Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or the characters


Trunks and Mai couldn't wait to join their group of friends at their lockers the next morning. The news of the adoption left them feeling so excited, they could hardly contain themselves. After the teenagers gathered their belongings, they made their way to Goten's locker to see that Valese, Gohan, and Videl were already there.

"Morning, guys," Trunks greeted, Mai's hand in his while he balanced his books in his other arm. "Are we late to the party?"

Goten grinned at his best friend. "Never. Valese said she had some news to tell us. We were waiting for you."

Trunks could tell by Goten's expression that his spiky-haired friend already knew Valese's news and that it would be good. He turned to the brunette and said, "Let's here it."

Valese looked happier than she had been in a long time. "After the visit with my mother, the guardian that was there decided seeing her again would be detrimental to my mental health. The fact that I ran away was kind of telling, especially because I've never tried to run off when I'm with my dad. My lawyer got involved after that one. Dad had me talk to him about what happened and why I left. The lawyer is really great. Between him, the therapist, and the court-appointed guardian, the case got bumped up from the beginning of next week to yesterday afternoon. It's official. My dad was awarded sole custody of me and my mom wasn't awarded visitation. She's allowed to file to revisit the visitation issue, but by the time that goes through, I'll probably be eighteen and it will me my decision whether or not I want to see her."

"Valese, that's great!" Mai chimed. The raven-haired girl hugged her best friend. Though they experienced different harsh realities, Mai understood more than anyone how it felt to be free of a horrid 'parental figure'. "I'm so happy for you."

Trunks looked over to Goten, and the two boys shared a smile and nod that only they could translate. The lavender-haired teen knew that Goten had been worried about Valese, especially after that court-mandated visit. They were all worried, but Trunks knew what it was like to feel that inexplicable, astronomical concern for the woman you loved. At least that would be one stressor off his friend's back. He already had enough to worry about with his father being MIA.

"And I thought Mai and I were going to be giving the big news of the day," Trunks joked as he hugged Valese after Mai released her.

"Oh?" Gohan remarked. "What news is that?"

When Trunks pulled away from Valese, everyone could see the excitement in his eyes. "My parents are adopting a baby."

Everyone was stunned, eyes wide, before they broke out into grins and excited yells asking far too many questions at one. Mai and Trunks laughed at their friend's antics. This is exactly how they expected them to react.

"That's incredible!" Goten exclaimed. "You're going to be a big brother."

Trunks smiled at that. That was the part he was most excited about when his parents told him they were adopting. Although the teen was still weirded out by the fact that Maron was the birth mother, all that mattered to him was that soon there would be another addition to their family.

Gohan appeared happy at first, but then he frowned before asking the question, "Do you think our dad knows?"

A somber heaviness came over the group at Gohan's words. "Honestly, I dunno," Trunks replied. He rubbed the back of his neck, felt awkward.

Videl looked to her boyfriend and took his hand. "How are you two holding up?" She looked over to Goten to gage his reaction.

"Every day there are new challenges," Gohan explained after noticing his brother's darkened gaze. "Mom's been speaking with our grandmother, so we know dad's doing all right physically, at least. Mentally, we're not sure. Honestly, I'm angry with him for keeping mom in the dark. At least she should know…"

Goten was surprised to hear that his twin was mad at their father, too. The spiky-haired teen had been furious for a while, bothered by the fact that their father just up and left. He didn't try to talk to them at all. It was hard not to feel abandoned by the only adult that could tell the teenager how to deal with these illnesses. All he was doing was setting a poor example for Goten's future, so it was hard not to be enraged by the behavior.

But Gohan was forgiving. Gohan didn't have these issues like Goten did. He carried on like nothing was wrong most of the time, focused on his studies and Videl. Goten assumed he was less effected, but to hear how he really felt was eye-opening. "I didn't know you felt that way."

