8

His body went limp. He must have heard wrong. Raven did not just say his name. She couldn't have. This couldn't be happening.

He'd never agreed to this. Sure, he was kind of starting to warm up to the idea, if only to see how Videl would react, but he never said he was okay putting his name on the list. How on earth did that happen? How did he become the first prize of this silly auction?

"Sorry, kiddo," Bulma said, leaning close to his ear. "I couldn't resist." She winked at him as he gaped at her in shock. "You're gonna thank me later, don't worry. Now go drive them all crazy!"

No way. He wasn't doing this. He was not getting on that stage. There was no way he was going to make a show of himself in front of all of his colleagues – they were never going to let him live it down. Moreover, he had no desire to go on a date with anyone.

Gohan was pushed onto the stage without his consent. Raven beamed at him.

"I'm so glad you changed your mind!" she said off-mic. Then she turned to their audience and grinned wider than ever. "Alright, ladies! This is your chance to get a date with the one and only Dr. Son Gohan! He's only twenty-six years old but he's already a resident doctor. And look at that face!" Raven pinched his cheeks between her fingers and her thumb with her spare hand. "How could you resist his boyish charm?"

Gohan blushed deeply as the bids started.

"Five thousand!"

"Ten thousand!"

"Twelve thousand!"

"Twenty thousand!"

The price kept getting higher. Nothing seemed to stop these women. They wanted him, and they looked ready for anything to get him, even if it would be under false pretenses.

He shyly looked about the room, giving a sheepish smile while scratching the back of his head.

His adorable expression rose the stakes even more. They were at a hundred thousand now. Geez, were these women for real?

And then Gohan saw her. His throat tightened. Videl was standing with her fists clenched at her sides, gritting her teeth as these women all but threw themselves at his feet.

She was jealous.

"How about we show them some skin now, Dr. Son?" Raven suggested with a devious smirk, wriggling her eyebrows.

Gohan frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Lose the top! Show the ladies what they would be paying for."

He gaped at his friend. Was she serious? She had to be kidding, right?

"All the male prizes are required to give a little show, Dr. Son," Raven informed him, and Gohan was positive that she just made up that rule on the spot. "So lose the top! Lose the top!"

A chorus of chants followed Raven's order. The ladies were screaming for him to strip the top of his tux.

This could not be happening. He was going to have to transfer to another hospital now. There was no way he could ever show his face at work after tonight.

He searched for Videl in the crowd as he started to loosen his bowtie, causing the ladies to scream in excitement like teenage girls in a boy band concert.

Their eyes locked. Gohan imagined that it was just the two of them, that he was stripping only for her; it made the process a lot more bearable. His necktie was off, and then he took off his jacket, letting it drop at his feet. He untucked his dress shirt and proceeded to undo the buttons, one after the other, which almost caused a riot.

He smiled, not taking his eyes off Videl's for one second. She looked short of breath, her lips were parted, her face was flushed; she never broke eye contact.

And then he was done with the buttons of his shirt, and Gohan slowly opened it and slid it off his shoulders, revealing his muscular physique.

"Oh, my! Would you look at that, ladies? Not only is Dr. Son absolutely brilliant, not only is he definitely the kindest person I know, but he also looks like this!" Raven made a show of fanning herself. "Is it me or is it getting hot in here?"

"Five hundred K!" screamed a woman with a demented look in her eyes.

"Five hundred and fifty thousand!"

"Six hundred thousand!"

And the price kept rising. Raven was beaming at him, mouthing, "See?"

The numbers were making his head spin… These women were crazy to spend so much just for a date with him. At least it was for a good cause, Gohan told himself.

Once again, he looked over at Videl among the crowd of crazy ladies. He gave her a resigned smile. So she wasn't going to bid on him after all. She was glaring murder at the ladies, her fists tightly clenched at her sides, her face turning redder by the second. It was obvious she itched to outbid them, and she certainly looked like she was dying to strangle each and every one of the women who fought over him like he was some piece of meat.

