Chapter 1--Chance Encounters

Chante, thank you soooooo very much for all your help! With out you, there would be no story, lol or disclaimer. (O.o. and look for a surprise at the bottom)

Disclaimer- Roses are red, Violets are blue. I no own, you no sue. *smirl*

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Bulma Briefs sat at her breakfast table, staring out the bay windows, watching the choppy waves roll into the shore. She sighed and set her coffee cup back onto it’s matching saucer. ”Almost Christmas,” she whispered to no one but herself. “I wonder if it will snow, Dad always liked snow.” Tears began to well in her crystalline eyes, but she blinked them back and posted a fake smile on her face; all purely out of habit. When the blue haired beauty remembered her large cottage was empty, she let the smile fade and the tears fall. “Mom, Dad, why did you leave me? I didn’t ask for this!” Bulma laid her head down and sobbed into her arms. Memories, all at least seven years old, flooded her mind. It was like a slide-show of her parents final year playing in her head. One of the first “slides” was her 18th birthday party. That was the night she had met her best girlfriend, Chante. Bulma’s parents had invited investors to her birthday party, and Chante was the only other person close to her age there. It was through Chante that Bulma had met Mandy, Adam, Yamacha, Juuahachi, Juunana, Jeremy, and Krillen. They had saved her life that first Christmas…

Bulma sat bolt upright and shook her head violently, she didn’t want to remember! She couldn’t, not right now. But, as is so often the case, her subconscious did exactly what it wanted and pulled up the most painful experience of Bulma’s life, her parents’ death. The always traveling couple had booked a private jet to America, but the plane had exploded over the ocean. The headlines buzzed through her head, “World’s Wealthiest Couple, Dead!--18 year old daughter gets all” Next had been the rumors, claims that the Briefs were close to bankruptcy, the Doctor had major mob connections, and so on. Bulma shook her head once more, and this time the memories faded, all but one. That first Christmas. That was the night she learned how amazing her friends were. They had chosen to forgo their own Christmas Day plans to spend time with her, but had to spend Christmas Eve at home. Bulma had put on a big smile and reassured them that she was fine and it had been five months, she‘d be fine on her own. One by one her friends had left, and the large house had lost all of its former cheer. She had eventually found her way into the liquor cabinet. She downed several shots of vodka, chased those with shots of whiskey, and then chased those with a few final tequila shots. The alcohol had only served to make her more depressed and the small scar on her right wrist would forever be the reminder of what too much alcohol could do. Chante and Juunana had found her laying on the dinning room floor, in a pool of vomit and blood. Chante started calling friends and Juunana moved her to the shower and bandaged her cut wrist. They both decided not to call the authorities because they knew the press would have a field day with a story like that. Juuhachi and Jeremy had shown up next, followed immediately by Mandy, Adam, Yamacha, and Krillen. When Bulma finally came to two hours later, she had broken down in tears. “What are you guys doing here? I wanted to die, to be with my family!” She shouted angrily at the group huddled around her, then her senses returned to her, and she dropped her eyes and whispered, “How did you find me, why did you come back?”

“Well, Juunana and I called and when no one answered we decided to come check on you. Aren’t you glad we are so nosy? Besides, Bulma, we are your family.” Chante laid down in the bed next to Bulma, and they others arranged themselves all around the king size bed.

As the memory faded the aqua haired woman let out a small giggle, “I never knew nine people could fit in one bed and sleep comfortably. I have such amazing friends. And I did mange to make enough money to live on forever by selling Capsule Corporations. 24.7 million, and capsule royalties. Bulma you are lucky, lonely, but lucky none the less.” The slim woman carried her soiled dishes to the sink and headed down the stairs to take a shower.

While she showered the logical side of her brain started talking, “See Bulma, what more could you need? You have a very healthy bank account, friends that adore you, beauty, a great personality, and brains. All that at 25. You have it all. Everything.”

Then the emotional side, the one only friends saw, came out, “Right Bulma. Everything. Everything but love.”

“No, Chante, Mandy, and the rest, they all love you.”

“But they don’t Love you. To have a family again, that would be love. Then you would have everything,” the sentimental side sighed.

Bulma finished washing her hair and body and stepped out of the shower, refreshed and ready to start her day. “Well, it is already the 23rd. I need to do a little Christmas shopping, hmm…better, make a list. Lets see here,” as she started to comb out her long aqua hair, Bulma made a mental note of all her friends. “Yamacha, Juuhachi, Krillen, Mandy, Chante, Juunana, Jeremy, and Adam. Well I know what to get everyone but Chante and Juunana. Have to look around the mall. Maybe I can find something for myself too!”

