Disclaimer: I own nothing. Poor Deadly Beauty I don't own a single thing.
A/N: Wow, can you believe it. 9 Chapters and people still haven't got sick of it. I didn't even expect to get 1 review for this so I'm happy. Thank-you to you all so much. Hopefully the next chapter will be out soon, I'm not very busy anymore, except for homework and boy trouble but can't help these things can you. Oh well. ~Deadly Beauty
A Helping Hand
Chapter 9
4 days later or rather 4 nights later, Krillen and 18 were lying in bed trying their best to sleep, but they weren't really getting anywhere. They knew the minute that one of them dozed off Marron would wake up and scream her head off.
"Krillen" said 18 sleepily. Krillen wrapped his arms around 18 a little tighter and mumbled his reply. "Yeah?".
"Just wanted to see if you were still awake" said 18. Krillen groaned "You should be sleeping babe, you need your rest".
"I wish I was asleep right now" said 18 "but apparently having a newborn doesn't allow luxuries like sleep".
"Apparently not" agreed Krillen. 18 let out a long sigh.
"What's up?" asked Krillen. 18 never got to reply, because Marron started to cry. "We didn't even get to fall asleep that time" said Krillen and he untangled himself from 18 and climbed out the bed. He walked over to the bassinette and lifted Marron out. They had only decided on a name earlier that day after lots of suggestions from other people they had finally decided on Marron. 18 wasn't exactly sure why they had named their daughter after Krillens ex but she actually liked the name and it was spelt differently so she really had no problems with it.
"Now now sweetie, why aren't you sleeping. Mummy and me need some rest sometime you know?" Krillen asked his 4-day-old daughter. Soon Marron quieted down and she was quiet content to sleep in her fathers' arms.
"She's asleep, come back to bed" said 18 groggily.
"18, babe, you know as well as I do that the second I put her down she's going to scream again" said Krillen.
A couple of minutes later Krillen placed the baby back in the bassinette and hoped back in bed. He pulled 18 close to him, so her back was pressed up against his stomach.
"Let's try to get some sleep" he said.
***
When 18 opened her eyes it was bright in the room. She didn't feel like she had had nearly enough sleep but she knew I was all she was going to get. She had so much to do, but no where near enough energy to do it all. She was beginning to think that this whole parenting thing just wasn't for her. She caught sight of the shiny gold band on her finger and smiled.
Slowly 18 pulled herself out of bed and made her way downstairs to make up some more bottles. When she arrived at the kitchen Master Roshi was already in there.
"Coffee?" he asked.
"God yes" muttered 18 as she pulled a can of formula out of the pantry and some bottles out of the strainer by the sink.
"Sleep well?" asked Roshi. 18 actually laughed. "Sleep? Ha, I've almost forgotten what sleep is and it's only been four days" she said. Master Roshi handed 18 a cup of coffee and she thought to her self that the old man wasn't all that bad, sometimes.
"Well you've got lots more hurdles to overcome yet 18, you and Krillen are only at the beginning" said Master Roshi.
"Excuse me?" 18 didn't understand. Master Roshi chuckled to himself and walked out the room, not saying anymore. 18 blinked a few times to get the sleep out of her eyes then continued on with her formula task.
A few minutes later Krillen entered the kitchen. He looked as bad as 18 felt.
"Morning babe" he said and he kissed her on the cheek. 18 smiled, he always had enough time and energy to make her feel special.
"Is Marron sleeping?" asked 18.
"Like a log" replied Krillen.
"I wish I was sleeping like a log right now" said 18.
"Well if you want we could go back to bed for a while" suggested Krillen.
"Nuh-uh. Bulma's coming over this afternoon and this place is a mess" said 18.
"Well I'll help you," said Krillen then he look up at the roof. "Right after I tend to missy up there" he headed off to tend to the now awake Marron.
18 put the bottles in the fridge and sat down at the table. A few minutes later the kitchen door swung open and Krillen came through holding Marron in the crook of one arm.
"Do you want to go to mummy?" asked Krillen then before 18 could reply Krillen placed her in 18's arms.
"I'll be back in one second ladies" said Krillen and he went upstairs to get Marrons bassinette. Now they wouldn't have to run up and down the stairs all day.
18 stood up and without even thinking about it she began to sway from side to side. 18 wasn't sure, but there was something strangely familiar about holding a baby like this, it was actually quiet disturbing.
"Krillen" 18 passed Marron back to Krillen and walked casually out the kitchen door, she was hoping that Krillen hadn't seen the tears that had begun to leak down her face. But, he had. Krillen looked at Marron. He couldn't very well chase after 18 now, not with a baby in his arms, but he couldn't leave Marron by herself either. Krillen heard the screen door being pushed open and banging shut again.
"Great" he said, then he headed into the lounge room.
"Master Roshi, can you watch Marron for a few minutes?" asked Krillen.
"I think I can" replied Roshi.
"Great," Krillen put her down in the bassinette "I shouldn't be long, but if she starts to cry just call me ok".
***
18 sat out on the beach, her head buried in her hands, bawling her eyes out. She made no attempt to stop the tears, something she'd learnt from Krillen was that it wasn't good to keep all your feelings bottled up inside you.
