The Song of an Angel

By ssj Kinara

Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ (although I wouldn't mind owning Trunks...). All I own are Jackie and her family and the video Jackie's father made.

A/N: Sorry! That took a little longer than I thought to finish. And then Fanfiction.net was having problems and wasn't working correctly until I was on vacation! So I posted this as soon as I could! Anyway, thank you, nightmarelover who was the only one who reviewed chapter 5! Oh, well. Since Fanfiction.net was having problems all of last two weeks, I'll give the rest of you a break and pretend that it wasn't your fault :-P

Recap: Jackie's been living with the Briefs for two days now. Yesterday, Trunks watched the video of the day that his father died. How will his life change now?

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Chapter six: Mother's Blessing

"Daddy! Daddy!"

Trunks quickly sat up in bed. Yells were coming from the guestroom down the hall, Jackie's room.

"Daddy!" Her screams were frantic. Scared for her, he leapt out of bed and ran to her room.

Flinging the door open, he saw her writhing under the sheets knotted around her. "Daddy!" she screamed in a nightmare.

He ran to her side. Grabbing her shoulders, he shook her, trying to wake her. "Jackie! Jackie! It's a nightmare, wake up!"

"Aaagh!" She sat up, broken from what had scared her so badly. She looked around, trying to find out where she was, only to find herself looking into Trunks' blue eyes.

Her own eyes welled up. "Trunks!" she cried and threw herself into his arms, weeping.

He was surprised for only a few seconds, then he put his arms around her and sat next to her. "Shh," he whispered. "It was just a nightmare. They happen to all of us."

Actually, Trunks was surprised that she had been the one who woke up screaming instead of him, after what he'd seen in her father's home movie. Yet, here she was, her head buried in his shoulder.

Instinctively, he began to stroke her hair.

She sniffed back her tears, a habit Trunks had become accustomed to in her, and lifted her head a bit.

"I...I had a dream about Daddy," she whispered, as if she was too frightened to say it aloud.

"I could tell," he told her. "You kept screaming 'Daddy' in your sleep."

Jackie nodded. "I dreamed about the Androids...they...and he...'cause of the video..." she managed to say before breaking into tears.

"Hey, it's okay," he said, holding her more tightly. "It was just a nightmare."

"No," She seemed to choke out the word. "It's not...he's gone, Trunks. For real, he is. And nothing can bring him back."

Trunks sighed. It was the only thing he could think of saying except: "The dragonballs could have," which he said anyway.

Jackie pulled away from him enough to look at him in the eyes.

"The dragon's WHAT?!"

"Huh? Oh, no no no! Nothing like... They were precious gems that granted wishes."

She was still looking at him a bit suspiciously but with confused eyes.

"Okay, let me try this again." He took a deep breath. "See, the dragonballs are seven, round precious gems, each with a different number of red stars on it, one through seven. When you gather them together, you have to summon the dragon. You tell the dragon your wish and he'll grant it."

"Oh," said Jackie. "So, why haven't you used the dragonballs to wish the Androids dead and everyone else back to life?"

Trunks shook his head. "There are no more dragonballs. When Piccolo, the tall, green one from the movie, died, so did Kami, the guardian of Earth. Kami made the dragonballs, so they were connected to him. Kami died, so the dragonballs disappeared."

"Oh," she murmured again. Then she smiled a small smile. "But I bet they did great things when they were still around."

"Yeah," he chuckled, "you wouldn't believe how many times we brought people back to life, and what the first wish was."

She snuggled into his chest. "Tell me about it," she requested, a bit of fatigue behind her voice.

So he began to tell her all of the stories that his mother had told him. He told her about Bulma first meeting Goku, Oolong's wish for comfy underwear, the fight with Raditz where Vegeta had heard about the dragonballs, and the trip to Namek.

Unknown to him, he had another listener at the door. Bulma stood there, unseen in the darkness. As she turned away from the cozy scene, she wasn't sure if she should be thrilled or disappointed for the obvious couple.

"Trunks," she whispered under her breath, walking to her bedroom, "I told you not to make a move on her."

She'd told him that with the girl's best interests in mind. Jackie'd been emotionally unstable and dealing with the deaths of her family and friends.

Bulma placed her hand on the doorknob to her room.

But, she thought, they looked so happy together. He definitely seems to care about her, taking into account the way he's always ready to comfort her. And Jackie, too, really cares about him, to go and get that video, even with her injury.

She rested her aching head against the door.

"Vegeta," she called almost silently. "I know you probably think I'm being silly, caring this much about it. Still, I need your help on this one. What am I supposed to do?"

* * * * * *

"What am I supposed to do?"

The words echoed to the other world, and were heard by a certain little cloud. He groaned, knowing what she expected him to do, but inwardly he allowed himself a half-grin.

