Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or the characters

Snow fell and blanketed the streets in white powder. Trunks looked around the city as various shops closed down for the evening. He received his payment from Frieza earlier in the day in cash, but he had no desire to keep the money. When his training session was completed, Trunks decided to go for a walk. He went to the homeless shelter and donated the money. At least his ill-gotten gains would bring joy to many people this Christmas.

Christmas. His and his mother's favorite holiday. Trunks felt terrible that he couldn't be home with her. If it weren't for his promise to Kuriza and the mission he was currently in, he would have sent her something or tried to contact her, but it was too risky. As far as Frieza knew, Trunks had no one, and that was how it needed to stay. Vegeta, his father, said something similar. Attachments were dangerous when it came to Frieza. He needed to keep his mother safe. Hopefully Mai was able to inform his mother that he was undercover. At least then, the woman wouldn't worry too much about not hearing from him.

Trunks thought back to what his father said to him. Vegeta explained that the rivalry between Vegeta Ouji Sr. and Frieza Cold went way back. Trunks's grandmother was killed by the Cold Family, and his father avenged her death. Trunks tried to imagine himself in his father's shoes. He hoped he would continue to live by the law, but a pit formed in his stomach every time he thought about losing his mother. Trunks couldn't fault his father for taking the law into his own hands back then because Trunks couldn't rule out the desire to murder whoever might take his mother away from him. If he were in his father's shoes, he probably would do the same thing.

If what Vegeta said was true, Trunks had no doubt his mother would be terrified to learn he infiltrated the Cold Family and even more so that Trunks was living in the monster's house. She would understand his desire to protect and assist Kuriza in taking his father down since his own father ended his father's life to protect them. Kuriza's situation reminded him so much of his father's. Now Trunks knew why the Ouji Family had an honor code. Whatever shipments they were bringing in were illegal but killing in self-defense was not. Shooting someone was assault, but no one ever got murdered except by some of the older members that served under Vegeta Ouji Sr. Despite the illegal dealings, Trunks found he was proud of his father for limiting the amount of illegal activity. Vegeta was definitely something else.

The laughter of children cut Trunks from his thoughts; he smiled when he saw children run around in an abandoned lot. They threw snowballs and sledded down mounds of snow. Trunks remembered the times he and Kuriza spent goofing off during the winter as children and the hot chocolate Bulma would prepare for them. His mother met Kuriza countless times, but never knew his last name or who he was. That was probably better now that Trunks knew his mother knew of the Colds. At least when everything came out, both of his parents would know that Kuriza was a good and brave man and not someone the two would need to fear.

Enough reminiscing, Trunks told himself, forcing the smile off his face. The longer I'm away, the more suspicious Frieza will get.

With that thought, Trunks changed his course and started to head back to Frieza's mansion. Hopefully it would be dinnertime by the time he returned.

Bulma watched the snow come down outside and sighed. She had been thinking about her son all day, about how he'd be thrilled about the first snow of the season. Christmas was just around the corner, a few weeks away. It had already been several months since Trunks went on this latest case, and it chilled Bulma to the core. Was her son okay? Whose organization did he infiltrate? Was it a drug ring he was trying to bring down like in the past or something far more sinister? The fact that Vegeta seemed to ask more questions about Trunks lately in their letters indicated that it might be.

"I met him."

That was the last thing Vegeta said in his latest letter, and Bulma's heart beat rapidly in her chest that day. Had Trunks been sent to bring down Vegeta's organization? What did that mean? She knew Vegeta would never harm their son, but what about other members in the group?

When Bulma received the letter, she did something she was warned never to do. She called Vegeta, but only on his work phone when she knew he was at his gym.

"Gravity Gym, Vegeta speaking."

Bulma covered her mouth to prevent her gasp. It had been so long since she'd heard Vegeta's voice. Hearing his low timbre caused warm sensations to flow through her body; her stomach flip-flopped with slight anxiety. "Hello, Vegeta."

"Bulma…" Vegeta murmured warmly. "I…you're calling me."

