Tensions were running high as the hours of searching for Paige turned into days. There was a constant coming and going at the Lookout as they returned to dry off, eat, report where they'd searched, then pair up with someone new and set off again in their relentless pursuit of the infant. Not knowing whether it was day or night was maddening. And it didn't help matters that the Lookout had become so crowded. Tien, Yamcha, Krillin and Eighteen had come to join in the search. Bulma had taken little Trunks to stay with Chichi at Mount Pazou to avoid the flooding. Master Roshi and Oolong had originally gone to stay at Goku's home as well, due to the fact that their island was completely submerged under water, but Chichi was only able to tolerate a couple days of their "bad influence" on Goten and threw them out in the storm, sending them to the Lookout instead.
"You keep that lecherous old man away from me," Leelee hissed at Goku when he'd gone to retrieve them.
Tempers were flaring as fatigue and stress set in. Seventeen had taken to calling everyone dirty names under his breath, Jenny and Leelee weren't speaking to each other, Gohan had gotten mad enough to pick a fight with Vegeta, Lindsey was running around managing piles of laundry, dishes and cooking, Piccolo had given serious consideration to giving up water and switching to wine, and Trunks and Catie had broken up no less than six times.
"How did I end up being house bitch?!" Lindsey shrieked as Goku and Vegeta tossed sopping wet clothes at her, heading to change into something dry.
"Well it's about all you're good for," Vegeta growled.
"Excuse me?!" she shrieked.
"I don't see you out in this mess!"
Her face burned as red as her hair. Goku was backing down the hallway, one hand holding a towel firmly around his waist, the other pressed against the wall to find his way. "Then why don't you do it?"
Vegeta snorted. "The Prince of Saiyans does not do women's work."
"WOMEN'S WORK?!" Lindsey screamed. "Do your own goddamned laundry from now on, you chauvinistic pig!" She hurled his dripping wet shirt back at his head where it wrapped around his face with a slap. Sticking her nose in the air, she hitched up her skirt and stomped out of the laundry room.
Vegeta peeled the shirt from his face, his shoulders shaking in anger as he watched her go.
Goku didn't know whether to laugh or run.
Lindsey didn't stop until she hit the kitchen where Jenny and Piccolo were arguing.
"I do not have to talk to her!" Jenny protested.
"Jenny, you're being irrational," Piccolo sighed.
"I am NOT!"
"So you're just going to throw away your friendship with Leelee, just because-"
"Because she's a whore? YEAH! I AM!"
Piccolo frowned. "That's not what I was going to say."
Jenny slammed a bowl in the sink, shattering it. "Our baby is missing and all she's doing is fucking her boyfriend while everyone else is out searching day in and day out?"
Lindsey yanked open the refrigerator and stuck her head inside, pretending to be searching for food.
"You can't blame them," Piccolo muttered. "We all have to have something to keep us sane right now."
"It's bullshit!" Jenny retorted. "Everyone else is fucking in my home, but I don't see me getting any!"
There was a bang from the refrigerator and Lindsey whimpered.
"Jenny, not now," Piccolo warned quietly.
"Not now, not now," she went on hysterically. "Same old tune with you, isn't it Piccolo? Wouldn't touch me when I was pregnant, now we're all too stressed and… and sad…" she began to cry again.
"Jenny," he said softly, reaching for her.
"Just go," she whispered and leaned against the sink, burying her face in her hands.
He watched her for a minute, then left the kitchen, preparing to head back out into the storm.
Lindsey stood and slowly closed the door to the refrigerator. "You okay, honey?"
Jenny shook her head. "I'm sick of being caged up here," she whispered. "I want to go look for my baby. But Piccolo doesn't want me out in the storm. He thinks I'm too 'emotional' right now."
"I hear that," Lindsey muttered.
Jenny threw her a filthy look.
"I meant they don't let me go out either," Lindsey said hurriedly. "They keep piling up laundry and dishes and everybody thinks they have to eat every day…"
Jenny snickered and looked over her shoulder at her friend. "Any particular reason you've got a carrot in your hand?"
