Road 482 Enroute to Restaurant:
"Hey, Mommy." Bra turned to face Bulma, the older woman seemingly staring off into space.
Bra was a little concerned at first, so she asked again. "Mommy? Are you feeling okay? Mommy?"
But no matter how many times Bra asked her Mother, Bulma wasn't home right now. While her body sat in the seat next to her daughter, her mind was in the past…in a time when things were different…
Hospital. Day of Trunks' Birth:
"Waahhh! Waahhh! Waahhh!" The sound of a crying child echoes through the halls. Bulma is sitting upright in her bed, completely unable to sleep. The arrival of the android threat is drawing near and here she is, alone in a bed, away from home, away from her friends.
Looking towards the door, she realized that the crying was becoming louder; the source of the screams nearing her.
"My baby!" Bulma moaned as the nurse entered the room, a small bundle wrapped tight, and held snug within her arms.
The other woman slowly approached Bulma, the screaming body in her hands; she gently placed it into the bluennette's grasp, the new mother now cradling her child.
"My baby, boy..." Bulma rocked him in her arms, his tiny body squirming in the tight bundle.
"Do you have a name picked out, Miss?" The nurse asked her, curious to see what the boy would be called.
Bulma gazed down at him now, his cute little eyes opening…he finally stopped screaming, the smile on her face at last calming him.
"Trunks." Bulma gently kissed him on the cheek, his little head wiggling at her affection.
The nurse jotted down the information and left the room on her way to collect the rest of Bulma's family waiting outside.
"My little baby, Trunks…" Bulma's eyes locked with her new son, the tiny child staring up at her in what she could only call admiration. He loved her…unconditionally.
Present day. On the Road:
"My baby…boy…" Bulma muttered to herself, her eyes sadly locked onto the road ahead, their destination in sight.
Bra looked at her Mother for a moment. She knew exactly what she was thinking about. Why can't you give her a chance, Trunks? She thought to herself. Mommy loves you more than anyone…
Restaurant:
"Hey! There they are!" Videl waved at the Briefs girls as they entered the restaurant. The Son women were already seated at a booth, four glasses of raspberry lemonade sitting in front of them.
"Hi! Glad you've already gotten a table!" Bra smiled, sitting down. She took the inside seat across from Videl while Bulma sat on the outside facing Chichi.
"Don't worry about ordering; I knew what you guys like!" Videl beamed, pushing a couple of the drinks towards the new arrivals, a pair of pink straws and cherries plopping into the tall glasses as she spoke.
"Thanks, Videl." Bulma felt a warm smile cross her cheeks. She knew she didn't need to act a certain way around her girlfriends, when they were together, they were happy, and free.
"Uh, excuse me, but I'm not a guy!" Bra gave Videl a feisty glare.
There is always someone who has to say that… Videl thought. Now she knew why Gohan always got so annoyed when she made that comment. It was actually pretty annoying!
"Obviously…" Chichi gave the teenager's newly acquired globes a knowing look. "You are Bulma's daughter after all…"
The other two women gave Bra a second look before nodding their heads in agreement, Videl's moving with a hint of jealousy.
"Humph!" Bra crossed her arms over her chest, blushing bright red at the unwelcome attention to her body. The other women at the table just couldn't help laughing.
Maybe tonight is going to be fun, after all! Bulma could feel her spirits lifting already.
The laughter at Bra's rather rapid development cooling down; the women finally got down to having some fun.
They chatted about TV shows and their favorite dishes to make at home. Bra was especially involved in that conversation considering how much she had been helping around the house in her Mother's stead.
"Wow! You really do know a lot about cooking!" Chichi grinned at the young bluennette, maybe you could come over some time and show Mrs. "Burning my House Down" a few pointers?"
"Hey! I told you I saw a spark!" Videl defended herself against her mother-in-law.
"No, you said. "Holy crap, it's on fire!" Chichi laughed, Bulma soon joining her as now Videl was the one left pouting in the corner.
"Yeah, you sure must have burned the beef that day!" Bra giggled, her blush receding as she was able to enjoy herself alongside the women she admired most in the world.
"Speaking of burning beef cakes!" Videl tapped Bulma under the table, getting the woman to lean over with her as they watched a particularly muscular waiter walk by, his tight butt nicely outlined in his pants.
"Videl!" Chichi nearly knocked over her drink, completely shocked that her son's wife was looking at other men. "What about Gohan?" She cried.
"Oh, calm down." Videl took another sip of her lemonade, the liquid flowing through the ornate straw. "It's just looking. You think men don't look as well?"
Setting her drink back down, she gave Bulma a teasing look. "Why I think I remember Goku doing quite a bit of looking at the beach this past summer." She gave the older bluennette a wink. "Men sure do love that red bikini, don't they?"
"What?!" Chichi was getting all in a tizzy now. Videl's looking at waiters; Goku is ogling Bulma; what is going on?
"Hahahahhahaha!" The other girls laughing around her, Chichi finally realized how silly she'd just been, the mere image of herself nearly climbing on the table in a fit causing her to lean back and laugh with them.
