Hey everybody! I can't believe how many reviews I got for chapter 20! I had no idea?! I can't take it! --cries--
Okay, so yeah. I think I'll take this time to thank all the little people?(and the not so little people).
PossesedRoguey: Hola! Lol. Just peachy?I don't even know where that came from. But I have a question? how come it's always peachy? Why can't it be just strawberry-y, or just orange-y, or just apple-y? Lol. Thanks for the great review.
Shades of Crimson: What can I say but sorry for taking such a long time? Lol. You're the best. Really. What would I do without you?? Lol. And by the way, David's not really thinking he's in love with her after one kiss, he's just?immature, and he thinks?I don't know, it's hard to explain, but yeah. Okay, I'll shut up and get on with the chapter now. For real this time.
T2i2n2a: --sigh-- I don't know what to say. I don't exactly know when everybody will find out what Brooke did, (isn't she a b!tch? I know somebody like that.) but I guess you'll just have to keep reading to find out!! Everybody keeps talking about how they don't like David! I mean c'mon give the kid a break!!
Dray: Hey, I haven't heard from you in a while, but I did receive your reviews for all the previous chapters. You are yet another person who has nothing but bad feelings for David. He's not too bad, and Bulma was partly to blame too! Lol. Thanks for the review, enjoy the chapter!
Priscilla-Chan: lol. Sorry for taking such a long time to update, I've been pretty busy especially with school work and everything (my geography teacher is being a b!tch and giving me loads of hmwk!), so?yeah. I know exactly what you mean (I love friends!) I'm still debating on whether or not Veggie and Bulma should get together in the end, but?we'll see. Thanks for the great review!
Nicole: Thank you so much! I really don't know what to say to such a wonderful review! I think I'm gonna cry again! --tear tear-- lol. Hope you like the chapter, and sorry for taking such a long time, my geography teacher was being a b!tch and giving me loads of homework, so?yeah.
VeryShortMidget: Hey gurl, what's up? I'm glad you liked the chapter. I know, isn't Vegeta being a total ass??? I so feel for Bulma. Lol. I'm such a nerd. Hopefully things will get better! Enjoy the chapter, and thanks for the review!
Aoi Megami: Hey! Haven't heard from you in a while. Thank you for taking the time to review. Lol. Don't worry about the very very late review. Lol. Jk. Hope you like the chapter. Just so you guys know, I'm having some issues with FFN, and the document manager, and quick edit, so...just bear with me.
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Chapter 21 - Leaving------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It was 8:00 PM. Bulma sat in the living room, in her usual spot perched on the couch, the remote in her hand, her eyes glued to the television screen in front of her. To anyone passing by, it would've appeared that she was actually paying attention to the 10:00 news at 6, but her mind was on a million other things.
For a few days, she had been able to think of nothing other than her ex-boyfriend and her 'visit'. She had cried for days on end, not bothering to come out of her room to eat or drink, barely getting any sleep.
Finally, she had decided that there was nothing she could do, and crying was doing her no good.
For some reason, though, she couldn't shake the image of that man from her mind. Vegeta had to know who he was, he only said he didn't to make her upset, which he, by the way, succeeded in doing.
But there was something about him she couldn't quite put her finger on it, though. She just felt like she recognized him. The image of his face, his posture, the perplexed look on his face, the faint scent of his cologne, it was burned into her mind, and yet?she didn't know why.
She heaved a heavy sigh as she finally flipped the television off. She started to pick up the phone to call Chichi but then she remembered, there was a game tonight, she was at the school.
Bulma suddenly felt completely and utterly alone, as if there was no one in the world that cared if she lived or died?no one. But she thought to herself who would want to care for me? I'm pathetic. Look at me!
Her moment of self-pity was cut short as her mother entered the room, plopping down into the loveseat. By the look on her face, she didn't realize that the room was already occupied. Her face was pale, and she was breathing hard, and Bulma was afraid she'd heard some bad news.
"Mom?" She said finally.
