Author's note: Hey, guys, thanks for the reads, & the reviews. I love getting those alerts. Please feel free to keep them coming, & let me know your thoughts as the story progresses.

Written by: SparkerLightning

Edited by: StevenBodner

Chapter 51

Seven months later:

Just as the seven Dragon Balls consisted of six spheres in a ring surrounding a seventh, the northern hemisphere of King Kai's planet was developed. Six houses ran along the equator, surrounding a recently finished laboratory. Inside the structure, shelves lined one wall, and tables lined the other. While the shelves were slowly being filled up, they weren't holding published books. No, with the bubble still up, and no way to reach the outside world, the only knowledge they could read, is what they wrote. While Bulma theorized, Dr. Brief worked with Piccolo. While Dr. Brief innovated, Bulma took her turn with the only chance they had to make things right.

King Kai's home was one of the most occupied. With being the Kai of the Northern Galaxy, his room was his, and his alone. Gregory and Bubbles were willing to share a bunk room, which left the third for Tien and Chiaotzu. Regularly the two would stay up well-beyond lights out. Tien would help Chiaotzu with physical resistance training, and Chiaotzu would help Tien refine his psychic powers. Tien's designated two walls were covered in drawings of home, of memories, of Launch, Chiaotzu's was was plastered with illustrations of of a less significant, but just as important to him, variety of patterns. The two bickered like the brothers they were, but they loved each other just as much.

While the former Crane students often stayed up late studying, next door, two people were just as awake and alert, just enjoying each other's company. After Ox-King retired for the evening, and Gohan had completely exhausted himself, Goku and Chi-Chi would stay up. In the kitchen, they satisfied their bellies, they bonded over their respective loves of cooking, and eating, delicious food. In the living room, they satisfied their minds, they shared stories of their lives. The memories were well-known to both of them, but with no other way to keep their past alive, their experiences real, they shared them, time and time again. In the bedroom, they satisfied their bodies, safe in the assumption that conception was likely impossible between a spirit and a living mortal, neither would be willing to bring a new life into the hell of their eternity.

In the third home, only two bedrooms were used. Dr. Brief and his wife took the standard bunk beds out of the second guest room, and pushed it into their bunks. They could share a bed on the top bunk, and have accessible storage in the lower. Jeice and Bulma had claimed the master bedroom. It wasn't their first choice, but her parents insisted. The third bedroom was for Bulma and her father, as well as Jeice from time to time. They plastered the walls in paper, and kept a variety of markers on the floor. Frequently one of them would be lying in bed, waiting for sleep to take them, unable to quiet their minds. Frequently they would rush to their bonus room, making leaps and bounds in their project.

Next to the Brief's home was the Turtle Hermit headquarters. Roshi claimed the master bedroom for himself, plastering his walls in the same paper that filled the Brief's bonus room. Where they used the resource for note-taking, for the betterment of all around them, and hopefully an entire timeline of people. Roshi wouldn't discuss what he was using it for. Piccolo knew the answer, but he refused to discuss it. In the next room over Krillin had used his top bunk for sleep, and his lower bunk for stretching. He could go to the floor, but with his reduced height, this was sufficient. Hercule and Videl claimed the third room. Every night as they settled in, Krillin would tell his stories from space, his stories from training under Master Roshi, or his stories from the Orin Temple. Master Roshi, when his turn, would discuss his time with Master Mutaito. Hercule would mostly do the talking for himself and his daughter. He shared their experiences after leaving Roshi, and, on a few occasions, their time before the Turtle Hermit. Sometimes, rarely, Videl would chirp in. Her contributions were more often than not too fantastical to be based in reality, but their entertainment value could not be understated. Once, and only once, after Videl went to bed early, Mark Hercule told the story of his wife, Miguel, and what lead him to seek out Master Roshi. Yes, his wife was revived, but she wasn't the same, and she didn't believe she ever would be. He had hope, Videl had hope, but it wasn't enough.

The next home was the most diverse of all. Korin had gone from a mythological martial arts master, living in a shrine atop the tallest structure on Earth, to sharing a bedroom with a half-starved half-wendigo. If that wasn't enough, the master bedroom wasn't even his, but rather Oolong's. He was the only one that didn't come with a roommate attached, so he got his own space, while Korin and Yajirobe shared bunks. In the room across the hall, Yamcha and Puar did the same.

In the next home, the last home, things went a lot smoother. Nappa had claimed the master bedroom. He was the largest among them, and he had spent the last several years in an undersized bunk. Piccolo took one of the bunk rooms for himself, sleeping only on the top. The lower bunk was untouched, unused. It was ready for if, when, Loa returned. Across the hall from him, Turles claimed the lower, easier, better, bunk, and forced Raditz to roost just a few feet below the ceiling.

