Hey guys, I'm so sorry about the delay, I've had so much on the go that it's nuts. I'm going to try and work on chapter 24 and hopefully get it up as soon as I'm able to, but I won't make promises give my hectic schedule. I do hope you'll all forgive me for the delay and I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's not a super exciting chapter, it's more just preparing for the next chapter, which I'm going to attempt to make an interesting one. But we'll cross that bridge when it comes. So I hope you all forgive me and I hope you all enjoy this chapter and review! I absolutely love hearing from you guys and it's so motivating to hear what you all have to say. Reviews are absolutely loved!
Chapter 23: Road to Partial Recovery
"Talking"
'Thinking'
"Just a small town girl, livin' in a lonely world… She took the midnight train going anywhere!" She sang as she danced around the spacious living room.
"You shouldn't be dancing around like that at 7 months, what if you induce labour?" Chi Chi said from her spot at the door way, interrupting the pregnant woman's dancing.
"Sorry Chi Chi" the woman said sheepishly as she flopped onto the couch and pouted, now feeling as though she had nothing to do with her day.
"Just rest, here, I brought you some toast and crackers" Chi Chi said as she laid a plate beside the pouting pregnant woman.
She mumbled a thank you as Chi Chi walked out of the room. She lifted the plate and placed it on her swollen belly and began to eat the toast. A few minutes later she removed the plate and placed a cracker on her belly and stared intently. A few seconds later the cracker quickly slid off her belly.
"That's it! The baby wants me to move!" she exclaimed as she bounced onto her feet and quickly moved to turn up the music.
"Don't stop, believin'…hold on to that feeeeeelin'!" She yelled at the top of her lungs as she started moving around again, dancing to the beat of journey.
"Videl! What did I tell you!" an angry Chi Chi yelled as she came into the room.
Vide quickly turned around to face her mother in law, unfortunately as she turned, her swollen belly knocked over a lamp and broke it.
Videl cheeks quickly became a dark shade of red, "I'm so sorry Chi Chi…I guess I'm not completely aware of my size yet" she said sheepishly as she bent down and started picking up large pieces of glass.
Chi Chi heaved a sigh as she rubbed the bridge of her nose, "you're like a dog with a cone on his head" she muttered. "Don't you touch that glass, you'll cut yourself" she said as she moved to get a broom and dust pan.
Before Videl could respond another two voices entered the house.
"I'm just saying if the moon disappears when the sun rises, who's to say it's not the same person? That's what Bra told me anyways" Goku said as he walked into the living room from outside.
"She told you that? Was she being serious or was she smirking?" The younger voice responded.
"She was smirking, but I just thought she was happy to have me around; she is Bulma's daughter so you know she's smart" Goku said thoughtfully as he scratched his head.
"Oh dad" the younger man said with a sigh. As the two men stood where the women were on the floor, the younger one started laughing.
"She knocked over another lamp? I think she's broken 2 lamps and knocked over a plant back at our house" he said as Goku joined in the laughter.
"Shut up!" Videl quickly snapped as she stood up to her feet, with the help of the couch behind her.
"Don't worry hun, you'll be small again soon enough, you're in the home stretch" Chi Chi said as she quickly examined the floor to make sure she got all the glass.
"It's so weird…from the back you can't even tell I'm pregnant…then from the front I look like I'm about to pop" Videl said with a pout as she sat on the couch and started biting her nails. "Having a big belly is such a weird feeling".
"I think for a pregnant woman, you look spectacular" Gohan said with a smile. "Sweetie, eat an apple not your nails" he said he rubbed an apple on his shirt and handed it to his wife.
"She's kicking" Videl said nonchalantly as she ran her hand through her hair and took a bite out of her apple.
Gohan quickly moved over to her and placed his hand on her belly. He loved feeling the kicking inside of Videl's belly. "That is such an amazing feeling" he said quietly.
Videl gave a small snort in response, "it's not such an amazing feeling when you're trying to sleep and she's practicing kick boxing with my stomach".
Goku came over and placed her ear on her belly and listened intently. A moment lately he quickly jumped back with a shocked look on his face. "She's a fighter that's for sure" he said as he rubbed the side of his face and gave Videl's stomach a small glare.
"Do you really think you'll be able to hold that glare to her when she's born Goku?" Videl asked with a grin, knowing that there would be no way Goku would ever give a dirty look to his soon to be granddaughter.
"Only if she deserves it" he said as the younger couple laughed at him.
"Dad, you're going to spoil her rotten, let's face it. If she wants a tea party, you'll be the first one there" Gohan said as he gently stroked his wife's belly protectively.
"I think it's cute. Don't be embarrassed Goku, Gohan is going to be the exact same way" Videl said as Gohan blushed a little.
"I can't wait till she's here" Goku said as he watched the younger couple, smiling with pride.
"It's almost over…it's almost over" a voice repeated, the voice growing fainter and fainter each time it repeated it.
Heavy eyes gently opened, only to quickly close tightly. 'Right, I forgot' a drowsy Videl thought to herself as she felt herself waking up inside of the regeneration tank.
A moment later she heard a loud beeping noise and felt the warm liquid quickly draining from the tank. She once again opened her eyes and raised her hands so she could wipe the liquid out of them. She looked down at her feet and noticed the liquid was had pretty much completely drained out of the tank.
She took a moment to gather her senses and then took the breathing mask off of her face and reached out and grabbed the latch to open the glass chamber door. She slowly pushed herself off the bench and felt herself lose her stability a bit. She stumbled out of the tank and laid on the ground for a moment as she attempted to collect her bearings.
'This is the weirdest feeling ever' she thought to herself as she slowly pushed herself up into a sitting position against the tank. She felt a little disoriented and unstable. She simply stayed in her seated position for a few minutes when she then started to feel herself returning to normal. She then once again made another attempt to stand, this time having more success than her first try.