Gohan told himself that it was better than nothing. It showed that Videl still had feelings for him.

"One million!" another woman screeched.

"One million and fifty thousand!" reiterated a particularly eager lady.

"One million and five hundred thousand!"

He saw Videl look at them in disdain and cracked a smile. He loved how jealous she was getting.

"Two mill–"

"Five hundred million."

His jaw dropped as the last bid silenced the entire room.

Videl was smirking, looking quite pleased with herself as she finally shut up the crazy ladies.

Gohan couldn't believe it. She'd finally snapped – and she outbid everybody else with that insane amount. Seriously, five hundred million? That alone would be more than enough to finance his research team! They could already pack up and leave for the night, their mission was accomplished. With that kind of money, he could even help the other research programs, Gohan mused.

"Well, ladies and gents, I guess our prize goes to the young lady over there," Raven laughed, obviously finding the new development quite hilarious. "Miss, would you be so kind as to come up and introduce yourself?"

Videl suddenly flushed and her eyes widened, her hands rising to her mouth – as if she just realized what she had done. Her head turned from side to side, and then she looked down after she met her date's gaze. Gohan watched the young man: he was smiling and encouraging her to get on the stage. He was neither jealous nor mad at Videl for paying such an exorbitant price for a date with another guy. Gohan wondered if he was just that much of a nice guy, or if he was actually completely oblivious to what that date could mean.

Her head still down, Videl walked up to the stage. Gohan felt his heart hammer against his chest as she joined him on the platform.

"And you are?" Raven asked before shoving her microphone in front of Videl, who didn't seem to be able to raise her head and face the audience.

Or maybe she didn't want to face him.

"I'm Videl Satan, here on behalf of my father, Mr. Satan," she mumbled.

Raven's eyes lit up and she shot Gohan a grin that said, "I told you!"

At the same time, a murmur of recognition rose from the crowd, and a few people whistled in awe.

"No wonder she can give her father's money away without so much as a blink," commented a bitter, middle-aged woman who had been adamant to get the handsome young doctor.

"Well, you certainly can afford our very own Dr. Son!" Raven said with a laugh. "Thank you so much for your donation, Miss Satan. We'll be able to save many lives thanks to you!"

Videl nodded, before finally raising her head and glancing his way. Gohan cracked a sheepish smile, scratching the back of his head.

"Thanks… You really saved me here."

She swallowed, her face a deep shade of red. Then she bent down and picked up his clothes. "You're welcome," she murmured as she handed them to him.

Their hands brushed as he took his clothes from her; a spark tingled his skin at the contact. His heart raced harder than ever in his chest as he caught her eyes for the briefest moment.

Videl still loved him. She might never stop loving him, Gohan realized.

Maybe he still had a chance. Maybe she could forgive him in time. Maybe it wasn't completely hopeless after all.

Maybe their story could still have a better ending.

"Well then," Raven turned to the audience once more, "let's move this along! Next prize is none other than yours truly," she said, gracefully moving her hand to her chest to designate herself. "I don't expect to do as well as my young colleague here – he's in a category of his own, don't you think?" she teased with a wink at Gohan, who was putting his shirt back on. He blushed and looked down, finding his black dress shoes fascinating while the audience broke into giggles and chuckles. "But I hope I can still raise more funds to help the cause. Heck, after Miss Satan's pledge, we could use the leftovers to help the medical department of the whole city! So don't be shy and bid away – and, for the record, I like girls too," she specified with a flirtatious wink.

Gohan and Videl walked off the stage, going behind the curtains. Gohan let her get down the steps before him with a polite sign of his hand, a sheepish smile on his lips.

Videl felt breathless. Her heart was going to explode from all the emotion. She denied its plea to jump into Gohan's arms and snuggle up to him and tore her gaze off him. How could such a simple smile have so much effect on her? Why was it so easy for him to make her melt?

Seeing as her mind was distracted thanks to a certain gorgeous doctor, Videl wasn't paying enough attention to her steps and missed the last one, twisting her ankle on her high heels.

