Everybody knew that turning twenty one was –much like turning eighteen- just an excuse to go out and get drunk enough to forget why you were out in the first place. However, thanks to their long career of getting kicked out of every other nightclub in town, even if Grainy had wanted to have her party elsewhere, she wouldn't have been able to. Then again, staying at home would prevent the need to chug down her drink as fast as possible before racing for the door, a tradition she really wasn't up to honouring tonight.

Solin had appeared late the night before, getting in just before they locked up for the night. She had brought an entire rucksack bulging with gift bags, and a long box that she refused to let Grainy go near, but which bore her own name on the tag. Instead she had to settle for the box of chocolates that was slid onto her lap during the first commercial break, Solin shrugging off the question with a simple, "There was a whip round."

Now there was movement downstairs that she wasn't allowed to be a part of, furniture getting shifted to the side and food getting prepared. They told her to get ready, but that was a five minute job. Instead, after her shower, she and a similarly banished Gnocchi just rested on her bed, reading and purring to each other until the doorbell went for the first time and Tana's cry that she (they) had brought presents made her sit up at last. She'd been looking forwards to the party for a while now, and now everyone she cared about had finally showed up, so it was time to make the effort.

Not everyone, her mind oh so cheerfully whispered, while the back of her neck tingled slightly. Rubbing it defiantly, Grainy forced the feeling away and reached for the hanger hooked on her wardrobe handle.

The dress she had picked at Chess' urging was a deep green, since she apparently had too much blue in her wardrobe. It was simple and plain, but the black trim on the hem made it look just pretty enough for a party, and its neckline was just high enough to hide the blouse she wore underneath, leaving the short black sleeves to complement the trim. She was just pulling on a pair of flats when there was a nervous knock at the door, Rai quietly asking if he could come in. She took a long deep breath to chase away the last of that little voice before getting off her chair. Gnocchi was quick enough to escape when she opened the door for him, making a break for freedom. His escape took him back downstairs, where he received a quick fussing from Chess while she carried some platters through to the living room.

Lapping up the attention, he almost missed the shady conversation in the corner, his instincts crying out that the humans were up to something. However his yowl to cease and desist yielded little more than a glance in his direction before something changed hands, the taller one promising to follow the instructions. Grainy came downstairs a few minutes later, guiding her dad and Rai as they tried to get the canvas down the staircase without it scratching up the paintwork. "Are you sure I can't even have a peek?"

"Not a chance Nola. I didn't spend two hours writing a speech for you to just peek." Soon the canvas was resting on the display easel, the sheet carefully draped over until it was time for the unveiling. And if Garri had anything to say about it, that wasn't happening for another couple of hours, or until he had just enough of a buzz to not feel like a sentimental fool. Whichever came first, really he didn't mind.

Almost the second it was in place, Tana was handing out the booze, Rai toasting her cheerfully before returning to the laptop he'd had to leave when he was told to go get Grainy from her room. It had been all set up beforehand, but he couldn't help but notice there were a few additions to the playlist he'd spent the better part of the day preparing. He didn't have to think long about the culprit either, not with cheesy grin Solin was flashing at him from across the room. "She can't play innocent if she tried." Rai mumbled, hitting play anyway. He'd trust her judgement.

Hearing one of DJ's remixes blare out of the speakers after a second sent Grainy's eyes right to her sister, a thankful smile spreading across her face. "So there might've been a bit more than a whip round." Solin admitted, pulling the tab on her can. Her breezy tone was somewhat spoiled by the fact that the ring slipped out from under her finger. Glancing between it and the others to see if they'd noticed (they had) she hastily swallowed her dignity and turned away to struggle with it, only whirling back after a small snap broke the awkward tone. "Happy birthday sis!"

From where she was pouring Chess and her mother Alma a glass of wine, Cass watched Solin pull out the long box from under the table, holding it tightly in her grip while Grainy passed her own drink to Tana to unwrap it. She barely had the lid off before her younger sister was chatting a mile a minute, her brief sip of beer evidently not enough to erase her nervousness over such a present. "I figured that since you've never fought with a weapon, this can be something I teach you instead of the other way around." She trailed off as Grainy examined the simple staff carefully, running her hands along it to find a good grip. It didn't have the same strength of the power pole, but it was good enough to practise with until she got a better one. Recognising the promise for what it was, Grainy pulled her in for a one armed hug.

