Don't Own DBZ! Thought I told ya!

Mothers Nurture, Fathers Build Up

Chapter 4

It was late night, and Vegeta's low sensuous growls (moaning to anyone else who heard him) echoed through the master bathroom as he relaxed his body in a much needed bath. The water temperature was just a little above what the average person would bathe in, but then again, he wasn't the average person; he could tolerate much hotter (For future reference, It wasn't so hot that it could scold a normal person). The heat, along with the soothing air bubbles constantly flowing from the jet stream, was just what he needed for his aching muscles. He spent his days mostly training which had brought on soreness and physical fatigue, depending upon the intensity he chose, at the end of the day. And today he had trained the maximum level that he was capable of handling.

He looked towards the ceiling, laying his head back on the terry cloth-covered bath pillow, and the usual stiff black flame he had for hair was currently weighed down by the wetness and flowed down his back into the water. His arms were stretched out across the back of the luxurious tub, while his legs comfortably rest on the bottom.

He found that in such a tranquil state, his mind easily wandered, again contemplating just why exactly did he stay on earth. He was very well cognizant of the reasons why, but yet it was as if those 'two' were fairly unacceptable. But who would mind the boy's training and/or bed the woman almost every night? Would it be that pathetic excuse for a warrior, Yamacha? There was no way he would leave his son and woman in that person's hands, and even the thought of anyone else touching his mate was rather detestable. The boy was different, though. He didn't mind the fact that Gohan trained him in the alternate time because that Trunks was pretty strong. However, this Trunks could be even stronger with his father's guidance. Therefore, in the end, there was no choice but to stay.

"Mind if I join you?" Bulma asked sweetly, interrupting his thoughts. She didn't await his reply to drop her briefcase and strip out of her business attire.

He huffed a bit at his wife's intrusion. It felt good to take a bath by himself, something he hadn't done in a while as he would routinely shower instead, and he was enjoying his personal time.

"Yes, I do m…" He began with his eyes closed, then casually flipping them open and glanced to the side as he scanned her already naked body that was only a few feet away. He had an abrupt change of mind, smirking as he thought of the activity they may possibly engage in. "…on second thought, why not?"

"mmmm…" Bulmalet a soft moan as she entered the oval-shaped tub, capable of accommodating five persons easily. With all the room available, she positioned herself comfortably between his legs and laid the back of her head against his chest. "…this feels so go..." She cut her words to scoot over to the edge of the tub and stretched an arm to reach for her bag.

"What are you doing?" Vegeta inquired while subconsciously holding onto her sides to keep her from slipping as she leaned her body over the ledge.

"mmm…." She took her previous position, this time while holding what appeared to be a previously smoked cigarette between index and middle fingers, careful not to get it wet. "Light this for me, will ya hon?" She requested, tilting her head up to look at him.

He studied the rolled tobacco stick carefully, noting it was the same brand as the old man's, and twitched his eyes in disgust.

"These things are bad for you." He calmly stated before he formed the tiniest ball of energy at the tip of his finger and lit it anyway. She took a puff to keep the flame going, and then both leaned back together.

Since the corporation started transitioning under her full command, Vegeta had frequently smelled the scent of smoke on her, which was not very pleasant to him; the smell often caused him to picture his father-in-law. And in harmony with his prior statement, they were indeed detrimental to her health and anyone else she would smoke around.

"I know…" She exhaled, carefully pulling it away from her mouth and turned to plant the butt in a nearby empty soap dish, mostly because of what he just said. "…but I only smoke to relieve stress, not every day…so don't worry."

He was fairly relieved that she had put that thing out, but the room was now clouded and reeking of that awful stench. He wanted to tell her that the smell was very grotesque, but he knew she'd go off on him, ruining the mood entirely.

He grabbed the bottle of cucumber and melon scented shampoo (with conditioner to boost) that was stationed conveniently in the corner above his head as he cunningly deduced to washing the odor out of her hair first instead of starting a fight.

"And what are you so stressed about?" He asked squirting a generous glob of shampoo in his palm and slapped it on top her damp head. He then cupped two hands together full of water and spilled it in the same spot upon her crown.

"Lots of things…mmmmm…." She let out a faint moan as he gently scrubbed her head, his finger tips working in a circular pattern. "…fully taking over from dad…mmm…being a good mother…ahhh… and being a good friend as well…a little to the left…" He conceded her request as he worked slowly through the foamy bubbles to the left of her head "…yesss…mmm…that's it." His attentive pampering felt so incredibly good that she could fall asleep. Rarely ever he would treat her with such lavish care. Most of the time, it was her spoiling him.

"It's expected that you will run into some obstacles as your 'subjects' adjust to your 'rule' while you are in the process of 'succeeding' the old man, and that will subside after while…" He said with a bit of sarcasm, suggesting the whole thing was no different than a monarchy.

He softly cuffed her chin and tilted her head back ever so slightly to begin washing out the suds as she closed her eyes. "…so on with the second issue…why has the boy caused you stress?"

"He hasn't directly…" She went on speaking between his splashes. "…I just don't want to seem like a mean mommy to him…I've been trying nicely, but I just can't seem to get him to take off that silly hat…he refuses every time."