Gohan smiled weakly at Goten. He hadn't told him anything because he knew his brother was struggling more than any of them. "You haven't asked. Besides I've been trying to keep a brave face for you and mom. Dad shouldn't have left. He should have been open and honest about what he was going through, but he wasn't, so we just have to keep moving forward. He'll come back eventually. It will be hard and feel strange, but he will."

Trunks's expression became grave. He felt terrible for both boys. Though he didn't know everything, he could only imagine what they were going through. Where Trunks never experienced being abandoned by a parent or what it was like to both be angry with a person but trying to understand their mental illness, his mother certainly knew what that felt like. Trunks never was angry at Goten for his outbursts just like Bulma had never really been angry at Goku, but Goten never pulled the kinds of stunts Goku did. Apparently, this wasn't the first time Goku pulled something either. His mother had experienced these lash-outs at least twice.

Both their mother, Chi Chi, and Trunks's mother were on the receiving end of their father's breakdown, and it had to be much worse for them because they had to be the ones to hold their mother afloat on a day to day basis. Bulma had Trunks and Mai to look after, and she had Vegeta to help her pull back up again. It just wasn't fair. They were so young to have to worry about holding a household together.

The celebratory vibe was falling very quickly, and the girls all looked to each other having a silent conversation. They knew they had to draw everyone's attention back to the positive. No one was going to drown in the negative on their watch.

"You know," Mai spoke up, "we should celebrate Valese's newfound freedom and the baby after school." She smiled at the boy's when they all looked to her, stunned expressions on their faces. Mai didn't know why they were looking at her that way, but she didn't linger on it. "Why don't we go bowling?"

"That sounds like a great idea," Videl piped in. "We should all text and get the okay from our parents. We'll finalize the plans at lunch."

"Okay," Trunks replied, excited. "After bowling, do you guys want to come over to our place for movie night? The beanbag chairs miss us."

Goten chuckled at that, and both he and Gohan looked much more relaxed than they had moments ago. "I'm sure mom will be fine with it. We'll let you know."

The teenagers all took out their phones to text their parents about their afternoon plans. After Trunks texted his mother to get the okay to have guests over, he looked to Mai with love and adoration. She had come such a long way. When he first met her, Mai was loathe to spend time with anyone or get to know them because of her home situation. He practically had to drag her places, although he always let her set the pace. Now, when she noticed their friends were struggling, she was the one suggesting plans so casually. Trunks was proud of her.

The warning bell rang, so the group all went their separate ways. They needed to get to homeroom on time, but at least they knew what the rest of the day would bring. It was never an easy life for anyone in the group, but at least they could be there for each other and help each other through those hard times. Trunks knew, no matter what, that after high school the group would remain tight just like this. With everything they'd been through together, they could never be truly separated.


Ever since Broly spent the day with Cheelai and their other neighbor, Lemo, everything continued in a whirlwind. The man found himself running into Cheelai more often, sometimes leading to the two grabbing a cup of coffee or walking their dogs together. One time, Cheelai even allowed Broly into her home after he got home from work. Broly initially felt uncomfortable, but the two merely chatted and watched some television. Cheelai even cooked him dinner. It seemed…strangely peaceful, and that scared Broly.

A lot.

Broly was terrified over the feelings spending time with Cheelai stirred within him. The last time he felt something like this for anyone, Broly hurt and scared away the first girl he ever loved and got himself thrown in jail. Thought he was much healthier than he was then and it had already been around eight months since Bulma brought him to the hospital, Broly still feared history would repeat itself. It's why he kept his interest in Cheelai quiet.

He really did enjoy being in the woman's company. He thought about her often when she wasn't around, and when he was with her he felt content. His fears continued to hold him back, though. He could never allow himself to do to her what he did to his first and only other girlfriend.

But if he thought back to that, he was putting Cheelai in danger every moment he spent with her. He felt like he was being so incredibly selfish.