"No weapons in the house!" The call was enough to separate them, Tana laughing gleefully as they both realised they had no idea where to stash the bo for now. Grainy settled for propping it in the corner, where she hoped she'd remember to collect it from. As her hand came back to her side, it hovered over the first of the food platters, more than a few cookies getting pulled along. As if it was some sort of sign, the others slowly gravitated towards the food as well, but despite the amount of people, and the size of their appetites, there was still a fair amount left by the time Garri finally stood by the covered canvas again, his bottle of ale at the halfway point in his hand.

Giving Chess a quick kiss as her favourite song reached the end, Rai slowly let the music fade into nothing, pausing the next song in the list before it could even think about starting. The sudden silence made the last few heads turn Garri's way, Tana throwing hers back in a silent plea to the heavens before her mother caught her at it. Rubbing the sore patch on the back of her head, she quickly thought back to the last time she'd accepted an invitation to see some of Garri's work displayed. Looking down at her empty can with a grimace, she slipped to the back of the room, ignoring the call of her name, "I'm just getting another drink. Don't worry, Gar, I'll have the hatch open!"

Letting her go with a flippant wave, Garri took a quick sip of his ale, holding it in his mouth before swallowing at last. The faces before him were expectant and curious, his daughters' most of all. Focusing solely on them made it easier to remember what he was going to say, so carefully holding their gaze, he opened his mouth "When Nola was-"

"Crap, Rai, I need your keys!"

"What, why?"

"There's none left in the kitchen! We had that spare crate in the car, right?"

"We did?" Tana's face suddenly appeared in the hatch, but before they could even try and read her expression, Rai was flinching, "Oh yeah, that crate."

Clamping his mouth closed again, Garri swallowed his annoyance along with another mouthful of ale, while the apologetic DJ/chauffer fished in his pocket for a pair of keys that he quickly chucked over the heads separating them. Hearing the triumphant crow as she caught them easily, everyone waited until Tana's footsteps had faded again before turning back his way.

Waiting another second to make sure he was clear to speak, Garri started again, or at least he tried to. "When Nola-"

The sudden piercing shriek from outside had them all covering their ears, Solin even whimpering a little as Rai groaned and pushed his way out of the room, shouting over his car alarm the whole time, "You have to press the middle button first, you nutter!"

"How the hell was I supposed to know that!?"

"I don't know, common sense?"

Rubbing at the corner of his head that was sure to house a headache later, Garri flashed his eyes towards his daughter as the argument continued in the background, the name calling getting pettier as the alarm was switched off and they heard the trunk get slammed shut for the second time that week. Well, he supposed, if the city weren't used to those pair yet, that was their own fault.

Rai soon crept back in with every eye in the room on him as he took his space beside Chess with a huff, while Tana busied herself in the kitchen. Nobody saw how Grainy's eyes were narrowed slightly, her brain whirring as it tried to figure out how they had already cleared out the two crates the pair had dropped round prior, or why they had left another in the car. That is to say, nobody saw but Solin, who felt the first lick of panic build up.

"I'd wait until she comes back in." Alma gently advised, spotting the slight flush starting to appear on their host's face. "It'd probably be easier."

Never one to let other people's opinions affect her, Tana strode back in casually, already sipping at her can. Only when he was certain that she was settled did Garri start again, his mind laying out the mental sheet of paper again carefully. "When Nola was seven, she asked me a question that I'll never forget." He paused, both for effect and to look at his elder daughter meaningfully.

"Where do babies come from?" She guessed, briefly looking at the others at the polite ripple of laughter it caused.

"No, but I still say I had the best answer ever for that."

"What'd he say?" Solin asked in a mumble. It was only when she finished that she realised it wasn't as quiet as she had hoped, and that Cass was glaring at her husband in a way that suggested that she was still made at him for it.

