Credit where credit is due: The Saiyan language I use was created by MegaKat. Thanks to beta readers Firestorm1991 and TheAsh0 for their excellent help.

Words and phrases used in this chapter:

Br'at - child

Che ne Ji'ta - Blood and Battle, a Saiyan oath/curse

Fri'va - coward

Heu m'yo - my gods

Ja'ta - father

Ji'tach - a Saiyan fighting team, often the closest thing they have to family

M'eh at'rot, f'ri r'or = I said, ignore him

Ve'ho - prince


Vegeta woke up the next day in his own bed after the first decent meal and a full night of sleep he'd experienced in a very long time. He had slept hard, did not dream, and was a bit disoriented upon waking. He felt muzzy and bleary; it took a few confused seconds before he remembered that he was home, surrounded by the familiar noises of the screen in the background, the clatter of dishes and loud chatter from Nappa and Raditz. Even though they were trying to keep their voices down, it did not work. Nappa had no concept of a filter, and his idea of a whisper was laughable.

He had originally planned to go straight to Frieza after dinner and a proper grooming to sort things out, but then decided that he was already fucked… so why not get a good night's sleep? Did Frieza ever sleep? Would he appreciate what it meant to be exhausted, how it affected one's mind and spirit? If he did, he probably would not care. But Vegeta cared. A lot.

The last prince rolled over to his side, stretched out, then checked his newly issued padd only to find that there were no mission requests - or any communications at all - from either Zarbon or Frieza. His brows drew together and worry started to thread into the back of his mind. What the hell was Frieza playing at, why the passive-aggressive approach? Sure, that was something he'd expect from Twinkletoes, but not Frieza. The Emperor was usually not so downright passive. Still, this had to be another game. Another game, or just another trap, which would spring the jaws shut by not presenting himself in a timely manner, or by having the audacity to show up on Frieza's doorstep without being invited.

"Tch. It's too early for this." Vegeta sat up, yawned so wide that his jaw cracked, and then gave his head a thorough scratching. It was nice not to feel all the welts and bumps from months of being an insect buffet. At the end of it, he had been forced to dig things out of his scalp… things that had taken up residence. Vegeta shuddered from head to tail at that memory. Best not to think about that. Ever again.

He rolled out of bed, although part of him wanted to stay there forever, cocooned in soft blankets that smelled like a mixture of himself and his ji'tach, forgotten by the galaxy as the days passed him by. That would be so nice… but it wouldn't last. Vegeta was incapable of remaining inactive for too long; he'd have to run, to fight, to feel the wind in his hair. That, and they would run out of food if he didn't get off his tail and get back to work. Vegeta frowned. Back to the grind, back under the clawed thumb of oppression. Maybe he should have listened to Turles after all.

Shut up, he told his traitorous brain. Follow after a coward and deserter? I'd be better off dead. Now quit whining, and get your tail in gear. A Saiyan warrior never surrenders his honor, especially not a Prince.

"Eh, ve'ho." Nappa's voice greeted him, then the big commander pointed a thick digit back towards the small table where the three of them sometimes ate meals together. It was cluttered as usual with old tech pieces, dirty plates, and right now a large carton of supplements. "There's lunch on the table - an' we can hit up the mess hall in an hour or so."

"Good. I'm starving." Vegeta pulled his boots on, then went to put on his armor. Oh yeah … it was long gone, destroyed, and he had not gotten the acquisition slip to pick up a new set. Great. Another trip to deal with Zarbon, unless Frieza was in a good mood. Highly unlikely. Vegeta's hands twitched, and he felt naked at the thought of leaving their flat with his back exposed.

He grabbed the prepared plate of food, a mix of powdered protein and grains, then leaped over the back of the broken down yellow couch and sprawled out next to Nappa. The other two had already eaten, their empty plates lay on the low table. Vegeta stuffed the food in his mouth, eyes on the screen. Wait, had Nappa said lunch? Then it dawned on him just how late it was. He had slept in past the breakfast mess and through half of the day shift.

Vegeta frowned and glanced sideways at Nappa, who sat oblivious with an ale in one hand. "Why didn't you wake me, Nappa? I needed to talk to Frieza ASAP!" His tone was accusatory and sharp. Never mind that Vegeta could have set an alarm himself.

"Huh?" Nappa raised an eyebrow. "Yer upset? Hells, ve'ho. You were exhausted, and besides, like ya said, what's one more evening? You've been gone three months already and I couldn't let you go like that."