She yelped as she tripped forward, but then a hand on her wrist steadied her balance; next thing she knew, she was pulled backward and ended up wrapped in Gohan's strong arms.

"Whoa, careful there," he said, blinking at her as he held her firmly against him.

Her eyes widened as they locked on his, her face blazing like the sun. Their bodies were so close that she could feel every beat of his heart, hammering in sync with her own elated organ.

The fact that he hadn't finished buttoning up his shirt made this unexpected embrace a million times worse.

She wasn't going to make it. She was melting into his arms, unable to tear her gaze away from his beautiful eyes.

"You okay?" Gohan asked with a frown of concern while a bright blush streaked across his face.

"Y… Yeah… Thanks," Videl breathed out. She was surprised her voice was working, albeit a little shakily.

They weren't moving, weren't pulling away; they were simply unable to take their eyes off each other. Time had frozen.

The pull was too strong. Like two opposite poles of a magnet, they were irremediably attracted to one another. It exceeded reason, it was greater than Gohan's unforgivable mistake and Videl's persistent resentment.

Their hearts beat as one, calling out, reaching out to one another as hard as possible, trying with all their might to touch the other.

Nothing else mattered. In that moment, nothing else existed. Only his eyes. Only her parted lips. Only his hand on her cheek. Only their short breaths mingling, tickling each other's skin as their faces unconsciously inched closer…

Looking at him through half-lidded eyes, she murmured his name breathlessly, letting his hand angle her head back as he slowly leaned in. Her heart was palpitating with emotion. Videl placed her palms against his pectoral muscles, his half-open shirt allowing her to feel his delicious bare skin.

His nose touched hers. Gohan tilted his head slightly, his fingers tangling in her short hair at the base of her neck while his thumb grazed her lower lip. Her breath hitched with anticipation.

"Is… Is this really okay?" he murmured anxiously, his lips just millimeters from hers.

He seemed to force the words out. But Videl was too far gone. She'd longed for his touch for so long. Her heart was too ecstatic right now to let her stop midway.

She'd missed him too much – it was the only thought that her mind registered. It was the only thing she could comprehend.

"Kiss me," she breathed out with urgency.

She wanted this. She wanted him. She needed him too much.

He didn't need to be told twice – Gohan finally closed the tiny gap left between them; Videl melted completely as his lips finally pressed on hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, feeling her heart become whole again as it reunited with its second half.

He was trembling all against her as the kiss deepened. Videl let herself be lulled by his unwavering love for her, feeling it wash over her being. Its bright glow somehow managed to mend her broken soul, soothing out even the widest cracks and deepest slashes that, incidentally, Gohan himself had caused.

"I needed this…" he uttered breathlessly, cupping her face with both his hands as he leaned his forehead against hers. "I love you so much, Videl."

She kept her eyes closed, unwilling to acknowledge the outside world just yet. For just a moment, she wanted to forget the past, to pretend like it never happened, like it didn't exist. She wanted to drown in his gentle embrace, to let him treasure her, cherish her, soothe her…

For just this moment, she wanted to pretend she was his.

"I love you too, Gohan…"

He was kissing her again the next second. Videl felt her whole being ignite with the most blazing fire. Her desire for him combusted uncontrollably, consuming everything in its devastating path. She pushed her tongue in his mouth and moved her arms around his back, pulling him all against her, meshing his strong body with her curves. But it wasn't enough – it was never enough. She wanted him whole. She wanted his skin, his body, his soul – she knew she already had his heart.

She wanted to feel him deep inside of her. She wanted him to claim her as his, over and over again, loving her for hours on end.

Gohan detached from her lips, letting her gasp for air, and trailed wet, open-mouthed kisses down her chin, along her throat and into the crook of her neck. Videl moaned softly as a wave of pleasure coursed through her skin. She wrapped her leg around his midsection, arched her back, the long skirt of her gown sliding down to her knee, and felt his hard-on press between her legs.

