Chi-Chi was completely taken by surprise when she heard the helicopter blades outside, which loudly whipped about in an angry manner. She was six months pregnant, exhausted, and hungry. Gohan had gone out only an hour earlier with a promise that for lunch he would catch her the largest whale he could find, and she'd been anxiously awaiting his return ever since. She forced herself up from the bed with a groan. Clutching her bulging stomach, the weak mother dragged herself to the nearest window.

"Oh," She said. Sure enough, Bulma and Trunks were outside. She watched as the Bluehead unbuckled herself and began to gather up the baby. Chi-Chi made her way to the living room just in time to hear a loud knock at the door. "Come in!" She called, not caring to exert the energy required to actually answer the door. "It's unlocked!" The door popped open, and Bulma popped her head in to see Chi-Chi carefully settling herself down on the couch. She let her head fall back as she sat, a sharp gasp escaping her lips. She closed her eyes, catching her breath. The mere act of raising her voice was enough to leave her windless these days.

Bulma set Trunks down to play on the floor, and went to sit across from her friend. "How do you feel?" She asked, though she could already predict the answer.

"Oh, well…" Chi-Chi breathed. "You were pregnant with Trunks, weren't you? You know how it is."

"That bad, huh?"

Chi-Chi nodded. "Yup." She opened her eyes and picked her back head up to look at the Bluehead, raising her tired brows. "What about you? It's been months since I heard from you."

"I'm sorry. I've been meaning to see you more. I really have – it's just… It's been so busy, you have no idea…"

"Uh-huh." Chi-Chi nodded again. Her eyes were glossing over Bulma's cheekbones. There was still the hue of an old purple bruise across her face. She hadn't bothered to cover it with makeup before leaving the house that morning. Chi-Chi narrowed her eyes, trying to straighten her posture. "Gohan went to the city to get a new pair of slacks recently - he's been trying to find an honest job… He told me about some headlines he saw that were all over the newspapers…"

Of course. Bulma let out her own tired sigh. She had been expecting this. "It's all a lie. Everything they're saying is wrong."

"Uh-huh." Chi-Chi repeated. She was shooting Bulma a questioning look, as if to say 'If that's not what happened, then what's with the bruise?'

Bulma didn't blame her. It was natural to be curious. Perhaps even suspicious. It seemed that Vegeta didn't have a very good reputation among any of the Z-Fighters - or their families. The Bluehead let out another sigh and ran a hand through her short hair. "This didn't come from Vegeta – really. It didn't. I was… I got attacked. In the city, by some crazy man. It – it was really bad. Vegeta's actually the one who saved me – it was awful. Some kid saw my face after that and decided to run with it. You know how it is…"

"Ah!" Chi-Chi chimed, complete belief in her voice. "You really have had a lot going on!"

"We both have!" Bulma shrugged awkwardly.

The two women began to talk then – and they began to really talk. Their conversation transitioned quickly, reaching far depths in only a short period of time. In the past the two women had been kind to one another, but never had been particularly close. Bulma was both surprised and relieved to be engaging with Chi-Chi on such a personal level, the mutual experiences in their lives bringing them both together. Though Vegeta was very much alive and well, Bulma could painfully relate to the hurt that Chi-Chi felt to be pregnant without the father around. The symptoms of carrying Saiyan DNA, the isolation, the pain. They had both encountered difficulties that the average person could never understand, let alone believe. It felt so good to have someone to confide in.

It was apparent that Chi-Chi had progressed in her mourning of Goku. It certainly made things easier when she knew that he was enjoying himself in the afterlife, likely training alongside King Kai. But what hurt the most was the loneliness of his absence. The financial worry of raising two children without a steady income. The empty bed, the lack of supportive arms for her to fall into at night. Gohan tried his best to help around the house as much as he could – but in the end he was only a boy, and he was her son. It was a much different dynamic than it was to have Goku nearby. Goku had been her lover… Chi-Chi was exhausted, and she felt very much alone.

Bulma regretted that her own personal issues had kept her from offering more support. She'd meant to do so much in throwing her a baby shower, and that clearly hadn't happened at all. She'd been aware that Chi-Chi would need her, and yet time had gone by much too quickly… And she felt guilty. As hard as she'd had it with Vegeta in the past, Chi-Chi's situation seemed to be exponentially worse. Chi-Chi needed a friend.

A sound could be heard coming from the front of the house. The two women looked up to see the door opening, and in stepped Gohan. "It's out front. Not as big as I was hoping, but it's the best I could find." He was saying, before he looked up. "Oh! Miss Bulma!"

The Bluehead nodded with a smile. Gohan looked just as drained and pensive as he had the last time she'd seen him. He was only an adolescent, and yet there was so much responsibility on his shoulders. So much age in his eyes. So much going on.