Her mother looked up with a start, and then released what sounded to Bulma like a horribly high-pitched, forced laugh. "Oh, honey, I didn't know you were in here."
"What's wrong?"
She shook her head and turned toward the window as a tear silently slid down her cheek. She squeezed her eyes shut and began to cry.
Bulma stole silently to her side and took her hand. "Mom? Is everything okay? What happened?"
She opened her eyes and gazed into her daughter's own, blue ones, clouded with worry.
"I--I got a call?"
A questioning expression flashed across Bulma's face as she wanted to ask twenty questions at once, but she realized that this was obviously hard for her mother, so she squeezed her hand gently and waited for her to continue.
"?from my son."
"You mean?the one you gave up?"
Mrs. Briefs nodded and the tears began to fall once more. Bulma slid into the seat next to her and hugged her mother as she felt the tears coming to her own eyes at the thought of this big brother she never knew.
Once the tears had subsided Mrs. Briefs spoke up once again, "He's coming..."
Bulma didn't say anything for a long while before she asked quietly, "Does dad know?"
Her mother shook her head, "He knows about Austin, yes, but he doesn't know he's coming tomorrow."
Bulma nodded silently.
"He'll be here at 10."
"Tonight?"
"Yes."
Bulma suddenly jumped up, or as much so as her bloated stomach would allow.
"You're serious?" She questioned, not really expecting an answer. "Oh my gosh! There's so much to do! I'll call Maria right away so she can come right now," Bulma promised as she left the room.
"Bulma, dear, we don't need the maid?"
"Yes we do! The house is a mess!" Came her daughter's reply from somewhere in the kitchen.
Mrs. Briefs rolled her eyes and glanced around, "I guess that's all how you look at it." She mumbled, pulling herself up from the comfort of the cushions, the thoughts of meeting her long lost child tumbling over themselves in her mind.
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Austin glanced at his reflection in the mirror. After a good shower, a nice pair of clothes, and a shave, he actually began to look like himself again. He wasn't exactly sure what would happen once he got to the house, which he heard--from Vegeta--was outrageously huge.
As he gazed at his reflection in the mirror, he wondered if his clothes were right. Too casual? Too formal? He couldn't tell.
His thoughts drifted back to Bill and Sarah, the only parents he had known for 19 of his 20 years. They were some of the best people in the world in his eyes, and he loved them with all of his heart, but he felt drawn?called to find his birth mother. He didn't see these people as Mom and Dad anymore, but as Bill and Sarah.
He took a deep breath and released it slowly.
"Okay, Austin?you can do this. Just get in the car and--" He turned to find Vegeta leaning against the door, giving him a weird look. He raised an eyebrow at his new houseguest having a conversation with himself, but didn't say a word.
He gave him one of his 'whatever' looks and walked away.
Austin shrugged and stalked out of the bathroom, picking up the duffel bag he had set by the door.
"Thanks for everything, Vegeta," he called as he opened the front door. He heard him mumble a reply, but couldn't quite make it out as he stepped outside and closed the door behind him.
He took another deep breath as he stalked across the parking lot to the waiting limo. He was not quite able to believe his eyes as the door opened and out stepped his sister--er, half sister, Bulma Briefs.
She stopped short, immediately recognizing him from a couple days before, as she finally pieced together the puzzle.
"Austin?" She asked.
He nodded and began to walk toward her. She threw her arms around him and hugged him as close as her swollen stomach would allow as the tears began to flow.
"It's like a dream come true!" She exclaimed, "I always wanted a big brother."
He was too stunned to speak. She finally released him and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Okay, I guess I can stop blubbering, now. C'mon, let's go."
He helped her inside and sat across from her as the limousine pulled away.
They exchanged questions as they made the journey, and by the time they pulled up to the large iron gates, Bulma felt as if she had known this brother for her whole life.
She saw his eyes widen as he beheld the sight of the gigantic house. She looked at it and couldn't imagine feeling the magic she saw in his eyes. The large house was somewhat of a bore to her, seeing as she had lived in it all her life.
