "Fuck you, bitch! FUCK YOU!" she cried as she threw her arms wide again with a roar. She used the pain in her leg to only fuel herself on. "FINAL FLASH!" She screamed, drawing her hands together and fired off her attack at her.

Goten's anger surged and he dove at Nadia, wrapping his arms around her waist to tackle her to the floor as Paige's blast exploded, a blinding light filling the air. He squeezed his eyes shut as he wrestled with the vampire, fighting desperately to keep her fangs away from his skin. He heard the blast hit Antonia and he felt her energy drop significantly. He squinted his eyes, still feeling a bit out of sorts as his vision came back to him. He grabbed Nadia's wrists and pinned her to the floor as she hissed and spat at him. "STOP IT!" he growled.

Antonia lay flat on her back, shaking all over as pain and coldness radiated through her body. She could feel blood pooling around her and she looked at her right side where the blast had hit her. Her eyes went wide with terror and she reached over, gingerly touching the gaping wound where her arm used to be. Her eyes flicked back up at Paige, loathing burning in them. The Namek looked exhausted, but smug as she stared back at her. Antonia's head fell back on the floor, her chest heaving as she struggled for breath. This wasn't over. She would not let it end like this. Her lips moved rapidly, although no sound escaped them, as she worked her magick, influencing Nadia once more.

Nadia turned her gaze to Paige, twisting her head to look at the half-Namek. Her face contorted evilly and she sneered, "You think that this is over? You think that you have won?! I will not rest until I have taken everything from you! This entire world will burn. Mark my words! All of you will die! But first, I'm going to take the life of your precious mate." She growled and flipped Goten over, holding him down with an impressive show of unnatural strength and bared her teeth as she leaned down to his exposed neck.

Paige felt her heart stop and she turned on her feet preparing to run to him. "NO! GOTEN!" she shouted and took one step before a white hot pain erupted in her back and seemed to paralyze her from the waist down. Her eyes widened as she fell to her knees, reaching behind herself to feel Antonia's knife embedded deeply into her back. She could feel blood pouring from the wound and numbly assumed that the Atlantian must have hit an artery.

"PAIGE!" Goten roared as he struggled to fight off Nadia. He could feel her breath on his neck, her hands gripping his wrists painfully. His hair flashed to gold, struggling against her. He'd been able to restrain her in the past, but now her strength overpowered him. He raised his arms just enough to lift her face away from him. "I'm sorry," he apologized before he slammed his forehead against hers, knocking her back. He quickly moved to kick her in the chest, throwing her far away from him. "Paige!" he gasped out and rushed over to her, tears burning in his eyes as he caught her in his arms. "Oh gods, baby no," he sobbed. She looked pale, panicked, as her life force slowly began to drop. "You're gonna be okay. You're gonna be okay," he repeated over and over.

It felt as though his whole world was turning upside down. Everything they'd talked about for so long was crumbling around him. The restaurant. Their own home. A family. If she died, would the dragonballs still be active? He didn't know. It was his understanding that two Namekians were needed to keep the dragonballs active. Piccolo was full blooded, but Paige and Alice were each only half. If Paige died now, he didn't know what would happen. And he certainly didn't want to find out.

"No," he choked out. "No, it can't end like this." Without thinking, he shrugged off his shirt before he pulled the knife from her back and pressed the shirt to her wound. His eyes flicked over to Antonia, who was trying to heal over the wounded stump of her shoulder. "She's not getting away this time," he snarled and moved to gently lay Paige on the floor. "Keep pressure on that," he said softly and picked up the magick-infused blade he'd pulled from her back.

Antonia's magick was lessening as she tried to heal herself. Goten could see it; the vines around Phoenix were starting to shrink away, Nadia hadn't gotten back up to attack him, and the doll that was Faelon started to move of its own accord. He turned his eyes back upon her and sneered. "It's over. Your time in this world is done," he spat.

She looked up at him with fear in her eyes as he stood over her, Paige's blood dripping from her own dagger. She kicked out at him, but it lacked any sort of impact. She was too weak, her wound too great. She reached up towards him, a purplish light starting to gather in her hand, but he dropped to his knees over her and pinned her wrist beneath his knee, canceling out her magick.

Goten felt no remorse as he looked down at her. Every horrible thing she'd ever done flashed through his head, the most recent of which was attempting to kill his mate. He felt a flash of coldness seep into the mark on his neck and fear shot through his heart. He wasted no time with words and acted quickly to cut open the Atlantian's chest, ignoring the blood that splurted forth over his face and hands. He felt removed from the act, as if it was just another one of his quarry he had hunted, save for the bit of sick satisfaction that coursed through him as Antonia died at his hand. He carved the heart from her chest and stepped back, frowning at her body for only moment before he turned and went to Paige.

