Bulma sighed as she glanced up at the sky. Trunks had returned to his own timeline now that his younger counterpart's future had been secured and Goku's memorial service was over. She could hardly believe that the oblivious yet seemingly indestructible boy she'd known was gone, but giving his own life to save the earth and then staying dead to take the target off his planet's back was so much like him she couldn't help the little smile that flickered to her lips. Her infant son babbled excitedly in her arms directing her attention to Gohan who was wiggling his fingers in front of the lavender haired child.
"Hey there champ." she said running her free hand over his mass of inky hair. "How are you doing?"
"Alright." he replied taking Trunks in his arms when she handed him over. "Mom's pretty torn up about it." he said his eye squeezing shut when Trunks reached out to touch his dark brow.
Bulma smiled sadly down at him and squatted down so that she was level with the boy. "That's not what I asked." she reminded him gently. "How are you doing Gohan?"
He blinked in surprise and then looked down at the ground. "I just…" he took a deep breath. "This is all my fault." he said in a tone so defeated it made her heart clench. "If I had just finished off Cell sooner. If I hadn't been such a coward at the beginning then dad-"
The blue haired heiress shook her head and pulled both Saiyan hybrids into her arms. "Oh sweetie, don't think that." she said holding him close. "This whole mess is 's fault and no one else's. Never blame yourself. You are a wonderful young man who saved the world."
The ink haired boy shuddered and then began to cry, big fat tears streaming down his face. Bulma's heart ached for the child. He'd experienced so much, too much for a boy his age.
"I don't want to fight anymore." he whimpered. "I'm so tired of fighting." he confessed.
Bulma leaned away a little and lifted his chin so that she could see into his onyx eyes that were so much like Goku's. Yet there was a softness in them that his father had never possessed. The boy had such a kind, gentle soul. He was a protector not a warrior. There was no reason for him to pretend otherwise.
"Then don't fight anymore." she said brushing his bangs out of his face. "The powers you have are your own and no one has the right to tell you how to use them." she smiled and leaned her forehead against his, her baby still babbling obliviously between them. "No matter what you decide, your friends will always stand by you. If you need anything, just fly on over. I'll help you however I can, even if you're just super hungry." she said with a wink.
Gohan's lips quirked up into a little smile. "Right. Thank you Bulma." he glanced over her shoulder to where his own mother was standing with her arms crossed next to Yamcha. "It looks like my mom is ready to go." he said pulling away and handing Trunks back to her. "I'll visit soon I promise." he assured her.
"I look forward to your visit." she replied with a smile stroking his hair once more before he dashed towards his mother and they left hand in hand.
She sighed as she watched them leave and the others soon followed. Trunks fussed a little in her arms and she smiled down at him.
"You must be hungry." she said with a smile. "Let's get you fed and then it's bed time for you young man." she said as she walked inside her house.
:8:
A couple of minutes later, she had a meal made of beef ravioli, steamed vegetables, and apple sauce that looked like enough to feed an average adult human but, Trunks wasn't human. Not completely anyway.
He licked his lips and got that look in his eyes that all Saiyans seemed to get when confronted with food and she chuckled. Once he was thoroughly engrossed with his meal, she turned to look for something for herself to eat and nearly ran into Yamcha who was standing casually in her kitchen leaning against the counter.
"Yamcha! You scared the life out of me!" she exclaimed touching her chest lightly. "What are you doing here anyway?" she asked.
It wasn't a secret that she and Yamcha hadn't been on the best of terms lately. Their breakup had been nasty especially with the media involved and her brief but passionate relationship with Vegeta that had followed and led to the conception of Trunks had put the long time lovers at odds. Though it had been years and she was totally and completely over the one time bandit. She had a sneaking suspicion that he didn't feel the same. Not that it surprised her. She was beautiful, smart, and filthy rich; a deadly combination to try to get over for any man.
