Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or the characters

After Bulma decided to spend some time with Chi-Chi for a girls' night, the practice became routine. While the kids decided to hang out and keep morale up on the home front, Bulma made it her mission to keep Chi-Chi's spirits up. It also helped Bulma to keep the faith and combat her own negative emotions regarding Goku's breakdown.

Another week passed and, while Vegeta, Tarble, and Raditz took the teens to a new roller rink that opened, Bulma, Chi-Chi, and Gure took a day to relax. They went to various stores to shop for clothes and household items. Then, after lunch, the women went for mani-pedis and facials at a new spa.

"I still can't believe you're getting married to Tarble in a couple months," Bulma happily sighed as she stretched her arms over her head. She looked at her future sister-in-law and smiled. "How's the wedding planning going?"

Gure beamed so brightly at the mention of Tarble and their upcoming wedding. She was really excited for their day instead of apprehensive. "Everything is going well," the bride-to-be replied. "As far as planning is concerned, there are a lot of choices, but Tarble and I seem to be on the same page. Still, I'd like to get both of your opinions, too. We don't want a big wedding, just our families." She looked over at Chi-Chi. "All of you."

Chi-Chi smiled warmly. Talking about the wedding was a welcome distraction from the radio silence from Goku. "Thanks for that. With everything going on… It's just nice to know that you both still see me…"

"Chi," Bulma comforted, "no matter what, you always will be. Don't ever think you're going to lose us. We need to support each other, now more than ever."

The raven-haired woman met Bulma's gaze and nodded. "You're right. It's funny; I did the same for you, and now I'm acting like you were when I first visited."

"It's understandable," Gure assured. "It's not easy when a loved one, not to mention your partner, is suffering and distant. You want to help but are unable."

"It's not just that," Chi-Chi expressed. Sadness filled the woman, and for a moment Bulma saw complete vulnerability from the normally unbreakable woman. "I'm really worried about the boys, Goten especially. I've tried to talk to him about what he's feeling, but he won't discuss Goku with me. He's always playing off his true emotions, pretends he's fine, but I'm his mother, and I see through him. His smiles are forced, and he doesn't say much, but he has Valese over after school and is chatty with her, so I'm trying to think positively. I just keep thinking back to that day where we almost lost him… I'm terrified."

Chi-Chi jumped when Bulma placed her hand on her shoulder. She looked into the other woman's eyes, bewildered. "Goten knows to come to you," Bulma reassured her.

A bitter laugh escaped Chi-Chi. "My husband should have known to come to me too, yet here we are."

Bulma sighed. "I'm sorry, Chi."

"I'm sorry too, Bulma. This is hard on all of us, and I'm just so thankful to you and Gure for getting me out of the house. When I'm home, I just feel like I'm wallowing in self-pity. It's not good for Gohan or Goten to see me like that. They're both protective and trying to be brave for me. I just wish they would know that no matter what, I'll be okay. I won't feel alone if Goku decides to never come back and ends things."

Both Gure and Bulma shot wary glances at each other, both stunned, before their eyes returned to their friend. "Do you really think it's gotten that bad?" Bulma weakly questioned.

Disheartened, Chi-Chi retorted, "How am I supposed to take the fact that my husband won't even speak to me? I've been talking to his mother, but it's always the same thing. How many times can I lie to her when she asks me how the boys are doing? She won't even mention Goku. I'm pretty sure… Goku may never want to see me again. I have to be prepared for that."

It broke Bulma's heart that Chi-Chi felt this way. She remembered a time when Chi-Chi was all Goku could talk about. He feared this one day happening, but he loved the woman so damn much. Bulma encouraged him back then just to be honest with Chi-Chi. For a while, it seemed he was, but only recently did Goku seem to have many misconceptions about his wife, like at the beginning of the boy's sophomore year when he brought Bulma to the guidance counselor to help Goten. Now that Bulma thought back to that, Goku had been doing his own thing for a while now instead of working together with his lifelong partner. He'd forgotten that trust he once shared with his wife. He'd forgotten that he once trusted Bulma too.

