Haunting the present.

Part 12

Choices


Goku frowned as he walked into his house. Dende had told him nothing and he had another one of those damn disturbing dreams while he was up there. It wouldn't be so bad if he would stop thinking about Soyna that way.

He had no idea why he was infatuated with her in his dreams! He never thought of her that way before.

Dende knew something. He was sure of it, but he wasn't telling him. Of course, that meant that it was bad news and he was not to sure if he wanted to know what was wrong.

He sighed and tried to put on a happy face when he went home. He didn't want anyone else to worry. When he did not know what to make of it anyway.

......................................

Goten blinked at Junior.

"So, should I tell her, or should I wait," Junior said. He was looking at him with such worry. "I don't want to set her off and I don't know what will do that anymore. I mean, when Trunks found out, I think I kinda have to tell everyone now... I... Oh..." he rubbed his hair furiously and then slammed his head into the table. "Why did I have to fall for her?"

First Goten had to get over the shock that Goten was hiding a girlfriend from them and then the second layer of the shock, he had been hiding the fact that his girlfriend is Marron.

He really wasn't to sure how Soyna would react. She had not said one way or the other how she felt about the androids but she never socialized with them either. But then with everything else that was going on... he sighed. "I don't know what you should do, Junior."

Junior looked crushed. "I know that I shouldn't have kept it a secret. I know that. Now, it has snowballed into something that I can't control."

Goten patted Junior on the shoulder. "As long as you two are happy, she will be happy." He hoped. Her moods were strange lately, and he wasn't to sure if he knew her anymore.

"Do you think so?" he said and looked up at him with hope in his eyes.

"Yeah. This is just a bump. Maybe, knowing that you are happy with a girl, will make her happy. I mean, she was worried that you were spending much to much time with this friend that you kept visiting."

Junior eyes grew wide.

"She never thought you were sneaking out to meet a girl. She may actually be relieved!" Goten said. That was true. She would shake her head and mutter that she wasn't to sure about her brother anymore.

Junior face grew crimson and he looked at his hands.

Goten would have laughed too, if he wasn't worried about Soyna. She had insisted on going for a walk to pick up Flint and Flare. He protested but he did not push it far. She gave him such a cold look when she had been warming up to him again.

"It will take her mind of Brennen anyway," Goten said, "And that has to be a good thing."

Junior nodded but still looked nervous.

.............................................

Vegeta tucked Flare under his arm and walked slowly beside Soyna who carried Flint with a little bit more dignity.

He was glad to see that she was much better. She was so much better now. There was even color on her pale cheeks and her eyes were not as dark as before.

"Flare will bite you if you continue to hold her like that and she does have some of her teeth," Soyna said as they slowly walked from the Son household.

He just grunted. "I am glad to hear that you are in a better mood." He was also glad to see that she wasn't going to hide in the house the whole time. Bulma had already told him that she can not fight and that she has to rest. He understood that, but he didn't want to see her become a slug.

"The shock of everything is starting to wear off a little bit," she said. "It was hard to... to see him again." He could see her eyes go a little foggy. She shook her head and stopped walking. She adjusted the child on her hip.

"You couldn't possibly have been thinking of going back to that human!" he spoke before he thought. She looked at him with an amused smile on her face and a mischievous little grin that he knew that she inherited from him.

"Oh, Vegeta," she said. "Do you approve of my relationship with Goten now?"

He glared at her and was ignoring the squirming kid that was under one of his arms. "It is better than that human!" he said simply.

"And what would you have done if Goten and I never got together and now, I had a chance for another life with my first husband?" she said, moving some hair out of her face. "Would you have stopped me?"

He sneered at her. "Of course I would have!" He knew that he was being rougher than he should. "Why would you want to go with what you already know? You know that he will hurt you in the end, so why would you put yourself through all that again?"

"That was then. That situation would not present itself again in this time. Krad is gone and so is his seductress." She said.