The two were out together, walking around the city. Broly found Cheelai waiting for him outside of his apartment when he returned home from work. After checking on Legend and changing out of his business attire, the green-white-haired woman suggested they grab a bite to eat at her favorite burger joint. Part of Broly wanted to say 'no' and stay in, but he couldn't get past the excited glimmer in Cheelai's eyes. He found himself going against his comfort zone and saying, "Sure."

When Broly and Cheelai reached this hole-in-the-wall place, Cheelai led him inside. They sat down, and a waiter came to take their orders. Cheelai attempted to make pleasant conversation, and Broly politely smiled and listened to tales of her antics. It turned out she was a hairdresser, and she always had some sort of gossip to give.

They ate their meals in silence and each paid for their own meal. Afterwards, they continued to walk aimlessly in silence, that is until Cheelai broke it.

"So, how many times do we have to go out before you ask me out on a date?"

Broly was completely caught off-guard by the question. He met her teasing gaze, and Cheelai winked at him. Red dusted his cheeks, and then Broly frowned and looked away.

Cheelai's gaze shifted from playful to concerned. She hadn't expected her teasing to upset Broly. "What's wrong?"

Finally, Broly met her gaze, his eyes remorseful as he said, "I can't go out with you." His shoulders hunched as his gaze fell to the sidewalk. "I'm sorry."

Broly walked away from Cheelai, a heavy weight constricting his heart, certain the woman would be angry with him for leading her on. He desperately wanted to agreed, to go out with Cheelai, but he couldn't let what happened in the past happen to her. Despite knowing this was where their outings were leading, he continued to ignore his issues. When she asked him, he was reminded…

"Why?" Cheelai asked, effectively stopping Broly in his tracks. He froze, eyes full of surprise as he stared ahead. Cheelai didn't sound angry or hurt, just genuinely curious.

Broly hesitated. This wasn't something you could just admit out of the blue…though he had told Bulma early on in their friendship and she hadn't shunned him. Maybe…

"You'll think I'm crazy," he told her.

Cheelai took pause for a split second before she laughed and shrugged. "Eh, the whole world is crazy. I doubt there's anything you can say that would-"

"I'm schizophrenic," he cut her off. His whole body was tense with anxiety and fear over what Cheelai might say or think. He wouldn't meet her gaze, terrified over how she'd now see him.

The woman went silent, and Broly assumed he had his answer. He turned again to walk away. Her rejection was not something he could or wanted to deal with.

But her voice called out to him and stopped him once more. "Are you medicated?"

Broly turned back, startled that she sounded completely calm and kind. Her expression was rather blank, although there was a hint of inquisitiveness. "Yeah?" he called back questioningly.

She smiled then. "And you're in therapy?" Broly nodded, and she saw his complete astonishment as she slowly approached him. She stopped in front of him and grinned up at him. "And are any of the voices in your head telling you to kiss the pretty girl?"

"N-no?" Broly stammered, his voice a bit shaky.

She further invaded his personal space, but Broly didn't deter her. Despite his apprehension, part of him wanted to see what Cheelai would do. Part of him hoped she wouldn't care about his diagnosis.

A moment later, he got his wish.

"Then ignore them because that's what's happening," Cheelai replied warmly. She stood on her tiptoes, ran her hand through his hair, and then she kissed him. Broly's eyes widened, but he relaxes almost instantly. He responded to her kiss tentatively but eagerly. He gently wrapped his hands around her waist, pulling her closer. The whole experience was amazing, and he didn't feel scared like he thought he'd be. It didn't even bother him that they were in public with probably a bunch of onlookers. Instead, he felt nothing but happiness. Happiness and security.


Bulma typed up her report on the work she did for her Gravity Room research for the week. Though building progress was slow due to few people being permitted to work on the project, she had done plenty of work on the calculations and needed to make a writeup of all the progress, problems, and predictions on a time table. The report needed to be submitted to NASA by the end of the month, but Bulma did not want to procrastinate on it.