"Just checking to see how you're doing." he said moving closer to her. "No one's known Goku longer than you and Trunks left today."
She smiled at the one time desert bandit. "That's nice of you Yamcha." she said touching his arm gently. "I'm alright." she assured him. "Do you want something to eat?"
He shook his head. "No. I'm fine." he said before taking a deep breath. "Look, I just want to say that if you ever need me, I'm here." she opened her mouth to speak but he held up a hand to stop her. "I know that things have been rough between us lately but I really mean it. You can talk to me about anything."
"I know." she replied.
He stepped forward and fingered a lock of her hair. "If you ever change your mind about us… I'll be waiting."
"Yamcha…" she said in an exasperated tone stepping away from him.
"I'm just putting it out there." he assured her lifting a hand in surrender. "Besides, after what he did when Trunks…" he shuddered and took a deep breath. "Maybe he's not so bad." he admitted.
Bulma's eyes softened and she nodded. She'd heard about how Trunks had been struck down by Cell and how Vegeta had charged at the monster in a rage to avenge his son. It had warmed her heart and she'd wanted to talk with him about it but hadn't had the chance. He'd arrived right before Trunks left and then blasted off again shortly after.
"Anyway," he said stepping forward and pulling her into his arms in a tight hug. "I'll see you later B."
She returned his embrace and nodded. He stepped away and offered her one more gaze filled with longing before slipping out the doors.
Bulma sighed and walked to the fridge. After inspecting the contents, she pulled out a container filled with crab salad and sat down with a box of crackers at the table and ate absent mindedly as she watched her child eat with speed and surprising finesse that was beyond his young age. Then again, the only person who knew anything about the normal development of Sayan's was who knows where.
She worried for Vegeta. Not physically of course, with Goku and Cell both gone he was now the strongest warrior on the planet. No one could touch him. However, with his rival gone and his son's violent death so fresh in his mind she worried for the state of his mind, his soul.
Yamcha and Tien couldn't understand what she saw in the one time Galactic Mercenary however, she'd come to love him. She'd seen his vulnerability both physically and emotionally and had developed a deep fondness for the warrior. His loneliness had been almost tangible and when her relationship with the man she'd been with for almost half her life fell apart, they'd fallen together passionately.
The sound of bowls clattering to the floor snapped her out of her musing and she turned for look at Trunks who had cleaned his tray of food and was now yawning, his mouth covered in red sauce.
Bulma chuckled and rose from her chair taking her light dinner with her. She put what was left of the salad back in the fridge then tapped a panel on the counter calling a bot to come clean up the kitchen. She reached for a washcloth and wet it down in the sink before using it to wipe Trunks face and hands clean.
"Alright. Off to bed we go." she said taking the child in her arms.
He gurgled in response and snuggled into her chest as she carried him up the stairs. It had been a long exciting day for him and she wasn't expecting much resistance from the child as far as sleeping went. Her prediction was spot on as he fell asleep before they even reached his room. She nudged the door open with her foot and tapped the button that activated the lighted mobile above his bed with her toes. The soft glow filled the dark space and she gently laid him down in the reinforced crib she'd designed for him and covered him with a blue blanket.
"Good night Trunks." she said softly brushing his lavender locks out of his eyes. "Dream without fear my little Super Saiyan, the bad guys are gone and your future is safe." she brushed her lips across his forehead. "I love you. So much." she whispered before slipping out and closing the door behind her.
With a sigh she stretched and tapped a panel on the wall next to Trunks door activating the motion and sound monitors before moving down the hall to the next door that led to her bedroom. She paused with her hand on the door and glanced at the door across the hall. It led to the rooms where Vegeta had lived for more than two years training for the Androids. She wondered if he would choose to stay with the threat over. Honestly, she hoped he would at least for Trunks but if he wanted to leave, she wouldn't stop him. He'd left a precious part of himself with her in the form of their son and that would be enough if he couldn't bring himself to stay.