"I am," Bulma mused with a smile. She twirled a strand of hair around her finger, one of her nervous habits. "I know this probably isn't the best idea, but I needed to talk to you. It's about Trunks."

She could almost see the worry on his face when she heard it in his voice. "Is the boy all right?"

Bulma frowned. "I…was hoping you could tell me. Your letter said you met him. Does that mean he's investigating you?"

Vegeta hesitated and looked out his window. He knew Bulma would have questions for him when he mentioned his interaction with Trunks, but he couldn't reassure her. Honestly, Vegeta wished it was his organization Trunks was investigating instead of Frieza. If that were the case, Vegeta could ensure Trunks's safety. Hell, he'd even hand over all the evidence to his son if it meant an end to the ridiculous façade he put forth to keep his father's followers in line.

"He is not investigating my organization," Vegeta admitted.

"But if you met him… Is he with one of your competitors? Who is he investigating, Vegeta?"

He couldn't tell her. If he did, Bulma would be sick with worry, and he couldn't do that to her. "That is not something I can tell you," he replied. He gritted his teeth before he did something he had never done to the woman before. "I don't know," he lied.

Bulma sighed on the other end of the call. "Well, I guess that makes sense. The officers won't tell me anything except that he's okay. When you met him…Vegeta, how was he?"

Vegeta swallowed. He hated what he was doing, but he needed to keep Bulma in the dark as to what was going on with their son. If she knew Trunks was with Frieza, if she knew that he screwed up in letting Goten go in a confrontation and now Frieza was practically torturing their son, she'd be a mess. "He was well," he fibbed again before he added an air of truth. "He's an exceptional man, Bulma. You've done well with him."

"Thank you, Vegeta. And please, look after him."

Vegeta bathed in the softness of her voice, felt a wave of calm wash over him. He missed his woman so much, but he was happy she safe. Of course, he would never get over his feelings, that was something he accepted long ago. He knew they could never be together if he wanted her to live. At one time he was selfish, wanted to keep her with him as he unwillingly took over his father's organization. In truth, he knew the men his father reigned over would have most likely killed her anyway. It was why he made the decision to send her away. If something ever happened to her because of this life, Vegeta would never forgive himself. If something ever happened to Trunks, the same rang true.

"I promise, I will."

Vegeta expected Bulma to hang up and the feeling of loneliness to wash over him once the line disconnected. Instead, the woman remained on the line in silence for a moment before she spoke again. "So…how are you?"

She was so hesitant, so uncertain, and her timidity made Vegeta smile. "We'll talk about me later. I want to hear about you first."

Bulma laughed at that, mumbled something about 'same old, same old'. She began to tell Vegeta about some of the articles she was working on for the magazine. Eventually, it led to them both telling stories over the past few years. Some of the stories Bulma wrote about in her letters regarding Trunks, she finally got to share with Vegeta, laugh with him. They reminisced; they confided in one another. By the time they hung up the phone, they both felt a little bit lighter and less lonely. For the first time in a long time, Bulma's hope that one day Vegeta would be free of his father's world and that they would reconnect returned to her.

Trunks returned to Frieza's mansion in time to wash up for dinner. He nodded to the guards stationed outside the front gate who, once Trunks was past the gate, locked it up for the night. That was another safety precaution Frieza took to protect himself against enemies. It was ironic how paranoid Frieza was about outsiders—even Halloween trick-or-treaters that never even came—yet he allowed a stranger to live in his home. Where Trunks hadn't given the mob boss any reason to suspect he was an officer, he was less than forthcoming with information about his life.

If Frieza was suspicious, he never let onto it. When he wasn't pissed off at Trunks during training, Frieza was actually rather polite. It was a front, Trunks knew. The act always made Kuriza apprehensive. Seeing the pain and fear etched on his best friend's face and the sick amusement Frieza received from it made Trunks feel angry. No…he would never give Frieza any ammo. His father warned him—no attachments.

Dinner was a fanciful feast—caviar, foie gras, Kobe beef, truffles, and lobster. Trunks was tempted to ask about the occasion, but he simply greeted Frieza and Kuriza respectfully and dutifully.

