"Come on Vegeta, they are just two three year olds," Bulma said as she got her things together for tonight's Capsule Corp meeting in the city. "Gohan and Videl need to go to a university conference, Piccolo wasn't available and I offered to let Pan stay here tonight."
"No!" Vegeta growled.
"Vegeta please, you've watched them before, you know your daughter and her little friend are good girls," Bulma countered as she was about to open the door. Saiyans could be so stubborn. Everyone knew Vegeta had a soft spot for his daughter, and Bulma knew he didn't want the rest of them finding out he had one for Pan as well.
"I'm the prince of all saiyans, I'm not babysitting two brats all night," Vegeta protested. Bulma knew how to get through to him.
"If you don't, I'll move you to the couch and I'll tell everyone that you have a ridiculous fear of worms," Bulma said slyly. Vegeta shivered at the word "worms". He despised them. If word got out of his stupid phobia, he'd never live it down.
"Fine, what do I do?" He relented.
"Gohan will drop Pan off in 30 minutes, I left food for the girls in the fridge and don't do anything dangerous with them," Bulma instructed as she headed out the door. "In the morning, Gohan will be back for Pan to pick her up for a Dr's appointment." Vegeta growled but nodded as his wife left to go to her meeting. Why was it always him who got stuck doing this? About 30 minutes later exactly, Vegeta heard the doorbell ring and got up from where he was sitting to answer it.
"Hello Vegeta," Gohan said cheerfully. Pan was in his arms and burying her face in her father's shoulder, still a little shy around Vegeta. "Here, take her, here are her things in this bag, it's her first time staying at someone else's house for the night so don't blame her if she's a little nervous," Gohan informed the prince while handing his daughter over to him. Pan struggled a little, reaching out for her father.
"Aww Pan, I'll be back in the morning, be good for Vegeta ok?" Gohan said as he took off, waving goodbye to her. Pan waved back but sniffled as her father left.
"Miss your parents kid?" Vegeta asked her softly, brushing some hair out of her face. Pan nodded silently and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Bra's upstairs in her room, you wan't to go see her?" Vegeta asks her.
"Yeah," She sniffled. Vegeta nodded and carried her up to Bra's room. Vegeta could't help it but he never raised his voice around either girl. Pan reminded him of how Gohan used to be when he was a kid. Vegeta certainly did't want to make the same mistakes he did back then. Before Vegeta went up the stairway, he remembered what Bulma told him earlier about Pan's Dr's appointment.
"Your father wanted me to remind you that he's picking you up in the morning to take you to your Dr's appointment. Pan's face went white as she grabbed Vegeta's neck and whimpered.
"No, no, I don't wanna go get the needle," She sobbed as she shook. So much like her grandfather. Vegeta patted her back as he went up the stairs.
"You don't like shots do you?" Vegeta asked gently. Pan nodded
"Just try not to think about it too much and you'll be fine," He said as he brought her into Bra's room.
"PAPA YOU BROUGHT PAN!" Bra shouted as she jumped off her bed and ran to hug her friend.
"I'm going to go set up her things in the guest room, you kids play but don't do anything you aren't supposed to and stay out of the GR!" Vegeta warned them as he left to go set up the guest room for Pan. The girls nodded and went on with a game of "super saiyan" as Vegeta strode down the hall to the guest room closest to Bra's room. He set the bag with Pan's things on the bed and placed her clothes on top of the chair that sat in the corner. He then took the bag and held it upside down to get any extra clothes out when something else fell onto the bed, a stuffed monkey/ape that looked a lot like an oozaru but lacked the red eyes. The thing even had a tail. Vegeta picked it up and studied it as he felt a tinge of homesickness shoot through him.
"Where did she get this?" He said to himself. He never told anyone about this out loud but he missed his homeworld. That damned Frieza had taken him away from his father, tortured him into complete compliance, and then blown up the planet he used to call home. He knew it was better that he didn't have it but he missed his tail. That tail had been a reminder that he was a true saiyan, it was part of his pride. When that fat Yajirobe had cut the thing off, Vegeta felt as if a part of him had been removed. Vegeta felt a single tear move down his cheek as he caught himself and wiped it off. He still had to wonder where in hell Pan got a stuffed ape that looked almost exactly like an oozaru. he sighed and placed the toy on the bed, making his way back to Bra's room to check on the kids.
"I'M A SUPER SAIYAN, WATCH OUT BRA!" Pan shouted from inside the room. Vegeta opened the door a little bit so he could observe the girls playing their game. Pan was on Bra's bed and standing in a pose almost exactly like her grandfather's fighting stance. Bra was on the floor, putting her hands on her hips in response.
"You can't get me even if you are a super saiyan," Bra teased back.
"That's my girl," Vegeta said to himself.
"I'M GONNA GET YOU!," Pan shouted as she jumped from the bed to chase after Bra. Both girls were soon on the floor, giggling as they tackled each other playfully.
"Girls come down for dinner," Vegeta said as he opened the door. When the girls heard the word "dinner", they were down the stairs in seconds and at the table.
