Thank you for all the reviews! I am glad so many of you seemed to enjoy Vegeta and Gohan's interactions together!

I wanted to point out that I have a story called "Anyone But Him", which is about the first few months of Vegeta living with Bulma during the 3 years of training before fighting the androids. It began as a oneshot, but I've recently added a second chapter. I have two more updates planned for that story, including my take on the infamous ship explosion, so if it sounds like something you are interested in please be sure to keep an eye out for that!

"So, you've finally found the courage to show yourself." Vegeta was leaning against the doorframe, a smug grin widening his cheeks. This was the closest thing

Gohan thought he'd ever seen to a genuine smile on the saiyan prince's face, and somehow it was disturbing. He had felt Vegeta's ki radiating all morning, and after their conversation the night before there was no denying that the pompous bastard was summoning him. And so, with Bulma safely taking care of his mother, the adolescent swallowed his ego and took off towards West City. Now that he was here, though, he was having second thoughts about his decision...

"Well? Hurry up and come inside. I'm sure you've noticed the bugs out there taking pictures of us!" Vegeta hissed, fighting the urge to yell something foul at the paparazzi looming in the distance. Gohan gulped, stepping into the house and letting Vegeta slam the door behind him. That look on his face was always so arrogant! He hated to Vegeta's already overinflated ego… Why had he decided to come?

"Hi!" Trunks threw both of his hands in the air with a whole-hearted wave, overjoyed to see that his friend had arrived for a visit.

With an awkward gulp, Gohan bent at the knees to try and get face-level with the child. Trunks, who had pushed himself through his father's legs, waved both of his arms enthusiastically to show delight in seeing his new friend.

"Step aside, son." Vegeta said, making his way across the foyer. "Gohan is here to speak with me."

Trunks looked up at his father when he said this, registering the words in his mind. Was his Dad really telling him that his friend hadn't come by to see him? Why else would Gohan be here? Trunks normally trusted whatever his father said, but this time he knew the guy was wrong, and it was too much for him to idly take. "No!" He yelled, putting his chubby hands on his little baby hips.

"Boy, I said to stand back!" Vegeta cleared his throat.

"No!" Trunks repeated, glaring up at his father. He had a look on his face that reminded Vegeta very much of Bulma – that expression she made when she was determined to get her way. He wasn't used to Trunks talking back to him. In fact, he was pretty sure this was the first time the kid was doing such a thing!

And in front of Kakarot's son, too?

"I don't mind Trunks." Gohan cut in, trying to prevent the situation from escalating. "He's alright…" His voice had that same irritable undertone as the night before, which seemed to be wavering with the threat of losing his temper. Vegeta remembered the story Gohan had told of breaking his own oven because of a remotely small annoyance. Clearly the kid was still feeling the effects of his age...

What an awkward age...

"Do as you wish." Vegeta finally grunted, turning towards the inside of the house. "I summoned you because I didn't want you in Bulma's way. Play with my son, if that's what you really desire. I'll be training in my gravity room. You know where to find me if you want to make proper use of your time…"

And, with that, the saiyan prince took off into the house as Gohan watched. Perplexed, the adolescent could feel a tugging at his leg. He looked down to see Trunks nearly hanging off of him, beaming from ear to ear. "Hi!" The lavender-haired tot was calling again, excited to have been left alone with his friend.

Gohan found it interesting that the toddler was so obviously unperturbed by Vegeta's behavior – but, then again, he was probably was used to it by now. The man was his father, after all! He was around him all the time! "So…" He cleared his throat, feeling more than a bit awkward.

"Let's play!" Trunks replied, too young to understand the concept of social anxiety. He grabbed Gohan's wrist and gave him a firm tug, pulling him across the foyer. "Hey!" Gohan, caught off guard, nearly lost his balance at the force of the toddler's pull. "Jeez – Trunks! You're really strong!"

"Daddy's strong!" Trunks responded, as if this explained everything. There was a lot he wanted to tell him, but he wasn't yet developed enough in his vocabulary to form detailed sentences. Trunks had a lot he wanted to show Gohan – a lot he wanted to do!

