Hey everyone! Sorry it took so long to get the next chapter up. Exams are finally over, so I should have plenty of time to work on the story. Thanks to all of you who reviewed. Enjoy! ~ladymoonlight




Bulma lay in bed alone, studying the ceiling. Yamcha had made up a weak excuse to return to his apartment for the night. She knew that the reason that he left was most likely his conversation with Trunks earlier that day.
In a vain effort to relieve her mind of the strain of dwelling on her boyfriend, Bulma began to review the events of the day. Her mind focused especially on the battle between the earth fighters and the Ginyu Force. But it hadn't just been the Z warriors fighting; Vegeta and company had helped out. The memory of Vegeta pushing Trunks out of the way came to Bulma's mind. She wondered if the Saiyan Prince really hadn't been trying to protect Trunks since he was supposedly weaker than the others were. Maybe Vegeta really did have a heart somewhere deep inside of him. Bulma chuckled at the thought. It seemed impossible, yet.....
A light rapping on her bedroom door interrupted Bulma's thoughts. She pulled the sheets up around her neck.
"Yeah?" she called.
The door creaked open and Trunks entered hesitantly.
"I can't sleep," he stated quietly.
Smiling, Bulma patted the mattress next to her. Trunks crawled into the bed. He looked up at her with innocent blue eyes.
"Where's Yamcha-san?" asked Trunks, trying to hide his pleasure that the ex-bandit didn't seem to be anywhere nearby.
Bulma made a sour face.
"He had to go make sure things were OK at his apartment," she replied, knowing how shallow the answer seemed.
Trunks simply nodded, not wanting to press a sensitive subject.
"So...." stated Bulma, attempting to break the awkward silence. "Tell me about your family."
Trunks jerked slightly and blushed. He began studying the blanket intently, running his fingers gently across the stiches.
"They're nice," he muttered.
The blue-haired woman laughed loudly.
" 'Nice'?" she asked. "Well, I would hope so. Seriously, Trunks, you don't have to hide it. I know I'm your mother."
Trunks yelped and almost fell off the bed.
"W-w-what?" he stammered frantically.
"I've known ever since the moment you fell out of the closet with Goten."
"How?" he asked, completely perplexed.
"Simple. Genetics," replied Bulma. "The hair, the eyes. Where else could you have gotten such a crazy genetic code from?"
Trunks laughed slightly.
"Yeah...Dad is always teasing you about your hair color," he stated.
The boy quickly clapped his hands over his mouth when he realized what he had said.
"Speaking of your father," Bulma said slowly. "Trunks, I understand why you don't want to talk about him."
"You do? Really?" he asked nervously.
"Yes. I know Yamcha isn't your father. You didn't want to tell me because you thought it would hurt my feelings. Its OK, Trunks. I realize now that Yamcha and I aren't meant to be together, at least not forever," she said, smiling bravely.
Trunks continued studying the blanket, fidgeting nervously. Maybe it hadn't been a good idea to escape Goten's snoring by seeing his mother.
"I can't tell you who my father is," the boy said quietly. "I'm sorry, but I just can't. So much could happen. Please forgive me."
"I understand, Trunks," replied Bulma.
She smoothed his hair back from his face and kissed him lightly on the forehead. Trunks smiled in return.
"But I can still guess, can't I?" asked Bulma cheerfully. "That's half the fun. So, do I know him already, or will I meet him?"
Trunks blushed.
"You know him," answered the boy.
"Hm...let's see," muttered Bulma, tilting her head to the right. "Krillian! No...Tien!"
Trunks giggled helplessly.
"No! I got it! Vegeta!!!" cried out Bulma.
The boy sweatdropped and swayed slightly. The woman noticed his reaction.
"Geez, it was just a joke. Lighten up, Trunks," laughed Bulma.
"Heh, heh......joke," muttered Trunks.
The conversation came to a halt as yet another person knocked on the door.
"Yeah!" called out Trunks and Bulma simultaneously.
Goten entered the bedroom cautiously.
"I woke up and Trunks was gone," he explained.
"Sorry, Goten. You were fast asleep and I didn't want to bother you," apologized Trunks.
"No problem," replied Goten.
He studied Trunks and Bulma. Goten smiled shyly and glanced around the room. Trunks quickly picked up on what his friend wanted.
"Er...mom? Can Goten sleep in here too?" asked Trunks.
"Sure," replied the scientist, smiling cheerfully.
"Yeah!" shouted Goten happily, jumping into the bed and curling up next to Trunks. The two boys wrestled about before settling down.
"Good night, you two," said Bulma quietly.
"Night, mom."
"Night, Bulma-san."
The two boys squirmed under the covers, getting comfortable. Bulma leaned over and kissed both of them before turning off the lights. Moonlight crept in through the windows, casting an eerie pale glow over the sleeping figures of the two children. Bulma fell asleep watching the two boys sleep peacefully.
Yamcha rejoined the warriors the next morning to continue training. Vegeta and company arrived around mid-morning. The Saiyans did less insulting and more advising. Goku smiled to himself, secretly pleased that Vegeta, Nappa and Radditz had become more amiable.