One evening, after Turles and Piccolo had already retired, Nappa and Raditz sat in the living room. Nappa sprawled on the couch. He sat in the center, with his arms behind him, stretching from one arm rest to the other. Raditz occupied an overstuffed chair, sitting in one of the corners, with his feet off to the side.

"It's weird, isn't it?" Raditz asked, closing his eyes.

Not realizing at first that the voice wasn't a dream, Nappa took a moment to respond. "What's that?"

Raditz blinked his eyes open for a moment. Nappa hadn't moved. "If they succeed in making a time machine, and go back far enough, we may not be around."

Nappa yawned before answering again. "You mean, we may not be wished back?"

"If they go back to before Loa wished everyone, everyone, back, then yes, that is what I mean." He covered his mouth as Nappa's yawn spread to him.

Flexing his bare toes, Nappa slowly rotated on the couch. Settling down onto his back, he bent one leg at the knee, and left his other foot on the ground. "Yeah, why would they bring us back? We didn't exactly leave them on good terms. Well, not the first go around."

"Exactly." Raditz followed Nappa's lead, adjusting to lay on his back on the chair, with his legs over the armrest. His eyes were closed, but he still faced Nappa. "And when we were revived, we weren't exactly easy to get along with, not at first."

Nappa reached up and stroked his thick, hard, halo. "When they're done, when we can go back, will you?"

Raditz shifted a pillow from the back of the chair to under his head. "Will I go back to the new timeline?"

"Yeah." Nappa nodded. "There's no telling if Turles, or anyone who's dead, and I will be able to go back, but you're alive, you can."

Raditz crossed one foot over the other. "I don't know." He took a deep breath. "I'm dead in that world. I was a monster in that world. Here, I'm not there yet, but I'm making progress with people here. I don't know if I can restart."

Nappa chewed that over for a moment. Even if he could go back, what would he be going back to? Goku had others that he mattered to, but, for him, this was it, this was his world.

Twenty-three months later:

In the southern hemisphere of King Kai's planet, the landscape was mostly baron. The only tree was on the border of the training area, and behind each house was a bench, facing South. The warriors took turns, and regularly switched partners. While thinks got intense, there was only so much they could do. Whenever a Saiyan would transform, or Kaio-Ken was pushed too far, the tools in the lab on the opposite, not too far, side of the planet would be interfered with.

On one such afternoon, a small group was taking a break. They stood in a group under the tree, drinking lemonade and water brought moments ago by Panchy. Gohan sat on a low branch, with Goku directly under him. Ox-King would normally be there as well, however his days were filled by taking care of his daughter. Chiaotzu sat next to Gohan on the branch, and Tien stood near Goku. Completing the trio of tree dwellers was Videl, whose father was beside Tien. Roshi, Jeice, Raditz, and Yamcha filled out the rest of the numbers, standing at the edge of the trees limited shade. Piccolo sometimes joined them, but not today. Today he was working on yet another exotic material.

Breaking the silence, Jeice cleared his throat.

"I've been thinking about it." He waited until all eyes were on him. "I'd rather not go, but, if no one else will volunteer, then I will."

"No." Yamcha said. "That's not how it's going to be decided. We're not sending someone just because no one else stepped forward."

"I'm willing, but I don't know if I'm the best fit." He took a deep breath, tensed his fists, and nodded. He then glanced up at Gohan, over at Raditz, and towards the lab where Piccolo's energy could be felt.

"Maybe..." Tien mentally counted the living fighters that were present. "Since you're almost all here."

He used his chin to point towards the lab.

"We should decide it once and for all." Everyone nodded as he took a half step sideways, putting his hand on Jeice's shoulder. "Jeice spoke first. So, Jeice, why do you think it should be you?"

Jeice began to shrug Tien's hand off, but decided against it at the last moment. To neutralize the action, he shrugged his other shoulder as well, leading to a nervous looking half-dance. "I don't think it SHOULD be me to go back, but IF no one else is willing, then I would be."

"Alright, that's, good enough of a reason?" Tien half smiled. "Does anyone have a reason why it shouldn't be Jeice?"

Yamcha raised his hand. "Yeah, because he can't be trusted."

Jeice glared at his partner's former lover. "Excuse me?" He puffed his chest slightly.

Goku quickly stepped between the two, placing a palm on either of their chests. "What I think he meant to say, Jeice, is that if you go back, you'll only be known as a member of the Ginyu Force. No one on our team would have a reason to trust you."

Behind Goku's back, Yamcha shook his head. Making it clear to Jeice that no, that's not what Yamcha meant.