Reflecting on this shifted Bulma's attention to her most recent interaction with Goku. If Chi-Chi hadn't heard anything about him from Gine, then maybe the one-line text could bring the other woman some reassurance.

"Chi-Chi, I have something to tell you." Bulma earned Chi-Chi's attention. "I texted Goku recently. Just a simple 'I'm not giving up on our friendship' type deal. He said he would take care of himself and said I should do the same. He probably wants you to do the same too."

It amazed Chi-Chi, Bulma's courage. She was surprised Bulma even tried to reach out. Although there was always that connection between Bulma and her husband, Chi-Chi never expected Bulma to make the first move. With how badly Bulma was affected by her husband's callousness, Chi-Chi expected Bulma to avoid Goku until he came to her.

"I wish I could face him like that," Chi-Chi told Bulma. "I admire your bravery so much. I've been so terrified to try again, to think that there could be any possibility that he'd… What you said… It gives me hope."

Gure beamed at the two women. "Hold onto that hope. Sometimes people who have mental conditions lose themselves and need to find themselves again, and sometimes they need to go on these journeys alone. I predict that by the end of the year, Goku will reach out."

A glimmer of hope reflected in Chi-Chi's eyes. "You really think so?"

"I don't know," Gure replied with a smile, "but I hope so, and that's just as important."

Tears trickled down Chi-Chi's face, and she blinked them away as she smiled and took both women's hands. "Thank you, both of you. I really needed to hear that."

Raditz took a deep breath after he ascended the stairs of the porch. It had been a while since he visited with his mother. Company work and just not knowing how to handle his brother's condition kept him away. Still, Raditz didn't want a repeat of what happened between him and his father. Toward the end of the man's life, Raditz kept away. It was just so hard to see the man he grew up with so deteriorated due to self-harm. It was Raditz's biggest regret that his father's care and problems fell on his mother and Goku. It was time to take responsibility. It was time to fully be there for his family.

He entered without knocking only to find an empty house. This surprised Raditz, but then he figured his mother could be out for groceries. It was possible Goku went with her, but Raditz decided to head upstairs anyway. The older brother was only half-surprised when he found his brother awake, back pressed against his bed as he stared at the ceiling in his pajamas.

"Hey, bro."

Light filtered into Goku's eyes as he slowly forced himself up and off the mattress. "Hey, Raditz. Mom's out."

"I know," Raditz replied. "I'm here to see you."

Fear and worry plastered all over Goku's face. "Is everyone okay? Chi-Chi? The boys? Bulma?"

As much as Raditz wanted to make a comment that Goku could call them to find out, he refrained. "They're all okay," he reassured. "For the most part, anyway. They miss you. They're worried about you. Same as before."

Goku deflated, his shoulders hunched and eyes on the ground. "How can they after what I did? What I'm still doing?"

Raditz weakly chuckled and went to sit beside his brother on the bed. "That's a really ridiculous question, little brother, with an even simpler answer. You're their family; they love you."

Goku shook his head. "That doesn't matter. Even if I went back to them now, the anger will still be there."

His brother nodded in agreement. "The anger and hurt will still be there, but you'll be able to work through it with them. They understand that your illness and anxiety are taking a toll on you. They'll want to help you through it regardless of their personal feelings. They'll tackle that when you're all ready to deal. That's what love is, isn't it? Putting the person you care about before yourself?"

A sigh escaped Goku. "That's what I'm trying to do for them. I'm…I'm not in my right mind. I've already said hurtful things that I both meant and didn't mean. Raditz, I pushed Bulma away right after her stepmother caused her to relive her trauma. And then I told Chi it was her fault and lashed out at her. Why did I do that?"

"I don't know," Raditz offered honestly. "Still, the longer you avoid them, the worse it will get."