"Don't worry, Chichi." Bulma giggled as she stirred her pink drink. "I'm sure you can get that big dummy's eyes pointing in the right direction if you put on that old armor of yours."
The Son wife's cheeks blushed pink at how she'd look in it now. She had completely forgotten about the relic.
"Cool! You have battle armor? Like Daddy?" Bra leaned across the table, nearly knocking over her drink in excitement.
"Yeah, I've got to see this!" Videl looked at her mother-in-law in a new light. She really was a great martial artist!
Chichi's blushing only got worse as Bulma spoke up again. Dispelling the other girls' thoughts of a regular battle suit.
"Well I wouldn't really call it battle armor…" She giggled. "Battle armor at least covers something…"
"Bulma!" Her cheeks flushed bright red; Chichi covered her face in embarrassment as Bra laughed, the young girl nearly choking on her drink.
Videl though, her mouth agape, could only stare at the ultra-conservative woman with a look of utter shock. Now she had seen Chichi in two new lights tonight.
Eventually Chichi cooled down and the night went on, each woman having a friendly shot taken at her, the fallout always being tear-jerking fun for the others.
"And he was wearing just…an…apron!" Videl leaned back laughing, her short hair fluttering around her face as she made her mother-in-law blush for the ninth time that night.
"My Gohan did that!?" She could barely believe it! Her innocent little Gohan!
Bulma just smiled at the other women, they had been chatting and sipping raspberry lemonade for a few hours now, happily enjoying some feminine company. Their men were so strong all it took was the presence of one to ruin the femininity of a group.
"I'll be right back." Bulma took one last sip of her drink. "I just need to powder my nose." She got up from the table, leaving her purse with her daughter.
"I'll come with you." Chichi got up with her, the two women smiling at each other, they headed for the restrooms.
The other two gone, Videl turned back to Bra. "So you want to hear the rest of the story?" She cocked a suggestive eyebrow at her.
The bluennette just nodded her head vigorously.
Ladies Room:
It really has been a great night, hasn't it?" Bulma smiled as she held the door for her friend, the raven-haired woman walking into the empty room.
"Yeah…it really has…" Chichi walked over to the counter and started washing her hands. She looked in the mirror and saw a hint of sadness in her friend's blue eyes.
"Bulma?" She asked the reflection, the image of the bluennette now turning to face her.
"Yeah?" She replied, now walking over to the sink as well.
"Are you feeling okay?" She dried her hands before putting one on Bulma's shoulder.
"Me?" She looked at the other woman, her voice unsteady. "I'm fine…It's just…" Chichi's gaze bore into her looking for the truth, not accepting her current façade.
"Okay, I'm not…" Bulma looked away from her gaze now. "I was out there, but now…" Her mind turned to a certain violet-haired man. "I just missed the way he used to look at me…" Her eyes beginning to water, she returned her eyes to Chichi.
"Bulma…" The other woman hugged her friend close, not wanting her sadness to overwhelm her. It wouldn't…not while she had her.
"You just have to give Trunks some time." She felt Bulma hug her back now. "He just needs to see how much you've changed."
"Thank you, Chichi…" Bulma rested her head on her friend's shoulder. The two stayed like this for a few minutes before doing what they needed to do.
Back at the Booth:
Several minutes later, the duo returned to their booth, the other two girls obviously hadn't been bored in the mean-time. Videl had ordered some fries and was currently eating her fill. All that laughing had really made her work up an appetite.
"I trust you two entertained yourselves while we were gone?" Chichi grinned, her gaze moving to the young Briefs girl, her face was about as red as a raspberry.
"Bra? Are you feeling alright?" Bulma felt her daughter's forehead, Videl now breaking out into hysterics.
"What's wrong with her?" Chichi turned back to Bulma, her hand now leaving her daughter.
"Here, have some!" Videl pushed the basket of fries out into the middle of the table, the other women now enjoying the fried food as well.
"Bra, honey, why don't you have some?" Bulma offered some fries to her daughter, but the young girl only blushed further at the object, muttering a single word. "Apron…"
The basked of fries finally disappearing, the night seemed to be drawing to a close. Getting up from their table, Videl paid the bill and they all headed outside.
"Thanks for the great night, you guys." Bulma beamed at her friends, her emotions at last lifted in the terrible storm of her life.
Videl gave Bra a teasing look as Bulma spoke. Nothing to say this time, huh? She was glad her rather intimate story had shut the girl up.
"We're just glad we could show you a good time." Chichi closed her eyes as she smiled back, Videl breaking her stare at the younger bluennette to reply.
"Yup!" She gave Bulma a thumbs up. "Let's do this every week! It's not like I'm going to go bankrupt on lemonade!" She laughed, Bulma and Chichi joining in with her.
"Bye-bye!" They all waved each other off to a safe drive home. Bulma got in the driver's seat this time, seeing's as how Bra was feeling a bit off, her cheeks continuing to burn.
Starting the car, Bulma looked ahead towards the Capsule Corp. building. "Maybe she's right. Maybe he just needs some time…" A smile on her face, she drove home, the hope for a better tomorrow with her son squarely in sight.