Vegeta didn't know how long he laid there with Jennifer by his side, just letting her sleep and take whatever comfort he could provide for her. His brain was like a sponge as he soaked up every little detail he could about cancer, its treatment, the side effects of that treatment, anything and everything he could possibly find. It was all rather disheartening. Until he came across one little bit of information that gave him hope. An excitement flared in his chest as he read over it and he quickly shot a text message to Bulma, asking her to come to him in the living room. He didn't want to move and risk waking Jenny up. Now that he thought about it, he wasn't even sure that Bulma knew Jenny was there. He hadn't seen her all afternoon.

Bulma got the text and was almost relieved for the distraction. They were having a problem with one of the fabrication machines in the main building and she had soon found herself in grease and a rip in one of her favorite work pants. Ah well. She found a rag and wiped her hands off and went into the main house. She paused when she entered the living room, her breath catching when she saw Jenny curled up asleep at Vegeta's side. "Oh, the poor thing! Look at her, nothing but skin and bones," she said as she hurried over, dropping next to the couch. She fingered the edge of the scarf that covered her head. Bulma had figured it wasn't going to be a pretty recovery, but this was worse than she was expecting. She looked at her husband with a respect in her eyes, "What can I get for you, hon? I see you have your hands full."

"This," he said, handing her his phone with the website still on it. "It says it'll help her appetite and the nausea she's dealing with. I don't know where to buy it; I can't find anything on that damn internet about how to purchase it. I don't care what it costs. If it helps her, spare no expense." He was rather proud of himself, to tell the truth. Why had no one else thought of this or suggested it? They could have prevented her from losing so much weight if they'd done this sooner.

Bulma took the phone and nearly fell over when she saw what he was talking about. She rubbed at her face and then looked back up at him with a skeptical look. "Pot. You want me to buy pot for her?" She worked her lip, looking at her daughter, in truth it was probably a good idea but of all things… "Well, for one thing dear, it's an illegal substance so you aren't really going to find it for sale online because normally people would rather avoid being arrested. However, there are ways to go about getting it. Probably would help her out, the poor thing."

Vegeta fixed Bulma with a look that said, 'Really?' He drew a long breath through his nose to keep his patience with his wife. "And since when do I give two shits about earthling laws? The only reason I respect any of them is because you keep insisting it will be a pain in your ass if I destroy half the city with my training. Or in traffic," he muttered under his breath. He rolled his eyes and looked at her again. "Illegal or not, if it will help her, get it. As much of it as you possibly can." He looked down at his daughter's head on his chest and a small, affectionate smile pulled at his lips. "This is the only thing we can do to help her, Bulma."

Bulma shook her head, "Ya big softie." She looked at Jenny for a moment before she nodded. "I'll see what I can do. I seem to remember hearing Seventeen saying something about knowing a few people. I'll get on the phone with him and see what he can come up with. Now if I get this, you have to promise to use it sparingly. Otherwise I think you'll end up eating the world's supply of food in less than a week," she said as she stood up, leaning over and placing a quick kiss to his lips. She pulled out her cell phone and punched in a number, "How soon do you want this stuff?"

"Now," he answered firmly. Jenny was not leaving his sight until he was certain she had a full stomach. It killed him to see her so thin, to feel her bones under his palm as he rubbed her back. "And you better put in a call to some restaurants. If I have my way, she'll eat more in one setting than Kakarot could ever dream of."

"Oookay," Bulma said, a smile tugging at her lips as she pressed the phone to her ear. "I think I can manage that. Hey Seventeen, what are you doing? You still have that hookup? Cause I got a deal for you."

Seventeen sat up straighter on the couch in his apartment, his eyebrows raised nearly into his hairline. "Bulma? Uh, yeah. I know a guy. W-Why?" he asked in disbelief. Bulma had never asked for something like this from him. "You finally decide to get Vegeta high so he'll calm the fuck down for a minute?"

"You are hilarious, but no. You know that Jenny's been doing the chemotherapy, right? Well, it's hit her pretty hard and she's over here right now. Poor thing looks like she hasn't had a decent meal in a while, told Vegeta that the nausea is so bad she can't eat very much if she's eaten at all."

"Ahhhh, so it's for medicinal purposes," he grinned. He shot a wink at Leelee as she gave him a curious look. "You just say how much and when and I'll hook ya up. Not a problem. Anything for Jenny."