Gohan groaned against her skin; he went under her gown and grabbed her thigh firmly, pushing her against the wall behind the curtains. Her eyes shut tightly, Videl bit her lip to stifle a cry of pleasure as Gohan ground his pulsing erection between her thighs.

"I want you so much, Videl," he panted in her ear, before grazing his teeth along her neck. Videl felt a delicious shudder course through her spine.

And then, the cold shower.

"What the fuck…?"

It felt like Gohan had phased out a meter away from her in an instant – which, considering his superpowers, may have actually been what happened.

"V… V-Vegeta!" Gohan exclaimed in alarm, obviously familiar with the stranger.

The man was short yet imposing. He had olive skin and hardened yet handsome features. His hair defied gravity impudently, spiking up in the shape of a big and wild flame.

"Wh… What are you even…?" Gohan trailed off and looked away with the brightest blush on his face, covering his mouth with his hand.

The man smirked at Gohan. "Your ki was spiking up in a very odd way; I got curious. I figure that I didn't realize what was happening because the idea of you laying with a woman feels foreign to me. I was so sure you were still a virgin."

Videl was mortified, and she was sure Gohan felt the same. She quickly arranged her hair and smoothed out her gown, unable to raise her head and look at neither Gohan nor that Vegeta guy.

"Anyway, it's actually my turn up there," the man said in an annoyed tone, walking past them to take the steps to the stage. "I can't believe that silly woman actually went through with it. Ugh."

He passed through the curtains, causing excited cheers to break out from the audience. Videl glanced at Gohan, but she looked away right before he could meet her gaze.

"I, uh… I gotta go," she said, lifting a side of her dress so it wouldn't be on her way for running away from there.

But a quick hand caught her wrist before she could even take two strides, stopping her in her tracks. She felt Gohan's body heat behind her but refused to look at him, lest his beautiful eyes drew her in and made her lose control again.

She couldn't believe she had let this happen. If not for the interruption of Gohan's acquaintance, Videl knew she would have let Gohan do whatever he wanted with her – right there, at this gala, behind the curtains, with a room full of people on its other side.

She would have given in to him. She would have readily let him take her and make her his.

But she wasn't his. She could never be his. Gohan had betrayed her trust, and despite how much she loved him, despite how much she craved for him; despite how desperately she wanted to forgive him – despite everything, something had shattered between them; something was lost, gone forever, and there was no way to get it back.

Gohan had ruined everything, and even though she loved him so helplessly, even though she knew she would never stop loving him, there was no fixing the mess he had made.

Yet he wasn't giving up. He was still trying to hold her back, to win her over.

A part of her wished he never stopped trying. Videl shushed her heart sternly.

It was over.

Period.

"Wait…" he pleaded, his voice low and hoarse. "Don't go. Please."

"We need to move on, Gohan," she murmured, still unwilling to look at him. She tugged at her arm to break free of his firm grasp, but Gohan wouldn't let go of her wrist. "Let me go."

"I can't." His voice was breaking. "There has to be a way for you to forgive me, Videl. I love you, and you love me. Why won't you fight for us? Why won't you even try?"

She swallowed. She was welling up, and she knew she wouldn't be able to stop the tears from flowing. Videl closed her eyes. "Because every time I think of what you did to me, I… I…"

Her voice broke and Videl put her spare hand against her mouth, stifling a sob. She felt Gohan pull her to him; she felt his arms wrap around her, and for a second, she let him hold her as she cried in his chest.

"No…" She started pushing him away, struggling against Gohan as he tried to keep her in his arms. "Don't. Stop that."

His breath hitched as he finally let her push him away. Her eyes were shut tightly as she kept him at arm's reach, her palms against his torso.

"Videl…"

She finally looked at him, her blue eyes harsh and so full of anguish. "You disgust me, Gohan – is that what you wanted to hear? What you did… I still can't believe you would deceive me like that. That you, of all people, would play with my feelings, letting me think I was falling for two different guys when it was only ever just you. I trusted you, and from the bottom of my heart, I knew you were the one. Yes, Gohan, I love you – and I hate that I do. I wish I could shove my hand through my chest and pull my heart right out, just to make it stop loving you so damn much. I wish I could erase ever meeting you from my memory. I wish you never ever entered my life!"