Trunks, who had been gleefully pulling the blankets off of Gohan's bed while the two women spoke, came waddling into the room at the sound of a new voice. He vaguely remembered Gohan from the previous interactions they'd had, but he did remember how much he'd liked this guy. When Trunks saw his face he squealed, throwing up his hands with a delightful greeting.

"Hey, Trunks!" Gohan replied, a genuine smile stretching across his tired face. He bent down so he could be eye-level with the toddler. "How's it going?"

"Hi!" Trunks said. It had been a long time since they'd seen each other, but this nice guy had even remembered his name! Trunks decided right then and there that they were going to be friends.

"Well, I need to go get the fire started." Gohan announced, standing back up. "Would you like to join us for lunch, Miss Bulma?"

She felt bad to be eating their food, which seemed to be a a bit scarce. And yet, she was not ready to leave so soon. So she nodded and stood from the couch. "Oh course! Need any help?"

"No thanks. Just try to relax. It usually cooks pretty fast." Gohan made to walk back outside then, and Trunks let out a wail of protest. The toddler jumped up to go after him, making an incoherent noise that could only be described as the warning of a wrathful baby. Gohan glanced at the child from over his shoulder, looking up to give Bulma a hesitant nod. "Hey, is it okay if he helps me, Miss Bulma? I think he wants to go outside."

"Of course!" Bulma said again. "But if he gets in the way, let me know. I think he likes you!"

And so, with that permission, Gohan held the door open and watched little Trunks waddle outside on his own. Bulma glanced out the window to see the adolescent as he carefully started a bonfire, pointing at it while he instructed Trunks of something. Bulma smiled as Trunks, a look of full determination on his face, backed away from the fire and scampered towards the whale that Gohan had caught.

Those two would be good for each other.

.

Vegeta was in the middle of his 111th set of pull-ups when he felt Bulma's ki starting to drift away. He stopped, holding himself in midair with his chin touching the bar. He traced as her and Trunks' ki took off in the opposite direction of the city.

Was she really leaving?

"You've got to be fucking kidding!" He hissed, throwing himself down from the bar and growling as his feet hit the floor. The Saiyan had just been starting to feel well enough to go in and hash things out with her as soon as he was finished with that set. And now she was now flying away?

What was with that damned woman?

Sometimes he wondered if she was more hot-headed than Frieza had been. It seemed that anything could set her off, and once she was pissed there seemed to be no limits. She'd just been complaining because he had been taking time to himself, and now she was running off with their kid! As if that logic worked in any way! And what more, there really was no telling when she would return. Perhaps she would only be away for a few hours. But Bulma was stubborn as hell, and if she'd decided to do this as some way of making a point, she could be gone for days! He wouldn't put it past her to leave for weeks, even, just to return abruptly and say "There! How do you like it?"

The altercation she'd had with that freak in the city was still a pretty recent event. Vegeta wasn't sure if he was even comfortable with her going off on her own. What if something happened while she was out, and he wasn't there to keep her from harm – again? It was his duty to protect his kin, and he'd already failed at that once! Vegeta closed his eyes and tracked as her helicopter drifted even further away from the city. She was fire-tempered and impulsive, but perhaps she was acting rationally despite her anger. She certainly wasn't putting herself in danger's way.

In fact, it seemed she was heading somewhere safe… towards Kakarot's old place…

Should he go after her, or should he wait it out?

She was unpredictable as hell. If he went after her, chances were she'd become even more enraged and yell at him for following. There was an equal likelihood, though, that if he chose to wait for her at home she would find that just as offensive. As he weighed the outcomes, Vegeta could even hear her voice yelling both "What are you doing here? Leave me alone!" and "You didn't even bother coming after me! You didn't care that I was gone! You don't care at all!"

The last thing he wanted was for her to think that...

Vegeta let out a defeated groan, running a hand through his sweaty hair. She'd warned him twice now that he was going to drive himself crazy. What she'd failed to mention was that she would be the one to ultimately do send him over the edge.

.

The sun was setting over Mt. Paozu, and Bulma was standing outside as she pinned clothes onto a line. The Bluehead had spent the majority of the day doing work around the house. She felt it was her duty to both Gohan and the dearly departed Goku to help take care of Chi-Chi while she was practically bed-ridden. It had taken hours of arguing on both womans' part, Chi-Chi being too proud to accept help, and Bulma being too stubborn to back down once she had decided on something. But ultimately Chi-Chi was pregnant with a saiyan, and her lack of energy had been the key factor in the Bluehead's victory with that argument. They had been going at it for more than an hour after they finished eating lunch, and finally Chi-Chi threw her hands up in the air. She was breathless from yelling, and she fell back into the chair she'd been sitting in. "I can't, I can't do this right now." She had gasped, closing her eyes. "I told you how I feel. Do what you want."