Lindsey looked down at it in surprise. "Um… it was my cover for eaves dropping on you?" Jenny rolled her eyes. "Although, I can think of a much better place to stick this than in the fridge."
"And where would that be?" Jenny asked, beginning to pick the pieces of broken stoneware out of the sink.
"Sideways up Vegeta's-"
"LINDSEY!"
"ASS!" Lindsey yelled back. She viciously chomped the end of the carrot off, then looked at it again. "I really don' wike carroths," she lisped as she chewed.
"I gotta get outta here," Jenny muttered, shaking her head.
"You wanna go?"
"Huh?"
Lindsey spat the carrot into a garbage can. "Let's go look for Paige."
Jenny wheeled around. "What?"
"They can't stop us, they've all either headed out again already or they're sleeping," Lindsey said. "C'mon, fuck it. We can handle it."
Determination set in Jenny's eyes and she nodded. "Let's go." She dropped the bowl fragments back in the sink and Lindsey tossed the bitten carrot on the table. Linking arms, they marched out of the kitchen, down the hallway, and out into the storm.
"You okay, Piccolo?" Goku asked as they sat around the kitchen table a couple hours later, resting and trying to warm up again.
Piccolo nodded.
"Are ya sure? Cause you seem even more down than you have been," Goku pressed.
Piccolo didn't know what to do. He'd lost his daughter, and now he felt like he was losing Jenny. It was like a wedge had been driven between them and it was growing with every passing hour. He needed to do something, quick, before he lost her completely. He really wasn't comfortable discussing it with anyone, though.
"You and Jenny having problems?" Trunks asked, "I mean, besides the obvious."
Piccolo nodded again.
"Well, talk to us Piccolo," Gohan said, leaning forward on the table. "We're your friends. You can tell us anything."
Piccolo sighed. "I just feel like we're not as close as we used to be. She's pulling away from me. And I don't know how to stop it."
"Well, you're both under a lot of stress right now," Tien said. "You just gotta work through it."
"It's been this way since before Paige was kidnapped."
Tien blinked. "Oh."
Piccolo swallowed, getting more uncomfortable by the minute, but he really needed some advice. Before Jenny came into his life, he'd been perfectly happy to live on his own, to never bother with anything romantic or emotional. But she'd changed all that. And now that it was slipping away, he was starting to panic. He'd never pictured having someone special in his life; now he couldn't imagine his life without her.
"We haven't… haven't been…" God, he couldn't say it out loud. Not to them. "Been close… in a long time."
There was a silence for a minute as the other men rolled Piccolo's words around in their heads, trying to figure out exactly what he meant.
"Oh my God," Vegeta suddenly growled, getting to his feet. "I am NOT going to sit around here and discuss the Namek's sex life!" And with that, he stomped out of the room.
Piccolo went red in the face.
"Hey, it's an important part of a relationship," Goku said. "No need to be embarrassed, Piccolo."
"If you're looking for bedroom advice, ask Mr. Newlywed here," Krillin teased, elbowing Gohan in the side.
"Krillin!" Gohan snapped, going quite red himself as Trunks laughed.
"This was a mistake," Piccolo muttered, getting to his feet. "Forget I said anything."
"No, now sit down," Yamcha said, grabbing Piccolo by the elbow and yanking him back into the chair. "Now I may not be much of a fighter anymore, but I know women."
"That's why you're still single, is it?" Tien asked.
Yamcha jumped as Goku and Krillin snickered.
"Don't listen to him," Yamcha said, turning his attention back to Piccolo. "How long has it been since, you know…"
Piccolo rubbed at his forehead, regretting this terribly. "Months."
"Oh, you're in trouble, bud."
"You're not helping!" Piccolo snapped.
"Okay, okay, we'll help ya out," Yamcha said, putting his hand to his chin in thought.
They could see the wheels turning in Yamcha's mind. He sat there for a full five minutes before he snapped his fingers. "Got it," he grinned. "You just have to woo her."
Piccolo raised an eyebrow. "Woo her?"