Her voice had been rising the more she ranted at him. Gohan had tears rolling down his cheeks as he listened to her confession.

"Is it really hopeless?" he croaked out in a shaky breath.

She turned away from him, unable to bear the sight of his agony.

"Yes."

"Even though we love each other."

She closed her eyes, clenched her fists.

"Yes."

"Even though we'll always love each other."

She hated how weak and broken his voice sounded.

"Yes."

Gohan sucked in a sharp, shallow breath. "I understand."

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she walked away; she sped up her pace and rushed to the ladies room, locking herself in an empty stall. Holding her face into her hands, Videl sobbed in despair, mourning their love that would never blossom.

"Ten thousand!"

"Ten thousand and fifty hundred!"

"Fifteen thousand!"

Vegeta scowled at the crowd, but even his coldest, most murderous glare couldn't tame these animals.

And Bulma called Saiyans a barbaric race? Truly, humans were the savages. Just look at this bunch of hormonal females, unable to control their most basic urges at the sight of a suitable mate.

Like they could ever be worth an elite like himself. He was the prince of all Saiyans; he was royalty. He was above these little vermin.

Such inferior beings. How could they prevail for millennia while the proud, powerful Saiyan race was extinct? Where was the logic in that?

He turned his cold black eyes to his wife; the only worthy human being on this lesser planet. She was smirking at him in triumph, her arms crossed with an air of superiority, clearly enjoying the show he was putting on.

He hated how weak he'd become because of her. What was it about that woman that made it so hard to contradict her? He could've just refused. Nothing could have forced him to get on this cursed stage and make a fool of himself. In theory, he could have just walked away. He could still walk away.

Yet something was holding him back. There was something about this woman that compelled him to do her bidding.

She was his wife. It was as simple as that. Vegeta had made the vow to take care of Bulma, no matter what, even if making her happy meant ridiculing himself.

At least that Raven woman who was in charge of presenting the auction hadn't asked him to show his bare torso like Gohan had had to. She was most likely too scared by the murderous intent that his aura gave off.

"Fifty thousand!"

"Fifty-two thousand!"

"Fifty-seven thousand!"

He glared at Bulma as the bids kept going up. If she didn't stop this madness, it would be her fault when he blasted this whole castle into oblivion.

Yet she only grinned wider, her eyes sparkling in amusement.

"Fifty-nine thousand!"

His scowl darkened. While the bids for him were rising steadily, Vegeta couldn't help but notice Gohan's turn had made his bids skyrocket glaringly faster. Did they actually favor the bastard offspring of a third-class warrior over royalty? What, just because he showed some skin? Was that all it took?

Vegeta smirked at his wife as a ludicrous yet oh-so-tempting idea formed in his mind. He took off his jacket, tore his necktie off his neck with a sharp tug, and then pulled his shirt open, making the buttons pop out, and revealing his deeply scarred and perfectly sculpted torso.

The room gasped audibly.

"Oh wow!" exclaimed the woman on the stage with him. She was staring openly at his body as he slid his shirt off his shoulders, devouring him with her eyes and probably doing all kinds of things to him in her mind. "Now this is a man, ladies! I wish I could afford to take him home!"

And then the bids rushed through at a frenzied pace.

"Eighty thousand!"

"One hundred thousand!"

"One hundred and fifty thousand!"

There it was. These tail-free monkeys were so easy to manipulate. The shocked look on Bulma's face alone made his bold move that much more satisfying.

"Two hundred thousand!"

"One million!"

Vegeta's smirk widened. So Bulma was getting worried there, was she? Her bid wasn't enough, though, as some other female immediately outbid her to one million and fifty thousand.

Bulma glared at him, clearly furious at him for ruining her fun and turning the tables on her. Vegeta reveled in his victory. It wasn't like he worried that another woman would succeed in buying him, but he certainly enjoyed making his wife sweat as she was forced to pay up considerably more than she had intended.

