Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or the characters.

Fun facts about my life when I originally published the chapter, I had graduated from college and had my second knee surgery, and published the chapter a day or so before the surgery. Then the surgery had gotten rescheduled because I fell the day before and scraped up my knee really bad that the doctor was concerned about infection. Well, that's what I get for wanting to go on the swings before a knee surgery. Thank God my friend had been with me when I fell too…sheesh. And I had 29 in-progress stories. At least now, I don't have as many in-progress stories, but two stories I'm already starting to write, plus ideas for stories I haven't yet written…it's crazy.

Special thanks to HowlX23, Ermilus, AeonWhisperer, Wolfangel21, Niko8, RaiynetheHedgehog, CrosswordGirl, xSapphirexRosesxFanx, and guests.

Vegeta still couldn't get over the feeling of the two little kis resting and growing inside of Bulma. It was strange to think that they had been created out of circumstance, a challenge, but now he could only see them as a product of what he felt for the woman resting in his arms. After they fell asleep the previous night, Vegeta continued to track their energy during the night. The energy they exuded was what had woken him up only minutes before. Soon their mother would be awake as well and then their day could be started. There was still so much to do.

Thankfully, Nappa had already sent the concubines to the slave planet. He no longer felt their kis in his father's wing. When they'd arrive, they would finally be able to get out of that life with the allowances and return to their homes and families.

Vegeta did sense energies in his father's wing, probably cleaning that area of the palace. He already had plans for what he was going to do with that. He had plans for the guest wing as well. It was another reason he desperately wanted to go about the day, but he would not rush Bulma to wake. She needed rest, but he also wanted her to come with him.

Bulma shifted, and Vegeta looked hopeful that she would wake, but she was still sound asleep. He smirked and thought of a gentle way to wake her up. Today was not a day where he wanted to be patient.

Her eyes fluttered open when she felt Vegeta's gentle nips and kisses on her neck. It brought a smile to her face as she curled further into his warmth. Vegeta chuckled, but then grew serious again as he laid his head down directly in front of hers.

"Good morning," she said softly.

"Hn," Vegeta grunted before kissing her lips. "There's something I need to take care of today."

"Well, that was blunt," Bulma teased. "Why are you telling me? Your mother was worried about me doing too much yesterday."

"This won't take too much energy," Vegeta explained. "I'm going to visit Kakarot and his family."

Bulma's face lit up. That meant they were going out into the kingdom for the day. She remembered the day Vegeta snuck her out of the palace and then the day Nappa and Onior brought her out, but then she remembered the last time she visited their home two nights prior. "I wish she hadn't had to lose her life," Bulma said sadly.

Vegeta nodded in agreement. Gine shouldn't have been in those conditions. "Her death was not in vain," Vegeta replied trying to rationalize what had happened in his own mind. "If it hadn't happened, Kakarot and I would not have been as enraged as we were, and most likely wouldn't have transformed."

Despite his rationalization, both Vegeta and Bulma grew serious and quiet. Then, Bulma thought about what they had discussed the previous night and smiled. "Twins," she whispered. "Did I ever tell you I always wanted to be a twin?"

Vegeta, still bothered by the previous topic, managed a small smirk. "No, you did not," he told her. "Why?"

"I don't know," she answered. "Just thought it would be fun. Especially if twins are identical. Hell, even if they aren't, they always managed to cause trouble."

Vegeta chuckled. "If they cause trouble, they'll have me to answer to," he joked. "Hopefully we have time before that point."

"Of course," Bulma replied. "Only a few years though…then they'll be little terrors."

Vegeta wrapped his arms around Bulma and genuinely smiled. Even though she couldn't see his smile, she could feel his happiness radiating in waves. It must have been because of the bond. It made her wonder what else the bond could do. She was already aware of sensing emotions and mental communication. She hadn't explored the bond further than that.

"Let's get dressed," Vegeta suggested. "We shall head to the kitchen for breakfast and then leave."

Bulma's eyes lit up at the thought about eating in the kitchen. She had rarely left the room before Vegeta defeated the father save to the lab, but now she could actually walk freely in the castle. It was no longer a prison, but truly her new home. "I'd like that."

"Vegeta!" Kakarot exclaimed happily when his friend arrived outside his family's home. Before Vegeta responded, he set Bulma down gently, and she unwrapped her arms from around his neck.

"Kakarot," Vegeta replied seriously. "I have something I need to discuss with you and your family."

"Um, okay," Kakarot replied, revealing both shock and confusion. Then he smiled and motioned for them to enter. "Come on in."

