Disclaimer: Yes, I know, I don't own dragonball z, you don't have to rub it in my face!

Note: Lots of sadness, sorry. Just wait till the next chapter!

How great it is to be loved by you!

by: Pic's Pixie

Chapter 18: Big Mistake!

Yet another month passed, Chichi was trying every trick of the book to get Gohan to stop seeing Vicki but with no avail. Goku was trying his best to calm her down but he was no match for his wife no matter how strong he was. Gohan went to see Vicki alot. They would hang out ,eat-out, make out, anything out to get away from all the prying eyes which seemed to be on them constantly, not only Gohan's mom but Bulma, Goku, Trunks, everyone. Their intense gazes only worsened Vicki's fear of telling Gohan. She hadn't told him yet and time was ticking away.

One day Gohan and Vicki were sitting under a tall tree on the edge of a lush green valley surrounded by prosperous forests and clear blue skies, there were a few stormy clouds off in the distance. Gohan leaned his back against the tree's huge trunk while Vicki rested between his legs with her back pressed firmly into his strong chest, Gohan's arms encircled hers and they had their eyes closed just listening to the various sounds of nature and eachothers rhythmic heart beats.

Vicki slowly opened her eyes, and sighed.

"Gohan?" She spoke almost a whisper.

"Hmm, yeah." Gohan answered sluggishly trying to depart his dream world.

"Do you love me? Really?" Gohan was immediately awakened by this. He cupped her face with one of his hands and turned her to face him. Their faces barely an inch away.

"Of course I do." Gohan assured with a smile. Then he leaned forward and planted a loving kiss on Vicki's soft mouth.

"Don't you?" Gohan quizzed teasingly.

Vicki looked him in the eyes and smiled faintly before repositioning herself in his lap so that her legs were on either side of his hips, her arms were securely around his torso and her head rested on his chest. She didn't answer his question in words but Gohan knew the answer, he had no doubt that she loved him.

"What will you do when I leave?" Vicki whispered dreading the thought of him saying that he would just forget and move on. Gohan went rigid, he knew this crisis wouldn't just go away on its own, but he didn't want to think about it, it was too painful.

"I don't know, you keep saying that we'll never see each other again and I don't know why, there always is a way as long as there's a will." Gohan answered.

"Sometimes the way is too strong for the will to comprehend." Vicki muttered into Gohan's shirt.

"So what will you do, do you think you'll get together with Videl to make your mother happy." Vicki practically spat that question out she knew he would never do that.

"What?! Of course not! I want to go with you." Vicki froze, this was wonderful yet so bad.

"You can't." She stated firmly while trying not to let him see the tears threatening to spill from her beautiful onyx eyes.

"Why not? I can move out of my parents house, I'll get a job and rent an apartment somewhere close to where you live." Gohan sounded like this was the easiest thing he ever had to do. Vicki thought vigorously to find an adequate response to Gohan's proposal.

"No ,it's impossible, we can never be together!" Vicki choked out the tears no longer holding back.

"No it isn't I can't let you go!" Gohan spoke forcefully, his voice edging on a menacing tone. Vicki was weeping into his chest telling him that they could never be together, it wasn't right, and he knew he couldn't let her go just like that.

"I won't let you go!" Gohan yelled holding Vicki tighter to his chest trying to comfort her, he knew this was hurting her but he needed to let her know how he felt.

"You have to, I have to, we have no choice."

"There is always a choice."

Vicki pulled back from him and tried to wipe away her sadness. Gohan knew that if he didn't find some way of convincing her that she was meant for him as him for her, she would be lost to him and his heart.

"Marry me!" Gohan burst.

