The Worlds Smartest

This Is The Enforcer Speaking,

Thank you, my constant readers, and committed reviewers.

Now…On To The Story!

The Returned

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

The brilliant colors of far off stars and planets streaked past them, standing out in stark contrast to all the blackness of space. Bulma sat in the command seat of the ship. The negotiations with Guru and Nail had gone far easier than expected. After some mild threats and a brief display of strength from Vegeta involving throwing Nail through a wall, the peaceful species finally decided that the exchange of protection for wishes was a mutually beneficial one. It took a year for the dragon balls to recharge. A year on Namek was the equivalent to about two moon cycles on Vegetasai and so they agreed that they would have access to the dragon balls once every third Namekian year in exchange for services rendered. The deal struck Bulma and Vegeta were preparing to leave when Dende arrived with one final surprise.

A fabric swathed bundle that was light despite its size. She'd stood, frowning down at the package as Dende explained it was a gift left for her, eons ago, by a great God who'd foretold of the arrival of a purple haired warrior and entrust them to deliver this gift to the warrior once they arrived. Seeing as she was the first and only one to show, they assumed it to be her.

Kneeling she'd gently lain the bundle down and unwrapped it to reveal twin swords. They were long swords, what she would call hand and a half swords, one was black hilted with a red sheath and the other was red hilted with a black sheath. Power radiated off of them.

"These are no ordinary blades," Bulma whispered.

"No, they are not. They are infused with magic making them stronger and nearly indestructible. Please go in peace and with our blessings," Dende replied.

Vegeta remained silent as they packed up and left, both in a hurry to find their way back home. They were only in space for a matter of moments before her mate went to call back to their planet for updates, leaving her to contemplate her thoughts in silence. And how silent space could be. Her mind wondered from topic to topic in a nearly aimless manner. Magick swords, her family back, her life extended, magick freaking dragons, her friends back. Her family…she needed to contact them. Talk to them about everything that'd happened.

Would they be angry with her? Angry that she essentially married the enemy and then gotten pregnant? A teen mom. The thought made her cringe. Her parents were normally so laid back, but everyone had a breaking point and she wouldn't be surprised if this was it for them.

Suddenly exhausted Bulma made her way back to their quarters. Pausing on her way to the bed she glanced to where her new swords rested on the desk. Two powerful weapons imbued with more than just good craftmanship. She knew beyond a doubt that these were not meant to stay with her forever. These would not be the swords she went into the afterlife with. These would live on with her and Vegeta's decedents.

Kicking her boots off Bulma tossed her armor to the side and crawled into bed.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Shutting down the com link Vegeta leaned back in his chair. Rubbing a hand across his face he felt the weight of a world lift off of his shoulders, if only for the moment. They lived. All of them. They were back and their mates were alive. It was a damn miracle. One he was not sure any of them deserved and yet fate had chosen to be merciful. For now.

The ship was quiet, and he could tell by her energy signature that his mate slept. His unborn young already sapping more strength from her as he grew stronger and larger within her. Fear turned his stomach as he imagined her struggles in the months to come but he would be by her side. Giving her the gift of his nearly endless supply of power.

Power. He could barely wrap his mind around the fact that he was the legendary. A Super Saiyan. Everyone, including himself, had at some point doubted the validity of the Super Saiyan prophecy. Except here he stood as living proof that the transformation was possible. It took a great deal of strength and the proper motivation, but it was possible. Could the transformation be triggered in Kakarot? The male was the closest to him in power, at least at base level, so it seemed possible. Yet how could they trigger that transformation in him?

Plotting possible solutions Vegeta stood and stretched before heading for his mate. He entered their quarters quietly. Normally she would awake briefly as he came to bed, incredibly sensitive to it the presence of his energy, but this night she did not stir at his approach.

Bulma must have been truly drained.

She lay on her side, curled into a tight ball with the blankets pulled up high, only her head showing. Long braids framing her face. Sleeping she looked small and delicate. Her slumber robbing her of the fiery personality that always made her seem larger than she was. Such a wonderous combination of strength and beauty.

That same traits that first drove him to madness before he succumbed to her.

Fates, both cruel and kind but she was his forever.

His balance. His sanity. Forgiveness and love.

His chest ached. She was his greatest weakness and the source of his greatest strength.