They pulled up in front of the building and stepped out. Bulma slipped her hand into Austin's and gave it a reassuring squeeze as they ascended the front steps. She smiled to herself, imagining the teary reunion as she pushed open the door and they both stepped inside.
"Mom? We're home," she called as her smile widened, seeing Austin begin to fidget.
"C'mon," she said, puling him toward the living room where she--after discussing it with her mother--had decided that Austin should meet his mother for the first time.
"Right in here," she said, motioning toward the room where her mother was waiting. "Good luck."
She gave him a light shove and ascended the stairs to her room, wanting to give the two some privacy. She couldn't even imagine the look on her mother's face as she embraced her son, her precious son.
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As the next few months passed, Austin became a permanent part of the Briefs family. The media was all over it for a few weeks, as was expected, but once that subsided, things became pretty much a routine for the now four members of the Briefs family.
Vegeta eventually convinced someone to let him take another drug test, which he passed and was reluctantly let back onto the West City Wolverines Football Team, but it wasn't the same. The attention and media had all shifted to Goku now. Vegeta was no longer the star player; it was all about Goku now.
Goku was the one receiving scholarships to numerous NFL teams, and all Vegeta received was junk mail. He couldn't stand it, but there was nothing he could do about it.
Bulma finally went into labor the day of a major game for the West City Wolverines. Fourteen different news groups had gone to the field, and the coach had pulled Vegeta aside to let him know, and dismiss him if he wanted to go see her, but he just told them, "It's not my problem anymore," and continued playing.
The coach of the cheerleading squad had given them all permission to leave and go to the hospital to see Bulma. She was extremely happy to see them, but they all noticed the look of disappointment in her eyes when she saw they were the only ones there.
Austin, David, Mr. and Mrs. Briefs, and numerous other family members and friends had all come to the hospital to see the new addition to the Briefs family, and there were at least 30 people there to witness the birth of Trunks Briefs. They had all asked about his middle name, but Bulma only shook her head; his name was Trunks.
After a few hours more in the hospital, the doctor had allowed Bulma to be taken home, to recuperate there. Her family was extremely grateful, and Bulma had a slight suspicion that someone had offered the doctor some 'greens' to let her go early.
The house was full of relatives for at least a month after the birth of Bulma's son. There was a party every night and it was scarcely quiet in the large house.
Finally, after about 5 weeks, the Briefs were back down to 5--er, 6, really. David had been there every day, usually spending the nights with the Briefs, and Bulma was beginning to worry about him, he was still young, too young to understand?
Eventually, he asked her to marry him. She had thought about the idea, seriously considering it, but she kept coming to the same conclusion, she couldn't, she just couldn't?or maybe she just wouldn't. Either way, it wouldn't happen. She had explained it to him the best she could, but he ended up storming out of the room and slamming the door. He still hadn't come back.
She had thought about it for a long while after he left, but she realized that his childish attitude had shown how juvenile he really was. She had thought he had grown up a little during all of this, but obviously not.
Once her son was about 2 months old, she began to consider going back to school; she wanted to be there to graduate with the rest of her class, to show them that she could go through all this and still come out on top.
At first everyone had been against her, but they eventually realized that they couldn't hold her down, and that she would do what she thought was right, and they stopped trying to influence her decision.
She was pleasantly surprised to find the whole school standing in front of the school with balloons and confetti and a gigantic banner that said 'Welcome Back' upon her arrival on her 'first day'. She was so overwhelmed she had cried, right there in the parking lot of the school; she had no idea they cared so much.
She couldn't say that it wasn't hard starting over, it was so hard sometimes she just wanted to throw a tantrum, rip up all her papers, and spend the rest of her life being pampered, but she wouldn't?not after all she'd been through already. She had to prove it to herself, if not anyone else that she could do it. She couldn't give up.
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Bulma pushed open the double doors to the parking lot, descending the steps toward her car. She just wanted to go home and relax, but she didn't have time.