He humphed, "Another would present itself," he said sharply. "Why risk the pain of that happening again? He betrayed you. He does not deserve a second chance."

She was silent for a moment. "This Brennen is not the same," her voice was a whisper. "It wouldn't happen again."

"BA!" he snapped. "They do it once! They will do it again!" He remembered how Yamcha used to treat Bulma, and even though he hated the feeling, it did get him mad.

She glared at him now. "Oh! So that is how it works!" She shook her head. "How many times have YOU betrayed the Z fighters? You were always given another chance! Why should I not give him another? He only betrayed me, not his own heart!"

"What are you insinuating!" Vegeta snapped.

"You are not one to talk!" She said and swayed slightly. It almost looked as if she was going to fall, but before he could react, she recovered. "Now, don't make my blood boil! I do NOT want to faint again. Give me my child and I would like to go home."

"I can not help what I once was!" Vegeta said. He still held the squirming Flare in his arms. Flint was staring at him with his coal black eyes with almost a threat in them. If he was older, maybe, Vegeta would have been a little worried.

"Neither can I!" she snapped right back.

She is so stubborn that he wanted to slap her. Another thing that she inherited from him and Bulma. She got the lion's share of that! He was glad that it skipped his own children. "Well then," he said smoothing out his voice, with great effort. "We should get you home then so that your blood doesn't get any hotter."

She sniffed loudly and started to walk again.

"You can be so stubborn," he snarled as they walked.

"I wonder where I get that from," she muttered back. There was amusement in her eyes now though. Boy, he didn't remember her mood swings being this bad with the last batch of kids.

Suddenly, there was a sharp pain in his arm. He looked down to see Flare had imbedded her three teeth into his arm. He pulled her away and moved her to the other arm, scowling and cursing at her

"I warned you about her teeth," she said. "You should really watch your language unless you want those same curses repeated back at you."

"I hope that your next batch are better behaved," he said and glared at the little version of Soyna. She was smiling at him now. She was going to be such a little trouble maker.

"I am only having one. At least that is what Raymond told me. I do not think I could handle yet another set of twins." She said. "You will be glad to hear that it is a boy too."

Vegeta smirked. He was glad to hear that it was a boy. There were enough girls around. Too many. He was sure that Flare would be a fighter, but there was always the chance that she would turn out to be to much like a girl, like his daughter.

.......................

The guy sure looked familiar. He couldn't help but keep looking at the three guys sitting taking a break from a ball game by the fountain in the park.

He just didn't know where he had seen him before and it was eating away at the back of his head.

"Earth to Benot!" his annoying brothers voice snapped him out of his daze. "Is anyone home?" He glared at him. Why did mom let his hair grow so long, with the natural blond that he is, it almost looked like he could be a super saiyian and that really bothered him. His hair was flat and lifeless like his grandfathers. Everyone else's flew everywhere! Why couldn't he have that trait at least? Why did he have to look so human?

"What?" he snapped at Legen.

"We were asking YOU if YOU wanted to GO to the mountains and chase some dinosaurs, but YOU are acting like you are in another dimension!" Legen said smugly. Ever since that fight, he has been acting so cocky! He didn't even seem to notice all the weird stuff going on! He was a blind man!

"No," he said simply. "We should go home. Mom is probably worried about us," he said and found himself looking at the other guy again. Why was he looking at the guy?

"Mom is fine and you know it. She is stronger than anyone else." Legen said. "Let's go have some fun."

He never noticed! He is so blind. He didn't see the adults mooning and looking all worried. He never even noticed how mom was being more silent than usual and he didn't notice that Flint and Flare had spent the night with Gohan! The adults still were not telling them something and he wanted to know what it was more than going to chase some stupid dinosaurs.

"I think we should go home," he said and found his eye looking at that man again. He was positive that he knew him from someplace. "I don't want to be to far away from mom."

