Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Ball Z, Super or GT or any of the associated characters that appear in this fanfic. I do however own the Merpeople (except Marron).

Chapter 19 (Change of Plans)

Bulma slept restlessly. Her dreams were plagued by nameless faceless figures chasing her down. They wanted her, they wanted it - the precious bundle of warmth she held tightly to her chest. She was swimming as fast as she could, trying to find an inkling of light burning through from above. There was nothing. The only light in the cave was coming from her. The bundle whimpered and she sped up, her eyes resolutely fixed on what lay ahead. She wasn't going to make it, she realized, dread churning in her belly. She could feel them closing in on her. So she glanced back and saw a mob of red eyes burning through the darkness and slithering right at her. She turned back around and was confronted by a gaping maw of serrated, triangular teeth.

Bulma sat up with a start, her heart beating rapidly and her breaths coming in pants. Her hand went to her womb, feeling the life force in there flutter like the wings of a butterfly. She tried to calm herself; slowed her breathing, endlessly repeating the same mantra to herself: Just a dream. After a while, she could feel him settle and she rubbed her belly soothingly, willing calming thoughts to her little one in there. He was so tiny and yet already, there was a strong bond linking them together, heart and mind. She glanced towards the window. The floor to ceiling balcony windows were shut, keeping out the brisk autumn air. The curtains, however were open, presenting a beautiful view of the outside world shrouded in the palette of dawn. Pale streaks of grey were bleeding into the dusky night sky outlining the dark silhouette of buildings that formed the unique pattern of the West City skyline. Bulma was still rubbing soothing circles on her now noticeable bump and considered the merits of getting up. On the one hand, it was still way to early and her body was yearning for a few more hours of sleep. On the other hand her bladder and her stomach were starting to make their needs known. Bulma's appetite had increased drastically during the past few months and knew from experience that if she didn't feed this kid, he would start kicking. And his kicks hurt like a bitch. Plus she had already experienced the joys of a pregnancy related UTI once a few weeks past and did not care to repeat the experience. Bulma sighed, resolving to catch a few more hours of sleep later in the afternoon and scooted out of bed.

She was clipping the monitoring belt around her distended stomach when Abby walked into the lab. She was wearing a bikini top and a sarong tied around her waist.

"Hey Abby" she greeted, opting for verbal communication. Her friends needed the practice.

"You're up early" Abelone greeted back. She paused before Bulma noting the device now snugly secured around Bulma's belly. Her eyes lit with curiosity. "You're looking at the baby today?" she asked excitedly. "May I see?"

"Sure." she shrugged, and walked toward the entrance of the tank. Abby followed. The tank entrance had an airtight chamber similar to an airlock in a spacecraft. The door into the tank would only open once the chamber was completely filled with water. Once the outside door sealed behind them, the water started pumping into the chamber from below. When the water reached waist level Bulma removed her bottoms, leaving only her in only her swim top and the monitoring band around her waist. Abby didn't wear any bottoms besides her sarong, which wasn't a hindrance with a tail so she left them on as the water slowly rose. When the water was deep enough the mermaids dove and transformed, then waited for the chamber to fill completely before the door to the tank opened.

Bulma at once swam to the center console and switched on the monitor there. After making sure her belt was active, Bulma navigated to the program that brought up her baby's stats. The sound of his heartbeat immediately sounded through the tank and Bulma's own heart fluttered at the now familiar and cherished sound. Abby floated next to her, her eyes slightly luminous in the still mostly dark lab. Bulma pulled up visuals, the belt generating an almost 270 degree view of her little one on the monitor. He was cast in tones of sepia, but his features were easily recognizable, from the disproportionately large head to the stubby little fingers and toes at the end of rail-thin limbs. He was beautiful to Bulma, despite being shaped like what the majority of ignorant humans still considered as the quintessential alien. Abby's arm reached into her view, her webbed fingers tracing the shape of his legs over the screen.

'He does not have a tail' she said, tone low and carrying a hint of concern.