Bulma smirked, "As much as you can get. I'll throw in enough and a little extra for you. Money is not an issue, you got it? Can you get it here this afternoon? You can even stay for a little bit, it might make Jenny feel better if she's around friends."

"Hell yeah," Seventeen agreed happily. "Gimme an hour or so, and Leelee and I will be right over." He hung up the phone and shot Leelee a mischievous grin. "Wanna find out what happens when you get a Saiyan high?"

It was only a short time later when Seventeen and Leelee strolled up the walk to Capsule Corp and let themselves in. Leelee's purse bulged with the gallon-sized ziplock bag inside. Seventeen grinned when he saw Bulma there, sitting on the floor next to Vegeta who still had Jenny sleeping at his side. "I think we got enough to last her awhile," he said and pulled the large bag of green plant matter out of Leelee's purse to display proudly.

Vegeta slightly narrowed his eyes and cocked an eyebrow at Seventeen. "Of all people, it would be you," he deadpanned.

"Eh, I couldn't go completely straight, Vegeta. There's no fun in that," he chuckled and moved to sit on the floor next to Bulma. His smile faded when he saw Jenny. "Man, she does look like she needs this. What's Piccolo think of this whole plan?"

Bulma chuckled and handed over an envelope with cash in it, taking the bag in exchange. She opened it up and nodded at the amount and quality. "You have a good contact. Did you bring a bong or anything?" she asked, ignoring Vegeta's curious look.

"Did I bring a bong? No, I just expected you guys to graze on the shit. OW!" he cried as the back of Vegeta's knuckles connected with his eye.

"Don't be rude to my wife," the Saiyan growled.

Seventeen cringed and rubbed at his face. "Sorry, Bulma," he muttered before he dug in Leelee's oversized purse again and withdrew a bong and a bottle of cold water.

"Go ahead and wake her up dear. I'm going to place a call to a few restaurants." Bulma looked at Leelee and Seventeen, "Any requests?"

"We'll eat whatever. We're not picky."

Vegeta watched as Seventeen started messing with the odd-shaped piece of glass in his hands. He rubbed at Jenny's shoulder, waking her from her sleep. "Get up," he said quietly. He sat up, pulling her to sit with him. "I think I found a way to help you feel better."

Jenny whined a bit before she blinked her eyes, jumping a little bit when she saw the three extra people there sitting on the ground. "What's going on?" she asked tiredly as her dad help her sit up on her own. It took her a moment but she recognized what Seventeen was messing with and she muttered, "I'm still asleep." She looked at Leelee and smiled, "What are you doing in my dream?"

Leelee looked around and shrugged. "The more important question is if this is a dream, why aren't we all naked yet?"

Vegeta groaned and covered his face with his hand before peeking through his fingers at Bulma. "There wasn't ANYONE else you could have called to get this stuff?" He shook his head and let his hand drop back down into his lap. He watched as Seventeen packed the little metal bowl with the weed and then pulled a lighter from his pocket. Vegeta felt a nervousness coil in his stomach and he fixed Jenny with an intense stare. "This is only until you get better. I don't want to see you get hooked on this, you understand? But it'll help you be able to eat, so you're going to do it."

Jenny stared at him for a moment before she broke into a fit of giggles. "Wow, yeah, I'm sure I am dreaming now. Parents got me pot to get me high." She frowned as she watched Seventeen. She'd told Gramma no when the old woman suggested she use marijuana to help her with her appetite. But that was before the chemotherapy had gotten really bad. She didn't want to be viewed like her sister, she didn't want to get hooked on it either. But something about Vegeta insisting that she use it made her realize that this WAS the last resort. And his approval somehow made it okay.

She reached out for the bong when Seventeen offered it to her. "I'm guessing you all are partaking as well? You'd better, I want to see you all get wasted with me." Her eyes widened, "Oh, we should get Piccolo. I wonder if he would eat something if he got high." She shook her head and fumbled with the lighter as her hands shook. She finally got it going and held it to the bowl, inhaling as she watched the little dried leaves start to smoke and glow brightly. She closed her eyes and inhaled the smoke, listening to the water bubble as she pulled the bowl out of the contraption. She held it in her lungs as she pulled back and handed it off to someone before she leaned back and let the smoke out slowly. She went into a fit of coughing as it circulated through her lungs, hacking for a moment.

