As some of you may know (if you follow my Tumblr), I have become a bit busy again with this latest semester that's just started. I intend to try and update when I can, but I cannot predict my schedule. I may be a bit before I am able to post another chapter. Just know that I am going to! I hope you all enjoy this one! :)

(P.S., If you ever get tired of waiting for another update, but want to read more from me, you can always feel free to check out my other active story, Finding Immortal... Wink wink, nudge nudge.)

;)

"Come on, son. This way." Vegeta was carrying a tree trunk that must have been half a meter in diameter over his shoulder. The sun was setting in the sky, and the saiyan prince had his head high as he strolled down the familiar avenue. The season was changing, along with Bulma's moods. Today her latest mood was rather pathetic and whiny, and she'd been moaning on and on about her body temperature. She complained that it was unbearably cold as she huddled under several blankets, like the mopey little thing she had become as of late, and Vegeta had gone out to gather firewood for his ailed fiancée.

"That's the park!" Trunks announced gleefully, hopping after his father as they went. The toddler had his arms full of various branches he'd collected, which piled so high that his blue eyes barely peeked out above them. "The park I love!"

"Yes, I know. But now isn't the time to play. Your mother is waiting for us."

"Will Mommy think we did a good job?" Trunks asked. His mother had been sick for so long, and he wanted to do anything he could to alleviate her woes. "Will she be better?"

"That is to be uncertain. You can never tell with that woman."

"She name is Mommy."

"Her, boy. Her. Her name is Bulma, and she is a woman."

"No. Her name is Mommy." Trunks shuffled the sticks in his arms as he spoke, and his voice had such a condescending undertone that it made Vegeta give him a side-glance. "Mommy is Mommy. Not Woman. Not Buma."

"It's BULMA, son." Vegeta sighed. "You speak so boldly for such a young boy, you know that?"

"That's 'cause I'm a big boy." Trunks shrugged. His father always said things like this, but he didn't care. Trunks was right, and he knew it. Dad was just trying to fluster him!

.

Curled up on the couch, Bulma was burying her face into the thick comforter that she hid under. The temperature had dropped 30 degrees that day, and she hadn't been able to stop shivering, no matter how many layers of clothes she put on. She let out a sigh of relief when she heard the front door swinging open.

"Mommy!"

"You're back!" Despite how cold she was, the Bluehead threw off the blanket and made a dash for the foyer.

It had been two weeks since that fateful visit with the doctor, and seeing that sonogram had changed something inside. Now, more than ever, she was especially attached to her son. Everything he did, she wanted to be there for, eager to get as much quality time with him as she could before another baby changed the dynamic. Even when he had just left to fetch firewood with Vegeta, Bulma had been anxiously missing that toddler. It didn't matter how cold she was - Bulma was happy he was home, and she let out a maternal squeal as soon as she saw him. "Trunksie, my little man!"

"Dahh-d is outside!" Trunks announced stoically. He loved it when his Mommy called him Little Man. It made him feel big, smart, and important. His thick cheeks puffed out as he tried to make a serious face - the kind that his father always did - but it only made him look even younger. "Dahh-d said he cutting the wood!"

"Did he get a lot?" Bulma was starting to shiver – she really wanted to get back under her blanket - and she began to lead the lavender tot to the living room.

"He got a biiiiiig tree! And now he cutting to make it little!"

"Yay!" Bulma grinned. Soon the house would be filled with the comforting heat of a well-kept fire, and she couldn't wait. She needed that warmth! Blankets and sweatpants just weren't doing it for her! "Looks like you got a lot of wood too, Trunks!"

"I did." Trunks tried not to sound too excited as he replied. He was, after all, a little man. He needed to sound experienced, and wise. "I got lots, all for Mommy."

"Aww! Thank you!" Bulma would have hugged him, but his arms were full.

It wasn't long before the back door opened, and into the living room walked Vegeta. His own arms were filled with thick bricks of wood, which he carried to the chimney before tossing them in. "Okay, boy. Now come add the ones you got."

