Disclaimer: I do NOT own DBZ or the characters.

Middlekertz: I can say that things will look up…for a bit…

KimiruMai: Don't faint in suspense. I'm sure you can already guess what the verdict would be XD

Princess Caramel: Crossroads made me cry too…and honestly, I usually worked on it in class and had to like, not cry. A lot of my stories make me cry…I guess I'm just so close to them and use my emotions to write. My friend doesn't like Vegeta either, so in another story I gave Vegeta her birthday XD *blush* Aw, thank you :3 And sorry I made you cry.

DaniHime86: I'm glad you liked the B/V interaction. And you predicted right. Thanks for reviewing :3

Pallyndrome: And here is what you've been waiting for :D

DaniellaDBZ4ever: Aw, thanks. :3

WhatWhat123: *sighs* Yes, yes he is X3

Iluvveggie: I'm updating :D

Cara2012: Yup, he is healing, thankfully.

Guest: Yeah, Vegeta doesn't get a lot of positive feedback, but he is my favorite character and will always be my favorite character. Just so you know, I'm right there with you…everything I read or write where Vegeta suffers breaks my heart…yet I read and write it anyway -_- Thanks for the review :)

Starchilds: Yeah, friends and therapy is an important combination. Thanks for the review.

TheSuperHedgehog: Oh don't worry…I get sad when I write things too. I think I depressed everyone this chapter…lol, I'm sure Vegeta won't laugh at you for not knowing, but I'm not sure if he can teach you :3 I'm glad you liked the chapter.

Vegeta was nervous. Actually, that was an understatement. Fasha had told him that he would be given the verdict the next day. Bulma, unfortunately, had to return home the night before because her father's associates were coming for dinner. Sometimes Vegeta forgot she was the heiress to a well-known company. To him, she was just Bulma, and he knew she felt the same way about him.

He was trying to focus hard on his therapist's words, but he couldn't shake the overwhelming feeling of dread hanging over him. He had texted Bulma that morning, but she had been in class and couldn't talk long before the teacher confiscated her phone. She texted him when the day was over and she got her phone back. Her father wanted her home before he and her mother were leaving town. Vegeta worried about her being home alone.

The lawyer came out and Vegeta shot out of his chair. Mr. Keats smiled at Vegeta and motioned for him and Fasha to enter his office. "Welcome, you two. I believe we should get started." He looked towards Vegeta who wasn't meeting his eyes. Fasha noticed his anxiety and put her hand over his, rubbing it comfortingly.

"It's going to be okay, Vegeta," she said confidently.

Mr. Keats grinned. "She's right you know. The good news is there will be no trial; however, that is only if Vegeta agrees to continue with therapy and to do three-hundred hours of community service."

Vegeta's mouth dropped open. If that was all, he was taking it. "Sold," he said breathlessly.

"Alright," Mr. Keats replied. He took out a packet of papers. "Then I'm just going to need you and your guardian to sign a few places. We will need records from wherever you volunteer and a weekly report from your therapist."

Vegeta nodded and started signing the paperwork. He looked to the lawyer Mr. Briefs had hired questioningly. The lawyer stared back at him and asked, "What's wrong?"

"I…I'm not in trouble?" Vegeta asked.

The lawyer was taken aback by the innocence in his voice and the desperation of his question. "Um, well, I wouldn't say that. It's clear to the court that all of the children involved were just as much victims as the actual victims. But crimes were still committed, which is why the amount of hours is so high. It will be kept on your records that you were convicted of a crime until you complete all of your hours."

"That's fair," Vegeta agreed. "I don't mind giving back. Really."

"That's good to hear," Mr. Keats stated. "Anyway, it will take about a week or two for the paperwork to be processed. Still go to the therapist and have her contact me."

"We will," Fasha said standing up. She shook the lawyer's hand. "Thank you."

The lawyer nodded to them and shook Vegeta's hand. "I'm glad everything worked out for you. You're a good kid."

Vegeta blushed slightly, not liking the praise. Fasha just laughed and patted his shoulders. "Come on, son," she said. "Let's get you home."

Vegeta's eye widened and he looked to Fasha in shock. She just smiled as he nodded and let her lead him out of the lawyer's office. He took out his phone once they were in the car and tried to call Bulma. He had a really bad feeling when she didn't answer the phone.

Bulma went through the motions all day during school. She really wanted Vegeta to get off easy. He had suffered so much and she knew that a trial or jail time wouldn't help him at all. It would hurt him more because he would think he deserved to be there and give up hope on the wonderful and strong person he was.