Goku knew Raditz was right, but that still didn't make it any easier. He was scared; he knew he was running away. Maybe Bulma wasn't so far off the mark when they broke up back in college. Maybe he was more like her father than he knew. It hurt him to see the similarities like she did, but in his anxiety, he ignored the differences. He may be running away and lashing out, but he was trying to get better. He answered Bulma's attempts at reaching out instead of ignoring her. Still, why couldn't he do the same for his own family? The boys probably hated him as much as Goku hated himself.

"Hey, stop that," Raditz spat.

Goku was confused. "Stop what?"

"Overthinking," Raditz told him. "It's written all over your face. Just focus on healing and don't think about what you've done wrong. Think about what you can do better. If not, it's just going to be worse for all of you."

Again, Raditz was right, but Goku didn't know how to stop. The guilt that consumed him was almost too much to bear. When Raditz saw he was getting nowhere, he sighed. "Alright, come on. Let's get you out of this room. I'll order a pizza and maybe we can watch a movie or something."

Goku relaxed only slightly, his eyes full of silent thanks. "Yeah. Yeah, that sounds good."

Raditz whipped out his phone. "Get dressed. I'll make the call."

Bulma pulled into a parking space outside a nice restaurant. She was supposed to meet Tarble. When her brother invited her out to dinner, Bulma jumped at the chance to go. Vegeta encouraged it. After all, she hadn't seen much of Tarble since everything happened with her stepmother. She missed her brother.

The woman went inside and was shown to a table. Tarble was already sitting there, and his eyes lit up when he took notice of her. Bulma smiled, thankful it was just the two of them. She took a seat, and the waiter handed her a menu.

When they were left alone, Bulma asked, "To what do I owe the pleasure, little bro?"

Tarble chuckled. "Can't a guy just visit with his sister? I haven't seen you in a while."

Bulma frowned and apologized. "A lot has been going on."

"I've heard." Bulma was shocked by that. Tarble explained, "Gure told me what happened with Goku and the family. How are you holding up?"

Bulma decided to confide in Tarble. "To be honest, I'm devastated. He and I were on the outs once before, back in college after we broke up. He hurt me deeply then, and I couldn't talk to him. This time, he hurt me and his entire family, and he's the one who withdrew this time. But even with all this going on, there's still a lot to look forward to, so I'm choosing to focus on that and my family."

Tarble seemed surprised. "A lot to look forward to?" he repeated. "What do you mean?"

Bulma figured now was as good a time as any to tell Tarble the biggest news of her life. "Vegeta and I are in the process of adopting."

Tarble's eyes widened, and as the news process, his smile widened. "Oh my gosh, Bulma, that's great! You both must be so excited and—"

"Tarble, Maron's the mother." Tarble silenced, appeared baffled, but he nodded for Bulma to continue. "We had the home visit the other day, and with that plus Maron's willingness to give Vegeta and me her child, it's looking like a done deal."

Tarble didn't respond. He just stared blankly at Bulma. It worried her, and she wondered if he was upset by the news. "Tarble, are you all right?"

"I'm just surprised," he replied. "I thought you hated Maron."

Bulma smiled weakly. "Hate is a strong word," she replied, "but I wasn't happy with how she treated you. I do think what she did to you was terrible, and part of me will always feel a little bitter about how you suffered. At the same time, if she hadn't done what she did, you would have never met Gure the way you did, and Maron would have never met the baby's father. In a weird way, a lot of good came from something bad."

Tarble smiled at his sister and said, "I believe you're right. I'm really happy for you and Vegeta, Bulma. I already know you're an amazing mother, and I know the child will know nothing but love and compassion from the both of you."

The waiter chose that time to return to take their orders, and the rest of the meal, they spoke of nothing but positive and fun topics. Tarble's wedding, the homecoming dance for the kids, the future with the new baby were all touched upon. Neither of them mentioned Goku or Launch during the rest of the dinner.

After dinner, though, Tarble walked Bulma to her car, and he stood there with her as if he had something he wanted to say. Bulma waited patiently, but Tarble's question struck her heart.

