Goten's breaths came out in little white puffs as he finished shoveling the last of the snow out of his driveway, knowing full well he'd have to do it all over again later that evening. The trees were bare, and the ground was covered in a sparkly white blanket as far as the eye could see. Fall was long gone and winter was officially here.

Goten glanced at his Capsule Watch as he put away his shovel. It read 10:37. He still had enough time to grab a quick lunch before his afternoon classes. He wiped his snow covered boots on the welcome mat before making his way back into his little house.

It had been several months since he moved in, and it finally looked like a home. Due in no small part to a certain blunette. From the beige blanket she liked to curl up under thrown over the back of the couch, to the stacks of documents piled on the coffee table that she'd look over with a glass of wine while he watched TV or cooked dinner.

He opened up the refrigerator to find it looking a little more bare than he'd like. Bura had mentioned that she may work late tonight. Goten made a mental note to stop at the grocery store on his way back so he could have a proper dinner waiting for her.

He gathered up a change of clothes to throw on after his classes and set off into town. As he walked through the snow covered shopping center, he couldn't help but notice all the happy couples he passed, some holding hands or simply talking, even a few with small children. He wondered if tonight went the way he hoped, if maybe that might be him and Bura one day.

He could see it so clearly, strolling down the street with the blunette, carrying their own little bundle of joy. Perhaps a little girl, with Bura's gorgeous hair. Or a boy who took after his own father.

If anything, the prospect excited him. Maybe his mother wasn't that far off when she'd walked in on them having breakfast in his house. Not that he'd tell her that. Goten can't help but wonder what it would be like if he and Bura were to have children. Teaching them how to walk, how to fly and fight.

A warm, aching sensation bloomed in his chest at the mental image. Even in all the years he and Paris had been together, he had never truly imagined having a family with her. But the thought of doing so with Bura, didn't scare him at all.

He'd spent so much time wracked with guilt over his attraction to the heiress. And for what? It would be one thing if lust was the only thing he felt for Bura. At first, he thought that was the case. But at some point, Goten didn't know when or how that had changed.

There was no telling when Trunks would return to Earth. And with each passing day he spent with Bura, he felt less and less inclined to wait. Last night, while he and Bura lay curled around another on his sofa by the fire, her dozing off against his chest while he lazily ran his fingers through her aqua tresses, it suddenly clicked into place for him.

He wasn't giving this up for anything or anyone. Not even his oldest, his best friend.

He couldn't imagine going to sleep without her in his arms. Her legs weaved in between his, using his body heat to warm her seemingly perpetually cold feet. Or the simple pleasure of exchanging small talk as she got ready for work while he sipped his morning coffee.

When he'd asked her what was happening between them, she hadn't really given him a clear answer, but he suspected, hoped, that she felt the same.

Tonight was the night he'd ask her to make it official, to just be with him, out in the open. No more dancing around the subject. There wasn't anyone else for him and he intended to make that perfectly, crystal clear. If that made Trunks or anyone else in their circle upset, they'd just have to get over it.

A sudden 'thump' and a barrage of colored parcels scattering across his path, followed by a string of shouted expletives, broke Goten from his chain of thought.

On the snow-covered walkway, trying to gather up her scattered belongings, was a petite blonde girl with crystal clear blue eyes.

"Marron?"

The blonde's gaze snapped up, and Goten rushed forward to help her pick up her things. He took one of the heavy bags in hand, but it wasn't until she took his hand to help her up from the ground that he noticed the strangeness of her scent and the curve of her belly protruding from beneath her heavy coat that definitely wasn't there the last time he'd seen her. A secondary thrum of ki was emanating from the blonde, that was far too robust to be human.

Marron was pregnant, with his best friend's baby. A baby. Trunks was going to be a dad. The thought was a little shocking.

"You're… I mean, woah." He was sure the look on his face must have been ridiculous as he tried to articulate his surprise at her current state, because she burst out laughing.

"Yes Goten, as you can see, I am pregnant. Get it out of your system." She sighed as she peeled off her gloves which appeared to be soggy after using them to break her fall in the snow.

Goten heard a series of clicks and glanced up. Across the street, a gaggle of paparazzi stood snapping photos of the pair.

"You'd think if they were going to follow me around all over town, they could at least offer to carry my bags." Marron rolled her eyes.

"Are you alright? You really wiped out." He took her sodden gloves, drying them with a flare of his ki before handing them back to her.

