A/N: Happy Thanksgiving, Gohan.

The title is part of a lyric from "Case of the Ex" by Mya.

Disclaimer: None of the characters that are recognizable belong to me. Avery Ratcliffe, Michelle Belafonte, James Pickett, Jenifyr Stone, all their relations, and any other unrecognizable characters are original characters, and any resemblance between them and characters found elsewhere are purely coincidental.

His Saving Grace

Chapter 8 - Why is She Calling Now, After So Long?

Gohan brushed his hair, grumbling the entire time. He hadn't really planned on it, but since it was Thanksgiving and Goku had insisted that he invite Matt, George and Harold Dolby, and Videl, Gohan had to look presentable.

He'd expected to spend Thanksgiving alone with his dad, until the previous day, when Goku had told Gohan to find the phone book. "Why, Daddy?" he'd asked.

"Because I want you to invite some of your friends and adults important to you over for Thanksgiving," Goku had said patiently. "I've been trying to think of a way to thank them for looking after you like they have, though no one asked them to. Why not have them over?"

"Is Mom coming?" Gohan had asked quietly, and Goku had flinched.

"I don't think so, Gohan. She's told me that she's spending Thanksgiving with her true family," he had replied. Gohan had thought he was doing a valiant job of hiding how badly that must have hurt him. All Gohan had been able to see as a sign of Goku's distress was a slight tightening of his jaw.

Gohan had decided to ask anyway. "Daddy, why does her not coming bother you so much?"

Goku had flinched again, but to his credit, he'd answered Gohan's question honestly. "Because, despite everything, I still love her. I still care for and worry about her. She's had to deal with her insecurities for a long time."

"Insecurities over what?" Gohan had asked.

"Over you, mostly." Gohan had nodded as though he'd expected this, but Goku had been lost in telling a story, so he hadn't noticed. "It started when you were little. You'd always liked me more, and neither of us knew why. We both spent unbelievable amounts of time on you, but you always seemed to want me, and never your mother. She didn't know what she was doing wrong, and that hurt her. Her problems only grew with time."

"So why didn't she, when I was old enough, make more of an effort?" Gohan had inquired. This had been the question he'd really wondered about asking.

Goku had sighed and shaken his head, and replied, "Because she already thought that you were beyond any sort of reach, and that nothing she could ever do would be enough to make you like her even a small fraction of how much you seemed to like me."

Gohan had frowned and didn't comment further, and had left his father to his thoughts while he'd gone to find the phone book like Goku had asked.

Fast forward one day, and here Gohan was, waiting with his Dad for their guests to show up. Goku had done all the inviting, and had told them to bring a dish that they liked.

For their own part, Goku and Gohan had provided the turkey and stuffing, though Gohan wasn't really a fan of stuffing. They'd also made sweet potatoes with roasted marshmallows, and had made mashed potatoes and homemade turkey gravy. They didn't know what their guests would be bringing, and would have to wait until they arrived to find out.

There was a knock on the door, and Goku turned to Gohan. "You ready, son?" he asked, and Gohan nodded. Goku smiled at him, and Gohan returned the smile, and Goku opened the front door to see Matt standing there, holding a glass dish with aluminum foil over the top. Standing behind him were two people who didn't look at all like Matt. Matt had brown hair and brown eyes, and was built stockily. He'd be able to pack on quite a bit of muscle, if he were interested.

The two people with him looked nothing like him. The man had curly black hair, thick eyebrows, and dark grey eyes, dark as flint. His nose was short and his lips were thin, and he had a thick black beard.

The woman seemed to be the man's complete opposite. She had platinum-blonde hair, pencil-thin eyebrows, a long thin nose, and full lips. Her eyes were grey like the man's, but hers were closer in color to ice than flint.

Goku cleared his throat, and Gohan started. "Gohan," Goku said pleasantly. "Aren't you going to show Matt where he can place the dish he's brought?"

Gohan nodded and walked forward to tap Matt on the arm and lead him along. As the two people with Matt shook hands with Goku, Gohan asked, "Matt, who are they?"

"Those are my parents," Matt said as he placed his dish down next to the mashed potatoes. His voice sounded too light, as though he were hiding some deep uneasiness. "Geoffrey and Missy Jasso."

Gohan's eyes widened only slightly as he realized why Matt must have a hyphenated surname while his "parents" did not.

"I didn't know they'd adopted you," Gohan said quietly, and Matt's head snapped to look at him, brown eyes flashing dangerously.

"Are you going to tell me you can't be my friend now?" Matt demanded in a furious whisper, and Gohan blinked. "Are you going to ask about why I'm adopted? Because I can tell you right now that I don't have to tell you anything - "

"Matt, Matt, what are you talking about?" Gohan cut across him, working hard to keep the deep offense out of his voice. "Of course I want you to be my friend still. I just didn't know about your parents, that's all. They're still your parents, and that's how I'll treat them. If you want, I won't talk about it at all. It just took me by surprise. Why didn't you tell me?"

"You didn't ask," Matt replied coolly. "And even if you had, why should I have had to tell you? It's my business, isn't it?"