When she got home, she realized that her parents had already left town. She knew she promised Vegeta she wouldn't use the gas stove, but she had to make herself some lunch. She was very careful, though, and didn't leave her cooking grilled cheese unattended.

She took out her biology book and started reviewing for the upcoming exam when there was a knock on the kitchen door. "Who could that be?" Bulma wondered out loud to herself. She went to answer the door and frowned. It was Yamcha. "What the hell do you want?" she snapped.

Yamcha was taken aback by the pure hatred lacing her usually sweet and melodic voice. "I wanted to know if you wanted to catch a movie," he tried.

"Not with you," Bulma growled before attempting to slam the door in his face. He caught the door and then forced himself inside.

"Come on, Bulma," he said with slight anger. "Don't tell me you're still seeing that criminal."

"He's not a criminal!" Bulma shouted. "You don't know anything, so don't you even dare judge Vegeta. How dare you spread that rumor around our school? For what you did to someone I care about, I will never forgive you. Get the hell out of my house, Yamcha. I meant it. I will call the cops. My father did clear everything up with them about last time."

Yamucha narrowed his eyes at Bulma. "Whatever," he growled before smacking her phone off the table and breaking it. He stormed out of the kitchen and slammed the door shut making Bulma cringe.

She picked up her broken phone and rolled her eyes. "Someone has attitude problems," she grumbled.

She left the kitchen and decided to use the house phone to call her parents and tell them what happened to her phone. The phone line was disconnected, though, and a message on the other end told Bulma that they were doing phone wire repairs on her street. She sighed and decided she would go see Vegeta later and call her parents from there. Irritated by the lack of a phone and pissed off with her interaction with Yamcha, she decided to go pack up her books and run upstairs to take a shower and get ready to go see Vegeta. However, her lunch cooking in the kitchen was all but forgotten.

Vegeta still wasn't feeling any better and was pacing all around the house. Bulma would have called him by now. It had been an hour since he tried to call her and he knew she was anxiously awaiting the verdict. She wouldn't go anywhere without her phone on a good day. No, something was wrong, and Vegeta could feel it.

"Chill out, man," Raditz said when he came home from his classes. He put his keys down on the table as well as some mail. "For someone who just has community service to worry about, you are overly jumpy."

"Raditz, will you drive me to Bulma's?" Vegeta asked fearfully. "I'm worried."

Raditz frowned at Vegeta. He knew that he had been afraid about losing her. With his room being right next to his, he had to deal with hearing Vegeta's pleas and whimpers at night. "Yeah, of course," Raditz agreed grabbing his keys back off the kitchen table. "Let's go."

Bulma loved being in the shower, but she knew she needed to hurry over to Vegeta's. She really wanted to know what the lawyer had said. Quickly she got dressed and packed a small overnight bag, as well as gathering her school books. Out of nowhere, the smoke alarm started going off. "What the hell?" Bulma asked to herself. It was then her stomach growled and she remembered that she hadn't eaten the lunch she had been cooking. Oh shit, she thought in alarm.

She hurried downstairs and saw a small pan fire in the kitchen. She breathed out in slight relief. She thought it would be much worse than that; however, she knew she needed to get out of the house before it got worse. There was nothing she could do to get in contact with the fire department until after she left anyway since the phone lines were down.

Bulma went to exit the house calmly from the front, but the door would not open. She pushed and pulled as hard as she could, but it wouldn't budge. Then she remembered something about the house when her father installed a security system…it had a lockdown feature.

Bulma gasped in both shock and fear before looking back to the fire that was now starting to spread. Her eyes widened. She knew she was in a lot of trouble now.

Vegeta was tense and it was worrying Raditz. The older teen was driving as fast as he could to Bulma's house. He would search the roads, and if he didn't see any oncoming cars or cops, he ran the stop signs to try to ease the anxiety Vegeta was feeling. When they got to Bulma's house, Raditz parked the car across the street. "Alright, we're here," Raditz said not looking away from Vegeta.

The young teen shot out of the car and gasped at what he saw. It was just like his dreams, although not as bad, just in the downstairs. But Bulma's house was still on fire, and he knew that she was most likely still inside.

"Bulma!"

A/N: Okay, I know it's a bad cliffhanger, but I'm going to work on the next chapter now and it should be posted today. My goal is to finish this story since there's only about 4 chapters left, so don't worry. You'll have answers soon.