As Gohan allowed Trunks to lead him through the house, he couldn't help but examine the interior with awe. The building was so big in comparison to his own home! Everything looked so new – so spotless and clean! The couches in the living room almost appeared as if they'd never even been used! And as Trunks continued pulling Gohan, now upstairs and towards his bedroom, the adolescent couldn't help but wonder if this home had been set up more to Bulma's taste. It was hard to believe that Vegeta would even care about a turning staircase, those wine-red drapes that hung over each window, or such big and open rooms. Vegeta seemed like the kind of person that would rather spend his time locked in a bunker to brood over his fighting poses – and from what Gohan could tell, he pretty much did that with the gravity room!

What kind of home would they be living with if Vegeta had made all the decisions? If Vegeta had been in charge of planning a home, would it have been anywhere near this size?

"Look!" Trunks squealed, pulling bins out from the shelves in his room. They had been loaded to the top was various types of toys, and Trunks began to pour them all over his bedroom floor. A wide grin on his cheeks, the little boy made to retrieve another bin.

"Wow, Trunks…" Gohan said from the doorway, once again watching the room with awe. "You have a lot of stuff…"

"Let's play with this!" Trunks replied, holding up one of his favorite figurines. Gohan took a seat beside the boy, who dropped the figure into his lap. "Hey," Gohan inspected the toy. "Is this my dad?"

Sure enough, the action figure he was holding was almost an exact replica of Super Saiyan Goku – a frown plastered along his plastic face. Gohan couldn't help but feel a pang in his gut as he looked into this doll's eyes, memories of his father washing over his mind like an unforeseen storm. It had certainly been unexpected, and he suddenly felt that his emotions were pulling him in separate directions. A deep sadness at the idea of never getting to see his father again, an anger at the circumstance, guilt that he hadn't been able to prevent it... Grief was such a strange thing…

"Here!" Trunks said, mercifully breaking Gohan's concentration. He looked up to see that Trunks now had his arms full with even more figures. Still grinning from ear to ear, the lavender-haired tot poured all of them into Gohan's lap generously.

"Hey…" Gohan picked through the pile. "This is Krillian! And this! That's Mr. Piccolo!"

"And Dad!" Trunks chimed, grabbing the figurine of Super Saiyan Vegeta from the pile and brandishing it triumphantly.

"Where'd you get all these?" Gohan breathed. There was even a figure of Mr. Satan! It was starting to make sense. These toys had been modeled after all of them as they'd been during the Cell Games! Mr. Satan had gotten all the attention despite how the fight had gone down, and Gohan had nearly forgotten that any part of it had been televised at all! He had no idea that such toys had been manufactured! "Hey, Trunks! Look, you even have one of me!"

"It's you!" Trunks squealed in agreement, clapping his hands together before grabbing Super Saiyan Gohan from the pile. He studied it happily, as if he were only just realizing that the toy was the same person who was sitting beside him. Grinning, Trunks handed the toy back to him. "Fly!" He commanded.

"Fly?" Gohan's eyes widened, looking around the room. "I can't fly in here?"

The Lavender boy held out the figure of Vegeta, as if to show what he meant. "Pfffft!" He cooed, waving the toy through the air. Gohan watched as Trunks played, spitting out sound effects as he did. "I will fly one day!" Trunks explained. "Just like Daddy!"

..

"He's such a good boy."

"I know he is."

Chi-Chi and Bulma were sitting at the table, sipping on herbal tea after sharing lunch. The Bluehead had been disappointed to learn that Dr. Plocks wouldn't be able to meet them until the following week, but Chi-Chi seemed to be doing better regardless. She still seemed a bit emotional, but her energy had increased exponentially over night! Perhaps what she'd been needing all along was some deep rest and several large meals…

"He's such a good boy!" Chi-Chi was repeating, her lip quivering as she spoke. She took a swig of her tea, fighting back the tears. "He works so hard for us…"

"Gohan has two good parents to take after." Bulma replied firmly, trying to give Chi-Chi the opportunity to change the subject.

"He feels so guilty, you know? I tried steering him away from martial arts from the moment he was born, and now he feels guilty every time he swings a fist. It's my fault, you know?"

"He's been through a lot." Bulma replied. She could hear the tears in her friend's voice, and she wasn't sure if she should encourage the conversation or end it. Was this genuine venting, or was it hormonal confessions? Would Chi-Chi regret telling her all of this once the mood passed?

"I'm not going to put so much academic pressure on this next one. Boy or girl, it'll learn to fight just like Goku did!" Chi-Chi slammed her fist down at the table at this, not having any more tea left to sip. "This next one will be just as great as Gohan was! My boy saved this world! Can you believe it? He saved us all and he still feels so ashamed - because of how I raised him!"