Vicki didn't move, or show any acknowledgement that she had heard him and just sat very still starring at him. Gohan was getting anxious. He needed an answer, so he provoked her by picking up her left hand and pulling it to his mouth to kiss it. Vicki turned her gaze from his eyes to her hand and his. He brought it up to his lips and kissed the back of it then slowly started to turn it kissing his way to the palm of her hand. He traced an invisible pattern in her hand with his finger tip, and started to move his mouth up towards the tips of her fingers. He locked eyes with her and licked his lips, he then seductively pulled her ring finger into his mouth and started to suck on it. Vicki didn't know what to do ,she wanted to fling herself into his arms and cry to the world that she loved him and that she would marry him, gladly. But she couldn't , she couldn't bring herself to hurt him deeper, by marrying him then leaving him, it was like teasing./see this can't have it/ Gohan continued to suck on her finger while Vicki grouped herself together. Then something not right happened. Vicki pulled away violently, not just her finger but she got up and stepped back a few feet with her head down so he couldn't see her face. Gohan immediately jumped to his feet and was about to go to her when she stopped him.

"No! Stay back. Gohan please know that I love you and will never forget you. But under these circumstances we just cannot be." Vicki powered up and took off.

Gohan was mortified at what she said, how could it be true? It couldn't so he finally got out of his stupor, and powered up himself taking off in the same direction. The storm clouds were here now and the light was dissipating quickly, but he had to find her. The strange thing was that he couldn't sense her anymore, he didn't think she knew how to block her ki but apparently she did.

Minutes turned to hours and still Gohan couldn't find her, she was like Piccolo in that way, that if she didn't want to be found she wouldn't be. Gohan was flying over the woods when he felt the first icy drops from the sky. He couldn't afford to stop searching he had to find her, he lowered to the ground in a very familiar place. It was Piccolo's waterfall, he couldn't sense either one being there but he decide to check anyway. It was a very special place for Vicki and himself. Gohan climbed into the water and waded through the waterfall until he was safely behind it, he climbed over the rocks until he was in the small cavern that they had made love in. No one. No one was there, Gohan didn't know what to do, he had to find her he just had to, but he also knew that his behaviour was a bit possessive so he thought it best to back off and give her a chance to think, she could also defend herself if she were in trouble. With all these reasons to go, he finally gave up and started for home. He got home soaking wet from both the river and the rain, the storm had really built up ,it was even thundering and lightning out, this did not set well with Gohan's urge to protect his mate. Chichi was in a rage once she saw the condition Gohan was in but with much coercing from her husband she allowed Gohan enough time to dry off, get changed into a new set of clothes and make himself a snack.

"Well, want to tell us about it?" Chichi more demanded then asked.

"I asked Vicki to marry me." Gohan was in no mood to play games around the subject at hand.

"You WHAT?!" Goku and Chichi yelled in unison.

"I asked Vicki to be my wife." Gohan repeated with a point blank look on his face.

"What did she say?" Goku asked nervously wondering how long Chichi would wait until she let loose her opinion.

"She,..she said that it was impossible for us to be together then she took off, I couldn't find her." Gohan bowed his head.

"Man, sorry son." Goku said with sympathy.

"I knew she was no good, didn't I say she was no good?" Chichi ranted on ignoring the mean looks Goku was sending her while he helped Gohan get back up to his room. He knew his son was a sensitive boy no matter how much he denied it. He helped him into bed and left him alone to think and sleep. Gohan was very tired, searching for Vicki and the heart ache he was feeling took its toll on the half-breed's energy. He slowly drifted off to sleep imagining how wonderful it actually would be if Vicki said yes and they got married.

Meanwhile back outside in the storm there was a girl. She was dripping wet and every time the lightning flashed and the thunder rolled she would flinch as if the sound along signalled certain death. Vicki hadn't flown that far when she left Gohan, she knew he'd come after her so she just hid and surpressed her ki. It worked and Gohan flew right over her, she waited and wandered all over the valley they had been in until she could feel Gohan's ki moving back in the direction of his house. She was shivering, the water was cold and she was soaked. Her hair was dripping and her clothes were heavy and translucent, clinging to her body surrounding her in their chill.

Vicki slowly made her way into the cave behind her waterfall, she knew Gohan had come here looking and would probably not come back in a while so she thought herself safe for now. She was trembling from the cold and her energy seemed to be sucked out of her. She slowly lowered herself down onto the pile of her old cloaks and curled up into a ball to try and keep warm, it didn't help much since she forgot to take off her wet clothes and dry off. Big mistake.