She steadied herself against the tank then took a moment to look at her body. "Wow" she muttered as she stared at her body; the swelling in her knee was nonexistent, her ankle looked normal and most of her cuts and bruises had appeared to have healed. She reached up and gently touched her left eye, once again surprised to feel none of the previous swelling and noticed that she could open and close it without wincing any more.
She leaned back to stretch, she felt good, but was still a little sore and pretty stiff. She looked around and noticed that a towel had been left on a little table beside the main programming unit of the tank and noticed a note had been left beside it.
"Videl, if I'm not there when you're finished, here's a towel for you to dry off with, as well as a senzu bean to heal you completely. Hope you're feeling much better; love Bulma" she read out loud as she noticed the small bean where the note had been previously placed. She grabbed the bean and popped it in her mouth and began to chew the hard bean then quickly swallowed it.
A moment later her eyes opened wide and a grin graced her feature, "those beans are incredible!" she exclaimed happily as she jumped up and down to test her body and noticed not a bit of pain or stiffness was lingering. She grabbed the towel and wrapped it around her frame and quickly moved down the halls until she recognized her location so she could find her designated room.
After ten minutes of wondering she finally realized where she was and quickly moved into her room. She dried herself off on the towel and quickly grabbed a pair of plain black track pants and a royal blue tank top. She moved her way into the bathroom and stared at the reflection that greeted her. She leaned closer and grinned once again as she examined her completely healed eye.
Anxious to greet everyone in her fully healed form she dried her hair with the blow dryer, happy that it was clean once again and put a little bit of mascara on her already dark, long eye lashes and made a quick dash out of her room.
She was so excited that she was fully mobile again, less than two hours ago she couldn't even hold up her own weight and now here she was, racing through the large home to eagerly greet her family and friends.
She took a moment to extend her senses and try and figure out where everyone was; the family room, she noticed. She once again quickened her pace towards the family room, practically giddy with excitement to greet them all.
She quickly skidded to a halt when she reached the family room. She took a moment to straighten herself out when she walked through the large doors. She looked puzzled for a moment then had to bite her lip in an attempt not to laugh at the sight she was seeing.
Vegeta was scribbling a figure onto a large piece of white paper while Goku attempted to guess what it was.
"A bunny! It's a bunny! Bunny? Bunny, it's a bunny!" he exclaimed excitedly as Vegeta continued to fiercely scribble onto the paper.
"Time!" Bulma chimed with a grin as she watched her now angry husband throw the marker.
"Damn it Kakarot, if it wasn't a bunny the first three times why the hell would it be the next ten times? God I hate playing games with you!" Vegeta fumed as he pushed the board with the white paper over and stormed out of the room through the other door.
"It's always interesting playing games with our group" muttered Krillin from his spot on the floor. Obviously in the time that Videl had been in the regeneration tank, he and his family had made another appearance at Bulma's large house.
Vide stepped forward from her spot out of view and cleared her throat, "I actually find these types of get together's to be quite entertaining" she said with a large grin on her face as she surprised people of the room quickly turned around.
"My baby girl, you're better!" Aaliyah exclaimed as she jumped up from her spot on the couch and quickly embraced her daughter.
"How are you feeling hun?" Bulma asked as she nursed her cup of tea from her spot on a plush chair.
"I feel good as new thanks to you, it's like nothing happened to me" she said with a big grin as she gave the older woman a thumbs up.
"Gohan's going to be so relieved" Chi Chi said with a smile as she watched Aaliyah check over her once beaten daughter.
"Speaking of him…where is he?" she questioned as she looked around the room and noticed it was only the adults in the room.
"I think he took a nap shortly after you went into the tank, he looked exhausted" Goku answered as he quickly snagged a cookie from a large platter that was lying on the coffee table.
"That's precisely what he did; I told him to get some sleep, poor boy was completely drained, he should still be in his room if you want to go see him" Bulma answered again, gently blowing on the hot liquid.
"Awesome thanks guys, I'm going to go say hi to him and let him know I'm back to normal" Videl said with a smile as she offered them all a small wave and quickly exited the room. She was eager to see Gohan; he had stayed by her and been so concerned about her she wanted nothing more than to show him she was back to normal.
"Bulma, you are one miracle worker" Bulma said with a smirk on her face as she watched the younger teen run out of the room.
"And as modest as Mother Teresa" Chi Chi muttered sarcastically as her pregnant friend stuck her tongue out at her.
"I'm so glad that she's better now" Aaliyah said with a content sigh as she grasped Yamcha's hand.
"She only better physically…I can't imagine how she is mentally" Yamcha said as they all stared at the empty space where Videl had occupied.
"I think now that Hercule is dead, she won't be so afraid" Goku said, a concerned look gracing his features.
"She seems to be susceptible to nightmares, I hope she'll tell us if they're occurring" Bulma responded quietly as silence fell in the room of the group of friends.
"Anyone want to play go fish?" Krillin said, effectively ending the silence.
~*~ Meanwhile~*~
"Where am I?" Gohan pondered out loud as he looked at the looked around and noticed he was in a black abyss. "Swear to god I have the weirdest dreams" he muttered to himself as he attempted to figure out his surroundings. He was startled by the shouting of a woman
"She did it" the female yelled
"She deserves to die" a man yelled
"Who are you talking about?" Gohan questioned only to have his question fall on deaf ears.
"Cut her throat!" another man passionately exclaimed.
"What are you talking about?!" Gohan yelled in the direction the previous voice came from.
"Shoot her!" a woman said sternly.
"One potato, two potato, three potato four, give me ten minutes and Videl will be dead on the floor"
"Videl…you don't touch her!" He screamed at the abyss where the random voices were coming from.