"Yes, ja'ta." Already, Nappa was starting in on him, making him feel like a kit. "I'm not some br'at out of my Pod that needs to hold someone's tail. And I didn't want to sleep the entire damn day." Vegeta growled in irritation. Now he was running behind schedule, too, and that made him upset. Like Frieza needed any more reasons to dress him down.

"Yeah, but …" Nappa sighed, then flapped his hand in dismissal. The smallest frown darted across his lips, then disappeared so quick Vegeta thought he imagined it. "Anyways, y'can do it now. It's not like we can get any broker."

"More broke," Vegeta corrected, with a wicked grin.

Raditz gave a snicker, and Nappa glared at the long haired teen. "Hey, he's right." Raditz shrugged.

Boy it felt good to be here, home, safe… as safe as any Saiyan could be under Frieza's control … and with his ji'tach, picking on them and establishing the natural pecking order.

"Anyway, I'm going up to Frieza's penthouse," he said as he stuffed a handful of high protein granola into his mouth." I'm not going to give that lizard any more reasons to be pissed at me. You two are coming with. The last time I got caught alone…" He trailed off. He did not need to say the words. The last time he'd gone off alone, he almost had not come back except for sheer luck. "Let's go."

Vegeta walked toward the lift, keeping a paranoid eye over one shoulder with Nappa and Raditz in tow. All three were on edge at this point, Vegeta's jumpiness started to transmit to the other two. They were practically glued to his side, and he found that instead of feeling cramped, he felt safe. Safety in numbers, literally. The extra sets of eyes also made him feel better. Too many things had already gone wrong in situations just like this. It was best just to make his report and accept whatever punishment Frieza was likely to dish out.

At first he'd thought Frieza had truly written him off, but when his head cleared after a good night's sleep, he realized that Frieza was not done with him yet. If that were true, he would not have been allowed to set foot on HomeBase, much less received treatment. He tried not to think about it too much, what sort of game Frieza was up to now. Whatever it was, it would be a game that he was likely to lose. He kept these thoughts to himself, although surely both Nappa and Raditz had considered such things.

"Keep this up, and I'm going to develop a phobia of elevators. And hallways," the young royal muttered under his breath. All I've got to do is get there, suck it up, play the game. Focus, breathe. Place one foot in front of the other and count.

Vegeta and his escorts were within sight of the lifts when he heard a familiar and dreaded voice come up from behind. "Oy, munkeys!"

Oh gods... Jeice. I don't need this right now. And the day started out so well.

"Ignore him. I don't have time for his shit." Vegeta ordered before either Nappa or Raditz could respond to the intrusive Ginyu member. He balled his fists up, the only visible reaction he allowed and pretended to be deaf. Only ten steps more. Nine. Eight.

"But Vegeta," Nappa started in, disobeying a direct order from his prince as the giant Saiyan glanced over his shoulder.

"I know you can hear me, mate!" Jeice called out.

Five, four, three - I can almost reach the damned button.

"M'eh at'rot, f'ri r'or!" Vegeta hissed, but it was too late.

Jeice caught up with them anyways, his long white hair almost seemed to glow in the fluorescent lights, like his teeth bared in a false smile. He shoved his way between Nappa and Raditz, who squawked in indignation, then came up next to Vegeta. "What's the hurry, eh? I haven't seen ya around much, little prince. What happened? You get lost? Get grounded?"

"You wish," Vegeta hissed, folded his arms, and practically ran the last three steps. He found it quite suspicious that Jeice was here on a soldiers' floor. The Ginyus didn't really rub elbows with the common rank and file, so there was no reason for him to be here.

Vegeta mashed the lift button with one gloved finger as if his life depended on it, and tried not to look at Jeice. Behind them, Nappa and Raditz towered over both. Nappa looked like he was ready to twist Jeice's neck, and Raditz put on his best glower. They could be very intimidating in appearance.

The prince gave a heavy sigh, and finally turned to face the red-skinned Brench-jin."What do you want, Jeice?"

"Oh, nothing." Jeice tossed one arm around Vegeta's shoulders, and the Saiyan visibly flinched before he remembered to control his physical response. "It was so quiet around the base without ya! We missed having comic relief around here. Baldy and Hairball here didn't cut it."

Even though Jeice could crush him if he wanted to, Vegeta was having difficulty wrangling up the proper respect. Something about his three months of hell had changed his perspective on some things. "Thank you so much," he deadpanned. "Now I have to go. I have a meeting with Lord Frieza." It was not untrue.