"So now you think it's silly…what happened to…" He interrupted his own words to take a sniff at her head as he had completely rinsed the shampoo from it. '…ah much better…'

"What happened to what?" She looked up at him oblivious to what he was actually doing.

"What was the word…?" He continued as he met her upturned gaze and their noses within a few inches of touching. "…cute?"

"Oh…" She tore her eyes away from his after a quick inverted kiss, a reward for washing her hair, in addition to actually looking the word he just said. She then brought her wet head to rest against his chest once more and reached back to rest an arm on his shoulder. "It used to be cute when he was smaller, but now he's grown out of the thing. It's not cute anymore. Hey, I know!" She startled him when she suddenly jumped and turned to face him. "Why don't you get him to take it off? He seems to think your opinion is more important than mine for some reason." She said with a hint of attitude and turned back around to relax. She came to this conclusion after think about who actually motivated Trunks to first walk and talk.

It seemed to him that she may even be jealous of his influence over Trunks. He chuckled mentally at her attitude, finding it quite amusing.

"Very well…" He agreed, while gently smoothing her wet hair backwards. Her short aqua hair now mirrored his own long dark mane, color and length being the only difference (not to mention the deep widow's peak he has).

After all, he figured he would sooner or later rip the beanie off the child's head anyway and disintegrate it whether Trunks liked it or not, but now this way, he would get something out her in return as well in regards to their son. "I'll get him to take that ridiculous head gear off, if you teach him how to properly use the latrine."

"You mean potty train him?"

"That's right." He smirked, smart enough to know that the potty training would be the dirtier job. And besides, he was just thinking earlier that Trunks would be much more advanced if wasn't wearing that diaper.

"But isn't he too young?" She looked up at him with a raised brow as a finger tugged her bottom lip.

"He's walking and now talking, you tell me." He blandly asserted while tipping her head backwards to look down on her estranged face.

"You have a point…" She said, but didn't think potty training for the hat would be a fair trade. Then thinking 'what the heck', she planted another upside down kiss on his lips and then formed a smile that signified her agreement. "..okay, deal!"

Although they had a slight taste of cigarette, the small kisses were enough to send waves of pleasure shooting through his body, slowly turning him on. He would more than gladly take her right there, but there was another matter they had yet to cover.

He stared her into her blue eyes with a glint of desire before speaking again. "Moving right along…" He switched his attention back to the cause of her stress. "…third on the agenda…what's this about being a good friend?"

"Well, I talked with Chi-Chi today." She sighed as she slowly brought a leg upward and scanned as the warm water daintily flowed down its length. The small show she was giving distracted him from properly searching his memory before he answered.

"And who might this Chi-Chi be?" He innocently inquired as he observed her now stretching the other leg in the same manner and his eyes followed her hand as it ran down the smooth curvature.

"Hello?!" she said, causing a big splash as her leg drop back into the water. She frowned at his response and sat up to turn and look at him in disbelief. How could he have casually forgotten such a person? "Goku's widow?!"

"Oh…" He blushed briefly in embarrassment and partially because she found him captivated by the alluring but simple advertisement of her gorgeous limbs.

She returned to her flexing, this time raising an arm to study. In his fascination, he had quickly forgotten he would rather have her body and mind. He ran a hand up to meet and interlock with hers as he gently kissed around her neck. "…why do you concern yourself… with the likes of a woman…Kakarrot… so ignorantly left behind?" He said between nips and then stealthily brought his free hand to guide her head with the intention of getting their lips to meet passionately.

"Because she's my friend, Vegeta!" She growled in his face, instead of submitting to his advances. That last comment was very insensitive for even him, she thought. "And she's pregnant!

"Come again…" he reflexively jerked back and furrowed a brow. "…she's with child?"

"Yeah…" She pouted and crossed her arms in front of her as she now studied the end of the tub.

His lips twitched as he stifled a snicker, thinking about the possible time period that the second spawn of Kakarrot was conceived. 'That sly dog… he was relaxing alright.' He thought it had to be some time right before the Cell games in which he, contrary to Kakarrot, went to fight Cell with pent up tension as he preferred solitude those days rather than Bulma's comfort. Maybe he should have swallowed his pride then and crept into her room a few late nights during the break; he, perhaps, would have fought better and Kakarrotwould still be alive for their fight as a result. But then again, there was that night when he was in need of her assistance for certain other issues (namely, armor replacement), but found her in the lounging area, giggling as the 'ex' casually massaged/tickled her feet*. 'That reminds me…I was supposed to pound him for that!'

"…are you listening, Vegeta?" Bulma raised her voice to snap him from the reverie. "The baby should be born in a couple weeks, so I'm going pay her a visit this the weekend…would you like to come? Gohan asked about you."

"I rather not." He sighed in irritation, resting his arms across the back of the tub again. It was Kakarrot's choice to leave his woman and child behind. His mate shouldn't have to carry the burden, and he could care less. Or rather…he was more interested in caring for other things at the moment.

"Oh come on Vegeta! What would it hurt? You could even do some sparring with Gohan…" Bulma turned to half face him. She couldn't look him in the eye because she had made up that part about Gohan and she truly aspired to have a baby shower for Chi-Chi. "It'll be fun! Please? Please? Please?"