"What happened between you and Mom?"

Bulma hesitated. She turned toward her car; her head dropped. "Tarble, I don't really want to talk about it. I'm still struggling with the conversation we had," she admitted.

Tarble's eyes widened before he regained himself and sadness filtered in. "Was it really that bad? I thought…"

"I thought too," Bulma replied. "I thought I could brush it off, but…I couldn't. I was out of commission for a while, and I just don't want to think about it or put you in the middle. I'm fine and moving on with my life. I'm just sorry that my relationship with her is strained. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable or nervous about it."

"Bulma, I may not know exactly what's going on, but I know that you're always there for me and want what's best for me," Tarble assured her. "You don't have to tell me anything about it if you don't want, but just know I love you. You're my big sister."

Tears formed in Bulma's eyes, but she still smiled. "And you're my baby brother." She hugged Tarble and whispered in his ear, "Thank you. I love you."

Bulma felt a thousand times better now that she gave Tarble something instead of fully keeping him in the dark. She didn't feel like she was hiding anything from him now, and that came as a relief. Perhaps she should have listened to Vegeta from the beginning and reached out to her brother then. It probably would have saved her a lot of stress. Either way, at least she didn't feel stuck in a web of deceit and half-truths. She knew her brother accepted that there were things she couldn't tell him. Everything was okay between the two of them.

It was a nice, sunny day, so Trunks took Mai to the park a few blocks from the apartment. The two walked through the winding trails hand in hand. They even stopped at a snack cart to grab ice cream. It was that strange time in the fall where the weather still clung to the summer heat but wasn't as overly humid and heavy.

As Trunks went to get their frozen treats, Mai went to sit on a bench. She watched some kids play jump rope and smiled. Then, Trunks brought her a cone and some napkins. The two of them snacked quietly for a moment to enjoy the peace the outside world brought. They could hear the mumblings of other couples, the huffs of runners, and the laughter of children all around them.

They resumed their trek deeper into the park and decided to sit by a fountain in the park's center. The pair talked about their classes, their projects, what they'd been doing recently at Ouji Corp., and then they settled on talking about the baby.

"So, how are you feeling about it, now?" Mai asked her boyfriend. "I know it was weird for you when your mom told you about that Maron woman."

Trunks nodded, but he seemed very settled. "Honestly, I'm really excited. I always wanted to be a big brother. To be honest, I didn't think it would ever be possible with Mom's condition."

"Condition?" Mai was surprised. Trunks never told his girlfriend anything that suggested something was medically wrong with Bulma. "Is she sick?"

"No," Trunks assured Mai, "but she could have been. The women in her family have a hormonal condition that could have caused uterine cancer. Mom had a hysterectomy when I was younger when she started to have problems. She didn't get cancer because everything was taken, but that meant she also gave up her ability to have children. I know deep down that Mom wanted more children. I always felt terrible she couldn't have them anymore. I mean, she had the surgery for me, to make sure I still had her."

Mai chuckled and shook her head. "How can you find some way to blame yourself for something like that?" she chided. "Trunks, regardless, your mom was going to need some kind of treatment. She went the route she did for both of you, so that neither of you had to suffer. It had nothing to do with you specifically."

"I know, I know," Trunks sighed. "I'm being ridiculous. I've just always had a problem with misplaced guilt."

Mai was shocked. Trunks always seemed so sure of himself. Sure, there were some things that tore him up, but it never struck Mai that her boyfriend felt any kind of guilt. "You always seem so confident. What could you possibly feel guilty for?"

Trunks leaned back, his hands on the stone of the fountain, and looked up at the sky. "I just knew that I was the reason it was hard for Mom to find a guy. That delayed her time, and then the condition flared up. Because of that, I did feel a little responsible that she couldn't have another child."

"That's a little ridiculous, to hold on to something like that," Mai pointed out, "but now it makes sense why you made it your mission to get me away from Zarbon."

