The flight was not only expensive but also quite uncomfortable. Maria had neglected to mention her phobia of flying although she claimed it wasn't so much the flying of the chance of plummeting to the ground in a huge flaming wreckage… needless to say it was more then enough to make more than a little nervous myself through the twelve hours.

We made our way from the plane to her car and the fight between driving began there. She had insured me that she was more qualified for driving then me, told me she had taken advanced driving tactical courses, the ones for bodyguards used for avoiding gunfire, and stunt driving courses… of course these did little to insure any comfort in the dense airport traffic and painted a very colourful image of a flaming wreckage on the road. I was definitely the one that was going to drive.

"Quick you can fit in there, go before…" She trailed off again with a loud sigh, "You had an opening, you could've made it, we would already be gone if you let me drive."

I couldn't help but smile as I thought back on the days that Marron had always tried to drive my car, all the ways she tried to bribe and con me to get behind the wheel, "I am sure if you were driving there would be a lot of cuss words flying and fingers flailing, that's not something I want to see," I murmured out just loud enough for her to hear, "I'm expecting that from Trunks when I see him."

"You really do love him don't you?" She asked though she kept her eyes forward as if pretending the answer I gave did not matter either way.

I slowly inched the car forward waving out the window as a Good Samaritan stopped to allow me to pull out, "I do… he's always been the only one out there for me…"

"What's it like?" She asked quietly putting her elbow up onto the window frame and leaning on her hand trying to give off a don't care sense but there was so much energy coming off her it was impossible.

I took a quick glance over before adjusting my eyes back on the road, "I'm probably not the best person to answer that question… it's been painful and horrible for the last ten years… do you mind if I ask what he's like?"

With another glance over I saw her blushing but she was quick to look out the window, "It's nothing I don't think, it's just someone who's in my class."

"So you're dating him?"

I heard the sigh, "No… he's asked me but I keep saying no," I could hear the pain in her voice, there was something else to this story, "I'm just not beautiful enough for him."

"What do you mean?" The accusation she made was so off base, any guy would be lucky to have her.

"I… I'm just not as beautiful as he deserves… we wouldn't work out…" She said in a lifeless tone, completely devoid of all emotion.

I started forward in shock, "Maria, you are a gorgeous young lady and if your opinion of beauty is something that does not include yourself then I cannot imagine the high standards of that group."

Out of the corner of my eye I saw her hand reach up to a run over the scars under the clothing of her shoulder and onto her chest but no words fallowed. She considered her scars to be hideous and ugly and hide them as she did with her pain.

"There's a woman I work with in Los Angeles, she works with special effects make-up, called her in a couple of times on projects. Well… I don't want to get to far into it but she was involved in a terrible accident; got in an accident on a motorcycle. She's got scars covering up the left side of her body but never once has she thought of herself as anything less then beautiful and I would completely agree with her," I took the chance to risk another glance and she looked indifferent, "I would love to have her meet you sometime."

The car turned into a ring of silence and I sat there with creeping flashes of what may be to come. I didn't know what would happen but my pessimistic attitude was affecting every thought that I had.

"So you just graduated?" I asked looking over at her with my pleading eyes, trying to tell her I needed a distraction from what was to come.

She sighed and put her hands into her lap looking back out the window, "No, I am a year behind, it took sometime to adjust when we moved here."

"What do you think you will do after?"

She looked down for a moment and sighed, "Maybe something in social work, something to stop people like my father…"

I forced a smile knowing that in a normal state I would've been happy to hear so but in the current state I was so emotionally numb that emotions were a myth in my mind, "You would be good at it… except maybe that cold stare you have, it might be a bit much…"

She turned towards me and I kept my eyes straightforward, I could feel the stare and instantly I regretted saying anything. I had hoped she would've passed it as a joke but obviously she picked up on the shred of truth in my voice.

"Anything you want to ask me?" I asked trying to sound a little casual, "After all, I plan to be in your life for as long as I can."

"Yes," she said quietly and I saw a hand retrieve a letter from her pocket, "Why the hell did you give this to Mr. Briefs."

I looked over for a second before moving my eyes back onto the slow moving line-up. The letter I had written. The one that seemed to make perfect sense at the moment but now looking back it was just another mistake on my behalf, had Trunks ever made a mistake with me?

I sat there staring at the paper before me and knew what had to be done. This time I wasn't going to leave my life; he wasn't going to chase me away from it all this time. I was going to leave on my terms.


'Trunks,

The past has laid out a story for us. We were never meant to cross paths and by doing so we destroyed the lives around us. We destroyed the order of how things should've happened.

If our paths have never crossed, you would still be with your parents, a stubborn ass that you always were, I would have memories with my friends and family that I missed out on and Marron would still be around. I cannot blame you for these things because they are as much my fault as yours but reality shows that it would've been a lot better.

You've used me, hurt me, lied to me and completely destroyed me to a point where I cannot continue to dream of the thought of your love. Time may not heal all wounds but over the past few days I believe that any love I had for you is gone. I will be moving on with my life and I must suggest you do the same because I am not coming back to you. Not ever.

Goten'

I stared at the letter and sighed. That was it. There was nothing left to do.


"I was just angry about the whole misunderstanding," I spoke in the quietest voice that I could manage, "Sometimes during… err… in the heat of the moment, things are said and not meant… I jumped to the conclusion that he was lieing to me again.

