~Videl~

Videl yawned and stretched as she woke up, feeling wonderfully rested and grateful that she didn't have a repeat of her nightmare from the middle of the night. She felt her cheeks burn as she thought of everything that happened. If she hadn't woken up screaming without Kane beside her, she probably wouldn't have gotten so freaked out - and if she hadn't reacted that way, she wouldn't have had the guts to tell him that she loved him. She wouldn't know that he loved her back, so maybe the terror induced by her awful dream had been worth it - just this once. As Videl blinked a few times, she realized Kane wasn't in bed next to her, but she quickly peeked over the side of the bed to see if he had moved to the floor for whatever reason. The throw blanket down there was formless and empty. Only a few seconds passed that she started to panic, but the sound of music coming from the living room quelled it.

It was one of those music channels that played songs from an era when people still lived on the Ground. Relieved, Videl smiled at the sound of it, as she went to pick up the blanket from the floor and make her bed. There was something about the airy, somewhat fuzzy and disembodied sound of the centuries-upon-centuries old singer's voice that was so unlike the more modern music she'd listened to with Sienna at their sleepover. It made her feel nostalgic for a life on the abandoned planet that no one on Titan had ever experienced. Videl practically skipped to the bathroom to brush her teeth and shower, before she rifled through clothes for something to wear. She glanced at the drawer that Kane must have put the scarves back in that morning, and a tiny strip of purple was sticking out where one of the scarves had gotten caught in the lip of it when he'd closed it. A blush rose to her cheeks at the image of him tied to her bed, writhing under her mouth, that appeared in her mind at the sight of it.

Videl shook her head in disbelief as she opted to pick something from the wardrobe instead. Her searching gaze landed on the silver dress that had reminded her of Kane's eyes, the first time that she had looked through the wardrobe, what felt like a lifetime ago. She pulled off the towel that she'd wrapped around her body and dried her hair a little with it, before putting on the silvery outfit. She took a moment to look in the mirror, swishing the skirt back and forth, and enjoying the magical-looking metallic sheen that caught the light. Then, she studied her face for a second, glad to see that the scratches that she'd marred herself with only the morning before were less angry-looking. They were starting to heal. She hoped that they wouldn't scar, with a frown at the thought. She was already apparently known to others as the weird little virgin girl, she didn't want to add masochistic psycho  to the moniker.

When she left her bedroom in favor of the living room, she paused beside her couch. Kane was in the kitchen, and the smell of coffee brewing filled the air, as she heard him humming along with the song. The sight of him like that, even with his back turned to her, felt so natural - so right. She could imagine waking up every day to it, and the wholesomeness of the scene was something that she was sure that she would never get tired of. She probably stood there staring for far too long, but she didn't care. She didn't want to do anything else.

Kane grabbed one of the mugs of freshly-brewed coffee and turned around finally, and he basically jumped out of his skin, dropping the coffee mug with a fantastic clatter when he saw her standing there.

"Shit! Sorry, I didn't hear you come in," Kane cursed with a rueful smile, as he bent down to pick up the broken ceramic on the floor. "Belle's gonna kill me."

Videl quickly bent down as well, to help him pick up the shattered coffee mug. "Are you kidding? Belle loves messes," Videl told him with her own smile, completely unbothered by the loss of the mug, when she had more in the cabinet that hardly had any use. "Sometimes I think that's the only reason she puts up with me - because I'm such a mess, and I'm an expert at making them."

It was intended as a cheeky joke, but Kane was clearly not amused by the notion of her calling herself a mess, as well as her attempting to help pick up the sharp shards. He shooed her away, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Let me handle these - they might cut your pretty little hands," Kane said in a clipped tone that belied his irritation. Then his tone softened into one that was more smooth and silky. "And I have plans for those hands later." He winked and Videl snapped up to stand, blushing profusely. The teasing words made her feel like she was buzzing with electricity after touching a live wire. She whirled around with a nervous giggle, as she went to fetch Belle to clean the brown liquid that pooled on the tile floor.

"Good morning, Belle." Videl greeted sweetly, as she pulled her off of her charging dock.

"Good morning, V."  Belle's yellow light shifted to blue as she spoke in her calming, mechanical voice.

Kane scoffed from the kitchen at the same time as the sound of the coffee mug pieces scraped down the metal of the garbage chute.

"Oh, but when I  tell her good morning, she ignores me."

Videl took Belle to the mess on the floor, laughing at Kane's dejected eye roll.

"She's only programmed to respond to my voice," Videl explained with a grin, "Don't take it personally."

