Sixteen months in and I was looking pretty pregnant. Things were getting easier. I was still no where near where I was before I was kidnapped. But now I could do things on my own. Which is a massive step forward for me. It's become very useful since it feels like I need to pee every five minutes.

Bulma says things are looking good according to the tests. My ankles would say something different. Panty was practically fawning over me like I was baby bird. It was sweet but smothering. Bulma was concerned about how tired I was and tried to keep me in bed all the time. But there is only so many hours I can stand laying in bed in a single day.

I went on little walks around the facility. The atrium was always nice, I enjoyed the trees and animals. Since the Namekians left for their new planet the place felt empty. Gohan still visited a couple times a month but I was still pretty lonely.

Oddly enough Piccolo stared coming around more after our awkward encounter. He assured me that he wasn't offended and we got along pretty well. I enjoyed his calm silence. It seems like he's gotten lonely now that all the Namekians left. Since Gohan was back with his mom Piccolo was on his own again. It was nice having company with someone I actually liked.

Vegeta was either learning how to be less of a shitty person or I was just getting used to him. Once we started talking to each other about all the fucked up shit we went through it made living with each other easier.

My ankles were pulsing like hell but I ignored them as I waddled around. A familiar sensation of the baby pushing on my stomach had me stop for a moment. Their tiny little hand swiped along my belly. It's was more painful that I initially thought it would be. After a few breaths they decided they were done exploring and stopped.

The sudden need to pee had me moving as fast and my sore ass ankles would allow to the nearest bathroom. Vegeta came in heading to his training area. He stopped and watched me, amused. I'd tell him to fuck off if I didn't need to pee so bad.

I felt liquid trickle down my legs. 'Goddammit, this hasn't happened in months.'

But then I still needed to pee. Pulsing pressure started to radiate through my body. I felt a sense of dread flow through me.

"Vegeta…." I said quietly.

He looked like he was going to say something to mock me till he saw the panic in my face.

"It's to early." Understanding dawned on him.

Without a moment of hesitation he scooped me up as gently as possible and went to find Bulma. I was trying to not hyperventilate as we found her in her lab. She was working on something mechanical.

"Bulma my water just broke." She flipped off her welders mask.

"What?" She walked over and started rubbing on my belly.

"Wow they are on the move. Vegeta take her into my bio lab and set her in one of the beds."

She started pulling off her equipment while Vegeta did as she said. He sat me down and waited with me till Bulma showed up. It didn't take her long. As soon as she walked through the door Vegeta bolted. Bulma rolled her eyes but didn't say anything.

With her help I was able to change into a gown and get back on the bed. She started feeling up my stomach again.

"Bulma it's to early." My voice cracked as I tried not to cry.

"I know dear. But what we need to focus on is helping them out as safely as possible. Now I'm gonna need to check in is that alright?" I nodded.

A wave of pain crashed through me so I barely even noticed her fingers feeling up the situation.

"Ok it feels like their coming now. So you need to focus on breathing ok." Another contraction hit me even faster.

Doing what she said I tried to put all my attention on my breathing and not about how they were four months early. The contractions escalated within just a few minutes. It all seemed to happen so quickly, the pain of them coming out was less than I expected. Bulma was holding them with an alarmed look on her face. As soon as they took their first breath they started wailing.

"What's wrong? Please give them here?" She handed them over.

"I….I don't know what to do." Bulma stated.

I started sobbing. They were so very small. Their carapace which should be hard and firm was soft, their dome had a dull shade to it. They were screaming like they were in massive amounts of pain. Their tail wrapped around my arm squeezing with surprising strength as they tried to find an outlet for their pain.

"What's wrong?" I sobbed.

Bulma looked terrified. "I don't know."

Holding them close I cried uncontrollably. Moving my hand down their face their skin felt so dry. Struck with a thought I lifted them up gently and ran my finger down the length of their spine. The thin layer cracked as I began to peel away a layer of shed skin.

As the skin pulled away their cries lessened. Bulma looked on confused.

"Are they shedding their skin already?" I didn't answer as I pulled them out to clean, slightly smoother skin.

Their screaming stopped. A wave of relief flowed through me. Pulling off my gown a bit I helped them latch on. The quiet seemed to remind Bulma what to do next. She went about cutting the cord and handing me a blanket to wrap them in.

They were so small. Their little dome still looked duller than I thought it should and their carapace was still too soft. Once they were done eating Bulma weighed them and did a few other quick tests. But as soon as she handed them back to me they started crying again. Stroking their cheek I could tell their skin had already started to dry already.

"How often are they suppose to shed?" Bulma asked looking a little worried.

I started the process of helping them shed again. "Frieza shed about twice a year but he was also way older than me. I have no idea how often a child should shed."

It was a bit worrying but at least I knew what to do about it. They quieted down just as quickly as last time. It seems so odd that not even at 6lbs and they were rearing to come out into the world. We didn't get much sleep that day. They shed their skin five more times, each with a longer cooling period. By the morning of their second day they seemed done with their shedding. I felt exhausted but I knew looking at their shining maroon dome and bright red eyes that they were gonna be ok.

Bulma didn't look to good herself. "Do you know what your gonna name her?" She asked as she went about disposing of the placenta.

"I was thinking Rhea." She continued to fuss in her blanket.

"That's a nice name." Bulma added finishing up a few other things.

Rhea pushed her way out of her blanket. Her small body immediately clinging to my chest. She calmed down instantly, her long tail trying to coil around my body.

"It's hard to believe she's only two days old with how she acts." Bulma commented.

