~Videl~

After spending the night at Sienna's, it was even harder to return to her empty private quarters. They had stayed up late watching TV shows, and talking about the characters in them. Sienna told Videl about her boyfriend who she was head-over-heels in love with. His name was Holt, and as far as Sienna was concerned, he was the hottest man on Titan. She said that he was almost through with his training course that would allow him to join the Titan Council's Security Detail, and that she couldn't wait for him to ask her to an event that was a couple weeks away called the Cotillion. Sienna sighed wistfully, telling Videl about the lovely white ballgowns and elbow-length gloves the girls would wear, and the way the guys always looked dashing in their white ties and dark suits. It was evident that Sienna saw it as something out of a fairy tale, the way she described it.

"You would never let me go on like this about the Cotillion," Sienna had blushed, cutting herself off, appearing to be embarrassed about how she'd rambled away about it. "You hated having to go. Sorry if I'm boring you to death."

Videl had offered her a smile, and tried to assure Sienna that she didn't mind at all. "No," Videl shook her head. "I think it sounds fun! I'm glad you're excited."

"Oh!" Sienna had seemed surprised. "Maybe you'll let me help you find a date?"

Videl must have turned crimson at the question. Just remembering that conversation as she settled in on the couch in her living room, made her blush. A date to a ball? Like the princesses in the old movies she liked to watch before bed? How could the real Videl resent that idea? It sounded magical.

"Oh," Videl moaned, hugging Belle's hard exterior to her chest. "Who would want to take me  to a ball??"

Belle's yellow light blinked at her.

"Aww," Videl sighed, letting Belle go, and wrapped herself in the pink blanket. "Thank you - I know you would go with me, if you could."

Videl distracted herself with the bubble-popping game on her holo-menu for awhile until her stomach started to rumble. The clock hovering on her hologram screen showed that the Cafeteria wouldn't open for lunch for another couple hours. She thumbed the holo-menu closed and rummaged around in the kitchen. She didn't have much left in the way of groceries, so she decided it was time to go get some more. After the burned pizza, she might pick something that was quick and easy. Maybe something frozen that she could pop in the microwave. There was no skill needed for that, and less chance of her falling asleep waiting on it.

"Heading to the Grocery," Videl called over her shoulder, on the way out the door. "Need anything while I'm out?"

Belle blinked, silent as always.

"Oh, you and those blue popsicles," Videl joked to herself as she rolled her eyes at Belle. "Okay, okay, I'll get some."

Once she was in the Grocery, she surveyed her options. Chicken nuggets?  Probably not so great in the microwave, and she wasn't ready to use the oven again, yet. She was still disappointed in herself for burning the pizza, afraid to cook anything that required it until she could get over the failure that lingered in her mind. Pizza rolls?  No, too close to pizza. Cheese balls?  Videl laughed quietly to herself. 

Who gets hungry and thinks: 'Yeah, that's what I want - frozen cheese balls!'  ?

Maybe she would wander around the fresh produce for something that she could throw together for a salad. There was no way that she could mess that up. Can't forget to grab those blue popsicles for Belle, before I leave . . .

Videl was caught off-guard when a man with white-blonde hair shoved her shoulder, roughly.

"What did you say to Kane?" The man snarled at her.

Videl's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. It took her a second to recognize who the man was. Lars!

"Wh-what?" Videl squeaked, stumbling back a step out of fear.

Lars looked like he wanted to attack her.

"Don't play dumb  with me, bitch!" Lars' black irises burned into her as he yelled the words. His gaze was simmering with accusation. "I know you told him something, 'cause he's been avoiding me - and so have you!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Videl shook her head, trembling with terror as he pushed even closer to her, backing her into a shelf. Lars glared down at her, his lips flattening into a hard line. 

"I think you know exactly  what I'm talking about," His voice dropped into a menacing hiss, his hushed, angry words spritzing spit droplets on her face. Videl shrank against the shelf, her heart racing, too shaken up to even bother wiping the disgusting spit off of her. 

"Woah!" 

Like a miracle from the Stars, Dare's voice cut through the tension. He had just rounded the corner with a basket full of steaks, and froze at the scene that had unfolded in the aisle in front of him. "What's going on here?" Dare questioned, his eyes and his tone displaying his suspicion of the situation. Lars immediately straightened to his full height, a deceitful mask of calm sliding over his treacherous expression. 

"You know this guy, V?" Dare asked, striding forward, and wrapping a protective arm around her shaking shoulders. Before she could say anything, Lars answered for her.

"I'm a friend of Kane's." Lars said, feigning an innocence that didn't match at all with what Dare had surely seen. 