Trunks had been waiting for his moment to shine. He went hopping for the fireplace, and in an exaggerated show of strength, he let out a loud groan as he threw his sticks onto the pile. He sighed, as if this had been the hardest thing he'd ever done in his life, before raising both hands in the air. "There! All for Mommy!" He sang, jumping back for the Bluehead.

"Oh-kay, then…Strange boy…" Vegeta pointed a finger at the wood, and with one quick push of electric energy, the room was lit with the soothing glow of a healthy fire. He stepped back to examine his work, cocking his head to a side as he considered whether or not he should add another chunk of wood to the flames.

"Wow!" Bulma grinned. She pulled the blanket from the couch and draped it around her back, before dropping to her knees and finally wrapping her arms around her little son. "You make that look so easy!"

"It is easy." Vegeta's smirked.

"I always have the hardest time getting a fire that big." She pulled Trunks closer to the fireplace, where she sat with him in her lap, dreamily admiring the golden embers that danced about in front of her. "I'm so impressed with my men…"

"I'm a big man, Mommy?" Trunks was ecstatic. He turned around in his mother's arms, so he could hug her back, giggling as he buried his face in her collar bone.

"You're a little man – your Daddy is the big one."

"Ghdnnn-" Vegeta growled. He continued his glare at the fire, as Bulma coddled their son beside him. The embers swayed and popped in a messy dance, and it was quite mesmerizing to watch. It was surprisingly hard to avert his gaze, but he finally did so he could glance down at the Bluehead. "There, all is well now? Feeling better?"

"Yeah…" She had such a relaxed smile on her face – the kind that always made Vegeta's breath hitch when he saw it. This was exactly why he'd been working so hard for the last several weeks while she'd been sick. That smile was his favorite reward.

"I'm going to go train." He mumbled. "Let me know if you need anything else."

"Mmm… thanks, Veg…"

The Saiyan stepped over his two family members, giving them a long look at he went. That beautiful smile was still on Bulma's face, and she was staring to lean to the side as she nuzzled her cheek on the top of Trunks' head. 'Those two will be passed out when I finish,' Vegeta thought, as he turned around the corner.

He stepped into the gravity room with a sigh of relief. It was 5 P.M. already, and finally he was going to fit in a workout for the day… Ever since Bulma's pregnancy had come into fruition, Vegeta was finding himself training less and less. It seemed that with each passing day she needed more assistance, be it with herself or with the boy. On some days she was so sickly that she could hardly leave the bed, and that was when she needed him the most. It seemed that the Saiyan was always doing something; fetching Bulma a glass of water, finding a snack for Trunks, taking Trunks to the park when the child got too stir crazy, catching their nightly meal since the Bluehead was no longer cooking, instructing Trunks to either go to bed, stop crying, or clean up his toys… It seemed that the list was never ending.

The most recent task, of course, had been fetching firewood so he could prepare a fire for the shivering Woman…

… It always amazed him how sensitive to cold she truly was. And it always amazed Vegeta to think of how much he was doing for this woman, and for his son. Never, not in a million years, would his younger self have ever imagined that he would become such a faithful assistant to anyone, especially some woman… But, she wasn't just some woman, and Vegeta wanted to tend to her needs. He saw how pathetically tired and nauseated she had become, and he desired nothing more than to have a way to make it all disappear. Just as he had been thinking in the living room, the idea of her being so content with that damned cozy smile on her face was incentive enough for him to give up hours of training just to make her even a little more comfortable.

Even now, as he powered through a serious of one-armed pushups, he couldn't stop thinking about how good it made him feel to know he'd made her less miserable. Why, as she'd sat in front of that fire, she'd even looked happy! As if she'd completely forgotten about how painful her stomach convulsions had been that morning…

And what more, the idea of her producing another child?