The house was peacefully quiet with sadness from the loss of Gine. Bardock looked up at the two royals and grinned slightly. "My prince and princess," he said sincerely, "or should I say my king and queen?"

"Not until the coronation, Bardock," Vegeta retorted. "Nor do you have to call us that."

Bulma smiled at Vegeta. It amazed her how open he was with his people. His persona demanded respect from all, but he seemed to deny his title with those he was closest. He respected his people just as they revered him, and he never treated them like anything less than he was.

"I will always show the proper respect," Bardock told him, "because you deserve it, especially after what you've gone through and what you've done."

"With the help of your family," Vegeta reminded him, "which is why I am here." He paused for a moment, taking in everyone's curious expressions. Smirking, he said, "With the former king's quarters being taken care of and cleaned, and me having no desire to go there, I was hoping that you and your family would join us in the palace. I have a similar proposition for the other 'third-classes' for my own wing."

"For real?" Kakarot asked, though he really wasn't surprised.

"You mean our whole family gets to live in the palace?"

Vegeta looked over to the doorway and saw Raditz and Turles standing there dumbfounded by what they overheard as they got in from their late night binge.

"Yes," Vegeta replied simply. Bulma again smiled at her mate, happy that he was the way he was and didn't let his father mold him into anything less of the man he truly was.

"That's awesome!" the two brothers exclaimed before laughing like idiots.

Chi Chi entered the room with Gohan, staring strangely at the laughing bunch. "I guess they're drunk again," she muttered under her breath. Bulma made her way over to her and whispered the good news into her ear, causing the dark-haired woman to grin. "Are you serious?"

Bulma looked back over to her mate, and said quietly, "When is he ever not?"

Vegeta and Bulma arrived back to the palace shortly after visiting the square. All had been happy to see the prince and princess alive and well after hearing the good news the day prior. He had offered the third-class soldiers a place in his wing until their homes could be rebuilt, reminding everyone about the upcoming wedding and coronation. He wanted everyone in the kingdom there so they could be nourished and ready to start working on the homes. Now that they also had the energy from the tōgoku, they could finally start getting their planet back in order. Once they were well together again, and once the soldiers came back from trying to reinstate treaties, they would be able to implement some of Bulma's new inventions and systems. Finally things were working out.

"I get that you wanted to bring everyone into the palace, and I am all for that," Bulma spoke up as she started packing the bags Vegeta had brought from her home, "but why did you want to give them your wing?"

Vegeta sighed as he looked around the room. This room held so many memories for him, and most of them were bad. Years of being sent to his room beaten and broken, hiding there to avoid crossing paths with his father, lying in bed awake as he heard the sobs of his mother over in the next wing, along with his father's disgusting challenge…he just couldn't do it. Where he had no regrets about being with Bulma, this room was just like what the rest of the palace used to be, a prison.

"I do not want to stay in this room another night," he stated. "I want to have a new start."

Bulma understood instantly and paused in her packing. She looked back towards Vegeta who was now staring out the room's window. Joining him, the two of them looked out into the kingdom, their kingdom. "It's beautiful out there," she said in a daze. She was looking up at the black and red sky. She had to admit that she did miss Earth a lot, but she could see herself falling in love with this planet as she had the planet's prince.

"Yes," Vegeta replied in a whisper. It had been too long since he had been able to admire his own planet and its scenery. He always worried about everything else, and his father. Now, he could actually feel the peace of watching the suns set. The sky was changing from red to a violet-red color, and Vegeta could see the wonder in Bulma's eyes as they watched it together. It caused a small smile to form on his lips before he pulled her closer to him. His right arm snaked around her waist, to which she responded by lying her head against his shoulder.

"Come now," Vegeta spoke up after moments of silence. "It is getting dark and we must move into my grandfather's old wing before you can't see anything."

"Gee, thanks," Bulma muttered before smiling. Vegeta attempted to fight back his laughter and managed to succeed; however, Bulma knew she had gotten to her Saiyan lover. A victorious smirk graced her features before she finished throwing the last of her things into her bags. The two of them made their way to the opposite wing as the halls began to darken. As they walked down the corridors, Vegeta made a mental note that they would need to install something in the palace so that Bulma could navigate on her own in the dark.

Kakarot's family was able to move in right away, though the rest of the third-class soldiers had some lose ends to tie up in their own homes. That gave the palace servants time to prepare the prince's old wing for them. Vegeta felt more comfortable when his friend and rival's family was safely inside. Here he could see that they were being well fed and in healthy living conditions unlike the slum his father placed them all in with only enough food to settle their hunger.