Kane smirked, folding his muscular arms over his chest, and leaned against the counter, watching Videl instruct Belle to do her thing. After she was done, Belle asked her to empty the cartridge, like usual.

"I say she just likes you more," Kane joked. "I've never seen her so chatty."

Videl smiled as she rinsed out the cartridge after dumping the contents down the sink. Then, she gave Belle her usual little diaper-pat, once the cartridge was back in place, and the compartment was closed again.

"Thank you, Belle."

"You're welcome, V."

Videl felt Kane's eyes on her back as she retreated to return Belle to her favorite spot on the couch, given that she was now fully-charged, and she knew that Belle was always eager to get off the charging dock as soon as her battery was 100%.

"Are you sure she's your roommate?" Kane asked when Videl turned to face him. She was confused by his question. He was looking her up and down roguishly. "You treat her like she's your baby." There was a peculiar gleam in his eyes when he clarified his reason for asking such a question.

"Oh," Videl smiled nervously, suddenly finding the hem of her dress very interesting. "I guess I do kind of think of her that way sometimes. I like changing her cartridge and coddling her like she's my little girl. Maybe she's too old for that, given her manufacture date."

The last part was a joke that was meant to deflect the emotion that started to tinge her voice. Was it embarrassment, or something else? Was it really that much worse than admitting to seeing the cleaning device as her roommate? Somehow she knew that being baby-crazy was about as concerning for a man as being regular-crazy, and confessing how she might feel about Belle sometimes, made her both of those things. Oh Stars! Why did he have to notice your weird maternal affection for an inanimate object? Can't you just be a normal girl for 5 seconds? No? Ugh . . .

But when she finally dared to look up to gauge his expression, he didn't look freaked out or skittish by her answer. He seemed to be deciding how to respond.

"Do you want to have a baby one day?" Kane asked slowly, appearing to choose his words carefully, deliberately. "One that might coo at you, without a voice command prompt?" He added when she didn't answer.

Videl flinched. She hadn't given that any thought but as soon as she heard it, she imagined a precious little baby in her arms - one that deserved all the love a mother could give. Her heart tugged almost painfully. Yes, it was obvious to her now. As plain as day. She wanted to fill that ache in her soul that her mother had caused. She wanted to do that by loving and protecting a child of her own, by raising that baby and have her child know without a doubt that she would never abandon someone so important to her. No matter what happened. She would never let her baby feel alone in this world, for a single second.

"Maybe - " Definitely!  Videl choked out, and then stammered, "One day."

Kane nodded, appearing thoughtful. Then, he turned to grab the other coffee mug that had been prepared from the warming plate beneath the dispenser and offered it to her wordlessly. Her belly was full of butterflies as she fought the urge to ask him if he  wanted to have children one day. She bit her tongue though, and took the coffee he handed her, knowing it wasn't fair to put him on the spot like that. He hadn't looked terrified by her admission, so maybe it was an idea that he was not completely opposed to. Or perhaps what was more likely was that he was trying not to tip her off on his plan to escape at the first opportunity. Videl brushed off the fear that thought provoked and took a seat at the dining area, schooling her expression into one that she hoped looked calm and collected.

~Kane~

Kane cursed himself inwardly at the surge of emotion he felt, as he held the coffee mug out for V to take. The idea of the two of them possibly having children one day made him a little happier than he was comfortable admitting to himself. He had never really thought he was the fatherly type - especially given how badly he had been treated for trying to be that for Kiana. That thought gave him the urge to make things right with his sister, with his mother. It was definitely long overdue. He hadn't spoken to either of them since he'd stormed out that night, and he did miss his little sister terribly. He hoped that they had eventually started to miss him too, despite the lack of calls - from either end - over the past few years.

Once V took a sip and hummed in satisfaction, she slid the mug across the table for him to share with her, and by then, he'd made up his mind.

"You wanted to meet my little sister, right?" Kane asked, after he took a drink, swallowed, and pushed the mug back toward her.

V looked surprised by his sudden break in the awkward silence, relieved by it, but also confused by the subject change.

"Of course!"

She smiled sweetly, her lashes fluttering as her golden eyes opened a little wider.

"I was thinking we might go visit her and Mom," Kane nodded after he said it, like he was arguing with himself that it wasn't the bad idea that it very well could be, but he was resolute with his decision that he was doing it anyway. "If you're up for it?"

"When?"