"I was only curious, Matt," Gohan said, his voice becoming more and more strained. "There's really nothing else to it. So they aren't your biological parents. What, did you think that I'd start to act down toward you because I have a biological father and you don't?"

"No…" Matt replied, and Gohan rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, Matt, that's a pack of lies. Look, we'll just pretend I knew all along, all right? I need to go introduce myself to your parents. Do you want to come and chat with my dad while we wait for the others to get here?"

Matt nodded, and flicked his head. Just like that, he was all pleasantness, and if one didn't know better, they'd never guess that he and Gohan had nearly gotten into a rather large and potentially destructive argument.

"Hello," Missy said, smiling warmly at him, effectively dispelling all illusions of frostiness. "If your father was any indication, you're Gohan, Matt's best friend." Gohan smiled and nodded, and Missy held out a hand that Gohan took.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs…" Gohan trailed off delicately, giving the impression that he wanted to confer respect to Matt's mother.

"You can call me Mrs. Jasso, or Missy," Missy said, her smile still in place. "Whichever you prefer."

"All right then, Mrs. Jasso. It's a pleasure," Gohan said with another smile as he turned to Geoffrey. "You must be Mr. Jasso, then, sir?" he asked, and Geoffrey nodded. "It's a pleasure, sir," Gohan said, holding out a hand that Mr. Jasso shook strongly.

"You're very well-mannered," Mrs. Jasso noted, and Gohan inclined his hand in thanks.

"Thank you, Mrs. Jasso." Just then, the bell rang, and Gohan said, "I'll get this one, Daddy." Goku nodded and herded Mr. and Mrs. Jasso into the living room, Matt following behind them.

Gohan opened the door to find Mr. Dolby and Mr. Dolby standing at the door, one holding a basket of rolls and the other a pot of what Gohan found to be stewed red cabbage. "Hi, Coach, Dolby," Gohan said as he stepped back to let them in.

"Gohan, outside of school and tennis, you're welcome to call us George and Harold," George said with a wink.

"Or Harry," Harold interposed. Gohan smiled and nodded, and then turned as he heard his father ask where he was.

"In here, Daddy," Gohan called, and Goku came around the corner. "Daddy, this is George Dolby, and this is Harold Dolby," Gohan said, gesturing to each of them in turn. "They're my coaches, and George is my homeroom teacher, and Harry is my math teacher. George, Harry, this is Goku Sondë, my father."

"It's a pleasure," Goku said, shaking each of their hands.

"The pleasure is ours," Harry said. "Especially when the Captain of our little team is the son of none other than the best player Orange Star High ever saw." Goku smiled and rubbed the back of his head as his head dipped slightly in embarrassment.

"Why didn't you continue to play after high school?" George asked. "You could've gone places."

"Gohan was born," Goku said simply, looping an arm around Gohan's shoulder. George and Harry both nodded in understanding, one smiling, the other respectful, and then another knock rang on the door. Goku moved to get it while Gohan directed the Dolby brothers where to place their dishes.

By the time he'd finished and moved them over to where Matt and his parents were, Goku was moving toward the table with Videl and her mother. Gohan inclined his head toward Sra. Filcure and said, "Hello, Mrs. Filcure."

"Oh, Gohan, outside of school, you can just call me Felicia," Videl's mother said with a light laugh and a wave of her hand. Gohan nodded and turned to Videl, who was holding what looked to be a cornucopia filled with grapes, apples, corn, and, from what Gohan could see, all sorts of nuts.

"Hi, Videl," he said quietly, and Videl gave a tiny smile.

"Hi, Gohan. How is your dragon coming along?" she inquired, and Gohan smiled. 'Only she would think to reference something that would be blatantly obvious to those who understood,' he thought, not noticing the way Videl's own smile widened at the sight of Gohan's.

"The dragon is coming along well, and has given me no problems," Gohan replied, and Videl nodded in understanding. Indeed, the id dragon had been content to try and stare down its reflection in the mirror ball, and hadn't even tried to escape, not since it had first been placed in the ball.

"What dragon is she talking about, Gohan?" Goku asked, and Gohan looked at his father, wondering whether he could trust him with this. 'Not yet,' Gohan decided. He'd tell his father sometime later, after he'd built the mountain.

"The dragon mindset I'm training in under Mariya-sensei," Gohan replied. "The way her discipline works is by channeling the mindset of three different animals, depending on which one shows itself most strongly to her. I follow the Dragon, Videl follows the Eagle, and Matt follows the Bear."

Goku nodded, pride in his features, and Felicia smiled. "Videl's told me about that martial arts club of yours. She said she's at the level of Poren - "

"Perun, mom," Videl interrupted quietly. Felicia waved her hand in that little motion again, and continued.

"She says that's the highest level in the discipline," Felicia said, pride evident in her voice.

"Is that so?" Goku inquired politely, though his focus was on Videl. 'Clever, Daddy,' Gohan thought as Videl took over the conversation.

"Yes, Mr. Sondë," Videl replied. "It isn't the highest level in the discipline, but it's one of the three highest. Perun is just the highest Eagle rank."

"Then what level are you at, son?" Goku asked Gohan. "Since you're the Dragon?"