Plus, it was better for Bardock and Chi Chi to have access to the lab. They had gone there with Bulma earlier to see what they had as far as medical supplies. When the lower class soldiers came in, Vegeta was ordering each one of them to have a physical and be treated for any illness. The three needed to be prepared for that.

"I think we're going to need some more doctors," Bulma suggested as she started going through the list of names. "I mean, I'm good at diagnostic stuff, but I'm not licensed as a nurse or doctor to help with the physicals or anything."

"She's right," Bardock agreed. "The two of us will not be enough to look at a couple hundred soldiers."

"Who else can we get?" Chi Chi asked.

Bulma placed her hand under her chin before she thought of something. "Chi Chi, you said the guys helped you while nursing your mom, right?"

"Yeah?" Chi Chi replied, missing what Bulma was implying.

"Well, what if they help for the day?" she questioned. "You guys can tell them what to do and look for and then after things get worked out around here, we can start some actual searching for doctors, maybe even from the other planets if we can mend the treaties."

"It looks like we don't have much of a choice," Bardock said while shaking his head at the list. "All these men and women and their families…what if we see another case like Gine?"

"Then they'll stay here and be well taken care of," Bulma responded. "It's the least we can do for them. Plus, I think Gine would like that, for her memory to be honored and not mourned."

Bardock hid his sad smile. Yes, Bulma was right about that. Even when she was dying, Gine ignored the sadness everyone felt, trying to get them not to mourn her. She was a great loss, but she also ignited the way for the former king's defeat. Now they just needed to prevent it from happening again.

"Um, if it's okay with you guys…" they heard a quiet voice say from the hall, "could I help?"

Surprise adorned all but Bulma's face when the youngest prince entered the room. His tail was curled around his leg, as if he were even nervous to ask. Bulma was relieved to hear that Tarble wanted to help. Honestly, she believed the boy had a knack for both mechanical and medical science. It suited him better than being a fighter like the rest of them. Not that he wasn't strong, but his mentality was geared more towards helping others than fighting them.

"Sure, Tarble," Bulma told him. "You actually pick up on this stuff quickly, so I think it would be okay. Don't you two agree?"

Bardock swallowed, thinking about it. He had never noticed the younger prince's aptitude for science until recently. Before he had been sent off for his first mission, Bardock had tried to discuss, with the king, the idea of Tarble doing scientific work in the palace instead of being sent to other worlds to destroy. The king immediately shot down the idea, and not even days later, sentenced Tarble to his first mission. The spiky-haired Saiyan couldn't even imagine how traumatized the young boy might be from his experiences, but his mind attempted to soothe his worried thoughts knowing that Vegeta was there to soften the burden on Tarble's young mind.

"Bardock?" Chi Chi called softly when she saw her father-in-law's dazed expression. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, Chi Chi," Bardock replied a little too eagerly. "Yes, I think it's a good idea to bring Prince Tarble into the lab. Your help will me much appreciated, I'm sure."

Tarble's face lit up when Bardock said that, his tail thrashing in his happiness and excitement. "Awesome!" he chimed. "I can't wait!"

"He certainly has the enthusiasm we need to get through all of this," Queen Kalina said as she entered the lab.

"Hey, mom!" Tarble exclaimed. She smiled when she saw his large smile.

"Hello, my son," she greeted. "Has anyone seen Vegeta today?"

Bulma frowned when she thought about it. Vegeta had told her hours ago that he was going to find his mother to discuss things with her. From the sounds of it, he never did. The Earthling wished she shared the ability to sense ki. Finding her mate would be so much easier in that sense.

She tried to find him through the bond, but all she found was silence. He was blocking her out, and she didn't know why. "Bardock, can you sense where he is?" she asked hopefully.

Bardock made the attempt and then nodded. "He's in the desert on a mountain east from here."

Bulma was out the door as soon as he told her.

He couldn't get past his words, no matter how hard he tried.

"You are my son, and you are just like me."

He had never remembered the dying words of his victims before, but these, he couldn't forget. There was a sense of foreboding in those words, at least for him. No, he did not want dark energy. The thought of it disgusted him, yet the words kept ringing in his mind.

"You are just like me."

"No," he whispered to himself. He refused to accept that. He had been through hell and back, and he knew there was no way he'd ever stoop as low as his father before him. He had too much to fight and live for than to bargain his life away for power. Besides, his Super Saiyan transformation that he worked hard for proved to be much more powerful than anything his father had. No, he refused to believe he was anything like his father.

"Vegeta!" he heard his mate's voice call. His eyes widened in shock. He sensed no other ki with her, meaning somehow she had come here on her own. Turning around to face her, he saw her on some type of flying machine that, when she pressed a button, became a small capsule.