Vegeta stripped before slipping into bed beside his mate. She immediately turned into the warmth of his body, curled in against him as he gently wrapped her in his arms, his tail wrapping tight around her. The irony was that while she sought warmth and comfort from him, she was in actuality his savior.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Bulma stared at the communications panel, a nervous riot of emotions flowing through her.

Who did she check up on first? Bardock? Kakarot? Piccolo? Her family? As much as the Namekians assured her that the dragon granted their wishes she would have a hard time believing it until she saw her people alive and well. She knew she needed to check on her parents first. Surely they'd heard something about her already. What could they possibly be thinking?

Vegeta's ki preceded him into the room, even in his most relax and neutral state his base form radiated power. The tingle of it lit across her skin. Not enough to hurt but enough for her to know he was there. It comforted her.

His arm encircled her waist.

"You are nervous." A statement not a question.

"Yeah, I'm freaking out about talking to my parents," Bulma said. Crossing her arms, she leaned into him. "I'm worried about what they'll say about…well, everything. About this." She motioned between them.

"Would you undo this?"

Bulma thought for a moment before replying. "You know, it never even occurred to me, when I was standing there in front of the dragon or even before that, to wish for anything that would take you out of my life. Hadn't even considered it. Our path hasn't been easy or always happy and something tells me our future will come with more challenges. I know our foundation was built upon some pretty bad things, but we are stronger for it and can face anything else the universe throws at us. I think we are both better together and despite the dubious nature of his conception we are making our own family now. I wouldn't change anything that would take you or what we have together away from us. So, I can honestly say no."

Gloved fingers turned her face up gently, black eyes met hers. "Then you tell them the truth and let them make their own choices as we have made ours."

He nudged her toward the com unit. Taking a deep breath Bulma reached out and initiated the uplink, banking on her dad being in his lab as always. She doubted even death would have change that.

It beeped so long Bulma started to worry but then there was a small jangle as the call was answered and her father appeared before.

He looked as he always had, unkempt hair, big black glasses, and the world's biggest mustache. Scratch even perched on his lab coat clad shoulder. Bulma hadn't thought the cat had survived the attack. Dr. Brief's wasn't looking up, instead he focused on something on his desktop, off screen.

"Yes?" He asked. "Who is it?"

The cigarette in his mouth bobbled as he talked.

Unbidden, tears began to well in her eyes and a thick lump formed in her throat. He was back, really back and if he was back so was everyone else. The reality of the situation slammed into her.

Finally, Dr. Briefs looked up, his mouth opened, and his ever-present cigarette tumbled out.

Speaking past the lump in her throat Bulma said, "Hi daddy."

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Stepping back Vegeta crossed his arms preferring to distance himself from what was sure to an overly emotional reunion. He had no interest in the dramatics beyond their effect on his mate, but the fates were not on his side as the older scientist quickly zeroed in on him.

"You!" Dr. Briefs took on a surly look. His hug bushy mustache flapped as he spoke. "Are you the one who did this to my little girl?"

The older man motioned vaguely at all of Bulma. Vegeta took in her appearance. She stood scowling at her father, in her royal armor, the Queens Seal around her neck, wildly plated hair partially pulled back, twin swords riding high above her shoulders and the swell of his young inside her obvious in her suit.

Well, he could see the male's point. This was certainly not the same female he had acquired from Earth months prior.

"Dad!" Bulma snapped. "I'm not sixteen anymore."

"Not by much young lady."

She growled at her father, all thoughts of tears obviously gone, and he could feel the frustration radiating off of her. They began mildly bickering and Vegeta contemplated making an escape for it when the shrillest sound to ever reach his ears broke through the argument.

"Ooooh, my baaaby's havin' a baaaby! I'm jus' too young and beautiful to be a grandma already." A tittering laugh proceeded the pretty middle-aged blonde as she barreled into the screen, cramming way too close to the camera until all they could see were the tops of her breast as they strained against her too tight shirt. "When's da weddin'?"

Breasts bobbling in the screen the female continued babbling about babies and weddings as her father tried jamming his face back on screen around his wife's ample chest all the while talking about how Bulma needed to finish up on her Doctorates.

Ears aching, and thoroughly confused by some of the Earthlings terms, Vegeta finally lost what little patience he had.

"Enough!" Pinching the bridge of his nose he squeezed his eyes shut against an oncoming headache. That woman's voice was unbearable. Forcing his eyes open he found the elder briefs, Bulma's mother having finally figured out to put her face and not her breasts into the camera, blinking owlishly at him. Bulma glared up at them. "You should be proud of your daughter and honored to be the grandsires to the future King of this race. She is remarkably strong, intelligent, and a fierce warrior. A Queen."