Seeing that sonogram with her in that doctor's office had been such an unexpected experience. Awe-struck, horrified, protective, and amazed, Vegeta had stared at that screen until the doctor had shut off the machine. It was easy enough to distance her condition from reality – to tell himself that the child wouldn't be around for several more months – but no. The child was here now. It was in that woman, and the only thing separating it from them was the layers of flesh and organs that cocooned it in wait. Her body was growing something, mending it, producing it at the very moment, and it was no wonder that she acted so completely beside herself these days.

"I no longer have one, but two… two heirs…" Vegeta grunted, when he was supposed to have been counting through his set of pushups. He couldn't believe it – two children. Two offsprings! Two living creatures that blended both his and Bulma's DNA… It had been conceived by the two of them… And something about that was just so remarkable...

.

Just as Vegeta predicted, when he finally stepped out of the gravity room, he found Bulma and Trunks asleep on the living room floor. Her arm draped over the child, Bulma had wrapped the both of them under the blanket before they'd finally passed out. In front of them the fire had died to a soft wave, which was lulling dimmer and dimmer as Vegeta approached. He crouched down, put a hand to Bulma's shoulder, and prodded as gently as he could. "Hey."

"Mmm?"

"Wake up... Come upstairs to bed..."

"Huh?" Bulma sighed before outstretching her arms. "What time is it?"

"Probably 12. Come on. I'll take the boy."

"No..." She pushed herself up. "You've done enough today... Let me..."

"Can you even walk straight?" Vegeta watched as she stood up, her knees wobbling as she caught her balance. "You look like you're still asleep."

"I'm okay..." Bulma bent down over her son. "Trunks... Hey, little man..."

"No, no, mommy!" Trunks moaned, his eyes still clamped shut. "No pickles!"

"Sshh..." She scooped him into her arms with a groan, before turning for the stairway. "Come on... Time to go... You need to wake up so you can brush your teeth."

Watching them disappear upstairs, Vegeta listened as she carried him into the bathroom. He thought those two were so out of it that they might as well give up on their hygienic routines for the night, but who was he to tell them not to? He was surprised that they hadn't fallen asleep on the stairs on the way. Feeling worn out, himself, Vegeta went for the bedroom, brushed his teeth in the master bathroom, changed into a clean pair of boxers, and crawled into bed. He lay in the dark for 20 minutes before Bulma walked in and groggily crawled beside him.

She lay with her back to his chest, and he put an arm around her to pull her into an embrace. The Bluehead sighed from this gesture, relaxing into his body, and she moaned. "I feel so unlike myself this time around…"

"Mm…" He grunted back. What was he supposed to say?

"I had my moments when I was pregnant with Trunks, but this time? It's awful… Like a hangover that'll never end…"

"It's just a few more months." Vegeta mumbled. "Won't the illness pass when the infant is born?"

"I hope there's nothing wrong with me. What if I feel this horrible because something's going wrong?"

"What do you mean?"

"With the baby, what if-"

"Bulma." He cut her off. "You were just at a doctor, who told you that everything was as it should be. You are both healthy."

"I know, but I can't help feeling like-"

"Kakarot's woman was miserable during her gestation, and everything turned out fine for them."

"Maybe, but..." Bulma twisted anxiously under Vegeta's hold. "I just don't feel good about this. I wish you'd let me tell you about it, instead of just cutting me off."

"Bulma..." In the dark, Vegeta's eyes were shut. He grumpily scowled, wishing they could both just go to sleep. "I have listened to you confess the same thing each night since that doctor's visit. I can only say so much. I am a man, understand? Perhaps if you would just tell your mother, or Kakarot's woman, you'd have more relief."

"It's not time to tell them, yet!" She pulled the blanket higher to cover her ears. "I didn't get to tell my mom when I was pregnant with Trunks, and I want to do it my own way this time. Did you know they have pregnancy reveal parties these days? I want to do something like that, once I start feeling better."

"And when will that be?"

"Well, Friday marks the end of my first trimester, so I should hopefully have more energy any day now."