A feminine giggle was then heard, "I'm so glad we got through everything together" the woman said
"I'll always be here for you" a male voice replied. A bright flash was then emitted and Gohan was now taken into a strange room. He looked outside and noticed a crystal clear blue sky; he appeared to be in a living room, one that he didn't recognize.
He heard the feminine giggle again and turned towards the direction it came from. He saw large backdoor windows that were opened and a large wooden balcony leading outwards. He moved towards the doors and blinked as his eyes adjusted to the suns bright light.
He looked around and realized that he was now on a large wooden balcony that was overlooking a large clear body of water. In the distance he could see white rocks surrounding a beautiful beach with lush, green trees and exotic flowers surrounding it.
"Palugia?" the woman questioned.
"Uhh…not quite" a man replied.
Gohan turned towards the voices and noticed a large beige hammock tied securely up on two trees.
"It's pronounced Pug-le-oh" the male said again.
"Puglia" she repeated.
"There you go; I knew you'd get it eventually"
"It's so beautiful here; this is absolutely perfect, right down to the weather" the woman said.
Gohan rubbed the back of his neck feeling awkward. 'I don't know why I'm going to do this, they probably aren't going to hear me' he thought to himself, as he was getting ready to clear his throat to announce his presence he was started by the man getting up.
"I'm going to get a drink, you want anything?" He asked as the woman said no.
The man stood up and turned around and gave Gohan a grin. "We must stop meeting like this" he said with a laugh.
Gohan stared at the man standing in front of him wearing only shorts and sunglasses. "Me?!" he questioned loudly as his dream self gave a laugh.
"You got it bro, good to see you again, how've you been? You look tired. V look who's here!" He commented as the woman now swung her legs around the side of the hammock.
The woman extended her toned legs as she steadied herself on the wooden balcony. She stood up and grinned at Gohan. "What a pleasant surprise, hello gorgeous" she said as she adjusted the aviator glasses on her face.
Gohan felt himself blush and looked downwards as Videl grinned at him. She walked up beside his future self and pushed her glasses once again up on her nose. She stood there in a black bikini and navy blue flip-flops with the sunglasses that appeared to be a little large on her face.
"We were going to go swimming, wanna come?" she said as she moved her glasses and gave him a wink.
"You're flirting with another man on our honeymoon?" his future self questioned, a surprised look on his face.
"I'm flirting with you" she replied.
"No, you're flirting with him" he said.
"Which is you" she said as she raised an eyebrow.
"No I'm me" he replied, confusion now evident in his voice.
"Alright Gohan, I'm cheating on you with you, there's no other way of saying it" she said as she took off her glasses and gave him a funny look.
"I…wait, what?" he questioned as he scratched the back of his head.
"Uhh…I'm sorry to interrupt you, but why am I here?" the younger Gohan asked, interrupting their newlywed bickering.
"Right, sorry" the older Gohan said sheepishly.
"We just wanted to let you know, that you're almost in the clear" Videl said as she leaned closer to Gohan and in response he wrapped his arm around her.
"Rough week huh?" older Gohan questioned.
Gohan simply nodded his head in response, unsure of what to make of what was going on.
The older Gohan gave a sympathetic smile, "I remember that week, just trust me, soon enough you'll be smiling" he said as he held Videl closer to him.
"We brought you here just to tell you… you're almost through" Then blackness surrounded Gohan.
~*~Mean while~*~
After a few minutes of quickened paced jogging Videl in front of Gohan door. She was so excited to see him that she didn't even knock on the door she just walked in and saw that Gohan was indeed curled up in the large bed sound asleep. She moved slowly to the bed and crawled on and moved closer to her boyfriend. She pushed herself up on to her elbows and leaned forward and gently kissed his cheek.
She received a small groan in response and did it again. She could see he was starting to stir so she moved and wrapped her arms around his chest and proper her head on his shoulder. She watched him closely; his eyes slowly began to open as his surrounding began to sink in.
"Have a nice nap sunshine?" she whispered as she watched his eyes open quickly as she greeted him with a smile.
"Videl! You're….uh?" he muttered as he reached an arm up to wipe the sleep from his eyes.
"Not your best sentence, but I'll let it slide as you've been through a lot. I'm all better" she said with a giggle as she reached up and gently touched his cheek.
"I just had the weirdest….Videl, you're all better!" he said as he sat up abruptly and looked at his girlfriend. "Quick, jump up and down" he said as he received a weird look.
"I think you've been hanging around with Master Roshi a little too much lately" she said as she gave him a funny look.
Gohan blushed in response, "I wanted to make sure you were all better" he said as he looked away.
Videl moved off his bed, she turned and went on her tip-toes and walked a few feet forward, twirled and walked back to the bed and sat down and gave him a grin. "Not a sore muscle on me" she responded, letting her smile grow.
"I'm so relieved" he said excitedly as he quickly moved over to her and embraced her in a tight hug. "I've been so worried about you" he whispered into her hair.
Before Videl could respond she felt Gohan quickly press his lips against hers and capture her in a passionate kiss. A few moments later he pulled away slowly and leaned his head against her forehead.
"I missed you too" she said quietly as she leaned up and gave him a quick gentle kiss.
"Bulma is a miracle worker eh?" he said with a grin as he held Videl in a tight embrace.
"I was impressed; I couldn't believe how great I felt. Not a scratch on me!" she exclaimed proudly.
"Let's go tell everyone else" Gohan said as he quickly got off the bed and started to pull her towards the door.
"I actually saw all the other adults, that's how I knew where to find you" she said with a laugh.
"Have you seen Goten yet?" he questioned as she shook her head no in response. "Hmm… he appears to be with my parents and everyone else. Come on, he'll be really happy to see you" he said as he grasped her hand and started to lead her down the hallways.
With Gohans guidance they quickly found their way to the family room and noticed that everyone appeared to be watching a news broadcast.