Heu m'yo, how fucking long does it take for that elevator to get here? Are they building it from its component parts?

"Really?" Jeice did not move his arm even when Vegeta tried to shove the Ginyu member off like an animal shaking off a fly. "Funny, that. I was just heading up that way. What say I give you a royal escort? So you -" Jeice shrugged his shoulders and held out his hands. " - don't get lost again?"

Now I'm even more suspicious …"I have an escort, thank you." With a nod, Vegeta indicated his ji'tach. And I know I can trust them far more than I could ever trust you. "But yeah, sure. Whatever you say."

Finally, the doors slid open and the four of them piled into the car. Nappa and Raditz were both so tall that they had to stoop, and Raditz' hair alone took up half the cart. Vegeta went in last, turned his back to the rest, and glowered for all he was worth. There was no point in telling Jeice not to come along. Ginyus listened to no one, especially Vegeta, and he'd do it just to spite Vegeta at this point.

They rode in excruciating silence. The only noises Vegeta could hear were breathing and the tic-tic-tic of the cables as the cart rose up through the soldier's dorms, past the Elite apartments, and to Frieza's penthouse at the very top. Vegeta could hear his own heartbeat as well, becoming quicker and quicker as they passed each floor.

What was I thinking, just dropping in on Frieza like this? One just does not call on Frieza… at least not if you're me.

If there were any gods left who bothered to look in on Saiyans - which was doubtful - Frieza would not be there. He'd be off oppressing planets, or in a board meeting, or getting his horns waxed. Who knew what the hell that lizard did on his own time? And Jeice, why was he visiting Frieza now? But then the Ginyu Force was not part of the PTO, and were not under the tyrant's command. Perhaps he did not have an appointment, and was just coming along to mess with the Saiyans. You know, for fun.

At the massive double doors that opened into Frieza's private domain, two bored guards in brand new armor stood watch. Vegeta swore he saw one hide a yawn behind a raised hand

"Oy," Jeice called out, and waved a hand as if announcing Vegeta. "The Prince here has an appointment with Frieza. You should let him know we're here."

The two beings exchanged looks and smirks. 'The bulky green-skinned guard checked his tablet, while the other, a thin creature with six limbs and a bulbous face, made a self-important show of listening to his scouter.

"Oh for gods' sake, who are they trying to impress?" Vegeta scowled deeper, his brow furrowed. Behind him, he could hear Nappa shift from foot to foot, as the old commander did when he was nervous. Well, Vegeta was nervous too. This whole situation stank.

"Go on in," said the taller of the two. His solid black orbs stared down at Vegeta, and all traces of humor had disappeared from his emerald-tinted features. He was all business now. "Lord Frieza has been expecting you."

Vegeta took one step forward, and immediately Nappa and Raditz fell into step behind him, a wall of Saiyan muscle and attitude.

"Oh no, not you two monkeys." The wispy guard held out one hand to block their progress. "You two are to stay right here."

"That's not gonna happen," Nappa growled, and made to shoulder the guard aside. "We're not lettin' him go in alone."

"Lord Frieza's orders," the guard said in a bored tone. He was so thin that one good push looked like it would send him tumbling. "Would you like to take it up with him? I hear he's in a foul mood today."

A cold lump rose in Vegeta's throat. How could Frieza know he was on his way? Did he have the penthouse lift installed with cameras? Probably. Or even worse, had Vegeta been tagged when he'd been in medical and that cold-blooded tyrant had been tracking his every move?

I've got to stop overthinking this. If I panic… I can't panic.

"Stand down, Nappa," Vegeta gave the order in a small voice. "I'll… be fine." It was hard to choke out the words, but he tried to put on a brave face and look like he believed what he was saying. "Wait here for me."

Nappa and Raditz exchanged glances, both tall and muscular Saiyans glowered down at the guards. The pair were truly intimidating at times and were clearly stronger than the guards, whose power levels barely approached 1000 each. They knew they couldn't take on two very pissed and obviously feral Saiyans. The big Commander took one step forward so that he towered over the man, bared his fangs in a slow growl, then pointed a finger. At least he could intimidate these getahu. "He'd better come back out. If ya stopped me from goin' in there - "

"Hey, no fighting in the halls, kids." Jeice interrupted, with a toss of his long white mane. He stepped in between Nappa and the scrawny guard and physically pushed Nappa backward with a hand, an obvious display of his superior power. Nappa's scowl grew deeper. His face and scalp turned red. "I'm here! I'll make sure that he comes out all right - you'll see!" Then he winked at Vegeta.