"Sweetheart, what's wrong" Krillen came up and sat down beside 18. He put an arm around her shoulder and she collapsed onto his chest.
"I don't know" she sobbed.
"It's ok, just let it all out. I'm here for you babe" said Krillen reassuringly. After a few minutes 18 calmed down enough to talk, she wiped the last of the tears off her cheeks, "I'm sorry" she said.
"You didn't do anything wrong" Krillen reassured her.
"I don't know what came over me" confess 18
"Are you alright now?" asked Krillen. 18 nodded her head. "Yeah" she said. Krillen gave 18 a hug and helped her up, then they went back inside.
***
Later that afternoon there was a knock on the front door. 18 let out a big yawn on her way to the door, the house was still a mess, they just hadn't had the time to clean up.
"Hi Bulma," said 18 "Come in". Bulma walked into the small house and took a look around, these people really needed some help.
"Do you want some coffee?" asked 18.
"No thanks" replied Bulma.
"Well I do" said 18 and they both went into the kitchen.
Krillen was washing dishes when 18 and Bulma entered the kitchen. 18 took a quick look at Marron who was asleep in the bassinette before she boiled the kettle.
"How have you been?" asked Krillen.
"Good," replied Bulma "You?"
"I feel like I'm about to die" said Krillen. He put the last of the dried dished away in the cupboard and went to join Bulma at the table.
'Poor Krillen and 18', Bulma thought to herself. 'They really need some sleep'. Just then Marron began to cry.
"Do you want me to get her for you?" asked Bulma.
"Yes" said Krillen gratefully. Bulma picked up Marron and rocked her in her arms with much practised expertise.
"How do you do it?" asked 18 sleepily
"Do what?" asked Bulma.
"Get her to stop crying, it just doesn't work for me" said 18.
"Well what do you expect 18. You've been a mum for 4 days; I've been a mum for nearly 6 years. Naturally I'd been a bit more experienced than you" said Bulma.
"I suppose you're right" agreed 18.
"I've got an idea" said Bulma a few minutes later.
Krillen looked up "What?" he asked.
"Why don't you two go upstairs and get a couple of hours of good decent sleep and I'll stay down here and look after Marron and then I'll cook some dinner and we'll all eat together" suggested Bulma.
"We couldn't ask you to do that" said Krillen.
"You didn't ask, I offered," said Bulma "So you two get you butts upstairs now and get some sleep".
18 looked up at Bulma and smiled, she really was a great friend, the best friend 18 had ever had. 18 was still counting her blessings, she had a wonderful fiancee, 2 best friends, the most beautiful daughter ever, she had made peace with her bother after many months of arguing what more could she ask for? Well couple of hours of sleep would be nice.
"C'mon Krillen, you know as well as I do that we need sleep. Let's go" said 18 and she grabbed hold of Krillens hand and dragged him out the kitchen and up the stairs.
They didn't even bother to change into pyjamas, they just hopped into bed in their clothes.
"That was nice of Bulma wasn't it" said Krillen. 18 moved closer to Krillen and snuggled up close to him.
"It was very nice of her," said 18, she was already half asleep "now go to sleep"
"Sweet dreams babe" said Krillen, 18 didn't reply, she was already fast asleep, and only seconds later Krillen was lightly snoring as well.
Downstairs Bulma had moved into the lounge room and now she was busy cleaning, usually the blue haired women would avoid cleaning tasks at all costs, unless it was cleaning one of her boys. But now she didn't mind, Krillen and 18 obviously needed some help and she didn't mind, it was just that she wasn't really much of a housewife, cooking and cleaning had never really been er area of expertise. Soon enough the lounge room was all tided up and everything was back where it belonged. Bulma had also folded some washing and she had just started to clean the kitchen when the phone rang. Not wanting Marron to wake up, Bulma quickly answered it.
"Hello" she said.
"Bulma is that you?," asked a voice which Bulma recognised as Chi-chi's "Did I ring the Capsule Corp?"
"No, I'm at Kame House" said Bulma.
"Oh, well is 18 around?" asked Chi-chi
"Her and Krillen are sleeping, when I got here their eyes looked like they were about to fall out their head so I sent them both to bed" said Bulma. Chi-chi laughed "that sound like something you would do" she said.
"Oh. What's that supposed to mean?" asked Bulma.
"Nothing" said Chi-chi.
"Well would you like to leave a message?" asked Bulma.
"Uh no, just tell 18 I called" replied Chi-chi.
"That sound like a message to me" said Bulma
"Just tell her I called ok" said Chi-chi and she hung up the phone. Bulma put the phone down and opened the fridge. She took out a bottle of water and poured herself a glass. Then she got a start on dinner, she was making a roast and it was going to take a while to cook.
***
18 opened her eyes and looked around the room. 18 felt a lot better than she had that afternoon, much more refreshed. She rubbed at her eyes with the back of her hand and rolled over. Krillen was still sleeping next to her, but she wasn't going to wake him. He needed the sleep so badly. Krillen had been getting up almost every time Marron cried during the night, just so 18 could at least try to get some sleep. He claimed not to mind ut 18 knew better. While she knew how much he loved Marron, he absolutely hated getting up every half-hour or so to feed her or change her nappy.