"Police have neither confirmed nor denied that Videl Satan was the one who shot and killed her father. A few of our sources have suggested that it was done in self defence and the police are probing all possibilities but have yet to deliver any hard, concrete facts to the public. We'll keep you posted with more updates as we receive them. But with the news of the death of our town's hero, people are reacting in many different ways. As you can see on our screen many people have started to light candle light vigils, some people have taken a more hostile approach, threatening our dear teenage city saviour" The blond woman said as the screen now showed a large group of people.
"I think we should shoot that Satan girl just like she did her father" a man yelled.
"She wouldn't do it without a reason, Hercule obviously provoked it. He's a dirty politician and there's no way someone with Videl's reputation deserves to have her name slandered like you awful people are doing!" a young woman yelled from the side of the screen
"She killed our hero, she deserves to die!" A woman yelled in the back ground.
"If I ever see her... I'll cut her throat!" a man yelled in the background. Police were seen quickly arresting the man and putting him into the back of a police car.
"There you have it folks a whole array of personal perspectives, stay tuned for more updates, and now we go to Jack with the weather!" she said with a smile as the screen now went black.
"Thos idiots couldn't tell an innocent woman from a guilty prick like Hercule if their lives depended on it" Bulma said as she glared at the blank television screen.
"Well, we should be thankful that there are people out there who are willing to protect Videls good name. The police will clear this all up soon enough and the world will know how awful Hercule really was" Krillin said, attempting to calm the angry woman down.
"If anyone tries to hurt her, I'll kick their butts!" Goten exclaimed as he jumped off the couch, a determined look on his face.
Videl had felt her heart drop when she watched the news clip, but felt better hearing her family and friends responses. She knew she could always count on them for support. "Goten I can't think of anyone else I'd rather have protecting me" she said with a smile as she accidently startled the young boy, causing him to fall in surprise.
"Videl! You're better!" he exclaimed happily as he quickly ran up the couch and lunged at her.
Gohan caught Videl as she started to fall backwards from the force of having Goten lunge at her waist and cling on to her for dear life.
"I'm all better squirt" She said with a smile as she hugged him to the best of her ability while he was around her waist.
"I promise I won't let them hurt you Videl. You have my word" he said seriously as he looked up at her. She gave him a smile in response and noticed that tears were starting to well up in his big dark eyes.
"I believe you Goten, I know I'm safe with you" she said gently as she moved him from her waist and propped the small boy up on her hip and hugged him.
"You aren't allowed to do that again…you had me really worried" Goten said quietly as he attempted to hide his tears.
"Hey come on squirt, no reason to be embarrassed. And I will do my best to avoid that happening again; trust me, I got it already from you brother" she said with a laugh as the young boy gave her a smile and hugged her tightly.
"Squirt, I'm really happy to see you, but I really need to breath" she said with a laugh as she coughed at the force the young boy was applying to her.
He apologized sheepishly and Gohan lifted him off of her and put him up on his shoulders.
"I'm happy you're feeling better Videl…but can we eat now, please Chi? You said when they came down we could eat" Goku said with a pout as his wife rolled her eyes.
"Yes Goku, we can eat now" she said as she stood up, everyone now eagerly piling into the dining room.
"Just another ordinary day huh?" Videl said with a smile as Gohan lightly shook his head.
"Yeah...ordinary" Gohan said sarcastically as he gave a laugh and grabbed Videl's hand, eager to joining his family for some food.
~*~Elsewhere~*~
"Alright, please tell me you've got some answers" the balding man said as he took off his hat and wiped sweat off his brow as he entered the lab.
"I'm thinking this looks like a pretty open and closed case chief" a woman said as she lifted her face away from a microscope. She brushed away a strand of her dark brown hair that was hanging in her face as she straightened her lab coat.
"All evidence seems to prove that Videl acted in self defence" she said as she took a sip from her water bottle.
"What would a great man like Hercule do to provoke such anger?" Chief Connell said as he gave the woman a dirty look.
"I've been going through old records, and I must say, he doesn't look like he was such a great man. Did he save the world? Yes, is he the great man the media has talked him up to be, I'm having my doubts" she said as she returned his dirty look.
"Explain yourself" the chief said as he glared at the attractive woman.
The woman returned his glare "for starters all the evidence points to Hercule attacking Videl. The bottle of chloroform only had his prints on it, the bindings has Videl's skin cells all over them as well as Hercules, proving that he tied them to her, his knuckles were covered in her blood, the blood in the bathtub is all Videl's, and the knife had Hercule's prints on it, as well as the broken lamp" she said as she crossed her arms and continued "we've been doing some digging, I believe Hercules's a woman abuser chief" she said as the chief gave her a surprised look.
"Why would you accuse him of such an act? He protects women" he said as the lab technician rolled her dark eyes.
"We've been digging around for evidence and went as far back as Hercule's deceased wife. Videl has had numerous broken bones and wounds that have just been credited to her work with the city. But when we pulled up Aaliyah's file before she died and she wasn't a crime fighter and there are tones of instances where she was brought in for broken occipital bones, dislocated shoulders, broken wrists and numerous cracked and broken ribs. You can only fall into a door knob or down the stairs so many times. No one ever investigated it because it's Hercule. But I bet if we look hard enough, he probably committed her murder as well; again we looked into it, it was barely investigated" she said as she pointed to the evidence laid out on the large table beside her.
"Videl acted in self defence, he attacked her and the evidence clearly proves it. I'm sorry Don, but you're just going to have to accept that the champ was a chump" she said as she once again move a piece of hair away from her face.
"I can see that" he said quietly as he avoided her gaze, "Steph what could cause someone to act like that?" he questioned as he stared at the floor.
"I just investigate the evidence, you go looking" she said as she gave him a weak smile.