"Alright! Alright! Alright! I'll go." He grumped in retreat. He couldn't stand for her to beg in such an annoying manner, and there were times she even added in those exotic eyes to push it even more. She had to be the one and only female he has ever come in contact with that has used such suave persuasive methods. At that moment, he was thankful that Trunks was born a son because he swore a daughter would have been just as bad as her mother.

"Thank you, Vegeta…I love you." She turned to kiss his stiff lips.

"I know…" He stubbornly huffed averting her gaze. He was so sexy when he looked that way, and instead of turning back, she loosely snaked her arms round his neck and straddled him. And with that, he instantly turned his attention back to her.

"You know…" She started again with a sultry, sweet tone, softly brushing her lips from his forehead to stop at his lips.

"What." He rolled his eyes, suspecting she would have another absurd request, judging from her actions. "I've been thinking…I would like to have another baby…" Her hands were now slyly feeling his chest up and down as she began to sweetly gnaw on his ear. "…what do you think?" She whispered with a hint of underlying fervor. And he just stared in deep thought as she continued her exploration of his upper body.

In reality, he knew it was not her intention to get pregnant as she only wanted to proceed with the just the act that leads to it, and it was not that he didn't to assist her. But the creation of another child could happen right then and there, plainly because she had verbally expressed that desire. It was different when she had gotten pregnant with Trunks as they really didn't take any necessary measures to prevent it; she had stopped popping those little pills a little less than a week before they were abruptly married. And honestly, he really didn't care back then. Nowadays, they were not using any form of contraceptives either, but he was so sure of his 'control' and that his 'timing' was on point…

"I think…" he muttered almost inaudibly, still in thought. Pondering so hard, he was even unaware that he had reached up behind her and began strumming the ends of her wet hair and at the same time, slightly brought his head to the side, granting her complete access to softly nibble at his neck.

They were just discussing how stressed she had been and the causes. There was no way she was ready for another Trunks and not to mention the changes going on with Capsule Corporation. In addition, she had been indulging in a rather nasty habit as of late, and he was not so naïve to believe she only smoked when she was stressed. So before discussing her birthing him more offspring, she would do well to quit.

At any rate, he reasoned it would be bad planning on both their parts if she were to become pregnant right now.

"…I think it's time to get out…" He suggested and kindly relieved himself of her clinginess. She sat in shock as he rose up and left her alone.

"Huh?" She tilted her head in wonderment. She didn't understand…just a second ago he was all aroused, and IT was up like a power lever raised to the 'highest' position, and then, just like that, IT had been shut down…all the way to the 'off' position.

She watched in a daze as he dried off, wrapped the towel around his waist, and nonchalantly exited the bathroom. "…hey, come back here!" She shouted in realization. It was usually her say whether they commenced in their every other night ritual, not his. "I didn't say I wanted to get out!"

*I thought I saw/heard a scene somewhere in the Cell saga, in which Bulma casually asks Yamacha for a foot massage over the telephone I believe? Am I right or just imagining things? Somebody if you will...

"Hey! This chapter was just V/B action! I thought the main characters were Vegeta and Trunks!" Some disappointed readers shouts to IP.

Oh, suck it up! Who doesn't love V/B action! You'll get father/son interaction the next chapter, and that one will be up in 'two shakes of a lamb's tail!' Okay, you got me...I don't know exactly how long that is, but I can tell you it'll be up maybe in another two days. I have it done. I'm just revising, alright?

Anyway, reviews are greatly appreciated. I would love more feedback for this particular fic...it helps me determine how long I'll keep it going. Reviews (simple motivation) are like logs thrown into the flames to keep the fire burning. And I think have only a few more chapters after this one up my sleeve...it depends. If you don't really want to leave a review, just kindly add to alerts or something. You can even pm if you feel that would be better. Thanks!

Oh, and I'm running a little experiment! If you like the following little extra skit, please feel free to add a little comment in the review:

He Said/She Said

(Summary: Young Trunks plays the role of a investigator as he really wants to know what brought his parents together, so he randomly interviews different parties to determine the true story for himself)

Part 1-- Vegeta Said

Trunks: So is it true you used to date my mom?

Yamacha: Uh yeah...who told you that, Trunks?

Trunks: My dad.

Yamacha: Oh yeah...So what else did he tell you?

Trunks: He also said you could have been my father, if it weren't for some 'minor issues' you had.

Yamacha: Huh? He really said that?

Trunks: Well...he didn't exactly say it like that but...

Yamacha: But what? what did he say exactly?

Trunks: He said, *ahem*(flawlessly imitates Vegeta's voice) "...Yes, 'he' could have very well sired you, but your mother desired an 'elite-class' male of 'royal' status, someone capable of producing strong and exceptional offspring...and 'this' is why 'I' am your father instead...BECAUSE 'HE' WAS JUST A PATHETIC WEAKLING WHOSE SEED PROVED TO BE INSUFFICIENT..."

Yamacha: Hey! That's not true!

Trunks: (Back to normal voice) It's not…so what's your side then?