Trunks sighed and closed his eyes. He shifted his eyes to give his girlfriend a sideward glance. "I wish I could have done more for you back then, but other than that, I didn't know how to help."

"You helped me more than I thought anyone ever could."

The two met each other's gazes, and Trunks leaned over and kissed Mai. They heard the kids who had been playing jump rope giggling. "Oo-oo," the children teased.

The couple turned to look at the children, both with smiles on their faces. The kids got bashful at having been caught and scampered away. The two teenagers laughed. "Ever remember being that young?" Trunks asked.

Mai's smile held more of a sad tinge as she shook her head. "Remember, my mom was sick, and then I was with Zarbon."

"Right, sorry," Trunks replied. He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Well…at least we know the baby will never have to go through that."

All of a sudden, Mai blushed profusely. She completely forgot where the conversation started. "Y-you think about having kids?" the teenager sputtered.

Trunks looked at her bewildered and calmly said, "Well, yeah, one day… But I meant Mom's and Vegeta's baby."

Mai shook off her nerves and laughed awkwardly over her misunderstanding, face still flushed. "I see. Well… I… I think I'd want to, someday, too."

Trunks took Mai's hand and laced their fingers together. "At least we're on the same page there, but we have a while before we need to think about that part of our future."

Mai nodded in agreement. "Mm," she hummed affirmatively. Deep inside she was giddy over the fact that Trunks still thought of her and their future. After everything they'd been through together, they planned to tackle life together. Neither was in a rush to grow up too fast or increase their responsibility load. For now, they were content taking everything day by day. Mai leaned into her boyfriend, and he wrapped his free arm around her shoulders. The girl smiled; Trunks made her so happy.

Instead of going out and about on the warm, fall day, Goten and Gohan decided to stay in and play video games. Neither really felt like socializing today. Their moods were all over the place with the challenges their family faced. Speaking of, at that moment, their mother was on the phone with their grandmother. The boys heard Chi-Chi reassuring Gine through placating statements about how they were all fine and everything was going well at home. Chi-Chi did ask the woman how Goku was, and although the boys couldn't hear what their grandmother responded, Chi-Chi's expression looked pain.

"I see… Well, tell him we're all thinking about him."

Goten glared at the air. His anger toward his father skyrocketed by the day. It was one of the reasons he decided not to reach out to Trunks or even Valese that day. He felt like his nerves were so frayed, and there was a bitterness in his heart that made him feel guilty. But why should he feel guilty? He wasn't the one who abandoned his family. When he struggled to accept his perfectly valid emotions, it made his anger toward his father and even himself take over. He didn't want to take that misplaced anger out on the people he cared about, so he kept quiet.

Gohan clapped a hand on Goten's shoulder, snapping his twin out of his darkening thoughts. "Want to go for a run?" the older twin asked. "I think we both need that."

"How do you appear so calm when you're as upset as I am?" Goten asked, feeling a little jealous that he couldn't do the same.

Gohan frowned and told him, "I go to the gym or for a run because if I don't, I'll break something valuable, and I'd really like to avoid that."

His completely honest words surprised Goten, but the spiky-haired teen felt the same. "I get it," he remarked. "Maybe we can run to Hercule's dojo and beat the shit out of some bags."

The statement made Gohan chuckle. "Way ahead of you, Ten. Videl's dad set up a room for me after Dad left."

"What are we waiting for?"

The two brothers saved their game and cast their mother one last glance. They didn't want to bother her while she was on the phone with their grandmother. Gohan decided to leave a note for her to make sure she wouldn't worry. He also offered to pick up dinner that night so that she didn't have to cook.

It was the dead of night when Vegeta woke up. When he did, he reached over to Bulma's side of the bed but found it empty. The man huffed a breath and rubbed his hand down his face. He remembered times like these before where he'd wake up and Bulma would be on the phone with Goku. Part of Vegeta hoped that was the case as he slipped out of bed and headed for the stairs in search of his wife.