After finishing up this week's details of the project, Bulma focused on checking her e-mails. She was still only slightly behind in her networking since returning to the company. It was time for her to get herself back into working shape.

Even with her determination, her attention kept shifting to Goku. She really tried to focus, but she looked to her cell phone hoping he would finally reach out. Bulma really wanted to text her friend about the baby, but she was still so worried that it would make things worse for him. If it were her in his position, she'd want him to text her, to know that someone was still thinking about her.

Finally, she picked up her phone as she came to that conclusion. Instead of updating Goku about the baby, she felt another message needed to reach him.

I've made a decision. I'm not giving up on our friendship because it's worth it. However, I want you to take the time you need. I'm not going anywhere, and will be here when you're ready. Until then please take care of yourself and be safe. That's all I ask.

Bulma hit send before she could rethink it. She knew Goku too well, and that meant she understood that he'd probably keep his distance forever for hurting her. As much as she distrusted this version of him, her friend was still in there suffering through this illness. She never knew of the side effects of his past medications, but according to Chi Chi, the meds he was put on recently had the effects of making someone very combative and paranoid. If Bulma and Chi Chi both felt like Goku became a different person, he had, and now he needed to recover from that.

Still, where the Goku Bulma knew would appreciate her words, the one that verbally attacked her might not be so receptive. Nervousness crept into her heart. She really hoped he wouldn't lash out at her again, especially when she was offering an olive branch. When the stress started to become too much, Bulma took a few breaths and got herself some water.

By force, she shifted her focus back to work. It was the only way to make time move by instead of watching the phone and waiting. She didn't even know what Goku was doing. He could be out or in therapy, so it could take a while even on a normal day to answer. About an hour later, Bulma was nearly done with her correspondence. Her phone chimed and her hand shot to it immediately.

It felt like there were rocks in her stomach as she went to view it. The message was definitely from Goku. Swallowing down her nerves, she opened it.

I'll take care of myself and be safe. You do the same, and thank you.

Bulma felt a bit better, a little relieved, but still anxious. At least he replied to her, and he didn't seem angry. If anything, he seemed very curt, but open. He even expressed in his own way some concern for her. Now all she could do was live up to her promise and give him space. In the meantime, she had her own life to live. She could only hope and pray that Goku would get ahold of himself. His family missed him. She missed him, too.

Before she her hopeful thoughts could shift down the rabbit hole, Vegeta came to her open door and lightly knocked, stealing her attention away from her inner reflection.

"Would you like to head home early for the evening?" he asked her. "I'm planning to work from home the rest of the night."

Bulma smiled at him. Vegeta always tried to have a healthy work/life balance, and lately even more so since she returned to the company. To be honest, Bulma wanted to get home anyway, especially because she knew the kids would be heading home soon. Trunks texted her about doing a movie night. It had been so long since the teenagers had any peace, the year being wilder than any other.

"Sure," she agreed. "Just let me finish writing this e-mail, and I'll be ready to go."

Vegeta nodded and took a seat on her small couch. He watched her from afar, his wife smiling though her eyes were tired. As happy as she was about all the good things in their life right now, she was still very troubled. He wanted to ask her about this, but he also didn't want to pressure her to discussing things unless she was ready. The least he could do in the meantime was make sure she rested when she could.

When Bulma finished with her work and shutdown her computer for the evening, he stood up as she did. She flashed him a smile and thankful glance and moved to him. He took her hand and laced their fingers together. "Let's go home."


Goku couldn't bring himself to get out of bed. He had earlier to eat and use the bathroom, but once again he lied there staring at the ceiling. His mind played Bulma's message over and over again. He didn't know what to think.

On the one hand, it bothered him that Bulma didn't tell him about the baby. On the other, he realized he was lucky she even cared about him at all. This wasn't the first time he'd hurt her, and she forgave him in the past, but this time was worse. He knew what she was suffering because of her stepmother. He knew she was in a bad place, and like Vegeta said Goku knew he dragged his best friend down with him. That was wrong of him, and he felt guilty. He truly cared about Bulma, but she couldn't help him, not anymore.