'If you mean a mertail, then no. He does not. Neither does he have a saiyan tail, which I was warned could also manifest in the fetus. He seems like a normal human baby, but we can't really find out more about his genetics until he's born.'

'Do you think he will be able to survive as a mer?'

'I don't know Abelone.' Bulma said, sighing heavily. There were so many unknowns about her pregnancy and her baby. 'We're all still learning as time goes by.' Bulma found she did not care much about the genetics and how it will affect the future. Her most pressing concern was the health of her son. Her eyes drifted to the other statistics, predominantly among them being the large percentage value stating the gestation stage at 58%. She had been pregnant now for just over 18 weeks and her baby seemed to be developing at an accelerated rate. At this rate her baby would be arriving in just over three months at 31 weeks. She wished, not for the first time, that Vegeta was present to offer some more information on his race. The only other Saiyan hybrid that she knew of was Gohan, but Chichi had already confirmed that he was carried almost to term, arriving at 38 weeks.

'Well, thank Neptune then that you won't be having the baby at home.' Abby said.

'Thank Neptune indeed. As if I want everyone and their mother witnessing the birth of my child'

Abby laughed, 'You're overreacting, you know only family is allowed in the Royal birthing chambers.'

'Which consist of all my breeding sisters, the midwife and my mother. Ergo everyone and their mother. No thanks. I'm quite satisfied with the facilities they have set up here.'

'Do you think he'll be back before then?'

Bulma didn't need to ask who Abby was referring to. Since her friends have surfaced Bulma had fallen into the familiar role of treating Abby has her mentor, and regularly confided in the older mermaid about her feelings and experiences. Abby's presence assuaged the loneliness she felt in Vegeta's absence. She missed him desperately, even objectively knowing that he was out there training to become strong enough for their sake. Subjectively however, it was small comfort. Especially during those nights when she woke up with a body aching for release and only find cold empty sheets as her companion. Apparently, pregnant females became sexually insatiable during their second trimester. Bulma still cringed in mortification when she recalled the moment that little tidbit was shared with her.

They were all sitting down for breakfast, her merfriends included. Bulma remembered being particularly prickly that morning given the state she woke up in, only for Mrs Briefs to notice her attitude and suggest self-satisfaction in the absence of Vegeta being there to 'take the edge off' her heightened libido. To make matters worse, Abby immediately began questioning Mrs Briefs about the 'fascinating' tools and gadgets available for such purposes. Questions that Mrs Briefs was only too happy to answer, giving very detailed descriptions, much to Bulma's embarrassment. Even though she tried not to, she felt at times very resentful towards the Saiyan for making her wade through all of these changes alone, especially after experiencing the shortcomings - in the most literal sense - of sex toys, compared to a skilled lover.

It felt as if she were in a state of stasis, just waiting for things to happen: Waiting for the Androids; waiting for Vegeta to return; waiting for her son to be born. In the meantime, she felt utterly useless. Her research into defeating the androids had all but come to a standstill since she could still not dig up any of Gero's work. She managed to find a clue as to the possible location of his secret laboratory, but the area was so vast it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Her training had also been put on hold because of the obstruction that her stomach had become, although Chichi still took pity on her once every few weeks and came over for some T'ai Chi. Her friends had also started attending these sessions on the grass of Capsule Corp. They found that it helped with their biped motor-skills. That, and Yoga, which herself, Abby and Lapis had taken to attending three times a week in the Capsule Corp gymnasium. The instructor, Alexa, was very considerate toward Bulma's 'delicate' state and often gave her alternate poses to the rest of the class, that was apparently beneficial to her pregnancy.

'I don't think he'll return before his son is born Abby.' Bulma said with a sigh, answering her earlier query. 'His ship was stocked for a full year's travel.'

'That's really a shame, Princess. If he's not present to support you through this, he should at least be there to witness the birth of his child.'

'He doesn't know, Abby.' she defended.