"Yeah, you know, go all out," Yamcha said, "A little gesture isn't going to fix this. You have to do it right. Flowers, candles, wine, music. The whole shebang. " He snorted and squeezed his eyes shut, "No bad pun intended."
"I'm not sure I know what you're talking about," Piccolo admitted.
"You're just not going to make this easy, are you?" Yamcha sighed. "All right. This is what you do…"
"Okay, are ya dry?" Lindsey asked, slicking her hair up into a ponytail.
Jenny nodded and buttoned the dry pair of jeans she'd pulled on. "We were downstairs. Right?"
"And we got lost," Lindsey added.
"And we're terribly sorry if we messed up anyone's plans," Jenny recited. "Okay, let's go."
Quietly, they slipped from the bathroom, looking up and down the hallway, Jenny heading towards her bedroom and Lindsey for the patio awning. They'd been unsuccessful in finding Paige, but they both felt better knowing they'd finally made an attempt.
Gohan was waiting for Lindsey as she stepped outside.
"There you are! I was worried!" he gasped, throwing his arms around her.
"Sorry!" she apologized. "Jenny and I got to wandering around downstairs. This place is like a labyrinth."
Gohan chuckled. "Yeah, that's easy to do. Just stick to the top level from now, okay?"
She nodded.
"C'mon, we've gotta go look for Paige again."
Lindsey blinked. "You're… taking me with you?"
"Well, yeah," Gohan said. "Unless you don't want to go?"
"Of course I do," Lindsey insisted. "But you haven't taken me before!"
"Haven't you gone with the other girls?"
"No!" Lindsey cried. "I've been here playing Holly Housewife to everyone! Cooking, dishes, laundry, cleaning…"
"I'm sorry, babe. I didn't realize."
She waved him off, not wanting to miss another opportunity to search for Paige. "No big deal. Let's go."
Jenny slipped into the bedroom, closing the door behind her. She heaved a sigh of relief.
"I've been waiting for you."
Jenny jumped and spun around. Her eyes went wide when she saw Piccolo. He was lounging in a black silk robe on the bed, which was covered with tons of rose petals. The only light in the room came from a hundred pillar candles set on the furniture, on the floor, and dangerously close to the drapes. A bottle of wine and two glasses were perched on the bedside table.
"What… what are you doing?" Jenny giggled.
Piccolo got to his feet and crossed the room to her. "Something I should've been doing for a long time."
He clicked the small remote in his hand and let it drop to the floor. Loud music filled the room.
"Oh my god," Jenny breathed, her eyes wide. "R. Kelly music? Really?!"
"You like it?" He asked, a small smile pulling at his lips.
She nodded, trying not to laugh at the memory of her and Catie at Capsule Corp, singing passionately into hairbrushes to the Bump'n'Grind song. "It's… um…"
Piccolo wrapped an arm around Jenny's waist, pulling her closer, swaying her to the music.
"Ohhhh my," she giggled again.
He stopped. "This isn't working for you, is it?"
She shook her head, still laughing. "No."
He sighed and shook his head. "Okay. I give up." He released his hold on her waist, turning away from her.
"N-n-no!" she said, pulling him back to her. "You're trying. That's what matters."
He stared at her for a long moment, then brushed some of the loose strands of hair from her face and pressed his lips to hers. She slowly melted into the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck. She didn't know why she suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to be with him; they should be out looking for Paige, the others were searching for her right now, and here she was, doing the exact same thing she'd gotten mad at Leelee for. But she couldn't help it. She felt so alone; she needed this. She needed him.
He pulled the clip from her hair, letting the long strands fall down her back. He tangled his fingers in it, pulling her deeper into the kiss. She pulled the robe from his shoulders, planting hard kisses along his neck. He drew a deep breath as he felt his heart beginning to race, his blood rushing through his system, his nerves awakening to every tiny sensation. He pushed all thought and concern of the dire situation they were in from his mind – right now he needed to focus on Jenny, to remind her how much he loved her. And he needed her reassurance that she still loved him. He ran his hands up her sides, pulling her shirt up and slipping it over her head.