She glanced at her watch, she had to be home to feed trunks in 20 minutes, and after that she had some serious studying to do.
"Hey Bulma!"
She spun around to find two girls she had never met before jogging up to her.
"Hi," she smiled, clutching her books in one arm and trying to unlock her car with the other.
"Hey, we were wondering," one said, "if you would be willing to do an interview with the school newspaper."
"We think you're a great example and role model for some of the girls." The other said quickly.
Bulma was taken aback for a moment before she replied with an affirmative. "Sure, I'd love to. Just let me know when."
They thanked her and dashed off. It never ceased to amaze her how people would just come up to her and start talking with her as if they had known her for forever. Her story was everywhere; she'd even been on late night with David Letterman, and Jay Leno. They even did a TV special on her on 60 Minutes!
She finally managed to get the door unlocked and she placed her books on the back seat and closed the door behind her.
She stood up and closed the door and was about to climb in when she noticed someone walking?
She blinked, shook her head and looked again. Whoever it was--or wasn't--was gone.
She climbed into the car and started the engine, willing herself to forget, but they looked familiar?
She backed out of her parking place and drove off, shaking her head and trying to concentrate on what she had to do. She couldn't be concerned with other people and their problems.
She rolled down her window, feeling the wind running through her hair. She reached down and flipped on the radio.
Don't leave me in all this pain
Don't leave me out in the rain
Come back and bring back my smile
Come and take these tears away
I need your arms to hold me now
The night are so unkind
Bring back those nights when I held you beside me
Un-break my heart
Say you'll love me again
Undo this hurt you caused
When you walked out the door
And walked out of my life
Un-cry these tears
I cried so many nights
Un-break my heart
My heart
She gave the radio a weird look; she hadn't heard that song in forever. Why would they choose now to play it? She shook her head and turned to another station.
They say there ain't no remedies for the way I feel
They say you ain't no good for me cuz you ain't for real
But they don't see the little things
The things that touch my heart
The way I feel when I'm inside your arms
And I love you
As in more than anything
And I love you
Even when my heart's in pain
And I love you
Is there any other way
I'm gon' love you 'till my dying day
"Okay, this is weird," she mumbled, popping in a CD. She didn't have time for this, Trunks was waiting for her at home.
Maybe I don't wanna know the reason why
But lately you don't talk to me
And baby I can't see me in your eyes
I hold you near but you're so far away
And it's losing you I can't believe
To watch you leave and let this feeling die
You alone are the living thing that keeps me alive
And tomorrow if I am here without your love you know I can't survive
Only my love can raise you high above it all
She couldn't believe this! This couldn't be happening! She had listened to this CD millions of times and this song never made her feel this way?ever! She wanted to change it, but she couldn't bring herself to do it, so she didn't.
Don't throw it all away our love (our love)
Don't throw it all away our love
Don't throw it all away
We can take the darkness and make it full of light
Let your love flow back to me
How can you leave and let this feeling die
This happy room will be a lonely place when you are gone
And I won't even have your shoulders for the crying on
No other man's love could be as true, I'm beggin' you
She gripped the steering wheel as the tears began to fill her eyes. Why was it that every time she tried to forget about him, something happened? she couldn't get him out of her head! She hated this feeling that always came over her?
You alone are the living thing that keeps me alive
And tomorrow if I am here without you love you know I can't survive
Only my love can raise you high above it all
(So high...above it all)
Don't throw it all away our love (our love)
Don't throw it all away our love
(So high...above it all)
Don't throw it all away our love (our love)
Don't throw it all away our love
"Our love?" she whispered as a single tear plunged down her cheek. No, it couldn't be love. It was never love. Lust, maybe, deception, maybe, but not love.
She finally pulled the car over and began to pound the steering wheel as the tears flowed freely down her cheeks, she couldn't take this!
"I hate you, Vegeta! I hate you!" she screamed. "I love you so much I hate you! You hurt me and all I can do is love you!"