"Of course, we are proud of Bulma," Dr. Briefs said. He shifted his eyes to Bulma. "This is all just so…unexpected. I have so much I want to teach you dear. You were never really interested before, though I hear recently you've been working on some projects?"

Dr. Briefs sounded hopeful as the conversation switched course away from the pregnancy and toward science before Bulma began covering what they had gone through over the last several months, clearing up the rumors that had made their way to Earth but excluding certain intimate details about their mating. Allowing her parents to draw the conclusion that their sexual relation started only after the formal ceremony and completely avoiding the topic of their bonding and the unique side effects of it. Vegeta was grateful for her version of events. The elders seemed oddly relaxed about a majority of the events, including her various killings.

"Oh, what an amazin' adventure and you got such a handsome young man there!" Her mother squealed as they finally rolled around to present day. "If I was a younga' woman…" More tittering and blushing.

Vegeta blanched. Would this day ever end?

"Panchy, dear, please." Dr. Briefs eyed his wife.

"Ya know I wasn' much older than you when we had you baby. I wish I could be there. This is so excitin'."

"Me too mom." Bulma smiled up at her. "I wish both of you were here. I could use your help on some thing's dad. There's still a lot I don't know how to do."

"We could send a ship for them." Vegeta cut in. All eyes went back to him. Shit. "They could be here within two Earth months' time with your new ship."

Bulma smiled brightly for a moment before it faded away and she shook her head. "They don't like traveling and leaving all their pets and the gravity here it's ten times Earths. They're standard humans."

He could not believe he had forgotten about that again, especially since the repercussions the first time had been so dire to her people. "I would simply take you to them but in your condition and with our planets current state of affairs we cannot leave again."

"I know."

"I think I could invent something to fix the problem with the gravity." Dr. Briefs chewed on the white stick in his mouth. "Though I'm not sure I could bear to leave my kitty behind, maybe I could outfit her with some sort of gravity collar. This could be exciting. How long until you're due dear?"

"Four to seven months. Saiyan's have a six-moon term which is about twelve months. The fetus grows rapidly the first six month and then extremely slowly the second six, it's why I'm showing already, but we aren't sure how closely I will follow the Saiyan gestation period verse the human one. There were…complications with the other human who was pregnant, and she had to have a cesarean. Her situation was unique, don't worry about me." She addressed her father's concerned look.

Sighing, Dr. Briefs leaned back in his chair and ignored his mates' pleas to figure out how to come see Bulma and the baby. Vegeta could tell by the look in the man's eye he understood the dangers involved in a journey to his planet as well as the risks associated with Bulma condition.

"How is your medical science there? How are the doctors?"

"Exceedingly exceptional and far advanced from human technology." Bulma replied. "But we could always use your expertise."

Nodding the old man said, "I suppose I could manage an adventure or two in this life. I will begin working on a new, faster, ship and some sort of anti-gravity device immediately. We will figure this out."

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

The throne room was a riot of energy. Long rows of tables and bench had been moved in for the celebration and everyone was there. It was as all great feasts were in the palace, loud, wild, and packed with food and alcohol.

Only this time was different. It wasn't just the Saiyan's celebrating, Earthlings and other freeman mingled amongst them. They helped each other serve food as it was prepared by a crew of cooks and chefs, no longer servants. She knew that this wasn't a cure all, that there would be problems in the future, but Bulma felt a bright spot of hope that this battle had brought them together. Formed bonds that could usurp lingering bigotry.

Where was he? Bulma's eyes skimmed the crowd, looking for a very specific face. It wasn't like he could blend in.

"Whatcha worried about Bulma?" Kakarot asked.

His question drew her attention back to the table she'd settled at with a mildly reluctant Vegeta. No way was she going to hide out on her throne right now.

Kakarot sat on her left, Vegeta to her Right. Krillin and the human doctor known only as Eighteen sat on Kakarot's other side. Clearly enjoying each other's company. Bulma couldn't help but wonder at the odd match but who was she to judge? Bardock and Gine sat across from her flanked by Toma and Zuc. Vegeta Senior and Endev sat to Vegeta's right. Bulma wasn't exactly sorry to see that Chi-Chi remained absent, unwilling to leave her son. She still couldn't quite stand the woman. Bulma had yet to speak with her or visit the child who still lacked a name. Saiyan custom dictating that he not be named until he was "born", in other words until he could live outside the chamber. Only one other member of their small, odd patchwork of a family, remained absent.