"Thanks, Jeice, but I can take it from here," Vegeta said dismissively, as if Jeice had indeed been just an escort. The doors slid open and warn air hissed out, like a tomb. It smelled of burning incense, ego, and mind games. Alone, Vegeta walked into the Ice-jin's domain.

"Right. Well, I'll see ya later, Vegeta!" Jeice waved, that giant and disturbing grin still plastered over his maroon face.

What in the name of Blood and Battle am I doing? And what's Jeice's deal? He's acting odd - even for him.

Unless Vegeta was willing to turn tail and flee like a ten fri'va, there was nothing more to do except to put on his battle face, walk in with his head held high and make the damn status report as if nothing out of the ordinary had friggin' happened. Just act like being missing in action for three months was no big deal. Because the one thing Vegeta knew for sure was that Frieza wanted a reaction from him.

As if he had been invited by the Emperor for a spot of tea and a game of Go, Vegeta strode into the foyer and then into the large sitting room. Half of the room was a vast window that looked down on the rest of the Base. Vegeta had been here several times over the years, but never really had the time to notice the scenery. He was always too nervous. Frieza perched lazily in a large chair shaped like a giant egg, one foot draped across a padded armrest, his powerful tail swayed as if in a gentle breeze. In front of him was an ornate Go board made of onyx and alabaster. Across the table sat Zarbon, cold and collected. The teal prince sniffed when he saw Vegeta.

"Ah, Vegeta, my young ward! It's so good to see you." Frieza swiveled so that he could make eye contact with Vegeta, and the Saiyan felt his stomach churn. Those red ruby eyes were cold as the deep vacuum of space, and the smile that crossed those black lips never touched them. That smile was so wide that it could have split the lizard's face in half. He looked oh so satisfied with himself.

He was nervous before, but now Vegeta was terrified. Every hair on his body stood up and his breath hitched in his throat. He preferred it when Frieza was angry, at least he knew what to expect from the capricious Ice-jin. He had not expected such a warm greeting.

Zarbon's eyes bored into him, emotionless, and Frieza grinned at him as if he were greeting the best of friends. Oh… this was bad. Vegeta defaulted to protocol; he knelt down on one knee and placed his clenched fist over his heart, but his eyes did not leave the Ice-jin's face. He would keep that much pride, at least. Or was it just an illusion at this point? It didn't matter though, because his pride was all he had left.

"Would you like a glass of wine, Vegeta? Something to nibble on, perhaps?" One clawed hand swept towards the silver cart. There were two unused crystal goblets and a snifter of blood red wine along with a tray of small tidbits in an intricate arrangement, all untouched.

Vegeta heard his stomach growl, an empty howl even though he had eaten lunch. It did not matter because he was hungry now. He was always hungry. But he would not partake. He wanted nothing from Frieza, nothing that would put him into further debt. "No thank you, Lord Frieza."

"Oh, do stand up." Frieza waved one hand lazily in Vegeta's direction. The tiny lizard shifted in his seat so that he could lean forward and place a black stone upon the board. Click.

Vegeta did as commanded and rose to his feet, but did nothing else. He felt unsure, frozen in place. The left side of his mouth began to tic, and he pursed his lips together in an attempt to stop it. Their eyes were still locked. Frieza chuckled; out of the corner of his eye, Vegeta saw Zarbon's plucked eyebrows rise up, yet the effeminate aide said nothing. What had he interrupted?

"Come here, my boy." Frieza held out one hand for Vegeta to come as called, as a lap dog might, and he dared not disobey. Yet to his horror, his legs refused to work. A giant lump rose up in his throat, almost choking him, and the taste of metal flooded his mouth. He sucked in air and fought for all his was worth to keep the gorge down, to keep his features schooled.

Even though the months alone had been hell and he would have given just about anything for company, right now…Vegeta would have gladly jumped in a Pod and fled back to Planet Flann just to escape that horrible pointed smile.

I cannot have a panic attack here. Not now! Breathe. Focus. In through the nose, exhale. Now move, godsdammit! Force one leg in front of the other, keep looking at him and don't fucking blink. Do it again and again until …

Vegeta stood before Frieza, stiff as a mannequin. It felt like iron rods had been pounded in each limb as he waited. Waited to see what came next, what form of punishment Frieza would leverage upon him. Instead, the tyrant reached out and ran one hand down his spiky hair, flattened it against his skull, petting him. It was just once, but that was more than enough. Then he crooned, "How are you feeling today, Vegeta? Well rested?"

