AN: Sanshilove here, hope all your summers are going awesome! Me and CML work hard to try to bring the most intriguing story we can which normally leads to some gruesome or dark topics so fair warning. As always thank you for reading, reviewing, favoriting and any form of criticism you wonderful readers are willing to give. Alright on with the chapter.

Chapter 15: Time's Crossroad

All that kept echoing in her mind was the screaming. She knew that sound to the very depths of her soul, it was something that made your blood run cold and your heart stop. The type of sound that made everything move in slow motion. Her eyes refused to turn away from the gruesome sight before her as they tortured that innocent girl. By the gods, there was just so much blood. How could there possibly be that much blood from such a little victim. Evil, sadistic laughter rang out from the Kold brothers as she could hear them hack away above the screams of that poor child, she couldn't look away. She had known of Frieza's reputation, but to get a glimpse of what he was truly capable of in his new machine body, made her blood boil. The way those monsters were damaging a little child made her dig her nails in her skin from pure anguish.

She hadn't known she dug her hands into her son until she heard his soft whimpers. Loosening up, she turned to her friend who wore the same expression. "Get them out of here now!" She yelled as she shoved her boy into Chi-Chi's extended arms. Bulma had whipped around and stared at the grim looking scientists, none looking away from the screen. She approaches Bardock's side and yanked on his shoulder. "What the hell is this?!" She pointed at the screen with such force.

"I cannot get into-"

"I don't give a shit what you can and can't do! What the hell is this?! Why the hell are the Kold's here!" She screamed.

"I don't know-"

"Then find out! In the meantime help me shut this down, NOW!" She stormed up to the console of the monitors to find a way to shut off the broadcast. Without another word, Bardock joined the frantic mother and worked on a way to short-circuit the program. With several overriding codes, they pair knew of their success when in mid-instruction of that sick bastard of what he was going to do next; the screen went black. The blue-haired scientist was panting over her work station while she was trying to steady her racing heart. She wasn't exactly sure what she just witnessed, but she knew that it was going to be a bigger issue than she originally thought. That monster Frieza, he was alive, well, and back in his element. Goku didn't kill the creature. Panic began to settle in as she realized that there were now two evil entities on the path of revenge and un-justified vengeance. By the gods, they all were in danger.

When she found her voice again, it was small and shaking as she uttered the one question racing through her mind throughout the whole ordeal, "Who was that child?"

"I wish I knew."

"What do you mean? You don't know? She looked Saiyan! How do you not know your own kind?!"

"As I just said, I don't know, and it isn't a matter for our concern."

"Not our concern! Do you hear yourself? I just watched a child get violently assaulted, and you want to spew 'Not our concern'? Fuck you!" She was heaving with such raging emotions. She had no relation to the child on the screen, but being a mother truly changed her perspective. If any Saiyan was worth their salt, they wouldn't question why something needed to be done.

"I get that you are upset, but there are reasons for everything."

"And please tell me, no really I want to know. What is your fucking logic for leaving a child in the hands of those monsters?"

"I am not-"

"It is exactly that fucking logic that damaged your precious prince. I have heard first hand from his own mouth some of the horrors he had experienced. Oh! So, because she is not royal, that gives you the right to abandon an innocent at the hands of those sick fucks!"

"I think it would be best that you go for a walk. Clearly, you are too upset to be reasoned with."

"Because I am a woman, or because I am fucking human!" She spat back. She threw her hand out in front of her as he attempted to reply, "Forget it! Shove your answer up your ass! It isn't worth it." She turned on her heel and stormed out the door. It had taken every ounce of sheer willpower in her not to turn around and yell at the bastard until she was blue in the face. It was men like that and reasons like those that made her blood boil. Perhaps it was being at the mercy of the Kold's, or the new instinct of being a mother and seeing her son in the pain of that child, but she would be damned if she would sit idly by and not ask the hard questions. Her mind was reeling from what she had just witnessed, and no matter how much she attempted to push the thoughts from her mind, she couldn't shake the image. That little girl was her, that little girl could have been her own child. Someone needed to say something; it was injustices like that that made her find her own voice.