"I'm okay really-" It was then that Marron's stomach gave a noisy growl, much to her mortification. "Umm."

Goten couldn't help but chuckle at his ruffled childhood friend. "I was just about to grab something to eat on my way to work. Would you like to join me? You can warm up and tell me what's… new with you…" He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck awkwardly.

"That sounds great, actually."

"Here, I'll take those," he gestured to the collection of bags she was clutching. It was the gentlemanly thing to do, after all.

The two childhood friends settled into the cozy restaurant, thankful to be out of the cold. Marron beamed as the server brought their drinks to the table. She lifted her mug to her lips, blowing on it softly before taking a sip of her hot cocoa. "Damn, I miss coffee," she chuckled.

"I bet," Goten said as he drank from his own mug, "… does he know?"

"Nope," she said with a frown.

"Good, because if he did, and he still left…" The dark-haired halfling trailed off.

"I know. But he didn't. I didn't know at the time either."

"I tried to stop him from leaving." Goten said softly.

"The only person in control of Trunks is Trunks. If he wanted to go, there's nothing even you could have done." The blonde waved a hand dismissively.

"He'll come home." If not, Goten would drag him home himself.

"I know he will. I just hope it's sooner rather than later." Marron smiled. "He won't know what hit him. A lot's happened since he left, a baby on the way… and his best friend and his sister… shacking up."

Goten's eyes snapped up at her words, "how did you…?"

"I overheard you two the night before my shitshow of a wedding," She rolled her eyes, and the dark-haired Saiyan felt heat rise to his cheeks. "I asked Bura about it and she confirmed it."

"Ah," He cleared his throat awkwardly as the server brought them their food. A heaping pile of pancakes, bacon and eggs for the demi-saiyan and a plate of crepes smothered in strawberries, cream and powdered sugar, along with a generously sized bowl of sliced fruit, a plate of hash browns, and an omelette for Marron. It seemed being pregnant with a Saiyan meant you had the appetite of one.

"You and Bura are going to have to tell me how you keep the paps off of your back," Marron laughed as she began slicing up her crepes into small bite-size portions. "I'm surprised the tabloids haven't outed you yet."

"Avoid the city, if you can." Goten scowled at the small band of reporters and photographers huddled outside the cafe window. When he and Bura went out, they always did it in more low-key locations to avoid them. It meant spending a lot more time in his hometown, where the camera wielding nuisances were rarely seen.

"Maybe they haven't caught onto you two because they've been too busy breathing down my neck." The blonde said sourly as she speared a syrupy red strawberry with her fork. "oh well, ignore them. So what exactly is going on between you and Bura? Are you just playing house and sleeping together or what? What's going on there?"

"Wow, way to cut through all the bullshit, Mare."

"I'm six months pregnant Goten, my quarter saiyan child thinks my organs are a punching bag, I have to pee every five minutes, like right now for instance, and I can't remember the last time I had a full eight hours of sleep, I don't have the energy for 'bullshit'. What's the deal?"

"I… just want to be with her, in whatever way she wants."

"So… you're not just stringing her along while holding a torch for Paris?"

"What? No!" Goten set down his fork, "She… doesn't think that, does she?"

"I can't really speak for her, but I will say when I asked her about the nature of your relationship, she didn't really seem to know either."

"When was that?"

"A while back, have you two still not had this conversation?"

"I tried to have that conversation, but then we just ended up…" The dark-haired Saiyan trailed off, feeling heat rise to his cheeks once again, causing the blonde to sigh and roll her eyes.

"You Saiyans are really ridiculous sometimes. Surely you break occasionally for snacks and punching things? Maybe you could use that time to exchange words."

"We talk, we just haven't talked about that, but just so you know, I do actually have plans to talk to her about it tonight." Goten shoveled another forkful of pancake into his mouth. "I'm just… being careful."

"Being careful? About what? She's a person, not a bomb." The blonde deadpanned.

"The last time I tried to push someone into a commitment they weren't ready for, it kinda blew up in my face." He said sourly, but then his expression softened. "This thing with Bura kind of snuck up on me out of nowhere and at first I wasn't sure I wanted it-no, scratch that, I wanted it, I just didn't think I should want it and now that I have it… I just don't want to screw it up."

"Bura is not Paris." Marron said pointedly.

"I know." He said quietly, "But she's still a lot younger than I am, and she may want something or….someone… else for herself, so I'm just going to tell her that the ball is in her court, and we'll go from there."