To his horror, when Vegeta opened his mouth he found he could not speak because his throat had gone dry. Oh by the gods, how he wanted a glass of wine or water - or anything liquid - so badly. Finally, he managed to push words past his parched lips. "Very well, thank you. I … didn't mean to interrupt your game …"

"Oh, nonsense! It's just a bit of fun between Zarbon and myself. Nothing… serious, mind you." Frieza reached into the stone bowl, selected another polished black stone, and thought for a moment before he placed it. Clack. "Now, you never come to visit me on your own anymore, young Vegeta. And we used to be so close ..." Frieza tsked. "So, to what do I owe the pleasure of your stopping by?"

Vegeta just stood there like an idiot, blinking for a few seconds. At least he managed to keep his mouth from falling open. What. The. Literal. Fuck.

Frieza just waited, all smiles, for him to reply while Zarbon stared at the Go board and made a big display of trying to ignore them both.

What's he going to do now? Throw me in a damn box again? Throw me in jail? Execute me for going AWOL? What is the punishment for going AWOL, anyway?

Vegeta wanted to throw up his innards as his mind spun and stuttered like a dying engine. After a few seconds of Frieza looking him dead in the eye, and actually humming, Vegeta's mind went into default mode. The little prince stood up as straight as he could, his fist still pressed against his chest, and his face a blank mask. It was so very tempting just to allow his mind to skitter off, to just move to one side and go on autopilot. Yet to do some might be the last thing he did.

He cleared his throat, and glanced at the snifter of wine. "Ahem. Prince Vegeta, coming to deliver my post-mission briefing -"

"Were you on a mission, Vegeta?" Frieza touched a finger to lips, then chuckled. "It's been so very long since I've seen you last that I'd forgotten." The tyrant paused, those dangerous blood red eyes twinkled with twisted humor. "In truth, dear boy, I had thought that perhaps you'd decided that you no longer wished to work for me. However, I know that just isn't in your nature, now is it?"

Che ne Ji'ta! Vegeta felt the ice in his spine shatter and melt as his anger started to rise, a hot pit of molten lava in his stomach. Maybe, oh maybe it would be worth it; to attack the damned lizard head on and go out in a blaze of glory. Maybe, if he was lucky, he would even leave a dent on that horned skull. "What mission? The mission you sent me on, Frieza! You know damn well which one."

Frieza pursed his black lips into a thin line, but it was clear that he was more amused than upset by Vegeta's display of temper. "Oh ho ho ho! I would watch that tone, Vegeta. I'm a forgiving man, you see, but my patience only goes so far." The emperor broke eye contact, picked up a tablet, and scrolled through it with one finger. "Oh, yes … that's right. Your special assignment, my boy, in which you utterly failed."

The Ice-jin's eyes rose back up from the datapad and locked back onto Vegeta. The jovial Emperor was gone, and the tyrant was back in full force. The Saiyan swore he could feel that glare; it almost felt like a rope being tightened around his neck, one loop at a time, until he was strangling. To the side, Zarbon hid his mouth with a hand to disguise his wide smirk.

"It makes me ashamed that I considered you my protégé, Vegeta, when you can't even handle one measly little soldier. And you call yourself the Prince of Saiyans. Perhaps you need to rethink that one?"

This time, Vegeta felt his jaw drop. It felt like someone had drilled a hole in his skull and poured in ice water. He just stared, gaping, for a moment before he forced himself to recompose. Then he spluttered,"Lord Frieza ...the intel was faulty."

"Oh my. Vegeta, you should know better than to rely solely on intel. It's often … shall we say… out of date. A wise commander knows that, and also knows how to bring his men to heel." Frieza's eyes lit up; he raised up one clawed finger as if making an important point. "I see now, is that why you stayed away for so long; you were ashamed? Tsk tsk. I thought you monkeys liked to work in troops."

Vegeta literally saw red and howled, "I almost died!" Then he clamped his mouth shut so hard that he bit his own tongue. The taste of fresh blood flooded his mouth and helped to snap him out of his coming fugue. I can't admit it, that I was outclassed. My pride can't take it. But, he already knows! Can't let him rile me up. Can't let him win.

Frieza turned his glance away, and idly played with the stones left in his bowl. Clack, clack, clack. "So, he's that powerful, is he? That must be a blow to your ego." As if the two of them were having a casual chat again, Frieza took a sip of wine then continued. "It's a pity, Vegeta. If you were a proper prince, your subjects would do as you ask, don't you think? It's a shame. Perhaps this is my fault. I expected far too much of you at such a young and tender age, gave you too much responsibility. After all, I can't have soldiers who can't be trusted to finish the job."

