A/N: Your reviews water my eyes thank you :)))

Jasmine, my grandma is home and well now, thanks :)

I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I have a busy week ahead of me so I wanted to get this out before the hustle and bustle starts. Enjoy :)

:*: Obstinate Blue :*:

Bulma shuffled through her stack of files at her home office while searching for her bank account statement she had printed out earlier that morning. She swore aloud as she criticized herself for allowing her spacious office to fill with such clutter. Her recent obsession for flipping through her business's payroll and expense reports was definitely a contributor to the mess. She spent endless nights wondering when and where her family business went wrong. Her grandparents founded the establishment, passed it down to her parents, then they confidently put it into her hands. She managed to single handedly drive the business into the concrete after two generations of success.

She wanted nothing more than to pass Capsule Corporation down to her children, now that goal seemed nothing more than a fantasy. She pushed them hard, and she was well aware of it. She wanted them to be able to stand on their own two feet in the real world when they had to find their own careers. If Capsule Corporation wouldn't be around for their taking in the future, they had to have impressive resumes and notable experience under their belt.

Her projects used to pertain to the next anticipated electronic on the market or inventing the next big thing, now she had two primary works on her mind: one being her daughter, and the biggest one, her son.

Trunks was over half way complete with his externship in the United States. It was difficult for her to cut any deal with the states. She always blamed that country's male dominating work force, but little did she know it wasn't her gender that they disliked. It was her.

Her presentations were filled with her arrogance rather than the product itself. She was so confident that her family's business spoke for itself and its exports needed no further explanation. Trunks, on the other hand, had an eloquent hand at public speaking and building a relationship with his audience with his subtle humor and modesty whenever he took the floor.

Rachel Cunnings was Bulma's 'back door' into the US. Whenever she got desperate for a sale, Rachel would compromise a deal with her to market some of her products. Her compromises usually lacked in fairness on Bulma's behalf. Rachel would end up raking in sixty percent of the benefit whereas Bulma only saw forty.

Bulma considered that perhaps it was her poor financial agreements such as the Cunnings compromises that supplied her downfall.

"Here it is." She pulled out the six page transaction record of her recent bank account activity. She had been on Trunks' ass to buy Rachel a gift and some flowers to butter her up a bit.

"Mom, if I butter her up anymore she's gonna think I'm coming on to her. She's already bought me a three thousand dollar watch, and I'm pretty sure she doesn't do that for all of her interns."

"And? I'd hate for our family business to go to hell because you can't perform a small act for a business relationship."

"Mom, you've had me go on numerous dinner outings with her, most of those one on one. I'm by her side Monday through Friday from eight to five. I think our business relationship is going perfectly well. Flowers can be very misleading, especially for a thank you gift between a man and a woman."

"Trunks Vegeta Briefs I need you to get your head out of your ass and listen to what I am telling you. You know very well that Gohan's project is only months, maybe even weeks away from being complete. Rachel is our key into the states and her compromises can be very... avaricious. The more she likes you, the more your family benefits from this. Trunks, my boy, do what needs to be done."

Looking through the recent transactions of his credit card, she exhaled in frustration noticing he had yet to purchase the flowers as instructed. Toward the end of the page, her scanning eyes stopped abruptly on one particular transaction made by her dear daughter.

With her free hand, she lifted the receiver of her desktop phone and dialed a number. After giving her account information, she was transferred to a representative. "Hi, this is Bulma Briefs. I would like to suspend activity on card 4726 until further notice." Flipping through the remainder of pages, she noted how busy her daughter was eating out and shopping. It wouldn't be long until she took notice of her canceled credit card.

xXxXxXx

With it being mid terms week, Nagoya's sports teams were given the week off from practice to focus on their studies. Goten was thankful for the time off and used it wisely, as did the others. Pan was back at the dorm studying with Bra, Ryo, Marron, and Takashi, leaving the house to himself.

Today he spent his time sketching out designs for his architecture design class. Since the beginning of the semester, the class was given notice of a home design fair where the top students from the region's universities were selected to build a three dimensional model showcasing their work and taste on the year's theme.

Being the top student in his class, Goten was a shoe-in. When he wasn't doing homework for his other classes, helping Pan, or at football practice, he spent his time sketching and determining what woods were the most pleasing to the eye, or what pattern the roof tiles should follow.

While laying on the couch, sketch pad in hand, he heard a knock from the door. He wasn't expecting a visit from anybody, but he assumed it would only be Renji or one of the girls.

He was surprised to see blue. Not that beautiful blue that gave him butterflies. This was a stormy, infuriated blue. The hurricane blue that was well known as, "Bulma?"

"Hello, Goten. Mind if I come in?" He stepped to the side, allowing her passage. She went into the kitchen, turning around to face him as he leaned against the counter.

"Is something wrong?"

She pulled her sunglasses to the top of her head, revealing her stern, narrowed eyes. "I'm going to ask you this once and I want you to be honest with me. Are you sleeping with my daughter?" His eyes widened, dumbstruck by the question. She remembered the way Bra looked at him at the tennis meet. Something had to have happened between the two of them.

