Author's Note: Hopefully this section of down time won't deter you from continuing to read my story.

Disclaimer: I don't own it.

" " ~talking

' ' ~thinking

Chapter 10: Homestead Hostilities

Vegeta caught Pan as she fell and dropped his hold on his Super Saiya-jin 4 form. The three able bodied Saiya-jins looked at one another.

"We should get back to the ship as fast as we can," Goten said, holding the barely conscious Bra close to his chest. Vegeta frowned at the sight but agreed. As they flew, the Ouji fed Pan some of his energy in hopes that she'd awaken. To his relief, her eyes slid open only a couple minutes later. She looked up at him, clearly confused. Pan blushed slightly when she realized he was carrying her.

"I can fly by myself if you need me to," she whispered.

"Hush," was all he said as he pulled her a bit closer. Pan snuggled into his chest and allowed her tired eyes to rest. Trunks observed their brief interaction as he flew next to his father. He felt a pang of jealousy, wishing he was the one carrying Pan back to the ship.

They arrived back at their spacecraft without issue, which disturbed Vegeta. Goten hurried inside. He rushed up to the lounge area while Trunks retrieved a Senzu Bean for his sister. They fed Bra the bean and watched as her wounds cleared up. She sat up after a few moments, wide eyed.

"How are you feeling, Bra?" Goten asked. She smiled at him.

"I feel great, and my wounds all closed up," she answered. Goten smiled widely at her.

"I'm so glad. You scared us back there!" he exclaimed, though not in a negative tone.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled.

"Don't worry about it."

"Where is my daddy? And where is Pan?"

"Vegeta probably took Pan to her room. She really tired herself out back there. But that's not a surprise since she turned Super Saiya-jin!"

"What? And I missed it?"

"Yeah, and she gave you a lot of energy so you'd wake up so we could give you a Senzu Bean. Do you remember any of what happened back there?"

"Sort of. I remember those gross demônios scratching and grabbing me. Then I remember getting really weak and everything went dark. Then Pan was standing over me with this weird look on her face and she passed out, and then we came back here."

"You should have seen it! It was awesome!" Goten shouted, flailing his hands in the air to describe the scene, "As soon as Pan saw you getting attacked, she rushed to you, and she, Trunks, and I tried to get all those demônios off you. When we finally did, you were lying on the ground and we thought you were dead! Pan didn't take it too well. She was just standing there, looking at the ground and crying. She told Trunks and I to take you and leave. We kind of just stood there for a minute, so she looked up at us and told us to leave again. It was a little scary though. Her eyes were teal, like she was already Super Saiya-jin, but her hair was still normal. The look on her face was so intense. She was so upset because she thought you were dead. Trunks and I got away fast, but I knew she was going to do it, I knew she was going to become a Super Saiya-jin, and it was all for you. It was so cool!"

Bra laughed at her friend. He got so excited when he told stories sometimes. But she was touched. Pan had gone all out for her sake. She would have to give her a big hug and a thousand thank yous to show her gratitude. Her thoughts were interrupted by the loud growling noises her stomach was making. Trunks, Goten, and Bra all went to the kitchen and found Vegeta sitting in one of the chairs when they arrived. Bra rushed to him and embraced him.

"Daddy, I was so worried about you!" she exclaimed. He hugged her back briefly.

"I'm glad to see that you've made a full recovery," he said neutrally, though Bra knew he really had been worried about her. Trunks stepped toward them.

"Father, I've been thinking. What are we going to do, now? They must think we're dead, so should we just head back home?" he asked.

"We should return to Chikyuu, but they know we aren't dead," the Ouji answered.

"How could they know that? Ziust was so certain that we'd die, he must have told the others that that's what happened," Trunks countered.

"I was in that building, and they were all watching everything that was happening with you four. I saw it as well."

"Then why haven't they come after us?"

"That fool Akki must be hatching a plan. We should leave while we can and use the time to come up with a plan of our own. We need to warn Gohan and the others, though. We aren't sure if Akki can use that crystal ball of his to travel between planets."

Trunks nodded in agreement, "I'll go let mother and the others know what's happened then."

Vegeta nodded back and turned to the others.

"Daddy, do you think it would be alright if I went to see Pan?" she asked.

"She's sleeping, so you'd have to wake her up. I suggest you keep it short, though," he replied. Bra smiled, grabbed Goten's hand, and had him lead her to Pan's room. They walked in her room together to find her sitting up in her bed, a forlorn expression on her face.

"I thought you were sleeping," Goten said.

