Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Through Thick and Thin ❯ Pick and Choose ( Chapter 1 )

A/N: I'm reposting this on MM.org because the "edited" version wasn't actually edited at all. It still had tonnes of typos and grammatical errors that I somehow missed. Maybe I should get a beta.... Either way, I've spent more time editing it this time so I'm reposting it. There are probably still a few mistakes but hey, no one's perfect.

This fic is also no longer up on FF.net for reasons I can no longer remember. So I'm reposting it there too.

Now you're probably asking "Why?" right? "Why bother fixing up a fic that's a year old that you were proud of at the time despite the errors? No one else really seemed to care." Maybe because this fic is the Apple of My Eye? ;-)

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--THROUGH THICK AND THIN--

--Chapter 1--

--Pick and Choose--

She giggled happily as she rolled down the snow bank and landed on her back in the fluffy white substance. Her father raised an eyebrow at her but said nothing. She had no idea how her mother had managed to get him out of the gravity room to shovel snow, of all things, but it was good for her. Now she could go outside and play since there would be adult supervision.

The six year old had been wanting to go outside since she had woken up that morning and seen that there had been a snowstorm the previous night, but her mother was too busy running her company, the Capsule Corporation, and trying to keep up with the Christmas rush, which seemed to happen earlier and last longer every year. Her brother had disappeared for the day. He was at the mall with Goten, supposedly Christmas shopping, but Bra had once heard Marron say he went to pick up girls. She wasn't exactly sure what that meant; it was obvious he was strong enough to pick up something much heavier than a girl. Was it some type of bizarre training?

Her father had been entirely out of the question when it came to watching her outside. Though she was young, she had already learned that if you had no intention of joining him, it was best not to interrupt her father when he was training. But once he had come in for lunch, her mother had made him shovel the walkway and take his daughter out with him.

She scrambled up to the top of the white bank, and prepared to slide back down. Bra Briefs, she thought, world champion snow bank slider, going for the gold! Diving onto her stomach, she practically flew down the hill and into the snow at the bottom.

She laughed and lay in the snow for a moment before standing, brushing the snow from her snow-pants and readjusting her hat. Then she rushed over to her father.

"Papa, will you build a snowman with me?" she asked.

The flame haired man stopped his work only long enough to glance at the azure-eyed girl. "I'm busy," he said gruffly, and resumed working.

"Please, Papa? Please?"

Again he stopped, and he realized too late it was a mistake to do so. Had he continued working it would have been easier to ignore her.

Though he would never confess to it, he couldn't refuse his daughter. Not Bra, the girl who was identical to her gorgeous mother, his mate. Not Bra, the girl who was innocent yet conniving at the same time. Not Bra, the girl who was part Saiya-jin, yet had hardly any strength at all in comparison to himself and his son. Not Bra, the girl who had him wrapped around her finger, and knew it. Simply not Bra.

He sighed. "Maybe when I'm done. Maybe." Though he stressed the 'maybe', both he and Bra knew that the word meant nothing. He couldn't lie to her. Not to Bra.

Bra smiled and clapped her mitten-clad hands. "Thanks, Papa!" she said. She rushed off and ran through the snow for a few moments, before throwing herself onto the ground and making a snow-angel.

Wondering how his daughter had talked him into playing with her again, the short but powerful man continued to shovel the walkway.

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It was dusk when they stamped through the door, each covered head to toe in snow, and both their faces red enough to be mistaken for a tomato. From his place on the couch, seventeen year old Trunks looked up. He had long since returned from the mall, though neither Bra nor Vegeta could recall seeing him walk up the driveway. "Have fun?" he asked, intentionally looking directly at his father, the hint of a smirk gracing his features.

Vegeta's face darkened. He was a Saiya-jin prince, and he didn't have fun. Or so he claimed. Though he'd never admit it, there was never a dull moment when he was with his daughter.

"We sure did!" Bra shouted, pulling her mittens and hat off. "Didn't we, Papa?"