"I'm at the level of Leviathan," Gohan said. "That's the second level. There are three."

"What level is Matt at?" Goku asked.

"I think he's at the level of Callisto," Gohan said. "That's the first level, but I don't know whether he's there for sure. Ask him."

"Later," Goku said. "Because right now, it's time to eat."

As though his words were a hook, Matt, his parents, and the Dolby brothers came from the living room and settled around the table. Gohan smiled at all of them and thought, 'I suppose this was a good idea after all.'

They settled around the table, and Goku said, "If Videl would like to say grace?"

Videl looked caught slightly off-guard, but nodded and lowered her head over folded hands and began to speak. "Our Kami who art on High, hallowed be thy name. Give us this day our bread, and we thank you for the ability to feast and be among those who are close to our hearts. We ask that you watch over us and lead us not into temptation, but to deliver us from evil, for Thine is the High Plane, and the only Glory worth seeking to attain. Amen."

A chorus of "Amen" ran around the table, and Goku began to carve the turkey. Just as everyone was being served and a pleasurable sort of chatter had started to rise, the doorbell rang. Goku and Gohan frowned at each other, and Goku rose from the table to answer the door. Gohan, out of curiosity, followed.

The knocker was no other than his mother. ChiChi Sondë, though if she had her way soon, she'd go back go being ChiChi Mao. "Hi, Goku," she said quietly, holding two pies, one pumpkin, one apple. She turned and saw Gohan, and her voice got even quieter. "Gohan," she said so softly that Gohan could barely hear her.

"Hi, Mom," he said, as Goku moved forward to take the pies.

"Can I come in?" ChiChi asked, and Goku frowned.

"ChiChi, this house is still yours," Goku said as he stepped back. "You don't need to ask permission to come into your own household."

"I appreciate that, Goku," ChiChi said. "But with what I've done to you and Gohan, I felt I should ask anyway."

Gohan wanted to think a smug thought, but found that he couldn't. ChiChi looked so…small. Like she'd been diminished somehow by initiating divorce proceedings and living with her father. Gohan couldn't think anything snark about her, not when she looked like that. He found, suddenly, that despite all the raging the id dragon had done at the thought of her, that he'd kind of missed his mother.

Not all her backhanded compliments and things like that, no. But her presence was missed. Gohan loved his father dearly, but it wasn't the same as having a mother to fuss over his appearance and etiquette. "Gohan?" ChiChi said, and Gohan looked at her.

"Can I…can I have a hug?" his mother asked, holding her arms out. Gohan could feel the id dragon stir and start to bash against the mirror ball, but it held firm, and he walked forward into her embrace.

"I'm so sorry, my baby," ChiChi whispered into his ear. "What you said in the hospital…it's all I've been able to think about. I realized that you were right, and that I'd made things worse instead of better. It was never my intent to make you think I didn't love you. You must hate me." Her voice sounded dead somehow as she said that, as though she'd already accepted that her son hated her and was making steps to move past it.

"I don't hate you, Mom," Gohan said quietly, and found that, in spite of the id dragon raging in the mirror ball, spitting fire every which way, it was true. He didn't hate ChiChi. She still made him unbelievably angry and incredulous at her refusal to do anything to salvage the relationship she could've had with him.

'But she is right now,' a voice whispered in his mind. One that reminded Gohan strongly of the Bear in its implacable honesty. 'She's making a genuine attempt to atone for her misunderstanding. Are you going to refuse her the chance now that she's finally trying?'

'But why did she wait until now? Why not sooner than this?' Gohan asked himself.

'Would it really have worked?' the voice shot back, and Gohan had to admit to himself - a very odd experience, incidentally - that no, it probably wouldn't have worked. Just yesterday, the id dragon had had free reign through Gohan's mind, and probably would've made him do something harmful in the name of revenge.

"All right," Gohan said, unaware that he was speaking out loud at first. Then, ChiChi moved, and Gohan realized that she was pulling away. He unlocked his arms from around her, and said, "Come on, Mom. There's an empty seat at the table."

He led her to the table and pulled out a chair for her that was right on Goku's other side. "Thank you, Gohan," ChiChi said, and Gohan smiled.

"ChiChi," Goku said as he sat down, his voice low. Gohan decided not to eavesdrop, but found he was still able to hear his father ask, "Does this mean that you're going to call off the divorce proceedings?"

Gohan found he didn't really want to hear his mother's answer, not if the way her smile vanished and she hunched her shoulders was any indication.

"Gohan," Videl said quietly, to catch Gohan's attention. Once she had it, she said, "I think you should watch your mother."

Gohan blinked. "Why would you say that?"

"She makes you frown." As if that were explanation enough, Videl turned and retrieved a roll from the basket that George had brought. Gohan frowned anyway. He didn't much like this cryptic Videl who was unwilling to explain what she was thinking. It was a lot like she'd been before they'd become friends, when she'd only watched, never interacted.

"She's still my mother, Videl," Gohan said, and Videl looked at him for a silent moment.

"She still hurt you, Gohan," she said finally, and Gohan found that he couldn't reply. Or he didn't want to. He wasn't sure which.

-TBC-

A/N II: Review, please.

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