"I was for a little bit, but I'm feeling alright now," Pan answered. Bra couldn't contain herself any longer. She hugged Pan tightly.

"I heard what you did back there, and I've got to say, I'm impressed. But I knew you had it in you!" she said excitedly.

"Thanks Bra," Pan laughed, throwing an arm back behind her head in the typical Son fashion.

"Well, I promised Daddy I wouldn't stay long, so I've got to go, but we'll talk later!" Bra declared. Pan smiled and nodded. Goten hugged his niece briefly before leaving with his crush. Pan slumped down in her bed, relaxing again. Her body was sore and still sported all of her battle wounds. However, she was too tired and too relaxed to get up to change clothes or clean herself off. The door swung open again, and she expected to see Bra come in to mention something about shopping. She was surprised to see Vegeta walk in instead. He locked the door behind him, but Pan didn't give it a second thought.

"Vegeta-sama," she gasped. A thousand things ran through her mind at once. Was he mad at her for doing such a poor job as Bra's protector? Was he frustrated by how weak she had been? Was he disappointed? She felt her bed depress and looked up at the now sitting Ouji. Pan looked away, ashamed.

"I'm sorry you had to come save us," she said. Vegeta quirked his brow. Did she not remember turning Super Saiya-jin and defeating all those demônios?

"Silly girl, I didn't save you," he said calmly, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"I remember seeing you there though. I figured you came in and rescued me because I don't really remember everything that happened," she said.

"What do you remember?" Vegeta questioned.

"Well, I remember fighting and trying to protect Bra, but she told me to watch my own back. So I did, and she got attacked by a lot of those things. Goten, Trunks, and I tried to free her, but when we did, we thought it was already too late. I remember telling them to take Bra and leave, then there was a bright light and I was really warm. Then I was crying on you a good ways from where I had originally been. We went to Bra, I gave her some energy, then everything went black," Pan trailed off. Vegeta laughed, earning him a frown from the quarter Saiya-jin.

"Allow me to fill you in. I watched most of your fight on that crystal ball of Akki's. I watched you all try to rescue Bra, and I saw her lying on the ground. I thought she was dead as well, so I flew as fast I could to her. I saw the same bright light as you. Do you know what that light was?" he asked.

"Not really, I just figured it was you powering up to save me," Pan whispered. Vegeta laughed again.

"It wasn't me, it was you. You became a Super Saiya-jin, defeated the rest of the demônios single handedly, and awoke Bra with your energy, all on your own," he explained. Pan sat up straight in her bed, almost knocking heads with Vegeta.

"I did what!" she yelled.

"Calm yourself. It was only a matter of time before you changed, like I've told you before."

"But I don't remember it at all."

"Do you not believe me?"

"I do, it's just that I wish I could remember. This is huge!"

"We're on our way back to Chikyuu now, but we can spend some time in the Gravity Room so you can test your new power."

"Really? That would be so awesome!" Pan cried, hugging her sensei in her excitement. He looked down at her with an amused expression on his face. She released him quickly and blushed, apologizing. He pulled her back to him, entertained by how easily she got nervous in physical situations with him. Vegeta leaned down and whispered in her ear.

"I'm quite fond of your Super Saiya-jin form, you know," he said. Pan felt a shiver run up her spine when she felt his hot breath on her ear. Vegeta smirked and rubbed her back softly. He felt the tears in her clothing and took better notice of the dried blood spattered on her body from her various wounds. She didn't seem to care, though. Pan had leaned into him further and sighed. Her tail uncurled from around her waist and wagged happily. Vegeta reluctantly released her. Her wounds needed to be tended to. Pan looked up at him but said nothing.

"You need a shower," he said. Pan looked down and blushed.

"I guess I do," she laughed. Pan stood up and went to her closet to find some clothes to bring with her to the bathroom. As she searched around for something reasonable in the pile of exotic clothes, Vegeta made himself comfortable on her bed. Finally, Pan settled for a blue tank top made of a spandex like material and black shorts that almost reached her knees. As she made to leave, she caught sight of Vegeta lying in her bed, resting his arms behind his head.

"Yes, you can lie all over my bed, I don't mind," she teased. Vegeta closed his eyes and smirked.