As she whirled around the corner, she had come to the sight of Chi-Chi kneeling and trying to calm the two crying children. Her eyes focused on her own son rubbing his eyes as big tears fell from them. Clearly, the incident had upset him just as much as it did her. Without a second to spare, she was upon him and wrapped him up in her arms. She felt him grip her as his small body trembled with fear. She soothed him with her words and gentle back rubs as she picked him up. She wanted to get them away from this damn hallway and this damn building. With just eye contact, the women did just that. They went passed the hushed whispering of the rooms and the chaos of people trying to figure out what was going on. Honestly, she didn't care at this point. All that mattered was seeing to her son's needs.

She couldn't find relief until they had stepped outside and into the sunlight. She could still feel her son clinging to her tight, but she could at least breathe easier knowing that they were away from the chaos. Finding a shady spot, she sat down with him in her lap as she lightly brushed his hair out of his scared face. He looked up at her upset.

"I know, I know Trunks. It was scary, Momma's right here. Momma will make it better." She could only whisper him those words with as much belief as she could muster. Even if she didn't know if they would be true, she needed him to believe it. It had taken a while, but his shaking finally subsided as he breathed deeply with her. With him finally calm she took a look around the area to find Chichi had taken her son to a tree off in the distance, to give them privacy for sure. For that, she felt grateful. It was just them caring for their own, while trying not to think of the reality of a tragic situation, but she would think about that another time.

Right now, her only reason was sitting in her lap still holding onto her sadly. She began to softly hum to him, the same lullaby that always calmed him as the gentle breeze picked up and swayed the leaves. The light danced around them through the spots where the leaves could not block. Her little boy stared up at her with his azure, caring eyes as he listened to the melody. He snuggled in her arms and rested his head on her upper arm. He knew if he was with her, he was safe.

Threading through his fine hair, she found her own serenity in this oasis. The heart wrenching scene was being pushed to the back of her mind as she focused on this moment. With his free hand he held tightly onto her with his own tail wrapped around her wrist.

"No one is going to ever hurt you."

"But that girl…they were hurting her…"

"And I will see what can be done to help."

"Don't let them hurt her…"

"I will do my best."

"Why were they hurting her?"

"I don't know…"

"Are they going to come after others?"

"Most likely … but I will protect you."

"I want to save her."

"Me too…"

"What the hell are you two doing here?" A gruff voice spoke up landing next to the tree. Eyes widen, the young mother's head snapped up and stared at the man. She knew exactly who that voice belonged to.

"Momma?" Trunks called feeling her shifting back to her feet and setting him down behind her.

"Trunks go over and join Chi-chi and Goten alright," She said not looking down. Trunks nodded and made his way nervously over to Chi-chi. Her breath sucked in as she came face to face with the father of her child. The proud prince made his way towards her looking around confused.

"I will repeat myself again, what the hell are you two doing here?" Vegeta restated trying to grasp why the woman was anywhere near Bardock's labs. His eyes occasionally glancing toward the child that was his son. Seeing the pair here at this time confused him as Kakarot had told him just yesterday that he would look into getting you into the labs maybe sometime next week. And yet, here they both are at Bardock's facility after the fucking broadcast.

Seeing his line of sight, the young mother took a quick step blocking his view. A million memories flooding her mind once more. Merging old memories with the refreshing . Her mouth suddenly becoming dry as she locked eyes with his. What did she plan on saying to him when she was angry? Honestly, they had left on such terrible terms, did she even want to give him the time of day? But, then again, this area was a part of his palace? She should answer him like an obedient dog?

Her thoughts were suddenly short circuited as she saw him take a step towards her. "Don't!" She said reflexively stepping away. Her voice came out more desperate than she had intended, but it certainly did the trick as he stopped and looked away. She was well aware of the audience at her back and knew she would have to answer questions coming later judging by the stare of the little boy that was currently burning holes in her back.

"Did you forget how to speak woman?" He looked at her intensely, shaking his head irritated.

