"Thank you, Goku." Bulma gently hung up the phone, and looked out the kitchen window longingly. She looked up at the stars she and her prince had looked at together so many times before. She sighed. Where are you, Vegeta? After everything we've been through…why won't you come home?

Vegeta's muscles screamed at him, but he ignored them. Desperation filled his chest as he forced himself to continue with his pushups. 3012, 3013, 3014… He had almost lost his family, and he would be damned if it was going to happen again. He knew his family wanted him home, not out in the middle of nowhere training. He knew Bulma was worried sick about him, begging him to simply use the gravity room instead. But he couldn't. He couldn't bear to be around them, couldn't stand to even look them in the eyes. He couldn't face them, and so he had escaped here, where he'd been training for the past three days. And he was going to continue training, maybe forever. He had been given yet another chance at life, and he knew he should be taking advantage of it. But his family was too much for him. He told himself it was because he couldn't admit to failing them. But deep down, he knew it was something greater…

He was approaching 4000, when he suddenly felt a great weight on top of him, and collapsed. The minute he heard that obnoxious laugh, he knew who it was. Groaning, Vegeta squirmed underneath him. "Get off of me, Kakarot, you big idiot!" Goku scrambled to his feet.

"Sorry, sorry! I was trying to sense your energy so I could transport here and I guess I was a little too accurate!" he said with a laugh. Vegeta rolled his eyes, getting to his feet.

"What do you want?" he mumbled. His body was screaming at him to sit down. Actually, it was screaming at him to lay down and go to sleep, but he ignored it. Physical pain is a part of life, he reminded himself for about the millionth time in his life. He shuddered when he realized it was Frieza that had told him that. Goku cocked his head to the side.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine!" he snapped. "Just answer my damn question, so I can get back to my training! Why the hell are you here?" Goku scratched the back of his head and looked down at his feet, lightly nudging a rock with his toe.

"I, um…Well…I wanted to make sure you were doing alright! I hadn't sensed your energy around lately, so I wondered how you were doing…" He looked up and smiled, feigned innocence painted on his face. Vegeta rolled his eyes.

"So the woman sent you here to talk to me?" he growled. Typical, that was just like Bulma! He had shut her out, so she sent the clown out to find him for her! It was infuriating. Goku's eyes widened. Either he was a terrible liar, or Vegeta and Bulma were really in synch with each other! All he could do was nod shamefully. "Well there's no need to worry. I'm fine, I'm training, Bulma and Trunks are alive, all is well." Considering that to be a sufficient answer, Vegeta pushed himself onto his hand for his handstand pushups, ignoring his body's disapproval.

"Vegeta…" The Prince's dark eyes narrowed. He stayed there, perfectly still, and completely upside down. Had it been anyone else, Goku would have laughed. But somehow, even though he was on his hands, Vegeta still managed to look as scary and intimidating as hell. Goku gulped, before continuing. "I'm not allowed to leave unless you come with me," he admitted. Vegeta crossed his arms stubbornly.

"Well that sucks for you then, doesn't it? Since I'm not going back."

"Vegeta, you belong with your family."

"I don't belong anywhere!" he snapped. Goku shook his head.

"Come on, that's not true, and you know it! How can you say that, after everything that's happened?"

"Shut up Kakarot."

"Vegeta…"

"I don't want to talk about it!"

"Bulma's worried sick about you! You died for her and Trunks, and the rest of Earth, and now you're trying to back pedal and say you don't belong with them? It doesn't make any sense!" He was started to get mad. How could he be so blind?

"I said shut up!" Goku's eyebrows furrowed as he crossed his arms in front of him, resembling the other Saiyan standing across from him.

"No! I'm not going to leave without you! Your family deserves for you to be home with them!"

"You don't know a damn thing about what my family deserves! My family deserves another idiot to stay with them, not myself." Goku frowned.