'Well he should if what you told me about the two of you is true. The possibility should have at least crossed his mind.'

'Oh please, I never expected to have a doting male by my side. I chose a warrior to be my mate, and warriors as far as I know do not dote and coddle and fuss.'

'Shows how much you know.' Abby sassed.

'Besides,' Bulma continued, 'It's not like I would have had a doting male back in the ocean either. Bearing a royal heir is a lonely job.'

'Pssh, you wouldn't have had a mate at all if you were bearing a royal heir.. Just DNA donors.'

'Exactly.' Bulma agreed and couldn't help but shuddering at the thought, 'Even if the situation is not ideal, I'm still better off here than I would have been at home.'

The were silent for a few moments as Bulma closed down the program displaying her baby's growth, making sure to save the latest readings. She then unclipped the monitoring belt and placed it on the console before starting her rounds in the tank.

'So,' Abby started again, swimming at her side. 'How's Mrs Brief's gift been working out for you? Is it taking the edge off?' she asked with a cheeky wink.

'Abby!' Bulma scolded, feeling her face start to glow with embarrassment.

'What? Come on girl, you're no longer an innocent.'

'I'm so not talking about that with you!'

'Huh… and here I thought your prudish behavior was simply attributed to your inexperience.'

'I'm not a prude. You just have no shame.'

'It's nothing to be ashamed of Bulma, I heard self-pleasurement is a widely practiced act for the majority of humans, otherwise why make so many different devices for it.'

'It may be widely practiced, but it sure as hell is not so openly discussed.'

'Well I for one don't see a problem in discussing such things. It is afterall only the two of us. Plus, I would have liked to compare notes.'

'Notes?'

'Yes. On my own experience.'

'Don't tell me you -

'Experimented with all the fascinating technological advances human-kind has to offer a girl who had only recently acquired her landlegs? You bet your tail I have.'

'Abby!' Bulma yelled, scandalized. Abby chuckled. 'Where did you even get them?'

'Online.'

'You better not have used my profile, Abelone.'

'I might have.'

'Neptune kill me.' Bulma whined, thinking of all the adds that will soon be popping up on her profile.

'What? It's not like I have any money here? I had to use your profile. Speaking of, I can't believe the advances humans have made in their communication and information sharing.'

'Yeah, the internet pretty much changed everything here.'

'We should get it back home. It could be one of your first laws as Queen once this android business is done with.'

'Get what? The internet or the sex toys?'

'Both. Obviously.'

'Seriously Abby, you're unbelievable.' Bulma said, exasperated.

'We've been literally living under a rock, Bullshark. We need to get out of the dark ages… also quite literally. I mean, our host has just created a device that can record and transmit our language from one device to another. He even got it to work underwater. I've seen you working in these labs, too. You know how their things work. You're an intelligent mermaid Bulma, I'm sure you and Briefs can build on that technology to create our own long distance communication device, like a telephone.'

Bulma remained silent, considering the possibilities. Up until then she had purposefully avoided thinking about her future and the responsibilities that waited for her back in her homeworld. She never considered what her experiences on land could mean for her own race, that it could reopen the gateway that separated their two worlds, with her as a conduit. She'd stubbornly been thinking that their lives would continue as is. Hearing Abelone speak on the potential improvements their society stood to gain implementing some of technology found here on land… She would be selfish to want to keep that from them.

'We can become better. All of the merraces could gain from all you've learned these past few months, but we need you, Bulma, to be the bridge between our two worlds.' Abelone said, her tone reverent. Bulma felt her hand unconsciously drift to her belly.

'I know you care for this Saiyan, Bulma and you probably do not want to leave, but it does not have to be all or nothing. A new world doesn't happen over one active cycle. There's a lot of work still required, here on land and back in the ocean. Also, think: the Council might not be as opposed to your reign when they find out they would be able to keep their power in your absence.'

