Goku sits, wide-eyed and listening intently, at the kitchen table as Trunks and I explain everything. Chichi looks sympathetic as she washes the blood from my face and bandages up my wrist to prevent further swelling, but I bet she's actually raging inside.

Finally, we've told them the whole story. "Wow..." murmur Goku, drumming his fingers on the table. "I didn't think Vegeta had it in him to tarnish his own honour like that. Another child, and then this..."

"The girl herself was okay," I say. "It's that foul mother of hers. Oh, I could just throttle her, the way she spoke to us!"

"Calm down," Chichi says firmly. "It's not good for the baby. Trunks was right to bring you here."

"Yeah, we'll take good care of you for as long as you need!" grins Goku. Then his face falls. "But...I have a mind to pay your husband a visit. Nobody slaps my friends about, not on my watch, and certainly not their own wife. He needs teaching a good lesson."

"Goku, please don't cause any more trouble than what there already is," I plead. "I don't think he even meant to hit me that hard-"

"But he still hit you, Bulma! You're lucky he didn't break your cheekbone! He could have done a lot worse; you don't seem to realise he could kill you with one punch!" Goku sighs. "Anyway, I felt the energy of those two the minute they arrived, but they didn't seem to be causing any trouble, and someone would have alerted me if they did, so I left it. Their power is incredible...I was surprised! I've never met a pure-blooded Saiyan woman before, so it took me aback."

Trunks frowns. "You don't think they'll try and take over the world or anything, do you?"

"No. I think, plain and simple, that this Sutopri really does just want Vegeta to know his daughter. I think her ways may turn out to be a little roundabout, but..."

"Oh, man..." I slump against the table, feeling like crying again. "What if she tries to seduce him? Now I'm not there..."

Goku pats my hand sympathetically. "I know it's horrible to be away from him, even after all this. But what happened to bring his daughter about was a long time ago. I do think he's learnt what his family means to him...and if he truly understands that, he'll back away if Sutopri tries anything. He already risks losing you and his unborn daughter through his actions. And I bet you anything he feels just horrible right now."

I picture Vegeta in his miserable state. Normally, if something has really got him down, he'll train and train, push himself too far, and just sit motionless for the rest of the night after coming out of the gravity chamber, not answering to anything. This was what he did when I first spent the night with him, only I had actually got him to speak to me, and I was shocked when he turned away from me to try and hide the fact that he was crying. It broke my heart to hear those soft, choking sobs, and I just had to hold him as he poured his past out to me. I had thought for a good while that he must have suffered horrifically at the hands of Frieza, but what he told me blew a hole right through that; it was far worse. But when he calmed down, and looked at me with a shadow of his usual smirk creeping back onto his face, I knew I'd found him again. And when his lips found mine, I felt like nothing could touch me or harm me...all I knew was him.

Oh, crap. I've lapsed into thought again. Trunks is waving his hand across my face, and I jump. "Oh, sorry!"

Chichi leans in my face, looking worried. "You kind of went off into a daze! Are you sure he didn't concuss you?"

"Very sure!" I protest. But I still have to go through the "Watch my finger" rigmarole till Chichi is satisfied I didn't bang my head. When she's done that she gives me a hot, sweet cup of tea ("Just one can't hurt the baby!") and bustles off to attend to the housework. Trunks looks a little guilty as he asks me, "Mum, is it alright if I go back and do some more training?"

I blink at him. "Why are you asking me?"

"Well...because I didn't think you'd want me to be near dad after that."

"Trunks, I know how important your training is to you, and this quarrel is between me and your father, not you and him. You can do what you like, okay? I don't mind."

"I'll give him an extra hard punch from you," he chuckles. "I need to bring some stuff over for you anyway. I'll be back in the evening."

"Good luck with him," I sigh, and Trunks gives my cheek a quick peck before waving to Goku and heading off out the door. Oh, whatever am I going to do...? This is the worst Vegeta and I have ever fallen out...

"Open the damn door, dad!" I yell, pounding on the door to the gravity chamber. "I'm not an idiot, I know you're training in there! Open up, I have muscles to burn too!" No answer. He is so infuriating! I turn up the volume. "Dad, if you don't turn off that damn gravity for one minute and let me in, I'm going to rip this thing apart bit by bit, and I won't repair it for you! Now, how are we going to do this? Are you gonna keep hiding like a guilty kid in there, or are you gonna face up to-"

The door bangs open, and suddenly dad's face is right up in mine. "Fine!" he bellows at me. "Are you happy now, you stupid brat?"

"That's more like it," I grin, striding past him and cracking my knuckles. I've learnt pretty quickly from Goku to just ignore dad when he starts yelling and insulting; I know he doesn't mean it most of the time. Dad growls as he slams the door and fires up the gravity again. "I don't want to hear a word out of you," he tells me, turning his back. "I am not in the mood for your ranting."

"You'll be the one ranting when you realise you have to look after yourself from now on," I shrug, rolling my shoulders against the gravity. He's turned it up higher than I'm used to, so it's a bit of a challenge. Dad stares at me as if I'm speaking Namekian. "What on earth do you mean?"he asks me sharply. "Your mother might be out right now but she'll be back later."

"No she won't," I reply in as nonchalant a tone as I can manage, starting to spar with a training bot.

"What do you mean, no she won't?!"

"Well, if the bombshell hadn't been dropped that you have another child she might have considered it, but then you hit her across the face, and now she can't stand the sight of you. Well done, dad; we might not even have to explain to you what a divorce is!"

"I have had enough of you!" he shouts, lunging for me. Against the gravity I don't have enough time to whip around, so his punch catches me unawares, grazing my shoulder, but an instant later I swing a kick round, slamming his wrist away. "You have no right to speak to me like that!" he continues yelling as punches and kicks fly. Now this is what I call sparring! Nothing like a bit of anger to set it all off. "You forget your place, Trunks!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, your Highness," I goad. "But if I may ask, where has all your honour gone for two out of your three children to be bastards? How horrifying!"

Even in the ruddy red light of the gravity chamber I see the blood drain from dad's face. I would never speak to him like this, but I'm just so...so angry at him! Angry for everything he's done over the years, the way he's spoken to me, mum, Goku and all his friends...and now this. He deserves a good pounding, and I'm going to give it to him. "Come on, dad!" I shout. "You're holding back on me! What do you always say about anger flowing?" Gathering my energy, I explode into Super Saiyan and charge at my irate dad, who is one step ahead of me with Super Saiyan 2. We're matching each other blow for blow, and rage contorts dad's face. But eventually he starts to slow down, and it seems like he's lost his motivation. A well-timed punch to the shoulder sends him reeling back, and he staggers, gasping. "H-How?"

"You slackened," I shrug, powering down back to normal and sitting down on the floor, motioning for dad to do the same. "Dad, I can tell you're really worried about everything that's just happened. You would never let me knock you about in training like you just did."

Dad just stares at me, head resting on his hand, looking bored. Then he grunts and looks away. "I told you I wasn't in the mood for you, Trunks," he growls. "You had better shut up now if you know what's good for you." Then he sighs. "Then again...I suppose I'm pretty impressed with you. You lashed out at me, spoke back to me, and goaded me. You acted like nothing less than a true Saiyan warrior." I grin as he manages a small smile. "Good to see your heritage is alive and kicking."

"Thanks, dad." How can he just act like nothing is happening? He must be aware that everything is going horribly wrong. I can see worry in his eyes, but his face gives nothing away. And I doubt it will for a long time.