Even so, Grainy graced her with an answer, and this time the laughter was a little more uneasy, much like that given by someone faced with a horrendously funny but inappropriate joke. "He told me they're left at the baggage claim at the train station for their parents to pick up."

"And yet it took another month for her to realise she might be adopted. Anyway…" Garri paused again to take a sip, just dodging another glare from Cass. "Nola asked me if I would paint her. At the time I was doing some ballet paintings for a Degas fan, and the work had me swamped. So I quickly dabbed some paint on the smallest canvas I had. It took me maybe an hour including dry time, but it didn't matter to her."

He nodded towards the painting in question, a square canvas more suited as a shelf ornament than a wall piece, which showed a dark haired child from the back as she wandered a studio. "I promised her I'd paint her a better portrait one day, but after the Degas woman there was a guy who wanted a landscape which required a trip to the country and, I'm ashamed to say, I forgot all about it. But I was reminded of it when my wife was looking through some photos Solin had brought home with her." Clearing his throat carefully, Garri turned his eyes back to his daughter, refusing to look away for anything. "I'm not drunk enough for this to sound anything less than cheap and corny, but twenty years ago, I got on the wrong train home, and because of that, I found what would become the most important thing in my life, and then what feels like just a short time later, I got to feel that again when Solin came into our family as well. And if I couldn't repay that fourteen years ago, at least I can now."

As he pulled the sheet away carefully, Cass helping on her side, Garri caught sight of the shadow being cast in the kitchen. Had his eyes not caught Tana's when they did, he might've said something. Instead he settled for stepping away so they could all see the painting, the perfect cover for the blonde to give a curt nod.

As she stared at the canvas, Grainy felt the room turn to look at her for her reaction, but her eyes stayed steadily forward. The photo that had been used was in an envelope upstairs, ready to be handed back to Solin when she went back to Conton City, but Grainy didn't need the date to realise what moment in time she was looking at. It had been one of the warmer days for the Time Patrol, when training was the furthest thing from all of their minds. Instead the Supreme Kai had decided to call an early weekend, and somehow everyone had the same idea of having a picnic. Trunks and Grainy had spent the day with Solin's team in the bamboo forest, and camera in hand, Solin had made the most of the day.

The last photo had been taken by Dailli, and was among the better ones, or at least it was one of the few that showed all three of them, leaning against the same, thick stem of bamboo. He'd snapped the picture just as Grainy had looked up from her book, catching her expression before she was able to pull a stupid face or say cheese. To her left, Trunks was unaware of the camera, preferring to tend to his sword, while to her right, Solin was all but lying down, one arm thrown carelessly across her eyes to keep the sun out. All three of them were perfectly at ease with each other, a foreshadowing of the partnership to come.

"It's perfect." Grainy finally whispered. She examined every careful brush stroke, focusing on the ones that made up her partner. Somehow her dad had caught the cautious air Trunks usually projected, the readiness to react at a moment's notice if he had to, and seeing it in oil made it easier for Grainy to imagine him beside her, if only for a second.

Somebody nudged Solin in the side, her head turning to see Chess wearing a face that just hinged on concern. She didn't want to disrupt the reverie that held her friend, even as the moment passed and she started the business of thanking her parents, declaring once more that it was perfect. Guessing the obvious question, Solin dropped her voice down a few tones, "Her partner."

"Couldn't he make it tonight?" Alma queried, somehow missing the look that was sent between Tana and Rai. There was no chance for Solin to come up with an excuse that wouldn't result in more questions that could be overheard, because Tana cheerily asked if it was time for the cake, Rai hopping to attend to the music again at the nod.

The burst of the bubble surrounding them all gave Grainy a chance to breathe again, her father catching the tiny sound amid the chaos as everyone moved around again, starting a search for Cass' camera that she'd put down at some point. "Nola?"

"I love it Dad, really. I was just…surprised."

"Yeah, Solin warned me it might be a bit overwhelming. Still, at least nobody's talking about my speech." Looking at the canvas again to try and figure out what had caused the reaction, Garri settled for humming as he pulled his glasses off for a clean. "I'll take it to the framer tomorrow. Want to come along?"