"That doesn't make sense, Vege-"

"Well of course it doesn't make sense to you, you idiot! You couldn't possibly understand what it means for me to go back to them! You have no idea how my current state only causes them even more pain!" Now Goku was just confused. His current state?

"I don't understand…"

"I should've stayed dead!" he exploded. "Wouldn't life be better for them both without me? Wouldn't Trunks be better off without an asshole of a Father to disappoint him at every turn!? I wasn't there for the beginning of his life, which I'm sure he resents me for as much as I resent my Father for not being present for the end of mine!" He had lost all control of himself, the emotions he had held for his entire life pouring out of him. "I'm never going to be the Dad that hugs his son and teaches him to fucking play football! I'm never going to be the Father that says the right thing at the right time! I'm never going to be the Father that he deserves!" There it was. It was out. The reason he never wanted a kid in the first place: He would never be enough. Bulma he could deceive, but a child…a child knew. Vegeta sure had. And he had sworn to himself ever since that he would never put a child through the same torture that his Father had put him through. The fact that he had broken that promise eight years ago had been hard enough, but watching it all come true and fall apart in front of him was almost too much to bear. His whole body shook as he clenched his hands into fists.

"Vegeta…" Goku whispered. Vegeta's head snapped around in horror. He had forgotten the idiot was even there, he had been so wrapped up in his anger! Now he had heard the whole damn thing and knew Vegeta's greatest fear, leaving him completely vulnerable. He squeezed his eyes shut, threw his head back, and screamed in frustration. The ground shook around him, his jet black hair giving way to golden, as he released his anger into the night. Minutes passed before he finally stopped. His arms fell to his sides, his hair returned to its original color, and he fell to his knees.

"He loves you Vegeta." Vegeta's eyes narrowed.

"He's an eight year old kid. He doesn't know what love is." He sighed bitterly. "And he sure as hell won't be able to learn from me."

"That's not tru-"

"He probably didn't even notice the difference when I died! Before the terror of Buu became a reality, it probably never even occurred to him that I wasn't around. His Mother was probably more upset than he was." Goku looked on at the Prince in shock. For someone who fought so hard for his pride, Vegeta really thought very poorly of himself. His self esteem was so low, he thought his own son didn't care when he had died! And yet…he had sacrificed himself anyway. Goku's eyebrows furrowed as he glared at Vegeta. How could he possibly think so little of himself?

"Well. I suppose that's why he balled his eyes out when he found out, then," Goku said sarcastically.

The look of shock in Vegeta's eyes sent a deep pain straight through Goku's heart. They weren't just words. Vegeta really believed the things he was saying…he really, truly believed that Trunks didn't care. And even worse, he believed that he didn't deserve his care! It was heartbreaking to Goku. Here he had just helped save the world from the greatest evil they had ever known, and yet he believed he didn't deserve his own son's love! Goku was suddenly more determined than ever. No, my friend, he thought. I'm going to prove you wrong.

Vegeta shook his head. No, this was too much. The only thing worse than his son not caring about him, was his son caring about him. He knew anyone else would find him completely absurd, but it was the truth. Sure, it hurt him to think of Trunks not caring about him. But the alternative was worse. Vegeta knew he would never stand up to his expectations of him as a Father. No, it was better for him to not care, than to care and be subsequently crushed at Vegeta's lack of ability as a Father. Vegeta was used to pain. He could handle it. But his son…

"He was devastated, Vegeta. Of course he was. You're his idol! You're the man he looks up to. You're…his Father."

Vegeta looked away, trying to mask the pain rising up inside him. But Goku knew him better than that. After all the years they had spent fighting, fighting against each other, fighting with each other, and finally, fighting for each other, he had a learned a thing or two about Vegeta. He felt things deeply, and took things personally. He expected people to hurt him, and analyzed every situation to its fullest. He was a loner, determined to not make attachments and live his life in solitude. When he fought, he fought for himself. He was proud, strong, arrogant, and determined. And over the years he had spent on Earth, he had managed to keep almost all of his personality traits intact, save one. While he was still very solitary, spending large amounts of time alone or sitting in silence, Vegeta no longer fought for himself. He had proved that when he'd sacrificed himself fighting Majin Buu. He loved his family, and Goku knew it. But he also knew that Vegeta's greatest fear, even greater than someone hurting his family, was the fear that he would hurt them himself. Sympathy touched Goku's eyes as he looked at his friend's tortured face. He put his hand on Vegeta's shoulder in comfort, and was shocked to find that he didn't push it away.

