Vegeta, in a rare pose, leaned against his wife, his eyes half-closed as he awaited the arrival of his son. Bulma gently ran her fingers through his coarse black hair as he kept a watchful eye on the sky.
"Well he did it. I knew he would," Bulma commented.
"I wish my Goku was still around!" Chi-chi cried and Gohan patted her shoulders.
"Dad did what was best for all of us, Mom," Gohan said.
"I like the way things turned out. It's a lot better than being dead," Krillin said and Eighteen looked at him.
"Idiot," she said.
"I'm serious, honey."
Vegeta sat up and gazed up into the sky. The others following his lead, those with the longest vision soon sighting the time machine.
"It's coming!" Krillin exclaimed and Bulma immediately took charge of the situation.
"Let's clear the landing space! Oh I'm so proud of him! That means you're going to have to move, Vegeta," she said and Vegeta glared at her.
"I AM moving woman!" he snapped as he stood up.
"Where's the camera? We should have a photograph of this," Bulma said.
"We've got ours," Krillin said and held his camera up.
"Krillin you're wonderful!"
"Not so tight. Eighteen can get jealous."
"And I've known you for how long? I've known you longer than your wife."
"Hey kids. I see you're all waiting for the big touchdown," Master Roshi said and Vegeta looked at him.
"It always amazes me to see the lifespan of the ancients," he said.
"You're not young yourself, Vegeta."
"WHAT was that?!"
"SHUT UP! He's landing," Bulma said as she wiped a tear from her eye.
"Women. They get so emotional. What brings you here?"
"I wish to congratulate Trunks on his success as well," Piccolo said as the time machine touched down. Bulma waited for the hatch to open then ran over to hug her son. She was greeted unexpectedly by a cat, who jumped out of the time machine, ran past Vegeta, and came to rest near Piccolo's feet.
"Is it an Earth custom to bring mangy animals back from the past?" Vegeta asked and the cat hissed at him. Trunks watched Loren as he climbed out of the time machine into his mother's fond embrace.
"I'm so proud of you Trunks!" she cried as Krillin snapped a picture and Chi-chi turned and cried in Gohan's arms.
"Thanks Mom," Trunks said and gazed at his father, who seemed to be hiding a smile in the smirk that he held on his lips. "Can I get the cat now?"
"Why did you bring a cat back? Is there a reason for it? We have Siamese cats nowadays just like they had in the past," Bulma said as Trunks walked over to Piccolo and picked Loren up.
"She's not exactly a cat," Trunks said. "Come on. Change into your normal form."
"Change? Do you mean that this cat is a shape shifter like Oolong?"
"Yeah."
"Looks like a normal cat to me," Oolong said. "I don't think that thing could change into anything."
Loren glared at him then jumped out of Trunks arms. She landed on the grass softly and everyone watched as her body began to change.
"What kind of demon did you drag back from the past boy?" Vegeta demanded and Trunks looked at him.
"I didn't bring a demon back, Father," he said as he watched Loren. "I brought...her."
He pointed to the spot where the cat had been sitting. Loren stood in the animal's place, wearing a black top and brown pants, the only remembrance of the cat that sat there moments before. Vegeta's eyes grew wide in recognition.
"YOU!!" he sputtered. "You shape shifting demon! You took advantage of me and made me return to my home as a failure. How DARE you show up on this world?"
"I think I've heard this already," Loren commented. "Look when he brought me here, I wasn't aware that you'd be here as well."
"Well he IS my father," Trunks explaned lamely.
"Well how is it possible for me to be here with him?"
"I'm more than willing to destroy you, woman!" Vegeta cried and Bulma smacked him on the head.
"HEY!! DON'T YOU HAVE ANY MANNERS?! TRUNKS IS HOME! DON'T YOU CARE?!" she cried and Loren lowered her head.
"I'm sorry. I caused so much trouble in coming with you. I should have just let him destroy me," she said and turned away.
"Stop that. I wanted you to come with me. I couldn't leave you. Not with as much pain as you were feeling. The two of you are just going to have to learn to get along."
"Well, if my Trunks brought you here, I'm sure he had a good reason. Come on, why don't we go inside and have something to eat? I'm sure you're hungry, aren't you Trunks?" Bulma asked and Trunks nodded his head.
"Yes I am, Mom. Hey Gohan! Nice to see you again," Trunks said as he walked up to his friend. Gohan smiled and patted the younger Saiyen across the back.
"It's nice to be here. Hey, why don't we go in and hear about your journey?" Gohan suggested.
"I'd watch Master Roshi around your friend, Trunks. You know how he gets with women," Krillin whispered and Trunks nodded his head.
"Yeah...I had forgotten about that," he replied as he followed his mother into the house.