A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews and private messages! Sorry I haven't responded to some or recognized your reviews, but KNOW that every time I receive one I am oh so happy and grateful and it inspires me so much! I'm writing between being a full time student and full time employee so thank you for baring with me. Or is it bearing? Whatever. I enjoyed writing this chapter, hope you like!

:*: Restraint :*:

Goten felt his heart racing with anticipation as he followed behind Vegeta, away from the cold, concrete cells. He hadn't seen nor spoke to his family for over two weeks. His eagerness began to fade as he wondered just how long he would be away from this place for. There was actually a chance that he could be convicted, confined within these walls for decades.

His chest grew heavy at the thought.

After pushing a few buttons and sliding is badge, Vegeta held the guarded lobby door open for him.

Goten's feet hastened in pace as his eyes landed on his brother rising from the lobby chair. Without words, Goten threw his arms around his brother, neither of them able to speak.

Gohan was taken aback. He hadn't seen his brother look so scared and hopeless in his life, and he absolutely hated it.

"We're going to get you out of this, Goten. There's no way you're guilty."

"Let's just get out of here." Goten muttered, wishing he was as confident as his brother.

Gohan and Vegeta exchanged a nod as they went their separate ways.

xXxXxXx

Goten was greeted with warm, open arms as his mother and father ran outside to greet him in the driveway.

"Oh, my baby! I'm so glad you're back home." Chichi cried into his shoulder.

"It's good to see you too, mom. I'm going to go shower, I must reak of rapists and concrete." He said dryly as he slid away from his mother's arms and into the house.

Gohan shared a glance with his parents as they all cringed at Goten's not-so-humorous tone.

It turned his stomach as he realized just how much he had taken for granted. A warm house he was able to come home to, his own room, soap that didn't leave your skin feeling like rubber, showers without time limits, showering without other men around, procrastinating on that term paper because you knew that some day you were going to be somebody, to make something of yourself. Now he didn't even know if he had a future.

And it scared the hell out of him.

While dressing into a pair of pajama pants and a plain dark grey t-shirt, he could hear familiar voices murmuring from the kitchen and a familiar scent of beef pot roast dancing through the halls of the Son home. A seven month pregnant Pan was the first to rush him as he hesitantly entered the kitchen.

"Goten, It's so good to see you."

She tightened her embrace while he lightly patted her back. "Yeah, good to see you too."

Trunks studied Goten's guarded movements. It was as if he was uncomfortable with the way Pan was hanging on to him, his pats on her back meaningless gestures, just waiting for her to pull away from him.

"What is all this?" Goten questioned as Pan released her hold on him.

"Grandma ChiChi whipped up your favorite meal. Her infamous roast, potatoes with the red skins that you love and I hate, and of course..."

Pan trailed off as Goten's face narrowed at her. "Why?" He asked sternly.

"We just wanted to celebrate you being home, honey." ChiChi answered, confused.

"Yeah, you wanted to celebrate me being out for God only knows how long. Seventeen days. I only spent seventeen days in that damn hell hole and I already felt my sanity slipping. And you want to celebrate me spending fifteen years MINIMUM locked up? And you." His cold eyes drifted from his parents to Trunks who was still seated at the dining table. Pan stood behind him, placing her worried palms on his shoulders as Goten started in.

"How could your own sister accuse me of such bullshit? She's supposed to be my friend, not accusing me of fucking raping her! You Briefs are some really sick people. First your mother tried to sabotage my brother's career, then you go and knock up my niece, now this?!"

"Goten, calm down son." Goku stepped in while the others struggled to choke down the hard lumps in their throats.

Goten took a few seconds to consider being calm as his anger fought against the respect he had towards his father. "Just tell me this." His eyes met with Trunks again. "Where is she?"

The room was still, breathless. "Who?" Pan almost whispered, afraid to hear his shouting again. They had rarely seen him so upset, and this level brought tears to all of their eyes.

"Bra. If she's not against me, then why isn't she here at this celebratory dinner?"

Trunks stirred in his seat, clearing his throat. "She couldn't come."

Goten scoffed, his eyes digging into Trunks' blue for an explanation.

"There's a standing restraining order, Goten. I'm surprised your brother didn't tell you on the drive home. For any alleged victims in this matter there's an involuntary restraining order until the trial is over. No contact."

It broke his heart to watch Goten's expression drop. He was quiet as the entire room ached for him.

"Fine. Enjoy your dinner." He retreated back into his room without another word.

As the icy mood defrosted, Goku consoled his sobbing wife while Trunks traded seats with a tearful Pan, massaging her shoulders while he mourned for his best friend internally.

Their eyes shot to the kitchen entrance as two cheerful figures came through. "Sorry we're late, we stopped to get some wine." Videl showed off the pricey bottle to the saddened eyes in the room.

"What's wrong?" Gohan inquired demandingly. "Where's Goten?" After dropping him off, he had left to pick up Videl for the special dinner that ChiChi had prepared.

"He's in his room. He's not in a good mood right now, Gohan." Goku answered, rubbing his wife's back.

Gohan through him a baffled expression. "What do you mean? What happened?"

"He's scared. He has a right to be scared, any one of us would be if we were in his shoes. No matter what he says to us, we are still his family, you too, Trunks." Goku added, indirectly apologizing for Goten's low-blow jab at the Briefs family.