"Why is it that she only comes to me when she has a problem?" he mused aloud. Still, the yellow cloud calmed himself and concentrated.

* * * * * *

Bulma lie in bed, half-asleep, when she felt a slight wind brush against her cheek. The only thing was that she never left the window open anymore, not since the Androids. Yet, she knew what it meant exactly.

She quickly sat up and looked to see her husband standing in his usual arms- crossed stance, only he was a misty figure, like a ghost.

"Vegeta!" she cried, leaping up to hug him. Her hands passed right through his chest.

"Woman," he scolded. "Why do you insist on always doing that when you already know what the result will be?"

She sat back on the edge of her bed, her head bowed slightly. "I'm sorry. I forgot."

"Again."

Now she glared up at him. "Well, it's not like you've never forgotten something."

"Not as often as you keep stepping through me!"

"What about coming to visit us? You hardly ever come to see us anymore!"

"Woman, I'm DEAD! I can only come when one of you calls for me!"

"No dice. I've seen you come in the middle of the night just to look at me or Trunks!"

"Aack! You were awake? You saw that?"

Bulma grinned triumphantly. "I always could and still can tell whenever you enter a room."

Vegeta scowled for a minute. Then his face softened a bit. "That's the woman I've come to know." He seated himself next to her on the bed. "So what's happened with Trunks this time? I know it's not Saiyan puberty, because we already discussed-"

"Oh, no no." She waved her hands back and forth as if to erase that thought. "See, I think he's got a little bit of a girlfriend-"

"About time!" interrupted the deceased prince. "I was starting to worry about that boy."

"Vegeta, will you just listen to me for a minute?!" Bulma said, frustrated. Vegeta scowled, but let her continue.

"She's one of the refugee girls from an Android attack. As far as any of us can tell, she's the only one who survived. She's been grieving over her friends and family, and I'm worried about her well being. I just don't think it's a good idea for Trunks to be making a move on her."

Vegeta sat still, staring, thinking. Finally, he spoke. "Do you remember what you said when we first got together?"

Bulma nodded. "I said that we might not be ready and I didn't know if it would be right."

Vegeta cocked a smile. "And I told you that I was sure and that I knew what I was doing."

"Yeah," Bulma smiled. "I remember that."

"And you keep telling me how smart Trunks is and how confident he seems. So let him use some of that intelligence and expect that he knows what he's doing." He crossed his arms. "Besides, he's my son. Why wouldn't he know what he's doing?" he said arrogantly.

"Vegeta!" She tried to shove him, but her hand passed through him again.

He smirked. "You forgot again."

Bulma scowled at him for a few seconds. Then she announced, "I'm going back to sleep," and crawled to her pillow. "You can stay if you like."

"No, last time Yamma-sama got mad and ranted at me for hours about how he has enough to worry about with all of Earth's dead by the Androids."

Bulma shrugged and pulled her sheets up to her shoulders. "Suit yourself."

Within a few minutes, Bulma's breathing had slowed and she was fully asleep. Vegeta watched her lying there, still on the side of the bed she'd used while he was alive. Silly woman, he thought. She could use the whole bed now.

Still, he smiled. It was the rare smile he had, without ego or arrogance. It was just a pure smile. He brushed a hair out of Bulma's face and kissed her gently.

"I'll see you soon, Bulma."

And he disappeared.

* * * * * *

Trunks looked across the table at the young beauty that sat there. She seemed to be doing much better after last night.

He'd stayed next to her, telling her stories about the Z-team until she fell asleep. He'd pulled away from her, careful not to wake her. Then he'd kissed her, gently.

"I'll see you in the morning, Jackie."

And he'd left to his own room.

Yes, she seemed to be doing much better. When she'd sat down for breakfast, she'd even smiled at him. She hadn't been smiling too much lately, so it was almost a blessing for him.

Bulma watched them from the hallway for a few seconds. First, Trunks would look up at Jackie, then when she looked up; he'd focus his eyes on his breakfast. This kept going on; only, sometimes Jackie would look up first. It was almost cute!

Yes, Bulma thought, I'm doing the right thing.

She walked up to them and sat at the head of the table.

Finally, when Bulma said nothing, the two of them looked up at the older woman.

Bulma grinned. "I've been watching you two."

Jackie looked confused, but Trunks looked downright petrified. He figured, from the way she said it, that this wouldn't be good.

His mother turned to him. "Trunks, do you remember what we talked about the first day that Jackie was here? While she was in the bath?"

Jackie turned beet red and picked at her food. Trunks gulped and nodded.

"I told you not to make a move on her." Jackie looked up. This was news to her. "I didn't want you to be a burden on her while she is still grieving."