Vegeta looked at her with alarm. He watched her for a moment more before he relaxed as he realized she was okay. He watched with curiosity as Seventeen and Leelee each took a hit before they handed it to him. He didn't know exactly what to expect, but if Jenny wanted him to do it, then he would. He mimicked their actions and finally pulled the bowl away as a huge rush of sweet-tasting smoke filled his throat. His face screwed up as he fought the urge to cough and he handed it back to Jenny, holding his breath. He tried to exhale slowly, but his lungs betrayed him and he choked. He pressed a fist to his mouth as the worst coughing fit of his life hit him. Good lord, it felt like his lungs had completely dried up and were on fire. "The fuck," he coughed, pausing and choking again. "How the fuck is that supposed to make you feel better?!"

Bulma took the bong from Jenny and helped herself to a hit, leaning back and exhaling a moment before she handed it back to her daughter. "Takes a moment for it to get into your system. Coughing is good, means you did it right," she said, letting herself cough a moment and watched as Jenny took another hit. "I should make brownies with this," she said with a thoughtful look and leaned back against the couch.

Jenny coughed again as she passed off the bong, "I really must be dreaming, sharing this with you guys. Thank you. I hope this works. I'm going to put Dad to shame eating all that food when the cravings hit."

Seventeen was impressed. "Never would've figured you and Bulma for potheads," he snickered at Jenny. He snickered when Leelee slapped his arm. He took another long hit and passed the bong again before he leaned back on his elbows and swallowed before exhaling a long stream of thick smoke. His brain was starting to go foggy and a lazy smile pulled at his lips. "Now we just need junk food and video games and we're set."

Vegeta scrubbed at his face as a strange sensation started to flood his system. He felt relaxed, sort of buzzed, but it was different than the effects of alcohol. He took another turn, not choking this time and he reclined back against the couch, his tail uncurling from around his waist and flicking contentedly on the seat next to him. It was an odd, yet pleasant feeling. He stretched out a bit more and grinned at his wife.

Bulma chuckled at him and shook her head as she took another hit. "Well look at you, I'm guessing you're starting to feel it, huh?" she asked. "Great, we are all doomed." She reached out and caught his tail with her fingers, watching it flick around as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world.

Vegeta snickered and reached out to tickle Bulma's nose with the tip of his tail. He laughed out loud when she sneezed. He tried to fight the smile on his face, but he couldn't stop himself. Oh, it was weird to relax so much, to not care what the others thought, and for everything to be so goddamn amusing. He looked at Jenny and held his tongue between his teeth as he concentrated and reached over with his tail to tickle her ear.

Jenny found herself smiling for the first time in a long while as she took another hit before handing the bong to Seventeen for him to refill the bowl. Tears came to her eyes as she realized something for the first time since she had started chemotherapy. "I'm hungry. Really hungry," she said as tears of happiness slipped down her cheeks and she looked at her friends and family. She gasped out in shock, "I'm actually hungry."

Seventeen threw a fist in the air. "VICTORY!" he shouted, and then clapped a hand to his mouth with wide eyes. "That was really loud," he whispered and fell on his side, snickering to himself.

Leelee moved to hug Jenny. "This is the best non-naked dream ever," she giggled and fell back to her knees, laying in Jenny's lap as she laughed. It was great to hear that her friend had her appetite back. She looked up and rested her chin on Jenny's knee as she stared at Vegeta. "Look at him," she snickered and pointed at the Saiyan. "He's so fucking stoned."

Vegeta lazily extended his middle finger to her and she threw her head back and laughed again. "Bulma," he said. "Bulma. Bulma! Get us some food. I'm fucking starving." His stomach rumbled loudly as a hunger pain tore through him. He didn't think he'd ever been so hungry in his life. He pulled his phone out again and blinked at it. "Yeah, I can't work this thing right now," he muttered and let it drop to the cushion next to him. "Just… call all the restaurants and bring us one of everything," he murmured. He blinked and sat up with a groan as Seventeen offered over the bong once more. "Again?" he asked, but took it and started to draw the smoke into the chamber.

"This time after you inhale, swallow," Seventeen instructed. "It'll really fuck you up."