"The city will still try and prosecute Videl. With such a high profile case, there's no way people will accept Hercule attacking her, I don't think they'll have much of a case, but you know that they're going to try" he said as he heaved an exasperated sigh as he looked at the pictures that were on the table and picked up a picture of the body of Hercule. "Have we gotten the results back from tox?" he questioned.
Steph shook her head, "no not yet, they found a large bottle of whiskey in his room, so I wouldn't be too surprised if he's got alcohol in his system" she replied.
The captain was jarred out of his thoughts as his phone started to ring, "Chief Connell here…Well D.A. we've found that the evidence corroborates Ms. Satan's story …I understand…well-… alright, we'll conduct interviews see if there's any past abuse… second degree murder? But Sir we-….I understand we will inform her tomorrow. Yes, good bye" he said as he snapped the phone shut.
"Second degree murder? There's no way they'll be able to support that given the evidence, what are they thinking? There's no way that will go" Steph asked.
"I don't know, I think they're banking on the jury to take into account his reputation. We'll have to see how it goes at arraignment. I hate high profile cases" the chief said with a sigh, "thanks Steph, we'll be in touch soon" he said as he gave a nod and walked out of the room.
"This is going to be a long few months" he muttered as put his hat back on and walked out of the lab.
~*~ The Next day~*~ (I wasn't sure what else to write)
Gohan walked into kitchen and noticed his mother and Bulma were hard at work making another meal for the hungry saiyans. "Hey guys" he said as he rubbed sleep out of his eyes.
"Morning sweetie, how'd you sleep?" Chi Chi said as she tried her hands on her apron and handed him a glass of orange juice.
"I slept alright I guess. Videl on the other hand…" he trailed off as he noticed both women now started to pay attention to every word he said, "she's got nightmares, she woke up a few times during the night screaming and crying. I'm worried about her" he said as he took a sip of orange juice and cast a concerned look at the counter in front of him.
"She probably has post traumatic stress disorder. Someone who goes through something that traumatic would be a robot if they didn't" Bulma said as she offered Gohan a weak smile. "It's completely normal Gohan, she will get over it eventually" she said, trying to ease the poor boys mind.
"Do you mind…if we ask what happened to her?" Chi Chi asked quietly from her spot beside the counter.
"I'm actually really curious to know what happened as well" Bulma said as she rubbed her belly and sat up on a chair.
"Alright, don't tell her I told you thought alright? I'm not sure how she feels about her story being shared without her consent" Gohan said as he earned a comforting smile from his mother.
"I promise sweetie this won't leave the room" Chi Chi said as she sat down on a chair beside Bulma.
"Alright, well she already told you guys about how she had been kidnapped right? Well she told me she woke up in her old room, but was bound and gagged by Hercule. She said from there he kicked and slapped her and smacked her head against the wall. She said she remembered throwing up then waking up later, she figures that's when she got the concussion. She said when she woke up Hercule dragged her into the bathroom and had planned on cutting her throat but the door bell rang" he said as he watched the two women's faces drop at the story.
"Talk about saved by the bell" Bulma said quietly as she motioned for Gohan to continue.
"She said she grabbed a disposable razor and broke the blades off and cut her bindings, that's how she got all the cuts on her wrists. She said she managed to break her bindings but slipped getting out of the tub and that alerted Hercule. From there she said he knew he'd be coming up so she hid and when his back was turned to her she slammed a blow dryer into his head and took off" he stated as he took a sip of orange juice again.
"What a smart girl" Chi Chi mused as she stared lankly at the counter, absorbing the details Gohan was revealing.
"He chased her down the hallway attempting to stab her the whole time; that's how her back got all scratched up. She said she slipped rounding the corner and felt the knife that Hercule threw just missed her. She said she ran down the stairs but all of the doors were sealed, and when she tried to make a call the phone service had been disconnected and she noticed luggage by the door. She said she figured he had planned on doing this from the beginning and that he was going to kill her then take off and flee the city. She said she could hear him getting closer so she through quickly and remembered her father always kept a gun in an old den" He said as he was interrupted by Bulma.
"So she went and shot him?" She questioned as Gohan shook his head.
"Not quite, she said she grasped it and went to leave and said as soon as she turned Hercule grabbed her by the throat and held her in the air. She said she was so afraid then before she passed out she realized she had full motion of her legs, so she kicked him between the legs" again, he was cut off.
"Then she shot him?" Chi Chi asked eager to know the rest of the story.
"Not yet, she said he dropped her once she had kicked him and she scrambled to her feet and asked why he was doing this. She said he said she embarrassed him and would pay and threatened to kill her. She said he then came towards her and tried to smash a lamp on her head so to stop him she shot him in the shoulder. She said he called her a whore and from there she just kept shooting at him to stop him. Then she said he dropped to the ground and from there she lost consciousness and woke up in the hospital and found out her father was dead" He said quietly, taking another sip from his glass as he watched the his mother and Bulmas face as they absorbed the story.
"That poor girl…as if she hadn't been through enough" Chi Chi said as she stared blankly in front of her.
"It's no wonder she's having nightmares, the poor girl was tortured and actually managed to survive" Bulma said sadly as she wiped a tear away from her eye. "I'm so sad she had to go through that" she said with a sniffle.
"Just be there for her hun, let her sleep in your room if she needs to" Chi Chi said causing Gohan to blush.
"You…you're not just doing this for grandchildren are you? Because-"he was cut off by Chi Chi's laughter.
"Do I want grandkids some day, absolutely, but I know Videl needs someone and I know you two are smart enough to wait. She needs comfort and you're clearly the best person to give it to her, if she needs to sleep in your room in order to feel safe and protected, I have no right to object" she said, smiling at the surprised look on her sons face.
"I appreciate that mom" he said quietly as the two older women grinned.
"And if grandkids come out of you comforting her then all the better" Bulma grinned as Gohan went red.
