"At least she's sleeping now," Goku sighed. Two hours of watching Lindsey shake and convulse, sweating like crazy, crying and begging for the drugs her body had become so dependant on, had wore him out. He sat on the corner of the bed, leaning against the huge wooden bedpost, and wiped his forehead with his arm. "Man, this is intense."

"Is not over yet," Yorgi said, stifling a yawn.

"You think she's going to wake back up?" Goku asked.

Yorgi nodded.

Goku stared at the sleeping girl for a minute. "Then you get some rest," Goku said. "At least for a little bit. You've been up all night."

"You sure?" Yorgi asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I'll watch her."

Yorgi was truly appreciative. "Thank you, my friend." He stretched out on the opposite side of the bed from Lindsey, lying on his side facing away from her, and yanked the covers up over his shoulder. He groaned as he stretched, then was quiet.

"Do you think she's going to get over this?" Vegeta asked, standing next to Goku.

"I don't know, Vegeta. But I'm going to do everything I can to help her."

Catie hadn't slept well at all. Trunks wasn't in bed next to her as he usually was and she was worried about her friend. She tossed and turned all night, finally taking an extremely long shower at about four in the morning and she now sat in her guest room at the farm house, pulling on her running shoes. She doubted Vegeta would be back for their morning training session, but she wasn't going to slack off just because he was gone. She stood and looked at her reflection in the door mounted full length mirror.

She sighed and ran her fingers through her long brown hair. "I need something new," she muttered to herself.

The cold October wind hit her full in the face as she stepped outside, taking her breath away for a moment. She wasn't used to cold weather like this. She was more accustomed to the warm, sultry weather of her home in southern California.

She took off down the long, tree lined driveway. It was still rather dark, but she didn't mind. She just had to do something and lying in bed, worrying and wondering, wasn't helping anything. The only sound this early in the morning was the crunch of gravel beneath her shoes. She reached the end of the driveway, jogging in place for a moment while she considered her direction. She knew she'd end up there at some point that day anyway, so she shrugged her shoulders and turned left down the highway, running just along the edge of the asphalt, heading for town.

Everything around her was changing. Jenny was getting ready to start a new chapter in her life; she was so close to the end of her pregnancy. She was going to be a mom and even though no one close to Catie had a baby, she knew that Jenny's life would be forever changed. No more parties, no more boosts… she wondered if Jenny would continue to train. Jenny may have been a handful and enjoyed her share of annoying Vegeta, but deep down she respected him.

Catie knew there would be a point soon, where everyone would return to Japan. But who would go and who would stay? Their lives had become so entwined with members of Anarchy 99, could she just pack up and leave them? And what about Lindsey? When she recovered (Catie refused to say if) would she want to return to Japan with Gohan's family? Or would she try to convince him to stay there?

Sabriena had been miserable in Japan. Her relationship with Tumbler was getting pretty serious now and she loved her party life at the warehouse. Booze, men, cars, money – there was nothing more she needed in life. Sabriena was perfectly content where she was.

Catie imagined Leelee would return home to Japan with Seventeen. She was so wrapped up in him, there would be no way she'd question him when the time came that he decided it was time to go home. Leelee adored Japan almost as much as she loved Seventeen.

She imagined Jenny would return with Piccolo to live at the lookout. But what if she didn't? She had her own family here, too. Somehow, Catie just couldn't see Piccolo giving up everything he had back home to stay in Midwestern America. He was glaringly out of place here.

And what about herself? It had been nearly a year since she'd her own family. Did she want to take Trunks to the west coast? She couldn't imagine her life without him. Just the thought of being separated from him pierced her heart with fear. But he was so close with his mom. And he finally had his dad in his life, which was something he'd grown up without. She knew what that meant to him. She couldn't ask him to walk away from that now, yet she missed her own family, too.

What if they all went their separate ways? She tried to imagine herself on the beach at home with Trunks, Jenny and Leelee thousands of miles away in Japan, while Sabriena and Lindsey stayed in Missouri. She just couldn't fathom it. Her friends had been within arm's reach for nearly a year now. Being so far away from them with nothing to keep them together but computer screens, text messages and phone calls? The thought of it made her stomach hurt.