"Be sure to come right back here afterwards. I have something for you," he ordered. Pan nodded and left the room quickly. Her face flushed as she thought of what exactly it was that Vegeta was going to give her. Once in the bathroom, she peeled of her shredded clothes and took a moment to look at herself in the mirror. She frowned at the sight of her body. Cuts and bruises were everywhere she looked. The cut above her left eye still bled a little, and a dried trail of blood ran down to her chin from her cut. Her lip was split and made its own trail of blood down to her chin. When she brought up a hand to try to wipe some of the crust from her face, she gasped. Her knuckles were scraped, bloodied, and lined with sand. She sighed and got into the shower. The hot water that ran over her body moments later burned but relieved her at the same time. She cleaned herself as well as she could. After she felt she could get no cleaner, Pan turned the water off and stepped out onto the linoleum floor. She used her ki to dry herself and ran a brush through her dark tresses, taking time to flatten the fur of her fluffed tail. Then she changed and opened the door to leave. Remembering Vegeta's words, she went straight back to her room to find him sitting cross legged on her bed with various items scattered in front of him.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Come here," was his answer. She obliged and sat across from him on her bed, his items lying between them. She realized he had pulled out first aid supplies. Apparently they were trying to save on Senzu Beans. He stared at her carefully for a moment before grabbing a few of the items and putting the rest into a first aid box lying on the floor next to the bed.

"Sit closer," he ordered, patting the spot on the bed he expected her to sit. Pan crawled over and resituated in front of him. Vegeta grabbed a small bottle of ointment and leaned in close to her. He dabbled it on her forehead cut. She hissed when the cool liquid made contact with her wound.

"Don't be such a baby," he lectured. Pan stuck her tongue out at him. He rolled his eyes and placed a bandage over her cut. She crossed her arms in mock anger. Vegeta caught sight of her worn knuckles and grabbed her arms, pulling them out of their crossed position.

"You really should be more careful when expressing your anger. Punching sand is certainly not the best way to vent," he said.

"I'll keep that in mind," she replied, wincing as the Ouji applied ointment to her raw knuckles. He wrapped them in gauze afterward.

"Any other wounds?" he asked, eying her carefully.

"Those two were probably the only major ones. Everything else looks like this," she pointed to one of the many remaining scrapes on her body. Vegeta frowned.

"They'll heal up fast, though," she continued. Pan eyed the bandages on her hands warily.

"The ointment is designed to speed up the healing process. That, coupled with your Saiya-jin blood, should be enough to have you in reasonable shape tomorrow," he offered, hoping the words would be comforting to some degree. Pan gave him a small smile. It was then her stomach chose to make itself known. Pan covered her noisy stomach with one bandaged hand. Vegeta smirked.

"Turning Super Saiya-jin for the first time can really work up one's appetite," he said. Pan took it as a compliment. She tried to stand to go get something to eat, but Vegeta pushed her back onto the bed.

"What?" she asked with confusion clear in her voice.

"Do you honestly believe you'll be able to make anything, let alone bring it to your mouth to eat with your hands bandaged like that?" he asked knowingly. Pan blushed.

"I could always ask Bra or my uncle to help me out," she said. He frowned.

"Do you think me incapable of completing such a task?" he questioned.

"Well no, but I didn't think you'd want to baby me or any--" Vegeta cut her off with a kiss. Her eyes widened, but soon she relaxed into him. When his tongue slid across her lower lip, Pan felt a little nervous. She was still new to all of this, but her lips seemed to part of their accord, allowing Vegeta entrance to the promised heat of her mouth. Pan couldn't contain the moan that escaped her lips. Their tongues battle a little longer before Vegeta finally pulled away, leaving Pan flushed and breathless. He smirked in triumph.

"Now what were you saying?" he teased.

"I, uh, I don't remember," she admitted bashfully. Vegeta chuckled as he got off her bed.

"Stay here. I'll be back in a bit," he said. Pan simply nodded. When he left and the door closed behind him, Pan allowed herself to fall back on her bed. She sighed and smiled. Kissing was something she could really get used to. Her eyes drifted close and she rested for a while.

Akki paced in the main room of his wounded castle. Kain and Ziust knelt before him in obedience, waiting for him to allow them up. He sighed.

"Rise," he commanded. The two complied and he continued, "Do you know why you're both here?"

"We failed to bring the girl to you," Kain answered. Ziust rolled his eyes.

"Yes, it seems my pets got to her before either of you could retrieve her," Akki went on. Kain was ready to blame the situation on Ziust entirely, but his younger brother continued.

"Kain, brother, you took far too long to tie Vegeta up, which prevented you from helping Ziust, who was incapable of taking on four bumbling mixed breeds. It seems I was wrong to entrust the two of you with such an imperative task," he went on. Kain readied himself for the punishment he assumed his brother was close to dealing.