The hope and excitement in Abby's voice was starting to become infectious and Bulma allowed herself to imagine, for the first time, a future beyond the androids. She thought of all the concepts and ideas that she learned of on lands that would be a benefit to her people. She imagined her world governed by a democratically elected ruler, not just someone born to the role, which she considered a win-win for all parties involved. As Abby said, it would not happen overnight, but it was possible. She would need to be their Queen first before she can be their president. Maybe it wouldn't happen in her generation, maybe her son would be the one to usher in this new era of governance, but it could be achieved and she could do this, she realized. She would do it. For her people and her son. She would make her world better.

'Well, when you put it that way, how could I refuse?' Bulma finally answered and felt the rush of joy that overcame Abby as she launched herself at Bulma.

When the mermaids had enough of celebrating, Bulma decided that it was time to set things in motion. Which was how four sleepy-eyed mers came to be in her rooms at 7:30AM in the morning. They all woke up pretty fast as Bulma started explaining her ideas to them.

'I know it'll be an obstacle, but the old Council has got to go. They are too stuck in their ways to see the merit in the progress I am proposing, so the first thing I will need is for a few of you to head back home. I need the favor of the people. I need them to know that I carry their future King and that I have not abandoned them. They need to know that the prophecy is being fulfilled, but that a great battle has to occur first. Ray, Lapis, can I trust the two of you with this?'

'Yes General.' the two of them answered in unity.

'What about the rest of us, General?' Marlin suddenly asked.

'Blade will need to navigate us back.' Ray said. We've come a long way and the route is treacherous and more than a little confusing. We need Razor to show us the way back, and he won't leave without Blade.'

'That is acceptable. As for you, Marlin. I shall require another mer to test out the new equipment that I'm going to design. I suspect you'll have to make frequent visits to the ocean. And Abby… you have experience with birthing and caring for young ones, yes?'

'Fat lot of good it's going to do me if you're asking what I think you're asking. You're carrying a hybrid.'

'Just in case, I'll need you present, if it's not too much to ask. Just until after he's born,' she said rubbing her belly soothingly, 'then you can join the others in promoting my campaign.'

'It will be my honor, Princess.' was Abby's solemn vow.

Vegeta held himself still, waiting for the next blast to shoot at him from one of the bots floating in the air around him. He heard the beam fire and dodged as it flew at his exposed back. He watched it ricochete against another bot then felt another beam come for his side at the same time the ricocheted beam was heading for his front. He twisted in the air, feeling the heat of both beams brush by his body over his chest and lower back, just to bat away a fresh beam with his forearm that was fired from the bot closest his right. He continued for another ten minutes until all ten energy beams found their inevitable end after their tenth ricochet, respectively, signalling the end of the exercise.

He dropped down to the floor, panting hard as his sweat dripped heavily to the floor at 450Gs. The Briefs man did well, he thought. Not only did he restock his ship, he also added a few new programs to his training-droids. Unfortunately, three of his eight droids had already met their tragic end when a training exercise became a little too intense. However, his strength still continued to grow in leaps and bounds. The Super-Saiyan transformation still eluded him, much to his chagrin, but Vegeta knew that when he finally did achieve it, he would be more than 50 times stronger than Frieza. Stronger than the purple-haired boy was when he defeated the tyrant and his father. He could probably even take Frieze in his current state. The thought was satisfying.

However, Vegeta knew that there was something he was missing. He felt the well of power, bubbling just under that hard to find threshold. The feeling of that strength, that potential being so close yet just out of reach; it was maddening. He had more than enough strength, he was decades stronger that Kakarot was when he first made the transformation, which means that physical strength might not be the key after all.

