Author's Note: Ok so here's the last installment of this story. I decided to do one more after all. I did add another part to I'm Not Him and wrapped that up with a short but sweet second chapter. Perhaps thinking of a one shot from Goku's perspective in this timeline while he's in other world looking down on Gohan and Bulma.

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Confusion.

Gohan let out a yell as he sent another kamehameha wave towards Eighteen, who seemed to be playing with him and Trunks more than trying to fight them. She'd shown up and attacked them out of no where, but she wasn't attacking to hurt them. No, it was more like she was waiting for something.

Seventeen.

But the other android hadn't shown up to take them by surprise like Gohan thought would happen, in fact there was no sight of the other android at all, he couldn't sense his ki anywhere near them. He watched as Eighteen easily side stepped his attack, and then turned to grab Trunks who had tried to attack her from behind.

He had to make sure Trunks got out of this safely, he had promised Bulma that nothing would happen to him, that was a promise he intended to keep. So he rushed forward again to attack, but Eighteen let Trunks go at the last minute and phased out of site, appearing above them with her arms folded and a smirk on her face.

"I expected better entertainment from you now that there's two of you, can your little friend here change his hair color too?"

Trunks scowled up at the female android and let out a roar as he rushed towards her. But she just laughed at him as she dodged every one of his attacks. Gohan looked around for any sign of the other android while she played cat and mouse with Trunks up in the sky.

Suddenly she was right behind him, and when she spoke he could feel her breath on his ear, "curious isn't it? That my brother is missing from today's activities."

Gohan furrowed his brows and spun around, swinging at her and managing to land a fist into the side of her face. She flew back, grabbing at her cheek as she scowled at him, "we've been watching you, Gohan. We know what your weaknesses are."

Gohan clenched his teeth and looked over at Trunks who was holding his bloodied arm and sporting a bruised eye. His attention focused back on Eighteen when she laughed, "you stupid boys."

Gohan let out a frustrated growl and moved to attack her again but her next words made him freeze where stood.

"You've grown close to the boys mother, haven't you? The pretty blue haired scientist, the one you left all alone at Capsule Corporation."

Gohan felt like she had knocked the wind out of him as the realization of just where Seventeen was hit him. He heard Trunks start to panic, and it seemed like time had stopped as Eighteen turned and smirked at him. She said something, but he didn't hear her words as she took to the sky and flew off.

Bulma frowned and wrapped her arms around herself as she sat on the couch in the living room, staring out the window. It had been so quiet in the house since the boys had left, too quiet, and something just didn't feel right.

She had planned on holing herself up in the lab to work on the time machine, but the uneasy feeling she'd had all morning stopped her from going anywhere near that side of the compound. There was a nagging voice in the back of her head telling her to stay away from the time machine that day, so she'd stayed on the living side and far away from her workplace.

The voice also told her that she was being watched, and she had learned to trust her gut instinct over the years.

Fear.

For the first time in a long time, she felt afraid. The air around her seemed to grow cooler, and she felt a presence behind her suddenly. She stood quickly and spun around, coming face to face with Seventeen.

"My, my, you really are beautiful. It's a shame I have to kill you," he said in his monotone voice.

Bulma narrowed her eyes at him and took a step back, "then get it over with you evil monster!"

Seventeen looked at her for a long moment before walking towards her, "you are afraid of me but not afraid to die."

He didn't ask as much as made an observation, and she held her ground as he came closer. "Everyone dies, and if you kill me then Gohan will rip you apart."

He smirked and stopped his advancement, "oh no, killing you will bring about his demise. You are his biggest weakness, take you away and he will fall apart slowly, and we will end him. Then kill your menacing son afterwards."

She clenched her teeth and let out a low growl at the mention of Trunks, "keep your hands off of my son!"

Seventeen laughed, "don't worry, my sister wants to be the one to kill the kid. I'll just take great pleasure in ripping Gohan limb from limb."

Silence.

Seventeen was in front her before she could blink, whispering to her, "run."

"I won't give you the satisfaction," she grit out.

He smirked again, "very well then."

Her screams echoed the halls, and her blood painted the walls. It was anything but quick, and he made sure that she felt every last bit of it.

He couldn't wait to see the look on Gohan's face the next time they met in combat.

Gohan flew as fast as he could back to Capsule Corp. with Trunks trailing not far behind him. He felt as if there was an invisible hand clutching at his heart and squeezing softly, making his blood feel cold and icy in his veins. He silently pleaded to whatever God was left that he wasn't too late, that he would be able to save her from the clutches of death.

Please don't take her from me, not when she's just admitted her feelings, we haven't had enough time.