"Saiyans" Vegeta laughed softly to himself. Both girls dug into their meal excitedly as they did the typical saiyan thing and went through all the food as fast as they could. He never would admit it, but babysitting the girls wasn't that bad. As soon as both girls finished eating and washed up, Vegeta knew it was time to put them to bed. He carried them both up and placed Bra on her bed, walking to the guest room to place Pan on hers.
"I'll be back in a minute," Vegeta said gruffly as he left to put Bra to bed. Bra was easy. He knew the routine all to well. Bra would get on the bed, stand up and hug Vegeta around the neck while kissing his cheek and tell him how much she loved him. Vegeta put up with it and had become very used to it.
"Love you Papa," Bra yawned, getting under the covers. Vegeta patted her head and turned off her lights, leaving to go deal with Pan next. When he got to the guest room, he heard soft sobbing.
"Kid what's bothering you?" Vegeta asked as he walked into the room. Pan was lying on the bed with her face buried in a pillow, sobbing softly. Vegeta didn't know what came over him as he walked over to her side and placed a hand on her back.
"Pan what's wrong?" he asked more gently this time. Pan didn't answer.
"You miss your parents?" He asked.
"Yeah," She sobbed. "I wan't my mommy," Pan sniffled.
"You will see her tomorrow, settle down," Vegeta said softly as he stroked her back. Pan got up and hugged Vegeta's waist, sobbing into him. Ever since she started interacting with him, she'd become somewhat attached to him. Vegeta went red, still not a big fan of earthling affection. He sighed and hugged back for her sake and pulled her off him, placing her under the covers of the bed. He was about to turn away and leave when Pan grabbed onto his uniform.
"where's Kale?" She said frantically, looking around the bed nervously.
"Who's Kale?" Vegeta asked shocked. Kale was a saiyan name.
"My stuffed ape," she replied, looking around the bed. "I can't sleep without her," Pan cried. Vegeta remembered he's placed the thing on the edge of her bed. He figured it must have fallen off so he bent down and reached under the bed, grabbing something soft and pulling it out.
"YOU FOUND IT!" Pan squealed as he handed her toy to her. Pan hugged it to herself and went under the covers.
"Pan where did you get that thing?" Vegeta asked as he took a seat on the bed.
"Grandma made her for me," She replied.
"Why did you name that thing Kale?" Vegeta asked, curious if she knew anything about saiyan names.
"I like boiled kale, it tastes good," she yawned.
"You know Kale is a saiyan name," Vegeta said as he placed the covers around her.
"Is Vegeta a saiyan name?" Pan asked. Vegeta face palmed but decided to tell Gohan's brat a little bit about her heritage.
"Yes Pan, my name is a saiyan name, just like your grandfather Kakarot, that stuffed toy you have looks a lot like a form we saiyans can take called the great ape, of course it's supposed to have red eyes but close enough," Vegeta explained.
"You're pretty nice for a saiyan, my grandpa says that most of them were mean," Pan replied. Vegeta stiffed at what she said. No one had ever called him "nice" in his life, not even Bulma or Trunks. Of course Bra thought highly of him but that was a given, he was her whole world. Gohan's girl? The child that used to run away from him every time he came close to her and refusing to talk to him, calling him a "nice saiyan". He was glad no one ever told her about his first arrival on earth. Bra had found out from overhearing it from Kakarot and after some reassurance, she forgave him, but Pan was so much more fragile, just like her father at that age. She'd be terrified of him if she found out about the things he did when he first came to earth.
"You think I'm nice?" Vegeta asked. Pan looked up at him and smiled. Vegeta ruffled her hair and smiled slightly.
"Feel better now?" Vegeta asked softly. Pan nodded. Vegeta was about to get up and go when Pan grabbed his hand.
"Uh, I-I get scared at night, stay?" Pan asked shyly.
"No, you need to sleep," Vegeta replied gruffly. Pan began to sniffle.
"Those tears are not going to work," Vegeta growled. Pan cried harder in response. He sighed. The girl missed her parents and this was her first time away from home for the night. Vegeta supposed he could stay so long as Bulma didn't find out. Who was he kidding, he was getting soft.
"Move over, I'll stay," Vegeta said softly. Pan moved to the side of the bed for him as Vegeta got in and pulled the covers over them both. His wife owed him big time. Pan hugged her stuffed ape to herself and moved up against Vegeta, catching him off guard. Bra sometimes did this with him but he never expected this from Pan who was only ever affectionate with her parents, Goku, ChiChi and Piccolo. He wouldn't say it but he felt a little flattered that the girl had taken such a liking to him. She still was shy but was much more open with him than she used to be. Vegeta closed his eyes and fell asleep, self admitting that he had gone soft. A few hours later, Bulma got home from her meeting and found Vegeta sleeping in the guest room with Pan in his arms.
"Vegeta you are too sweet and you know it," Bulma said softly as she pulled out a camera and took a quick photo before heading off to her own room.
"My very own saiyan prince," She said as she got in her bed.