"Normally, this would put me in a terrible mood. However, I have discovered something marvelous, though slightly unsettling," Akki smiled and stopped pacing. Ziust and Kain waited patiently for him to continue.

"Ziust, it seems that your favorite nuisance had a power hidden within her that found its way out when she assumed Bra to be dead. Pan has become a Super Saiya-jin," he stated, staring at Ziust intently. The lizard only scowled in response. Kain seemed to be paying better attention than his partner.

"Master," he began, "what do you mean when you say Pan assumed Bra was dead? We watched her die with our own eyes. The demônios took her."

"It certainly seemed that way, did it not? That doesn't change the facts though, Kain. Though you and Ziust left the room when Bra fell, I stayed to see the fight through. I watched Pan's transformation, and I watched Bra open her eyes. The Hime is alive, and I want her more than ever now. She has eluded me for the last time. We are returning to Chikyuu. I will not be as kind as I've been in the past. We will wait a little while before leaving, since our ship is much faster than anything they could have, but after that, I will not allow them to stretch my patience any thinner. I suggest you ready yourselves," he ordered. Ziust stepped forward, clearly needing to speak. Akki acknowledged him with a permissive stare.

"Why are we waiting? If we leave now, we can get there before them and catch them by surprise when they land. I don't see any reason to wait," he said. Akki could detect the undertones of hunger in Ziust's voice. He knew the lizard was eager to finally conquer the elusive Pan.

"You make a good point, Ziust, but my plans call for something different. I plan to arrive shortly before them so we can capture those closest to them so they can watch the final show. However, this time, I will be there to make sure our enemies don't make a crafty escape this time," he said. Ziust grew angry at his master's love of toying with people. He knew that the element of surprise was what they needed.

"You doubt my plan, Ziust?" Akki asked after closely studying his underling's face. Ziust made eye contact but said nothing.

"I understand your vendetta, but this is not about you, friend. I promise I will leave Pan to you, but you must leave the planning to me. But I will explain myself to keep you in good faith. When they arrive on Chikyuu, the first thing they will do is look around for us. I'm certain they will be paranoid. After they realize we aren't around, they will relax slightly, though it will be a minute change. The next thing they will think to do is return to their loved ones. However, when they go to their homes, they will see that everyone they care about is missing. Panic will set in and their judgment will become altered. When they find us, which I will allow them to do, they won't be thinking clearly. Rage will be the only emotion they can cling to, but they will be forced to do what we ask to protect their loved ones. I want to see them squirm. I want to make them suffer for trying my patience so. And to answer the question I know you wish to ask again, Ziust, we are waiting so I do not have to keep up with their family members for long. It took Vegeta and company almost three days to get here, so we will leave tomorrow night. This way, we will arrive before them, and we won't have to wait around on their disgusting planet for long. It will also give Kain just enough time to prepare for the ceremony," Akki explained eloquently. Ziust didn't argue further, having tuned most of what Akki said out after being promised Pan. Akki chose then to leave the room and prepare himself for the journey ahead.

Vegeta walked toward the kitchen, taking in his surroundings subconsciously along the way. Bra and Goten were chatting and snacking. Trunks was lounging in the cockpit, having launched the ship earlier. He walked to his son.

"Did you speak to your mother yet?" he asked.

"Yes, she gathered everyone in the house, and I told them all what happened. Gohan is on the lookout for Akki and the others, but I think he's the only one that really stands a chance. The other fighters are just too old," Trunks answered. Vegeta nodded in agreement. He knew the other fighters were getting on in their years. As humans, they aged much faster than he did. Even those who had only a fraction of Saiya-jin blood in their veins had much longer life spans promised to them. He smirked as his thoughts drifted to Pan. Then he remembered why he came downstairs. He walked briskly into the kitchen area. When he passed Bra, he noticed that she was clean and bandaged, most likely with the help of Goten. Bra smiled widely at him, clearly in a good mood. He inwardly groaned at the thought of what they did while Goten bandaged her, especially after what he and Pan did. Vegeta quickly grabbed food and returned to the second level of the ship.

When he opened Pan's door, he found her sleeping lightly. Her hair fell all around her and her mouth was open slightly. He could hear her light breathing. The Ouji set the food he brought on the stand near her bed. Then he sat down next to her and observed her sleeping form carefully. As if she could feel him staring, Pan opened her eyes slowly. Though seeing Vegeta right as she woke up wasn't unwelcome, she found it odd that he was staring at her so intently. She blinked a few times more before speaking.