"Have you seen Piccolo?" She asked by way of answer.

"He's got his ki suppressed." Kakarot answered as he shoveled food in his mouth with both hands. Crumbs flying. "I can't sense him anywhere."

Picking at her food Bulma couldn't help but wonder where he'd gone. If it wasn't for the fact that he'd revived with everyone else, she'd have thought him still dead but everyone who'd died on the moon had flown back to the surface with him.

Where was he? What was he hiding from?

"Stop worrying woman and eat. Unless you would like me to hunt him down and forcibly retrieve him for you?"

Grumbling Bulma went back to her meal.

The evening passed with an air of surrealism. Kakarot fought over food with her guards, Gine joked quietly with Bardock who watch the scene with a half smile on his face. Vegeta grumped and scowled his way through the night, his parents far more jovial. Eighteen flirted bluntly with Krillin causing him to spend most of the night red faced. And all the while Bulma was left with a strange sense of rightness. A feeling that she'd lived through this or something similar to it before. De ja vu.

As the night wound to a close and everyone slowly left Bulma found herself alone for the first time in what felt like forever. After much arguing about who was stronger Vegeta and Kakarot had gone off so they could beat the pulp out of each other. Kakarot was going to end up in a regen tank. She should have been surprised that he wasn't spending his time by his mates' side, but honestly, she wasn't. Kakarot seemed to lack a certain set of emotions.

Letting her feet guide her Bulma wondered the empty halls until she found herself before the doors of the neonatal section of the medical wing. Reaching out with her senses Bulma felt Chi-Chi's presence in the room but her energy felt calm. Relaxed. Probably asleep.

She entered the room. Chi-Chi sat sleeping in a chair near the small tank that held the male baby. He was clearly too tiny to be out of the womb and would need time to grow before they could extract him. Already you could tell he would look a lot like his father with a small cap of spikey black hair, a brown tail and the sharp Saiyan features already forming. Bulma knew he was strong too, his power levels already far beyond the norm.

"He will be stronger than his father one day." Piccolos voice broke the silence and Bulma nearly had a heart attack as he emerged from the shadows. How in the hell had she missed him lurking?

"You scared the crap out of me," she whispered harshly. "How are you so good at hiding?"

"Necessity."

Bulma's eyes cut over to Chi-Chi who still hadn't moved. "Is this where you've been this whole time?" Piccolo nodded. Not taking is eyes off of the baby boy, an odd look on his normally stoic face. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

He walked up to the tank, touched the glass. "In a way I have."

"How so?" she asked.

Piccolo turned to her and spoke, voice low. "I haven't been completely honest with you about where I'm from. About my past."

"You're weren't raised on Earth?"

"I was. Just not from this timeline and it wasn't an old wise man who help me become a better person. It was him." He pointed at the baby. "You see, I trained him, taught him how to fight, use his power, his instincts. Grew to care for him as a son. Protected him, died for him, came back and still had to watch him fall to the hands of the enemy. Watch him and everyone else we knew die. The dragon balls were destroyed. A lot was different in my timeline than this one and I suspect there are endless timelines each slightly different than the last. In mine you never come here, this place doesn't even exist anymore. It was destroyed by Frieza decades ago, so much is different, Krillin is human, Eighteen isn't, and yet so much is the same. You and Vegeta, Goku and Chi-Chi, even Krillin and Eighteen found each other here." He shook his head and fell silent.

Closing her mouth, which had been unhinged for some time, Bulma licked her lips, trying to figure out where to start with all of this.

Finally, she asked, "How did you go back through time?"

"With a machine you built. We weren't sure what would happen if I went back in time, we thought we would only travel back and forth in our timeline but when I went back in time I quickly realized that either wasn't true or at the very least that wasn't what your machine had done. I was some thirty years into the past of a different timeline, Goku was not on Earth, he wasn't there to protect it from evil. Earth had no great protectors, no Kami, no dragon balls. I decided to stay, in this new timeline protecting a planet I wasn't sure I still cared about for reasons I can't describe. I didn't want to interfere too much, so I watched you and Chi-Chi from a distance but stayed out of your lives. There was no telling what was going to be the same or different. When the Saiyan's invaded I threw caution to the wind and went to help you both but you two were already captured by the time I got there. See no other option I allowed myself to be captured as well in the hopes I could do something to keep you safe. It is odd, how similar you all are to the versions of yourself I lived amongst for so long and yet so different. Even Vegeta and Goku. This has been a strange experience."

