I thought I'd try and make chapter 12 a little shorter in hopes that I'll get a few more reviews, I really would love to hear what people have to say. I'm working on the next chapter so if you wanna read it, please, send in those reviews! Enjoy!
Chapter 12: New year's Eve; The Build up
**Author's note: Just to be completely clear, it is now December 31st, so New Year's Eve alright? Just so we're perfectly clear. K, on to chapter 12!***
Videl inhaled deeply as she opened her eyes and was greeted by the morning rays of sun on her face. She brought her hands up to her face and started rubbing her eyes and yawned as she slowly started to wake her body up.
She sat up in the large bed and saw that it was eight thirty in the morning, she smiled to herself knowing she was now back to normal and had no illness left in her. 'Today feels like it's going to be a really great day' she thought to herself as she went to her drawers and started to pull out clothes. She quickly jumped into the shower to wake herself up completely and then once she was done she quickly got dressed, dried her hair, and then left find her way to the dining room.
She had surprised herself; she had actually managed to make it to the dining room without getting lost. She saw that no one was in the dining room yet so she went into the kitchen with a smile on her face as she was greeted by most of the houses occupants.
"Good morning everyone" she said as she walked in and took a seat beside Goku.
"Morning Videl, how'd you sleep?" Goku asked as he attempted to wait patiently for breakfast.
"I slept very well thanks, how about you?" she replied as she looked around the room and noticed that Gohan and Goten weren't' there yet.
"Like a rock" Goku said as he stared at his wife as she cooked breakfast.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Videl asked as she looked at the women going crazy to help get breakfast done quickly.
"Actually, if you wouldn't mind, could you set the table and start bringing some of the plates of food in; we should probably be done shortly" Chi Chi said as she pushed scrambled eggs with cheese onto a large serving plate.
"Sure thing Chi Chi" Videl said with a smile as she grabbed a stack of plates that were already out and walked into the dining room where she started to put them out in front of the chairs.
A few moments later Aaliyah walked into the room "Morning sweetie, I thought you could use some help" she said as she started to place the utensils in front of each plate Videl had put down.
"Morning mom; I'm always happy for some help" Videl said with a smile, she loved the fact that she had her mom back in her life again.
The two made conversation amongst each other as they prepared the table then both stopped as they heard a loud scream followed by laughter. A few seconds later Gohan came into the room with Goten on his shoulders, Goten laughing all the while.
The two brothers had a big grin plastered on their faces, but before Videl or Aaliyah could comment they heard a loud click then turned to see Bulma standing with her camera.
"I'm trying to get as many pictures as possible for the party tonight" Bulma said as she looked back at the picture and smiled in satisfaction at the image on Gohan and Goten.
"Alright, Aaliyah and Videl, it's your turn now" Bulma said as the two looked dumbly at her then nodded and stood beside each other and smiled at the camera.
"Perfect, now Videl you get over there with Gohan and Goten" Bulma instructed, Videl nodded as she complied and went over beside the two brothers. "Come on, do something cute" Bulma said as both Gohan and Videl blushed.
Gohan leaned over to give Videl a kiss on the cheek and just as he did that Goten went over to the other side and kissed her other cheek. Videl smiled as Bulma came up with a cute grin, "Now that it adorable" she said as she walked off with her camera and mumbled more things to herself.
"Good morning you two" Videl said as she grabbed Goten and tickled his sides.
Goten giggled loudly then once Videl stopped tickling him he returned the good morning.
"What are you up to?" Gohan asked as he watched Aaliyah start to bring food into the dining room.
"We're getting the dining room ready for breakfast; want to help?" she asked, knowing Gohan would help her with anything she asked.
"Sure thing" he said with a smile as he went into the kitchen with Videl and started to bring food into the dining room.
Before anyone knew it, breakfast was done and being served at the table. Everyone sat down and enjoyed the once again, delicious meal that was being prepared and everyone went on making their own conversations.
"Hey, mom?" Videl asked as she put some more food onto her plate.
"Yes sweetie?" Aaliyah replied as she gave her full attention to her daughter.
"I'm doing some baking today and I was wondering if you wanted to bake cookies with me this afternoon. They'll probably be the last thing I bake but I thought it could be like old times again" Videl said with a little blush.
"I'd love to bake cookies with you sweetie, I missed times like that and I would love to do it with you now that I know you're not going to light fire to the house" Aaliyah said earning a laugh from anyone who was listening to the conversation.
"Can I bake too?" a quiet voice asked from the other side of the table.
Videl was surprised at the question and looked down the table to where little Marron was sitting.
"Sweetie, you don't want to bother Videl while she's baking" Krillin said as he cut up some of her food earning a pout from the little girl.
Videl gave the three year old a smile, "of course you can help me bake. I was actually in need of a little helper so you'll be perfect. Will you be my little helper? "Videl asked earning a big smile and bright eyes from the young girl.
"I'll be the bestest helper you'll ever have!" Marron replied as she looked proudly up at her dad.
"I'll be starting right after breakfast, is that alright with you" Videl asked, amused at the little girl's reaction.
"I'll be there!...is that ok mommy?" She asked as she looked up at 18 who simply smiled and nodded to her little girl.
"Videl, do you think you'll be done baking by the time we start dinner?" Bulma asked as she put a piece of pancake in her mouth.
"I think I should be done by about then, I think if I get started as soon as breakfast is done then I should be alright, most of the stuff requires refrigerating anyways" Videl smiled as she looked over at Marron who still had a big grin on her face, "and with a helper like Marron I'm sure everything will go by really quickly" she say out of the corner of her eye a smile grow even bigger.
"Daddy, you hear that, I'm going to help" Marron said as she pulled on Krillin's sleeve in excitement.
"You just make sure you do whatever Videl says alright? No causing trouble" he said in a fake stern voice.
Bulma smiled at how cute the little girl was then went on with what she was saying previously, "Well I figure we'll eat about 5:30, and then everyone will go and get ready for the party. At about 7:30 we'll load the food into the room and make the final touch-ups on the party then we can get everything underway at about nine. Sound good to everyone?" Bulma asked as she received a nod from everyone.