She pulled open the door and stepped out, plopping down on the side of the road, leaning her back up against the car. She pulled her knees up to her chest and lay her head down, sobbing quietly.
After about 30 minutes, she heard her cell phone ringing in her car. Slowly, she rose and climbed back into the drivers seat, leaning her head back against the seat.
Finally, she picked up the phone.
It was her mom, wondering where she was.
"I'm on my way," Bulma promised.
"Oh no, honey, that's alright. We were all about to go to a movie, but if you're busy, then that's fine, we'll just go without you.
Bulma sighed, "You'd better go without me, because I really don't think I'll make it home in time."
"Okay, honey. We're leaving now. Trunks is taking a nap, so he should be fine for a while. Love you!"
"Love you too, mom," she said, before flipping the phone shut. She took a deep breath, and finally turned the key.
She drove home in complete silence as she thought about everything.
Before she knew it, she was pulling up to the house. In her emotional state, she didn't even notice the other car in the driveway. She quietly let herself in, trying not to wake her sleeping son, but no avail. As soon as she opened the door, she heard him crying.
"Aww, I'm coming, sweetheart," she called, tossing her keys on the table and rushing to Trunks' room.
She hurried into the room, and saw him standing there, holding the wailing infant in a very unusual fashion.
She stood there in shock for a moment before her son's cries snapped her out of her trance.
"Vegeta, what did you do?" she snapped.
"Here, woman, make him stop!"
She took the boy from him and stalked over to the rocking chair in the corner. She began to rock back and forth, whispering soothing words to her son.
He finally ceased his howling and fell asleep and she glared at Vegeta as she rose to put him back in the crib.
"Vegeta, what are you doing here?" she questioned, placing her hands on her hips.
"Your mother called me."
"For what reason?"
"To watch the kid."
She gazed at him for a moment, then took a deep breath, as she was preparing to make some long speech about 'them'.
"Vegeta--"
"Don't," he cut her off.
"?Oh."
She stood for a moment before whirling about and stalking out of the room. He followed close behind.
"Well, I'm here now, so, you can leave," she said over her shoulder as she descended the stairs.
"No."
She spun around to face him, "What do you mean, no?"
"I'm not leaving," he stated, walking around her as he started down the stairs once more.
"Vegeta, really, you can go."
"I'm not leaving, woman," he said once again, starting for the kitchen.
She sighed, this was not working out like she had planned.
She stalked into the kitchen and found him roaming through her cupboards obviously looking for something to eat.
"What are you doing?"
"What's it look like?" he snapped.
She closed her eyes and counted to ten very slowly, taking a deep breath, "Vegeta?please leave."
He turned around and smirked as he started toward her.
"Why?"
"Because--" her breath caught in her throat as he stopped right in front of her, too close for her comfort, "it--it makes me uncomfortable," she stuttered finally.
He chuckled and stepped back as she glared angrily at him.
"Vegeta, please!" She was begging now, she couldn't take this much longer. "I--I don't want you here!"
He stiffened visibly and turned back to her slowly.
"Fine."
He glared at her as he passed, walking out to the front, stopping short in front of the door.
"Oh, by the way, I'm leaving," he stated as he flung the door open.
"What? What are you talking about? Where are you going?" She questioned frantically. Yeah, she couldn't stand him, and she basically kicked him out of her house, but?he was the father of her child! He couldn't leave!
"I don't know, but I'm getting out of here. I'll be leaving in two days."
He stalked out and she ran to the door.
"So soon?" She called.
"You shouldn't have a problem with that." He snapped, pulling out his keys and unlocking his car.
"Well?I'll stop by tomorrow," she said quickly.
"Whatever," he mumbled, climbing in the car and driving off.
She sighed as she watched the small, black car turn the corner. "What did I do now?" She questioned herself.
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Awww?just when ya thought they were gonna get back together, Bulma had to ruin it! Grr! Don't cha hate that? Where do you think Vegeta is going? Will he ever come back? Will Bulma stop him from going?! Find out next time! Hehe. Don't forget to REVIEW!!!