"We are leaving." She turned on her heel, already taking the cowards way out as she made her way towards her son. She just wanted him in her arms as a soothing reminder that all is well in her world. The prince made her feel so small under his gaze. Once upon a time, that same gaze could rise a fire within her, but now it was just a reminder of how far she had fallen. She, much like her child, needed to sought out the comfort of the other. If she could just hold her son, she could get them out of there before he said another word.

"Wait woman," he nervously looked back, "he didn't see it did he?" His normally composed and strong composure mixed with worry.

"What do you think!" Snapped the fiery mate of Goku as she glared at the prince. Clearly, she wouldn't hold back her own destain for the man that was the sole cause of her friend's current pain.

"I wasn't speaking to you," he says with a glare reaching for Bulma's arm. "Woman . . . there is much we need to discuss. If you saw it then you know better than most what we are dealing with. You are also aware that I don't have any time to waste." Showing need to the woman who was in his head for all those years was hard at first but with her here and in front of him, it's like nothing else matters. He knew he needed her knowledge of the Kold's surveillance and scanning systems if he had any chance of getting that girl free. Not that he truly cared for the girl, but his sister and his empire had been thrown into chaos over this one girl and damnit he need a solution only she could provide.

Scooping her son in her embrace and holding him close as if he was the last real shred of sanity she had left in this world, she jerked back around to glare at the man that haunted her very existence. "Do not touch me." Her voice was a low to warn him. She stepped back enough to give them both enough room and made sure Chi-Chi was on her right. Both women held on securely to their own respective children. "Prince Vegeta, I thought you had made it very clear on your stance in regards to me."

Peeking at him from his mother's hair with eyes that matched hers. He stared at his father's face knowing he was the strange prince he had met his first day. Clearly he wasn't sure why his mother was acting so strange, so scared towards him. Little fists that were bunched on her clothing only loosen as he pulled away to look at the strange man, "Prince Vegeta, w-was it really F-Frieza?" His voice was small as it wavered at the thought that the monster from his dreams was real.

"Yes . . . yes it was," fear flickers though the Prince of Saiyans features as he can't seem to hold eye contact with the small child.

The fair haired child turned his concerned and fearful expression towards his protector, "Momma, we have to help. We can't let that evil monster hurt anyone else." His voice pleaded with her in his simplistic, childlike manner.

Already, she could feel her heart begin to clench. She already faced this monster before, but to do it a second time? At the side of the man who left her a shell of her former self. Could she do it? Could she really push their differences aside to work on this goal all for the sake of her son's request? It had taken her one glance at him and she knew, she would go to the ends of this universe for him. "Trunks, do you know what you are asking of me?

"Please Momma … what if that was me? What if it was me?" Little did he know how on point his statement was as she internally realized just how close they were to just that on Cooler's base. The thought that Frieza still lived brought her chills. That monster, he must have had access to her research because how else would he have survived. Her blood began to freeze at the stark realization that she had a hand in bringing that bastard back to life and her technology would be her own downfall.

"Momma?" His tone filled with concern as he drew her attention back to him.

"Y-you are right, Trunks. We should make this right." She sighed in defeat. With as much willpower as she could muster, she focused her gaze on the waiting man that stood across from her. "Prince Vegeta, what exactly did you have in mind in regards to the rescuing process?"

"You sure you want to discuss that with the boy here?" Vegeta said trying to keep his patience in check as he was already behind schedule surely his father would be calling another emergency meeting where his sister would once again freak out. He didn't need to give anyone another reason to hold something over his head.

"I think we can discuss this privately. Is now fine?" She steeled her resolve.

"Of course, as long as you are agreeing to help, it would be best to have you involved from here on out." Though his initial thoughts told him to give her time, he knew his father would demand a rescue operation soon and he needed her tech for that. With her technology and knowledge of the Kold's interworking's he would be able to save the girl, the council needed to know that most of all. Maybe he could use this as an opportunity to bring her out as a savior and get past the prejudice that stuck to his people like tar. However, this would also mean she could no longer hidden away which came with its own risks.

The worried mother gave a knowing look to her friend Chi Chi who realized immediately the new plan of action. Quickly, Chi-Chi grabbed Trunks' hand after getting her own son down, and began leading them both away towards the car that they had traveled in. Once that she realized her son was safely away, Bulma, in sporting one of her leveling expression that look she could muster, aimed it towards the face of the man that continued to plagued her memories and her dreams.