"Ten million!" Bulma countered, baring her teeth at the lady who kept outbidding her.

"Twenty million!" she shot back just as heatedly, visibly not ready to give up without a fight.

Vegeta chuckled at the look of pure outrage on his wife's flushed face. He wished he'd brought popcorn. This was getting interesting.

He idly wondered if his price would end up higher than Gohan's.

"One hundred million!" Bulma spat angrily, daring her opponent to do better.

The blonde woman seemed to hesitate. She looked over at the prize on the stage, namely him, and bit her lip.

"Oohh… Do we have a winner?" taunted the attractive African host. "One hundred million, going once! One hundred million, going twice!"

Vegeta clicked his tongue. So he hadn't been able to do better than Gohan in the end. Even as ridiculous as this thing was, it hurt his pride that he couldn't surpass the Saiyan hybrid. Flashbacks of the Cell games and of the one time Gohan had been the most powerful being in the entire universe at only ten years old invaded his memory. It left a bitter taste in his mouth.

He did not fancy coming second.

"One hundred mill–"

"One hundred and ten million!" hurried the blonde woman before Raven could close the sale to Bulma.

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. So it wasn't over yet. He looked over at his wife, who rolled her eyes at her adversary's weak attempt at outbidding her. Clearly, the other woman was running out of funds.

"Two hundred million," she said calmly.

The blonde growled at her. "Three hundred million!"

Bulma scowled darkly at her. Vegeta could have laughed. That bleached female wasn't giving him away without a fight. She sure had some guts to go toe-to-toe with the Capsule Corp. heiress.

"Four hundred million!" Bulma seethed. Vegeta could see that she was this close to throwing herself at the other woman's neck and throttling her to death.

He couldn't help turning to his wife's challenger, curious as to what her reaction would be. They were so close to outbidding Gohan's price. It wasn't over already, was it?

But the blonde looked at him with regret and longing, apparently unable to afford him.

Damn it. So close.

"And sold to the blue-haired lady!" Raven exclaimed with the biggest grin. "Wow! What is it with these men tonight? They're driving you completely crazy!" She laughed in glee. "Oh, geez, this is so amazing! I can't believe we've already raised close to a billion with only three prizes! Wow! I think we're gonna take a small break and continue in a few – nobody is gonna want to come on stage after those two, that's for sure!" Raven snickered. "Should I be offended that I was bought for only one hundred thousand? Oddly enough, I'm not! Like, not even a little!"

The audience laughed with her. Tonight had certainly been full of surprises. Who knew he would've gotten caught up in all this? Still, Vegeta admitted to himself that he had fun. Winning against his wife had certainly felt gratifying, even if he hadn't managed to beat Gohan's price.

Then again, the woman who bought the half-Saiyan was also the one who had been with him behind the curtains until Vegeta interrupted them, so she must have had a personal agenda of her own for buying Gohan. There was no doubt in his mind that if not for his impromptu arrival, they would have fornicated like wild animals right there behind the stage.

Gohan had grown, it seemed. It was hard to fathom that the tiny little warrior who had challenged him to save his father once upon a time had become a man, but Vegeta supposed it was the natural course of things.

He prided himself that he actually got more action than Gohan during his turn. That rich woman who bought the hybrid had simply outbid everyone with a crazy amount; yet, for Vegeta, someone had been willing to challenge one of the biggest fortunes on the planet and even got close to that same crazy amount that nobody had dared to outbid for Gohan.

Yes, indeed: he may have not surpassed Gohan's price, but his turn had been a lot more thrilling. That was a win in itself.

Erasa widened her eyes as she read the text Videl just sent her. She quickly tapped on the phone icon on the top right of her screen and put her smartphone against her ear. Videl answered her call immediately.

"He kissed you?" she exclaimed in shock.

"Shh! Erasa, the baby's sleeping!"