"Ah, Trunks, so good to see you," Frieza responded in fake pleasantry. "You've been gone since early this morning, I hear."

Kuriza froze and looked to Trunks. He did his best to appear impassive, but his eyes still conveyed concern. There was the concern that Frieza was having Trunks followed. The officer dismissed the thought. If so, it wouldn't matter. The few places he went weren't truly damning.

"Just went out for some fresh air," Trunks expressed casually. "Been feeling a little cooped up since the cold hit."

"I understand," Frieza conversed. "Men like you need activity. Speaking of activities, the Christmas festivities are coming up. I will be out of town until after the New Year. All my men will have off during this time to let off some steam. Feel free to visit your family during this reprieve."

Trunks didn't visibly hesitate, but he felt perplexed. He was certain that when he revealed his 'backstory' that he told Frieza and Zarbon he was estranged from his family. "That's a very kind offer, Mr. Cold, but if you might recall I have no family."

Frieza looked incredibly amused, although Trunks did not get the sense that Frieza knew anything more. "Oh, my mistake," Frieza sounded less than apologetic. "Trunks from nowhere, I remember now. The no-show father and horrid mother. You know, I could take care of that problem, if you'd like."

It was another test. Though a shiver ran up his spine, Trunks kept his cool. He had to play this carefully. "The offer's appreciated, but I haven't spoken to the woman in years. She's already dead to me. Even so, family is family, right? I don't wish her any ill will. I just don't want to be around her."

"Such a good, respectable man," Frieza marveled. "It's so rare to find those who are so dedicated to their families." His eyes landed on Kuriza. "I lucked out with my boy. Loyal to his very core." Kuriza nearly flinched but simply nodded. Frieza's attention turned back to the lavender-haired youth. "If you ever change your mind…"

"I'll let you know."

The rest of dinner went by in complete silence. When the meal was over, Trunks thanked Frieza once again for his hospitality and asked to be excused. Kuriza followed suit ten minutes later. They remained in their rooms, that is until they heard the front door slam shut, indicating that the master of the house finally left. Even better, because of the holidays, all the men that usually skulked around the house were not there.

Trunks sighed in relief. At least he could drop the act for a little bit. He began to pity and respect Kuriza even more. Never in his life would Trunks ever understand the desire to harm another individual, let alone offer to eliminate someone's mother for the sole fact of 'not getting along'. It was moments like these, on any job, that sickened Trunks and made him want to hear his own mother's voice.

Alone in his room, Kuriza had a similar reflection. He was thankful his father was gone. The man offered for Kuriza to join him 'on holiday'. Kuriza never liked being around his father let alone being alone with him. He opted to stay home and keep the house in working order plus, he noted, someone would need to keep an eye on Trunks. That's why Kuriza was so surprised when his father challenged Trunks about his familial 'issues'. There was nothing in his eyes that revealed he thought Trunks was lying. Kuriza scoffed. His father was probably just trying to see if he could get a rise out of his most recent recruit. Not for the first time, Kuriza admired his friend for being so brave.

His friend. Kuriza was alone with Trunks. There were no men, no guards, no maids, no one to witness their friendship. As Frieza's son, Kuriza knew that it didn't fully mean they were secure which is why he used some of his private tools to scan the house for bugs. It was thankfully clean. He and Trunks would be free to do whatever and act however they wanted for a couple weeks. It really was such a relief whenever his father left town. This was the first time Kuriza would be left alone with a friend.

Christmas came quicker than either Trunks or Kuriza expected. It didn't surprise them in the slightest, that time flew without the need to keep up false pretenses. The two had a very meager Christmas, not wanting to order out with the complexities of the outside gate. They exchanged gifts; Trunks gave Kuriza some casual t-shirts and sweaters. Living in his father's mansion, Kuriza wore mostly formal wear and business casual. He was hardly ever able to cut loose, so Trunks thought it would be the perfect gift. Kuriza gave Trunks a few CDs and a warm blanket. He hinted to Trunks that he ran into Mai and the blanket was from her in a package she left by a park bench. Trunks smiled and shook his head.