Vegeta merely grunted as he kicked off the boots his mate had purchased for him, having insisted his white training ones weren't warm enough, and threw them in the corner. Trunks snickered as he turned back to the television.

As could be expected as of late, the winter Olympics were on, and the lavender haired teen had no intention of changing the channel to one of his sister's 'baby shows,' as he often put it. Not that Bra particularly minded. She was actually enjoying the Olympics. This year was the first winter competition she could recall seeing.

"We were wondering when you'd decide to join us again." The sentence was followed by a slight giggle, and Bra rushed up to her mother, tracking slush through the house as she did so.

"Guess what, Mama! Papa helped me build a snowman!"

The woman's eyebrows flew up in surprise, and she looked at her husband. Vegeta avoided eye contact as he took off his jacket and walked away. Bulma's gaze followed him as he retreated up the stairs, her brows knitting together. Though she was glad Vegeta was actually doing things other than training, she felt that he was going about it all wrong.

It was no secret Vegeta favoured Bra. When Trunks had been her age, Vegeta wouldn't have dreamed of building a snowman with him, not for nothing, anyway, and even then the boy's chances were slim. But he did anything and everything with Bra. Though it wasn't a written rule, it was common knowledge that parents didn't show favouritism towards their children. And although Trunks seemed unaffected by the attention Bra received from their father, Bulma knew it hurt him and she tried to do as much as she could with him. But he was a teenager and needed a male role model, and the most obvious choice seemed not to notice him ninety percent of the time. And just when things were looking up, Bulma thought.

"Trunks, will you set the table?" Bulma asked as she walked back into the kitchen. She and her mother were preparing dinner.

"In a minute," Trunks replied, "Japan is leading in speed-skating."

"I'll do it, Mama," Bra offered, placing her jacket on the chair, then following her mother into the kitchen. She was only allowed to set up the cups, but she still felt as though she were helping extensively. Bulma motioned towards the six glasses set on the counter and Bra took two, one in each hand, and hurried out to the dining room. Trunks came in shortly after and grabbed the utensils and plates.

Bulma watched her children set the table together, and a sad smile creeped up onto her face. Together, she thought. He needs to do something with them together.

"Something wrong, dear?"

Bulma jumped as her mother placed a hand on her shoulder, then shook her head. But for all her lack of intelligence, Mrs. Briefs could tell when something was wrong -- and now was one of those times. Though the smile never left her face she looked doubtful, and Bulma sighed, leaning against the kitchen counter.

"Yes," she conceded, "there is something wrong."

Though she didn't speak and the smile still remained, Mrs. Briefs had a look that said she was open to Bulma's story.

The president of the Capsule Corporation sighed again. "You know how Vegeta favours Bra. It's always been extremely obvious but lately it's been happening less and less. Vegeta and Trunks have been spending more time together, even if it's only training in the gravity room. But today Vegeta and Bra built a snowman together and he still spends way too much time with her by comparison. Vegeta never did anything like that with Trunks. Even if he did... prefer Bra over Trunks, he shouldn't make it so obvious."

Mrs. Briefs didn't say anything. She knew exactly what Bulma was talking about; she had seen it herself. But the favouritism went both ways. Though Bra cared for her mother, the love she felt towards Vegeta exceeded what she felt for Bulma by enormous amounts. Is Bulma aware of that? the blonde wondered.

Bulma exhaled, clearly exasperated, as she scooped up the chopped onions that were sitting on the cutting board and tossed them into the large salad bowl. Glancing around, Mrs. Briefs found there was nothing else to be done. Poking her head out the door, she hollered for her husband and Vegeta.

"Bokusa! Vegeta! Dinner's ready!"

Bulma picked up the salad bowl and carried it to the dinner table where Bra and Trunks were already seated, eager to begin eating. Mrs. Briefs and a couple of house bots brought in the remainder of the meal.