Goku felt like he needed to do exactly what she said and take time for himself. Not that the time he was taking was productive. Every new medication made things worse. Maybe he was just at a point where medications couldn't help him, but he knew without them he was so, so much worse. If he stopped trying to find a solution, he wouldn't even be able to recognize himself.

Maybe he needed to take one of the tidbits of Bulma's advice from the past. Maybe it was time to try a new therapist and new psychologist. He'd heard somewhere before that every few years, he was supposed to change it up, but he was so reluctant when it came to change. He was comfortable where he was. Still, if his train-wreck of a life was any indication, he needed to so something! If anything changed, it was him, and his tried-and-true solutions were unable to fix this. Case and point…Bulma.

Maybe part of the reason he lashed out was because her words just couldn't help him anymore. She tried to hard to help him stay calm. He still usually felt better when he talked to her, but her advice and anecdotes no longer made an impact. It wasn't her fault. It wasn't really his fault either. Yet he took his frustrations out on her. It was unfair.

His mind wandered to his wife and kids. This wasn't fair on them either… He could only imagine what his two teenagers thought about his absence. Self-hatred flared up as an awful realization hit him. Goku sat up in bed, his heart beating hard against his chest. He abandoned them, maybe not in the same way Bulma's father abandoned her, but dangerously close. Goku always hated the man for the way he treated his daughter. The one time, decades ago, that Bulma compared him to Trunks Brief angered Goku so much. Now, it didn't seem like so far of a stretch. Goku shook as tears filled his eyes.

What the fuck am I doing?

He honestly didn't have an answer anymore. All he knew was he needed to stay away. He was no good to anyone right now. He could only hope that Chi Chi and his children would be as understanding as Bulma appeared to be in her text message. Other than that, he really had no idea how else to handle this.


Seeing the kids enjoying themselves caused all the tension to roll off of Bulma's shoulders. It had been so long since they got to be normal teenagers, and even now nothing was truly normal. Despite everything that Valese endured with her mother, Gohan and Goten with their father, Mai and her PTSD, and Trunks and his near-death experience, they were all able to smile and chat about their day as if none of that resided in their minds and hearts. Bulma could really learn a lot from them.

Vegeta sat at the dining room table, watching actions unfold. A deliveryman came with pizzas, and Bulma served out the slices. Movies were chosen, all comedies, the genre suggested by Trunks. It was a good idea, Vegeta mused. He smirked. Ever the optimist. Then, Vegeta looked back to his wife. Bulma made plates of food for them and brought them to the table. She offered the man a smile and then started to quietly eat her slice of pizza.

After they finished, Vegeta took Bulma's hand before she could get up and busy herself with cleaning. He shook his head at her and then gestured to the upstairs with his head. Bulma grew serious; she wondered what Vegeta wanted to speak with her about in private. Lately, she had been so focused on keeping herself together and getting everything ready for the home visit, her job, and just making sure their home was in working order. They hadn't avoided each other, though Bulma didn't go out of her way to talk about more serious stuff other than the baby. Understanding filled her eyes. That was probably what her husband wanted to discuss.

So he and Bulma went upstairs to their bedroom, out to the balcony just like the first time Trunks had his friends over for movie night. Unlike that night, there were no drinks between them, and they knew much, much more about each other. They were partners in everything they did instead of virtual strangers getting to know each other and darting around their secrets. Bulma's expression softened as she thought of this, how surreal this was.

"So," she murmured softly, "what do you want to know?"

"Am I that transparent?" Vegeta replied jokingly, expression light despite the questions he planned to ask. "You haven't spoken much about Launch or Goku lately. I wanted to check in, see how you were doing with all of this."