Vegeta heard the hum of the droids rebooting as they prepared for the next round of training and issued the command to end the exercise. As much as he hated it, he was at a dead end. He could continue to train and increase his base strength, but it wouldn't bring him any closer to the Legendary. As loath as he was to think it, he required Kakarot's assistance. With a sigh, Vegeta rose and returned to the navigation console. He wouldn't ask, he resolved, his pride wouldn't allow him to ask for anything from that third-class. Especially not after the humiliation he suffered on Namek. He would however not be opposed to beat it out of the clown. Besides, he reasoned, he was curious to see how much Kakarot has improved and if he could take Vegeta on in his new and improved base form. As he felt the rocket launchers engage below him, Vegeta spared a thought for his woman, wondering if she would be happy of his return, or disappointed in him for not achieving what he set out to do. He would find out soon enough, he guessed, watching the words Earth. ETA 23 days displaying on the ship's nav-systems window.

As the weeks flew by, with not much to do as her belly steadily grew larger, Bulma felt like she had gained a new purpose in life working with Dr. Briefs. They had taken his neural communication technology, combined it with Vegeta's scouter tech that Dr Briefs also managed to salvage, and had managed to create a telepathy-phone of sorts. By using the Capsule Corp radio tower and installing telepathy transceivers, they could now communicate over a large distance. Doctor Briefs had even begun working on mapping telepathic language to a text interface because, as they discovered, not all humans had the ability to pick up on telepathy even with the device. Their brain's natural defenses were too strong to overcome. With Bulma's feminine touch, they had managed to make the new communicator look less like a torture contraption and more like a diadem of sorts and Bulma was currently wearing the prototype and getting ready to commence the second stage of beta testing. An artificial gem the size of her thumb-pad hung tastefully on her forehead and housed the device circuitry. It would light up when communications were active.

Taking a big breath, Bulma pressed the button located at her temple.

'Call Marlin' she spoke telepathically.

'Bulma, is that you?' Then 'Is this thing on?'

Bulma laughed. 'Oh hey! There you are Bullshark. I take it this means it works.'

'Yes, Marlin. It does. What's your position?'

'According to this here thing I got, I seem to be 5 klicks North-northwest from the tower by the sea. 300 meters down.'

'Hmm.. there seems to be no lag in the transmission so I'd say our signal propagation calculations seems to be spot on.'

'Sweet. Wait, hold on Bulma…' Marlin suddenly said and then 'Dude, seriously. I am not food.' then more silence.

'Marlin, you okay?'

'Yeah. Just this stupid shark I had to deal with. I mean, do I look like a sea lion to you?'

'Okay Marlin, Focus. I need you to head further down. I need to know when the signal cuts out so if possible, can you keep talking while you're descending. Maybe you can read out your depth every 50 meters.'

'Sure thing, General…. 350….400'

Something impacted the earth with a loud crash, causing everything to vibrate. Bulma was suddenly out of her chair, running for the elevators. Was it him? She couldn't stop the hope from building. Marlin's communication cut off but Bulma didn't notice, she was too busy focusing her senses to try and search out his ki. Her heart was doing somersaults in her stomach… or was that the baby? Her belly was now the size of a basketball and maneuvering had become a bit difficult. Still she managed to waddle over to elevators with relative ease. It was slow progress but she made it, all the while strongly considering getting herself one of those motorised chairs that she saw old people riding around in. It would make things so much easier, she lamented.

She found him in his old rooms. He was sitting on the bed, his back facing the doorway. He was freshly showered. She could see the steam drifting from his bathroom and smell the soap in the air. Upon her entrance he paused, one boot in hand. He was dressed only in his training bottoms. His old armor was lying in one corner, scuffed and dirty but otherwise unharmed. Bulma found herself admiring the bare skin of his back, cataloging his old scars and noting new ones. There were a few dark marks over his skin, ki-burns, she recognized, in various stages of healing. His body was notably bigger than the last time she saw him, his back wider and his arms thicker. He really put himself through the wringer and it seemed he wasn't done yet if his state of half-dress was any indication.

"Welcome back" she finally spoke, knowing instinctively that he wasn't going to be the one to start their interaction. She saw his shoulders tense momentarily. Then, efficiently, he pulled on his remaining boot and turned to face her. His eyes widened almost imperceptibly upon seeing her, dropping down to her very large belly.