"At the same point." Jeice's eyes bored through Yamcha. "I could use my, intimate, familiarity with Frieza Force protocol, as well as my knowledge about the Cold Empire itself, to both monitor their activity, and help bring them down. Heck, I could even become a man on the inside. I could replace my old self..."

"Okay." Tien cut him off. "You could help Bulma monitor the Cold Empire on Earth, and feed new information back to her by replacing your old self. That's two points positive, but you'd also have to convince everyone you, a member of the Ginyu Force, no offense, that you could be trusted. So, one negative as well."

"I'm next." Yamcha said, taking a step back from Goku, and not looking towards Jeice. "I'm already trusted, so there's no negative to me going back."

"But what positives do you offer?" Jeice crossed his arms, already knowing the answer.

"I..." Yamcha stroked his chin. "Bulma would trust me completely, and if I tell her to prepare for..."

"Negative." Jeice held up a finger. "You'll be stuck on Bulma, a Bulma that is with your past self. You would likely create a fair bit of drama."

"Agreed." Roshi nodded. "And while Bulma may trust you completely, you're not the only one."

"One positive, one negative." Tien said, making a mental note. "Next?"

Tien looked around the group, settling on Hercule.

"Me?" He pointed his thumb at himself? "Well, uh, while I desperately want to get off of this planet, and raise Videl in a normal world, doing normal things, with normal people, no offense, I don't think I'm the best choice here, yeah." He glanced up at the girl in question… at this point, is it even possible for her to live a normal life?

Chiaotzu stepped forward, floating down from his seat on the tree. "Mr. Hercule, would you be willing to go, if you were the best fit?"

Hercule looked at the warrior for a moment, not noticing his daughter scoot along the branch. Taking a deep breath and slowly letting it out, he nodded.

"Negative." Yamcha said. "We know you. We trust you. Our past selves won't."

"I could give him something." Roshi said. "Something that only I have, or would know. If he brought something like that to my past self, I, he, would trust Hercule."

"Uh, any positives?" Hercule asked his master.

Roshi nodded. "Not really for the world, but for you. You're ten times stronger than you were when I sent you out on your own, and at that point you were twice as strong as you had been when we met. You could make a difference in your past selves life, Videl's past life… Miguel's past life… But like with Yamcha, you'd be helping your past self, Miguel wouldn't be yours anymore."

"That doesn't matter." Hercule said, again glancing at his daughter. She was beside the boy, they were swinging their feet, grazing them against each other on every swing. "I mean, it doesn't matter that she'd still be with my past self. If he's happier, if she's happier, if… if Videl's happier, then I'm happier."

"You're a good man." Tien nodded. "But almost anyone could stop Garlic Junior and his goons. And, if they're stopped, then Miguel wouldn't... It wouldn't need to be you to go back."

"Well, what about me then?" Roshi turned away from his student, to face everyone else. "I'm trusted. I'm smart."

Tien smiled at the rival of his former master. "And those aren't negatives, but, no offense, Roshi, but what would you bring to the table?"

"Charm? Good looks? Mastery of a variety of techniques? Incredible endurance? And that's only talking about before I leave the bedroom."

Gohan and Videl both chuckled. They pointedly did not look at each other.

"And that's a no." Tien mentally crossed him off the list.

Roshi smiled and nodded. He didn't want the job anyway. No, he wasn't dead yet, but he was old, and he was enjoying this forced retirement. Sure, he probably could help some in the past, but by no means was he the best for the job.

"Raditz?" Goku stepped beside his brother. "What do you think?"

Raditz's eyes flicked to the horizon, where he felt Nappa and Turles. They were in the lab, helping Bulma brute force some problems. "I, I don't think I'd like to go." He said flatly. "There's nothing for me in the past, and I wouldn't want to take the opportunity from someone more worthy."

Goku shook his head. "You are worthy, but I think I get what you're saying."

Raditz kept his eyes at the horizon, not wanting to see the reactions to his weakness. "After I was revived, I stayed with Turles, Nappa, and Vegeta. I've started getting closer to your son and wife, and I hope the rest of you, all, are warming up to me as well. But, that's you guys, this version of you all. I wouldn't have a connection with anyone in the past. I would have to restart from scratch. I don't think I have that in me."

"I get it." Chiaotzu said. "You don't want to leave your family. I wouldn't either." He slowly floated slightly closer to Tien.

"So, needing to start from scratch. That's a negative." Tien twitched his left pointer finger to keep track of the score. "Any positives?"

Goku squeezed Raditz's upper arm. "He's one of the strongest fighters on our side."

Raditz flinched at being grabbed, but didn't pull away. "But I'm still not a Super Saiyan."

Goku released his brother's arm. "But you could become one, in the past. You know what it took Gohan and I. You know what it took Nappa. Here? You're not going to have that kind of anger here."