None of this meant anything to the saiyan prince. Trimester? What in the hell was that, and why would it have anything to do with her physical condition? "What about our marriage ceremony?" He groaned. "I haven't heard one thing from you about that, yet you want to plan this pregnant party instead?"

"This is more time-critical." She explained. "And I do want to plan the wedding, but that requires going to look at venues, and dress fittings, and cake tasting... I can't do any of that like this."

"How long is it going to take?"

"Huh?"

"The wedding preparations." Vegeta grunted. "Once you finally start, how long will it take?"

"I've heard it can take some girls over a year to get it all arranged."

"A YEAR?! YOU'RE KIDDING ME!"

"Ssh - don't wake Trunks! That's just the business of it. You have to reserve a venue in advance, and the dresses take forever after you order them. A lot of details go into it, you know... It's not something that can just be done overnight."

"And yet you won't even get started." Vegeta had opened his eyes by now, and in the darkness he was glaring at the back of Bulma's head. "I figured you'd be a lot more enthusiastic about the betrothal, and you hardly care."

This made Bulma's eyes widen. She rolled over so she could face him, and she reached out to blindly grab for his face. Her palms settled on both of his cheeks, and she gave what she thought was an assuring smile. She couldn't see Vegeta, but she knew he could see her... "Veg... I want to marry you, understand?"

Silence.

"I promise I do... I just haven't been feeling myself lately, and I want to be able to enjoy the whole process of planning. Some girls spend their entire lives waiting to have a wedding. I don't want to look back on it and just remember how sick I felt."

"We have been together long enough as it is. When will you feel well enough to start the process? After the infant is born? Or, will you be too tired then, from the labor of caring for a newborn? I do not wish to wait several years for the marriage."

Now she was the one to fall silent at this. He made a good point...

"If you refuse to share the news of the pregnancy to your mother, you could at least start the marriage process with her." He continued. "It wouldn't hurt you to have something else to focus on. I know you haven't been working in the lab, either. You need something to do."

"Alright." Bulma said. In that moment she was feeling wretched. Vegeta really was eager for this wedding, wasn't he? She'd been so distracted with her own condition, that she hadn't stopped to consider his feelings towards the whole wedding. It wasn't fair for her to push it off indefinitely, when he was affected by it, too... In fact, she found it to be incredibly sweet to see just how impatient he was. He wasn't going to go right out and say it, but he really was excited for this, wasn't he? "You're right. I'll pay my mom a visit tomorrow, and I'll take Trunks with. You've done enough for us lately, you deserve a break from it all."

For the first time since laying together, Vegeta seemed to really relax. He eased against her hands that continued to hold his face, and he let of a satisfied sigh as he did so. Bulma decided then and there that she'd need to plan a little surprise for Vegeta, as well, to thank him for how supportive he'd been throughout this pregnancy so far.

But, what could she get him? What did you buy a man who had no care for material goods, and already had everything he needed? This was going to require a little bit of thought, but she would come up with something...

… The Bluehead listened as Vegeta's breathing grew deeper. She could tell by the wafts of his sighs that he was dangerously close to sleep, and she was hit was a slap of reluctance. Bulma always enjoyed the nightly conversations she had with Vegeta, when she two lay together so peacefully in the dark. She wasn't ready for this one to be over. Not quite yet...

"Hey, Vegeta?" She breathed, not wanting to speak too abruptly.

"Mm?"

"What do you... Think of the new baby?"

"Whaht do yrou meahn?" He slurred.

"Last time you predicted that Trunks would be a boy... What do you think about this one?"

"I dohn't knowh."

"Well... would you want another boy? How would you feel if it ends up being a girl?"

Silence.

Had he fallen asleep, anyway?

She waited to see if he would respond. Several seconds passed, and the only sound she heard were the deep breaths eliciting from his nostrils. Bulma was about to whisper her question again, just to confirm if he was still awake, when Vegeta finally spoke. He said it so clearly, his words no longer groggily slurred.

"Woman, the idea of having a daughter scares the ever-living shit out of me."