Vegeta found Bulma in the living room, and she was reading a book her counselor recommended for her. It was called Adult Children of Immature Parents. Considering both of their fathers caused them a lot of pain due to their immaturity and inability to accept their mistakes, Vegeta felt the need to ask, "Is it any good?"

Bulma jumped and shifted her slightly dazed gaze to her husband. She'd been battling with insomnia lately, something she hadn't experienced since her school days and during the time she spent grieving her father. Insomnia reared its ugly head around the time she and Launch talked, and then again when she had her fallout with Goku. Instead of getting upset about her inability to sleep, Bulma decided to be productive and start the book her therapist recommended for her.

"If it is," Vegeta continued, "maybe I'll read it."

Bulma chuckled at that, placed a bookmark between the pages, and closed the book. "It's giving me some clarity. One of the things I have to acknowledge is that Launch is as much my 'parent' as Trunks was. I feel like I'm reliving those same feelings of betrayal and hurt, but at the same time my rational mind tells me I shouldn't feel betrayed because she was never really on my side to begin with, and I knew that."

Vegeta let out a disbelieving sigh. "Bulma, of course you feel betrayed. It's been decades. Sure, she kept trying to tell you, but she never pushed past you saying 'no'. This time, she wanted to be heard."

"I just can't get over her saying I owed it to Trunks to hear his side of the story," Bulma murmured. "I never wanted to hear my father's side of why he tortured me so much emotionally. I knew it wouldn't change anything."

Vegeta sat down next to his wife and took her hand. "But you didn't hear his side of the story. Unfortunately, Bulma, you can never hear your father's side of the story. What you heard…that was Launch's side. Clearly, she needed to be heard, just like she said your father 'needed' to be."

"You're right." Bulma cuddled into him. "Mm, you're warm."

"Am I?" Vegeta teased. "Maybe that's because you're freezing. Seriously, it's getting cold. Why are you still wearing these summer nighties?"

Bulma giggled demurely and leaned in to kiss Vegeta's lips. "Cut it out, mister. This nightgown is not nearly that skimpy."

"My mistake," Vegeta murmured. He smiled, but his eyes held a glint of concern. "So, insomnia again?"

Bulma sighed, nodded, but a sad smile remained on her features. "I promise I did try to sleep."

"Don't worry about it," Vegeta assured. "That just means I need to tire you out."

Bulma grinned at her husband. She loved how supportive he was as she went through her inner battles. She was so thankful she was no longer derailed by them, but they still got to her from time to time. As much as Bulma wanted to accept Vegeta's proposed support, what she really wanted was one night of peace.

"Where that sounds like a good time, would you maybe want to watch a movie with me? I'm not ready to go back up yet."

"Of course," Vegeta agreed, his voice warm and inviting. "Whatever you need, my love."

Bulma felt something inside her jolt at the affectionate term. She kissed her husband again, their lips moving languidly, their hands tracing patterns on each other's arms and chests. When they broke away, Vegeta went to pick out a movie, a rom-com for Bulma's benefit. The two got cozy on the couch, and eventually Bulma fell asleep against Vegeta's chest. Vegeta turned the movie off and then lifted the woman in his arms and took her to bed to get some much-needed rest.

A/N: Hello to all! I know it's been a really long while for most of my stories. I have a lot of reasons for that including my second bout of grad school, multiple jobs, and life stuff. In other news, I added all of my stories to AO3, and most (including this one) needed a good edit/proofread, so that took a ton of time, and as this story is my longest, it took the longest time. XD Anyways, I'll try to get new content out for this and other stories. I thank everyone for their patience!

Anyway, hope you enjoyed the nice supportive, positivity chapter. Be sure to drop a review. Would love to know how everyone is doing during these continuously crazy times. We have to support each other too!

Review responses!

Guest: Thank you :) Glad you appreciated the update. Thanks for the review! And yes, Goku does need help, but sometimes it's hard to know how or where to get help from.