"I'd rather never have that kind of anger." Raditz sneered. "I've been there, done that, and if that's what it takes to become a Super Saiyan, well, I'd rather never need Super Saiyan, if that's what it takes."

"Understandable." Gohan nodded. "The power is, it's intoxicating, but what it takes to obtain, I wouldn't wish that on anyone."

Gohan flashed back to Namek. He ran through his intentionally manipulated memories. To Frieza, to his father dying. To the fight, the pain, the rage. Hopping tracks, he remembered what Goku had shared with him, how he had pushed beyond Super Saiyan. He drew on the memories that had been shared with him. The loss, the agony, the certainty that failure was not an option, at any expense… He knew firsthand what it took to become Super Saiyan. He knew through his father what it took to go further beyond. He closed his eyes for a moment, wishing for a world where Super Saiyans were just a legend, not a requirement for survival.

"What about me?" Videl asked. She planted her hands so that she could lean forward safely. Her left hand was on the bark of the tree, her right hand was on Gohan's left.

"No." Hercule said immediately.

"Negatives." Tien said. "Unknown to our past selves, although Roshi could give you something to prove yourself to his past self. You're incredibly strong for your age, but not on a high enough level yet. And your father would kill anyone that would allow it."

"Positives?" Videl asked, ignoring the points against her.

"There are none." Hercule said, crossing his arms. "You're not going."

"You'd get to live a normal life." Roshi countered his student. "Assuming your past father, and Miguel, would welcome you into their home, alongside your past self, then, that's a pretty major positive in my book."

Hercule scowled at his master for a moment. Then, slowly, his upper lip began to quiver. She could have a normal life. And he couldn't deny her that. No, it was his job, as her father, to ensure she got that. But they couldn't both go. Bulma was quite clear on that this was a one occupant vehicle. In the future, when the prison around them is destroyed, when they have more space, a two-passenger time machine could be created… but he couldn't make her wait. No, he could wait, but Videl had already lost so much of her childhood, her formative years, her life.

"My vote is for Videl." He said before setting his expression. He wouldn't cry.

"So, normal life, and a vote from Hercule." Tien ticked them off on his fingers. "Noted."

"And..." Gohan took his turn to lean forward, using both a hand on the trunk of the tree, and his tail, to hold his balance. "What about me?"

"Negative." Goku lifted a finger. "I don't know if someone who's already dead can die again, but if I vote for you, your mother will find out."

"Counter." Gohan nodded. "Mom's preferences are nothing compared to the lives of literally everyone on Earth. If I am the best fit, then she cannot be used as a negative."

"Positives." Raditz raised his hand. "He's well-trusted, and powerful enough to step in where needed."

"Positive." Tien said. "If the chance for a normal life is a point for Videl, it's a point for Gohan as well."

Gohan lifted an eyebrow. "But my parents are here."

Tien shook his head. "I said a better life, not a life with your original parents. If you stay here, you're with your mother and father, but you're stuck, like the rest of us."

The moment passed and no one else spoke.

"Okay, so if I kept track right, that's two points for Jeice and Videl, with one point against Jeice, and three against Videl. That's also three points for Gohan, and one point against him, if we count Chi-Chi..."

"What about me?" Yamcha interrupted.

"Right now." Tien looked Yamcha in the eye. "You're not the best fit. You could change our minds before the machine is ready, but as it sits, Gohan is the best option."

Roshi cleared his throat.

"Bonus point." He turned to face Hercule. "Gohan is still a boy. He's small. Videl is the same. While the time machine is being created for one adult, two children may be able to fit. If we choose Gohan, there's a chance Videl could go with him."

Hercule's upper lip began to quiver once more. Taking a deep breath he sucked his upper lip into his mouth and bit it.

"That, that's good." He looked up to his daughter. Her foot was resting on Gohan's … "That, that would be fantastic."

"Then, it's decided?" Tien asked the group. "Gohan's going to be the one?"

Goku shook his head. "No. It looks like he's the best choice, but nothing is decided, not yet."

"Dad." Gohan looked down at his father. "If I'm the best fit, I'm going."

Goku took a deep breath. "I understand that, Gohan. But we don't have to commit yet. It doesn't matter if we set it in stone now, or a day before the machine is ready, nothing will change. You're the best fit now, and you probably will be when the machine is done… but but let's take things day by day, okay?"

Gohan nodded and pulled his hand free of Videl's. Hopping down, he landed on his feet.

"Okay." He said. "So, should we get back to training?"

The group nodded and started to partner up once more, but Hercule was not among them.

"Hold on, Videl." He touched his daughter's shoulder as she walked towards Raditz. "I'm, I'm going to take the rest of the day off. Come with me?"