"Wh…how…woman, what the hell is that?" he asked, flabbergasted.

Bulma grinned over to him and shook her head. "Vegeta, I lived in a place called 'Capsule Corp.' This was mine and my father's biggest invention, the capsule. You can store objects in them, anything really. One of the things you packed had a ton of them. That was just my capsule scooter."

The look of shock on Vegeta's face was a big ego booster for her, especially since this had been her father's legacy. She had helped him improve on the design, but it was his second baby.

"I'm not even going to ask how you created those," Vegeta murmured. He realized that he shouldn't be surprised by anything Bulma told him anymore. Her inventions were nothing short of amazing. He had no doubt that she had been working on amazing things for the planet. Then he thought of something. "Would you be able to create more?"

"Of course," Bulma replied with a smile, "with the right materials. I'm sure we'll be able to get ahold of some once the treaties are re-established." Then her face went pale. Vegeta quirked his brow questioningly, wondering why she looked so nervous. "V-Vegeta, you don't do any business with a race called the Arcosians, do you?"

Vegeta looked at her like she had two heads. He had heard distant rumors about that race long ago, but Planet Vegeta had never associated with them. "No," he answered honestly. "Why?"

"If I make these capsules and they ever come looking for them, you have to lie about me, and you can never let them have it, deal?"

Vegeta was taken aback by the panic in her voice. From the sounds of it, she had encountered this race before. It finally dawned on him, why she was acting this way. "They were the ones who attacked you," he stated. Bulma only looked away from him and didn't say anything. "Bulma, are they the ones that purged your planet before Kakarot and I got there?" he asked more forcefully.

Bulma simply nodded, refusing to make eye contact. "They…they wanted the capsule. I guess a humanoid soldier of theirs had come to Earth and learned of our technology. I don't really know. That's just a theory, because they came and they attacked. It was horrible, Vegeta."

She took a deep breath before continuing. "With how big the planet was, it took them a while to kill everyone, but it took longer because we fought. We fought with every piece of technology we had, but then the leader…he showed up and got through our barricade. He had three of his soldiers with him. That was the first time I saw ki anything… They were just way too strong. One of his soldiers was the one who…who came after me."

Vegeta clenched his fists, trying to hold back his rage. He was thankful that Bulma was giving him information, but he hated hearing about her attack. "They will not touch you again. If they ever show up here-"

"Please, don't jump into a fight with them," Bulma pleaded. "It would just make things worse. Just tell them you don't know of me and the technology is not up for trade or sale. I can't have my father's invention going to that…that…thing."

Vegeta glared out into the desert in front of them. Whoever these Arcosians were, they would always remain an enemy to him and the planet, especially because they would still be after their queen.

"I promise you, Bulma, that we will do no business with them," Vegeta told her. "If they ever arrive here, I will make sure you are kept away from them and that they do not stay long. If they don't know you are here, then they will most likely leave."

"I hope so, Vegeta," Bulma told him, "but I have to admit, they may not leave peacefully. At least…at least the Saiyans have a conscience, enough to know that everything that happened was wrong. When they attacked the people at CC, they were torturing them…for fun and some sick amusement. They actually played a game where the first to kill the majority of the workers and make them scream would be the winner…and I was the prize."

Disgusting, low life, pieces of trash, Vegeta thought to himself. It reminded him so much of how his father behaved, and worst of all, it had happened to his mate. Whoever these Arcosians were, they too lacked honor, and Vegeta would never lower himself to having any business with them.

"Hey, let's get back to the palace," Bulma said with a smile. "I mean, we have a lot to do for tomorrow when the soldiers come to stay with us. Tarble is going to help with the physicals."

Vegeta looked shocked for a moment before he smirked and nodded. "Yes, he seemed to be very good at taking care of our wounds while we were on that mission. That will be good for him." He looked out into the desert once more before turning to Bulma. "Let's go."

"Yeah," Bulma said with a small nod, her hair fluttering as she did so. Vegeta ignored the stirring feeling in his chest and moved to pick her up and fly back to the palace. Bulma was right. There was still much, much more to do before Vegeta could focus on any of this. His father's mistakes would be corrected first, but then, it would be time to punish these so-called Arcosians for theirs.

A/N: So, this first part of the story is starting to close. A couple more chapters before moving on to the next. So Bulma has finally told Vegeta about what happened to Earth and how he found her. Now their own kingdom needs to rise from the ashes, and there's still a wedding/coronation to prepare for…and the twins :D