Legen shook his head. "You don't need to worry about mom! Geez! That is Goten's problem now. Quit trying to act like a grown up."

Fry stood there blinking. He knew better than to interrupt when the two started to argue and he knew that Legen had just started one hell of a fight.

"Goten!" Benot snorted. "He is the problem!" He wanted to slap his brother across the face but clenched his fist tightly at his sides instead. "Wake up! Can't you see that they are fighting with each other! If you hadn't have made that stupid wish..."

"At least I got something out of my wish!" Legen countered. "Not a useless stupid silver ball that you hid in your closet."

He had to bring up that stupid ball, didn't he.

"Goten did something! I am so sure of it and the wish will be dissolved and then it will be open for..." Benot stopped talking and he looked over the that man again. How could he not see it before?

Everything was going to be okay. He smiled brightly and just about laughed.

Legen and Fry looked at Benot with confused look on their faces.

"... daddy," Benot said with pure happiness in his voice. He stared at the man who was sulking over a sandwich with two others that he didn't know about.

Legen and Fry looked even more confused.

He was sure of it. That was his REAL father. Dad. A true father, not the one that Goten tried to fill in.

He just stared for a bit with a goofy grin on his face. He held his ground. Controlling the urge to run up to him and hug him. As much as he wanted to do that, this guy didn't know that he was his father.

"Yo!" Legen said. "What the hell are you talking about?" Legen looked over in the direction that his brother was staring. He couldn't see what was so important. Just a bunch of people. "Have you totally spaced out on me? Did I hit you harder than I thought?"

Benot shook his head angrily. "That was a lucky shot!"

"Guys..." Fry said looking at them nervously. He did not want to see them go to blows again. That would not be good.

"Look!" Benot said, twirling his brother around violently. "Our REAL dad is over there, eating lunch. Our REALLY REALLY REAL dad! I would recognize him anywhere. If we can get mom, back together with him..." Benot grinned wildly. "Everything will be all better!"

Legen was stunned.

Fry bit his lip, "But, what about Uncle Goten?"

"I like having Goten as my father," Legen said. "Plus, mom said that dad did something bad to her once and that she was not sure if she could ever forgive him, sooo, it is better for her to stay with Goten. He is a good dad."

Benot was instantly furious. "He is our REAL father! Don't you want to get to know him?"

Legen shook his head. "He is not our REAL father! Our REAL father is dead! Don't you understand this time travel stuff!"

Benot snorted. "I don't CARE!" he screamed in his brothers face. People started to look at them. "Anything and anyone would be better than the WIMP!" Benot almost gave a heartbroken look over to the man that could be his father.

Fry looked nervously around. "Guys... Maybe you should take his elsewhere. We don't want to start a fight now, do we."

"NO!" Both yelled at Fry.

Fry back off a bit.

"Goten is not good for mom! Have you looked at her lately? She is not well and it is all his fault. Dad would never do that to mom." Benot said.

"Goten has done nothing but stand by her side by everything! Goten is not the problem! You are the problem!" Legen said poking his brother in the chest. "I like him as my father and there is nothing that will change it. I made a wish and I am not changing it!"

"GUYS!" Fry yelled. They both looked at him. He then spoke in a whisper. "Would you two power down before we get into trouble? I mean, everyone is looking at us."

Benot took a deep breath. He didn't even realize that he powered up. Legen took a little bit longer to do so.

"That," Legen said in an angry voice as he pointed to the man that could have been their father. "Is the past and there is no point looking back."

Benot shook his head and started to walk towards the man. His father.

"What are you doing?" Fry said.

"I am going to get to know my father!" He yelled back.

......................................

"Well," he whispered to himself as he watched the scene. It was like, everything wanted to go his way. He didn't have to do near as much manipulation as he thought he was going to do. He couldn't help but stare and the boys fighting and with his little amplifier in his ear he could hear exactly what they were saying.

That Benot sure was a spit fire.

The choice wasn't that hard after all.