Their bittersweet dinner without the man of the hour consisted of utensil clinks against the glass plates and minimum conversation. Goten didn't stir from his room once.

"Let him rest. I'll be over tomorrow. Call me if you need anything." Gohan hugged his parents goodbye as he and the others departed.

xXxXxXx

Somehow, the Nagoya campus went about it's normal routine. Classes commenced, students laughed, and parties raged. Besides the new gossip, the students' lives went seemingly unaffected by the events that occurred over the winter break, except for Bra Briefs. She continued to attend the meetings with the lawyers alongside Valese. She continued to listen to the cruel things Valese had maintained about Goten's character. She continued to receive the verbal abuse from students around campus.

All for him.

She had to turn to the dark side to figure out Valese's motive. Why was this accusation in place? What was she gaining from it? It was way too big to be over a break-up. She sipped on her warm coffee from the coffee java hut as she waited for her next class to start.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the pathetic little Bra on campus." Bra's hardened eyes looked up from her coffee to Tundra and Mattis. Tundra returned the harsh stare while Mattis continued walking without her friend. "Everyone knows you've had such a crush on Goten. He finally pities you enough to give you some and you go and do this? Instead of having him locked up, you should be thanking him. I do question his taste though. Why would anybody want to keep pictures of you under their mattress?"

"Tundra! Come on let's go already!" Mattis called from afar.

Tundra snorted in victory as she left the blue haired girl on the brink of tears in front of the java hut.

It didn't help that she had another arranged meeting with the lawyers and Valese after school. She swiveled in her chair, tapping her pen against the wood table as today's events circled her mind.

"Valese." She didn't care that she had interrupted one of the suited men.

"Yeah?" They turned their attention to Bra.

"How long have you been friends with Tundra for?" She didn't know why she asked. Maybe she was going to ask Valese to tell her to quit spreading rumors. Maybe she would ask her to make Tundra and the cheerleaders stop vandalizing her car.

"Tundra?" Valese hesitated, uncertain as to why Bra was connecting Tundra to this meeting. "I barely know her. I see her around campus occasionally. We're not friends though. Why?" It wasn't a lie. Tundra and Valese weren't friends, they just knew of each other and shared some mutual friends. She only pulled her into the plot since she knew she was a bitch and that she hung out with Goten.

"Oh. Nevermind."

One of the suits entered the room after stepping out for a phone call. "Bad news." He shuffled his phone back into its hidden pocket. "He made bail."

"What?!" Valese nearly shouted.

Bra's eyes widened, her breath caught in her throat. He's out.

"It was over sixty-thousand, how the hell did he pay for bail?!" Valese scrambled her notes in front of her.

"Calm down ladies. We assure you that no contact will be made. In cases like these, there is a restraining order in place if the suspect makes bail. Until the trial is over, there is no contact to be made. Otherwise, another five years and instantaneous lock-up without the option of bail is enforced."

"And what if he breaks the restraining order? He's crazy I tell you. Bra, remember all the things I've told you about him?!"

Bra ignored her. Goten was out. She smiled at the thought. But what was this about a restraining order? Between Valese's frantic breathing and paper shuffling it was difficult to hear through her muted ears. Maybe she should have listened more carefully.

xXxXxXx

Maybe it was the long, hot shower. Or the anger and frustration that he was finally able to unleash. Perhaps the silent tears that escaped his eyes underneath the comforter of his bed. But sleep soon came for him even though the others were still in the kitchen, hoping he would come out to join them.

The winds were particularly active tonight, causing the branches of one of the backyard trees to scrape relentlessly against his window. He was exhausted enough to sleep through it, until the scraping turned into a rattling, tapping noise loud enough to awaken him at nearly midnight.

He groaned in frustration, mentally preparing himself to get up and cut the tree down then and there, until it finally stopped.

"Finally."

Then started again.

"God damn it." He threw the blankets from his body and angrily pulled the string to his window blinds to curse the tree. He gasped as the cause of the tapping and rattling stared straight at him. Without thinking, he pulled the window open. "What're you doing?! It's like twenty degrees out there!"

The shivering female shook her head in disagreement. "S-s-s-sixteen." She corrected him.

"Stand back." He instructed as he forced the screen from the window and motioned her to climb in.

Using a nearby planter as a step stool, Bra lifted herself through the window, her freezing body landing into his arms. He directed her to his bed and closed his window and blinds.

"Jesus, you're practically blue." He scolded her as he gathered his blanket from his bed and wrapped it around her. "What're you doing here?" He asked again, no anger in his voice, just surprise.

She struggled to speak with her teeth still chattering. She kept her eyes downcast, afraid to look into his.

Goten could see she was still shivering, her words came out as stutters. "Bra." Her name fell from his lips like a sweet melody. He wanted her to know that he would never hurt her. He needed her to know that he would never harm her in any way. "Bra, please look at me."

Her eyes slowly rose to meet his. He could see the color slowly return to her skin as the blanket warmed her. Tears brimmed her oceanic orbs, her lips curved as she stifled a sob.

He was finally here. And she was finally alone with him.

The tears escaped one right after the other. She jumped from his bed and wrapped her arms around his torso, nestling her face into his chest.

Goten was taken aback. The worries of the trial and the restraining order settled in now, but he fought them back as he embraced the woman against him.

Neither of them spoke as they held each other.

He felt her tears moisten his shirt as she felt his cascade down her neck.

It was as if they were holding each other for the first, and the last, time.