"Yeah. I'm not the only one that grew in these last few months… You look good, Vegeta."

"When…" he started, then glanced at her belly again. Bulma sighed in exasperation and walked towards him.

"Have you lost your words, my Prince?" she asked upon reaching him, a little amusement in her tone.

"Tch..." was his dismissive reply, but she noted the slight pinkening of his cheeks.

She wanted to touch him. Even now she felt the heat radiating from his naked skin. His pectoral muscles were much larger, his abdomen just as lean and ripped and begging for her fingers, but for some reason she felt awkward, unsure of herself so she placed her hand on her belly instead, the other one supporting her lower back which seemed in a near constant state of tension nowadays.

"If you're wondering when your son will be born, our data says it should be just over a month from now." He took a deep breath, seeming to absorb the information. Then nodded his acknowledgment. "Will you be here for the birth?" she asked timidly.

"Woman, I have to leave." he said with a sigh.

"Where are you going? You just got here."

"I need to go beat the snot out of Kakarot."

"I take it that you did it then?" she asked, hope and happiness blossoming in her chest at his achievement. It died swiftly, however when she noted the ticking in his clenched jaw. His posture was suddenly rigid, fists clenched beside him.

"I'm... close." he answered.

"Oh." she said, and sighed, "I'm sorry. I guess there's still time, so whatever you need to do… I'll support you Vegeta. Even if you have to leave the planet again." She then turned to leave, sighing with resignation.

"Bulma." She was halfway to the door, but paused on his address, turning to watch him expectantly.

"It's... good to see you, Woman."

She beamed and felt her feet carrying her back to him. She attempted to hug him, but with her big belly a mountain between their bodies, it was a complicated endeavor, not made easier by Vegeta himself doing his damndest to imitate a plank of wood.

Standing back, she asked, "Shall I ask Mrs Briefs to prepare dinner for you tonight?" and struggled to contain the hope in her tone. He watched her warily for a beat, then nodded stiffly. She sighed happily and was about to turn to go again before she noted his hand twitch and raise slightly towards her. He seemed to change his mind, his fingers curled into a fist again and settling at his side. Well, that will certainly not do, she thought and grabbed his wrist, placing his palm on her belly. His other hand seemed to follow on its own volition and then he was holding her belly, cupping his son between his palms. She watched his face and saw the stoic expression melt away into one of awe and felt her chest swell with love for him.

"I missed you." she said softly, almost fearfully, unwilling to ruin the moment but needing to get the words out. His eyes shot to hers, then narrowed as if he was struggling with something. Her baby chose that moment to make himself known with a rather stiff kick, right against the cupping palm of his father and Bulma winced at the accompanying twinge of pain. Vegeta's one hand dropped from her stomach and he looked at it curiously, then back at her.

"He's strong." he stated, pride coloring his tone.

"Apparently so." Bulma answered with a frown, rubbing the spot that he just kicked.

"Does it hurt?"

"Sometimes, not always. I can handle it. I'm not a weakling, you know." she said, a bit testily.

Vegeta smirked. A bit of his old personality finally shining through. "I never said you were, Woman." was his haughty reply.

"Good. Now go play with Goku. I have things to do." she waved him off.

"Tch..."

At the door she asked: "Will you be here for the birth?" He didn't look at her, but she saw him nod. She smiled and attempted to leave again, but was again stopped stopped when he called out:

"And Woman." she turned. "What the hell did you do to your hair?"

Bulma reached up, self consciously and touched the feathery curls piled on top of her head.

"It was getting tedious to dry it during the winter so I had it cut." she defended. "Then the stylist told me that this style was low maintenance and all the rage this season. So I went with it."

"It looks ridiculous." He said, a taunting smirk on his face.

"Well I don't care what you think." Bulma answered with a pout, and left him to his devices.

As Bulma was walking back to the labs, she suddenly remembered what she had been busy with and hastily pressed the button again to reconnect with Marlin.

'Marlin?'