Vegeta cocked an eyebrow, but did as Seventeen said. His eyes felt heavier as he struggled to hold the smoke in his lungs as long as possible. "Can't believe you just told me to swallow," he said in a very strained voice before he exhaled and he and Seventeen doubled over with laughter.

Bulma laughed so hard and waggled her eyebrows at her husband. She pulled out her phone, looking at it for a moment as she blinked, "One of everything? What are the rest of us going to eat? I'll make it two of everything." She nodded to herself and put a call into some restaurant, she wasn't sure which one, but they had amazing chili cheese fries she was certain. She ordered extra of those.

"CHEESE FRIES!" Seventeen exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air before Bulma hung up. "Lots and lots of cheese fries!" He fell flat on his back with a dreamy sigh and stared up at the ceiling. "I wanna buy a beer for whoever invented cheese fries."

"You and fucking cheese fries," Leelee mumbled and moved to lay next to him.

"I've never fucked cheese fries," Seventeen answered, making Leelee snort through her nose with laughter. His face screwed up. "That would hurt. Too hot. Unless you wanna lick the cheese off." He rolled away from her as she started slapping at him.

Vegeta looked at Jenny with half-open eyes. "Why the hell are you friends with those idiots?"

Jenny giggled. "They are a great source of amusement for me," she answered and leaned back against the couch as she took the bong and took a big hit from it, sighing out as she exhaled. "Why didn't we think of this sooner? I could have been stoned this whole time and I would have been better off for it."

Bulma patted her daughter's leg, "Because dear, we wanted to see what other options we had."

Vegeta jumped as the doorbell rang. "Food!" he said excitedly. He clapped a hand to his face a moment later. Dear gods, what had he done to himself? He was acting like Kakarot now. The idea made him fall into an uncharacteristic fit of giggles. "Someone else get it," he managed to say as he laid over and pulled a pillow from the couch over his face. He didn't know who it was that grabbed all those bags of food but the next thing he knew, he found himself scooting to sit on the floor, surrounded by unimaginable amounts of fast food. "Oh my god, that shit killed us and we're in heaven."

Bulma couldn't stop laughing as she helped herself to a container of cheese fries; she had never in her life seen her husband act like this before. It was endearing that he did it for their daughter. She watched as Jenny dug into her food with gusto, her eyes rolling back in her head as she ate for what had to be the first time in weeks. She paused every now and then to take another hit from the bong before she finally pushed her plate and the pot away from her and she rubbed at her belly.

Jenny chuckled, "Gods, I feel like I have a food baby." Her eyes were growing heavy and a smile was on her face, "Feels good to eat again." She giggled and laid down on the floor with her head in her father's lap as she watched him continue to eat, "Where do you put it all?"

"Hollow leg," he answered around a mouthful of food before he snickered again. He paused in his chewing to lean down and plant a big smacking kiss on his daughter's cheek. "I'm glad you're feeling better. I love you." He sat back up and continued to consume every bit of food he could get his hands on, not even looking up when Trunks and Catie walked in.

Trunks froze dead in his tracks at the sight of them sitting on the floor, surrounded by empty food wrappers. "Do I smell pot?" he asked, his big blue eyes blinking widely at them. "OH MY GOD, MY FATHER'S HIGH!"

"Don't judge me," Vegeta growled, leaning over to swipe some cheese fries from Seventeen.

Jenny giggled and waved her hand at them. "Dad thought it would give me an appetite! It did! I ate food! I ate so much food," she said before she reached out, grabbing an onion ring from somewhere and munched on it absentmindedly. "Goku would be so proud," she mused before she fell into a fit of giggles.

"Yeah, I doubt that," Catie said but moved to sit on the floor next to them and helped herself to a burger. She smiled at her sister. "I'm so glad you were able to eat something. See? It's good when I force you out of your bedroom." She peered at Bulma and shook her head when she saw how bloodshot her eyes were. "You're a hot mess."

Bulma smiled widely at her and shrugged her shoulders. "I blame your father, it was his idea." She touched a finger to the tip of her nose, "I'm not telling Piccolo."

"HA! Neither am I," Catie cried. She looked at Jenny. "That's on you, sista. Speaking of which, it's been several hours. He's probably having a freak out. You want me to take you home?"

Jenny giggled and nodded. "I think I'll just come here after my chemo treatments, hopefully I'll start to put back on some weight," she said as she tried to get up but failed miserably. "I need help."