Erasa gave her husband a sheepish smile, before getting up and going to the kitchen to talk with Videl. It was movie night, and Delie had fallen asleep in her daddy's arms like usual. They had a "no phone" rule on movie night except for emergencies, but Videl's text most definitely fit that category.

"How?" she whispered to her phone. "Where? When?"

"Just now," Videl's croaked voice replied. Erasa's throat tightened. She was crying. "He's at the gala. It's for his research that they're holding this fundraiser. Oh, why didn't I just read the pamphlet…? I wouldn't have come if I'd seen his name."

Erasa swallowed. She didn't know what to say. Her friend was hurting horribly and she didn't know what to do to make her feel better. She hated feeling so helpless.

"What happened?"

"He was being auctioned to raise money for the cause…" Videl hiccupped. "All the ladies were going crazy for him and it made me so livid. I ended up bidding half a billion to shut them up – I didn't even realize what I was doing when it happened."

"Oh, Videl…"

"And then they asked me to join him up there… Things got out of hand when we were getting off the stage, behind the curtains." Erasa heard Videl swallow thickly. "I was so affected by his mere presence that I tripped… and he caught me. And then we wouldn't let go."

If it hadn't been Gohan, Erasa wouldn't have hesitated to comment how romantic that sounded. But it was Gohan, the man who had hurt her best friend in the worst way imaginable; uttering something that even resembled encouragement was out of the question.

Videl had told her everything. Saiyaman, Gohan – two identities, two mind-blowing, passionate encounters – one man behind them both. What Gohan had done to Videl was so low and despicable, Erasa regretted ever thinking that he sounded like a great guy.

Videl was sobbing on the other side of the line.

"Honey, it's okay," she tried to comfort her friend. "You love him – despite everything, you still love him. You can't help how you feel, even if he doesn't deserve it."

"But I want him to deserve it," Videl wept miserably. "Why can't I forgive him? Do you have any… any idea how much I wish I could forgive him? How much I want to trust him again?"

"Do you want me to come and get you? Do you want me to kick his ass?"

Videl laughed between her tears. Erasa cracked a small smile, relieved that she had managed to get a positive reaction out of her heartbroken friend.

"No, it's okay. Adam drove me…"

"How is he, by the way?" Erasa asked keenly, hoping that changing the subject could help take Videl's mind off what happened with Gohan.

"He's…" Videl sucked in a sharp breath. "He reminds me a bit of Gohan."

"Videl, don't go there…"

"He's sweet like him, and has a kind heart like him, and he's clueless about a lot of things too, yet is very smart at the same time, just like Gohan. He has an adorable smile too, and very gentle eyes, like Gohan."

Erasa sighed. Well, what could she say? Videl had a type.

"Then he's a better version of Gohan, because Adam would never do what Gohan did to you," she accused harshly.

She had no sympathy for the young doctor after the way he'd hurt her best friend. Nobody played with Videl's feelings and got away with it.

"No, Gohan is kinder…" Videl whispered. "And he's even more intelligent. His smile is more adorable, his eyes are more gentle… his touch is so much more electrifying."

"You're digging yourself into a deeper hole, Videl. You have to stop this, it isn't healthy."

"You think I don't know? How am I supposed to ever get over the one man I've ever loved?"

"Don't you mean the two men you loved?" Erasa retorted coldly, reminding the hurting young woman just why her heart was in pieces.

"I know!" Videl snapped. "I know what he did! I was there, remember?"

"Then why did you let him kiss you? Why would you even want to?"

"Because I want him! I love him – with all of my heart, with all of my soul, with every fiber of my being – I love him!"

Erasa brushed the back of her wrist over her misty eyes. This was an impossible situation. If Videl wasn't willing to move on with someone new, she was going to end up alone for the rest of her life. And Erasa couldn't accept that. Videl deserved happiness. She deserved to be loved by someone who would rather die than cause her any kind of pain.

Why did she have to fall for that Gohan guy? She would've been so much better off if she had never met that worthless piece of turd.

"So what now?" Erasa asked tiredly.