"Wha- Bulma, I'm," He was about to be truthful and let her know that they had never slept together, until a thought crossed his mind. "Bra's an adult, Bulma. I don't think her sex life is much of your business." He tried to sound polite about it, but to tell a mother that her daughters life is none of her business is just asking for trouble.

"Don't tell me what my business is Goten Son. Obviously you've got something to hide, so let me make this clear. Stay away from my daughter. I can't keep Trunks away from you, thanks to these living arrangements you two share. But I'll be damned if I allow my daughter to be touched by the likes of you."

Goten was completely baffled by the scene playing out in front of him. "Bulma, what happened?" He ignored her snobby insult and tried to get to the root of the problem.

"She's pregnant."

Goten's breath stopped in his throat. "What makes you think she's pregnant?"

Bulma rolled her eyes. "That explains it. That explains why my baby looked so frightened by you at her first tennis match. She was afraid to tell you. Goten, I expected better from you. You always got my Trunks into trouble, but I figured it was just part of being a teenager. Now you're trying to ruin my daughter's life. I'm going to fix this, and when it's over you are to stay away from her."

Goten was too busy trying to sort out the facts in his head while Bulma stormed out of the house. Was Bra pregnant? Or was Bulma misunderstanding something?

All that he knew was that Bulma Briefs was gradually slipping farther and farther into denial and anger as her business slipped from her hands. All that she had left to control, and what she strove to protect, was her children.

xXxXxXx

It had been a while since Bra had felt such humiliation. She balled her fists in anger as she shoved past the double door entrance of the Brief's home, searching for the culprit. She followed her mother's voice that seemed to be coming from her home office and was about to storm in until she heard a familiar name. She leaned in, her ear against the door.

"...Gohan called in again today. I'm getting tired of this sick wife bullshit. Once he finishes this damn project I'm letting him go... Yes... Mhm... I swear, it's like the Son family is out to sabotage me and my family... My children are being distracted by their kids, then my husband's been coming home drunk from being around that damn imbecile Goku, I can't take much more... Of course, I'll talk to you later, goodbye."

Bra was mortified. Who was this monster inside of this dark wood office? Without further hesitation, she pushed the door open, eyes settled into a deep scowl, piercing into her mother's.

"How nice of you to finally come and visit. Go ahead, have a seat."

"I'm not one of your few clients that you have nowadays. I went out to eat and turns out my card was canceled. I called to complain and they informed me that it was your doing." Luckily, Ryo had initially offered to pay for her anyways, so he took over the bill.

"You've been eating out a lot lately. Maybe that'll explain the weight gain, or are you hiding something from me?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Bra, are you pregnant?"

"Me? No, I'm not pregnant!" I haven't even had college sex!

"Then why are you spending hundreds of dollars at baby stores?"

Bra had gone shopping with Ryo just last week buying Pan baby supplies. "You're watching my bank activity now?"

"Who's pregnant, Bra? And don't even tell me it's Pan. Trunks is a smart boy, I know he wouldn't be that careless. Is she sleeping around? Did she get knocked up by someone else? Trunks is your brother, Bra, he has a right to know-"

"Mother, you have lost your God damn mind." It would have been easy for her to kick down the pedestal that her mother put Trunks on. She really believed that he was a flawless human, little did she know that the words 'flawless human' together was an oxymoron. Her brother always tried to please her, but he was still human. He was going to make mistakes. Otherwise, what's the fun in life?

From the sound of Bulma's recent phone conversation, she was ready to cut Gohan for whatever ridiculous reason. If her mother had the slightest suspicion that Pan could be pregnant with Trunks' baby, who knows what that woman would do to the Son family.

Bra shut out her mother's ranting voice and drew in a slow, deep breath. "Mom, please, shut up for a moment. You're right. I'm pregnant."

Bulma's blue eyes glazed over into a cold stare. "Abort it. Once you bring back a doctor's report that it's gone, I'll turn your card back on."

Bra snorted out a laugh, then another, until it was a hysterical chuckle. "Are you serious?" She asked, still laughing. "One of your children are going through one of the most frightening moments of their lives and all you have to say is 'abort it'? What about being there for us and helping us through it?"

"I am helping you through it. I'm telling you you are way too young and do not have the financial stability, nor the appropriate marital status. Who's the father, Bra?"

"Weren't you pregnant when you married dad? No wonder the man got stuck with you-" Bra's head twisted to the left as Bulma's palm contacted her cheek.

"Don't you ever speak to your mother that way. Get rid of it, or don't come back."

xXxXxXx

Bra refused to see anybody that night. Her mother was just mad, that's why she told her not to come back. She didn't mean it, right? The next day, she completed her midterms and headed back to the dorm. Ryo called and texted her but she ignored him. Marron questioned her, but she w as vague with her responses, telling her she had a fight with her mom and that she didn't want to talk about it.

"One of your children are going through one of the most frightening moments of their lives and all you have to say is 'abort it'?"

She chose her words carefully when she asked her mother that question. It could have accounted for her or her brother.

