Summary: Prince Vegeta granted himself a brief relief from battle between the legs of Bulma, a slave from Earth. Growing attached, Vegeta freed Bulma and returned to war. She loved him, but knew the two could not be together. She kept her pregnancy a secret. 8 years later, now a war hero, Vegeta meets Trunks in a crowd and unknowingly becomes his son's mentor. Lost love reblossoms again.

Love in Season

Ch. 1

"Order up!" Bulma called, passing another order slip to the cook, "Finish up your breakfast, Trunks."

Trunks scarfed down the remnants of his eggs and took a bite out of his toast.

"Mom, look he's coming here today! Oolong, can you turn it up?"

Oolong turned up the TV as the news reporter described the scene.

"And today West City welcomes Prince Vegeta. The Prince has chosen West City as one of the coveted destinations on his victory tour throughout the galaxy."

Bulma set down a coffee mug, watching her son. His blue eyes danced as the scene replayed Vegeta's prior battles in glorious fanfare.

"He's so cool! I can't believe Prince Vegeta chose us out of all the places on Earth. I can't even believe he chose Earth."

Bulma took the boy's plate, "Well a lot of Saiyans have relocated to Earth since the war began, like Goku."

Trunks perked up at the name, "Yeah, Goten said that Goku even fought beside the Prince in the war. Goten's gonna see if his dad can have him meet the Prince. Cool huh?"

Bulma wasn't taking the bait, "That would be something."

The smile on Trunk's face ebbed away as he mulled over his next question, "Hey, mom. You know this parade is a pretty big deal and-"

Bulma walked away from the counter and began preparing another cup of coffee.

"You're not going to that parade. We've already discussed this. I expect you to be in school, young man."

"Mom! That's not fair," Trunks wailed as Goten and Chi Chi walked in the diner."

"What's with all the noise?" Chi Chi asked.

Trunks whipped toward the woman, "Mom said I can't go to the parade. I'm half-Saiyan; this is my heritage!"

Chi Chi folded her arms with a huff, "That's all? You don't need to be celebrating violence with those brutes. I told Goten the same thing. School is much more important."

Chi Chi shot Goten a look. The boy scuffed his feet against the linoleum floor and mumbled his agreement. Trunks's shoulders slouched and he sighed in defeat. Wordlessly, Trunks grabbed his backpack.

"You ready for school, Goten?" He asked quietly.

Bulma walked out around the counter. She ruffled Trunks's hair and planted a kiss on his forehead.

"I know it's not fair, but we're doing this to keep you two safe. Have a good day at school, honey."

Trunks pouted, but didn't fight the woman's kiss, choosing instead to levitate to the door.

"Trunks, wait! I still can't fly fast!" Goten said, lifting off.

The two boys fly to school, leaving their mothers in the diner. Bulma watched her son from the window until he was only a dot in the horizon.

"There I go being the bad mom again," Bulma spoke, taking a seat.

"You're raising him by yourself; you're going to have to be the bad guy sometimes," Chi Chi retorted, "Maybe you can get some help from his battle-loving father, Mr. War hero."

"Chi Chi, not so loud!" Bulma said, watching the other patrons. She lowered her voice, "You know I can't. Vegeta doesn't even know he has a son. I just can't have Trunks exposed to that Saiyan world. They're brutal."

Chi Chi laughed, "You don't have to convince me! It's bad enough that Raditz will be with us until Vegeta leaves. Goku already eats me out of house and home, but when he gets with his brother, it's chaos."

"Good old Goku, always ready for a fight," Bulma chuckled, "Well I need to get back to work. These tips won't make themselves."

Trunks checked his watch again. Only one minute until lunch. Trunks placed his books in his backpack and bolted out as soon as the bell rang. Goten ran after him.

"Wow, you are really excited for lunch today!"

"No, you idiot! We're skipping lunch and going to meet Prince Vegeta!" Trunks grinned.

Goten frowned, "Don't call me an idiot and I'm not going! My uncle Raditz might be there. If he tells my mom I skipped, I'll be grounded forever."

Trunks rolled his eyes and fastened his backpack, "Fine. Stay if you want, but I'm going to meet Prince Vegeta and show him a new trick I learned. My mom will get over me lying to her once I get a position on the Royal Saiyan Force and all our problems will be over!"

Goten looked less than enthused, but Trunks wasn't going to let his friend's attitude dampen his mood. He was about to meet the Prince.

This story has been rattling in my head and I finally started to write it out. I'm still debating if I want to switch between past and present tense to show how Vegeta and Bulma got together. It may be a prequel, but review and let me know how you like it so far!