"So he said something when you two were fucking and you assumed it was 'in the heat of the moment'?" She asked turning her attention towards me.

"Well I didn't want to say it that blunt but yes," I could feel the crimson burn spreading across my cheeks, "I was idiotic, I should've listened, I should've learned to do that much by now.

A sigh broke her lips and the words fell out calmly although I could hear the hidden anger, "He read it repeatedly day after day for a couple of weeks…"

"I'm sorry…" I whispered out knowing that my words were cheap, "I promise I will do whatever I can to fix it."

She didn't respond but her fingers crumbled the paper in them and silence once again fell on the car. I could've tried to restart the conversation but any reminder of the damage I had already caused was most unappreciated at the moments, not only for her but also for the growing lump in my throat and the tears that burnt behind my eyes.

I turned onto the freeway and my foot seemed to hit the gas a bit harder then I wanted because the cars were flying by. I had no idea what I was going to say or what I was going to do but I knew that I had to say and do something; I knew that he wasn't going to wait around for me forever and I needed to show him that this time I was here to stay.

I guess there has to be some unwritten law of karma that says when you want time to slow downs it must go faster. The usual twenty-minute drive from the airport into town seemed to take only seconds and the ride from the border of town to Trunks' house seemed to be non-existent because before I knew the first words I was going to say we were already there.

I cut the engine and turned towards Maria with pleading eyes to she that she was already climbing out of the car, "Come on, we need to go in, you need to talk to him," She said as she stood up and turned her eyes to me.

I just froze with my eyes locked on the steering wheel. Who was to say that I hadn't ruined any chance I had at true happiness? I knew that he was the only one for me and with I've acted the past decade, did I even deserve him?

"I don't think I can do this? I don't know what I could possibly…"

"Shut the fuck up and get out of my car, this is my family and you are going to do what has to be done," her eyes locked on mine and knocked the breathe out of me.

"You're right," My words slipped out when, for a second, I saw Marron screaming at me and although it was depressing, it was needed – she were here to help me.

I opened my door and climbed out taking a couple deep breathes before fallowing behind Maria towards the house. It still seemed much to soon to come face to face with him. He had read my letter… maybe even taken it to heart? I had told him to move on, told him I wouldn't be coming back and here I was once again… here to put him life back on halt until my next freak-out… No, there would never be another because I could not be without him - I would win him back… I hope….

She opened the door and calmly made her way inside with me right at her heals. Time to face my maker….

She closed the door behind me and without even a glance in my direction moved to the staircase before calling up, "Mr. Briefs, can you come down here please."

"Maria!" I heard his voice fallowed by a series of footsteps from overhead, "Where have you been? You left with no word and your cell phone has been turned off the whole time, I was about to call the national…" But when his eyes fell upon me, his voice trailed off.

I wasn't sure which was worse, the wonder in his eyes or the silence that suffocated everything around us. He stood motionless and all I could do was stare back at his glorious form. He was my personal sun… his rays were so beautiful that you would rather be blinded then look away, it was the first piece of true happiness I had experienced since prom night, the first moment I have had without doubts.

Maria move gracefully towards me and stepped between the two of us giving me a moment to escape the mystical feeling that had suppressed all my senses, "Just speak from your heart and it will be alright," she whispered out and stepped aside.

I stepped forward one small step and forced the lump down my throat before beginning to speak, "I'm an idiot Trunks!" I started a slow pace forward and quickly picked my next words, "I jumped to conclusions again, I became enraged and whether or not reality my mind raced to conclusions. I was too cowardly to face you again to get the full story and I screwed up again. I'm so sorry that I hurt you yet again," I stopped at the foot of the stairs staring straight up at him.

I stared up at him as he took a step onto the next stair and kept his eyes locked on me, "You scared my daughters, you hurt me, and you ran again."

"And I'm sorry. I know the full story and I would never have realized my life would never be complete without you if not for the bravery of your daughter…" I gave a quick glance towards Maria then turned swiftly back to Trunks.

He took another step closer and crossed his arms over his chest, "What will I do next time?"

"Should I assume that means there will be a next time?" I said climbing onto the first step.

"Fuck no… why would I want to be with a freak like you?" He had the smile toying on the edge of his lips - my smile; the smile he did for my benefit.

"Because this freak will love you more then anyone else could possible love you, preppy," I climbed another couple of stairs and froze only four away from him, "and because no matter how many lives we destroy and fuck up, I can't imagine a life without you being in it, living doesn't make any sense without you."

"You talk to me," he said as he moved down the last few steps till he was on the same on as me.

I wanted to tell him so much, I wanted to remember this moment, the moment that we were together again without a chance of anything coming between us. I wanted to make sure he knew that every second of my life from this second on would be meant for him but I couldn't. His hand had wrapped around the back of my neck and pulled my lips into his.

I moved my hands onto his waist and finally the butterflies I always had when I was with him had returned. The happiness was creeping over me and I was sure that this was forever, that this would be my happily ever after – no matter how many people's life's would be destroyed.


Epilogue is coming shortly, just need to finish writing it. For those who like bleach I have been think about a new story and have got more or less ideas floating in my head and I would love someone to work them out with me. If you might be interested send me a PM and we'll go from there.