She smiled at this and closed her eyes. "Me too..."

"Mm."

"Hey, Vegeta?"

"Whaht?"

"I love you…"

"Mmm..."

.

The next day, Bulma did just as she'd promised. She spent 20 minutes dry heaving over the toilet, which had become routine for her, brushed her teeth, and carried Trunks next door to her parents' home.

Mrs. Briefs had been beside herself with joy to see her daughter and grandson, for the first time in weeks. "Ya know, it outta be a crime to go this long without stopping by and visiting your own motha!" She'd lectured. "Y'all never answer tha door when we come by! It's a crime, ya know!"

"I've been sick lately." Bulma explained. "Vegeta's been busy helping with Trunks, we lost track of time…"

"For a month?" Mrs. Briefs pried. "What are ya, pregnant or somethin'?"

"I've just been sick!" The Bluehead hoped her cheeks weren't turning red. She didn't want to lie to her mother, but this definitely wasn't how she wanted her to find out. She needed to quickly change the subject, before her mom was able to get any more suspicious. "Anyway, we came over because I thought you could help me out. I want to start planning my wedding with Vegeta."

"FINALLY!" Mrs. Briefs squealed. "We were so excited when ya'll came back from your trip and shared the news. I thought you'd wanna start makin' arrangements right away! What took ya so long?! Come on dear, I've got so many magazines I've been saving for you!"

With Trunks pleasantly distracted as he ran around the house and pretended that he was fighting monsters in a cave, Bulma sat with her mother and flipped through countless magazines. They spent hours examining so many different details – circling dresses that Bulma liked, highlighting designer names and fabrics, writing down lists of decorations and party favors. As time passed, it became more and more clear to Bulma that she was going to have to decide on a good theme for the wedding, in order to make the décor as seamless as possible, and she was quickly becoming overwhelmed.

"There's so much to decide on…" She announced. "So many different things, how am I ever going to get through all of this?"

"We're makin' progress, dear!" Mrs. Briefs assured. "The first major steps have gotta be decidin' on the venue, the dress, and the guest list. Once ya decide how many people you wanna invite, then we can find the perfect venue. We gotta lock the date in, after all!"

"Yeah…" Bulma breathed. "And then, the dress…"

"Oh, it'll be so fun! I'll call and make fitting appointments at a few stores. Don't worry, dear! You'll love it!"

But Bulma really was worried. How was she going to purchase a dress, when she didn't know if would even fit by the time the wedding came around? She had no idea how much weight she would gain during this pregnancy, or how long she would be pregnant for, or how much time she'd have to lose any weight after the baby was born. What would the point be in finding the perfect gown, when she had no idea how it would look on her in a few months?

This stress stayed with Bulma for the rest of the time she spent with her mom. And, when she returned back to her own home, she hardly smiled when Vegeta greeted her in the kitchen. The Saiyan seemed to be in an amazing mood, though, cheerfully boasting that he'd had the most productive day in training that he'd managed in a long time. His spirits only seemed to heighten when he saw that Bulma had brought food with her that Mrs. Briefs had prepared.

This was another thing that Vegeta would never admit, despite how obvious it was. He loved Mrs. Briefs' cooking. And he ravenously piled the food on his plate, digging in as if his life depended on it. The Bluehead watched the two boys in her life stuff their face, as she prodded her own plate nervously. All she could think about, when she stared down at her stewed meat, was the worry of being able to fit in that wedding dress. And the worry of finding a venue, and the hassle of ordering wedding invitations, and prospect of choosing table linens…

"Do you feel sick?" Vegeta finally grunted when he finished his plate, noting the anxious expression on his fiancée's face.

Bulma didn't want to confess to him about how stressed she was, so she simply nodded. "Yeah, actually… I think I'll go upstairs and take a hot bath for a bit…"

"Me too!" Trunks called. "Bath time with Mommy!"

"Son, not now." Vegeta said to the boy. "You'll have your bath later; your mother needs to have some time alone. You'll go upstairs and play in your room."