At lunch, Trunks and Bulma happily announced that the work on the machine was progressing nicely. If they remained on schedule, the project should be completed by the following week.
After a mini-celebration, the earth warriors returned outdoors to continue their training. At about 4:00, Trunks joined the group after working in the lab. Vegeta growled at the appearance of the child. There was something about the boy that bothered the Prince. The day before, in the battle against the Ginyu Force, Vegeta had felt as if he needed to protect the lavender-haired child. He had never felt that way before. He would have let Nappa and Radditz die without a second thought. He was a killer, not a defender like the pathetic earth fighters.
Nappa and Radditz, on the other hand, were quite taken with Trunks after seeing his performance in the earlier battle. They had cajoled the young boy into sparring with them. Trunks was fighting carefully, making sure to keep his energy level in check. He glanced towards Goten and managed to catch the younger boy's eye. Goten studied Nappa and Radditz then winked and smiled at Trunks. Trunks laughed out loud as he dodged Nappa's punch and landed a kick in Radditz's stomach.
Vegeta studied the spar between his fighters and the child. He suddenly made up his mind about something. Briskly, he stepped in between Raddtiz and Nappa and the boy. The pair of Saiyans stepped backwards, exchanging a confused glance. The other fighters ceased training, focusing on the Prince. Trunks shifted nervously as he studied his father.
"Fight me," challenged Vegeta.
"I beg your pardon," asked Trunks, glancing towards Goten for help.
"You heard me. Fight me! Or are you too afraid? And don't look to Kakkarot's brat for help, either," snarled the Prince.
Trunks moved uneasily into a fighting stance.
"If that's what you want," he mumbled.
Without any other words, Vegeta attacked. Trunks grunted as the Prince slammed into him and began to punch him relentlessly. The boy stumbled backwards, taking to the air for escape. Vegeta followed quickly behind him. The older Saiyan gathered a ki attack, aiming it at Trunks. The child barely dodged the blast and returned with his own energy attack. Vegeta grunted as the attack drove into his stomach, forcing him back. With a growl, he disappeared from sight and reappeared behind the child. Vegeta's arm snaked around Trunks' neck, trapping him in a headlock.
At that moment, Bulma stepped outside.
"Hey, guys. What's up?" she asked.
Indeed, all of the fighters were looking upward. Turning her eyes skyward, the scientist saw what the other men were staring at.
"Trunks!" she screamed.
Bulma began to search desperately for some sort of weapon. She picked up one of the rocks that lined the sidewalk. With a shout, she heaved the stone towards the Saiyan that was attacking her child.
Vegeta released the struggling child when he felt something hard pelt him in the head. Turning, he saw the blue-haired scientist with her back to him, scrambling to retrieve another projectile. The Prince landed quickly and swiftly approached the woman. He was in front of her as Bulma spun around, another rock in her hand. He grabbed her arm roughly, forcing her to drop her weapon.
"Woman. What do you think you're doing?" he growled.
Bulma whimpered softly and fought to pull herself out of his grasp. In the background, Vegeta could feel the kis of the earth fighters rise in defense.
"You know," the Prince addressed the warriors calmly, his eyes not leaving Bulma. "If you attack me, I can kill her before your energy blasts reach me."
Vegeta felt the others' energy drop in response. With a snort, he released his captive. He leaned forward, their faces barely an inch apart.
"I wasn't going to hurt him," he whispered softly.
Vegeta spun around and took to the sky, Nappa and Radditz following close behind.
Bulma let out a sigh of relief and swayed slightly. Yamcha hurried to her side and helped to steady her.
"Are you OK, Mom?" asked Trunks, moving to her side.
"Mom?" exclaimed Goku.
"What did he call you?" asked Krillian.
Bulma laughed softly, rubbing her sore arm.
"He called me 'Mom' silly," she replied, ruffling Trunks' hair affectionately.
Yamcha moved away from her. Glancing about, he mumbled something about checking to see if he left the stove on. Yamcha hurried off without further explanation.
"What's wrong with him?" questioned Goku, watching his friend's hasty departure.
Everyone turned and looked at Trunks, who blushed and glanced down at the ground.
"Oh," muttered Krillian. "I see."
Tien and Choatzu exchanged knowing looks.
"I don't get it," stated Goku, scratching his head.
The group sweatdropped.
"Trunks is Bulma's son, but he's not Yamcha's child," clarified Piccolo.
Goku blinked rapidly.
"Oh. OK," he replied, completely unfazed by the new information.
"Son, sometimes I wonder about you," muttered the Demon King.
The group began to move inside, trying to act unaffected by their discovery about Trunks. Bulma, however, lingered outside, watching the horizon where Vegeta and the other Saiyans had disappeared.
"I wasn't going to hurt him."
The Prince's words rang in Bulma's ears. Was she deceiving herself or had she really heard concern in Vegeta's voice? He almost seemed hurt that she thought that he would have hurt her son. But he had never shown mercy before. Why start now? Sighing in resignation, the greatest scientist in the world surrendered on trying to understand the workings of the mind of the Prince of all Saiyans.