He touched down on the ground and ran inside, and promptly froze at the scene before him. He vaguely registered Trunks running in behind him, gasping for breath and then making small noises of disbelief.

There was blood, everywhere. It soaked the floor, it was splashed on the walls and all over the furniture. The smell of it was overwhelming and made Gohan choke as he searched with his eyes for a body.

Trunks stood frozen next to him and suddenly shouted out, "mom!"

Gohan watched as the boy ran further into the house, following the trail of blood down the hall and up the stairs. His feet felt heavy and he struggled to breathe, but he followed the trail of blood like Trunks had, and found himself led to Bulma's bedroom.

The room they had shared for the last three weeks.

He could hear Trunks sobbing uncontrollably inside the room, and he reached out to push the door open. The tears that had been gathering finally fell, as he rested his gaze upon her body.

She lay in her bed, and at first glance you'd have thought that she was just sleeping. Her beautiful face had been untouched and looked perfect, just like she had when they had left that morning. But as he walked closer he could see that it was the only part of her body that had been unmarked.

The bed was covered in blood, so much that it looked the sheets were meant to be red. If Seventeen hadn't left her face untouched, she would have been unrecognizable, just a pile of bloody meat.

Anger.

His blood boiled as he was filled with rage. He screamed, and Trunks followed with screams of his own. They screamed together in anguish, and Gohan wasn't even surprised as Trunks finally ascended to Super Saiyan in his rage.

After Trunks ascended, he fell by the bed and cried alongside what was left of his mother's body. He didn't notice as Gohan turned to leave again.

When Gohan returned hours later, bruised and bloodied, Trunks was still in the same spot just staring at Bulma's face. Gohan collapsed on the other side of the bed, moving to cradle her head in his arms, and he cried.

He felt lost, broken, and the worst thing about it was part of him was jealous. Jealous that she was now in other world, where he couldn't reach her, and where the only thing that could change the way she felt about him was.

His father.

Pain.

Indescribable, unfathomable, raw pain.

He felt like he was in a dream…well, more like a nightmare. Trunks had been the one to start trying to clean the mess Seventeen had made of Bulma's body, and all Gohan could do was lie there. Yes, lie there. He'd eventually moved up onto the bed and lain next to what was left of her body, continuing to cradle her head to his chest.

It was his own mother that finally snapped him out of it. He'd been aware of Trunks trying to get him to move, at first the boy had asked softly, but as the hours passed Trunks had grown upset and finally full on angry. He'd pushed and pulled and yelled but nothing had gotten through to Gohan.

More hours went by, and the arrival of Chi Chi had made him both angry and aware all at the same time. He'd spun his head around to see his mother's eyes staring back at him in horror, and it had been the first reaction he'd shown since collapsing at Bulma's side.

"Get out."

The words were like ice, and so unlike him, and it was her response that had finally gotten him to move.

"Gohan, I know you're upset, but so is Trunks. She was his mother, his mother, Gohan! He isn't even able to grieve properly with the way you're acting!"

She had been right, he was being selfish. He looked over her shoulder at the boy and felt sorrow, and finally stood from the bed to wrap Trunks in a hug, the words "I'm sorry" falling from his mouth over and over again.

Chi Chi had been the one to clean up the rest of the house, or at least what she could clean. She'd told the boys to pack their things because they'd be going back to Mt. Paozu with her, but both stubborn Saiyans had told her no. Trunks went outside and started digging up a grave for his mom, while Chi Chi had just stood staring at Gohan.

"So, she finally got you too huh?" Chi Chi asked, wringing her hands on the front of her dress.

Gohan stared at his mother and wanted to be angry with her, but he took her in his arms instead and whispered in her ear, "dad loved you, mom. Don't ever doubt that. What her and I have…had…was…different."

"Your father loved her too though he'd never admit it. She just had a way with the boys, I guess," she started crying into his chest and held onto him like he'd disappear if she let go.

Gohan's hold on her tightened and at the same time he pushed her back so that he could see her face. His thoughts flashed back to the conversation he had overheard at a party so many years ago, the one that had led him to believe there had been something between Bulma and his father once upon a time.

"She loved me back, mom. It's different," he let go of her and turned away, pausing to see Trunks standing in the doorway listening to them.

"We were kind of a weird little family, weren't we?" Trunks mumbled, looking down at the ground.

Gohan stared at him and saw so much of Bulma in him it hurt. He knew that there were stages of grief, but he didn't know how he was going to be able to move on and make it to acceptance while having to look at Trunks who had her eyes.

He imagined her coming up behind Trunks, hands on her hips asking everyone why they looked so glum.

Denial.

Anger.

And so…so much pain.

Author's Note: Please review