18 looked at Krillen sleeping face and a genuine smile found it was onto her face, he looked so peaceful when he slept. Like he didn't have a single care in the world, all thought sometimes during the day he could make it seem like he didn't have a care in the world either, there was just something about him. 18 knew the truth though. There was something that bothered him 24:7, it was always there, hammering away in the back of his mind. 18 guessed it had something to do with his past, and it was for that reason that she said nothing about it. Krillen never ever asked about her past, simply because he knew that she knew nothing about it, so the right thing to do would be to give him the same respect he had given hr and leave it alone, if he wanted to talk about it then he would
Krillen's eyes slowly opened and he found himself staring into 18's beautiful blue ones.
"You know, no matter how many times I wake up next to you, I'll never get tired of it" he said sleepily.
"You'd better not get sick of it, cause I'm gonna be here forever weather you like it or not" said 18.
"Believe me, I like it". 18 smiled and kissed Krillen. "I think I might be in love with you" she whispered.
"As much as I'd like to stay here, Bulma's downstairs waiting for us" said Krillen.
"I forgot all about that" said 18 and she got out of the bed and walked over to the dressing table, she picked up her hairbrush and ran it through her blonde hair a few times.
"Ok let's go" she said.
***
"I was wondering how much longer you would be sleeping for" said Bulma as 18 walked into the lounge room. Bulma was sitting on the floor with a blanket spread out in front of her, Which Marron was lying on.
"How has she been?" asked 18.
"An absolute angel" said Bulma. 18 looked down at her daughter and smiled, she was so beautiful, she looked like Krillen, with her big black eyes. 18 crouched down next to Marron and Bulma and ran her hand over Marron's head.
"Thanks for looking after her Bulma, we really needed the sleep" said 18.
"I know" said Bulma.
"How are my favourite girls doing?" asked Krillen as he entered the lounge room.
"Which ones?" asked Bulma.
"All three of you" replied Krillen.
"We're all good Krillen" said 18. Bulma and 18 both heard a low grumbling sound and they looked around the room.
"What was that?" asked 18.
"Thunder?" suggested Bulma
"Ah, actually it was my stomach" said Krillen. Bulma laughed. "Well come and help me dish up dinner then" she said and her and Krillen headed into the kitchen. Which left 18 alone with her baby. She let out a long depressed sigh.
"What am I going to you about you huh" said 18. "I have no idea how to look after you Marron, Bulma has to do it for me. I'm sorry, I've really tried my best to be a good mum, but I guess I'm not" said 18 as she adjusted Marron's jumpsuit. 18 looked down at Marron, she was so tiny, it was hard to believe that everyone had been like that once, even she had. She really did want to be a good mum, she wanted to give Marron the best life she knew how, but so far she wasn't doing a good job at all.
18 was pulled out of her thought by the sound of footsteps behind her. Krillen came and sat down next to her and put his arm around her shoulders.
"You going to come and have some dinner?" he asked
"Yeah" said 18 trying her best to sound cheerful. She picked Marron up and followed Krillen into the kitchen.
"Put her down in the bassinette" said Bulma. 18 did as Bulma suggested then joined her and Krillen at the table and they all enjoyed their meal.
***
After dinner Bulma helped 18 do the washing up and then she left, she had to go home to look after Trunks, who wasn't feeling very well. Which left Krillen and 18. Mater Roshi was around somewhere, as was Oolong. Ever since Marron had been born they had spent most of their time in Master Roshi's room watching the adult channel or flipping through Porn magazines, they really were disgusting.
18 and Krillen relaxed on the couch and began to flip through the channels. Nothing good was on.
"I'm cold" said 18 all of a sudden.
"Are you really" said Krillen and he moved over to 18 and gave her a big hug. "Is that any better?" he asked.
"No not really" said 18. Krillen laughed and 18 placed a finger over his lips.
"Shhh, you'll wake the baby" said 18 and she kissed him. They fell back on the couch deepening their kiss.
"I can't wait to marry you" said Krillen as he nibbled on 18's ear. 18 was just about ready to rip Krillen shirt off, but Marron started to cry.
"Damn" muttered 18. 'Oh well' she thought 'the couch probably wasn't the best place for that to happen anyway'.
"I think she want's her mummy" said Krillen. He wasn't stupid, he knew that 18 was trying to avoid doing things for Marron, it was almost like she was scared of her. Krillen was determined to get 18 more involved, and now seemed like as good a time as any.
"Go on, go to her" he said. 18 climbed off Krillen and made her way over to the bassinette. Krillen noticed that she was trying not to pick her up.
"18 she just wants to be held, pick her up," he said, "I'll go warm a bottle up so you can feed her". 18 gulped, she didn't want to feed her, she didn't even want to hold her, she would only cry even more. She couldn't do this.
A/N: What's up with 18 and how's she going to fix her little problem, all will be revealed in the next chapter. Or maybe it won't, you'll just have to come back to find out. ~Deadly Beauty