"I know, I know..." Bulma had replied. She and Gohan both made to help lift Chi-Chi to her feet, offering support as they walked her to the bedroom and set her into bed. "You need to take it easy. Just get some rest. Don't worry."

Chi-Chi was still catching her breath as she pulled the blanket up to her chin. "We're fine. We don't ne-"

"I know you're fine!" Bulma said. She was trying to be soothing as she spoke, but there was an angry undertone to her voice. "Gohan and you are managing just fine. But I'm here for a visit, and the more I can help, the more time Gohan will have to catch up on his studying later. Right?"

Chi-Chi smiled, clearly drifting off to sleep. "He's such a smart boy…"

... And she hadn't woken up since. Bulma had sent Gohan and Trunks off to play and explore together while she began on five hours of housework. She had cleaned dishes, put away loose items, and mopped the floors. She'd even scrubbed the toilet! She'd done nearly all of it on her own – but she had to put her foot down when it had come to doing the laundry. The Son family didn't even own a washing machine, and Bulma didn't know how the hell to wash clothing without one. As soon as Gohan had returned with Trunks, the Bluehead asked him to do it for her. "I don't know what the hell to do – I can't. I just can't!" She'd said, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "That's okay, Miss Bulma. I do it all the time..." And so Gohan took a few armfuls of clothes out back. And when he returned back into the house announcing that he'd finished everything, Bulma had rewarded him with the loose change she had been carrying in her purse.

"This is.." Gohan gasped, turning the money in his hands with disbelief. "Miss Bulma, this is too much."

"You did the laundry for me, didn't you? Now, I want you to take this and go into town. Spend it on groceries and other things that you guys need. But I also want you to buy yourself something. And make sure it's for yourself - something fun. Okay?"

"But, Miss Bulma…" The adolescent gulped. "This is… this is more than a hundred-thousand zeni…"

Bulma gave him a firm pat on the shoulder, his eyes still fixed on the bills in his hands. "Trust me, kid. You deserve it. You've done a lot. Now hide it so nobody tries to rob you, and make sure you spend it all before you come back! You know your mother, she'll make you return it to me if there's even a small fraction of it left. Okay?"

Gohan looked up and saw the serious tone in Bulma's eyes. Slowly the shock on his face began to transition to delight, a wide smile spreading across his cheeks. "You're the best, Miss Bulma!"

"I know, I know… Now hurry along. You only have a few hours left before shops start closing. So go!"

And with that, Gohan had taken off for the city, leaving Bulma behind to hang the wet laundry out front. Trunks had fallen asleep on the couch, exhausted from his experience wandering the outdoors with his new best friend. Gohan had introduced him to a lot of different things that day, and it was all too much for the little boy's body to take. He'd helped Gohan when they'd cooked lunch, clung to him as Gohan flew them through the woods, and even had carried as much as his little arms could manage as the two boys gathered firewood together. Trunks just wasn't used to doing so much walking, talking, and lifting in one day! He felt that he could sleep for hours.

And so it was just Bulma by herself, as she finished pinning the damp clothing to the line. She was happy to do her part for Chi-Chi and Gohan, but it had been quite a long and unusual day. She was mentally and physically exhausted, thinking that there would be nothing left to do once the laundry was dry and folded. She'd accomplished her goal – she'd done it all.

It was night by the time she finished hanging everything up on the line. And she took a deep breath, lifting the empty laundry hamper to make her way back inside. She was just about to turn towards the house when she heard a rustling noise in the nearby trees.

Bulma picked her head up, glaring in the direction of the sound. Only the moon and the dim lighting from inside the house was illuminating her view, and it was hard to make out what the noise had been in the darkness. The rustling could have been many things – the wind, a rodent... a wild creature... or perhaps even a person… The Bluehead clenched her jaw as her muscles grew tense, and she took an uneasy step back. Suddenly she was gravely reminded of just how alone she was...

Flashbacks of being attacked in the city began to threaten the whites behind her eyes, and Bulma had to fight to swallow the lump forming in her throat. She felt so vulnerable... and she hated it.

"Who's there?" She called, thinking that her voice sounded much more confident than she really was feeling in that moment. She clutched the hamper, as if it could act as some type of shield.

The rustling grew louder, and Bulma couldn't help but to flinch. She opened her eyes just in time to see as a familiar shadow began to step out from the trees.

Another chapter up! For the record, from what I could calculate, the money that Bulma gave to Gohan should be equivalent to about $1,000 USD. And that was just her pocket change! Life must be great when your last name is Briefs!