Rhea was showing the muscle control of a child closer to a year old and her strength was amazing. I bet if I stood up she would still be holding on without any assistance. Bulma looked extremely curious.

"Do you think her race comes out as ready as her?" Bulma asked.

"I don't know. I never saw any children of Frieza's race or even women. The impression I got was that most stay on their home planet. Though I wouldn't be surprised if they do." She had fallen asleep. "It's crazy how much she looks like him huh."

Bulma gave me an unreadable look. She did look almost exactly like his final form. The only difference being the color of her dome.

"Are…..are you gonna be ok?" Bulma asked hesitantly.

I blinked a few times clearing my thoughts, "I think so. Or at least I hope so."

I stayed in Bulma's lab for another two days for recovery. Since Rhea was so small there was no tearing but it didn't stop me from feeling as sore as hell. My genitalia had a general throbbing pain that turned into an almost numbness. Bulma informed me that it would take around a month or so for my body to completely recover. Not that I had any plans to use any of those bits in the coming future.

Once out of the lab Bulma moved my room so I had an attached room for Rhea when she got older. For now though I found it comforting to have her sleeping with me. I remember several of my family members arguing with their spouses about when they should move the baby out of their room. There was definitely something nice about knowing I could go at Rhea's and my own pace without any added stress.

For the first week I didn't think about how I didn't see much of Vegeta. I rarely left my room and when I did Rhea was clinging to me like she was strapped into one of those chest contraptions. Her claws had come in and hardened with her shedding but she never dug them in. It was surprising to see a newborn have more control over herself then every full grown cat I've ever meet.

It was only as it rolled into the second week and I started walking around more did I notice he would out right turn around if he saw me coming. I wanted to be mad about it but I felt more empty than anything. The fear of postpartum depression hung over my head. I didn't want to tell Bulma about it, at least not yet.

I wasn't upset at Rhea, she was so quiet, cuddly, and her eyes held so much intelligence and curiosity. It just hurt to look at her, more than I thought it would anyway. Vegeta avoiding me made it easy to bottle it up. I wanted to talk to him about it but a part of me feared that he would mock me for it.

Gohan and Chi Chi came by at week three. He was always so happy and helpful. I let him hold Rhea for a while as Chi Chi and I talked. While I disagreed with how she parented it was nice to talk to someone who also had an alien child. Though Gohan didn't look it.

Rhea seemed to like Gohan. She smiled at him and liked playing peekaboo with him. Though it was concerning me that she was so quiet. Outside of cries while shedding she rarely made any noise. She didn't giggle or laugh. It wouldn't be concerning since children her age rarely did either of those things. But she was already showing advanced development closer to a child of around three months if Chi Chi's estimation was right.

"I wouldn't get too worried over it. Gohan was a very advanced physically as a baby. But a lot of other things went about as normal as you'd expect. So I would try not to get hung up on things like that. She's gonna be different, she'll grow at her own pace." Chi Chi's words were reassuring.

I itched to talk about how I was feeling but I held that in. I didn't want to burden Chi Chi with my problems. She had her own family to deal with. Gohan was sad to leave and started asking his mom when she was gonna have another baby. It made me very happy to see Gohan get so attached to her. It validated my own feelings which was something I didn't realize that I needed.

Outside of that I felt very alone.

I hate to admit I started crying a lot more. Apart of me was terrified, I had no idea what I was doing. How could I have thought that I could manage this on my own. I did my best to not cry in front of Rhea, she may only be a baby but I don't want her to see me like that. That first month was all around horrible.

When Piccolo came by for his usual training I felt anxious about talking to him. If he hadn't seeked me out I probably would have avoided him the whole time he was there. Rhea and I were in the atrium. She was laying out in the grass, once again trying to learn how to crawl. She had a lot of strength in those limbs but not the coordination to get anywhere yet.

Piccolo was quiet, like always and just sat down next to me without saying anything.

"Hey." I said, unsure what to say to him.

"So this is her?" Piccolo was watching as Rhea tried to roll onto her stomach.

"Yeah. She's always in a hurry it seems." I smiled.

"I didn't think she'd be so small?"

"Me neither." Feeling anxious I went to grab Rhea to delay.

Her big red eyes stared up at me. A little smile on her face. She looked over at Piccolo curiously.

"Do you wanna hold her?"

"Sure." Rhea seemed fine with me passing her on to Piccolo.

She was staring up at him fascinated.

"She looks a lot like him huh." I stated.

"Does that bother you?" He asked letting Rhea play with his hand.

"Sometimes. I just didn't think it'd bother me so much."

"I don't think it'd be easy for anyone. But she's already very different from her father. Just look at the way she smiles." She was covering her eyes with Piccolo's hands like she was playing peekaboo.

Her smile was a real smile. Not the smug self aggrandizing one I've been subjected too. She looked so happy to just be playing a little game by herself. It definitely helped to see how different she was from Frieza. Maybe if I just looked at how different she is from him the parts that are similar won't be so bad.

I felt so tired, I leaned on Piccolo and we just watched Rhea silently for a little while. Something about Piccolo's presence was so calming and reassuring. With him holding Rhea so gently it made me want to just sit like that forever.

"Piccolo, I think I'm falling in love with you." I stated.

I refused to look up and see the expression on his face, "I don't know what to say to that." He started, "I've never been in any kind of relationship. But I do know I like being around you more than anyone else."

A sigh of relief escaped me. He moved his arm to wrap around my waist. Curling into him had me feeling so comfortable and safe. Rhea was yawning, it was about time for her nap. The whole experience made my life feel a little more bearable.