I am really sorry that this chapter took me so long to post. To be honest, I started to go through a rough patch of writer's block with this story. I think I just want to update so often and I put too much pressure on myself as far as content goes. I don't know why, but I started to feel rather discouraged. I'm my own biggest critic, I tell you! I just needed to take some time to take a step back, focus on other projects of mine, and let the content come to me on its own. And boy, do I feel inspired!

In the mean time I have worked to get all of my writing up on AO3, under the same username. It feels good to have it all up on another site! It's my own little way of feeling that my content is backed up. So… please remember that, in the event that any of my stories get removed due to adult content, keep in mind that you can always find my work on AO3! I know that some people actually came over to FF from there after reading what I was posting on there! So… to everyone who came from AO3 - Hello! I'm flattered that you wanted to hunt me down!

I also started on my first attempt ever at an AU, called "Finding Immortal". It had helped me to get the creative juices flowing again and has made me more excited to continue working on The 7 Year Gap. If you are interested, you can feel free to check that out and let me know what you think!

Again, I'm sorry that this chapter took nearly two months to post. Thanks to everyone for your unwavering support, understanding, and patience.

And now, without further adeu… Chapter 43!

Bulma was shaking as she sat beside Vegeta, digging her nails into his wrist as she gasped. "Do you think everything's alright in there?" She breathed. "There was so much yelling just now, and nobody's come out yet. What's going on?!"

The saiyan put a hand on her thigh to soothe her, but she continued to tremble even under the weight of his firm palm.

"Something went really bad." She gasped. "I just know it. Oh, Kami, I wish they would just tell us, already!"

"They're alright" Vegeta grunted. "I feel them. Gohan took care of things."

"But why isn't anyone coming out?!" She hissed. "I just - "

"Am I known to lie?"

"No."

"Am I known to sugarcoat?"

"...No."

"Right. And I'm telling you they're fine. So calm down."

"I can't just calm down!" The Bluehead sank even deeper into the couch, letting go of Vegeta with a groan. The saiyan was speaking so matter of factly, with hardly any emotion at all, and it did little to soothe her frantic mind. She knew to trust his intuition, for when it came to survival he knew what he was talking about. But still - something had been wrong. Chi-Chi was already having an emergency delivery to begin with, and the clutter going on behind that closed door was too much for her to simply shrug off. She wouldn't feel better until she could see with her own eyes that everyone was okay.

Suddenly the bedroom door swung open, and out stepped Dr. Plocks, who looked rather green in the expression. Bulma jumped when she saw him, thinking that something must surely be horrible for him to have such a grim face. "Doctor!" She gasped, and slowly he turned. With a tight smile, he nodded at her.

The relief that washed over the Bluehead when he told her that Chi-Chi and the baby were okay was overwhelming. And as soon as she was given the permission she flew into the room, stopping at the bed and looking down at the bundle in Chi-Chi's arms. Gohan, standing at the other side of his mother, looked more tired than even she did post-delivery. He gave Miss Bulma a polite smile, excusing himself from the room so he could go sit down.

"Gohan told me everything." Chi-Chi hummed, her voice soft and breathy as she looked down at the face of her newest son. "The baby's tail was wrapped around his neck, but my boy saved the day."

"I knew I heard something going wrong." Bulma sighed, placing a hand to her chest as she admired the delicate face of the infant. The only experience she had with babies was with her own son. This was the Bluehead's first time dealing with childbirth aside from her own, and she was surprised at how foreign the experience felt as a witness.

"He looks just like his father." Chi-Chi smiled, and Bulma was shocked when she put a hand to her own cheek and felt tears. "He really does. He looks just like Goku..."

"Where is your man?" Chi-Chi continued, her eyes never once leaving her new son.

Bulma was about to go get Vegeta, but when she looked towards the door he was already there. It was as if he could sense that his presence had been requested, the saiyan leaning against the frame and looking into the room with his arms crossed. Sensing the shift of air, Chi-Chi followed the Bluehead's gaze. When she saw him she smiled even wider, her eyes seeming to light up more than they already had. "Vegeta."

The saiyan appeared to be taken aback by how soft Chi-Chi had spoken towards him. His relaxed posture suddenly stiffened, and he stepped off the doorframe with marked discomfort on his features.

"Do you want to see him?" Chi-Chi breathed, gesturing down as the pile of blanket she was holding. Feeling awkward, Vegeta looked to his woman for lead on how he should be acting in a situation such as this. Bulma, who still had tears in her eyes, gave him a slight nod.

Kakarot's wife had made her disdain of him quite clear. Why was she suddenly acting so warm? He didn't know why she would be speaking to him in such a way. Perhaps she was still loopy from the childbirth? Whatever it was, Vegeta felt that he needed to use caution as he slowly stepped into the room. She was behaving sweetly now, but this woman could easily become hostile at any given moment, and Vegeta wasn't fond of walking into some type of verbal trap.

When he finally arrived at the bedside, Bulma placed a light hand on his arm. "Look," She breathed. The saiyan bit his lip, feeling overwhelmed that all eyes seemed to be on him. Chi-Chi held her arms out and pulled the blanket back, revealing the infant's face.