She was taken by such surprise that Bulma accidentally inhaled her drink. "Raugh!" She choked, doubling over the table. Coughing profusely as her eyes watered, the Bluehead fought to breathe as her airways cleared.

"Oh!" Chi-Chi gasped, jumping up.

"I'm…" Bulma wiped away the tears that were streaming down her face. "I'm fine! Oh, I'm fine…" Her face was swollen and red, and she felt slightly light-headed, but the Bluehead placed the cup back to her lips and was careful to make sure the liquid went down the right pipe this time. "I could have sworn I heard you say that you want this baby to fight?"

Chi-Chi nodded. "Yes! Gohan is so torn about martial arts. He's told me that it's his responsibility to get a good job and support me someday. And I know that's because of how I brought him up. But Bulma, he saved the world! My son! He defeated that monster! Don't you see?"

"Yeah, I see…"

"I was wrong! I gave Goku such a hard time about Gohan's training, but he was right this whole time! He knew, Bulma… he knew… and I can't do that to this next one! I can't make them feel so ashamed! Even when he did so good, Gohan still feels so guilty for using his own hands…"

.

"What do you have in your hands!?" Vegeta voice burst through the bedroom so suddenly that it made the two boys jump.

Gohan dropped the figure of Yamcha he'd been holding, rising to his feet with a startled yell. Trunks, who had been initially been surprised, seemed otherwise undisturbed by his father's outburst. He picked up the figure of Vegeta again and resumed flying it through the air with his sound effects. There hardly seemed to be a care at all!

"I summoned you here thinking you would want to punch me, and you chose this?" Vegeta continued, stepping into the room. "You'd rather sit with my son and play with dolls than challenge me to a match?"

Still recovering from having the wind scared out of him, the adrenaline that was coursing through Gohan's veins was becoming irritating. He wasn't sure why, but it seemed that every time he interacted with Vegeta it did nothing less than drive him red with anger. Such a thing was so unlike his gentle spirit! He knew this – and somehow, recognizing that it was unusual for someone to fill her with such rage only added to his fury even more. "They aren't dolls!" Gohan growled, stepping away from the pile of toys. "And you left me alone! I don't even know where your gravity room is!"

Vegeta crossed his arms. "You should know enough by now to know that's no excuse. You could easily track me down with my ki."

Gohan turned, gesturing to the lavender-haired tot. Trunks was now making explosive sounds with his mouth, breathing heavily as he replicated two of the figures jumping on a toy truck. "And what about him? You want me to just leave him alone while we fight?"

"That's more like it." The saiyan prince nodded. "It's a better excuse than the last, I'll give you that. But it still isn't enough. You do realize that Bulma's parents live next door, don't you? My son's grandmother could be here in an instant to care for the child while we're occupied."

Gohan was grinding his teeth now, narrowing his eyes. "How was I supposed to know that?!" He hissed. "Mr. Vegeta! I told you before that I've had trouble controlling my anger lately! And I'm not doing so well right now!"

"Oh? Is that so?" Vegeta threw back his head and let out a smug laugh, his hands on his hips. "I'll call for the blonde woman, then. I told you last night that you're better off releasing all of that than keeping it in. At your age you'll find a lot more sustenance in my gravity room than you'll get playing make-believe with my infant son."

"Mr. Vegeta!" Gohan snapped. "Stop talking to me like that! You're making me really mad!"

"I know, boy. That's the point! Now step away from the toys and meet me in my gravity room."

Gohan, who was still grinding his teeth, watched as the saiyan disappeared down the hall from whence he came. "I'm serious!" He called. "You're making me really mad! I'm warning you!" But there was no response. The adolescent let out a deep breath of air, his biceps trembling. If Vegeta was that insistent on having a fight, then he was going to get one.

But still…

He didn't like fighting…

He didn't want to fight, and yet Vegeta was pushing him to do it. That in of itself only served to make him more angry – which confused him! Because he didn't like being so hostile, and he didn't want to use his fists!

…Did he?

Gohan felt a tug at his leg, and he looked down to see Trunks pulling at his pants. "Have fun!" The toddler called, giving an affectionate wave. "Bye-Bye Gohan! Have fun!"

Thanks again! I was worried I wouldn't get a new chapter posted this week, and I'm excited that I was able to. It ends abruptly, but I've been trying to keep my chapters a little shorter lately so that I can update more often.

I hope you enjoyed!