"Do I have something on my face?" she asked. Vegeta lowered the intensity of his gaze but continued to watch her slowly wake up. She sat up and stretched. Her stomach growled again, and she laughed. Vegeta finally stopped staring and grabbed the food he had placed nearby. Pan all but drooled when she could see and smell what was in front her. Vegeta had brought her chicken nuggets, fries, grapes, and an assortment of other finger foods. Since her thumbs had been wrapped up with her hands, she knew it'd be difficult to eat. She looked at Vegeta, then back to her food, then back to Vegeta. Pan certainly didn't want Vegeta to watch as she embarrassed herself while trying to eat. She sighed. With a fierce determination, she looked to the plate of chicken nuggets. The raven haired Saiya-jin took both her hands and tried to cup them together to scoop up one of the nuggets. When she caught one between her hands, she brought it toward her mouth, but it fell into her lap before it made it to her mouth. She huffed angrily. Vegeta watched her in amusement, though he didn't show it to avoid angering Pan. He saw her face light up shortly afterward. Her tail appeared from under her blanket and reached for the fallen morsel. She successfully wrapped her tail around it, but still couldn't bring it to her mouth. It fell in her lap again. She slapped it away in her anger. It hit Vegeta in the chest and fell back onto her bed. Pan looked up at her sensei, wide eyed. He stared down at her, zero emotion on his face. She couldn't take it. A small chuckle resounded from the small Saiya-jin, which eventually turned into a jovial laughter. Vegeta picked up the offensive nugget and popped it into his mouth, which stopped Pan's laughter completely.

"Hey, that was mine," she pouted.

"It didn't look like you were going to eat it," Vegeta teased, stealing another nugget. Pan sneered at him.

"I was going to eat it. It was just taking a little while," she said weakly.

"Oh really?" he quirked his brow.

"Yes, really," she said, crossing her arms and looking away. He stole yet another nugget from her.

"Hey, stop that! There won't be anything left for me to eat!" she complained.

"Then I suggest you start eating," he said snidely. Pan frowned.

"I will, just give me a minute. Don't you have to go train or something?" she asked, hoping he would leave so she could just stick her face in the food and eat it that way.

"Not right now. I'm resting from my battle," he teased.

"Good, because I'm suddenly not hungry anymore," she lied. Her stomach sought to disprove her. It growled the loudest growl it could muster. Pan blushed profusely. 'Traitor,' she thought to her stomach.

"You are, are you?" he continued.

"Yes, my stomach is just acting up," she tried.

"Don't kid yourself," he laughed. Pan glared at him. She hated that he was teasing her so much. He picked up yet another of her chicken nuggets.

"Go ahead and eat it, see if I care," she huffed. However, the Ouji didn't bring it to his mouth. Instead, he extended his arm and held it in front of her. Pan stared down her nose at it, wondering what kind of mean trick he was going to play. She eyed him warily.

"Are you hungry or not?" he asked impatiently. Her stomach answered for her. She opened her mouth slowly and leaned forward to accept his offering. Vegeta was slightly dumbfounded as he watched Pan take the nugget from his hand with her mouth. She chewed it quickly and looked to him when she finished. He snapped out of it and promptly offered her another one. Pan certainly hadn't missed his reaction though. She fought the urge to grin. After she ate all the chicken nuggets, he fed her the fries then moved to the grapes. This was when Pan decided to make her carefully calculated move. When he held a grape before her, she leaned forward and captured it in her mouth, making sure to brush her tongue along his fingers as she did so. Then she looked up at Vegeta.

He swallowed hard and grabbed another grape to offer her. She had no idea what she was doing to him. No idea at all. Certainly she was teasing him on purpose, but she probably wasn't aware of how badly he wanted her. And that look she shot him! The grape burst in his hand when he tightened his grip in excitement, covering his fingers with its juices. Pan felt herself lean forward and lick each finger clean. It was like an out of body experience for her. She had never tried to be sexy for anyone. She had never tried to tease anyone the way she teased Vegeta. She had no idea what had come over her. Vegeta seemed to like it though, which was certainly a good motivator. But something primal inside her told her she wanted him badly. She grew hot and felt an ache between her legs. A small blush crept onto her cheeks, but it didn't deter her. Vegeta sat in shock as she licked his digits clean. There was only so much he could take.

With one swift motion, he swiped the remaining food off her bed and crawled over her. He captured her lips in a heated kiss, which Pan returned in full. Her bandaged hands found their way around his neck. She moaned as she felt his hands run up and down her sides. He just couldn't help himself.