"Is that so?" Dare replied, evenly.

Lars narrowed his eyes at Dare, before giving Videl a pointed look. "We were just catching up." Lars smirked, his sharp gaze seeming to challenge Videl to say otherwise, and face repercussions if she denied his statement. 

"Well, looks like you're all caught up." Dare said in a clipped tone, clearly not buying Lars' explanation. "Let's get going, V." He led her away from Lars, whose mask had slipped, revealing a murderous look on his face, having lost his opportunity to torment her. Dare quickly swiped through the self-service checkout to log the steaks he was taking, scanned his wristband to sign his name to the log, and escorted her out of Grocery. 

As soon as they were out of the Grocery, Videl burst into tears of relief, sobbing like a baby. 

~Kane~

A call notification popped Kane's holo-menu open, making him drop the tray of spices on the counter with a clatter. 

"Damnit," he cursed.

Kane had been setting up his private quarters for steaks with Dare, who had challenged him to a cook-off a few hours after their gym session. Kane wasn't much of a cook - the only thing that he was decent at cooking was meat, and steak was his favorite, so he had agreed to the competition.

It was Dare who was calling, which was odd, because he was supposed to be at Kane's place already. Kane accepted the call.

"What? Don't tell me they're out."

"I've got the steaks - I'm on my way, but - " There was a scuffling sound, and his voice dropped to a barely audible whisper. "I've got V here with me - she's crying."

"What? What the hell happened?" Kane barked, thinking that there was no way that Dare had made V cry - the guy was not the type that would do something or say something that would hurt a girl's feelings. He was nice to a fault.

"I don't know exactly - I heard this guy yelling in Grocery, and when I went to check it out, he was cornering her. It was fucking weird. I got her out of there. Can I bring her to your place with me?"

"Get over here," Kane snapped, unable to conceal his anger.

He stomped to the door panel and typed V. Terra  to temporarily authorize her entry, like he had with Dare's name an hour earlier, and paced back and forth like a caged animal. Kane didn't have to pace for long, though, because a minute later, a beep sounded at the door, and the door slid open. Dare guided V in, and tears streaked down her soft cheeks as her lips trembled. 

"Hey," Kane tried his best to soften his voice, despite his anger at whoever had messed with her in Grocery. "Are you okay?"

Kane tilted her chin up to look at him, and whatever composure she'd managed on the elevator ride evaporated. V started sobbing, and without thinking, Kane pulled her into his chest, and she grasped his shirt in her small hands as he wrapped his arms tightly around her. Kane's eyes went wide as he looked up at Dare, whose look of concern mirrored his. Dare turned away and sat the steaks on the counter, busying himself with removing the packaging, not knowing how to help the situation. V felt so fragile in his arms, like she could break at any moment. He wanted to find the person responsible for putting her in this state and rip them to shreds. 

"Who was it, V?" Kane growled.

"He said he was a friend of yours," Dare scoffed from the kitchen, incredulously.

Kane's body went rigid.

"Lars," V whispered, barely able to choke out the name.

Not wanting to just pry her off of him, Kane swept her up in one fluid motion and carried her to his couch. He sat her down gently, and she looked up at him, her eyes glittering with tears. Kane sat beside her and leaned back, burying his hands in his hair.

"What did he say?" It took everything he had to temper the fury from his voice.

Old Videl wouldn't bat an eye at some of the worst things Lars would throw at her, but V? She didn't have that hard shell, and Lars - not knowing she had lost it in Cryo - could have said just about anything and it would destroy her. Kane kicked himself inwardly - he should have told Lars what happened that day he had made that comment about her getting dicked down.  Kane could've prevented this, saved V the tears. Surely Lars would have left her alone, knowing that she had lost her memory. This is my fucking fault! 

V took a couple deep breaths and sniffled. 

"H-he asked me what I said to you . . . " V finally mumbled, trying to stop herself from crying more. "He said you were avoiding him, and that I must have told you something."

Dare stilled at the counter, completely confused.

"I told him I didn't know what he was talking about, but he didn't believe me." V's voice cracked, and her shoulders sank. "But I really don't know. What could Videl - I mean . . . what could I tell you that Lars doesn't want you to know?" 

The question instantly made him think about what he'd concluded the day before, in the gym. 

"Maybe what really happened at the party." Kane said grimly.

"What party?" Dare and V asked, almost in unison.

Kane set his jaw and rolled his shoulders to ease the tension building in the muscles between his shoulder blades like a snake coiling to strike. 

"The party you two were at - when you broke his nose."