Phoenix gasped out as the vines around him fell away and he dropped back to the floor. He felt disoriented as he staggered forward, rubbing at his wrists. He'd watched the whole thing and now he felt completely useless. His uncle was bowed over Paige holding her in his arms, crying. Gods, he never wanted to hear a sound like that from Goten. His foot bumped against something and he paused to look down, his eyes widening when he saw Gramma's spellbook. He grabbed it up and ran to them, dropping to his knees as he flipped frantically through the back portion of the book. "There has to be a spell in here that will save her," he gasped. "There has to be!" His eyes scanned the pages until he landed on a healing spell. "HERE!" he gasped and turned it around so Paige could see it.

Nadia's head was throbbing when she blinked her eyes open after Antonia's spell had been broken in light of her death. She groaned and sat up, muttering, "Did anyone get the number of the truck that hit me?" She looked around, feeling terrible that she had attacked Goten and Paige. It was as if her body hadn't been her own, but an extension of that filthy Atlantian. Her eyes widened and she looked towards Faelon, where she had seen him drop. Turned into a wooden doll. She ran over to him and dropped next to his side, completely back to normal. "Thank the gods," gasped, looking over at the others.

Paige's mind was fuzzy as she tried to see the words on the page of the book. She felt cold and could barely register Goten holding her up. She had seen Dende a few moments ago, he told her to hang on. Just a little bit longer, he had said. She felt her lips moving and if she was speaking words, she couldn't hear them. Her mind wasn't there, she was too busy thinking on the life that she was losing. If she died, the dragonballs would go with her, Dende had said. She wanted the restaurant. She wanted a life with her mate for a long time to come. She felt tears slip down her cheeks as she spoke the words of the spell over and over.

Goten held her close, resting his forehead against hers, trying to will some of his own energy into her as if it might help. "Don't leave me," he whispered to her as she worked the spell. He looked over her shoulder at her back; the bleeding was slowing, the wound starting to close over. He felt his heart leap and he looked at her face, hope glowing in his eyes. "You're doing it, baby," he breathed. They were going to make it through this, she was going to be alright. Antonia was dead, Orion was dead, and no one was left to threaten their family. All they had to do now was to get out of the portal. "Just a little more and you'll be fine. We can finally go home," he said with a watery smile.

Faelon looked up at Nadia, a wary expression on his face. "That wasn't you, was it?" he asked. His mind felt sluggish and he groaned as he sat up, looking at her. The harshness in her eyes was gone and he licked his lips nervously as he reached for her, wrapping his fingers around the back of her neck. A small smile pulled at his lips and without her even answering, he knew the truth. It hadn't been her when she attacked the others. He quickly pulled her close and captured her lips in a heated kiss.

Paige heard Goten encouraging her and slowly but surely, she could feel her strength returning until she finally stopped repeating the spell and she groaned as she could feel her body again. "Oh. Ow. Let's not do that again," she said as she let her head tilt back so she could see Goten more clearly. "Is it over? Did you get her?" she asked as she looked back to Phoenix, free from the vines and still holding the book. She smiled, relaxing back in Goten's arms, "Thank the Mother, the book is back."

"Of course I got her," Goten answered, trying to give her a cocky grin, but it was ruined by the tears in his eyes. He pulled her into a tight hug, his mark feeling warm again, and kissed her deeply. "Gods, I thought I'd lost you there for a moment." He got to his feet and cradled her against his chest. Her energy still felt a bit weak and he didn't want her trying to walk on her own until she had rested and had something to eat. He looked over at Nadia and Faelon, snickering to himself. "Phoenix, get the heart. We need to pay a visit to Dracula."

Phoenix shut the book and blinked up at Goten before he looked at the heart and wrinkled his nose. "Ew! No way, man!" he protested. "I'll carry the damn bags. I'm not touching that." He grabbed up their packs from the floor before he stomped over to Nadia and Faelon to kick Nadia's boot. "YOU get the heart. You can take it to Dracula."

Nadia finally pulled away from Faelon, leaning against him. "I am so sorry. That was not me." She hugged him tightly, knowing he understood and she finally let her gaze fall on to Phoenix. "Ah yes, the heart. I imagine Dracula has been biting his nails to get it." She picked it up and waved her hand at the portal, the castle an easy place for her to recall. "Let's get the fuck out of here. I don't know about you, but I am ready for home," she said as she stepped through.