"Do you think we really need to start preparing for things that early? How long does it take to get ready?" Goku asked as he received a mock glare from Bulma.
"Goku, all of us women have a lot to do; our hair, makeup, nails, clothes, accessories and such. Being beautiful doesn't just happen. You guys have it easy, all you have to do is put a suit on then you're done" she said as she finished up her pancake.
"Uh…I guess so. I think you'd all look great without getting all fancy" Goku said as he then resumed to stuffing his face.
"That's sweet of you hun, but it's nice to look extra attractive every now and then" Chi Chi said as she took a final sip of her orange juice then set the glass done, satisfied with her meal.
"Alright, I'm going to start clearing off the dishes" Chi Chi said as she stood up and started taking dishes into the kitchen. Gohan shortly followed her lead and started to load dishes into the impossibly large dishwasher.
Videl followed their lead by bring other dirty dishes into the kitchen then took a moment to look around, "Out of curiosity, where are the pans and mixers?" Videl asked as she helped in loading the large dishwasher with the mountain of dishes.
"here, I'll give you a quick tour" Chi Chi said as she started opening cupboards and showing where all the measuring cups, mixers, blenders, tins and holders were. Videl nodded and made sure to remember where everything was then went back to go bring more of the dishes into the kitchen.
Videl walked back into the dining room once everything had been cleared off and smiled at Marron who was playing with 18. "Ready to get to work?" she asked as the young girl smiled at her.
"Just let me go and change her diaper" 18 said as she picked the young girl up.
"I'll be right back Del" Marron said, still having some problems with the pronunciation with her name. Videl gave her a smile back.
"I'll be waiting in the kitchen alright? I promise I won't start without you" she said as the young girl giggled with laughter as her mom took her to go and change her diaper.
"You're very good with kids" Gohan said as he stood beside her and watched the little exchange between Videl and Marron.
"I never used to be, but I learned a few things from you and Goten and I mean… I do want a kid of my own someday so I learned to relax" She said as she rested her head on Gohans arm.
"You learned from Goten and I?" He asked in a surprised tone.
"I did, you two are so cute
together and get along so well. I never knew you could be so good
with kids; it's adorable" Videl said as Gohan wrapped an arm
around her shoulder and gave her a light hug.
"Well, I best be
off and get the ingredients out; got a lot of work to do!" Videl
said with a smile as she took a step away from Gohan.
"Well, have fun, I'll drop by a little later and see how everything's going" he said as he leaned down and gave her a kiss on the lips, "have fun" he said as she returned the kiss and smiled as she walked off into the kitchen.
Videl walked into the kitchen as Chi Chi was wiping off the counter, "she's all yours Videl" she said with a smile. She then pointed to a drawer, "there's apron's in there just in case" she said as Videl said thank you then playfully pushed the older woman out of the kitchen.
"Go relax Chi Chi, this is my kitchen now" she said playfully as Chi Chi smiled and walked off to go and relax with her husband.
Videl stood in the kitchen for a minute with her hands on her hips then went to the fridge and started pulling ingredients out; she was going to start by making an Oreo cheesecake. She put all the ingredients onto the large counter then started bring out mixers, measuring cups and spoons, and any other utensils she might need.
As she finished bringing those ingredients Marron walked into the room. "I'm ready Del!" she said as walked into the kitchen.
"Alright, first, let's get your hair out of your face" she said as she pulled one of the elastics off of her wrist (**Authors note: I always have at least one hair elastic on my wrist! K back to the story**) and tied her blond hair into a pony tail high on her head, she then did the same with her hair and get it out of her face. "Now, let's get an apron on so we don't get dirty" she said as she grabbed two out of the drawer. Because Marron was so small she grabbed the smallest one she could find and folded it in such a way that the little girl wouldn't trip over it.
"Alright, let's wash our hands now" She said as she brought a chair over so the little girl could reach the counter top. "Ready to get started?" she asked with a smile as Marron responded by energetically nodding her head.
For the next two hours the two girls worked away at baking. First they made the Oreo cheesecake; Videl basically measured everything and Marron poured it into mixer. Then once everything was mixed Videl would hold the bowl up and Marron was in charge of making sure all of the mixed ingredients went into the other bowl. After the first cheesecake the two make a coffee cake; every now and then Videl would give Marron parts of the cake to try' for instance the crumbly topping on top of the coffee cake which consisted of cinnamon, brown sugar, butter and chocolate chips; she also gave Marron a few Oreo cookies while they were making the first cheesecake.
Videl wiped her forehead with her forearm and smiled over at the excited Marron, "Boy am I glad I have you here to help me, this is a lot of work" Videl said earning a large smile from Marron.
"I like helping you Del, mommy doesn't usually bake so I don't get to do this very often" Marron said as she leaned in closer on the counter.
"Want to get started on the strawberry layered cheesecake? This is the one your mommy said she really liked" Videl said, knowing the answer would be an energetic yes from the young girl. As she expected, Marron nodded her head rapidly, never letting her smile fade.
Videl brought a big pack of strawberries over in between the two of them, "first we have to wash the strawberries alright?" She said as she grabbed a big handful of the strawberries and put them underneath the water for a few moments then put them down onto the paper towel and dried them. Marron nodded and started to repeat Videls actions, while she did this Videl started to take the stems out of the strawberries that had already been washed.
Videl then started to cut the strawberries up and push them to the side of the cutting board, "can you put them in the big measuring cup there?" she asked as Marron complied and started picking up the cut strawberries and put them into the empty measuring cup.
Once all of the strawberries were cut Videl then brought over a bag of sugar and a measuring spoon. She held the spoon out in front of the young girl, "can you get me three big spoonfuls of sugar and put them in with the strawberries?".
"I sure can!" Marron said as she carefully stuck the spoon into the sugar bag and pulled up the measuring spoon slowly to make sure she didn't drop any of its contents.
"Excellent!" Videl said as the little girl smiled proudly at her. Videl gave the strawberries and sugar a quick stir then put them into the fridge until later when they'd need them again. The two then proceeded to pour the cream cheese and other ingredients into mixer and let it mix for a few minutes.