Turning from his door, she opened her own and stepped inside smiling as a housekeeping bot whirled past her. She'd invented them when she was nine years old and hated doing chores and was thankful every day that she had. She tugged her vest and shirt off and tossed them into a basket near her closet before shimmying out of her jeans and socks as she walked into the bathroom. Deciding a bath was too much effort, she started the shower and walked inside letting the warm spray wash over her.
As the water beat down on her skin, she felt like it was washing away more than the sweat, and grime of the day. If felt deeper than that. Like it was washing away her defenses as the reality what had transpired over the past twenty four hours crashed over her.
Goku was dead. The oblivious boy that she'd plucked from the woods and claimed as her protector and then as family was gone. He'd given his life to protect them and then refused to return to them in order to keep them safe. As visions of his smiling face over the years flashed before her eyes, tears filled them.
"Goku." she whimpered softly.
She'd known him the longest, watched him grow up, start a family and save the world from destruction more than once. The idea of him dying seemed impossible. He'd survived so many things and yet… This time, he hadn't made it. Grief, guilt and regret filled her soul and spilled out in tears down her face.
"You damn monkey boy!" she snarled slamming her fist against the tiled wall of her shower. "How could you die like that?" she whimpered.
Her words brought the face of another Saiyan warrior to mind and her palm flattened against the tile. "Vegeta." she murmured.
She loved him. It seemed impossible to most people, especially Yamcha, but she truly loved the Saiyan Prince. Sure he was cold, arrogant, and hot tempered but to be honest, so was she. He was the only person she'd ever met that could match her in terms of passion and wit. Additionally, she'd seen a side of him that she was positive none of the others, not even Goku had seen. The nights where he stared up at the stars with such loneliness in his eyes that it made her heart ache. The days where she'd have to help him into bed at night he was so exhausted only to find him back out training the next morning. How he held her so carefully in bed.
He was well aware of the differences in their physical strength and even at the beginning of their hot but brief affair he'd always been mindful of that, taken great care not to hurt her. On a few nights after intense lovemaking, he'd relaxed just enough to reveal a little about his past. Those quiet moments, where he laid out his battered and neglected heart to her were the ones that truly made her fall for him. She desperately wanted to heal and hold that broken heart of his. To lavish it with all of the love and devotion she could muster and show him how happy life could really be.
She noticed the water running cool and quickly shut it off and stepped out onto the self warming tile floor of the bathroom. Grabbing a towel, she quickly toweled herself off, brushed her hair and teeth, and washed her face. Content and knowing Trunks would be up in a couple of hours demanding more food, she wrapped her purple bathrobe around her body and stepped out of the bathroom and into her bedroom. She was about to walk over to her closet to pick a pair of underwear and sleeping clothes when the slight breeze in the room informed her that the doors of her balcony were open. Her heart skipped a beat in hope and anticipation.
"You sure took your time." came a rough voice from the corner closest to the double doors.
"I could say the same for you." she replied as her gaze focused on the muscular man standing against the wall with his arms crossed, his brow knit together, and his lips pulled down into a frown.
"The child?" he questioned.
"Sleeping." she informed him. "He had a busy day today."
Vegeta nodded and straightened away from the wall and glanced at the floor. He seemed almost, nervous and she was curious as to why but knew better than to ask so instead she tried to change the subject.
"I heard what you did for Trunks during the fight." she said softly walking towards him. He stiffened slightly and she quickly continued. "Thank you."
His eyes widened and his onyx eyes snapped to her sapphire orbs. "What?" he asked his tone full of disbelief.
"Thank you." she said moving closer to him. "For staying to fight the androids, for helping protect everyone," she gently reached out and laid her fingertips against his sweater clad arm. "For getting angry for your son's sake."
A little tinge of red touched his cheeks and he turned his head. "Bah! I wasn't going to let that overgrown bug get away with something so cowardly." he growled.