Faelon let Goten carry Paige through and waited for Phoenix before he steeled his nerve. He'd heard of the infamous vampire Dracula. Uncertainty and nervousness coiled in his stomach as he forced his legs to move and stepped through into the lavish castle. He didn't know how the other vampires would react to him, what they might think of his new relationship with Nadia. His mind swam as he tried to think of what he might say, but the only thing he could think of was that he was not going to let this slip away from him.

Goten couldn't stop himself from grinning as Dracula descended the staircase. "We kept our promise," he smiled. "The last Atlantian is dead. Nadia has her heart." He nodded to the vampire as she stepped forward with the heart in her hands. "We couldn't have done it without her or without your help."

Dracula raised an eyebrow at them as he looked to Nadia who held out the heart to him. He took it, but pulled Nadia into a tight hug. He pulled back a moment later, stepping back as he looked over the group. He raised an eyebrow at the elf, but said nothing on it. "We were beginning to think that maybe you had given up. Atlantians are slippery snakes, are they not?" He chuckled and set the heart on a glass plate that one of his fellow vampires brought to him. "At least you made it just in time for Christmas."

"Christmas?" Phoenix asked. "But, it's November, isn't it?" He shook his head, a confused look on his face. "Dude, you're messin' with me again, aren't you?" he asked Dracula, a slight chuckle in his voice. "Like you did with that brandy or whatever it was." He gave Dracula a skeptical, but amused look. "I'm not falling for your trick this time," he joked.

Goten looked around then, taking in the decidedly different decor of the castle. Grand Christmas trees had been decorated with the most intricate ornaments he had ever seen. Garland adorned the staircase. "Uh, Phoenix, I don't think he's messing with you," he said slowly. He looked to Dracula, "What happened? It was only the end of November when we stepped into that portal. This doesn't make any sense."

Dracula's eyes widened and he looked to the portal behind them and shook his head. "And when you went in, you stayed in, didn't you? You are lucky if it was just November when you stepped into the portal. The world between worlds is like a standstill for the ones who get inside it. While time stands still in the portal, outside, it rushes by. No one is sure the exact time difference. One minute in there could be one week out here," he said and waved his hand, "Come, you look like you are weary. I will have the cooks prepare a hot meal while you clean yourselves up and I will have the bedrooms prepared for you for the night."

"Thank you," Goten said gratefully and carried Paige towards one of the bathrooms in the castle. He set her carefully down, making sure that she was steady on her feet before he turned on the shower. "Let's get you cleaned up," he said softly and helped her to undress, tossing away her torn and bloodied clothes. He stripped himself before he stepped into the hot water and offered her a hand, pulling her into the shower with him. "Gods, that feels good," he sighed and moved to let the water hit her more fully. He grabbed a bottle and poured a generous amount of soap into his hand before he began to work it over her body, rubbing gently at her muscles. He smiled at the feel of her skin against his hand; nothing sexual about it, but just so relieved that she was alive and there with him.

Paige leaned back, sighing contentedly as Goten washed her hair. She could hardly believe that they were back in Dracula's castle after all that time. "Feels appropriate to be here. Where we began, and now we end this," she murmured, tilting her head back into his touch. "I can't believe Christmas is the day after next."

"We have to get home soon," Goten said. "Bulma will be having her Christmas party, won't she? Can you imagine the looks on their faces if we just show up for the party?" A smile pulled at his lips as he nuzzled against her. "They might wanna kill us for keeping them in suspense for so long. But what better Christmas present could we give them?" He kissed softly at the mark on her neck before he pulled back and turned her to wash the suds from her hair. "Should we invite Faelon and Nadia to come with us?"

Paige grinned and nodded. "We need to; they are part of the group now. Aren't they?" She sighed as the hot water seemed to melt away all the aches and pains in her muscles, her body. She inhaled the scent of the shampoo. "Gods, I miss them all. Mom, Dad, Papaw, Bulma. Alice," she said before she wiped at her eyes. "One night. One bloody night in a real bed and then we can go back."

Goten grinned brightly and kissed her, holding her close to him. Home. That sounded like heaven right now. He squeezed her tightly, his heart beating harshly against his ribs. They were finally going to start their life together. The restaurant, a home, babies, all the things they'd talked about this whole time. It was finally going to become a reality.

Author's Note: When I uploaded this chapter, there were 6666 words to it. Creepy, huh? Muahahahahahaha...