Catie stood and pulled her to stand. "Come on, let's get you home." She grabbed Jenny's face and squished it until her lips puckered. "Piccolo will be so happy to see you smile again."

Piccolo paced the tile of the Lookout, his only thoughts of Jenny. She'd been gone longer than he thought she would. He wasn't terribly worried, but he was wondering when she would make it home. He hoped she hadn't gotten too sick while she was out. Perhaps she'd fallen asleep while she was there and they were just letting her rest. The girls were already tucked into bed and the first stars were starting to show in the inky black sky.

Piccolo heaved a sigh of relief and his lips split in a smile when the headlights of Catie's car shone across the Lookout. He gave Catie a thank-you wave as Jenny got out of the car and Catie headed for home. He quickly crossed the tile to Jenny and pulled her to him. "I'm glad you're home," he rumbled. "Is everything okay? You were gone for quite a while."

Jenny smiled and hugged her husband. "I didn't mean to worry you. Vegeta, well, he found a way I can eat food again. You might not like it, but they got me some pot. It got rid of my nausea and gave me an appetite. I ate so much," she said as she leaned against him, tears of happiness trailing down her cheeks. "I almost felt normal again. I wish you were there, it was good to see them again."

Piccolo took a moment to drink in her words. He didn't much like the idea of her using that stuff, but if it had allowed her to eat, he wasn't going to say a word about it. His heart swelled as she smiled at him, the first real smile he'd seen on her face in a long time. He bent down and kissed her softly. "As long as it helps you feel better, you do what you need to do," he said.

Jenny nodded and smiled against him, "I know what that stuff did to Lindsey, and to my sister. I am not going to let it rule my life. I swear to you. I have learned my lesson that my life and my family with you is just too precious to be thrown away like that. I just want to feel normal again. I was in heaven, to be able to eat what I wanted and not have to worry about my nausea."

Kacie rolled her eyes as she came out of her room, hearing her sister talking loudly and claiming to feel better. She heard what she said about pot. "So, finally came over to the dark side? So what? You can only eat when you are high? Gods, this is what I told you mom. She's an alcoholic drug addict." She frowned at the scarf on her head, "Wearing a swimming cap and an ugly scarf. News flash, Halloween isn't for a few more weeks. Do they even celebrate Halloween here?"

Piccolo's eye twitched. It seemed to have done that a lot over the past few weeks that Kacie and Karen had been there. He couldn't even have a serious, private conversation with his wife without Jenny's sister butting in. "Do you mind?" he growled at her. "I'm trying to have a conversation with my wife that doesn't involve you."

"What was that, dear?" Karen asked Kacie as she approached them. "What do you mean a drug addict?" She blinked widely at Jenny, seeing that she looked like she felt better. "Oh! You're up and around! Good! I was worried. Why do you have that scarf on? Really, it looks silly. Why don't we just go get you a wig if you're that worried about your hair?"

Jenny felt her attitude dropping and she slid her arm around Piccolo's waist and reached up to take off the scarf. "I'm not wearing a wig," she said, taking some satisfaction at the way her mom's eyes widened.

Kacie was disgusted. "Really? You are taking this too far. Did you really have to shave off all of your hair to just make a point? Or were you too wasted to remember doing it? Gods, you are so selfish!"

"Oh, Jenny," her mother breathed, an obvious tone of disappointment in her voice. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. "What on earth have you done?! That looks ridiculous! Honey, I know your hair was getting a little thin, but there was no reason to do that. That's just… I can't even look at you right now." She shook her head and turned away.

"Then don't look at her," Piccolo snarled, curling his arm around his wife's shoulders. "I've had enough of both of you. We've tolerated your presence here long enough. I think it's time for you to go home. You're not helping the situation at all."

Kacie rolled her eyes, but Jenny didn't miss the way that they lit up. "Good," her sister said, "Come on, Mom, we don't need to be around this bad of an influence. Larry warned you about her. It's appropriate, isn't it? She is a little cancerous growth, leeching off of life."

Jenny felt her anger soar and made to kick at her sister, but Piccolo help her back, "Don't you dare say that about me! I've been through too much to listen to your bullshit and your sixty year old boyfriend's lies. Neither of you care about me at all! You aren't even paying attention to what's happening to me! Get out!" she shouted, her voice going hoarse and raspy. "Get out!" she croaked and her knees buckled.