Kane found himself smiling back at her, at the excitement in her voice - wishing that he shared the feeling, rather than the apprehension tightening his chest. He wasn't changing his mind about it - he was going to face the dysfunction with resolve and a willingness to put aside his grudge. He loved his family, and he needed them to know that he was tired of staying away, of pretending that he was still upset with them, when the fire had fizzled out a long time ago, leaving behind only the worry that they wouldn't forgive him. Kane gladly took another drink of coffee when she nudged it back in front of him and when he swallowed, he once again slid it back to her.

"When do you  want to go?" Kane prompted, trying to appear nonchalant in his desire for her to take the brunt of that decision.

"Today?" V chimed eagerly.

Kane fought the urge to wince. It was fine, everything was going to be fine.

"Sure," Kane shrugged, as if the notion didn't have him a little shaken up.

V grinned as she offered him the last sip - to which he protested, insisting that she should have it. But she was already bouncing out of her seat, clearly hopped up on caffeine and the excitement of meeting his family.

"I'm going to go get ready!" V squeaked cheerfully, skipping off towards her bedroom like a little girl with a sugar-high.

"Now!?"  Kane called after her, nearly choking on the last drink of coffee.

"Give me ten minutes!" V called back, already having disappeared from his view.

Kane would have relished the fact that she was so happy and carefree, given how awful she could be feeling about all her problems instead. But as he waited for her, he was overwhelmed with the stress of how his mom and sister would react when he showed up unannounced with a girl who used to despise him. They had no reason to have any preconceived notions about V - he had never mentioned her to his family when he'd lived with them. Something told him that his sister would instantly fall for V's effortless charm, and his mother too, if she wasn't drowning in the wake of one of her depression spells. He hoped that his return would be enough to pull his mother out of it, if she was. Maybe seeing how beautiful and sweet his girlfriend was, would be a distraction to the otherwise heavy tension of the reunion. It should certainly help shift the brunt of the attention to some degree. That thought comforted him enough to stop raking his hands through his hair.

Ten minutes later, V emerged, and he did a comical double-take. She must have applied some makeup to cover her fading scratches, because they weren't visible anymore. He guessed that she didn't want them to mar her first impression. He stood up to openly appraise her handiwork.

"What do you think?" V asked shyly, grabbing the edges of her silver dress and swishing the skirt of it back and forth like a nervous schoolgirl approaching her crush.

What do I think of her makeup?  Kane had never seen her wear any - the old Videl never wore any, even for the Cotillions, making her stand out among the heavily-painted girls all around her at those events. At the time, he had chuckled to himself that she probably refused to own a single product, lest she attract more unwanted attention. Oddly, she had attracted plenty anyway, despite the snickers of the clownish girls who had thought that they were so much hotter because of it. Now, he chuckled inwardly at the memory of their anger when the most popular guys veered around them like they were invisible, just to get to her. The girls were even more upset when she rejected the guys they wanted, as if they were peasants.

As he looked at V, he realized that the old Videl must have had some war-paint in her arsenal the entire time, she just couldn't have been bothered to mess with it. And maybe that was smarter than he had given her credit for in the past. Because V was stunning without the powders and glitter, but with it, she was a drool-worthy knockout that would have men on their knees, begging for her affection. She put Darcy's carefully-done makeup to shame with how little V needed to enhance her beauty. In ten minutes, she had done something that Darcy had struggled with for an hour most mornings, when they were together.

V's eyes shone brighter with the mascara that made her already long lashes resemble a doll's, and her shimmering pink eye shadow that blended into a pearlescent color toward the corners of her eyes. A light-pink powder on her cheekbones gave her the ravishing, curated look that she was blushing demurely at all times. And to top it all off, a clear gloss glistened on her full lips in a way that was tempting him to kiss her, even if it made his mouth sticky. He wanted to taste it and see if it was flavored with a hint of fruity sweetness.

"I was too scared to try the eyeliner and mess it all up," V mumbled when he didn't say anything right away.

"You don't need it," Kane stalked towards her and lifted her chin gingerly with his finger, careful not to smudge her masterpiece. "You look gorgeous, princess."

Her eyes lit up like stars at his compliment and he dropped his hand, taking a step back.

"You're lucky I don't kiss that makeup off of you, so no one else gets to see you looking like a pretty little doll."

His voice was low and rough, punctuating his possessive statement with the hungry, territorial steam rising off of his words. V's lips parted and a true blush colored her cheeks, rivaling the makeup like it hadn't stood a chance. She was his  pretty little doll, and he'd fucking rip any man's head clean off his shoulders who dared to hope otherwise.