"Dad." Videl protested. "if I'm going to be able to go back with Gohan, I need to be prepared. Mr. Raditz was going to help me with flying some more."

A defeated look crossed Hercule's face for a moment, before Raditz turned to face him and his daughter.

"I tell you what." Raditz told her. "Why don't you take the rest of the day off with your father? You've already made a lot of progress in ki control today, and I've exhausted myself sparring with Gohan. Why don't we start fresh in the morning?"

As Videl pouted at Raditz, Hercule smiled at him.

"Okay." She frowned. "I am pretty sore, but not my body."

Raditz smiled at the girl.

"That's probably your ki then." He messed up her hair. "You're finally able to express it, which means you can burn through it. When you get low, you'll feel an entirely new kind of exhaustion. Plus, when you overuse it, like with any other muscle, it'll be sore. That's good though, it means it's growing."

Hercule mouthed a thanks to Raditz, and he was off with his daughter.

Ten minutes later:

Hercule plopped down on the bottom bunk of his shared room. Videl grabbed a rung of the latter, but didn't climb yet. Hercule slowly shook his head, and then patted the bed next to him.

Videl nodded. Slowly she swung herself around, keeping one hand on the latter, and the other in her lap. She looked up to her father and tilted her head.

Hercule placed his right hand on Videl's left shoulder. He opened his mouth to speak, before closing it again. This was one of the moments, and he wouldn't screw it up. Slowly he brought his left arm over, wrapping it around Videl. Holding her tight he kissed the top of her head. "I love you, Videl."

The independent girl didn't care for the physical affection. But, something was different, and she didn't pull away. Instead she wrapped her left arm around her dad, not letting go of the latter, and rubbed her cheek on his gi. "I love you too, Dad."

Hercule took a deep breath. His daughter's hair smelled of strawberries, for now. They were already running low on luxuries, and Piccolo didn't have the time to learn how to make scented soaps as well as complex alloys. "No matter where you are, where I am, or how far apart we are, I will always love you, no matter what. Do you know that?"

This was getting to be a bit much. Videl squirmed, and her dad loosened his grip. Rotating in his grip, she turned to face him, putting space between them. 'Yes."

A tear began to form, but Hercule blinked it away. "Can, can you tell me that?"

Videl tilted her head. "That I know?"

"Could you tell me what you know?" Hercule rubbed his eye, discreetly drying it before it could spill.

"I know..." Videl scooted a little further back, giving her space to lean towards her father. "That you love me."

"And?" Hercule began to blur.

Videl sighed. He knew it, she knew it, but, if he needed her to say it, she would. "And that no matter where I am, or where you are, or how far away from each other we are, that you will love me, and absolutely nothing can change that."

Hercule couldn't hold them back anymore. Tears began to flow, but that was okay. They were happy tears, and his smile made that clear. "You're going to be okay, Videl."

Videl shook her head, taking the moment to try to find something for her dad to wipe his eyes with. "We, Dad, we'll be okay." Not seeing anything convenient, she removed her purple wristband.

Hercule took it, choosing to toy with it rather than rub it across his face…

"That's right, honey." The tears continued to flow. As they reached their mustache, several began to pool, and more split, gliding over the hair, and down his chin. Palming the wristband in his left hand, he brushed a lock of hair behind Videl's ear. "You are so, so beautiful. You are so smart, so kind."

He took a deep breath. "You are so strong, and, and you are the most important thing to me. And there is no exception to that, Videl."

Videl's eyes swelled with tears. Her heart began to ache, and her stomach grew soar.

"You're important to me too, Dad." She leaned farther forward, not quite ready to initiate a hug.

Hercule took a deep breath through his nose. It was clogged, and the breath propelled a fair bit of snot down his throat. He gagged out a cough, covering his face in more tears. "I need you to do something for me, Videl."

Videl wiped her other wristband across her face, not wanting to stain her shirt. "What's that?"

Hercule closed his eyes, trying, and struggling, to take another breath. "I've joked before, a lot, whenever I had to punish you."

He thought of the large tub of ice cream he made her watch him eat, as punishment for her sneaking it in the middle of the night. He thought of the stomachache he pretended to have for days. He thought of the smile it brought to her face, because even then she knew that too much ice cream was bad for you.

"I always told you that it hurt me more than it hurt you."

"Like the time you dressed up as a cow to pick me up from school?" Videl faintly smiled. "What was that even a punishment for?"

Hercule was immediately grinning, trying not to laugh. "I think you told your teacher she looked like a cow?"

Videl snapped her fingers.

"That's right!" She exclaimed. "She wore that black and white dress, and, and I still say she looked like a cow!"