Bulma's mouth twitched up into a small smile. "I know." she replied before taking a deep breath. "Are you hungry?" she asked. "I can make you something if you are. Trunks won't be up for a couple of hours." she said stepping away from him knowing he usually wanted his space after any sort of verbal exchange that was emotional.
Her eyes widened in surprise when his hand wrapped firmly around her forearm stopping her retreat.
"Bulma." he said softly his voice rough in a way that made her heart clench.
She turned her eyes on him and found his eyes shimmering with emotion unlike any she'd seen before.
"What's wrong?" she asked wanting desperately to reach out and touch his face.
"What do I do now?" he asked softly. "Kakarot is gone. My chance to redeem my honor died with him. I-" he closed his mouth.
She wasn't sure if he was unsure of how to express how he felt or just unwilling to. Having been around him for so long, she was certain that Goku's death had affected him more deeply than he'd ever dare let on. He'd lost his rival and the last member of his race. Though Gohan and Trunks carried Saiyan blood as well, she knew it wasn't the same. Goku and Vegeta had a special connection that couldn't quiet be explained. They needed one another, almost like they were brothers separated at birth. They balanced one another both on and off the battlefield. With him gone, Vegeta was likely as lost as he was when he was originally plopped on Earth with the rest of the Namekians. Her eyes softened and she made the same decision she'd already made once before. She'd offer him a home there with her. What he had done before and during the Cell Games could be forgiven and right now, he needed a home.
This time, she didn't resist the urge to reach out and touch his face when it came over her and lightly traced the slight indentation of his temple.
"Stay here with me, with Trunks." she offered quietly.
His eyes widened slightly. Clearly that was not what he was expecting. As soon as he realized he'd let his mask slip, he slipped it back on and snorted.
"Of course. The boy will need proper training. There's no way I'm going to have the clown's spawn teach my son the ways of the warrior." he scoffed with his trademark arrogance.
Pleased to see a little of her former lover's confidence back she smirked and nodded. "Of course." she agreed. "Just don't be too tough on him."
Vegeta rolled his eyes and she chuckled moving towards her closet and found herself drawn away from her sleeping clothes and towards the few outfits she'd saved from her younger days. A pink shirt dress with 'Bulma' printed boldly across the chest in particular called out to her and she reached out and fingered the hem lightly before she a sob and giggle tried to leave her mouth at the same time making a strange strangled sound leave her throat instead. Tears leaked out of the corner of her eyes as her thoughts returned again to her childhood where she'd fought dinosaurs and robots with the crazy boy she found in the woods.
"Woman?" Vegeta questioned moving to stand inside the massive walk in closet with her. "I distinctly remember you promising me food."
"Food." she repeated rubbing the hem between her fingers. "I swear, that's every Saiyan's first priority." she bowed her head and let out a watery laugh. "Did you know that the first time Goku met me, he attacked my car because he thought it was a monster that was going to try to steal the fish he'd just caught?" she asked.
"It doesn't surprise me." Vegeta admitted moving further into the closet.
"Yeah." she replied. "So I got out and shot him in the head. Luckily for him, you guys are bulletproof."
Vegeta chuckled. "You had nerves of steel even back then didn't you?"
She nodded and fisted her hands in the cloth as she fought back her sobs. "Yeah." she admitted before turning and moving back to where her sleeping clothes were.
She picked a pair of red boy short style panties and an oversized tee shirt with the Capsule Corp logo printed on the front. Moving past the Saiyan, she slipped into the bathroom and pulled both on before walking out into the main living space again.
"Come on your highness, let's see how many egg rolls I can whip up with what I've got in the kitchen." she said with a smile as she headed to the door.
He nodded and followed without a word but glanced at his son's door as they passed. Bulma nearly smiled as she caught a glimpse of Vegeta's features softening slightly but knew better and simply continued down the stairs to the kitchen and quickly plugged in the deep fryer on the counter before pulling the filling for the rolls from the freezer. Since the food was one of Vegeta's favorites, she always kept large quantities of the filling on hand as well as the wrapps even after he went away since he was never a patient man.