"Sounds like a good idea." Giving a final look towards the painting, this time taking in the whole thing, Grainy let out another soft sigh, "That might never happen again." She mused, unaware that she'd spoken aloud until she noticed her dad looking at her funnily.

"Nola, is everything-"

"Found it!" Cass declared, extracting the camera by its cord from between the tray of pizza and the dressing selection. Distracted for a few seconds while she dispensed orders, Garri soon looked back at Grainy, only to see a false smile in place, his daughter back to the creature she had been at the start of the week.

Deciding that the easy route was for suckers, Cass had taken the time to spread twenty one candles around the cake evenly rather than settling for the simple number candles. The result was a careful operation to get all of them lit before a stray breath snuffed them, or they set fire to Grainy as she held it out. Pulling away with the type of caution usually reserved for ninja operations, Cass tucked her lighter back in her pocket before levelling the camera at the scene. "Make a wish, darling."

While her sister closed her eyes against the glow of the candles as she pretended to think, Solin noticed more than a few eyes go to the doorway, those not in the know deciding to trust the somewhat evil grins beginning to cross her and Tana's faces.

All things considered, it had been startlingly easy to manage. Granted had Tana not agreed to the scheme it might've been a little trickier to manage, but planning for unexpected development was mission control's job, not the fighter's. All it had taken was the earpieces Grainy had left in the Time Nest, and the cooperation of one very forgiving Kai. The fact that the entire ruse would've been up had Grainy thought to sense for other ki signatures was not lost on Solin, but again, that was for mission control to worry about. Add in the perfect opportunity to get Grainy with her back to the door and a camera, and you got a moment that would probably make memories, whether you wanted it to or not.

The newcomer hovered awkwardly as Grainy took a deep breath and blew out the candles, turning the cake this way and that before sucking in another lungful to catch the last few. Cass timed her shot perfectly, her grin widening at the preview before it vanished again. "What did you wish for?"

"She's not supposed to tell, remember?" Alma reminded, though she clearly wanted to ask the same.

"She will if she wants it to come true, magical dragons like it when you're specific." Solin's eyes glittered when only Grainy laughed, "But I bet I can guess what it is anyway."

"Oh really? Just try."

"Is that an open invitation?"

The slight twitch of a finger sent another flash through the room, a move that would earn Cass the undying appreciation of all those present who would later flick through the photo albums to find the particular moment that the sheepish voice registered in Grainy's mind fully, the automatic laughter stopping with a short gasp of air. Rai made an executive decision, and just managed to grab the cake before the grip on it failed, getting it a safe distance away before she shook her head in disbelief.

That isn't him. You just wish it was. She winced when the voice finally got through the barrier she'd held all night. Without warning, her attention moved from her initial goal of getting through the party to letting her sixth sense return, her ki easily detecting the strong glows that were both in front and behind her.

Stepping forward with a nervous swallow, Trunks tried not to let the eyes on him make an impact, and set a careful hand on her shoulder. The contact made her flinch out of her focus, her eyes flying open as she whirled round. The sudden movement gave Trunks his own reason to wince, expecting her to follow it up with a blow like you usually got if you crept up on a tense Grainy. But her fist stayed firmly at her side, still curled in case she needed it, but safely out of range.

It would've been impossible to ignore the group now behind her, but uncharacteristically frozen, Grainy could do little more than stare, Solin's words going somewhat over her head as her sister realised that her scheme was going a little off the rails. "I said there was a bit more than a whip round for a box of chocolates. Like maybe most of the Patrol asking for their commanders back, or the boss realising that no decision could be made when both her top people would refuse to follow orders." With a dry swallow of her own that made her wonder if the 'spare' crate had anything left, Solin finished up, just as her sister was able to tune back into reality, "Bit of an dick move making you wait, I guess."

"Little bit." Grainy finally produced.

With two sets of maternal instincts in operation, it was surprising that Cass and Alma took as long as they did to realise some privacy was in order. Staring at the cake Rai was still holding out helplessly, and then at the knife she'd brought in to cut the thing, she made a quick decision, facing the rest of them with her court expression, "You know, I think it'd be easier to cut this in the kitchen. Who wants a slice?"

"Ooh please!"

"Sounds good to me!"