The pair finished their late impromptu breakfast, and they were just about to say their goodbyes when Marron let out a soft gasp.

Goten's eyebrows shot up in alarm and he put a hand on his friend's back, preparing to hoist her up into his arms and spring into action.

"It's nothing!"

Goten let out a sigh of relief and Marron laughed. "The baby just kicked. You Saiyans are a hearty bunch, even at this stage, it seems." She placed a hand on her belly, her eyes flicked to his. "Wanna feel?"

He glanced down at her rounded stomach, he'd never been asked to do such a thing before…

Well, there was a first thing for everything he supposed. Carefully, tentatively, he placed a gloved hand on her belly, and felt a surprisingly firm thumping sensation against his palm. "There's a saiyan in there alright!"

"You're telling me, I'm surprised I haven't broken a rib or something." Marron groaned, "Well, I'm going to head home, don't stress over things with Bura, I think everything is going to turn out just fine."

"Thanks, Mare." Goten beamed as the blonde tossed down a capsule, and a sleek white air car appeared.

It was officially the Longest. Day. Ever.

Bura yawned as she listened to another endless droning spiel on quotas, quarterly budgets and flagrant overuse of the word "synergy", an endless onslaught of tiresome bureaucratic drivel.

Bura could normally slog through these meetings easily enough, but she just wasn't feeling it today. She glanced toward the large window. Outside the sky was a blanket of grey and the stretch of domed buildings that made up West City were covered in a thick sheet of white as little flurries sailed and fluttered through the air.

It would have been the perfect day to stay in bed.

She wished she'd done just that. Every morning it seemed to get harder and harder to leave the perfect, cozy bliss that was Son Goten's embrace, and this morning was no different.

She couldn't remember the last time she slept in her own bed. It had been several months. If not for the cleaning bots, there would probably be a thin sheen of dust decorating her bedroom at her family home.

… And she still hadn't had an actual conversation with Goten about the status of their relationship.

What was she waiting for?

Trunks to come home? It was probably best that they figure out their situation before then. Not that his opinion on her relationship with the dark-haired hybrid mattered to her. She and Goten were consenting adults, and he had no business dictating the terms of their relationship. She knew it was something that had definitely made Goten hesitant to act on their attraction to one another, though.

He hadn't brought it up in weeks, though.

And She was also wary of the possibility of the dark-haired Saiyan rejecting her for a time, that he saw her as only a casual fling or distraction from his failed relationship with Paris. But the more time they spent together, the less likely that seemed.

He cooked her dinner almost every night, and she kind of, sort of sometimes helped. Despite his best efforts, it seemed she still would not be donning a chef hat anytime soon. But he never made her feel bad about it, even when she'd nearly set fire to his kitchen when he attempted to teach her how to make his mother's tori karaage.

He'd cleared out space for her in his dresser. He kept the fridge and pantry supplied with her favorite snacks. One morning, after a particularly good romp, he'd asked her what toiletries she wanted him to stock the bathroom with so she wouldn't have to rush home to get ready and they could spend more of their mornings together. He'd given her a key to his house, so that she could come and go as she pleased.

Those were not things you do for someone you're casually sleeping with.

Those were things you do for someone you're in a serious relationship with.

Her sixteen-year-old self would be in a state of utter shock at her life today. It seemed like only yesterday she was a silly, love-struck teenager, pining hopelessly for the youngest Son.

She wasn't that silly girl with a crush anymore; she was a grown woman…

… and she was completely, overwhelmingly and without a shadow of a doubt, in love with Son Goten.

And if there was a man on this planet worth taking a chance on, it was him.

She snapped her laptop shut and turned to her assistant, "Penelope, could you please take notes for me on the rest of the meeting? I'm taking the rest of the afternoon off."

Without another word, Bura swept her paperwork messily off the table and into her briefcase. She would not work late tonight. She was going to tell Son Goten exactly how she felt about him, and let the chips fall where they may.

She looked at the clock, noting the time. He would be locking up the dojo soon. So that's where she would go.

Goten sighed as he rubbed the last of the excess moisture from his spiky raven hair. It was quiet in the dojo but for the soft drip of the shower head in the locker room. All of his students had cleared out for the day. He took a seat on the bench, slinging his towel over his shoulders and pulling out his phone to check his messages. There was only one, from Bura.