"Kakarot." Vegeta muttered.

"Goku." Chi-Chi corrected, beaming from ear to ear. She scooted in the bed so that she could be even closer to Vegeta's view, the saiyan continuing to stare down at the child. The baby was asleep, completely oblivious to the ordeal it had put everyone through. As Vegeta continued to look down at the boy in this woman's arms, he became acutely aware of just how quiet the room had become. It was as if both of the women were watching his every move, waiting for him to make some type of statement.

"Hmm…" Vegeta cleared his throat. Bulma's palm was still resting on his bicep, lightly resting her head against his shoulder as she looked at the bed. He had absolutely no idea of what to say. When Trunks had been born, there had been a lot of chaos going on, with the Bluehead's parents and doctor making a clatter all about. Vegeta himself had been distracted by Trunks' tail, angrily warning the doctor not to even think about removing it. To contrast, the scene that was currently unfolding was silent. It was slow, it was even somewhat peaceful, and it was absolutely foreign to him. Unsure of what the women were wanting him to say, Vegeta finally settled on "Well, the boy is healthy."

"I know he is." It seemed that this was what Chi-Chi had wanted to hear, for she took a delightedbreath and reached up for Vegeta. The saiyan nearly jumped when he felt her fingers brushing against his wrist, sliding down his arm until she had taken his hand into her own. "Vegeta…" She breathed, pulling his fingers towards the infant. "Thank you."

The saiyan's eyes widened, and he quickly turned his head to see Bulma's take on this. What the hell was Kakarot's wife doing?! Bulma was the only woman permitted to get this physical with him! But, rather than finding offense by her gestures, his Woman seemed to be flattered instead. She gave him a slight nudge, indicating that she wanted him to step closer to the bed, and Vegeta reluctantly obliged.

Chi-Chi continued pulling on Vegeta's hand, resting it on the cheek of the baby. She let go of him, leaving the saiyan standing with his open palm cupping the child's face. The saiyan stared down at the boy, feeling the warmth of its skin radiating into his own, and his breath caught in his throat.

"Vegeta," Chi-Chi said softly, her eyes closing as her lethargy began to catch up to her once again. "Thank you."

.

"Now when you hit you here, I'll fall. And you will watch how I do it. You will see that I'll start to roll before I land. Understand?"

"But I want to train with Go-ahn!" Trunks groaned.

"Gohan is resting, son. He's had a long day. Now, come on. I want you to try and land a punch on me."

With an howl of protest, Trunks dug his feet into the ground. He was staring up at Vegeta, who was floating three meters above him, and the toddler scowled.

"Well?" Vegeta called, crossing his arms. "Come on, son. Punch me!"

"Dad!" Trunks yelled back, feeling so frustrated that he was nearly in tears. He loved training with his father, but he wanted Gohan to be there, as well. The toddler had grown used to the way Gohan sparred with him. The stark change with his dad's training style only seemed to magnify the fact that his best friend was missing from the scene. "You're too high!"

"And what must you do if you can't reach me?" The saiyan was hovering upside-down now, as if taunting the boy.

"I can't fly!" Trunks shot back, his little hands trembling.

"Rubbish!" Vegeta spun around so he was floating upright again, and he began to rise even higher into the air. "You are my son, and you are fully capable of flying, boy. Now stop with the excuses and come punch me."

Oh, if only he really could fly! Trunks was so upset in that moment that he wanted nothing more than to prove to his Dad just how capable he was, but the fact was that he just couldn't. He didn't have any ideas on where he could even attempt to start!

"Come on, son!" Vegeta suddenly barked. Trunks jumped to see that his father's face had appeared right in front of him, the saiyan floating upside down again. Vegeta was hovering at eye-level with the boy, his arms crossed as he defied gravity in more than one way. "Well? I'm right here now. Land a punch."

This was it - his chance to teach his father not to underestimate him! Trunks launched at his dad, swinging his little arm. Just as he was about to land his knuckles into his father's cheek, Vegeta suddenly disappeared. The toddler let out a gasp, trying not to lose his balance, his arms flailing as he wobbled back and forth.

"Nice try." Vegeta said, making his location known, and the toddler looked up to see the saiyan standing across the room now as he leaned against a wall. "Your aim was correct, but your speed is lacking."

"I'm not slow!" Trunks retorted, taking off for his father and running as fast as his little feet would allow him to. Just as he was about to throw another punch as his Dad, the saiyan disappeared again, and Trunks' fist went into the wall instead.

"Too predictable." The Saiyan's voice boomed in his little ear. Vegeta was now crouching down behind his son. He could feel Trunks' ki rising with his exasperation, and the saiyan was grinning at how naturally this was all coming to the boy. The toddler let out a yell, spinning on his heel and swinging a fist. With no considerable effort at all Vegeta jumped straight up to dodge the blow, letting out an audible "tssk" as he did so. Trunks threw another punch, and Vegeta jumped again.

"I will get you, Da-ad!" The child snapped, his chubby cheeks turning red as the frustration continued to build.