Karen turned around again to see Jenny sink to the floor. "You don't mean that," she said. "I don't understand why we upset you so much. All we've tried to do is encourage you to get out of the house a little bit. It's not good for you to lock yourself away and be so antisocial all the time. It's not good for your daughters to see you like that! Why are you so angry with us?"

Piccolo scowled. "You're not helping. You exhaust my wife when she needs to be resting so her body can heal. Her life is in danger and all you're doing is making it worse. I've held my tongue and my temper long enough. I will NOT let you do this to my mate. Neither you nor your daughter are welcome here anymore." He turned his attention to Kacie, his temper flaring even more. "And as for you. You have to be one of the most vile creatures I have ever encountered in my life. I have never met anyone as self-absorbed as you. Your sister is battling for her life and the only thing you can do is to sit around and make snide remarks about her and accuse her of things that you pull completely out of your ass. Not one thing you've accused my wife of has any basis in fact. It's all lies. And sick or not, I'm not going to stand for it. You go on home to that boyfriend of yours. I'm sure he and his wife miss you."

Kacie's eyes widened and she growled at her sister, taking a threatening step towards her, "You fucking told him everything, didn't you?" She scowled and looked over at the Namek. "No basis huh? I'd bet a good deal of money that she's high right now. Maybe drunk too. Who knows what else? I know her friends have connections," she spat.

A low growl issued from Piccolo's throat and he grabbed Kacie by the back of her shirt to march her over towards the capsule car she and her mother had arrived in. "Karen!" he barked over his shoulder. "You better get in this car before I stuff you in it, too!" He ignored Kacie's shouts of protest and the look Dende gave him as he yanked open the car door and roughly shoved Kacie into the passenger seat. He leaned down to her, a deadly tone in his voice. "Listen here, you little bitch. If you ever, EVER step foot in this place again, I WILL throw you over the edge. And my brother won't stop me. No force on earth will stop me. And I will take great joy in listening to you scream as you plummet to your death. You understand me?" His energy crackled visibly in the air around him as he spoke.

Karen looked terrified as she wordlessly got into the car. She didn't know what to think or say or do. This trip hadn't gone the way she'd thought it would at all. But she understood that she and her youngest daughter were definitely not welcome anymore. She scrambled for her seatbelt and grabbed the steering wheel, staring straight ahead, not speaking a word.

Jenny watched as they left, taking with them a huge weight that had been on her shoulders since the moment that they had shown up. How could they say those things about her? She couldn't stand them, the way that Kacie doted on her douchebag boyfriend, how he could do no wrong and accused her of things so that he could drive her family apart. The joke was on him. She had a better family. She leaned over, curling up on the cool tile as she let her tears dry. "Finally."

Piccolo went back to his wife and gently helped her to his feet. He felt so much better already. "Don't worry about them. You don't have to put up with them anymore. I'm sick of it. The best they're going to get is a Christmas card once a year, if that. We'll just send a picture of Paige in her Christmas dress flipping them off," he chuckled as he wrapped his arm around her and started to walk down the hallway again. "Don't worry about their belongings they left. I'll pack them up in a capsule and have Rose mail it to them."

He rubbed at her shoulder as they walked. "Now, you were talking about this marijuana before we were so rudely interrupted. Are you sure you can do this without getting addicted to it? I want you to feel better, Jenny. But I don't want it to somehow create more problems down the road."

She nodded and let him lead her back to their room. "I swear to you, I am only going to use the stuff while I'm on this chemotherapy. I just wanted to eat again, it was such a relief. To not feel any nausea either, gods, I thought I was in heaven for a moment."

The unfamiliar sensation of tears prickled at Piccolo's eyes as he sat down on their bed and pulled her to sit next to him. He couldn't believe the relief he heard in her voice, the happiness he could see in her eyes. He found himself nodding at her words, that she would only use it as long as she was on chemo. He looked her over again before his eyes settled on the scarf in her hands. He'd heard the conversation between her and Catie, he knew what they had done. "I'm proud to call you my wife," he said in a low voice as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "You're so much stronger than you give yourself credit for."

Jenny leaned into him, reaching up and running a hand over the baldness there. She managed a small smile. "We match now," she said, "It's better this way. I don't want you to, you know, be afraid to touch me. My hair won't fall out on you now."