Videl turned around to go and grab the containers of pound cake then heard Marron give and excited giggle. Videl turned around to see what was going on but saw no change from when she had looked a moment earlier.
There was a figure from behind Videl and he put his finger to his lips and motioned for Marron to be quiet, Marron complied by tightly covering her lips with her hands.
Videl raised an eyebrow as she put the pound cakes in front of Marron, "is everything alright Marron?" She asked with slight confusion. Marron struggled to hold back giggles then finally burst into a fit of laughter. Just as Marron started laughed Videl felt something latch around her waist, thus effectively scaring her and making her scream.
"Gohan!" Marron yelled excitedly as Videl calmed herself down as Gohan laughed lightly at her.
Videl pretended to give Gohan a glare and Gohan just smiled at her, "I came to see how it was going" Gohan said as he let go of Videl "It sure does smell really good in here".
Marron smiled, "Del and I are baking!" she exclaimed as she pointed to the mixers as proof of her point.
"I can see that, it looks really good. What are you guys making?" he asked as he peered into the mixing bowl.
"Strawberry layered Cheesecake" Videl said as she turned off the mixer and took the bowl off. She stared at the ingredients for a moment then stuck her finger in the bowl so she could taste it. "Nice work Marron, this is really good" she said with a smile as she held the bowl over for Marron to taste.
She stuck her finger in the bowl once again and extender her finger to Gohan, "try it" she said, earning a blush from Gohan.
Gohan slowly leaned forward and put Videls finger lightly in his mouth and licked the contents off gently; causing Videl to start to blush now as well.
"Wow, that's really good you guys" Gohan said as he gently pulled Videl's finger form his mouth, all the while still blushing.
Videl gave him a smile, "well, while you're here could you help Marron cut the pound cake into squares?" Videl asked. Gohan smiled and came behind Marron and pulled the pound cake out of the container then grabbed a knife.
"Sure thing V" he said as he put the knife in Marron's hand and then put his hand over top of hers to control the cutting. "This a good size?" he asked as he held up a cube of cake. Videl nodded with a smile, admiring how cute the scene was then went and grabbed the pan for the cheesecake and got the strawberries. She carefully poured some of the cheesecake mixture onto the bottom, then covered it in pound cake squares and strawberries and repeated the action until the pan was completely full.
As the three worked in the kitchen, neither of them knew another person was coming in to see how things were going. Bulma was once again caring her camera and stopped as she stared at the scene. She smiled to herself as she watched the two teens and the little girl work in the kitchen. 'They're going to be such amazing parents one day' she thought to herself as she held her camera up and started to snap pictures.
"Excellent, now all we have to do is stick it in the fridge" Videl said as she brought the large pan and found a home for it in the fridge. "I have more pound cake for the next cake…but we can treat ourselves to these few pieces here" she said with a smile as Marron quickly grabbed a piece and started chewing on it.
Gohan smiled at his girlfriend and grabbed a piece and leaned across the counter to offer it for her. Videl smiled as she leaned in and put the cake in her mouth, part of it still sticking out. She gave Gohan a wink, causing Gohan to smile more and meet her half way to give her a kiss, and take half of the piece of cake. Little did they know, Bulma was standing in the background snapping pictures of their sweet moments and planned on showing them to everybody at the party.
Videl smiled at Gohan then pulled away and turned around the grabbed a few containers of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries, "alright, ready to get started on the berry cake? You guys cut the berries up, we need about three cups; I'll get started on the cream cheese filling" she said as Marron nodded her head and started take out handfuls of the frozen fruit for her and Gohan to cut.
Another two hours later, Marron wiped her forehead, "this is a lot of work Del, good thing we have Gohan here to help us" Marron said as she looked up at Gohan. Videl smiled to herself, it was clear to see the little girl had a crush on Gohan it was more than adorable to watch how she acted when Gohan was that close to her.
"Well, on the bright side we're pretty much done, all we have to do is put some icing on the cupcakes then we're done" Videl said with a smile as she brought out three containers of icing and three plastic knives. Marron smiled as she eagerly started to spread globs of icing onto the baked cupcakes, and then giggled as she wiped her knife on Gohan's face leaving a big blob of icing on his face.
"Hey, what was that for?" he said with a laugh as the little girl blushed and giggled at the sight of Gohan with icing on his face.
"It wasn't me, it was Del! I'm innocent!" she cried through her laughter, her smile never fading.
"Videl did it?" He asked in fake surprise.
"She did, I saw her I swear" Marron said as she continued to giggle. Gohan turned Videl and had a fake look of shock on his face.
"Videl how could you?" He asked as Marron then once again proceeded to put icing on his nose. "You did it again!" he said, pretending to be shocked.
"I'm being framed, I swear!" Videl said, she couldn't help but laugh at how silly Gohan looked with a chunk of frosting on his nose and cheek.
Just as Gohan was about to say something again 18 walked into the kitchen. "Mommy!" Marron exclaimed excitedly as she reached her arms out to her. 18 walked over with a smile on her face at her daughter's reaction to her presence. Gohan picked Marron off of the counter and held her in is arms.
"Did you have fun?" 18 asked in a monotone voice.
"Mommy, I made cheesecake!" Marron said as she enjoyed her spot, perched on Gohans hip. "Del said I get to give you a big piece at the party tonight too" she exclaimed, so proud of the fact that she was baking.
"Well, I look forward to that…but for now you need to take a nap or you're going to be falling asleep before the party gets started" she said as Gohan handed Marron to 18.
"Ok mommy" she said as she rubbed her eyes and gave a small yawn.
"Bye Marron, thanks for your help" Videl said as she gave the girl a smile and a wave.
"Night Del, bye Gohan" she said as she rubbed her eyes and waved good bye, then 18 walked out of the large kitchen and left Gohan and Videl.
"I thought you still were going to bake cookies?" Gohan asked as he sat on a chair beside the counter.