"Not like that, you won't." Vegeta quipped, jumping yet again.

"Stop it!" Trunks howled, throwing yet another unsuccessful punch. Vegeta jumped again, this time throwing himself back a meter rather than straight up in the air.

"Come back!" Trunks screamed, launching after him. He caught up to his Dad in only half of a second, and continued his attempts at landing a blow on his father. This time, instead of dodging, Vegeta caught his son's fist with his own hand. The saiyan threw back his head and let out a husky laugh, squeezing his son's wrist as he did so.

"Not funny!" Trunks scowled.

"Oh?" Vegeta replied, smirking down at the lavender haired tot in front of him. "And I thought you said you couldn't fly?"

It was at this that Trunks' eyes widened, sporting an expression that reminded Vegeta so much of Bulma when she'd made some kind of scientific epiphany. The toddler looked down to see that they were both now hovering about two meters in the air. Carefully, as if doubting his understanding of the situation, Trunks looked back up at his dad. Then, a moment later, he dropped his eyes back to the floor. "I'm…" He muttered, his small mouth dropping open.

"Yes, son."

"I am…" Trunk's cheeks broke into a shiny smily. "I'm flying! Yay!" And, with that, just as the child began to let out a cheer of celebration, he could feel his body tremble. Feeling as if his own backbone was growing weaker, the muscles in his legs gave a slight jolt. Then, within only a second, the boy was falling down into the ground. His body hit the floor with a loud crash, and Trunks clasped both arms over his head as he gasped through the recoil. He could feel his eyes growing moist, pain radiating through his rear that he'd landed on. "Ouchie! Ow, ow, ow!"

"You didn't land the way I told you to." Vegeta's feet touched the ground next to the boy, crossing his arms as he looked down as his son. "Are you weak?"

"No!" Trunks growled, furiously wiping the tears from his eyes and pulling himself back to his feet. "I'm tough!"

"Good." The saiyan gave the toddler a nod, unable to keep the smirk from his lips. "Flying will become more natural as you get older, but you need to remember to concentrate in the beginning. It'll take practice, understand? This is why you need to learn how to properly land."

Trunks looked up at his father with a smile, balling his little hands into fists. "I flew!" He squealed, waving his arms and jumping enthusiastically into the air to show his cheer. "I flew, I flew, I flew!"

A smirk still on his face, Vegeta turned to make his way for the door to the gravity room. The truth was that he'd needed that training session just as much as his son had. It was good to have an outlet. There was a lot of pent up tension about the household as of late, and the birth of Kakarot's newest son had only helped to slightly ease the mood. While Chi-Chi was no longer as hysterical and difficult to speak with as she had been during her pregnancy, the news of the birth had spread amongst her social circle, and that was causing an entirely new load of stress for the saiyan prince.

At that very minute, all of Kakarot's old friends were on their way to pay a visit. Even his old teacher, Master Roshi, was on his way. This was always customary to do when a new baby had been born, even back on his own native planet. The one thing that seemed odd was that Vegeta didn't remember any of them making such an effort to visit with Bulma after she had birthed Trunks – but, then again, she had kept it a secret from everyone…

The idea of them all invading his personal home was violating enough to think of. But what made him feel even worse was that, included in the group of visitors, would be Yamcha.

Yamcha.

Just the name alone made Vegeta want to growl. He could hardly care about anyone else that would be prying into his personal space, but that scar-faced weasel had always gotten on the saiyan's nerves. He still hadn't forgotten about the confession that Bulma had made when she'd been drunkenly spewing nonsense, either.

Vegeta had personally witnessed how unfairly he'd treated the Bluehead during their time as a couple. And, as it turned out, he hadn't even seen the blunt of it all. If what Bulma had implied at was true, then the saiyan just had another item to add to the list of things he detested about that guy. Yamcha wasn't just a worm, but he was a perverted wart. He hadn't even kept to himself during times when her state of mind was at its most vulnerable, and Vegeta considered that to be unforgiveable.

Nobody mishandled his Bulma…

He wasn't so sure if he'd be able to keep to himself when he saw that scar-face. As far as Vegeta was concerned, the Z-Fighter had no business being in any close proximity to his Woman at all. He didn't deserve it!

Bulma had begged him to be on his best behavior when everyone showed up. She'd said that she was stressed enough as it was, and she didn't need any type of altercation adding to it. Vegeta had promised he would try. He would try to keep his patience, to keep from lashing out.

But he wasn't so sure if he'd be able to. Not if he saw Yamcha saying anything snide to her…

"Alright, son." Vegeta announced, turning back for the boy. "Come inside. You need to have a bath before our guests arrive."

"Will they be fun?" The lavender-haired boy asked, jogging after his father and running through the door into the house. "Will they train, too?"

"Hmm.." The saiyan smirked. Trunks was still so young, and yet he seemed more enthusiastic about the idea of sparring each day. "You still have a lot to learn, boy. But perhaps someone will train with you, we'll see."

This chapter was a little on the short side, but it's been good to get my feet wet again. I'm missing some good one-on-one B/V scenes. I promise we'll get more of those soon! Thanks again for reading!