Bulma embraced Vegeta, and her husband simply held her and offered his silent support. "The stuff with Launch…it is what it is," the woman declared. "Unfortunately, she and I will never be on good terms, not after that. I know I have to figure out a way to coexist with her. She's my brother's mother and a co-worker. I'm going to see her eventually. Lately, I just haven't bothered with trying to be a good stepdaughter anymore. For my own sanity, I'm going to do the bear minimum of stepdaughtering."

Vegeta chuckled. "Well, I can hardly say I blame you. I try not to let it follow me into work, but I'm pissed at her for making you relive it. When you brought Goku to the hospital, she was asking questions, and I gave her very clipped answers and no information. When she called you her daughter, I emphasized that you we my wife. I'm not proud of the fact that I did that, in front of Trunks and Mai no less, but I get it. And if you want to do the bear minimum, I can honestly say that's more than she deserves. She should have left the past in the past, or at least accept you two lived two different lives and knew two different versions of the man."

"I would have been fine to let her keep living the lie," Bulma pondered. "I didn't want to tear her down. I wish she had cared enough about me to feel the same. But what's done is done, and I accept that I will not have a good relationship with her."

Vegeta could tell that Bulma's resolve was absolute, and he supported her decision. His wife had done everything she could to conceal her pain for the sake of peace for far too long. Launch claimed to care about her, but her actions spoke volumes louder than words.

"What about Goku?"

A sad grin took its place upon her features. "I actually have some news on that," Bulma told him. "Earlier today, I texted him."

Vegeta seemed surprised. "Really," he murmured. "What brought that on?"

"A lot of overthinking," Bulma sheepishly admitted. "I just wanted him to know I'm still here. I was afraid if I didn't…"

"I understand," Vegeta replied. "That was a very kind thing to do. I don't know if I could be so forgiving."

"You are," Bulma countered. "Look at how far you've come with your mom. And I get it. You're not thrilled with what Goku did. To be honest, I'm not either, and my trust in him is shaken. But he has to know there are still people who care about him and love him if he's ever going to get better."

"How did he react?"

"He was a little clipped," Bulma answered, "but I guess that's better than nothing. I told him to be safe and take care of himself, and he promised me he would and told me to do the same."

Vegeta nodded. "That's progress, however little."

"Yeah," Bulma agreed before she frowned. "I just feel awful for Chi Chi and the boys. I mean, if I'm so torn up over it, I can't even imagine…"

All of a sudden, Bulma's eyes widened, as if an idea came to her. Vegeta curiously asked, "What is it?"

"Do you think you can handle the kids for a while?"

"Of course," Vegeta confirmed. "Why?"

Bulma offered him a smile and said, "I think I'm going to go spend some time with Chi Chi. I have a feeling we both need a girls night."

Vegeta smirked at the woman, feeling some relief that she suggested something so ordinary. It was healthy for her to take time for herself. "Stay out however long you need. I can hold down the fort here."

She whispered thankful words to him before she kissed Vegeta chastely. Bulma then left him alone with his thoughts. Vegeta's earlier concerns diminished. It seemed Bulma was doing a fine job of getting back to regularity. She was acting more like herself, and he was proud of her. There was still some timidity about her, but her determined attitude returned a little bit more every day. Bulma continued to be a brave soul. For the first time in a long while, Vegeta knew everything would ultimately be fine, all because of Bulma's inner strength.


A/N: I apologize for the long, looooong wait, but between COVID and injuring myself back in June, I haven't really been writing anything. Thanks to a pothole I broke my leg and tore a ligament, then sprained the other ankle, and I just started walking without a medical boot the beginning of September. Thankfully, my energy has returned, and I'm at my computer daily for online grad classes. I'm hoping to get everything updated in as consistent a manner as I can muster. I thank everyone for their continued patience!

Review responses. Lol, only one last chapter, short and sweet.

Guest: Welp…you'll just have to wait and see!