"She probably shouldn't have taken the risk," Trunks mused, but was still touched by the gesture. He wrapped the blanket around his shoulders and turned to his friend.

The two sat Indian style on the floor by the fireplace; Christmas music played over the television. It was a very relaxing day, the best Christmas Kuriza ever experienced. Every winter break, his mother would send him to stay with his father. This was the first time Kuriza spent the holiday with someone who actually gave a damn about him. He knew, though, that Trunks was sacrificing a lot. They'd been friends long enough for Kuriza to know how Trunks spent Christmas with his mother and uncle, how the three of them always celebrated together.

"You know, Trunks, I did check the house after everyone left. If you want, it would be safe to call your mother. I'm sure she's worried about you."

Trunks hesitated, but then thought about it for a moment. This had been the longest time on any assignment that Trunks kept silent from the woman. Usually, he'd pass messages to Mai to give the woman, but ever since he met Vegeta, Trunks thought against communicating with her in any way, shape, or form. Still, his mother deserved some peace of mind, and this was the perfect and probably only opportunity he'd get to contact her directly.

"I think I will," Trunks replied. "You gonna call your mother."

Kuriza grimaced. After she sent him to live with his father and started living her own life, Kuriza barely spoke to the woman. He was pretty sure the only reason she kept him around as a child was for the massive amounts of child support she received from his father, probably payment to take care of him until he was old enough to join the business.

"Nah," Kuriza answered with a shake of his head. "She and I haven't spoken for years now. I don't reach out to her, and she hasn't reached to me."

Trunks frowned. When he stood up and began to leave the room, he stopped next to his friend and squeezed his shoulder in reassurance. "When this is over, you're welcome into my family."

Kuriza nodded and grinned forlornly, once again thankful for Trunks's presence in his life.

Bulma sat alone in the living room next to the decorated Christmas tree. All lights were off in the room except for the glow of the colored lights. She and Tarble celebrated as always, exchanged gifts and shared their Christmas feast. Without Trunks, though, it just didn't feel the same to the mother. Under the tree sat the presents she and Tarble bought for him and a few gifts from friends of her son who were visiting their families for the holidays.

Earlier, she called Mai on the private line the woman gave her to invite her over. Mai joined Bulma and Tarble for dinner and received a gift from Bulma. Mai was surprised and flustered by the gesture, but Bulma reminded the woman that she was her son's girlfriend. While her son was out there trying to make the world a better place, Bulma wanted to take the opportunity to get to know the woman. In a way, it made her feel closer to her son when she had no idea what was happening to him.

The screen of her cell phone lit up with a restricted number. Bulma would have ignored it if it wasn't so late at night on a holiday no less. There was no way it could be a creditor or agency, anyway.

"Hello?"

There was a moment of silence, and then a familiar chuckle. "Hey, Mom. Merry Christmas. I didn't know if you'd answer."

Bulma choked on a sob. "Trunks," she breathed out in relief. "I…Merry Christmas, son. How are you? Where are you? Are you okay? Why haven't you been keeping in touch with Mai or your precinct? Is everything okay?"

"Mom, Mom," Trunks interjected, an attempt to calm the woman before she became completely hysterical. "I'm okay. I can't tell you where I am, but I promise, Mom, I'm okay. It's been a little crazy, so I haven't been able to touch base with anyone. This has really been my first free moment with no one watching or listening which is why I'm calling. Other than that, things are going as well as can be in an undercover case."

Bulma huffed in frustration. She knew that was all she was going to get out of him. Vegeta awarded her even less information to go by. "Are you having a nice Christmas, at least?"

"I am," Trunks replied. "It's been quiet, but it's a good break from having to keep up appearances."

"I wish I knew more," Bulma grumbled. "It worries me that I don't know what's going on with you."

