Bulma asks Vegeta for the reason why he's stayed so long.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

This was a challenge against EdwardWongHauPepiluTivriskyIV.

We had to sue the line: ""My planet was blown up; I don't want the same thing to happen to yours."

Enjoy!

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It just wasn't making any sense. It just wasn't adding up, and the more she looked at the blueprints and the equation it added up to, the more she could feel smoke coming out of her ears.

Just the other day everything seemed to fall into place. Everything made sense of how everything would work. Today, just one small number threw the whole thing out of line, and it just wasn't getting back into the order, and where she wanted to be with the project already.

The heavy rain outside didn't bother her, nor the thunder and lightning that lit up and caused a ruckus in the night sky. It was in the background, and she was in the foreground with all the papers in front of her and a red pen that she wanted to use to cross out everything. The project was due on the market in two months, and she couldn't even get down the schematics.

She sighed deeply with her chin pushed into the palm of her hand.

A soft whimpering caused her to look toward the archway of the kitchen where she saw her three year old son. He stood there sleepy eyed with his blanket dragging behind him.

"What's wrong Trunks?" she questioned. She opened her arms so he could come over. She lifted him up and put him in her lap. "Did the thunder wake you up?"

He shook his head. She could see the fear in his eyes and instantly thought it was the thunder and lightning. And now that her brain wasn't feeling fried she could hear just how loud it was. It was close; even right overhead.

"Are you sure?" she questioned, "even mommy get's scared sometimes."

He shook his head. "I had a bad dream." He whispered.

Bulma smiled inwardly. Her next question, though, she remained straight lipped when she said, "Was it about your dad?"

He nodded.

"Sometimes dreams are scary, but they are not real. Your dad would never hurt you, or me. He loves us very much."

And as if he knew that they were talking about him he entered the room after a day of training. He looked down at Trunks and growled softly, "Go to bed."

The little boy went to get off his mother's lap, but she wrapped her arms around him. "Vegeta!" she scowled. "He had a bad dream."

"Dreams aren't real. Don't fear anything." He said.

The little boy's arms stayed wrapped around his mother. She kissed his head. "Daddy's just tired."

He growled, but disappeared. A few minutes later she heard the shower running.

He looked up at his mother. She smiled. "Want me to put you back to bed?"

He nodded. She picked him up and carried him back to his room and laid him down on his bed. She sat down next to him and covered him with the blanket he was dragging around. She kissed his cheek."Don't worry; you will have good dreams from now on. Just remember your dad will never let anything happen to us. He's strong. Even if he doesn't show it it's there. Never forget that, okay."

He nodded. "Can he take me to the park tomorrow?"

"We'll see. If not Grandma and I will."

He smiled wide. "Okay." He turned on his side and closed his eyes. A few minutes later he was fast asleep.

She turned off the light and closed the door and went back into the kitchen and made Vegeta some food to eat. She returned to her papers and not being able to find the reason for the flaws she put them in a neat pile and face planted on her arms. When her father came back from the exposé she'd ask him to help her figure out the problem.

The water turned off, and a few minutes later her emerged dressed in a pair of plaid pajama bottoms. He took a seat and started eating. She sat up and watched him with her chin once again in the palm of her hand.

He looked up at her. "What?" he questioned.

"Your son once again had a nightmare about you."

"So," he said, "it's a dream, it doesn't mean anything."

"I've explained that to him, and told him that you would never hurt us, that you care for us and will protect us at any cost. Right Vegeta?"

He looked up from his food again. "I'm still here, aren't I?"

She nodded. "That brings a question to my mind that I've always wanted to ask you. Why did you stay? After Cell you could have left to find out just how much power you can achieve out there, but you're still here."

He looked at her for a moment, and she could tell some gears were working in his head. Then he finally said, "My planet was blown up, I don't want the same thing to happen to yours."

She smiled. "Your son doesn't have anything to do with it?"

"Of course I would take my son with me."

"To blow up the universe and all its inhabitants; never going to happen." She frowned. "'Our son' is going to grow up and be just like his mother. You saw Future Trunks, he may take after you in strength, but he takes after me in intelligence."

He didn't comment to that, but she saw that he was proud of his son. He trained with him in the hyperbolic time chamber. He got to know the person his son was going to grow up to be, and Future Trunks got to know his father. She knew both took pride in that. She took pride in the fact that even though he wouldn't admit it, he wasn't going anywhere. He would stay and protect his family.

She smiled and continued to watch him eat. "You're son wants you to take him to the park tomorrow. The forecast calls for blue skies and comfortable temperatures."

"I'll take him to the park when he starts training. He's already way behind," he growled.

"Not until he's four. He's only three. In seven months you can start training your son to overthrow Goku's." She rolled her eyes.

"Goku's son is no competition to my son."

Bulma liked that he had pride in his son, but they were both born on earth, and very close in age. She knew that they were going to be best friends. Vegeta would have to deal with it.

And he'd have to deal with her because she was never going to let him go. He choose her years ago, and he could never take that back. This was his home for the rest of their lives. They were a family, and nothing could be better.H