Chapter 36- The morning after

A dry throat and a pounding head was the first thing I woke up to. Not exactly the homecoming I'd had in mind.

Then again, I hadn't expected my so-called friend to seduce my so-called boyfriend.

And if that wasn't enough she stole one of my love potions- (note to self to never make one ever again) and then forced him to marry her.

Melanie will have a field day whenever she gets back from her secret other-worldly business. Speaking of which, I probably owed her my thanks.

I gratefully swigged the glass of warm water that Hoss had left behind on the bedside cabinet, trying to ignore the sicky feeling it gave me as it hit my stomach with one big gush. As far as morning afters went, this was by far the most unusual.

Hoss had woken me a few hours prior to leaving, announcing that we needed to talk before promptly chucking up all over my floorboards.

Sure, he cleaned it up, but I still had to spray it with deodorant every twenty minutes.

As for the talk, it wasn't much better.

Hoss had declared us sleeping together as one massive mistake and told me that no matter what I needed to forgive Cherry.

I agreed with the mistake part, but I didn't understand why my chest ached when I did.

Hoss had been so sweet last night. He wasn't rough or thinking of his own pleasure only. He had treated me as though I was something to be worshipped.

The sex had been more like an act of love. Slow, sweet. Filled with deep longing.

Not so much the burning passion I felt with Cherry, but a softer flame burning nevertheless.

It had been so much like the way it was with Cherry, and that was what frightened me.

It got me thinking a ton of what if's.

Rooting through past memories and drawing up signs that I hadn't or didn't want to notice.

I thought about Vegeta, and Zarbon. Piccolo even. Each time with them had been intense in it's own way. But it was only passion, and nothing more. With Piccolo the bond was more to do with being his first, and the common loneliness we saw in each other.

I realized that now.

Hoss though, was none of those things.

The door was knocked, and I quickly tugged the covers over my naked body.

"Come in" I would dwell on it later; I thought. As a spiked hand clawed its way around the doorframe.

"Good to see your alive and kicking" Nina leaned against the polished wall, lifting a spiked knuckle and examining it.

"I wouldn't go that far. Although I have got someone I'd very much like to kick"

"You've heard then"

"Well I didn't get wasted for no reason" Nina's gaze fell to the many glass bottles spread-eagled over the boards.

"You picked an odd choice of drinking partner"

"He was the only choice. How do you know anyway?"

"Saw him leaving your room at seven am this morning. He wasn't very subtle about it"

"Of course he wasn't"

"Actually, he looked quite pissed. And I mean the temper kind" Her dark blue eyes stared accusingly into mine.

That was the thing about Nina, she didn't miss nothing. I heaved a sigh.

"It's not what you think"

"Are you going to tell me then?" She turned of the glare, skipping over to my satin red sofa I had parked under the window. She fell into the left side, patting the plump cushion beside her as invitation. I didn't move.

"I'm not bothered about seeing you naked you know" She stopped patting as a spike embedded itself into the plush cushion.

"What's the real reason you're here Nina" It sounded more rude than intended, but speaking about Hoss was of-limits for now. I wasn't even sure if there was another reason for Nina being here. I just never saw her as the gossipy type.

"Oh, you know me" A sly grin crept along her lips. I was beginning to wonder if I did.

"I'm the master of devising payback plans, and I was thinking maybe you could use a little help" I sank back into the pillow with relief.

"I'm all ears Nina" Nina cracked her knuckles together.

"This, is gonna be so much fun"

"I was thinking, maybe we could go for a drink? You know, since I've been gone so long" I twirled a long strand of hair around my finger, wondering if she would fall for the bait.

"Oh yes of course, we have really missed you being around here. I'm so glad your back"

Of course you are, that's why you've been fucking my boyfriend.

I let her step out in front of me, pondering where I should hit her first.

Like the dumb blonde she was, she didn't notice a thing. Just continued gushing lies out of her slutty little mouth.

"Well it's good to be back" I tried and failed to keep the venom from my tone. It was a pointless effort, she still didn't catch on. "Hey look, I think I see Nina outside" She smiled and followed my gaze to the closest French window.

Nina wasn't outside, just a load of dew-soaked grass, but she lollopped over for a closer look regardless.

"I don't see her"

"Don't you?" I closed in on the space between our bodies, making sure there would be no escape. I got close enough to breath down her neck.

"You know, I heard some things last night. Some interesting things"

"Oh yeah, like what?" She innocently continued peering out the window.

My tolerance was fading like bath water down a plughole.

"I heard your sleeping with someone" That made her turn and look.

"Who?"

"My boyfriend you dirty little slut" The last few words were a hiss as I snaked out an arm to grab her thick glossy hair. It took less than a second to string her up against the window.

There was a cheer from outside.

Coco squirmed helplessly, her feet dangling like broken puppets.

"It was an accident! I swear! He came on to me!" Red hot anger flushed through my stomach. I punched her right in her pouty little mouth, feeling a lot better when blood dribbled out from under her lips.

"Your not only a slut, you're a liar too. I'm ashamed to have called you my friend"

"I'm not lying!"

"I know about the love potion you stole from me you idiot" She stopped squirming then. Her eyes were as wide and as readable as clocks. She was very much afraid.