Piccolo chuckled at her quip about them matching before his expression sobered, looking at her with an affection glowing in his eyes. "You're still as beautiful as the day I met you," he said softly and reached out to her, gently running his hand over her head before he pulled her closer and kissed her again.

Jenny sighed into the kiss, it felt as if it had been forever since they had shared a kiss so gentle, so passionate. "I still remember that day. You threw the cake off the Lookout," she said with a smile, her fingers tracing the edge of his shirt. "You were so handsome. Still are. You haven't aged a day."

He smiled slightly as his heart fluttered. It had been awhile since she had been so affectionate. He kissed at her fingertips before he laid down on the bed and pulled her to lay next to him. A small smirk pulled at his lips and he fixed Jenny with a serious gaze. "You know that cake was poisoned."

She smiled at him and trailed her fingers over his jaw. "Was not, you were just trying to make a statement. Dende ate most of that cake and he's still walking around." She closed her eyes, her body was cold and his was warm. It was so good to be held again without having to worry about him having to worry about her, "Thanks for staying with me through this."

He gave her a curious look, searching her eyes as he tried to understand what she meant. "Of course I'm staying. There's nowhere else in the world that I would be. Don't you know that?" he asked quietly. "I'm not going anywhere. You didn't really think I would leave you, did you?" The idea was absurd to him. She and their daughters were his entire world. He couldn't fathom not being there with them. Something about even entertaining the thought of what it would be like made him ache all over and for a moment he felt like he was the one who was going to be sick.

She shook her head. "No, I know you wouldn't. I just, I mean, if you were in my shoes. Would you wonder the same thing? I could feel you when you accidentally pulled my hair out. I know you never would leave me, and I would never leave you. It's just this sickness, making me think things."

Piccolo sighed and tugged her a little closer to him before he pulled the blankets up around them. He didn't like the way she shivered. She'd already been through so much, the last thing he wanted her to worry about was him. "You tell the sickness to shut up," he ordered. "You have too much to deal with to be worried about a silly thing like that. You can worry about anything you want. But do NOT worry about me. I'm not leaving your side. I don't care how bad it gets. Without you and our girls, I don't know what I would do. You're my whole world now."

He frowned as the gravity of his own words hit him. What would he do if he lost her? He hated this disease. He hated what it did to her. It was like an invisible enemy; one he couldn't protect her from. He couldn't fight it, he couldn't stop it, he couldn't hide her away from it. No amount of training or preparation or bravery on his part could spare her from what she was dealing with. He was starting to feel like a failure now because he couldn't protect the love of his life from the pain, the depression, or the deadly disease that was trying to eat her alive from the inside out.

For a long time, he'd tried to lock away his fear and his anger. He knew in his heart that he could lose her, that she could lose this battle and he would be left to live the rest of his life without his mate at his side. But he kept pushing the thought away, refusing to consciously acknowledge it. As if not dwelling on the matter could somehow make it all disappear. But as he lay there holding his wife, her skinny frame shivering slightly against him, the whole weight of the situation just seemed to hit him. 'She's dying.'

His eyes slowly slid closed against the tears that burned and threatened to fall. She was fighting for her life, her every ounce of energy and strength battling to survive. He knew his wife was strong. She was brave and intelligent and loving. She was beautiful and determined and loyal and passionate. And he realized in that moment why it had to be her, why fate had given her to this disease; she was the only person he knew who wouldn't end up broken from it. A fierce pride and a sense of determination swelled in his chest at the thought. His wife may have been down, but she wasn't out of this fight yet. She would come back, bigger and better than ever, stronger, fiercer, braver, and she would kick this cancer's ass.

"Look at me," he said in a voice that was barely above a whisper as he cupped her face in his hand and tilted her chin so he could look into her warm brown eyes. "If there's anyone in our family that can beat this thing, it's you. Don't you worry about the rest of us. I want you to focus on what you need to do to get better. You're not going to lose me and I'm not going to lose you." He pulled her closer again and kissed the top of her head. "Don't leave me, Jenny."

She nodded and smiled, happy and tired and full and relieved all the same. "Not planning on it, dear," she whispered back as she reached up and wiped away the tears brimming in his eyes. "Not planning on it at all." She closed her eyes, her body slowly stopped shivering as she took in the warmth from her mate. "I love you," she murmured as she finally let sleep take her.