"I am, I'm just waiting for my mom, I'm sure she'll be here any minute now" She said with a smile as she wiped the counter with a damp cloth. She smiled to herself as she kept quiet about the icing on Gohans nose, curious to see how long it would take for him to notice it on his face.
Just as Videl said those words, Goku and Aaliyah walked into the kitchen.
"Thanks Goku, I swear I'll never figure this house out" Aaliyah said as the two adults turned and looked at the two teens.
Goku looked at his son and raised an eyebrow as he noticed the icing on his face, "Hey Gohan…" Goku trailed off as he noticed Videl in the background motioning for him to be quiet.
"Yeah dad?" Gohan asked, confused as to why he stopped his sentence.
"Do…you want to spar before dinner and the party get started?" Goku asked with a smile, trying to hold his laughter in as his son remained oblivious to the big chunk of icing on his nose.
"Sure dad, I could use a good workout" Gohan said as he stood up from the chair. Aaliyah had her eyes on Gohan the whole time then finally couldn't hold it in and started to laugh at Gohan. Shortly after Videl and Goku followed her lead and started laughing at the clueless Gohan.
"What's…so funny?" Gohan asked as he raised an eyebrow and reached his arm behind his head to scratch it.
"Maybe before sparring you should go wash up Gohan" Videl said through her laughter.
"Well I did get some sugar and berry juice on me" He said as he rubbed the back on his head.
"Maybe wash your face too" Goku said with a laugh at the clueless expression his son still had on his face.
"My face?….oh crap I forgot about the icing" he said as he reached up and took some of the icing off his nose with his finger then licked his finger. "Mmm…it's good icing" Gohan said with a laugh.
"I'll meet you at the gravity chamber dad, as you noticed, I need to wash up…and change my clothes" he said as he gave everyone a wave and then walked out of the kitchen.
Aaliyah stared at the door where Gohan had just walked out, "I gotta ask…is he really as strong as everyone says he is? Maybe it's just the way he dresses…but he looks kinda scrawny; skinny even. Not that I'm trying to be insulting, he's a very sweet and kind kid; I'm just really curious" she asked as she sat down on the chair by the counter.
"Gohan has a lot more muscle then he lets on" Videl said, as she fantasized about him shirtless.
"He's a lot stronger then he lets on or knows as well" Goku said as he leaned against the counter, "he may look like some skinny kid, but Gohan's nothing but muscle"
"What do you mean by he's stronger then he knows Goku?" Aaliyah asked curiously.
"Gohan is most likely the strongest one out of all of us. He was the strongest when we fought Cell, and then he slacked off a bit. But with Gohan, it's hard to determine how strong he is because he's so emotional" Goku answered.
"Gohan's emotional?" Videl asked as she raised an eyebrow, Gohan had never done anything that would have led her to that conclusion before.
"Yea, I don't mean that he'll cry at the drop of a hat, but I mean he's emotionally driven. Say for instance some monster came in here and started killing people, Gohan would fight but he wouldn't be as strong as Vegeta or I. But if that monster came in here and started hurting loved ones, take you for instance, and then there'd be no stopping him. Whenever we fought these monsters, I had to tell him to use his feelings; if he thought about his loved ones being hurt his power would just sky rocket. Basically, he fights with his emotions; the angrier he is, the stronger he is" Goku said, he had always thought it was incredible that Gohans emotions were what kept his strength in check.
"Wow…I had no idea Gohan was like that" Videl said as she stared blankly in the kitchen "I always thought that he wanted to be strong he'd just power up" she thought out loud.
"Haha…Gohan is a mystery wrapped in an enigma" Goku said with a laugh as he looked into the fridge to find something to eat.
"Wow…you saiyans sure are something interesting" Aaliyah said as she attempted to wrap her mind around the complexity of the people she's known for such a short time.
"Man, these look good Videl, I can't wait to try these tonight" Goku said as he pulled himself out of the fridge. He figured it was best if he didn't take anything from the fridge, just in case he'd get in trouble.
"Well, anyways ladies, I best be off to meet my son in a duel. I'll see you both at dinner time" Goku said as he waved to the two ladies and walked off.
Aaliyah waited a moment then blushed, "I have to admit…that is one hell of an attractive family" she said quietly, causing Videl to laugh.
"Oh trust me mom, I more than agree with you" Videl said as she too blushed.
"Ready to get started? I see you've got enough to make more than four dozen" Aaliyah said with a laugh as she looked at the large amount of ingredients in front of them.
"You betcha" she said with a smile, she was more than excited to be baking with her mom again.
~*~Later on~*~
"Wow…do you really think 15 dozen cookies are going to go?" Aaliyah asked as she marvelled at the many containers full of freshly baked cookies.
"If they don't go tonight…then they'll be gone within the next few days" Videl said with a laugh as she put the last tray of cookies into the oven and set the timer.
"Wow, oh by the way, I've been meaning to ask you something…" Aaliyah said, she trailed off at the end and allowed a blush to creep to her cheeks.
"What's that mom?" she asked as she continued to scrub the mixing bowls.
"Is…is that Yamcha….is he dating someone?" She asked in a shy tone.
Videl smiled, "wow, I can't believe it, mom you have a crush on Yamcha! That's so cute…and no he's not taken" Videl said as she nudged her mom lightly and winked.
"Mom, you should ask him if he wants to dance tonight; I've seen you guys talking a lot at the dinner table, I think he might be into you" Videl said as she continued to clean the kitchen.
"I don't know…" Aaliyah said as she rubbed her arm and looked at her feet.
"Come on mom, what do you have to lose?" Videl said as she finished wiping the counter. Aaliyah just continued to stare at the ground.
"I took a big chance too with Gohan you know" Videl said as she continued to try and convince her mother.
"Yea, but you guys are clearly in love" She said causing Videl to blush a little.
"Be that as it may… after dinner tonight, as everyone starts to get up just ask him if he'd want to be your dance partner tonight at the party" Videl said as she leaned against the counter, "Play it down as if you were going to go as friends, and then see how things go".
"I guess I could try it…you're right, what do I have to lose?" Aaliyah said as she started to build her own self confidence up.
That's the spirit mom, go for it!" Videl said as Chi Chi walked into the kitchen.