Her breath misted the frosty air before her as she jogged down the sidewalk of the main street in town. She was surprised at how fast she'd run the five miles into town. Training with Vegeta was paying off in a big way. She'd never been in such great shape.

A hair salon caught her eye as she went jogging by. She bounced backwards a few steps, staring at the storefront as the lights were coming on. The girls inside were sweeping up and setting out their supplies, some of them nursing Styrofoam cups of coffee. Bouncing foot to foot, Catie fingered her hair, considering. She drew a deep breath and headed for the front door of the shop.

"LET ME GOOOOOOOOO!" Lindsey half-screamed, half-sobbed. She was bent double, Yorgi's arms around her waist, holding her there. His face was tense from the effort of restraining her. Early morning light glared through the big windows and Yorgi secretly vowed to put up black-out curtains at his earliest opportunity.

"Stop!" he commanded. "Little dove, you must stop!"

"I can't!" she wailed. She was desperate. She'd do anything at that moment to feel normal again. She longed for the rush, the energy, the confidence. She felt horrible. Sweating and shaking, dry heaving because there was nothing left in her system to puke up, the vivid dreams plaguing her all night long, aching all over, it was simply too much. She screamed, her face near her knees as she hung from Yorgi's grasp. She clawed at his hands, but he refused to let go.

Yorgi was regretting sending both Vegeta and Goku to breakfast at the same time. He was hungry himself, and exceptionally tired from dealing with her the night before. Even if he could just sit and have a cup of coffee for a moment, anything would help at this point. He was surprised at her strength and was struggling to maintain his grip. His face was starting to hurt and he knew he must have been turning red. He spat Russian curse words at her, leaning back, trying to counter the pull of her weight.

"GET OFF ME!" she threw her elbow back, catching him in the ribs.

Yorgi gasped for air, but kept his hold on her. "That's…. it…." he growled and began to walk backwards towards his bathroom, dragging her along with him as she kicked and screamed. With a heave, he lifted her up, her back against his chest as he hit the bathroom door with his shoulder-blades. The door banged open and he continued to walk backwards into the immense bathroom. Rolling his torso to the right, he unceremoniously dropped Lindsey, fully clothed, into the six-person Jacuzzi with a loud SPLASH.

He stood there panting, his shoulders heaving, staring at her as she jumped up, gasping for air, wiping the water from her face. Water slopped over the sides, sending mini-waves across the tile floor.

"Stupid… bitch…" he choked out.

"You… you…" she stammered. There weren't curse words strong enough to describe what she thought of him at that moment.

"You stay there!" he barked.

"You can't keep me here like this!" she screamed. "You're not my father!"

"I THE CLOSEST THING YOU GOT!" he bellowed.

They stood there, staring at each other, both of them shaking with anger.

"RAH!" Yorgi yelled, giving both arms one hard shake to rid them of the water she'd splashed on him. "You stay there," he repeated in a deathly tone.

Lindsey blinked at him, then slunk into the water, barely keeping her nose above the waterline, crossing her arms and pouting.

Yorgi slapped a button on the side of the hot tub and the jets whirred to life, filling the small pool with bubbles. He turned on his heel and marched back to his bedroom. "Stupid bitch," he repeated as he pulled off his soaking wet pajama pants and kicked aside his slippers. They were soaked and wouldn't be dry for days. He grumbled to himself as he put on a dry boxers and gathered a pair of dark jeans and a long-sleeved shirt from his closet. He was pulling on the jeans when the door banged open.

"Oh, what now… oh, it you," he said when he saw Goku and Vegeta entering the room.

Goku blinked at the heavily tattooed man who was struggling to pull on a pair of jeans. "Everything okay?"

Yorgi nodded as he yanked the jeans up, buttoning them and yanking the zipper. "She is nightmare."

"Something happen while we were gone?" Goku asked, his eyes wide.

"She try to leave again," Yorgi answered, pulling the shirt over his head and shaking his hair out. He tugged the shirt down, covering the large dragon on his side and tucked the shirt into his jeans.

"Did you stop her?" Goku asked.

Yorgi nodded again.

"Then where is she?" Vegeta asked.

Yorgi looked down his nose with a smirk. "Swimming." He pulled on his heavy black boots and stood, shaking his hair again.