They heard a gasp and both looked to the door to see what happened. Bra stood in the opened doorway, mouth agape. Vegeta jumped off Pan, and Bra ran to her room. Pan pursued her quickly, leaving Vegeta alone in her room. He cursed. Pan followed her friend and just barely caught the door in time when Bra tried to slam it. Since she was stronger, Pan managed to pry the door open and force her way inside. The Hime slapped Pan viciously across the face.

"How could you do that, Pan Son?" she yelled. Pan didn't seem affected by her attack.

"Bra, you have to listen to me!" Pan pleaded.

"How could you? After all that time you spent telling me that my mom was such a good person, how could you betray her like that? How could you come onto my dad like that?" Bra cried.

"You need to give me a chance to explain, Bra," Pan said calmly. It didn't seem like her friend wanted to listen. Bra readied another strike to Pan's face, but it was blocked. Vegeta stood between the two, holding Bra by the wrist.

"Vegeta-sama," Pan gasped.

"Daddy, why are you defending her? She's trying to come between you and mom!" Bra yelled.

"Bra!" Vegeta barked, successfully silencing his daughter, "Sit down."

He released her and she took a seat on her bed. Vegeta closed and locked the door as Bra stared daggers at Pan. He leaned against the door. The room was small, so he wasn't too far from the other two. Pan stood only feet from her friend.

"Explain yourself, Pan," Bra seethed.

"She won't be the one explaining this," Vegeta said. Bra looked to him, clearly confused.

"Daddy?" she questioned, her voice shaky.

"Bra, listen carefully because I am only going to say this once," he commanded. Bra had no choice but to obey. She remained silent.

"Your mother and I were never officially together. Though she gave me you and Trunks, she had already given her heart to Yamcha. I'm sure you noticed this. I'm not certain why she came to me at all, but she did. That doesn't mean she is a bad person, though. She took me in, let me live and train in her house, and gave me two children. But we were never in love. She would tell you the same if you asked," he explained. Bra stood. She stared at Pan carefully before backhanding her again. She new Pan could have blocked it if she wanted to, but the blow connected.

"How could you do this to me? He's my father!" she cried.

"Bra, you have to understand. I didn't do it to hurt you. I care about Vegeta, he's th--" Bra swung at her again, but Pan wouldn't have it.

"No more," she commanded, her voice deadly, "You have to listen to me. You of all people should understand this. After all, you want my uncle, or have you forgotten?"

She shoved Bra away but not too forcefully. Vegeta watched carefully, admiring that passion of Pan's that he adored so.

"But, but he's my dad! Goten isn't your dad!" Bra's argument began to weaken, and Pan knew she was only keeping it up now because of her inherited pride. She looked to Vegeta briefly.

"Bra, I didn't choose him because he's your dad, I chose him because he's Vegeta, just like you chose my uncle only because he is who he is. I know it's weird for you, and I wish it wasn't, but I'm not going to stop feeling this way because it's awkward for you. I promise you though, I didn't do this to spite you," she explained. Bra knew she was sincere, Pan was a terrible liar. She couldn't blame her friend for following her heart, after all, that's what led her to Goten. She hated to concede, but it had to be done. With a sigh she looked Pan in the eye, the hatred no longer there.

"Look, I'm sorry. I just, it's just. Well, it's weird. You can't blame me for thinking it's weird. But you're right. I can't blame you for falling for a guy who happens to be my daddy. I shouldn't have hit you either, especially since you saved my life just recently. I don't know what I was thinking. I mean, I wasn't really thinking at all," she explained. Pan shrugged and smiled broadly. Bra smiled back and turned to her father.

"Daddy," she started, "why didn't you and mom tell me? Don't you think I had a right to know?" she asked.

"Your mother wasn't sure that I knew. She thought it'd be best if we all remained in the dark. I don't blame her, though. It kept a lot of unnecessary drama out of our lives. And most importantly, she did it to protect you and your brother," he answered. Bra processed the information, looking for flaws in his argument but found none. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. When she reopened her eyes, she felt relaxed. She turned back to Pan.

"Pan-chan, I'm really, really sorry for hitting you and saying all those things. Can you ever forgive me?" the Hime pleaded. Pan laughed and put an arm behind her head in the typical Son fashion.

"Of course I can forgive you! I mean, I can't really blame you for thinking I was breaking up a healthy relationship. I even felt bad about liking your dad at first, but since he and Bulma aren't involved, it doesn't seem so bad. I just hope Bulma doesn't get mad at me," Pan trailed off. Bra's eyes widened as she remembered something, something she had even brought up in their recent conversation. Pan glanced knowingly at her friend.

