Disclaimer: I own the OCs and the plot.

Author's note: This part is short..mostly because trying to rewrite it was aggravating and I got the one scene that i wanted to work for me to do so…so that's how it is. Warnings for this part include a hint at what Lygoren goes through when his father is in a mood…and damn cuteness from baby Iodin.

Part Eleven: It's Always the Small Things to Be Cherished

Release daddy's hands, wobble, fall, get teary-eyed but make no sound, and try again. Several repetitions commence while Lygoren watches the dark-haired infant who seemed defiant of things enough to attempt standing on his own. The brunette can't help the upward curve of his lips as he watches him try again, gripping his hands as he drags himself to an upright position. "You can do it, Io," he murmurs softly, "Don't give up, cub."

After an untold amount of tries, Iodin is finally standing without holding onto his father and he beams at the brunette clearly pleased with himself. Lygoren grins back at him. "That's my boy," he says proudly.

"He loves his daddy," Eris says from the doorway, "That much I can tell."

Lygoren rolls his eyes. "THIS again?"

She giggles. "I'm gonna say it from now until forever, Lyo."

The brunette wonders why he put up with it before he reaches out and lifts the small form up. "Your mama's irritating," he says in a solemn tone, "Here's to hoping you don't get her charming personality." Iodin merely makes a soft happy sound and snuggles closer to him which just has the male's heart melting. The snicker clearly tells him that Eris notices. "Be quiet, wench."

"You're the one going to mush," she replies.

"I can't help it. He's cute."

"Oh, I won't argue that," she replies chuckling, "Now let me have him and go tend to your duties before your father comes looking for you."

He grimaces at the thought as he gently hands the infant to her. "Yeah...that would be bad to say the least."

She gently swats him with her tail. "Relax and focus, Lyo."

He nods before heading out of the house and heading for where he knew his men were. Eris had a point; if his father thought he was being remiss...well, he didn't like following that thought with what the truth was. He finds the others busy training and just watches a moment wondering how in the world his father had managed to accomplish this and then deciding he didn't want to know what had these Saiyans stuck in the middle of hell with a raging psychopath.

His presence doesn't go unnoticed for long and he finds them approaching. "You alright?" his second-in-command asks quietly.

"Why wouldn't I be?" he intones in a neutral tone.

"You have an infant, sir, you should be..."

"I have duties," he interrupts immediately, "and they aren't willing to wait on what I want." It was more like he had a sire that he had no intention of causing to come after him for some real or imagined failing but they didn't need to know that.

"Of course," comes the easy acceptance of what was an obvious end of the conversation, "Welcome back, sir."

Lygoren hated that title mostly because it had bad connotations with his father. "Lygoren," he sighs softly, "It's just...Oh never mind...Let's get something constructive done." He highly doubts anything that they managed was "constructive" but it at least kept them alive so it had to count for something. Not much...but something. 'Remember what you hold dearest,' he tells himself, 'You do this for a reason.' At the end of the day it was all he had to hold onto.