Vegeta and Goku looked at each other with puzzled expressions as Yorgi pointed at the bathroom door. "I have breakfast now," he stated and crossed the room with long, determined steps and slammed the door behind him.

Goku laughed aloud as he and Vegeta entered the bathroom and saw her sitting in the hot tub, still in her black shirt and fancy skirt.

"Enjoying yourself?" Vegeta asked, sneering at her.

She glowered at him, raising her chin above the water. "This outfit is dry-clean only," she hissed.

Goku was doubled over, laughing. "You deserve it."

She pressed her lips together, her face getting hot. She sunk back lower into the tub.

Goku caught his breath, pressing a hand to his mouth to stop his laughing. "Aw, c'mon, you have to admit this is funny."

"I see no humor in it," she answered dryly.

Vegeta left the bathroom, muttering, "Ridiculous."

Goku gripped the side of the hot tub, looking it over. "Man, this is nice."

Lindsey looked away from him, staring at the walls of the nook that surrounded the hot tub. Italian marble tiles covered the walls and made a ledge around three sides of the tub. Goku pulled off his boots and rolled his pant legs up to his knees, then climbed onto the ledge of the tub, dangling his feet in the hot water. "This isn't so bad," he remarked.

"I don't see you getting in, in your clothes," she snapped.

"Is that why you're all bent out of shape?" he asked.

She continued to stare at the wall.

Goku slid into the tub, his orange gi billowing around him. "See? No big deal."

Lindsey gawked at him. "You are so weird."

He tipped his head to the side. "I'm trying to make a point," he said. "It's okay to laugh at yourself."

"I still see no humor in this," she pouted.

Goku shook his head. "You're hopeless," he told her, lacing his fingers together and placing them behind his head. He settled back in to the seat, the jets of hot water shooting against his back.

Vegeta returned, carrying a frosty bottle of water. "Kakarot! What are you doing?"

"Hmm?" Goku asked, looking up at him. "Trying to get her to smile."

"Baka," Vegeta spat, setting the bottle on the side of the tub. "You need to drink that," he instructed Lindsey.

She huffed, but cracked the top off and swallowed the icy water down.

Yorgi had just sat down at the dining table, a huge plate of bacon, eggs, and toast in front of him. He had a large cup of coffee steaming next to his hand. "Black, like my soul," he whispered to himself. The dining room was empty and silent. He smiled and sipped the coffee, enjoying the moment. Grabbing his fork, he stabbed at his eggs, just as the door banged open.

Closing his eyes, Yorgi sighed and set the fork down on the edge of his plate.

"How is she?" Gohan asked eagerly, sitting down at the table. He hadn't expected Yorgi to be there. In fact, he didn't want to come to breakfast at all, but Trunks had insisted on it. They sat at the table to the left of Yorgi, and Gohan leaned his arms on the table, staring intently at Yorgi.

"Alive," Yorgi answered, picking his fork up again.

"Can I see her?"

"No," Yorgi replied, moving the fork towards his face.

"Why not?" Gohan demanded.

Yorgi sat the fork down once again, folded his hands together and rested his chin on them. "Because you made her a deal. She cannot see you until she is well. If you break that promise, then she will not uphold her end of the deal. She will see you do not mean it and she will relapse."

Gohan's shoulders drooped.

"I'll get you some breakfast, buddy," Trunks said, slapping Gohan on the shoulder. He stood and walked through the swinging double doors to the kitchen.

Yorgi waited a moment more for another interruption he felt was coming before reaching once more for his fork. No sooner had he picked it up, however, than the dining room door banged once more. Yorgi's fork fell back to the plate with a clatter.

"What?" he barked.

Catie blinked at him. "Just came to say hello."

Gohan's eyes went wide. "What did you DO?"

Catie looked at him nervously. "You hate it, don't you?" she asked, touching her hair.

"Trunks is gonna kill you," Gohan answered. He could tell it wasn't a wig this time.

Trunks backed through the doors, carrying two extremely laden plates with him. He set them on the table before he noticed Catie.

"Hey, Cat! What are you…" his voice trailed off as he stared at her hair.