Change of plans, I won't be working late after all, see you soon!

He glanced at the clock in the corner of his smartphone, and a thread of anxiety wormed its way into his belly. He thought he'd have more time to prepare something special for tonight. Flowers, candles, all of that.

He would figure out something. He just needed to work quickly.

It was then that the door to the locker room creaked open.

"I'm sorry we're closed…" His words died off as he realized just who was standing before him.

"Paris?"

"Hi," her yellow heels clicked against the tile floor as she strode toward him, "I hoped that we could talk."

He sighed, dragging a hand over his face in exasperation before crossing his arms over his chest. "Paris, we have talked, we've had the same conversation over and over, and it's not good for either of us."

"I just, I feel terrible about the way I left things between us... and how I treated you. It was wrong, and I'm just- I'm so sorry." Her voice was cracking, and her tawny eyes had welled up with tears."I've missed you and I really screwed up," she croaked, "I just- I want to know... if maybe you missed me too?"

"Paris…" As done as he was with this woman, he wasn't heartless. He took no pleasure whatsoever in the tears now freely streaking down her cheeks."I'm not doing this with you. I appreciate the apology, but you need to leave."

He tossed the towel that had been hanging around his shoulders into a nearby bin, and began pulling on his shirt when, to his surprise, Paris snaked her arms around his waist, burying her face into his back.

"Goten, please give me another chance. I made a mistake."

Goten spun around out of her grasp, his back to the lockers. "No, I'm not interested in playing games with you. I'm with someone else now."

"It's not a game! I just had- I had some doubts about us- you were ready to settle down and I wasn't sure about us and I really wanted to focus on my career. I just felt like we wanted different things and then I made a horrible mistake. I see that now-"

"You were right. We do want different things. We weren't happy together."

"No! No, I was wrong about us." She tentatively ran her hand up his chest to rest on his broad shoulders. "You're sweet and kind and you were always there for me... Blaine was nothing like you. We can go back to the way things were. I'm ready to be a wife to you!"

"It's too late for that. I'm in love with Bura."

That was the first time he'd said that. He was in love with Bura. Though he wished he were saying it to the blunette herself and not his ex, but those words, it was shocking how natural they felt on his lips.

"You can't mean that. You and I have so much history, you're just going to throw that all away? We were together for five years. That has to mean something to you." Her tawny eyes shone with stubborn resolve.

Goten moved to disentangle himself from her when Paris abruptly flung her arms around his neck and sealed her lips over his.

Bura pulled into the snowy parking lot outside the dojo. All the lights, save for the open sign in the window, were still on. He was still here.

Okay, deep breaths Bura.

The Heiress was going to muster up every ounce of courage in her body and march right into that dojo and spill her heart out. It would be a piece of cake. She was Bura Briefs, Princess of all Saiyans. She could do this.

He had feelings for her; she knew it in her gut. And if she was wrong, and he didn't want something serious, they could just keep things the way they are. They could. They could go on keeping it a secret from their friends and family ( at least the ones who hadn't figured it out for themselves yet anyway) if that's what Goten wanted. Though the thought left a hollow feeling in her chest.

With another calming deep breath, she stepped out of her car, striding briskly toward the glass double doors. She grasped the handle, but stopped short of pulling the door open.

No.

If he rejected her, they wouldn't be able to go on the way they have been. It would crush her.

It didn't matter. She'd been sitting on these feelings for too long, probably longer than she'd cared to admit, and she was no coward.

She entered the dojo to find it was closed, but the door was still unlocked, so she let herself in. It was then that she felt a smaller, almost insignificant ki signature occupying the space along with the dark-haired saiyan's.

It was then she heard a noise, a murmur of a feminine voice, joined by another voice that obviously belonged to Goten.

Something heavy grew in Bura's chest as she followed the noise into the locker room.

There was Paris, pressing Goten up against the lockers, her arms tangled around his neck, her lips pressed against his. The sight before her blurred in and out of focus as she felt her heart plummet right to her feet. She had to get away. She couldn't bear to look at this heartbreaking display a moment longer.

She turned on her heel and fled.

Goten had just managed to wrench his face away from Paris' when a clatter of footsteps and flash of blue hair accompanied by an unmistakable shiver of ki caught his attention.

Bura.

Fuck.

Goten firmly, but carefully removed the brunette's hands from his body, and all but ran past her, out both sets of doors into the parking lot where the Heiress was retreating to her cherry red air-car.