"But I wanna bath!" Trunks retorted. "With Mommy!"

"Not today, boy. Understand?"

"I'm a man!" Trunks corrected, with a huff. "A little man!"

Bulma had already stood and gathered the dirty dishes into her arms. She stopped by Trunks on her way to the kitchen, planting a kiss on his forehead. "I promise we can take a bath together tomorrow, okay?" She offered. "Listen to your Daddy. I need some time alone tonight."

"No fair!" Trunks crowed, but he sighed in defeat. Both of his parents were in agreement on what he should and shouldn't do that evening, and there was no point in trying anymore. After all, he didn't want to push it too hard, and risk losing his dessert cake!

After dropping the dishes off in the sink, Bulma gladly retreated to the upstairs bathroom. She slipped her clothes off and dropped them in the hamper, before giving herself a wary glance in the mirror. She could see that her stomach was already starting to protrude, and it made her even more uneasy about everything. She was going to have to hurry up and share the news with her parents, before the day came to go dress shopping. There was no way her mother wouldn't suspect her condition if she saw this…

"So much, and all at once…" The Bluehead groaned. She walked to the toilet and sat on it, ready to relieve her bladder before commencing with her bath. Bulma closed her eyes and waited, but she heard a strange noise that made her muscles tighten instead of relax.

It was a rustling that came from the closet, where she had just dropped her clothes into...

"No…" Her eyes flew open. It must have been her imagination – what would be in the bathroom closet? Still, she couldn't stop staring at the door. And sure enough, she heard it again. Another rustling, this time louder.

'No!' She thought, suddenly too scared to speak. 'Please tell me it isn't a-'

Just then, a blur of black came scurrying out from under the door. A large roach was running right for her feet, and she yipped! Why was it charging her so aggressively?!

"AHHHH!" Bulma screamed. With a speed that she didn't know she was capable of, the Bluehead jumped from the toilet and darted for the tub. She pulled the glass door closed as she crouched down low, watching in horror as the roach changed course and began its run for her latest location. "HELP ME!"

"What wrong!?" The door flew open. There stood a half-naked Vegeta, who had been in the middle of changing his clothes.

"Vegeta – VEGETA! There's a roach!" Bulma shook. "Make it stop! Don't let it get me!"

"Wh…" The Saiyan began, and he paused. "You mean to tell me you screamed like that over a tiny little bug?"

"It isn't just a bug! I HATE roaches!" Bulma wailed. The roach was crawling up the glass door now, making its way to the top. It would be no time at all before it was falling on her, and the Bluehead whimpered helplessly. "Make it stop! PLEASE! Get it away!"

"Mommy!" Trunks called. He'd arrived to the scene. "I'll help!"

But Vegeta was stepping in before the boy had a chance to. He walked right up to the shower door, reached a hand out to grab the roach, and glared when he attempt was unsuccessful. Just before he'd closed his fingers around the insect, it had opened its wings and taken off, flying across the bathroom and to the opened door.

Bulma was still screaming dramatically from where she sat, terrified that it might swing back around and come for her at any moment.

"Would you stop with that?! It's just a small bug!" Vegeta turned and ran from the bathroom, chasing the roach as it flew for the stairs.

"But I HATE roaches, especially when they FLY!" Bulma called from where she sulked.

"I got it, Dah-d!" Trunks yelled. Now was his chance to practice his flying, just like that little bug that scared Mommy was doing! He took off above his father's head, flying over the railing and into the living room. The black roach was making for one of the windows, but suddenly it changed course. In the blink of an eye it had reared around and was making a charge for Trunks. "Wah!" The toddler gasped, rearing back to avoid it flying in his face.

"Damn this stupid pest!" Vegeta hissed. He was standing on the living room floor now, looking up at the pathetic battle that was taking place between the bug and his son. "Boy, don't cower!"

"But it tried to hit me!" Trunks replied. "I am not cower!"

"It's just a roach, son!"