"Wow, it smells great in here you guys" Chi Chi said as she stopped for a moment to smell the kitchen.
"Thanks Chi Chi, there's lots of desserts for tonight so I hope you don't fill up on dinner" Videl said with a smile as she checked on the cookies.
"Oh I'll be sampling, trust me. But speaking of dinner it's time for me to reclaim the kitchen and get it started" Chi Chi said as Videl stood up and backed away from the oven.
"The cookies will be done in like five minutes, then I'll be out of your hair Chi Chi" Videl said in a voice that mocked intimidation.
"Don't worry about it sweetie, you've been in here for over three hours, I'll put them in the container for you and make sure they're safe from saiyan hands" She said as she slowly pushed Videl out of the kitchen.
"Are you sure Chi Chi?" Videl asked.
"Positive, now go and relax!" She said with a smile as she completely pushed the girl out of the room lightly.
Chi Chi turned around and gave Aaliyah a smile, "I love your daughter Aaliyah, she's perfect for my Gohan and she's so sweet".
"I'd love to be able to take full credit for her upbringing but unfortunately I missed a good chunk of it" Aaliyah said in a sad tone.
"Clearly you've had more of an impact then that idiot; in fact any trace of him in her personality that I had seen is now almost completely gone. When I first met her, she and I got into a screaming match" Chi Chi said with a smile as she thought back to the day she met the very head strong girl.
"Gohan has changed her for the better; in all my years of watching over her, I've never seen her as happy as she is now that he's in her life. I can't thank you enough for bringing light back into her" Aaliyah said as a tear fell slowly down her cheek.
"They belong together, and you belong here with our group" Chi Chi said with a sad smile as she gave the newly revived woman a hug.
"Now, I saw you were able to help with cookies, think you'd be up for helping with dinner?" She asked in a playful voice.
"I'd be happy to help" Aaliyah said with a smile as she rolled her sleeves up in preparation for the cooking ahead of her.
~*~ Later on~*~
Everyone had managed to occupy their time with various activities; Goten and Trunks played video games, Aaliyah helped Chi Chi with the dinner, Bulma was preparing her slid show and karaoke songs, Videl took a nap, Gohan and Goku trained in the gravity room, and Vegeta kept walking around the house as if he were looking for something.
Goten and trunks walked into the kitchen after a few hours of mindless video games. "Mommy, when's dinner ready?" Goten asked as his stomach gave off a loud grumbling noise.
"We're putting it onto the table now. Could you two go and do me a favour? I've told everyone else that dinner was ready but could one of you go knock on Videl's door and tell her, and the other go and tell Goku and Gohan it's ready" Chi Chi asked as she loaded a bowl with scalloped potatoes.
"I'll go tell dad and Gohan, Trunks can you go and tell Videl? Her room is right beside Gohan's" Goten said as he ran off to gather his father and brother quickly.
"Doesn't leave me with much choice…" Trunks said as he ventured off to Videls room.
Goten ran quickly to the training room and opened the door; his stomach continued to grumble angrily in hunger.
He saw flashes of light coming from the gravity chamber so he opened the door and ran in quickly. Just as he did so, Goku looked over to see why the gravity had returned to normal, Gohan landed a punch square in his jaw.
"Ow, Gohan no fair I was looking to see who came in" Goku said as he rubbed his jaw.
"Sorry dad" Gohan said sheepishly as he turned to look at his little brother. "What's up squirt?" he asked.
"You guys have to come to dinner right now, there's no time to change…I'm so hungry!" he said quickly as he flapped his arms to emphasize his point. Before the other two could say something Goten had run back to no doubt go and get his food.
"Haha, guess we better hurry" Goku said as he walked over to the sink and washed his hands.
"No kidding, geez little guy must be starving" he said with a laugh as he too went to go and wash his hands. Gohan looked up in the mirror for a moment then let out another laugh," I guess I'm going to have to get Bulma to make me another saiyaman costume; my green robe was obliterated in that spar". He had noticed al he had left on his was his black spandex under suit.(**Authors note: Think Majin Buu series!)
"That's ok, you managed to destroy my top orange shirt, now all I have is the blue shirt" Goku said as he shared in the laugh with his son, "but we better hurry up…I'm kinda hungry too" he said as his stomach let out a loud grumbling noise.
"Let's boogie" Gohan said as the two men walked out the door and headed to the dining room, the two not even realizing they hadn't left their super saiyan forms yet.
Just as the two men arrived in the dining room everyone was just taking their seats. Videl had come down a few minutes earlier and taken a seat beside her mom and the chair beside her was empty, obviously being for Gohan.
"Smells great Chi" Goku said, announcing his and Gohans presence in the room.
Krillin snickered for a minute, "Geez Gohan, way to leave nothing to the imagination" he said, drawing everyone's attention to Gohan in his black spandex body suit.
Gohan felt a heavy blush come up on his cheeks as Krillin said this, "my green robe that goes on top got destroyed in our spar" he said as he kept his head down to avoid everyone's gazes and snickers.
Videl's jaw dropped, 'my god he's gorgeous' she thought as she too blushed. 'I did not know Gohan could look any sexier then I had already thought' she thought to herself as he came beside her and sat down, all the while starring downwards.
"Um…why is your hair blonde? And your eyes green?" Aaliyah asked as she studied this man that they we're calling Gohan, she was pretty sure she had only ever seen him with black hair and eyes before. Come to think of it, was that Goku? She thought to herself as the studied the two.
Goku let out a laugh, "we were in such a rush to come and eat we didn't even power down" he said as he took a seat beside Chi Chi.
Videl reached up and lightly touched Gohan's now blonde hair, causing his to look at her with a questioning look.
Videl blushed and took her hand back quickly, "I'm sorry, I've never been this close to you before when you've gone super".
"It's alright" Gohan said as he powered down, "Aaliyah, when we saiyans power up and get blond hair and green eyes, the transformation is called a 'super saiyan'; it means not only do our hair and eyes change colours, but we gain more strength and muscle" Gohan said as he followed everyone's lead and started piling food onto his plate.