Jenny smiled against the kiss as Piccolo's rough hands trailed up her back and fumbled with the clasp on her bra. Without pulling away from him, she unhooked it for him and slid the straps from her shoulders. He wrapped his arms tighter around her back, pulling her body to his, her warm, soft curves pressing against his chest. He dropped to his knees and nuzzled his face into her chest, kissing his way up to her throat and across her shoulder. His hands slid over her breasts, marveling at how incredibly soft her skin was. He inhaled deeply as he brought his mouth to cover the sensitive flesh, drinking in the intoxicating scent of her perfume. She gasped harshly as he captured her in his mouth, lovingly teasing her with his tongue, sliding her jeans from her hips.
Butterflies erupted in Jenny's stomach as Piccolo wrapped his arms around her bare waist and lifted her with him as he stood, still kissing and licking at her chest. Her carried her across the room and sat on the side of the bed, pulling her smoothly down over his hard length. She threw her head back and moaned as he filled her so suddenly. He growled against the dip between her breasts, panting as she raised her hips and brought them back down, taking him deeper within her. A calm victory washed over Piccolo. Her curves in his hands, her tight warmth enveloping him, her hair in his face – he suddenly realized how much he'd missed this. He slowly laid back across the bed, admiring her body and the dramatic shadows and shapes the light from the candles created upon it.
The music changed and Jenny paused for a moment. "Niiiice," she purred, grinding her hips in time with the erotic music.
I lose all control
When you grab a hold
And you do your trick
I love it
When you
Lick.
Piccolo wasn't expecting that. He felt himself grow even harder as he watched her roll her hips, running her hands over her body, twirling her head and swinging her long, silky brown tresses. He grabbed at her thighs, gripping them and raising his hips to meet hers.
A small smirk pulled at Jenny's lips as she watched Piccolo writhe under her. She wiggled her hips lower and lower on him, arching back and rolling her spine forward, gyrating sensuously to the music. There was a confidence bubbling to the surface, one that hadn't been there for quite some time. She slowly leaned over him, bringing her face close to his, barely singing the next line of the song to him.
You got lock and key
Every part of me
Know what makes me tick
I love it
When you
Lick.
She playfully licked at his mouth, then sat back up, grinning.
"You are so beautiful," he groaned, staring up at her with heavy eyes.
She ground harder on him, taking his considerable length fully into her, moaning low in her throat. She threw her arms behind her head, pulling at her own hair, biting her lower lip.
Piccolo didn't know how much longer he could hold it back. Her hot body clutched at his, so wet and tight, driving him into ecstasy. He could feel it building, swelling within him. It took everything he had to hold himself back.
Impossibly tall high heels clicked across the wet tiles of the Lookout. A petite figure moved quickly through the pouring rain, heaving a sigh of relief once the awning was reached. Keen eyes roamed over the place, looking for a sign of life anywhere. There was no one in sight.
"Where are they?" the figure hissed, cautiously slipping into the shadowed hallway. There was someone there; she could feel two distinct energies growing stronger somewhere within the depths of the Lookout. Slicking the rain from her arms, she quietly snuck down the hallway, trying to figure out who was there and why they were the only two presences she could sense.
Jenny's cries were becoming louder and shorter as Piccolo drove harder into her body, his own moans mimicking hers. She leaned back farther, feeling him hit a particularly sensitive spot deep within her. She screamed in pleasure. Feeling her convulse on him, Piccolo let go, growling deep in his throat as he emptied his body into hers, his nerves singing in sweet relief.
Recognizing the energy from the girl in the room, the figure closed her slender fingers on the doorknob, throwing the door open with a bang. "Hey, Jen-" she froze in horror at the sight of her friend completely naked, sitting astride the tall Namek.
Jenny jumped and turned at the sudden intrusion. "SABRIENA!" she screamed, clutching her arms to her chest, scrambling off of Piccolo and tangling her legs in the sheets.
"I'm sorry!" Sabriena cried, clapping her hands over her eyes and turning her back to the room.
"Get… AGH!" Jenny screamed as she fell, falling hard against the nightstand and knocking the forgotten bottle of wine to the floor where it rolled and hit the pillar candles. It was like a domino affect – once the first candle fell, it was hard to stop the rest.