"We're just teasing you sweetie, can you round everyone up and tell them breakfast is ready" Chi Chi said, a grin still plastered on her face.
"Sure thing mom" Gohan said with a weak smile and then walked out of the room to let the houses other occupants know that breakfast was ready.
Chi Chi gave a sigh, "my poor boy, he worries like me" she said as she pushed eggs around on a hot pan.
"With all bad comes good, he's just got to be there for him. He clearly loves her and he'll go to the end of the universe if it would make her smile. This series of events can't last long. In fact we know it won't last long, he's got her birthday coming up. We, my dear friend, get to go shopping for girly things!" she exclaimed as the two women started to laugh.
"I sure hope they'll be happy soon enough, those two deserve it after everything they've gone through" Chi Chi said quietly as she left the room to put everything into the dining room.
"I know he'll do whatever it takes to help that poor girl feel better" Bulma said with a smile as she grabbed some food to nibble one before the others could devour it.
~*~ A little while later~*~
A loud ringing was heard throughout the large mansion. "I wonder who that could be." Bulma wondered out loud as she moved her way towards the intercom.
"Capsule Corp, please state your business" she stated as she gave the intercom a funny look.
"Yes, we have reason to believe Ms. Satan is residing here, may we please speak with her?" an older man said from the other side.
"May I ask who this is?" She questioned again, her confusion rising.
"Chief Donald Connell, this pertains to the investigation" he said in a solemn voice.
"Oh alright, I'll have someone let you in and I'll go and get Videl for you" she said as she programmed a robot to go and let the chief in.
She walked away from the intercom and racked her brain in an attempt to figure out what the chief wanted. She wondered aimlessly through the hallways till she noticed Vegeta in the training room and turned off the gravity and walked in.
"What do you want woman?" he questioned as he gave his wife a glare.
"Oh don't give me that, I need your help… can you find Videl for me?" she questioned as she noticed he softened his glare when she said she needed his help.
"Why?" he questioned gruffly.
"The police chief is here and says he needs to speak with Videl about the case. He sounded weird, I've got a bad feeling" she said nervously as she walked up and grasped her hand.
"Follow me" he said quietly as he grasped her hand and lead her through the hallways in silence.
A few minutes later he stopped and pointed to a door. "Thanks sweetie" she said as she gave him a peck on the cheek. She opened the door as Vegeta walked away and saw Gohan, Videl, Goten and Trunks all playing video games.
"You're going down Gohan" Videl said as she bit her lip and vigorously tapped a button on her controller to get her Mario character to fire an attack on one of the other characters.
"Please, you wish!" Gohan said as he quickly moved to evade the attack.
A moment late Videl shoved Gohan, startling him and making him drop his controller, which then hit Goten in the head and caused him to scream in surprise, which in turn scared Trunks.
"I win!" Videl exclaimed triumphantly as she stood up and did her own version of a victory dance.
"You clearly cheated" Gohan said with a pout.
"That's not fair!" Goten said as he stomped his foot and pouted.
"If you can't take the heat get out of the kitchen" Videl said with a smirk as she moved a strand of hair out of her face.
"We're not in the kitchen" Goten said with a confused look.
"Don't worry about it squirt" Videl said with a grin.
"I'm sorry to interrupt you guys, but Videl you're needed downstairs" Bulma said as she received confused looks.
"Why?" she questioned curiously.
"The chief says he needs to speak with you with regards to the case of you and your father" she said as she watched Videls eyes go downwards.
"Oh" she said quietly as she numbly stood up and nodded so she could follow Bulma.
A moment later she was surprised by something warm grasping her hand gently.
"I'll go with you V, in case you need the support" Gohan said, offering an encouraging smile. "Alright Bulma, let's get this over with" he said as Bulma nodded in response and led them to the room she had directed the robots to led the chief into.
"Hello chief, I hope you're well" Bulma said politely as she held the door for the two younger couple.
The two walked in and noticed they were in a large room, likely one that Bulma used for business meetings. Videl nervously approached the table and took a seat across from the chief and had Bulma and Gohan take a seat beside her. She bit her lip nervous to hear what the chief had to say, but felt a little better when Gohan gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
"There's no easy way to say this…so I'm just going to come right out and say it. Videl…you're being charged with the second degree murder of Hercule Satan" Chief Connell said blankly as he watched the other three peoples mouth drop in surprise.
"A...a murder charge?" Videl questioned blankly as she felt herself start to shake.
"Second degree murder? There's no way she committed that, she was acting in self defence" Gohan yelled in surprise as he slammed his fist on the table.
"I'm aware of this, but this is what the city's district attorney wants to go through with this however" the chief said uncomfortable as two of the three in front of him gave him a glare while Videl stared blankly at the table.
"Videl, the capsule corporation attorneys will take your case. And as our first act we're going to invoke Videl's right to a speedy trial" Bulma said as she stood up, surprising the people around her.
"Videl, sweetie we have the best lawyers money can buy, you will win. That D.A. is just attempting to boost his career by winning a high profile case, but they don't have the means or the evidence to support their claim. Chief, my lawyers will call the city's D.A. and arrange for a preliminary hearing two days from now" Bulma said, her business side now coming out.
"I respect that" the chief said quietly, "We will have to conduct interviews though, including with you two" he said pointing at Gohan and Bulma. "Is there any way you can get in contact with Saiyaman Videl?" he questioned, Videl simply nodded dumbly.
"Excellent, I'll leave you two your business. I will see you all later. I'll arrange for out interview tomorrow or the day after, and the D.A. will be in touch with you soon I'm sure" the chief said as he gave the three a nod.
"My robot will show you out" Bulma said in a serious tone as she nodded to the chief and watched as he was escorted out of the room.
"Second degree murder…" Videl said quietly. She could feel her eyes welling up with tears, "I'm a murderer" she whispered quietly as a tear slowly trickled down her cheek.