Aaliyah leaned over to Videl, "You were right, he is all muscle; you've got yourself quite a catch!" she whispered in her daughter's ear.
"Mom!" Videl said loudly, drawing the attention of few people that were sitting around her.
"What? Gohan is quite the catch!" she said out loud causing both her daughter and Gohan to blush heavily.
Goku laughed at his son, "Gohan, is that a sunburn? Or are you blushing" he said, enjoying how bashful his son was in front of everyone.
"Dad, you're embarrassing me" Gohan said in a quiet voice as he grabbed his knife and fork, preparing to dig into the mound of food in front of him.
Dinner flew by for the gang and before they knew it everyone was smiling and discussing how full they were and how delicious the meal was.
"I'll get the dishes mom" Gohan said as he pushed his chair back and started to take his load of dishes into the kitchen.
"I'll help you" Videl said as she stood up and started to grab plates that were around her brought them into the kitchen. As she walked in there she saw Gohan loading his pile of dishes into the large dishwasher.
He looked up and smiled at her, "you know I can load the dishes and you can relax" He said as he stood up and started taking dishes from Videl.
"I'm happy to help" she said as she loaded some of the dishes Gohan hadn't grabbed yet and loaded them into the dishwasher as well.
"So are you excited for tonight? You get your big make over" he said in a joking tone.
"Ha, I guess I'm a little excited, I think I'm more worried though" she said as she leaned against the counter once her hands were empty.
"Oh? Why nervous?" he asked in a puzzled tone.
"I dunno, I've never really been much for dressing up; I hate showing off my legs and there's never anything that can be done with my hair. I'm probably going to look just like I do now" she said in a nonchalant tone of voice.
"If that's the case, you'll be the best looking one there" he said as he came over and gave her a tight hug.
"Well thank you" she said as she returned the hug and leaned up to give him a kiss. Just as their lips touched they heard a loud 'click' and a flash of light. The two pulled apart and once again saw Bulma standing there with her camera.
"Tonight's slide show is going to be so awesome" Bulma squealed excitedly as she put down a few plates then rushed out of the kitchen.
"You know, it scares me to know how many pictures she's gotten of us that we've known about…can you imagine how many pictures of us she has without us knowing?" Gohan asked as he scratched his head.
"You think she's taken pictures of us that we don't know about?" Videl asked in a puzzled tone.
"I sure wouldn't put it past her" he said, "anyways, we better go and finish with the dishes; you've gotta get ready soon", he grabbed her hand lightly and pulled her back towards the dining room to go and finished collecting the dirty dishes.
Once the dishes were done everyone stayed in the dining room for a 'meeting' about the New Year party.
Bulma looked at her watch, "Alright, it's going on 7:30 now; since we have more to do, all of us ladies are going to go and start getting ready. I want you guys to be ready by about 9, which is when we'll start to get things underway. I figure at about nine we'll bring the Videl's delicious looking desserts into the ball room; then get things under way. Does that sound alright with everyone?" she said as she looked around and received collective nods in agreement.
"Goku, you better shower beforehand" Chi Chi said as she poked her son in the chest, "Gohan and Goten too" she said as she gave the boys a stern look. Her look earned three nods of agreement as well.
Videl nudged her mom and gave her a wink; her mom blushed a little so Videl gave her a light push in Yamcha's direction.
"Alright, we'll see you all in an hour and a half; remember, dress to the nines!" Bulma said as she grabbed Videl and Chi Chi's hand and started to lightly pull them out of the room.
Videl gave Gohan a small smile and mouthed the word 'bye' as she waved to him while being pulled out of the room. Gohan returned the smile and said bye as well, then she was out of sight.
"Hey Aaliyah, I'd catch up with them quickly if I were you; I have no clue what room they're getting ready in" Goku said as he noticed a blushing Aaliyah and a grinning Yamcha talking.
"Right, thanks" she said as she quickly ran out of the room to catch up with the other women.
"What are we going to go for half an hour; I can't imagine it'll take more than an hour for us to get ready" Gohan said as he looked at the guys around room.
"Wanna play some video games?" Trunks asked as he looked at the Son boys.
"Sounds good to me" Goku said with a grin as then went off to play video games.
~*~Elsewhere~*~
Bulma, Chi Chi, 18, Marron, Aaliyah and Videl went into a large room with what looked to be a makeup stand, a hair dressing station, and then there were six mannequins with different dresses on them and shoes beside them. Then off in the corner there was another desk that had six clear boxes filled with what looked like jewellery.
"This is what I like to call my dress up room" Bulma said as she locked to door behind the girls, "I've set up a station for everything we may need, and there's lots of cozy chairs and there's a fridge behind that door with cold drinks in there if anyone would like a pre-party glass of wine, or glass of water" she said as she beamed with pride at her room.
"I'm gonna be honest here…I don't know how to do make up…or my hair for that matter" Videl said as she studied everything Bulma had lain out.
"That's quite alright hun, we've got it all figured out. From what I've heard, Videl your hair is going to take the longest so your mom best get started on it now" Bulma said as she stepped aside and motioned to a cozy chair in front of a mirror.
Videl sat on the cozy chair and looked up into the mirror, "So I get to see what's going on now?" she asked in a mocking tone.
"Not a chance" Aaliyah said as she spun Videl so her back was to the mirror, "now ladies, let me work my magic" she said as she cracked her knuckles and grabbed a brush. Videl heaved a sigh and leaned back and made herself comfortable as her mom started pinning hair up in sections.
Bulma sat infront of a mirror and started to take the makeup she had put on earlier off so she could put on her party make up. "So Videl, have you decided what other song you were going to sing tonight? I have the 'life goes on', what else we're you think of" She asked as she rubbed one of her eyes with a cream.
"I was thinking of doing 'I turn to you', or 'the voice within'….are you curling my hair?" Videl asked as she saw her mom wrap a strand of her hair in a hot roller. All Aaliyah did was nod and smile, then go back to what she was doing.
"You should do both!" Bulma exclaimed excitedly, "Tell you what, start with 'I turn to you' then if you feel comfortable do the third song; that would be a perfect song to have the slide show accompany".