"Bura! Wait, please!" He called, jogging forward to catch her as a heavy snow fell all around them, and when she wouldn't turn back, he reached out a hand, snagging her by the upper arm. "Bura please."

Quicker than he could blink, she ripped her arm out of his grasp, whipping around to face the dark-haired halfing, her cheeks flushed, aqua eyes shining with rage and hurt, her lower lip trembling. "What Goten?"

"That wasn't what you think it was, not at all-"

Bura let out a forced, mocking laugh at that. "So I didn't just see you kissing your ex-girlfriend with my own two eyes?"

This was getting out of hand fast.

"No-"

"Is that so? Because it really, really looked like you were." The blunette scoffed. "It's fine Goten, it doesn't matter, we were just fucking around. Kiss whoever the fuck you want. I don't care."

"You don't mean that, Bura, if you would just let me explain-"

"You don't have to explain anything to me Goten, I'm not your girlfriend, I'm not your wife and I frankly don't care at all who you kiss." The scowl on her soft features rivaled that of her fathers. She was hurt, humiliated and her pride was practically in pieces, and now she was lashing out at him to regain some dignity.

"You seem pretty upset for someone who doesn't care. We both know that's not true."

"It is, I don't care, Goten. Like I said, kiss whoever you want. We were just fucking around anyway."

,

"That's a lie." He said softly, "and you know it."

The hybrids both looked up at the sound of footsteps crunching through the snow. Just a few feet away, standing outside the dojo's double doors, was Paris.

Goten's eyes flicked back to Bura, her aqua gaze furious as she looked at absolutely anything but the brunette now watching this nightmare of a situation unfold, her fists clenched at her sides.

Bura shook her head and let out a bitter little laugh. "I have to go. I'd hate to put a damper on your little reunion."

Goten took a careful step forward. "Bura, please don't leave."

"Don't." Bura shot him a warning look as she slid into her driver's seat. "My assistant will send for my things."

With that, she slammed the door so hard it shocked him she didn't break it, and the next thing he knew she had sped off down the street and out of sight,

"Goten…" a small voice whispered from behind him and Goten felt a hand curl around his bicep. He shrugged it off.

"Paris… please… you've done enough." He sighed, "just go, please."

One week later…

Trunks opened the door to his and Marron's shared apartment

He reached out, his fingers sliding over the wall, feeling for the switch. He flicked on the light and even though he knew what likely awaited him, the sight of the empty apartment still felt strange to him as he went from room to room.

It was immaculate, not a speck of a dust to be found on any surface. Clearly his Mother was still sending maid service over to keep the place in order.

All of Marron's things were gone.

All the framed photos they'd taken since they got together were missing. The house slippers she kept tucked beneath her side of the bed were nowhere to be found, along with the stack of romance novels that normally cluttered her bedside table. Absolutely everything down to her toothbrush was gone.

Like she'd never been here at all.

A small part of him had been hoping or even half-expecting her to be here. Waiting for him. A foolish part, clearly. Of course, she was gone. Why on earth would she stay?

He pictured Marron, alone in their apartment, packing away all the traces of her presence in their home into neat little boxes, and his heart squeezed painfully in his chest.

The reality of his actions finally, truly, sinking in.

If only he hadn't been so utterly, completely stupid, she might still be here. If he hadn't been such a coward.

Unbidden, a surge of raw, inexorable rage shot through him, at the situation, at himself, at the cold, quiet, achingly empty apartment. With a cry of frustration, he upended the dining room table, and when that didn't make him feel any better, he snatched up a nearby chair and hurled it through the patio door.

He continued to unleash his rage on the furniture until the entire dwelling looked like a tornado had hit it. There was glass and various pieces of mail scattered across the floor, furniture strewn about in pieces and various holes in the drywall.

Trunks sunk to his knees, his hands fisted against the carpet as he tried to quell the rabbiting in his chest.

When his breathing finally evened somewhat, he looked around at the awful mess he had made, and a wave of shame washed over him.

With a heavy sigh, he picked up the pieces of his now destroyed home, when his gaze landed on a magazine that had fallen to the floor amidst the mail that now littered his living room.

He picked it up, turning it over in his hands. It was a gossip rag.

… and on its cover was a picture of his best friend and the woman he loved, smiling genially at one another, his hand on her swollen, pregnant belly.

'The Truth Behind Capsule Corp. CEO's Disappearance'