"He cried very hard," Goku continued gently. "He kept insisting that no one could do that to you, that there was no way a 'stupid monster' could beat the Prince of all Saiyans."

Vegeta couldn't help the brief smirk that tugged at the corner of his mouth. So his boy knew he was a prince, huh? Bulma must have told him. Typical woman, telling Trunks his business behind his back. Still, he couldn't help but feel pleased that his son knew at least a little bit of their heritage. Goku noticed and smiled.

"Vegeta…" The prince turned to look at him, his dark eyes betraying his true feelings. Silence filled the room as the two looked at each other. It was odd, really. Kakarot had been Vegeta's arch enemy, the person he envied and hated the most, for years. And yet, in some weird way, it suddenly felt as if he could trust him in a way that he couldn't trust anyone else. He was the only full-blooded Saiyan left, beside himself. He had a wife and a kid, just like him. He had surpassed him and shamed him, nearly destroyed him. But after all the evil things Vegeta had done, after all the pain he had caused and personal loathing he had shown him, here he was, trying to comfort Vegeta, explaining why he wasn't a terrible Father. Vegeta sighed, getting to his feet. Life had always been strange…his third chance was proving to be no different.

"So how did you teach him the technique then?" he asked, referring to the fusion technique. "If he was really that upset, I can't imagine the woman letting him, or the boy wanting to for that matter." Taking his hand off Vegeta's shoulder, Goku looked away, an embarrassed look on his face.

"I, uh…well…," he hesitated. "I…I was a bit harsh on him, honestly." Vegeta raised an eyebrow. He couldn't imagine Kakarot being any harsher on Trunks than he himself had been. "I yelled at him and Goten and told them to stop crying at once. I told them we didn't have time for them to be emotional and…and that that was enough and that they had to be serious and to stop crying immediately." He finished quickly. Goku took a deep breath and held it, waiting for Vegeta to yell at him. He expected him to call him a low class idiot or a circus clown who had no idea how to parent, and how dare he try to interfere and speak to his son that way? But instead, Vegeta crossed his arms and let a smile slide across his face.

"And tell me, Kakarot," he said in a low voice. "Did my son stop crying?" Goku raised his eyebrows, and nodded slowly, stunned.

"Uh, yeah he did, actually. It was really impressive, he just completely stopped! He took a deep breath and looked up at me with this really intense look in his eyes. His eyes were still full of pain, but he stared at me with such a determined ferocity, it was scary!" Vegeta raised an eyebrow.

"Scary?" he questioned.

"Well yeah! I mean, not because his willpower scared me or anything, but because…well honestly Vegeta, because he looked just like you!" he admitted.

Vegeta fought hard at the tears that were forming in his eyes. He had spent his entire existence trying to convince himself why he had to be alone. He had fought thousands of battles, both physical and emotional. He had worked so hard to make sure that he never had to deal with attachments like the ones that had scarred him so early on in his life. He had cursed the stars the day he found about Trunks, and only stuck around after Cell because he thought it would somehow hurt his son less. He had kept his distance, letting Bulma do the parenting, while he trained his son and told himself that was the only relationship he ever wished to have with the boy. He convinced himself that he wasn't attached to them, even let a freaking wizard take over his body to prove it! But he had failed. He hadn't fooled anyone, including himself. He loved his son and he couldn't hide it. A smirk pulled at his mouth as he noted that failing had never felt so good.

"Well of course he did," Vegeta sneered. "He is my son."