"No, no you're not" Gohan said sternly as he grasped her hand tighter.
"Videl, Gohan is right; you are in no way a murderer. You were defending your life; you acted the same way anyone else would if they were in your position. This guy is just a kid; he's trying to scare you in hopes of copping a plea bargain. He gets that his career will be made with such a high profile case. But he's got no chance of winning; absolutely no evidence supports the murder charge. I'll set you up with nothing but the best sweetie, you're going to be alright and this will be over sooner than later. By evoking your right to a speedy trial, instead of dragging a trial out over a few months, we'll get this over with in a few weeks. We'll meet them in two days and go from there" she said as she moved to embrace the young woman.
"I promise that we'll get through this" she said as she pulled the girl to her feet, and tried to shake her out of her daze.
"Videl, Bulma is right; once they do the interview with us, we can testify to the abuse Hercule put you through, and the evidence supports everything you said" Gohan said, attempting to offer Videl a comforting smile, but noticed she wasn't acknowledging him.
"Look Videl, I'll call my top girl now, you'll love her and I'll have her come over within the hour and she'll talk to you and will help make you realize that they prosecution stands no chance" Bulma said as she pulled out her cell phone.
"Gohan, take Videl and go relax, go for a swim. I'll call you two when the lawyer gets here" Bulma said as Gohan nodded.
"Come on V, we're gonna go and relax in the hot tub" Gohan said as he grasped Videls hand gently and led her out of the room.
Bulma watched the couple walk out of the room then took on a serious look as she scrolled through her contact list and pressed the button to make the call. She waited for a moment then heard an answer on the phone, "Karie? I need you to get here as soon as possible you're going to take on the Satan case. When can you get here? An hour and a half? Perfect, I'll see you soon. Thanks again, bye" she said as she snapped her phone shut.
"They don't stand a chance" she said with a confident smirk.
~*~ A little while later~*~
Videl sat in the warm water, allowing her body to relax as her mind reeled, 'what if Bulma's lawyer doesn't win? What if I get arrested for murder?' she thought to herself as she stared blankly at the bubbling water in front of her, oblivious to everything around her, including the music in the background.
"Videl, you have nothing to worry about, Bulma will make sure that you aren't wrongfully charged. You need to try and take your mind off of things" Gohan said as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed the side of her head.
"I can't help it…I'm being charged with second degree murder" she said quietly, a blank expression still on her face. "What if we lose?" she asked quietly.
"We won't lose everything back up your story completely. If for some reason you are charged, then we'll appeal because they clearly made their judgements based on biased opinions. We will get through this" he said with a smile as he turned her to face him so he could give her a comforting smile. "Just believe we will" he said, kissing her cheek gently.
"My life is a series of unfortunate events" she muttered as she avoided eye contact.
"Was a series of unfortunate events, I promise you" he said as he moved her chin to make her look him in the eyes, and then gave her a kiss in attempt to reassure her.
"I guess" she said quietly as she leaned back against the side of the hot tub.
"You want to know something V?" he questioned, a mischievous grin on his face.
"What?" she questioned.
"Did you know that is started on the real world?" He questioned, his grin never fading.
"Excuse me?" she questioned, arching an eyebrow in confusion.
"Yeah, a hot tub full of hot girls" he said as he stood up in the tub, "grinding every frat boy and freak" he stated as he thrust his hips in the air a few times for good effect.
"What on earth are you talking about?" she questioned as she watched him to an assortment of dance moves as he continued speaking.
"So everybody dance and everybody sing, if you wanna go far if you wanna be a star yea we can swing it; cha-ching! When you take off all your clothes, and strike your playboy pose if you wanna go far if you wanna be a star then you gotta bring it. Cha-ching!" He sung again as he pulled Videl up so she was standing and started dancing, encouraging her to join him.
Videl joined Gohan, a small smile on her face as she started dancing in the hot tub with him. She now realized that he was singing the Hedley song that was playing in the background and pressed the volume button to turn it up
Gohan leaned forward and stuck him bum out as he sang the next part of the song, "everybody stop and stare Kardashian's ass is everywhere, if you missed it, watch TMZ" he sang as he shook his bum vigorously earning a laugh from Videl.
"Pretending to be lesbians-"he was cut off by someone turning the music off and speaking.
"Gohan, I had no idea you had the ability to shake your booty like that" Bulma said with a grin as the woman beside her was covering her mouth laughing, as was Videl.
"I didn't know you were there" He said dumbly as his face went bright red. At Gohans less then intelligent response, Videl cracked up laughing as she watched Gohan slowly sink back into the hot tub in an attempt to hide himself.
The woman beside Bulma now started laughing as well, "It's alright, I do that same kind of dance when I hear that song…although I don't think I'm as entertaining as you are" the woman said with a grin.
"It was pretty entertaining" Videl said with a large grin as she gave Gohan a wink, causing him to go a deeper shade of red.
"As much as I'd love to mock Gohan more, we should get down to business" Bulma said, drawing the attention away from Gohan, "Videl, this is Karie, she's going to be your lawyer" she said with a smile as the woman beside her gave them a smile and a wave.
Gohan and Videl now turned their full attention to Karie and studied her, she was a young looking woman, maybe mid-twenties, likely Videl's height, she had shoulder length medium dirty blond hair, bright blue eyes with long lashes and a big smile on her face. She wore a black skirt with high heeled shoes, white tank top, and a navy blue zip up shirt announcing the hockey league she played on. Neither Videl nor Gohan knew what to quite make of Karie.
"Don't let her young looks and unusual dress fool you, she's smarter then she looks" Bulma said as Karie gave her a funny look.
"Thanks…I think?" She said as she gave her employer a weird look, "I know I look a little off, I must admit, I haven't done laundry yet" she said sheepishly as she laughed at herself.