The left side of Catie's head was buzzed to just a fraction of an inch long. Half the hair she had left was streaked with big chunks of blue bright enough to match Xander's bedroom walls.

"I love you," she answered nervously.

"Um, why?" he asked.

"Because I do!" she answered, her voice rising. "What kind of a question is that?"

"No, I know that. I meant, WHY?" he pointed at what used to be her hair.

She grabbed a lock of blue hair and began playing with it. "Because I wanted something new. I wanted something different."

"Well, you definitely nailed it, then," Trunks said as he sat down and tucked into his breakfast. Catie was hurt.

"Let me see," Yorgi said, looking up at her. From his position at her side, he couldn't see the shaved portion of her head. She turned, showing him.

Yorgi smiled. "Very punk rock. I like."

Catie gave a half-smile. "Thanks."

"Get you some breakfast," Yorgi instructed, grabbing his fork and popping a bite in his mouth before anyone else could interrupt.

Catie returned a few minutes later and sat on Yorgi's other side, facing Trunks. She picked at her food, watching Trunks and Gohan shovel theirs down. Paying them no attention, Yorgi calmly ate and sipped his coffee. He certainly wasn't in any hurry to get back to his room. As the boys finally finished their breakfast, Gohan pushed his empty plate away and sat back, stretching.

Trunks gathered the plates and stood to take them to the kitchen. Catie followed him.

"You hate my hair," she said sadly.

"Huh?" he asked, setting them in the large basin of the sink. "No I don't."

"You certainly didn't seem impressed," she moped.

He turned towards her. "Catie, I haven't slept in twenty-four hours. I'm sorry I'm a little cranky."

"Why didn't you sleep?" she asked.

"I've been up keeping Gohan sane and away from Lindsey," Trunks answered. "And I think he's getting ready to crash. I'd like to go to sleep sometime soon, too. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I just wasn't expecting that."

Catie nodded. "I didn't sleep hardly at all, either."

"Well, let's chuck Gohan in bed and go lay down."

"Have you seen Lindsey?" Catie asked.

"Barely," Trunks said. "I saw her lying in bed with an IV, but she was across the room and I didn't want to get too close."

"It's not like you were going to catch something from her," Catie scolded.

"It was a bit tense when I got there," he answered impatiently. "I was trying not to pry."

Catie bit her bottom lip. Damn his good manners.

He caught her chin and lifted her face to his. "She's going to be okay. Father and Goku are with her. But we need to try to rest. She wouldn't want us getting sick."

"Okay," Catie whispered and wrapped her arms around him.

They convinced Gohan to go try to lay down for a bit and he finally consented, since his eyes were barely open and he kept nodding his head, snapping it back up at he fought to stay awake. They walked him to Lindsey's room, then wordlessly returned to their own, kicking off their shoes and flopping down on the bed without pulling the blankets back. Catie rolled to her side and Trunks curled up around her and they both gave in to exhaustion, falling asleep within minutes.

Yorgi returned to his bedroom, carefully balancing a plate in one hand and a cup of heavily creamed and sugared coffee in the other. He headed straight for the bathroom and stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of Goku sitting there, chatting away. He narrowed his eyes at the Saiyan.

Lindsey, who was holding her breath and had only her eyes above the water, looked at Yorgi with an expression that said, "I have no idea what's going on."

Yorgi sighed and said, "Get yourself out of there," to Lindsey who gratefully exited the tub, her ruined skirt dripping all over the place. "I have your breakfast. I bring you new clothes." He returned to the bedroom, setting the plate on a small table near the big windows. He grabbed the bag Kolya had brought of her things and pulled out a pair of gray yoga pants and a blue tank, a few other items, and took them to her. As he exited once again, Goku followed, shutting the door behind him.

"I guess I'd better change clothes too," Goku laughed, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. He was slightly embarrassed, especially with the way Yorgi and Vegeta were looking at him.

Yorgi stared at Goku with disgust as the sopping wet man dripped all over his highly polished floor. He growled the Russian word for "idiot."

"I may not speak your language," Vegeta said with a smirk, "but I know exactly what you mean."

Author's Note: I see lots of people reading, but no comments. Constructive criticism is always appreciated. Once again, it's been awhile since I've written anything. Let me know what you think!