'Yo, Bulma, what gives? Did you get your data?'

'Uhm… not exactly. There was a bit of a disturbance here at the compound.'

'Seriously? Oh man. I'm already on my way back.'

Bulma swore, then rubbed at the bridge of her nose in irritation.

'You okay, Bullshark? I can head back. It's not that far.'

Bulma sighed, 'No Marlin, it's fine. It's already late. You're probably starving.'

'Can't argue with that.'

'I'll see you at the compound then… and for Neptune's sake drive carefully or you'll get someone killed.'

'Oh come on, you can't ask me to go easy on a machine that was built for speed. Besides, there's not a lot of damage an airbike can do to to anyone but myself.'

'Then don't get yourself killed.' she scolded.

'Psh. As if. I'm not a weak human.'

'Whatever. Just be careful.'

'Roger that, General… Heh, I always wanted to say that. Say, who is this Roger fella anyway and why do humans say his name when confirming an instruction.'

'Marlin.' Bulma's impatience was clearly felt over the comms.

'I'll shut up then. See you at the compound.'

"So I hear your lover has returned from Space" were Abby's first words upon sitting down for lunch. Marlin's response was to spew his drink all over his plate. Some of it even from his nose. As he was sputtering his recovery, Bulma winged up her brow in exasperation.

"Really Abby?"

"What do you mean 'really'? I'm dying of curiosity here Angelfish. How can I not when you've been pining so wretchedly after this mysterious dark prince. Like when Fernando went off to war, unknowingly leaving a pregnant Gabriella to be spurned by society for her unwedded but obviously bedded state."

"Abby! I didn't watch that episode! You totally spoiled it." Bulma yelled, ending in a pout. "And I'm not spurned by society!"

"That we know of. Wasn't Ray supposed to report back by now?"

Bulma sighed. "Yeah" The little niggling of worry that she had been feeling about Ray's continued absence was starting to stress her out. She couldn't help the feeling that something wasn't right.

"Ray will show, Bullshark." Marlin stated, finally recovered from his coughing fit, "He probably just got caught up with something."

"I hope it's nothing dangerous."

"The Barracuda is no pushover, and he's slick as hell. Whatever it is, he can probably handle it." Marlin reassured. "So… you're guy's back, huh?"

"Yeah"

"What he say about the belly?" he asked, motioning at her distended stomach with his chopsticks.

"And where is he now?" Abby cut in.

"He's not upset about if if that's what you're thinking," she answered rubbing her belly soothingly, as she noticed the baby staring to act up in there. "And he's out sparring with Goku."

"I thought you said he wasn't coming back for like, a year." Marlin said.

"He probably missed you." Abby stated. Bulma just shrugged.

"He said he'll be in for dinner."

"Fantastic. I can't wait." Abby said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, my show's about to come on."

"You have too many shows Abelone."

"Totally these human's fault." she ended, unapologetically and sauntered away.

Bulma spent the rest of the afternoon going over the various blue-prints of ocean-adapted technology that she wanted to introduce to her society. At 3pm, she had her skype-conference with the team of marine-biologists, oceanographers and political leaders that she had been liaising with for the past few months. It took quite a few meetings for them to get over the fact that a whole other society exists in the earth's oceans. Then there were the doomsdayers that had to be reassured that the world was not ending, androids notwithstanding, or that the earth won't be taken over by the fish-people. Honestly, humans can be real idiots some time, even the supposedly intelligent ones. Then, after almost two months, when it was finally established that merpeople exist and do not pose a threat to land dwellers, negotiations had begun in earnest. There were still a few kinks to iron out, like the credibility of her authority to represent her people. But otherwise, the two peoples could really benefit from one another. So far, the negotiations were still kept under wraps, but plans were being made to establish first contact using the technology developed by Capsule Corp. If only she could get some damn intel from her still MIA Lieutenant.

AN: Awkward place to end it, I know. I had to cut this chapter short because it started running away with me.

Anyhew, until next time...