Gohan and Videl still looked blankly at the young woman in front of them, unsure of what to make of her.
She gave the two teenagers a warm smile as she leaned down and took her heels off, revealing that she was only about 5'3 in height. Once she had taken both shoes off she walked over to the hot tub, located a dry area and sat down on the edge of the tub, letting her feet and calves be submerged in the warm water.
"My name, as introduce by Mrs. Briefs, is Karie. I'm going to presume that you're Videl, and you're Gohan" she said as she gave the both a smile and shook their hand.
"Hi…" Videl said slowly as she observed this young woman's behaviour. Never in her life had she seen a lawyer that was wearing a fancy skirt, a tank top and an athletic zip up, and to top that off she had never seen one so casually take her shoes off and sit in the hot tub with them. 'This girl seems a little unorthodox' she thought to herself as she gave her a funny look. She looked over at Gohan and noticed he had the same look on his face and assumed he was probably thinking something similar.
"She's a little weird, but I promise, she does incredible work" Bulma said as she pulled up a chair near the hot tub and relaxed into it.
"I'm not weird, you're just too normal" Karie said as she flashed Bulma a smile. "Alright, let's get some business taken care of" she said as her face went from a warm welcoming one to a serious expression.
"I've spoken with the D.A and told him this is a pathetic attempt at a career boost, but he remains undeterred, which is no matter to us, he doesn't stand a chance. I've gotten some evidence fazed over and I've reviews it, and I'm getting the rest of evidence faxed over to my house as we speak. Bulma briefed, no pun intended my lady, on your story and from what I've seen with the evidence, and your story is completely backed up by it. Tomorrow we'll meet up with the district attorney and meet the judge where you will plead not guilty and we will make your trial date. I've already informed the D.A. that we're exercising your right to a speedy trial so it may start as soon as a week and a half from now. MR. Gohan I will be conducting an interview with you, I look forward to hearing your side of the story and getting to know you; from what I've heard you're just a darling person. Don't be surprise Gohan when the police want to interview you, it's just to get evidence on Videl's abused background, which I was quite sorry to hear about. Bulma gave me information on the beatings she treated over a year ago and all that documented evidence will be sent over to the prosecutor's office as well so we can start to prove that you are indeed an abuse victim. I must warn your Videl, they may want to do a psychiatric exam, just be forewarned" she said as she stared up at the ceiling for a moment.
"I think that's it!" she said in bubbly voice as she smiled at the two of them.
"If you don't mind my asking…how old are you?" Gohan asked slowly.
She flashed him a smile, "26" she said proudly.
"She's been working for before about a year and a half, two years now" Bulma mused as the other two looked surprised.
"And I've been happy ever since Mrs. Briefs gave me the opportunity" she said with a grin.
"But anyways, did you want to get down to interview today, or would you rather do it tomorrow either before or after the preliminary hearing with the D.A.?" she questioned.
"Let's do it tomorrow" Bulma said, she was silenced by the sound of a phone ringing.
Karie held up a finger to tell them she'd b one moment then reached into her tank top and pulled out a cell phone, "hello? Yes…ok…ok…alright cool…we'll be there. Bye" she said as she snapped her phone shut.
She gave a laugh, "sorry, no secure pockets in these clothes, breasts, they're good for many things!" She said with a laugh. "That was the D.A. we're going to meet up with him at the courthouse, at 3 pm tomorrow afternoon. Judge Novak will be residing; she's pretty good, she doesn't let the fact that someone a celebrity cloud her judgement" she said as she stood up from her spot on the side of the hot tub.
"I'll come here tomorrow at 2 and we'll all go to the court house together. I look forward to getting to know you all better" she said as she put her high heeled shoes on over her wet feet. She gave a wave "I'll show myself out Mrs. Briefs, take care guys!" She said with a smile as she waved and walked out of the large swimming area.
The three of them watched her silently; they watched as Karie walked, her foot slipped out of her shoe due to being still wet and listened as she gave a giggle in response and walk out of the door.
"She's going the wrong way" Bulma said with a sigh.
A few moments later Karie appeared in the door way and gave them a smile and a wave, "wrong way!" she said as she walked the other way, her heels clicking down the hallway.
Silence filled the room, "are you sure she knows what she's doing?" Videl questioned nervously. Karie certainly seemed nice, but she seemed a little flighty.
"I know what you're thinking, I swear I thought the same thing when I first met her, but I was curious about her. I promise you, she's a hell of a lot smarter then she lets on. She was fast forwarded through high school, and graduated two years earlier than most people coming out of law school; her grades were spectacular" she said with a smile, as the two still looked at her funny.
"Good grades are one thing, but do you think she's right for the trial?" Gohan questioned, unsure of what to make of the bubbly lawyer.
"Trust me, she's a miracle worker in the court room; she takes on a completely different personality. Normally she's really bubbly, but in the court room she's very serious and plays off the fact that the older lawyers she goes up against think she's young and stupid. She's a brilliant tactician in the court room. I assure you, you'll be incredibly surprised. First time I saw her in the court room and she was taking on one of our cases, she completely blew me away with how professional she is" Bulma said, giving the two a reassuring smile.
"If you say so" Videl said hoping she could trust Bulmas words, but just couldn't picture the bubbly woman as a serious lawyer.
"I promise you sweetie, you will be incredibly surprised" she said with a grin.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Alright that's chapter 23! As I said previously it's more filler in preparation for the next few chapters. I promise I will try and get the next one out within decent timing. I hope you all enjoy it and I really, really hope to get reviews.
I made this offer before, but didn't quite work out. So I'm going to try and offer it again. 10 review and I'll do everything in my power to make sure I get chapter 24 out within two weeks time. Sound good?
So please, read and review. I look forward to hearing what you all have to say, and if I receive any e-mail I look forward to chatting with you all.
Hope you enjoyed!