The info dump was almost too much for Bulma's mind to handle. If he was to be believed she, of all people, had invented a time machine in the future that sent him to the past, but to the wrong timeline's past.

"Do you want to go back to your time?" She was shocked by how upsetting that thought was.

Piccolo was quite for a second. "There is nothing left for me in my time and no guarantees I could change the future if I could even manage to find the right timelines past again. Not to mention the time machine was destroyed in the invasion."

"Did everyone die? Where you're from? Not one of us survived?"

"All of you, the whole Earth was destroyed by a monster called Buu. The only reason we had the time machine was because you started it as an experiment years ago. You enjoyed inventing."

"You were close to all of us?"

"Of a fashion. Though you were different, you didn't fight, so we weren't like we are now. Training you has reminded me of my time with…him." He gestured at Chi-Chi's son. Careful not to let his name slip she noticed. "I trained with your son too. You had him later in life before. Chi-Chi son was several years older. It will be interesting watching them grow up together."

"You've said more now than in the past several months combined." Bulma commented. "For what it's worth I want you to stay here. I know it's got to be weird living with us. The same yet not quite people but you're important to me and without you everyone would still be dead. Chi-Chi would have probably died, Gine too. We wouldn't know about the dragon balls. I'm not sure I could have mentally handled everything without you."

Piccolo smiled at her. "You're taking this all very well. Aren't you the least bit skeptical?"

"Eh, my dad always believed time travel was possible and with the differing timelines how are you supposed to prove it to me? More importantly, why would you lie about this?"

"You have a point."

"Besides, it's just too weird to be a lie." Reaching out she clapped a hand around his bicep. "I'm glad you're here. I'm glad you're not dead. Hopefully you can find some peace here."

"Peace is an odd concept. One that the Goku of my timeline often tried to teach me, unsuccessfully. I am happy to have been returned here. It is as close to having a family again as I could have hoped to get."

With that they fell into silence again simply watching over the young life growing before them, Chi-Chi having never stirred.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

His mate walked out of the med wing, eyes shifting immediately to him, no surprise on her face at his presence.

"Done beating up Kakarot?"

He smirked. She knew him so well. "He is occupying a tank as we speak."

She shook her head. "So, you heard?"

"Of course."

"Surprised?"

Shrugging, he shook his head. "No. I am learning this universe has more to it than I once believed."

It was an odd thought, that someone could travel through time, come from an alternate universe and yet not completely out of the realm of possibilities in a reality where a magick dragon could bring the dead back to life. He listened to his mate prattle on about how she should have known all along as they made their way back to their quarters. Her eyes sparkled and she was amazingly animated as she began trying to decipher how time travel could be possible. If she'd done it once why couldn't she do it again? Of course, her father would be able to really help her figure it out…He could not help the pride he felt in her every time he looked at her. Listened to her. Watched her.

As they settled in for the night, he felt that sense of rightness that so often swamped him these days. The calm mundanity of preparing for bed at the end of the night felt comfortable. Vegeta knew these calm nights would not last forever. That there would always be another enemy, another challenge and he welcomed them. If the whole of the rest of his life were to be spent in such a simple way, he'd lose his mind. Yet, it would not last, so he relished this quiet moment. Relished the sweet scent of his mate as he pulled her to him as they showered. Water slicking their bodies. He cupped her pregnant belling in his hands as he kissed the side of her neck.

A bump against his hand startled them both. Then another. They were gentle against is palm. His heart beat quicker and pulled back, Bulma turning in his arms she looked up at him with wide eyes. Her emotions flowed through him. Her love. Her fear. The life they'd created made suddenly tangible beneath his hands.

He pushed her wet hair out of her face and answered her unspoken question. Answered the fear flooding her. "You will be a strong, proud, mother and I will die before I let any harm befall you or our young. If you believe in nothing else. Believe in that."

She stretched up, kissing him briefly before pulling away and cupping his face in her hands.

"I will always believe in you."

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

A/N: Slow chapter but we are winding down here. I hope you still enjoyed it. Until next chapter…The Enforcer