And so she should be.

She was unable to defend herself when I lodged my foot firmly in her stomach. It was all the hold I needed on her as I released my hands from her tarty hair and began putting them to good use.

This time, no one was going to cross me and live.

"There's two hottie's at the door for you" Nina slunk into kitchen, black dress barely covering the unmentionables.

"I wouldn't class Ragman and Junior as hot, and when you say door you mean the ladder hatch right? Cause we don't exactly have a front door" She had her back turned, dress skimming too many inches upwards as she stretched up towards a cupboard.

"I agree with you on that, but I wasn't talking about Ragman and Junior. There still out on patrol. I told you that earlier" She prised a can of raspberry jam from the overflowing cupboard successfully, popping the lid and dipping a finger in the gloopy redness.

"Well then who are they?" I sat up higher in my chair, ignoring the plea my spine gave.

"Don't know-" She paused to lick her finger. "They didn't say their names, just that they want you. One of them had blue skin though, just like me. His outfit didn't leave anything to the imagination either come to think of it" It sounded suspiciously like Zarbon. Who by logic should be in a whole other universe getting slaughtered. Or slaughtering, giving half the chance.

"Well then you guys are clearly a match made in heaven"

"Hey!" Her eyes fell to her legs. "Oh..fair point" I smiled; setting the half drunk coffee back on the table. It hadn't even been mine, it was just something to distract me as I thought about things.

"Well, I'll be off to greet our guests then"

"Don't forget to put in a good word for me with the blue guy!" She called after me as I headed into the corridor.

An empty corridor at that. Sure, only nine people lived here; or more likely, eight. But the airship had never been more lonely.

At least the hatch hadn't changed. It was still a death trap for innocents who walked in the middle of the hallway.

Sure enough, as I swung the metal latch loose and flipped it open, I was greeted by two pairs of eyes I knew all too well.

"Zarbon and Piccolo, what the hell are you doing here?"

"More to the point, why is there a half-dead woman out here?"

"Goddam, she was supposed to be dead"

"You beat the crap out her and then threw her out of the window?"

"Yes Zarbon, for the fifth time what is so unbelievable about that. It happens in your universe all the time"

"She has an excellent point" Piccolo flashed a fanged smile, seeming a bit more at ease with the new surroundings. It was a shame Zarbon couldn't follow his example. I leaned back in the armchair, resisting the urge to rub my forehead.

"But why?"

"She stole one of my love potions and forced my boyfriend to marry her"

"She what!?"

"You have love potions?"

"Wait, you have a boyfriend!?" And I thought Melanie and Serquet were bad. They were mere child's play compared to now. These guys were a lot easier to handle when on their own.

"Look, it's not important. She's in the medical bay now and so long as Cortex keeps me away from her she should live. Now, I want to hear your story. Because one of you was dead and the other was about to be the last time I saw you two"

"Well.."

"Long story short, Goku got to planet namek, Vegeta died, things got really ugly, Goku killed Frieza, Namek blew up, and then the dragonballs fixed everything"

"Sounds about right" I cast an amused look over the pair of them, sipping a non-alcoholic drink this time in a bid to be sensible. Zarbon shot a dirty look at Piccolo.

"What? Did I deny you of telling the bedtime story gay boy? No offense but I wasn't going to wait til Christmas to hear about how you and Vegeta got close"

"I am not gay!"

"Until evidence turns up, you better believe it" Zarbon clenched his fists, but did no more once Piccolo flashed the good old fangs.

"Lessa, don't you know better than to invite strays" Cortex slipped out of the shadows, his bushy eyebrows taking up the high road on his voluptuous forehead.

"Their friends, not strays" I yawned, wondering if the day was ever going to end.

"Let me guess, you want them to live here with us?" Another inch into the clouds went the eyebrows. I lowered the cup I was holding to eye level, inviting Cortex to an all out staring contest.

"You hadn't informed me of your new role as mind-reader"

"Really? I thought you would see the signs I put out. I even wrote mug on my forehead for you" Piccolo and Zarbon shared a look.

"Don't worry. He's a softie really, just don't let him near the alcohol"

"I heard that"

"Alright psychic, calm your bulbous forehead before it explodes"

"People" He hissed as he slunk of back to the shadows.

The day did end. Eventually. It wasn't like it could throw any more at me anyway.

I was all out of emotion to give.

Cherry had woken from his exhaustion induced coma to fling apologies at me til I was sick of hearing his voice.

Everyone else had left us to it, but I wished for once I had the support of someone else to lean on.

I didn't want to hear it.

Some part of my mind stubbornly refused to accept it. Because the rational part of me knew if he hadn't have slept with her none of this would have ever happened.

The rational part of me also knew I had slept with three other people, but it took great pains to point out I hadn't tried to marry any of them.

He'd cried tears, begged on his knees. Did everything in the book but it just wasn't enough. I'd trusted him, bared my soul.

Yet when it all came down to it he was just another bastard human.

It was a good job I was out of emotion to give, because the cocoon I had made of my duvet would have been soaked by now.

The lamp clicked of as though it knew I needed my privacy, and my mind ambled through the events of the day.

I was just about ready to sleep for a month.