"Daddy, there's something I feel you need to know, regardless of how true it might be," she started, looking to Pan who guessed what was coming next. Vegeta's attention was clearly on his daughter now.

"When Akki held me prisoner, he told me something terrible. He told me that mom was only with you to produce noble blooded children he could use for that ritual he was going to do to gain immortality," she said. Vegeta had planned to ask Bra about her time spent as Akki's captive, but he was going to wait a day. He realized that was a mistake.

"She what?" he roared.

"Calm down, daddy. Like Pan told me before, Akki probably told me that to get me against mom," she added, but Vegeta wasn't listening. The gears in his mind were turning. Bulma had said she'd seen Akki before on Namek, but she also said that Dende told her who he was. There was an easy way to see if that was true. Then there was the fact that she knew where exactly Iroka was, though she claimed the scouter she found had been connected to an intergalactic mainframe. While that was true, he didn't realize Bulma knew how to speak all the languages necessary to navigate such a large mainframe. And then there was the unexplained night sessions he had with her. Clearly she was attracted to Yamcha, yet she randomly bedded with him. At first he assumed it was to spite Yamcha when he misbehaved, but now it seemed that the reason was much more sinister. He needed to get to the bottom of this, and he needed to do it immediately. Vegeta stormed out of the room and went to the cockpit, Pan and Bra close behind.

When he made his presence known on the first level of the ship, Trunks and Goten looked to him. Pan and Bra were hurrying to catch up with him. Vegeta sat in one of the chairs in the cockpit and typed a few commands. The view screen popped up and an image of Bulma appeared on it.

"Oh, Vegeta, what's up?" she asked.

"I'd like to ask you the same thing," was his retort. The harsh glare he shot her was frightening and something she hadn't seen since the first few years she knew him.

"What are you talking about, what's wrong Vegeta?" the worry in her voice was genuine, but Vegeta didn't falter.

"You betrayed me, your betrayed our children!" he roared. Goten and Trunks walked up to the cockpit to watch. They were too shocked by Vegeta's yelling to ask one of the girls what was happening. Bulma looked around in a panic. Vegeta knew.

"You don't understand, Vegeta. I did what--" he cut her off aggressively.

"So you did lie? You did turn your back on all of us? Where is your honor? I thought you were better than this! I actually defended your name just minutes ago!" he snarled.

"Wait, let me explain. You have to understand. I know it looks bad, but if you listen, you'll know that I did what I had to do," she petitioned. Vegeta scowled and looked away from her. Bulma took it as her only opportunity to redeem herself.

"It's going to sound bad at first, so you have to hear me out all the way. I did meet Akki on Namek, but it wasn't Dende who told me about him. When I was hiding while the others were fighting, Akki found me and demanded to know where the Dragonballs were. I told him you were all fighting Frieza, who had most of them in his possession. He told me that was unacceptable. Then he grabbed me by the throat and made his offer. He said he knew all about you, Vegeta. He knew you were the noble of a dead race. He also watched that brief interaction between us. You remember, when you kind of flirted with me. I guess he assumed there was something between us, because he demanded that I sleep with you and give him a pure, noble blooded child. I agreed so he would spare me. He swore that he was more than capable of making good on his threat. At first I didn't believe him, but after everyone was wished back, before I invited you to stay at my house, he came to me again and threatened to kill everyone close to me if I didn't do as he said. So I invited you to stay and made Trunks with you. I didn't want to give him away though, I promise. Trunks, I love you so much. But Akki came to me again and told me to keep quiet and that he would be back when Trunks had matured. Something about maturing his powers was in there too. But when he came back again, he said Trunks wasn't pure anymore and I had to try again. So we had Bra. Then he came for her and I just don't know," she was sobbing before she even finished, clearly ashamed of herself. She felt terrible. How could she have turned her back on everyone like that? How could she have been so underhanded? She hated herself, and she knew the closest thing she had to a family hated her now, too.

Everyone aboard the ship was dead silent. The news was so shocking. Both Trunks and Bra felt dirty, used. Had they really only been born to be used as sacrifices? Bulma could see their questioning stares.

"I promise," she hiccupped, "I didn't just have you two to give to that monster. I wanted children so badly, but Yamcha never wanted to commit to that. When Vegeta gave me the two of you, I forgot about Akki entirely until he came back to speak to me. You two have brought me so much happiness, which is why I couldn't just let Akki take you away! Trunks, do you remember that girl, your first?"