"And while we're at it," Solin didn't have a chance to dodge the fingers that suddenly clamped around her ear, the height difference between her and Cass doing nothing to ease her discomfort. Tana had a split second longer to react, but soon she too had been grabbed, the pair of them forced to move or risk losing half their sense of hearing, "You pair can tell us the whole story."

"I want a lawyer!"

"I am a lawyer."

The door closed on Tana's reply to that, Garri giving Trunks a quick once over before he too left them alone. The serving hatch closed for the first time in years, cutting off the first syllables of Solin's first attempt at an excuse.

The partners spent a while just looking at each other, before Grainy finally pulled away, moving to pick at the leftover food, her fist uncurling at last, "I won't ask if it's really you, because I know it doesn't work like that."

"You're scared I'm not the same Trunks. Solin said as much."

"Solin has a big mouth." Even so, Grainy didn't deny his claim, merely shoved one of the platters his way, "You liked these when I made them for the picnic."

"Yeah, I did." Trunk took one of the mini tacos in hand, holding it before looking across at her again. "I…I'm sorry Grainy. I didn't know you were on suspension until Solin came to tell me."

"Will people stop using that word!" The hatch fell open again, Solin glaring into the room and paying no attention to the peeved looks around her. "Paid leave. Paid leave!"

A hand quickly yanked her away, another pulling the small door closed again with a final tug, but the damage had been done. Without a word, Grainy abandoned all pretences and stormed across to the back door, unlocking it with a swift turn, scowling and muttering darkly about eavesdroppers the whole time. "Not even big ears can hear us out here."

It wasn't overly cold outside, but the short sleeves on her dress made Grainy waste a few seconds to rub her arms up and down while Trunks closed the door behind them. He gave the garden a quick look around, even though he knew there was no way they had been followed outside. The distraction made it easier to cope with the difficulty of starting again, but Grainy seemed content to carry one like they hadn't been interrupted. "I'm not mad. Not about the suspension, not even about the knockout. Hell, I probably should've seen that coming."

"Grainy-"

"Let me finish." Taking a decidedly shaky breath that she didn't know she needed, Grainy pulled away from the railing, fixing him with those damn eyes. "You and Solin assume that I would've charged in after maybe a second. And while a lot of the typical saiyan attitude goes over my head, I understand the concept of a personal fight. I would've waited for you to call. Instead you didn't trust me enough to give me the chance. And for the last week, I have been so scared that knocking me out would count against you, because people only see what they want to, and then you just turn up here like nothing's happened and…" Her eyes clamped closed because she was not going to be that girl in the movies. She was not going to spend their short amount of time here crying.

Arms wrapped around her from out of nowhere, Trunks pulling her close just as the first sniff cut through the air. His hands were kept between her shoulder blades in a silent promise, his forehead resting against hers in an attempt at comfort. "There aren't many people I've been able to rely on, and you're wrong if you think you're not one of them, Grainy." He said in the steadiest tone he could mange, feeling her head shift underneath her chin, "But I should've known that you'd leave me to it. In the same way, you should've known I couldn't let you put yourself at risk by helping me. That's what I was scared of, not losing the battle to the androids."

He felt her own arms wind around him tightly, pulling him closer as if trying to reassure herself that he was real. If he was being honest with himself, he was a split second from doing the same. He settled for moving one of his hands to the back of her head, bypassing her neck entirely. Her hair whispered under his fingers, something that registered in the singular part of him brain that wasn't telling him to hold on and never let go.

All too soon, Grainy was pulling away from him though, fixing the eyes that he simultaneously cursed and praised onto his own before they closed, her feet moving to rest on the toes as she tried to make up that extra inch. It was a wasted effort though, for Trunks was already leaning forwards slightly, the pair meeting in the middle with a slight brush of noses that made both smile slightly before they continued.


In a dimension that existed solely for a feathered deity, a single scroll was spread across the table, the lone watcher rolling it back up again carefully. Hopeless romantic that she was, Chronoa understood that there were some moments meant to be private. Besides, there were other things that required her attention right now.

Stomping out the betting pool Solin had left Dailli to run in her absence sounded like a good place to start.