Hercule shook his head, letting out a slow sigh.

"Between you and me, yeah, she really did." He elbowed Videl's ribs, and she laughed. "And, that punishment did hurt me more than it hurt you."

"Yeah, because you made me, and I quote, ride the bull home. If you walked like a normal person, you would have been fine. But noooo..." She shook her head, mouth agape in mock horror. "A cow doesn't walk, a cow, a bull, is ridden."

Hercule wiped his tears.

"A week, Dad, AN ENTIRE WEEK!" Videl's face flushed red. "You carried me, on your back, dressed like a cow, through the streets of Orange Star City, FOR, A WEEK!"

Hercule crossed his arms, thrusting his nose in the air indignantly, trying, failing, to hide his smile. "And young lady, did you learn your lesson?"

Videl bulged her eyes, as if she just realized the meaning of life, which, Hercule hoped, she did.

"That my dad is the biggest dork on the planet?" Scandalized, she covered her mouth. "Yeah, I sure learned that one."

"And we're getting off topic." Hercule shook his head. He closed his eyes for a moment. "Being a parent isn't easy. And I hope that when, if, you ever choose to be a parent yourself, that you aren't forced to deal with..."

He gestured around the room. "Space invaders, alien demon things, and years of near complete isolation …"

Videl rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, it's tough." She said dryly. "But we're in this situation together, Dad."

Her expression softened as she spoke. "We'll get through this, I know we will."

"And that brings us to what I want to talk to you about." He took his daughter's hands in his own and looked into her eyes. "We, we may not need to go through this together. If Gohan goes, and if you'll both fit, I want you to go with him."

Videl raised an eyebrow. "But then how would you come? Bulma says there'll only be room for one adult, and, if we take the machine..."

"If it is possible for me to follow you, I will." Hercule nodded firmly, swearing it to himself. "But if there's not, I still want you to go."

Videl's eyes widened in horror. No, no no. She lost her mom, she couldn't lose her dad. Opening her mouth, nothing came out. Slowly, she shook her head. Fresh tears began to fall. She mouthed the word no, but nothing came out.

"There is no need for us both to be stuck here, Videl." He squeezed her hands. "I am your father. My responsibility, my job, my duty… the only..."

He choked a breath.

"The only reason I need to live, baby." He took several sharp, deep breaths. "The only reason I have to live, is for you."

He closed his eyes, the tears kept flowing. "If there is a better life available to you, it is my duty, it is MY HONOR, to fight for it for you. I will do anything, ANYTHING, for you."

He opened his eyes. Stinging. Red. Burning. "If there is a way for you to go back in time, goddammit Videl, you're going to take it." He opened his arms, and Videl crawled into them.

How long had it been. She remembered Christmas. She remembered the fake white beard her dad would put on. She remembered the fake snow he'd put in his afro. She remembered sitting on his lap, knowing it was her daddy, but not wanting to hurt his feelings. She remembered the last year he did that, the one thing on her list.

Her dad had been training. He spent all day, every day, in the gym. She watched him, but he didn't acknowledge her. Two days prior, December 19th, he dropped a weight. She ran over to pick it up, to hand it to him, to help him, to be Daddy's Little Girl. She tripped, and sprained her wrist. He glared at her. He yelled at her for interrupting, he yelled at her for being clumsy. She cried, and her mother came, taking her to the emergency room when she realized her hand was hurt. Two days later, he asked what she wanted for Christmas. She couldn't help but cry then, as she cried now. She answered now, as she answered then. "Daddy."

That's when things changed. That's when he began to love her. Why, why didn't he love her before that? Or, if he did, why didn't he show it? She breathed in gasps. She didn't know why she was thinking about it, but it hurt. It hurt now like it hurt then. She lost her daddy, and, and she was losing him again.

"No." She wined as she struggled to breathe. "No, Daddy, No."

She shook her head, berrying her face in his chest. She tried to breathe through her nose, coughing as she failed. "No, Daddy, don't, don't make me go. I, I can't go. I can't leave you."

Hercule held his daughter. Tight, firm, protective. Her happiness, her future. That's all that mattered. Tears now, smiles later. This, this could be goodbye. But, but he was the parent here. There was no future here. There was nothing for her here. He was here, but he wasn't enough. She needed normality, and he could never provide that to her, not here… but there, then, she'd at least have a chance.

"Videl." He rubbed her back. "I will always, always love you. There is nothing in this world, in any world, that means a tenth as much to me, as you do."

He took a deep breath. "I don't know how far back the time machine is going, but, but you won't be alone. School, friends… a job, a spouse… children, retirement… life."

He hugged her tighter. "This, what we have here, is survival, but it's not life."

"But you won't be there." She sobbed into his gi.

