"Welcome back, guys!" Dende cried, running forward with Mr. Popo on his heels. "How was your trip? It's been so long since we've seen you!"
"Oh my!" said Mr. Popo, "Look at the little one!"
Jenny smiled and said, "This is Paige."
The infant blinked up at them with her blue eyes in wonder, then grinned widely.
"She looks just like you, Piccolo," Dende said, stepping forward and getting a closer look. "I didn't know we… that is to say, Nameks… that we could… uh…"
"Have children with earthlings?" Piccolo offered.
"Well, yeah," Dende answered, looking up at Piccolo.
"Neither did I," he answered truthfully.
"She's the first female Namek, isn't she?" Dende asked.
"Technically, she's a hybrid, like Gohan and Trunks," Piccolo said, "But yes, I suppose she is."
"I wonder what kind of powers she'll have," Dende said quietly.
"The only powers she has right now are the powers to eat, sleep and cry," Jenny said, shifting baby from her arms to her shoulder. "And if I'm right, she's about to do all three here in a minute. Let me feed her and then we'll see about settling in."
Piccolo stared after Jenny as she walked across the lookout, baby Paige peering over her mommy's shoulder. Piccolo gave a small wave and the baby grinned back at him.
"Ah, warm weather again," Seventeen grinned as he leaned back in the leather seat of his Jeep, flying down an Arizona highway.
Leelee had her bare feet on the dashboard, her arms tucked behind her head, staring up at the open sky above them. The wind whipped her hair around her face as she sighed contentedly. "Wanna go see the Grand Canyon?"
"Might as well," Seventeen said. "We're here anyway." He dug in his pocket, keeping one hand on the steering wheel, pulling a small wad of fabric from his pocket. He hooked the black and pink garter over the rearview mirror. "There we go."
Leelee smiled appreciatively. "Nice." She reached over and clicked on the radio.
"So where to, m'lady?" Seventeen asked over the roaring wind and blaring speakers.
"Anywhere," Leelee sighed dreamily.
"Race ya!" Catie screamed, running across the sand, a surfboard tucked under one arm, a long thin rope tethering it to her ankle.
Trunks raced after her, a board of his own held high above his head. He drew even with her as they hit the water, splashing noisily until they couldn't run anymore, finally laying chest-down on their boards and paddling out to sea. They crested over some smaller waves, holding their breath and diving under the bigger ones until they reached their destination. Trunks pushed himself to a sitting position, straddling his board. Catie did the same, flipping her long, wet hair over her shoulder where it hit her back with a smack.
"This is great, Catie," Trunks grinned. "I'm so glad we decided to do this."
"Me too," she answered. She gazed out over the horizon, nothing but an endless sea of blue, looking towards the west. Somewhere out there were Lindsey and Gohan, and further beyond, Jenny and Piccolo. She smiled to herself. 'I hope you girls are having fun.'
Trunks reached over and slapped Catie's knee, bringing her back to her surroundings. "Get ready, here comes a good one."
Catie eyed the wave and said, "You take it. I'll get the next one."
"You sure?" he asked.
"Yeah," she answered.
He nodded and maneuvered his board to catch the wave. He took off with it, shouting to the open air as he stood on the board, trailing his fingers in the wall of water.
She glanced back to the west, where her friends were starting their new lives. "I'll wait my turn."
Gohan woke as a warm breeze washed over him. He stretched and reached for Lindsey, but jumped in alarm to find the bed empty. He sat bolt upright, looking frantically around the room, with no sign of her in sight. "Lindsey?!" he shouted, jumping out of bed and pulling on a pair of boxers. The big French doors were hanging open, the chiffon curtains billowing in the hot morning breeze. He found her on the balcony, sitting at the small patio table, in her black and white polkadot bikini, her feet propped on the table and a big black sunhat shading her face and shoulders. The left side of her neck had scabbed over and she had removed the bandage. His was nearly healed again - the pale scar a shiny crescent on his neck.
"Morning," he smiled and took the chair next to her.
She turned slowly and returned his smile. "Morning, love." She leaned over and kissed him deeply, butterflies erupting in her stomach as she did so. It was the most blissful feeling in the world.
Gohan sat back, the hot sun dancing across his skin, warming him to the core. Something was bothering him, he didn't want to bring it up, but he had no choice. "Did you have a dream again last night?"
She stared at her knees and smiled. "Yeah, I did." The memory was still fresh in her mind.
"Was it a bad one?" he asked nervously. "You were yelling in your sleep. Sounded like you said, 'Let her go.'"
She shook her head. "I said, 'Look at her go.' The horse – the one that kept following me in my dreams?"
He nodded.
"She's not hurt anymore," Lindsey said, smiling up at the sky. "She was whole and beautiful again. She was running across the field." She understood the horse now. It wasn't Eclipse. And it wasn't a monster following her around. It was herself.
"Good deal," Gohan said. He grabbed a bagel from the table and took a bite, looking out over the breath-taking ocean view. "Can we just stay here forever?"
"As long as I'm with you, I don't really care where we are," she said.
"Two weeks here isn't going to be long enough," Gohan said.
"If we even make it out of the hotel room," she said seductively, pulling her big sunglasses down her nose, winking at him.
Gohan tossed the half-eaten bagel back on the table. "Don't have to ask me twice," he said around a mouthful of food. He swallowed, brushing the crumbs from his fingers and standing, scooping his wife into his arms as she shrieked with laughter. He held her close, kissing her fiercely, carrying her back inside the room and tossing her on the bed where she bounced and laughed again. He threw aside the boxers he'd pulled on and crawled across the bed towards her. She tossed her hat and glasses on the nightstand, then reached for him as he lay over her body. She locked her leg over the back of his thigh, pulling him closer to her. She slid her hands up his hard biceps, curling her fingers over his rounded shoulders. He was kissing her hard, pressing his body against hers, pinning her to the bed. He pulled back, stopping to stare into her green eyes. He brushed a piece of her hair away from her forehead. "I love you so much," he whispered.
"Not nearly as much as I love you," she answered.
"Oh really?" he laughed. "I doubt that."
"Well, I intend to spend the rest of my life proving it."
"All right," Gohan smiled. "You're on."
Author's final note: I hope you all have enjoyed reading this as much as I had writing it. Thank you to everyone who has viewed my story. Reviews are always appreciated! I will start the next story soon, so check my profile if you liked this. Thanks again!