Forgetting his modesty, Piccolo jumped from the bed and knelt next to Jenny. "Are you okay?"
She nodded and looked at her forearm, which was bleeding freely. "Oh, shit! The curtains!" she cried as flames lapped hungrily at the drapes.
"Forget the stupid curtains, you're hurt!" Piccolo growled.
Jenny stood and in an instant her brown locks had turned an oceany blue, swirling around her face and shoulders, her eyes deep churning pools of blue-gray. With a shout, she threw her palm straight out before her, a jet of water streaming from her hand and extinguishing the flames and candles within the room.
I'll put my heels on for ya baby
The ones that wrap around my legs
Your perfect touch excites me
And dammit I ain't too proud to beg
Jenny strode across the darkened room and clicked off the raunchy music. Pulling open the dresser, she pulled out a pair of dark purple pants and handed them to Piccolo before grabbing one of his shirts and throwing it over herself.
"You can turn around now," Jenny said in a dry voice.
"Jenny," Sabriena gasped, her eyes apologetic. "If I knew… I wouldn't have… oh my god, I'm soooo sorry."
Jenny huffed and clicked on the overhead light, staring around at her ruined bedroom. Candle wax covered the scorched wet carpet; the curtains hung smoking from their rods. Crushed rose petals had been knocked about, leaving tiny pink stains on the comforter. There was a big smear of blood on the bedside table where Jenny's arm had smashed one of the wine glasses. She looked at her arm and realized she was dripping blood on the carpet.
"Shit," she whispered.
"Are you okay?" Sabriena whimpered, staring in concern at Jenny's arm.
"'M fine," Jenny muttered. "I gotta clean up my arm. I'll meet you in the kitchen."
Sabriena nodded and hurried away from the bedroom, feeling embarrassed, guilty and disgusted. She never wanted to see Piccolo naked again.
Jenny discovered that the cut wasn't nearly as bad as it looked and she was easily able to patch herself up with a couple butterfly strips. She covered those with a bit of gauze and tape for good measure, then washed her hands in the sink and returned to the bedroom.
"Of all times for her to show up," Piccolo growled, now fully dressed again. He had his arms crossed and was staring at the ruined bedroom.
"Piccolo, I'm so sorry," Jenny muttered, joining him at his side. He had tried so hard, cliché as it was, and seeing the destroyed bedroom broke her heart.
He shrugged.
She turned to look at him. "You were amazing, though," she purred, placing her hands on his elbow and rising into the air to kiss his cheek.
He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "Did you… I mean, did I make you-"
"AH-MAY-ZING," she moaned, closing her eyes as if reliving the moment again. "Thank you."
He gave a small smile as she lowered back to the floor.
Still wearing nothing but Piccolo's shirt, Jenny hurried towards the kitchen, worry filling her mind once more. They'd tried to contact Sabriena, but had been unsuccessful in getting through to her. In fact, they couldn't get a hold of anyone in the US. If Sabriena had come here without knowing about Paige missing, then that meant something else was happening.
"Hey," Jenny said as she entered the kitchen.
Sabriena looked up at her. "Hey."
"Sorry you saw that," Jenny muttered. She sat down across the table from her friend, surprised at the sad look in Sabriena's eyes. Upon closer inspection, Sabriena looked like hell. Her normally perfectly straight dark blonde hair hung in ratty curls to her shoulders, there were stains on her gold cocktail dress, and an ugly green-tinged bruise on her left cheekbone. "Sabriena, what happened?"
Sabriena fixed Jenny with a flat stare. "You tell me. Every time something bad happens, it revolves around your all's boyfriends."
Jenny started to protest, but then snapped her mouth shut. They ALL had a penchant for getting into trouble, including Sabriena herself. But Jenny thought it best to not bring that up at the moment, considering Sabriena looked on the verge of tears. In the few years she'd known Sabriena, Jenny couldn't recall ever seeing the girl cry.
"I don't know what's going on with the storm," Jenny answered. "But we think it's a diversion. Sigourney kidnapped Paige."