Dr. Briefs came in shortly after and seated himself, digging into the food almost as eagerly as Bra and Trunks had. Bulma smiled, sure that her father had forgotten about both breakfast and lunch. Though he was much older he still loved inventing, and would spend his days in the lab.

Though everyone noticed no one questioned Bulma as to why she was standing. She had yet to put some food on her plate and she was watching the stairs almost intently. The instant Vegeta came into view she strode quickly towards him.

He frowned at her as she approached and his frown deepened when she grabbed the sleeve of his shirt and hauled him up the stairs. She ignored his complaints as she walked away from the stairs and stopped a fair ways down the hall.

"What the hell are you doing?" Vegeta demanded.

"What the hell are you doing?" Bulma inquired angrily. "Again with the favouritism? How many times must we go through this? You can't just pick and choose!"

Vegeta frowned. "I've been spending time with the boy."

"And today you completely blew him off and built a snowman with Bra. I don't know if he even remembers, but didn't you promise to go somewhere with him today?"

Had he? Vegeta couldn't remember, but Bulma didn't dwell on it. "Today he went out to train with you, and returned five minutes later because you had told him he couldn't. Then this afternoon you played in the snow with your daughter."

That much he remembered. "So now I have to spend the entire day with the boy because I said I'd try to spend some more time with him?" Vegeta snapped. "Sometimes I'd rather train alone, then I don't have to worry about him."

Bulma snorted slightly. "You? Worry?" She snorted again.

Anger flashed across Vegeta's face. "You think I don't?" Vegeta snapped back. "If that's how you feel, then why are you here arguing with me about it?"

Bulma opened her mouth to argue but nothing came out, and she turned it into a frustrated growl instead. She turned on her heel and stalked down the stairs. Vegeta glared at her retreating back before turning and heading down the hall in the opposite direction.

Screw food, he thought angrily. I'm going to train.

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Much to Vegeta's surprise, Bulma was still awake when he finally decided to retire for the night. The bedroom light glared almost angrily out of the window as if to prove how the woman felt. Rolling his eyes, Vegeta entered the house and headed to his room.

The instant Vegeta had the bedroom door open a pillow hit him squarely in the face, immediately followed by a blanket. He took a couple staggering steps backwards into the hall. Pulling the pillow off his head, he looked up just in time to see Bulma slamming the door in his face.

His face contorted into unfathomable rage. It wasn't the first time he had been exiled from his bedroom but it hadn't happened for several years. At this time he didn't think he had done anything seriously wrong.

His lip curled back and he growled, preparing to argue with his woman through the door when he decided against it. Bra and Trunks are probably sleeping, he realized. I shouldn't wake them. And I've had enough of her bitching for today anyway. He glared venomously at the bedroom door and gave it a hefty bang with his fist before heading downstairs.

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A tear slid down her cheek at the bang on the door that reverberated through the walls. She really didn't want to kick Vegeta out; she remembered the last time she had done so and how she had missed going to sleep curled up against his chest, but she felt that he needed to learn not to show favouritism.

Hopefully this'll teach him, she thought as she lay down. Though he shouldn't need to be taught anyway.

The bed felt so big and empty without Vegeta beside her and she struggled to find sleep. She couldn't help but wonder if Vegeta was having as much difficulty as her. She had always thought he had cared, but did he really? Or did he still?

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A/N: Well, the end of chapter one. How was it? Good? Bad? Half decent? Leave a review or e-mail me at julyruby07@hotmail.com. Constructive criticism is welcomed, encouraged even, but please no flames (what's the point of a flame, anyway? O_o I've always wondered. It only makes the person look like an ass).

I've also come up with names for Dr. and Mrs. Briefs. I don't know how often they'll be used, but Dr. Briefs name was already needed:

Dr. Bokusa Briefs: Dr. Boxer Briefs

Kyande Briefs: Mrs. Candy Briefs (Mrs. Briefs just seems like a Candy to me ^_^)

Since this fic has already been written, there will probably be daily to every second daily updates, depending on whether or not I find time to get on the computer.