He slowly pulled her away. Cupping her chin, he looked into her eyes. Her mother's eyes.

"No, I won't be there, you're right. But I'll be here. I'll always be here." He looked down at the ground, at the planet, the prison cell. Kissing her forehead, he kept her face looking at his. He poked her chest. "And no matter what happens, I'll be here."

He took a deep breath. "No matter where you are, no matter where I am. No matter how far apart we are. I will always, ALWAYS, love you. And nothing would ever, could ever, change that."

"I don't want to leave you..."

Hercule shook his head.

"You're not leaving me. You're, you're doing what I told you. Go, go back in time. Live your life. Live the best life you can. I have raised you, the best I could." He wiped his tears. "I did my best, and I know that wasn't always good enough, but despite my shortcomings, you have become a strong, independent, smart, beautiful young woman. I, I can't give you the life you deserve, the life I am supposed to give you."

He was a failure. He knew it. "But I trust you. I trust you because you are an incredible girl. I'm trusting you to succeed where I failed. Please, for me. Go back in time, and live the best possible life you can."

"But..."

"No." Hercule shook his head. "This is the one time. One, and only time, ever. No one can ever say this to you about anything else, ever. Do you understand? What I'm about to tell you is specific to this, and this alone."

Videl nodded.

"You don't get to say no. You don't have a choice, Videl." His heart protested as Videl's jaw dropped. "I'm not going to ask you. I am going to tell you." Videl's eyes went out of focus for a moment, and Hercule waited until he had her attention again. "You are going to go back in time. You are going to lead the best life you can. Whenever you succeed, whenever you do well, I will be there."

He jabbed his finger into her heart.

"Whenever you reach a milestone, I will be there."

Jab.

"Whenever you miss me, I will be there."

Jab.

"Whenever you wish I was there, to tell you how proud of you I am."

Jab.

"I will be there. I am proud of you, now, and forever. No matter what happens, I will be proud of you. No matter what happens, I will be there, in your corner. And, if you like..." He began to chuckle. "I can ask Mr. Piccolo to get me a cheerleader uniform, and I can..."

"NO!" Videl pushed away from her dad. "Not again, no no no."

She violently shook her head. "You, you didn't even shave your legs!"

"Shaved legs aren't a requirement for beauty." He grinned at his daughter. "You should know that."

"No, they're not." She agreed. "But if you're going to jump up on stage at my talent show, they'd still be nice."

"Hey!" Hercule barked. "Remind me, who ended up taking home the trophy?"

Videl rolled her eyes while touching her nose to her dad's. "Erasa! Erasa won!"

Hercule pushed Videl back, using his nose as a bulldozer against hers. "And remind me, Ms. Videl … who got the loudest laughs? Who got the biggest applause? Who got her own page in the yearbook?"

Videl shrugged. "I, well, actually, YOU!"

"And..." Hercule winked at her. "Would you rather I just sit, in a seat, watching you, as you did your routine alone?"

Her eyes nearly rolled out of her head. "Well, it would have been nice, but..."

"But?" Hercule touched his nose to his daughter's once again. "But?" He grinned from ear to ear.

"But..." She planted a palm on his chest and slowly pushed him away. "But it was pretty funny. And the video is always good for a laugh..."

"Thank you!" Hercule crossed his arms once more. "So, one other thing, that I think will help, WHEN, not if, but WHEN, you get back to the past."

Videl shrank. She felt like crying, but she was out of tears.

"I'm still in the past. It won't be me, not me me, but, if I know Mark Hercule, and I think I do … he'll love you just as much as I do. He'll be there just as I have."

He wasn't out of tears. "Find him, find your mother, find, find yourself. Your past self will have a big sister. You'll have a little sister. I'll have a new daughter, and, and so will Miguel."

"Mom?" Videl's lip began to quiver.

"I don't know when the time machine will drop you off, but, if she's there, if she's, if she's still your mother, then, yes."

She lowered her gaze to her lap. She didn't even consider that. She wouldn't get her hopes up. She wouldn't be let down. But her dad was right, he would be there. They may not have the past years. They may not have their travels around the world, or even their joint training under Master Roshi… but he'd be there, and if it were her dad, he'd accept her. Her dad, her real dad, her first dad, would lose her, and she'd lose him. But, she'd have a Mark Hercule, a dad, but, but he'd have no one. "What will you do?"

Hercule answered immediately. "I'll do anything possible to follow you. And in the meantime, I'll continue to train, to grow stronger."

"Why can't Bulma just make another time machine?"

"I'm not nearly as smart as Bulma." Hercule smiled. "But it's something to do with navigating the flow of time, and the waves left by one machine makes it impossible for another to follow. Which, I think would mean it is possible to make multiple time machines… you'd just end up in different timelines ... I think we should ask her, together."