"SIGOURNEY?!" Sabriena shrieked. "She's the one behind all this?"
Jenny nodded solemnly.
"I'll kill a bitch," Sabriena growled, crossing her arms and legs simultaneously and leaning back in her chair. "What the hell does she want with Paige anyway?"
Jenny shrugged and shook her head. "I have no idea." She explained about Leelee's vision of Sigourney and Paige, and how Gohan felt certain that Leelee was right after they discovered that the castle was gone.
"So why are you here?" Jenny asked, crossing her own arms.
Sabriena seemed to deflate before Jenny's eyes. "I came to tell you, and Lindsey too…" she paused to bite her lip, her eyes welling with tears.
"Sabriena, what is it?" Jenny asked softly.
"The warehouse is gone."
"WHAT?!" Jenny shrieked. "What do you mean the warehouse is gone?!"
Sabriena took a shuddering breath and looked at her hands. "The storm created a tornado. I was at my dad's when the sirens went off. He and I hid in the basement. When the sirens stopped, I went to check on everyone. The whole place is flattened."
"No," Jenny whispered, feeling her head swim as Piccolo walked in.
"Is everyone okay?" Piccolo asked. He'd heard their conversation from his room. Although he held no emotions for the outlaw group Anarchy 99, he knew that they were important to Jenny.
Sabriena swallowed hard and shook her head. "Viktor's dead. Sophie, Kip, even Kolya – they're all dead."
"Kolya's dead?" Jenny squeaked, choking back a sob.
Sabriena nodded, the tears she'd been fighting began to roll down her cheeks as the memory flooded her vision. She'd scrambled across brick and splintered wood, screaming the names of her friends, digging frantically through the rubble. Nothing could erase the memory of Kolya's sightless blue eyes staring up at the clouded sky, the feel of Sophie's cold, dead hand in her own as she pulled the body from beneath an overturned bed frame, the sound of the death rattle as she found... "I found Tumbler under the debris. I… I held him as he…" a sob escaped her throat, "he died. I couldn't help him, Jenny! I was right there and there was nothing I could do!"
Jenny rubbed at her eyes. "Fuck," she sniffled.
"I found Yelena," Sabriena went on, wiping the tears from her cheeks and fixing the corner of the room with a far-away stare. "I was able to get a tourniquet on her leg. Well, what was left of it. Got her to the hospital. She should be okay."
"What about Yorgi?" Jenny asked breathlessly. She didn't dare to hope that he had survived.
Sabriena shook her head. "I couldn't find him. I couldn't find X either. Kirill's okay. He was in the armory when it happened. That was about the only part of the building left standing."
Jenny heaved a sigh. At least there was a glimmer of hope for Yorgi and X. She thought back to the heavily fortified ground-level room of the warehouse where the firearms and ammunitions were kept. It was, essentially, a giant safe. It would have provided the best cover for such a storm and it only made sense that Kirill would be there. He was always in there.
"I was hoping Dende could bring them back," Sabriena said, rubbing at her nose. "You know, the way he revived me after I died when Kamahina took us."
"Dende's not here," Piccolo said. "And technically, it was the dragon who revived you, not him."
"Wait," Jenny whispered. "If Dende's not here, then…"
Piccolo's eyes went wide. "We don't even have the dragonballs."
"So there's no hope?" Sabriena asked desperately. "We won't be able to bring any of them back?"
"Not until Dende returns to Earth," Piccolo answered. "And even then, it will take some time before the dragonballs can be used."
Sabriena collapsed into a fit of strained sobs.
Jenny pressed her lips to a thin line, trying not to cry. She wasn't used to Sabriena being so emotional. She moved to Sabriena's side of the table and pulled her close. Sabriena sniffled, trying hard to control herself.
"Shh," Jenny soothed. "We'll figure something out."
"I loved him," Sabriena said in a whisper so haunting it sent chills up Piccolo's spine.
Jenny nodded.
"We're going to stop Sigourney, right?" Sabriena asked. "I can't take much more of this."
"Yes, we are, Sabriena," Piccolo answered. "I swear it."