She tossed the frozen filling into the microwave to thaw it and pulled six packages of skins from the fridge before quickly filling the rice maker to capacity and starting it. Contrary to popular belief, she was an excellent cook. It had been the only way she'd really had to bond with her airheaded mother, that she loved dearly of course and had been extremely helpful while traveling with Goku in her teens.
She moved to the oven and quickly set it before dumping an entire package of chicken nuggets on two cookie sheets and slid them inside. Though it wasn't the best option, it was the quickest one she had as far as protein went. And no meal was complete without meat. Vegeta had made that loud and clear when he'd first arrived though Goku seemed to feel the same way so it wasn't a shock. The sound of a chair scraping across the floor informed her of Vegeta's arrival and she nodded in acknowledgement.
"It'll take about half an hour to get the first course going." she informed him. "You can watch TV or something while you wait."
"There's nothing on that light box of yours that interests me." he informed her in a clipped tone.
She shrugged. "Suit yourself." she replied. "Although I think there's going to be a marathon of that warrior vs warrior show on one of the channels." she remarked tapping her chin.
"Warrior vs Warrior?" he replied a little hint of interest in his tone.
She nodded as she pulled the thawed out filling from the microwave and started to make her first batch of egg rolls.
"Here on earth we've had all sorts of warriors. The show stacks them up against one another to see which one would be more likely to win in a one on one showdown." she explained. "For example, ninja are warriors who are famous for their stealth, hand to hand combat skills, and ability to use everyday objects as weapons. They came about to fight against Samurai, swordsmen who lived by a strict honor code. Most people think one is better than the other so this show runs a series of tests including bloody recreations of their trademark weapons being used on dummies to simulate the damage they can do and then run a simulation to show what a battle between the two warriors would look like." she explained.
"That sounds marginally interesting." he admitted.
She chuckled. "I thought you'd say that." she said with a grin as she pushed a button to turn on the massive TV in the connected living room. "Now what channel…" she muttered racking her brain for the right one. The sound of her name caught her attention as the loud entertainment channel her mother loved blared to life on screen.
"In other news, Bulma Briefs was spotted today carrying a baby boy. This adorable child is likely the reason we've seen so little of the young heiress over the past two years. There is no word on the who the child's father is as of yet, however there are rumors that Yamcha, Bulma's long time lover and baseball star is the most likely candidate. We've reached out to both the Briefs and Yamcha's representatives but have not heard back from either. Stay tuned in as we go over this couple's rocky but passionate relationship over the years." said the bubbly blonde woman on screen.
Bulma groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose as an image of her carrying Trunks through the front gates of the compound with her head bowed flashed on screen.
"Damn it." she muttered. "I forgot all about the paparazzi today. I should have been more careful." she admitted before changing the channel to the marathon.
She turned back to her cooking and nearly jumped when Vegeta caught her by the arm and turned her back around his dark eyes blazing.
"Do people honestly believe that my son was sired by that scar faced buffoon?!" he snarled.
Bulma blinked and then shrugged gently tugging her arm out of his grip. "They probably do now." she admitted. "That picture someone took today is the first one any of the paparazzi have gotten of Trunks." she replied. "After I found out I was pregnant, I stayed out of the public eye as much as I could. Once Trunks was born, I tried to keep the media from finding out about him because I didn't want my baby's face plastered all over the news and in those gossip rags." she said dropping a basket filled with egg rolls into the hot oil. "Since Yamcha is the only guy I've really been with publicly recently, they assume he's the father."
Vegeta's jaw twitched but he slumped back into his chair and glared at the television screen soon getting sucked in as a battle between a Spartan and a Medieval Knight began to take shape. Bulma laid the first batch of egg rolls in front of him and produced two cups of dipping sauce before turning back to the food she was cooking a little smile touching her lips when a groan of pleasure left Vegeta's throat.