"I'll wait for you." She said, hiccuping.

"One day." Hercule held up a finger. "And that's it."

He shook his head. "If Bulma can create another time machine, even if it takes another decade to figure out how to get to the same timeline you're in, it can still go back in time. And I don't know how precise they are, but one day is all you'll wait. If I'm not there by then, then you'll know we weren't able to get back. And that'll be closure, okay? Sunset on the first full day home."

"Can't, can't the time machine go both directions?"

"I think so, yes. But you don't need to come back. I'm, I'm here..." He gestured around the room again. "And, and that's it. There's nothing else here for you. This is your past. I am your past. I want you to move on, Videl. I want you to live, and to thrive. I don't want you focusing on me, worrying about me, or wasting your life coming and seeing me."

She shivered.

He held her tighter once again.

"Can, can I sleep down here tonight?" She looked at the narrow lower bunk. "I want to be close to you."

Hercule kissed his daughter's head.

"Absolutely." He said. "But first, go shower, you're stinky!"

He pinched his nose. "And just because you're going to go back, doesn't mean you get to slack off with your training. Tomorrow, we're going to hit it just as hard as we did today, or, harder! Yeah, we're going to give it our all, enjoy every moment, until it's go time. Got that?"

Videl pushed herself to her feet, slowly giving a mock salute.

"Yes, sir! Smelly Old Man, SIR!" She barked, turning and lightly dredging her way to the bathroom.

Fifteen months later:

The time machine was complete.

The captain, and mate, were decided upon.

A list of paths forward were discussed, and one was settled upon.

Chiaotzu's first idea, not that he would recommend it, was to send Gohan to either end of the battle with King Cold. After the battle, he could finish him off. He watched, from Other World, as Cold's energy was nearly completely gone after Goku passed. The downside though, everyone would still be dead, and the invasion of Earth may still proceed, just with a far more experienced Gohan to help.

They could send him to before the battle, but there was a chance he wouldn't be able to sway it. And if things didn't go the way they did, there was a chance Goku wouldn't have reached the new level. If Gohan reached that level, the decision would likely be easier. But with the civilians on the planet, his training left a bit fair to be desired.

Bulma had a similar idea. She could voice it, but wouldn't recommend it. Gohan could change the tide of the battle with Frieza when he attempted to execute everyone. The Dragon Balls still wouldn't exist though, nor would Namek. Although, they, Goku and Gohan, could hunt Cold down before he unlocked his new power. If they struck hard enough, fast enough, they could likely overpower him, with a lot of luck, and possibly a lot of sacrifice. No, there was a better way forward.

Tien suggested the battle with Cooler. Gohan could come out of nowhere, neutralize the threat, and put down the monster in his body. Bulma shot that idea down quickly though. She'd still be a captive. She'd still live through the torture. If she built the time machine, she'd benefit from It.

Ultimately, Gohan was the one who decided his own fate. He killed Frieza the first go around, and, at the same time Jeice was flying away with Bulma. He'd go back to the time of the battle. He'd explain himself to Jeice, and hopefully Jeice would join them. If not, Jeice would die. Bulma would be safe, Frieza would be dead. Cold may appear, but the odds of him taking the fight seriously, from the start, were low at best. With his current power, with his father, and previous selves, power, they should have no issue killing him, and Cooler if he came as well.

Kami would be separate from Piccolo. Earth, and Namek, would have Dragon Balls. Bulma would be safe. He, he could easily defeat Garlic Junior and the Spice Boys. He could make sure Loa didn't consume too much evil, didn't become the demon she did. This was their best option, and the option was agreed upon.

With the space time coordinates set, the two youngest survivors of Earth entered the time machine. Farewells were made.

Tears were shed during the days, weeks, months, and years, leading to this moment. But not as many as would be expected.

Videl and her father enjoyed every second of time they had together. Training, bonding, and living in the moment. They knew this was on the horizon. They knew this was inevitable. At first it ate them up, but sooner rather than later, they accepted their fates and grew far more comfortable.

A majority of the tears came from Chi-Chi. She had lost one love of her life, for years, and now she was losing another. It took time, but when her eyes dried, and her hug was released, the door to the machine closed.

A moment later, they were gone.

The minute long silence was broken by Hercule.

"Do you know what I would love?" He asked no one.

"What?" Chi-Chi droned.

Before Hercule could respond, the space where Gohan and Videl had been, began to distort.

A moment later, where the time machine had just been, a similar one was.

The hatch began to open.

"That..." he said.

Author's note: Nothing to say here. See you next week for the 52nd chapter … One full year of posting … wowza.