There were few people that Bra could talk to, those few people consisting of Pan and Goten since the three of them were the only ones that were in the loop.

Goten stayed after school to work on his model for the landscape and home design fair. After receiving a call from Bra, he told her to meet him in his classroom since the professor allowed him to work alone for as long as he needed.

Bra eased the classroom door open, unsure if it was the right room. She saw Goten sitting with his back towards her, working away on a beautiful model.

"Goten, did you make this?" She was in absolute awe. The house was a two story country home with a green yard lush with fake shrubbery and trees.

"Oh, yeah. It's for a competition on Friday..." He scratched the back of his head, wondering if she actually liked it or if she was just being polite.

"Is it okay if I look around?" She wanted to give him some space to finish the patio he was working on.

"Go for it."

The walls and shelves were covered in blueprints, models, and intricate sketches. She paced around, her eye drawn to certain works.

"That one was a bathroom design quiz. We had a half hour to throw it together, not my best work."

She didn't even know the current sketch she was looking at belonged to him, since none of them had names. "Goten, I didn't know you were such an artist. This is really nice stuff. You're really good at this." She wasn't being nice, she was being as honest as she could be. "And that," She pointed at his current model. "That must have taken you months to work on. I mean, it's so detailed and the colors mesh so well together."

"Actually, started building it about a month ago. Thanks for the compliment though." She actually liked his work. He couldn't explain the sense of pride that was building up inside of him. She pulled up a chair and asked questions, listening as he pointed out his reasoning for certain woods and colors and greenery. She was amazed by how sagacious he was regarding his field of study.

They were both startled as her phone sounded off. "Ah, sorry!" She viewed the screen and hit the ignore button. "It's Ryo." She slid it back into her pocket.

"Shouldn't you answer it?"

She shrugged. "No, it's okay." Before the incident with her mother, she had been doing some thinking about her relationship with Ryo. She wasn't upset because he wouldn't ask her out, she was upset because she didn't want to be his girlfriend. There was one man she wanted, and he happened to be sitting right in front of her at the moment.

All those times that she felt like Ryo was toying with her, it was actually the other way around. She was the one that let go of his hand. She was the one that canceled dates and ignored his calls.

Ryo made her feel happy, but not in a romantic sense. It was a strong friendly vibe that his personality emitted. She would have to let him down easy, she just didn't know how. The last thing she wanted was to lose his friendship.

"Hey, Bra... Are you pregnant?" Bulma's speculation was still pulling at the back of his mind.

"You too? Wait, what makes you think I'm pregnant?"

"I got a visit from your mom the other day. She told me you're pregnant, suspected me of being the father, and behind the insults, basically wants me to stay away from you."

Bra growled in frustration. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Midterms week. You have enough on your plate."

"Goten, you're too damn thoughtful sometimes. And no, I'm not pregnant." He felt a wave of relief wash over him by her confirmation. "Last week, Ryo and I went shopping at Miki house and bought Pan some baby stuff. My mom found the transaction on the bank statement and she accused me or Pan of being pregnant. I told her it was me, and she cut me off."

Goten's hands stopped their work and rested on his knees. "Why did you take the blame? It takes two people to make this happen, she should know that her son isn't an angel."

She nibbled on her lip, wondering if she should fully disclose her mother's plans with Gohan's employment. "If she suspected it was Pan, she would take it out on your brother, Goten. I..." She paused as she raised her eyes upward, trying to knock the tears back. "I'm sorry my mom's such a monster, Goten. I don't know what happened." She wiped the tears as they cascaded from her sad, blue eyes.

Goten scooted his chair to close the inches of space between them and pulled her into his chest. "Don't be sorry. You're not responsible for her. She's going through a rough time right now and she's taking it out on everybody."

Bra pulled away from him as she regained her composure. A laugh escaped her throat as a thought crossed her mind.

"What's so funny?" He asked.

"Why would she think you're the father?" After thinking it over they both laughed.

"Beats me." He shrugged. "She said she could tell something happened between us from when you saw me at your first tennis meet and almost choked." He nudged her teasingly.

"I did not choke! You just threw me off." Her smile flattened into a line as her mood grew more serious now. "Whatever she told you, insults and what not, don't listen to her. She tells me stuff too and I just have to ignore it. You're a phenomenal guy, Goten. And you're so talented. Any girl would be lucky to have you as their baby daddy."

After coping with their difficult situation through humor, Bra stayed to watch Goten complete his model. That white building on that green property brought a sense of comfort to her. It was such a simple yet classy looking home. Her imagination even took it a step further as she imagined her standing with her two kids on the patio, with Goten strapped in a tool belt working on a minor fix with the railing.

Feeling the heat run to her cheeks, she shoved her imagination aside and hid her face, hoping he didn't notice. But he didn't. His steady eyes were fixed on the balcony, brushing up the final touches.

Throughout the increasingly hard times they were all facing, she could feel herself falling more and more for Goten Son. This was more than coveted feelings she tried to force towards Ryo. It wasn't a petty crush anymore. Her heart, her gut, her cheeks, and her dreams were all telling her something.

This was real.