"Alright" was all Videl said as she watched everyone do their own thing in the large room.
"Oh I have the perfect idea…and sorry but I've already set it up. You walk out on stage and the lights go on, but there's a thin curtain in front of you so all you can see is your outline, no one will know it's you. Then bam! We'll take the screen up and show off how gorgeous you are" Bulma said excitedly as she pictured it in her head. All Videl did was give a half smile and gave into whatever the older women wanted.
Videl felt her mom change her natural part in her hair and saw her hold what looked like a silver hair band, then put it in the middle of her hair. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see her now below shoulder length hair being combed to the side of her hair, then twisted and pinned near the back of her head; she then felt her mom starting to take her hair out of the hot curlers.
Videl kept looking at the clock; she had been sitting there for 50 minutes now. In that time she had watched Bulma put short hair back into a French twist, Chi Chi put her hair in large rollers so it had soft, large curls in it and let it hand loosely on her shoulders; 18 pushed the front of her hair back and gave herself the bump just at the top of her head (I can't for the life of me remember what they're called) and had the rest curled lightly and in a messy bun (like a Jessica Alba look), and Marron had her hair pulled back with little blue pins and was then curled lightly to give it a wave.
Aaliyah bit her lip, "You have a few stubborn strands, I can't get them to stay up" she said as she tried to pin a piece of curled hair up only to have it fall back again. "What do you guys think?" Aaliyah asked as she drew everyone's attention to her daughter.
"Aaliyah…my god that's so amazing; Videl I hardly recognize you! You're gorgeous!" Chi Chi said as she studied the teen, barely believing she was the same person
"Wow, Aaliyah you should be a hairstylist, that's so amazing. Actually, I think those stubborn strands of hair work in your favour" Bulma said as she came closer and studied Videl's hair.
"That's pretty good for a woman who hasn't been alive very long" 18 said in a joking ton as she smiled and studied the teenager.
"Ready to see Videl?" Her mom asked, pride clearly evident in her voice. She then turned Videl around in her chair and watched as Videl looked at the mirror stunned.
"Wow…mom, I barely recognize myself" she said as she leaned forward and studied herself in the mirror. Her hair was parted so a piece was sweeping slightly over her right eye and was twisted and pinned behind her ear. She saw the silver band in her hair then behind it she said her hair was curled and pinned up (**Authors note: The look I'm basically attempting to describe is Taylor Swift in Love Story, k? back to the story!!).
Aaliyah smiled at her daughter's reaction, "Do you like it?" she asked in a slightly nervous tone.
Videl gave her a large smile, "mom, I love it" she said as she stood up and gave her a big hug
"Gohan, isn't going to recognize you; then when he does he's going to go absolutely crazy when he see you" Chi Chi said happily as she tried to picture her son's reaction.
"Alright ladies, we've got forty minutes to go. Aaliyah you best get started on your hair after doing an incredible job on Videl's. Chi Chi you said you'd do her make up right?" Bulma asked as she earned a nod from Chi Chi, "perfect, then all the rest of us have to do is put our makeup on, get dressed and get out there" she said excitedly.
Chi Chi gave Videl a smile, "come here sweetie, time for me to work my magic on you" she said as she walked Videl over to a new table and had her sit down; once again she was turned around so she couldn't see herself.
Videl sat there as Chi Chi gave the odd request for her to do something, 'I can't believe how pretty I look' she thought to herself as she remembered her reflection, ' I really hope Gohan likes is'.
"Can you close your eyes please" Chi Chi asked as she started to apply mascara to Videls lashes. Videl had zoned out then felt something pull in her face causing her to jar out of her own little world. "Sorry hun; just evening out your eyebrows!" she said with a laugh. A few minutes later Chi Chi stood up straight then turned Videl around so she could look in the mirror. "Well, what do you think?".
Videl leaned forward, her eyes looked amazing; Chi Chi had used natural colours on Videl's eyes, but the way she had used a shimmery silver lightly on her lid really played up her eyes, especially with the eye liner and long eye lashes. She had used a little bronzer on her face and put blush on the apple of her cheeks to accent her cheek bones. Then she used a natural pink colour on her lips, the result made her plump lips look plumper and more alluring.
"Chi Chi, I think I look like a completely new person" She said as she gave Chi Chi a smile and then gave her a big hug. "I hope Gohan likes it" she said as she pulled away from the hug.
"Videl, trust me, he's going to go absolutely nuts over you" She said, looking forward to watching her son's reaction and his girlfriend make over.
Chi Chi watched as Bulma came over, now completely dressed. "Chi, you go finish getting dressed, I'm going to get her dress on" she said as she grabbed Videl's hand and then pulled her towards the three remaining mannequins. "Here, go put this on" she said as she handed Videl a bra.
"You want me to change my bra?" Videl asked as she raised an eyebrow.
"Don't take it personally, you're breasts are spectacular, it's just so it will go with the dress better. Don't be upset but we peeked in your drawer to get your size" She said sheepishly as Videl nodded and went behind a door and changed her top.
"Sweetie, would you be comfortable just walking out without your shirt on? It makes putting your dress on easier" Bulma said.
Videl blushed, "alright" she said as she took a deep breath in as she left her shit on a chair and walked out toward Bulma.
Bulma gave her a big smile, "This is your dress" Bulma said as she pointed to a mannequin with a black dress on it.
Videl felt her mouth open a little in shock, "wow…" was all she could say as she studied the dress. It was a sleeveless dress that did up around her neck and the front dipped down in a V shape. The back of her dress came to the middle of the back of the mannequin; the back of the dress went down to the floor and the front came up to about mid-thigh length then slightly waved as it connected with the longer fabric. "It's beautiful" Videl said as she walked up and touched the satiny looking dress.
Bulma smiled, "Let's get it on you" She said as she unzipped the back of the dress. She had Videl raise her arms to protect her hair from being messed up and then let it slide over Videl's slim body. Once it was completely over Videl, she went to her back and did up the little zipper and made sure the fabric that held her dress up around her neck wasn't twisted.