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The incessant beeping of an alarm broke through the silence of the little country home. After a few moments, the tiny alarm’s volume raised a notch, sending louder beeps through the house. This effort earned nothing but a grunt and a misplaced slap from the still asleep man. When he realized his slap had not stopped the annoying sound, he forced one eye open. The clock’s timer read 6:45 A.M. “Ug…why did I set it so early?” he moaned to himself. Goku finally reached over and slapped the snooze button, then pulled the covers back over his head. Unknown to him a pair of wide-awake eyes watched him from a crack in the door. When the mysterious peeper felt the time was right, he pounced. “Oomph!” Goku’s head shot out from under the blanket, only to be met by the smiling face of his four year old son, Gohan.

“Daddy!! Wake up! We have to go Santa shopping. You promised!” The tiny black-haired boy lay his head down on his father’s chest, his arms and legs draped over Goku’s waist and hips.

Goku reached and affectionately ruffled his pride and joy’s hair, “Well then I guess I should get out of this bed and make some breakfast. Santa shopping huh? Well Gohan, a promise is a promise. Hop off and we’ll get ready.” The little boys face lit up with happiness and he gave his father a quick hug and then jumped off the bed. Goku laughed as he watched his little man run towards the kitchen, then a dark, unhappy, look crossed his handsome face. “An empty kitchen,” he muttered softly, “Just like the empty bed.” The spiky haired man looked at the double occupancy bed that now only held one, and asked himself the questions that had plagued him for a year and a half, “Why did you have to go? What did I do wrong? Oh Kami Chi-Chi, how could you leave me, no Us, like this?” Today, for the first day since the incident, no tears fell. Goku simply squared his shoulders and vowed to himself and Kami that he would find happiness and love once more.

A loud thud and childish laughter coming from the kitchen woke him from his reverie. The black eyed man smiled, stretched, and got out of bed, preparing himself for the mess he knew awaited him. Sure enough, a bottle of orange juice lay on the floor and two eggs sat crushed on the counter. The guilty party sat on his stepstool smiling a little sheepishly. “Well Gohan, I see you tried to make breakfast. Thank you very much, but I think we should just have cereal. You do want to get to the mall, don’t you? We need to get our Santa shopping done so we have a good list ready for Christmas Eve.”

The kind-hearted father laughed out loud as his son began dancing around the kitchen chanting “Santa shopping” in a sing-song voice. Goku sat two bowls, two spoons, and two glasses on the kitchen table. “Okay Gohan, what’ll it be today? Hmmm…how about Lucky Charms?”

“Yeah!” Gohan then started a new dance and chant of “Lucky Marshmallows!”

Goku poured milk and cereal into the bowls and milk into the each glass. “Alright Go, time to eat.” The little boy ran to his seat, climbed up, and immediately began eating. Goku would have been very happy, except for the fact that Gohan was using his fingers and just eating the marshmallows! “Hey, listen Go, you have to eat more than just the marshmallows.”

“But I don’t like the rest.”

“Well I’ll make a deal with you. Eat all of your cereal and after Santa shopping you and I will go out to eat. How does that sound?”

“Yeah!”

Goku nodded and went back to eating his own cereal. “Maybe today will be more fun than I thought.”

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Okay! That is all for chapter one of Chance Encounters. What do you think? Review and tell me. Oh, and sorry it is short, this is really just an introduction to the two main people and their lives. Santa shopping is what my parents did to find out what we wanted. They take you to a store, let you pick out all the toys you want for Christmas and then write it down. Then they tell you if you leave the list out on Christmas Eve, Santa will give you what is on your list. Fun!!

*digs in pocket* Okay, lets see what I’ve got today…*pulls out a snorkel, a pancake, and finally a crumpled piece of paper* Ah hah! There it is. Ahem *reads in news announcer voice* Today’s chapter was sponsored in part by:

Vegetas-Princess and her Wonderful collection of fics, including (but not limited to) Heroes, Everybody Says I Love You, The Vow, and Deadly Obsession.

Belle Sourire and her lovely stories Matter of Pride and Tale As Old As Time.

And in part by reviewers like you!

O.o. and check out these authors too! See Jane Conform, Secretsquirl, Nekoni, Illusory, Moon Fairy, and W-chan.

Not a new chapter, I just did a little touch up! Keep reviewing!