"But-"

The roach landed on the red curtain across the room. Vegeta charged for it, but, once again, it took off before he managed to grab it. If only he could just blast the nuisance away, without having to deal with the aftermath of the house being destroyed… "Son, come here."

Trunks landed by his father's feet.

"Listen to me, this calls for some strategy. Next time that roach lands, I want you to approach it with me. Stay perpendicular to where I am. That way, when it flies off again, you'll be at a good angle to catch it."

"What's perpindick?"

"Just follow my lead." Vegeta glared at he watched the roach buzzing around. Upstairs he heard as Bulma's frantic feet scurried from the bathroom to their bedroom, before slamming the door shut. He imagined her diving under the blankets in fear – the silly woman.

It was then that the roach landed on the floor, before shuffling under one of the recliner chairs. "Did you see that?" Vegeta asked. "And keep your voice down – the dreaded thing might be triggered by volume."

"It went under the chair!" Trunks whispered anxiously. "Over there!"

"Right. Now come along." Vegeta began to slowly step towards the furniture. He stopped at one side of the chair, gesturing for Trunks to stand on the other end to his right. "Good, boy… wait right there. Be ready to catch it… One… Two…"

Vegeta grabbed the arm of the chair and yanked it at an angle that only allowed the roach to flee in Trunks' direction. Ready and eager, the boy dove for the floor, cupping his hands over the pesty creature. "Got it!"

"Good." The Saiyan prince dropped the recliner back in its rightful position. "Now let's go outside and set it-"

"Mommy!" Trunks took off in the air, flying over the rails of the stairway. "Look, Mommy!"

"Get back here!" Vegeta barked, but the toddler had already disappeared from sight. He sighed, closing his eyes and shaking his head. There was no point in going after the child to stop him, for there would only be a short period of time before-

"Look, Mommy! I caught it!"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Hey, come back! Come back, roach!"

"AHHHHH! HELP ME! VEGETAAAA! HELP! AHHHHHH!"

"Damn it all to hell…" The Saiyan groaned, before taking off for the stairs. It didn't matter the day or time, there was always something going on in this house…

I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

I also wanted to make a note regarding the AN attached to the previous chapter. In no way was it meant to come off as a "woe is me" type of confession. I appreciate everyone's kind words, but I really want to make sure you all know that I am alright, I am happy, and I have been happy for a really long time. This year has had so many hardships, and through it all I am still so happy.

Rather than an appeal for pity, my last Author's Note was intended to be an example of how it is possible to rise again after getting a point where you may feel that you've hit rock bottom. I shared my story because I wanted to make it clear that this is not just a shallow phrase I am reciting - "it gets better" – this is something I have personal experience with. And when I was going through my hardest times, the ones where I would watch the sun rise with dread of what lay ahead for the day, one of the main things that motivated me to keep going was reading similar stories that other people have shared. They made me feel a little less alone… And I know how much it helped me. So, even if 99% of readers might roll their eyes and scroll past, if what I had to say resonated with just one person, that is all I could have ever wanted… I've received several DMs by some wonderful people… So many lovely messages, and comments, and I really appreciate all of you who shared your own stories or lists of things that make you happy. And it's true, you really are so great… I promise I am not just saying that. Certain sentences or phrases in messages do stand out to me and tell me so much about the person typing. I see a lot of kindness, a lot of care, a lot of intelligence, courageousness, humor, innocence, nobility, independence… I could list so many traits to describe you all as, but that might require an extra chapter!

Even if you don't recognize it, you have such a bright light that shines… The last thing I'd like to say on the subject is that I truly believe that change is the only constant in life. Time will always pass, and it discriminates against nobody. This may be discouraging at times, if you look at it in a certain way, but please remember how exciting that is! We have so much change to look forward to, no matter what! No situation is permanent. We will always carry on!

Let's not forget the famous lyrics of the Beatles, "It's getting better all the time".

I hope you all have been having an amazing new year so far! I hope to be able to post another update soon. Take care!