"I don't know," Videl muttered. "I want to go home but Adam is waiting for me, and I look like a mess."

"Well, I guess the first thing you have to do is make yourself presentable again. Use everything I've ever taught you," she added in a joking tone.

Videl chuckled half-heartedly. "Yeah, you're right." She breathed in deeply and exhaled for a few long seconds. "Okay. I think I'm good to step out of the bathroom stall."

"Call me later, okay? To let me know you're okay, or if you need to vent out at me again."

Erasa heard a shaky breath on the other side of the line. "Thanks, Erasa. You're the best."

"Well, you deserve the best. Never forget that, okay?"

"Yeah…"

Videl walked out of the bathroom stall with a deep sigh. Luckily, the ladies room was so noisy with excited chatter that nobody had even paid attention to her phone call.

Or so she thought. As she made good use of the makeup kit in her purse, two women, on either side of her, were watching her from afar with sad and regretful eyes.

Bulma and Raven didn't know each other, but they both cared deeply about Gohan, and they both overheard Videl's side of the phone call with her friend. It disheartened them that there really was no hope for Gohan to ever get back together with the young woman despite how madly in love they were with one another.

It was such a waste.

It was when Videl was giving the final touch to her makeup that screams sounded off from the ballroom.

Horrified screams, followed by commanding yells and the sound of an automatic gun going off. More screams came after that display of violence, and then silence.

The strong-willed police detective immediately rushed out, leaving her makeup on display all over the rim of the sink and not even taking her purse with her. There was nothing she could use in there anyway, she hadn't brought her gun with her tonight, naively thinking that nothing that would require her to use it was going to happen.

Bulma quickly followed after her, while the other women looked at them go like they were crazy. Why would they want to face the danger out there when it was much safer in here, in the ladies room?

Raven worried for her friend, mistakenly believing that he was in danger. Overcoming her fear, the young woman slowly opened the door and walked out of the washroom, hoping she wasn't going to come upon the bad guys on her way to find Gohan.

Her medical expertise might be needed tonight as well. Not that she was the only doctor in the room, but Raven prided herself on being one of the most talented surgeons in the city. She knew she could be of use – and she would rather try to help in any way than stay and hide like a coward.

She hoped Gohan was okay.

The robbers had forced the guests to get on the floor and stay still while a few of them went over them with a bag to collect their valuables. The rest of them were ransacking the place and looking for anything worth stealing.

Gohan had had to pull Vegeta down so as not to attract attention. His prince did not like being forced into submission when he could easily blast those puny humans with a flick of his wrist.

"There are too many innocent people, Vegeta," Gohan whispered so low only Vegeta's acute hearing could perceive his voice. "Look, I'm used to this kind of situation. The best way to handle it is to let them go in their getaway vehicles and then catch them. If you want to help, no problem, but we can't endanger the lives here no matter what. Understood?"

Vegeta pursed his lips. "Who died and made you my superior?" he murmured in the same barely audible voice.

Gohan sighed in aggravation. "I never said I was. I just don't want people to get hurt. I know you couldn't care less about them, but I do – surely you can respect that, can't you?"

Vegeta clicked his tongue and turned away, vexed despite himself by what the half-human had said. He had changed since the first time he set foot on this planet. While he was not all that fond of the human race, he wasn't too happy about letting them get hurt for no good reason on his watch, either.

Kakarot and Bulma had infected him. This caring thing was a sickness. Vegeta could have done without it.

Well, in the meantime, he might as well show Gohan he could handle this kind of situation much better than him. Who did he think he was, speaking to his prince as though he knew better? Vegeta didn't need to prance around in a silly costume to get the job done. He was the superior warrior, not Gohan. The boy had gone soft in these times of peace and barely kept up with his training anymore; Vegeta was now the stronger being in the universe, not Gohan.

Not that the title meant anything with Kakarot dead.

Focusing back on the situation at hand, Vegeta admitted to himself that Gohan's plan was probably the safest way to go.

But he didn't like to play it safe. Where was the fun in that?