"Your cooking skills have improved." he remarked when he cleaned his first plate.
Bulma chuckled and scooped rice into a large bowl and loaded a second plate with egg rolls and carried them to the table taking the first plate away.
"Trunks is pickier than you." she replied with an easy smile.
Vegeta nodded once and returned his attention to the television.
Twenty minutes later, Trunks let out a wailing cry and Bulma dashed to his bedroom and picked up the child.
"There there." she murmured. "What's wrong?" she asked.
He whimpered and tugged at her shirt and she sighed. "Snack time already huh? Well, you'll have to eat while I cook. Your daddy's home and is starving." she said carrying him into her room.
She pulled on a pair of shorts so that she wouldn't flash the Saiyan prince and then wrapped a baby carrier around her body and set Trunks gently in it. She carried him down stairs and then slipped her breast out from under her shirt and winced when Trunks mouth clamped down on her nipple.
"Gently baby." she murmured softly.
Vegeta turned his attention back from the television and starred as Trunks drank from his mother's breast, his blue eyes studying him with curiosity.
"What is he doing?" the prince demanded.
"Eating." Bulma replied tapping a few keys on a nearby panel to instruct a kitchen bot to pull the chicken from the oven. "That is what breasts are for." she explained.
He frowned. "That looks… Uncomfortable."
She laughed out loud. "It was at first." she admitted. "Now we're both used to it, aren't we baby." she cooed stroking Trunks's round cheek.
When he had drained both of her breasts, Trunks yawned again and Bulma quickly adjusted him laying his tiny body against her shoulder and coaxed a couple of loud burps and several smaller ones from his belly with the patting of her hand on his back. He fell asleep as she carried him upstairs and she laid him down gently and covered him up.
"Sleep tight my little Super Saiyan." she said softly before closing the door behind her and walking back to the kitchen to finish cooking for The Prince of all Saiyans.
He was still focused on the TV screen and she quickly finished up the rest of the egg rolls and set them down in front of him before sitting down beside him with her container of crab salad and crackers from before.
Vegeta glanced at her, studying her face before looking back at his plate. "You should sleep woman. You look exhausted."
"So do you." she countered. "Besides, I haven't had the opportunity to enjoy your company lately."
He cocked a brow at her. "Are you being sarcastic?" he asked.
"Who knows." she replied with a smirk.
They ate in companionable silence for several minutes until all of the food was gone. Bulma cleared away the dishes and stretched before climbing the stairs with Vegeta close behind her.
"Your room has fresh sheets." she informed him as they neared their bedroom doors. "If you need anything, let me know." she said cheerfully.
"Sure." he replied softly.
His eyes which were normally so confident seemed a little dull and it made her heart ache. Acting on impulse she quickly stretched up on her toes and pressed her lips lightly to his temple.
"Get some rest Vegeta." she told him softly before slipping into her own bedroom.
She slid into bed and sighed. A part of her wanted to invite him into her bed but she didn't want to pressure him. She knew he was suffering from the loss of Goku and was simply thankful he'd returned to her house even if it was just because he wanted Trunks to have proper training.
Their relationship had ended when the words 'I love you' had slipped from her lips during their last session of love making. She didn't know if it was fear, or just the desire to stay entanglement free that sent him running from her bed and into the cold vacuum of space, but this time she wasn't going to be as needy. This time, she would only take what he offered and not pressure him with her selfish feelings. As she drifted asleep a thought occurred to her. The gravity capsule hadn't been used in over a year. It badly needed upgrades and new equipment. Perhaps, she could take some time out and create a better training space for him.
Author's Note: I apologize, the site had major issues yesterday and some of this story got lost in the chaos of having to delete, repost, and delete again nonsense I tried in order to allow you to read it. I'm reposting it now and hopefully all of the chapters make it. Sorry about this.