Trunks was at a loss for words. He hadn't tried to make a move on her. But he couldn't deny that he and Jackie had become very close. It had been a little of him and a little of her. But he didn't' want to get her into trouble...

"Mom, I-"

Bulma held up a hand to silence him. "No Trunks," she said sternly. He dropped his head and looked at the floor. "What's been going on between you two is totally, one hundred percent..." she smiled. "Okay."

Both teens looked at her in surprise.

"Mom," said Trunks when he regained his voice, "what made you change your mind?"

"Well, Trunks," she smiled, "like I said, I've been watching you two. You're not a burden on her at all. You seem to be doing everything you can to help her and make her feel welcome. Besides, you're a smart boy. You know what you're doing."

Trunks couldn't believe it. His mom was actually trusting him! And the other thing that got him was that Bulma seemed to know more than he did. Sure, he really liked Jackie, but did he LOVE her? He conjured a picture of her in his head. She was beautiful, nice, liked to laugh...And he felt like he wanted to protect her. After Gohan, she had become his best friend.

He opened his eyes. Yes, he thought. I do.

Trunks glanced over at Jackie. She looked really sad, like she was about to cry again.

Surprised, Trunks softly said, "Jackie?"

She looked up at Trunks and locked eyes with him. Her eyes then brimmed with tears and she stood. "Excuse me," she whispered and ran out of the room.

The two Briefs just sat there for a few minutes. Finally, Bulma broke the silence.

"Well, what are you waiting for? She's your girlfriend, go comfort her!"

"Mom!" Trunks said, upset now. "We'd never even talked about being a couple! You just assumed it!"

"It was kind of obvious," countered Bulma, picking up Jackie's breakfast plates. "And either way, you should still go and comfort her." With that, she went to the kitchen.

Trunks shook his head. "Mom," he scolded. "You never want to take any responsibility."

Still, he went to go find Jackie.

* * * * * *

Jackie sat on the couch in the Briefs' den, clutching the videotape that her father had filmed. It was truly the last possession she had from her family. The pajamas that Trunks had found her in had to be thrown away because they had been so horribly torn.

But it wasn't truly the clothes that were making the tears form in her eyes. It was the conversation that had just taken place

"Why?" she asked herself in a whisper, "Why does it hurt so much?"

Trunks chose that moment to find her. "Oh, there you are," he said. He shut the door behind him. "I was to think that you might've..."

"What?" she asked, rubbing away the dampness from her eyes. "Run away? Trunks, where would I go?"

"Yeah," he sat next to her on the couch. "That's why I wasn't thinking about it seriously. You're too smart for that." He put his arm across her shoulders. "By the way, what just happened? I mean, I know my mother can be a bit forward-"

"No," she interrupted. She laid her head into his shoulder, still holding the video to her heart. "It's not that. Well, not wholly that."

Trunks looked down at her. "So, what is it?"

Jackie sighed. "I...I always told my dad that he would be the first to know if...if I got a boyfriend...or went on a date."

"Oh," he said knowingly.

"And now," her voice rose in pitch as she tried yet again to force back tears. "And now he'll never..." She broke down into tears and pulled closer to Trunks. He thought that if she'd been younger or smaller, she might've crawled right into his lap.

"Shh," he tried to calm her and ran his fingers through her hair.

"No, don't you hush me, you know I'm right! And now he'll never see it."

"You're wrong."

Jackie pulled away from him. "What?"

"You're wrong, Jackie," he repeated.

"How can you say that?"

"He will see it Jackie. He'll see your first boyfriend and your first date and everything you do after that. He's watching you from the other world. And even though he won't be able to give the boy the required fatherly run- through, or walk you down the aisle at your wedding, he'll see you and guide you in spirit. Don't you dare count him, or your mother, out of your life yet. My father's been gone for nearly all of my life, but he still guides me."

For a few minutes, all Jackie could do was look at him as what he said sank in. Finally, she smiled and her eyes softened. "You keep talking like you don't know that you'll be all of those firsts."

"Well, after you ran out of the dining room in tears, I wasn't too sure what to think."

She smiled and brushed a hair out of her eyes. "Trunks Briefs," she said, "I would be happy to go on a date with you." An evil glint entered her eye. "And I'm sure Daddy would be happy to prepare a hundred question run- through for you."

Trunks laughed and pulled her close to him. "It's a date," he purred.

* * * * * * * * *

A/N: That was a lot nicer than the last chapter, ne? And Vegeta comes to visit them, isn't that nice?

Next Chapter: Trunks and Jackie go on a date! Where will he take her? Where IS there to go on a date while the Androids are around? And most importantly, what will they WEAR?? J/K ~__* Find out in the next chapter of The Song of an Angel!