"If you're going to kill me, Frieza, just get it over with!" Vegeta clenched his fists, stamped his foot. If he was going down, he was not going to do it on his knees. He would fight, even though he would lose. But he would fight until the last breath passed his lips.

"Oh no, of course not. I need all of my monkeys. But I do think you need an attitude adjustment. It doesn't seem like much gets through your thick Saiyan skull. "As he spoke, Frieza leaned over and then rapped his knuckles on the top of Vegeta's head with each word, then sighed. "Still, I hate being mad at you, Vegeta. But how should I fix this dilemma?"

How am I supposed to answer this? "I- "

Before Vegeta really had time to either contemplate or worry, Frieza chuckled again. "I have just the thing. I'll put a new man in charge of your squad, someone who knows what he's doing, and you can just concentrate on learning to follow orders."

"You can't do that," Vegeta raged.

"Can't I?" A clawed hand lashed out so quick that Vegeta did not see him move, latched around his throat, and dragged the young Saiyan so close they were nose to nose. Frieza's strong tail lashed once, twice. "Don't presume to speak to me in that tone of voice. The next word out of your mouth should be those of thanks for sparing your life. Are we clear?"

His whole world narrowed down to just two points, crimson eyes that were the color of death and pain. His breath caught in his throat but he dared not look away and he could feel the daggers digging into his throat. In the background, Vegeta heard Zarbon's tinkling laugh as if this were nothing more than entertainment.

"I said, are we clear?"

Vegeta nodded; he did not trust his voice at first. His mind, however, screamed and begged for him to fight, to flee, to do anything except stand there. "Crystal," he finally managed to whisper.

"Good. You see, Zarbon? Monkeys can learn." Frieza released his stranglehold, the benevolent smile back on his pink and purple features. "Now, get yourself cleaned up and get back to work. As I was saying, your men will receive a new commander, and you will be reassigned so that you may concentrate on learning to follow orders. And know this: you have no more strikes left. My favor only extends so far."

The only thing Vegeta could do was fume, his features twisted by impotent rage and fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white as his gloves. His small frame shook but he could not move. I hate you, Frieza. I fucking hate you! I will kill you someday. I swear it on my tail...

Unsympathetic to the inner turmoil that Vegeta was experiencing, Frieza waved a beckoning hand towards someone waiting in the entrance hall. To Vegeta's horror, Jeice came strutting up with a giant grin plastered over his crimson face. He came up next to Vegeta, saluted Frieza, and then adopted a jaunty pose: hands on hips. Nothing about his attitude suggested that he felt inferior or afraid.

"Vegeta, meet your new squadmate."

Jeice leaned over and rested his arm on Vegeta's shoulder as if they were the bestest of buddies. All remnants of fear washed away, Vegeta wanted to alternatively hurl and pass out from sheer rage. "Told ya we'd be seein' each other, mate!"

Oh no. This can't be happening. The prince shook his head, and his left eye started twitching for all it was worth. The tip of his tail came undone and started to lash about. I swear I'm going to have an aneurysm. "What? You're sticking me with Jeice?"

"Of course not," Frieza soothed. He folded his hands across his chest as he leaned back into his chair and waved his tail in a lazy arc, a counterpoint to the angry lashing of Vegeta's own tail. "Not just Jeice. Captain Ginyu has an excellent track record with, shall we say, troublemakers? He'll straighten out this attitude problem of yours in no time. You should feel honored, dear boy. Most people have to audition to work with my elite team. Now, Jeice will escort you to your new quarters where you will await your orders."

Confusion flooded him, and Vegeta paused to narrow his eyes. He looked at Frieza, who had almost closed his eyes, then to the grinning Jeice, and back again. "You're giving us a better apartment?" Hells, maybe if that's what it took, he should disappear for a while again.

Frieza scowled then, his lips pursed. The Emperor was not amused. "Tch. Don't push your luck, Vegeta. You are not on my favorites list at the moment! You'll be given your own room so that you can focus on yourself for a while. Think you can handle that? Now, you're dismissed. If I were you, I'd leave before I change my mind."


A/N : Although I've been replying in person to reviews, I sadly can not do so with guest reviews. So, if you are reading this, kind guest reviewers, I hope you recognize your questions

- I do plan on continuing Father Figure. I've just hit a nasty writer's roadblock

-Vegeta is 12 at this time.