Trunks nodded, blushing as he did so.

"Do you remember how you met her? I introduced the two of you. I wanted to make you useless to Akki. Bra, I'm so sorry I couldn't help you somehow, but I was working on it. I didn't know he'd come so soon though. He had stayed away for so long. I put it off like a fool. I'm so sorry," she continued bawling. Pan watched her carefully, judging her intentions. She was very good at judging people in times like these, a trait she no doubt inherited from her grandfather.

"Bulma, I think you're telling the truth, and I believe you when you say you're sorry," Pan announced over the crying. Bulma looked up at the screen again.

"After all the years I've known you, it's obvious to me that you love your children and never had any intention to just give them away. In fact, I think that's why you built the Gravity Room, so Vegeta could get strong enough to defeat Akki when the time came. Bulma Briefs, you're a good woman," Pan declared in a very Son like fashion. It was as if Goku was standing there instead of Pan. Bulma stared wide eyed at the young Saiya-jin, both grateful and confused. Despite the tears that rolled down her cheeks, Bulma smiled a small gracious smile. Vegeta wanted to stay mad at her. He wanted to blame all their troubles on her. If she hadn't done what she'd done, they wouldn't be in the mess they were in. However, if she hadn't done what she did, they would have all been killed by Akki long ago. Bulma had made the best strategic decision and had helped them all get stronger every chance she got. There was no way around it. Bulma Briefs really was a good woman. Vegeta had to concede.

"I agree. Bulma, what you did was underhanded, but it was all you could do. I can't hold it against you. I've done much worse in my time," he admitted. Bulma thought she'd die of shock hearing such a thing from the Saiya-jin no Ouji. He actually forgave her? The others nodded in agreement. They all were willing to move past it in order to protect one another. It would take a while to get over it, but they were willing to give Bulma another chance. More tears came, but they were of happiness.

"I don't know what to say," she cried.

"There's no reason to say anything. Just stay on guard, mother. Please, be safe," Trunks said. He was unusually calm through the whole ordeal. Pan didn't find it too surprising though, he was more of his calculating mother than emotion driven father. She smiled briefly, for to the untrained eye, it seemed that Vegeta was the calculating one and Bulma the emotional one.

"I'll make it up to all of you, I promise," Bulma swore with unbridled confidence.

"We know you will, mom," Bra said.

"I love you all, even you over there Goten," she smiled at Goten, who was half hidden behind the others. He laughed nervously. With that, the screen cut out. The five Saiya-jins simply sat or stood in place for a moment, unsure of what to do.

Bra failed to stifle a yawn. She had certainly had a long day and it was now night time in terms of Chikyuu hours. Her yawn seemed to snap the others out of their momentary daze. Everyone left the cockpit and went their separate ways. Goten walked to the kitchen for a snack. That whole conversation had made him uncomfortable and eating relaxed him. Trunks took Vegeta's seat in the cockpit to check the systems before going to sleep. Bra, Pan, and Vegeta all went to the upper level to get some sleep. Pan walked into her room and found the food still on the floor. She tried to pick it up, but it just wasn't happening. So she formed a ki blast in her hand and fried it until it was nothing. Then she changed into a red tank top with a picture of the four star Dragonball on it and a long black pair of pajama pants. She stretched her still sore body before climbing slowly into bed. Her wounds were finally catching up to her now that she had time to slow down. A light knock sounded at her door. She groaned. 'I just got comfortable, so of course someone is at the door,' she complained to herself. Begrudgingly, she rose from her bed and walked to the door. When it opened, she was surprised to see Vegeta. Normally, he just barged in whenever he wanted.

"Ready for bed?" he asked with a smirk on his face. Pan was a bit taken aback by his confident demeanor. He found it odd, especially since she had been so physically active earlier in the day. Of course, he hadn't planned to try anything further. He knew Pan had to be tired after the day she had. It was easy to see in her eyes that he was right. She regained her composure and nodded. When the Ouji turned and walked to his room, Pan followed. She figured he chose his room because his bed had more room for the two of them to sleep comfortably. Pan practically collapsed at the sight of such a comfortable bed. She leaned over on Vegeta who understood her exhaustion. He picked her up and carried her the rest of the way to his bed. She was asleep before he even laid her down. He lay down next to her and pulled her close to him.

"Sleep well, Super Saiya-jin," he whispered. Her tail wrapped around one of his arms in response. He fell asleep shortly after.

Wow, it's been a long time since I've updated. To everyone who still reads this, thank you very much, and I hope the wait was worth it.