Trunks's lips pursed into a firm line. He knew this was hard on the woman. She was always protective of him when he was younger, and he was always the independent, adventurous kid who gave her heart attack after heart attack. She put up with a lot of his antics; he'd frightened her plenty of times, coming home with scrapes covering his body from falling off his bike after doing some dangerous stunts or coming home soaking wet and sick from falling into the semi-frozen lake.

"It wouldn't do you any good to know," Trunks remarked, "plus, to keep you safe, my story is that I can't stand my troublesome mother and want nothing to do with her."

He snickered when her heard his mother click her tongue, indignant. "Well, I guess I can't complain about that when I know you're trying to keep me out of it." She sighed. "I just worry about you, Trunks."

"I know," he replied. "And I love you for it. I'm very lucky you care so much about me. Not everyone has that…that support. I know this is hard for you, but it means a lot that you support me, Mom. It means a lot that both of you support me."

Bulma smiled. She knew by her son's emphasized response that he was talking about Vegeta. "We always will, Trunks. We love you more than life itself."

Trunks grinned and a single tear escaped him. He was amused by his emotional display and wiped away the tear and his eyes with his thumb and pointer finger before more formed. "I love you, too. Anyway, I need to go. Don't be worried if you don't hear from me or if I don't send Mai too many messages. The safety of this mission depends on absolute discretion, plus Dad gave me a warning about keeping my attachments hidden. I can't let the person I'm investigating know about any of you."

"I understand, Trunks," Bulma replied. She glanced out the window and the white, blanketed yard. "Just be safe. Thank you for calling. Your safety…that's the best Christmas gift I could have ever received. Be careful, and try to come home soon."

"Trust me, Mom," she heard her boy say, "I will do everything in my power to come home to you. But realistically, it won't be any time soon. It's a very delicate situation, and you know most of my missions have taken months to a year. I'll do my best, but to be safe, I need to let time play out. I promise to make it up to you when I'm home, though. When this is over, I'll switch over to regular detective work and put the undercover life behind me."

"Well, I guess I'll accept it," Bulma teased. "It will be nice to be able to plan some family meals and such. By the way, about Mai…" She heard some shifting and grinned with mirth. She knew her son would get squirmy at the mention of his girlfriend. "I'd like to get to know her more. She seems like an amazing young woman. I approve."

There was another lapse of silence before she heard Trunks's soft and gentle voice. "Thank you, Mom. I promise you; family dinner is the first order of business when I'm done here."

The line went dead, but Bulma wasn't bothered. Trunks was a mix between her and Vegeta when it came to emotional discussions. Like his father, Trunks always tried to shy away, but like her these talks meant a great deal to him. His abrupt departure after his promise was expected.

It was a blessing that he contacted her. She'd been so worried, especially after she talked with Vegeta. Still, Trunks was safe, and Vegeta promised he'd look after him. Even if Vegeta couldn't directly assist him in whatever organization Trunks infiltrated, she had no doubt the man would fulfill his promise, just as she knew Trunks would fill his.

When this was all over, Trunks would stop running headfirst into these dangerous missions. Sure, being a detective still had its risks, but Trunks would be able to take other precautions like wearing a vest and being able to request backup.

Bulma unplugged the tree and went up to bed, a smile on her as she dreamt about future family dinners. Sitting at the table were her, her son, Mai, and Tarble, and at the head of the table sat her heart's desire, their family complete.

A/N: Well, I wasn't anticipating this, but Christmas in July! LOL! I actually planned the chapter out a looooooong while back. I finally felt up to working on something so I thought why not work on this chapter. It didn't even dawn on me until now that I was working on a Christmas chapter IN July.

Thank you everyone who had been reading, faving, and reviewing. It means a lot, especially while recovering from this injury. I appreciate the encouragement :) And I am healing quite nicely with fewer days of pain (the days I have pain are a bitch, though…). And now, to the review responses!

Amanny: Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! ^_^

AnotherFan101: Glad you enjoyed the meeting :) I hoped people would. ^_^ Yeah, poor Trunks…but Frieza is not a nice guy, and letting the enemy go was not the best idea. But like Trunks said, he's not looking to hurt anyone on this mission to take the Cold Family down. And now he has some outside support from his very own father.