She bent down and gave the bottom of her dress a little tug to straighten it out and then smiled as she stood up and admired their handy work.
"Before you look at your reflection, 18 can you accessorize her?" She asked as a smiling 18 came forward with a clear box with silver jewellery in it.
"Chi Chi said you should wear this necklace" 18 said as she held up the necklace Gohan had given her for Christmas.
"I would absolutely love to wear it" She said with a smile as she felt the cold metal hit her skin as 18 did the necklace up. She then put long dangly silver earrings in her bottom earring holes, and then put sapphire studs in the top holes. 18 then put a sapphire and silver bracelet on her wrist. Finally 18 turned around and grabbed a pair of black, four inch heels and motioned for Videl to give her one foot.
Videl studied the heels that were being slipped onto her feet; they had a shiny look to them, and looked almost like stilettos but they had a slightly thicker heel.
"Alright, give yourself a look over" 18 said; all the women in the room turned to watch Videl's reaction in hopes that their efforts weren't in vein.
Videl looked in the mirror and couldn't believe it was her, she looked so beautiful! "You guys…I don't even look like the same person!" she said as she turned around a little to see how her back side looked and then stuck one of her feet out, "You guys were right, these heels do make my legs look nice" she said as she marvelled at how well she looked. She leaned forward, "haha you were right Bulma, this bra does work better with my chest" she said as she looked at how the dress dipped down and showed off part of her breasts and ended just above her bra.
She kept turning in the mirror and stared at her profile, "Wow, this dress makes me look so tiny, I had no idea" she said as she studied her view.
"Sweetie, you are really thin" Chi Chi said as she watched the girl admire herself.
She turned around and smiled to everyone in the room, "You guys, I can't thank you enough, thank you" she said as she walked over and gave all of the women a big group hug. She took a step back and grinned at all of the other women.
"You guys look so amazing, you're all absolutely gorgeous!" She said as she studied each of their dresses, Bulma had on a short light pink dress with straps that hung lightly on her shoulders, Chi Chi had on a simple navy blue satin dress on with no straps that went down all the way to the floor, 18 had on a fire red dress that did up around her neck and showed off her slim shoulder, then she had a high slit on the side of her dress, showing off toned leg.
Videl smiled at her mom; her dress was almost identical to Marilyn Monroe's famous dress, she had also done her hair in a Marilyn Monroe style. "Mom, I like the Marilyn Monroe look on you. Yamcha is going to die when he sees you" she said with a smile as her mother blushed and the other women turned in surprise then grinned.
"He's going to go nuts Aaliyah" Bulma said with a smile, "now, I'd like you guys to go and make sure that the guys are all ready now as it's ten after nine and bring in the desserts; get the guys to help you. Videl, you come with me, we're going a different way so no one will see you in your gown and they'll be surprised" she said in a commanding tone.
"You got it Bulma" Chi Chi said with a smile as she mock saluted her, "You heard her girls, let's get a move on" She said as she, 18, and Aaliyah walked out the door.
"Let's get going" She said as she motioned for Videl to follow her in the opposite direction; Videl simply nodded and complied.
~*~Elsewhere~*~
The others walked into the living room and saw all the men sitting around in their suits and making small talk, even Vegeta was being social.
"Goku, Gohan, Goten, I'd like you to help us bring in the desserts please" Chi Chi said as the others had gone ahead to get the desserts to bring out.
"Chi, you look great" Goku said as he came over and gave her a hug and a kiss.
"You do mom, you look great" Gohan said as Goten nodded in agreement and told her she was pretty as well.
"Thank you boys, you all look very handsome yourself" She said as she straightened Goku's tie and then motioned for them to follow her and help bring in the desserts.
It took about ten minutes to bring in the large amount of desserts, everyone's mouths watered as they say the assortment of desserts and other foods in front of them and completely forgot about the food they had eaten earlier.
Bulma dimmed the lights once everyone was in the ball room and walked over to Videl. "Alright hun, I'm going to make sure everyone's out there and I want you to stand in front of this mic the whole time. Once you hear the music you sing away alright?" she said as Videl gave a meek nod. "Go get em girl" she said as she gave her the thumbs up and walked back out onto the stage.
"What am I doing…?" Videl thought to herself as she tried to work up the courage to sing in front of everyone.
Gohan looked around the crowd as Bulma fiddled with the music player on the stage, "Hey mom, have you seen Videl?" Gohan asked as he looked around the decorated room.
"Oh I'm sure she'll be here soon" Chi Chi said with a grin.
"Yea, I can't imagine she'd miss this party, I'm sure she'll be here soon Gohan" Goku said as he joined his son in looking around the room for his girlfriend.
Before Gohan could respond Bulma spoke up on the stage, "Hello everybody, I'm glad we managed to get this started relatively on time. We've got everything you need here, food, drinks, desserts and music. Let's keep it a clean night; Vegeta that means no challenging Goku to anything, and let's just have some fun ringing in the New Year!" She said excitedly as she looked at her group of dressed up friends.
"I figured we'd start the night off with a slide show glancing back at the past year, so let's enjoy the music, and enjoy the memories" She said as everyone cheered and applauded her. She then walked over to a computer and started hitting keys quickly and then a group picture of everyone at Christmas time flashed up on the screen.
Bulma smiled to herself and then grabbed her camera; there was no way she was missing Gohan's reaction when he saw Videl.
Videl was standing behind the curtain listening to Bulma talk and do her introductions, she could feel herself getting more and more nervous.
"I can do this" she said to herself quietly as she stared as the mic that was in front of her. "I can do this" she repeated to herself again as she tried to calm herself down.
She heard a slow beat of the song starting to play loudly. She took a deep breath in and breathed out slowly.
'This is it' she thought to herself as she stepped towards the mic and prepared to sing.
Alright, this is my chapter, I've got another one in the works so please, please PLEASE read and review!! I'd love to know what you guys think! Please?!?! =)
Oh, I don't know if anyone was interested, but I do love to bake and I have my recipes for all of the desserts I mentioned above. If anyone wanted one of them I'd be happy to e-mail you a copy.