"Start talking."

Vegeta, a little shocked from the drastic change in her personality, began the briefing, "We know she is highly likely on Cooler's personal ship. This...wasn't the first broadcast either," He found it difficult to meet her gaze, for some reason he felt the old stirrings within himself. It didn't feel like they were here in the present, but instead back on Earth and he had done something that he hadn't meant to do… 'was this guilt?' Shaking his head at the audacity of the thought, he drew his attention back to her to interact with her properly. "The empire is in shambles as a group calling themselves 'The Resistance' demand the empire take notice of this girl and rescue her from the Kold's clutches." Vegeta can't help but notice the fire back in the woman's eyes the further the explanation went on. He swore that she gave off this look like anything would be possible, he couldn't help but stare at.

"And?" She spoke noticing she had broken his train of thought, "What is the current rescue plan? Do we know why they are doing this? What do we know about the collar she is wearing?" All valid questions, so why did the bastard look as if he was the deer caught in the headlights.

"Um, well...don't have a current rescue plan. Their reasoning is to create a rift in the empire in order to probably start an all out war among our race. About the girl, in all honesty, we really don't know anything besides that she is most likely around the age of fourteen and isn't in any census log we currently have up to date. To be frank, this girl is a complete mystery to not just me, but the research department." The Prince of all Saiyans wasn't exactly sure, what about that statement made him feel uneasy; only now did he really think about the situation as a whole. How could that even be possible? A girl around fourteen appearing out of nowhere with a face like a noble. It just wasn't possible was it?

Bulma could hardly believe her own ears. Was Vegeta admitting he royally screwed up? Since when had that ever been the case? She looked to him now and really took in his appearance. This wasn't the same man he was all those years ago on Earth. Where was his brashness or his signature attitude? He actually looked concerned, but that wasn't the strangest part to her, no, the strangest part, was that he was now talking to her as an equal and taking accountability. She had to draw herself out of her own realization as now he was staring at her.

"So, let me get this straight, you have a group that is targeting the royal family, you have Cooler on your doorstep with a 'possible' noble girl trying to create a war, and basically you're asking for my help to get you out of hot water again?" She folded her arms, "Did I get it all right? Anything else you want to add to this order?"

"No…" His eyes shift uneasily to the ground. Since when was he so submissive? Did he really feel at fault?

"I want some conditions if I help clean up your mess."

"You are in no place to to demand anything."

"But you will hear it all the same. I don't do anything for free, and I certainly won't do you any favors. As far as I am concerned, you and I are only in a place of negotiations. Now, do you want to hear my asking price, or not? Because I have a little boy that needs me right now." She attempted to turn on her heel to head towards the direction of her new little family.

"Then out with it Woman. You are right, I don't have all day either." The words were there, but somehow they lacked the normal bite he used to send her way. She didn't push her luck as she faced him fully once more.

"First, Trunks is off limits. You don't touch him, you don't talk to him. Not without my supervision and approval first. You were not there for us back then. I don't want you to confuse him and open that can of worms if I certainly can help it."

"Not helpful back then? Are you kidding me woman-"

"This is not up for debate. Trunks is not touchable. Not by you, not by your family, no one. Do I make myself clear?"

"So what if the brat approaches me?"

"Then you best pray I am there and I can supervise everything. You are not to engage with him, and most all you are not to say anything about his parentage. As far as you and I are concern, he is only my son. Not that it should be hard for you to pretend otherwise."

"Don't put words in my mouth."

"Can you agree to that condition?" She remained on unfazed by the glowering look she was receiving from him.

"Fine, I will not speak with him unless you are present, and I will refrain from revealing his parentage until such a time."

"For now, my second condition is either I work in the labs with Bardock on this little project of yours, or you give me a lab just as good as his. I need my own space to create, so I will need all the tools I can have to make this work. You seen what I can do, so I suggest you don't skimp out on the basics of what I need to perform miracles."

"I will see what I can do, but at the very least, you have been approved to work with Bardock, so that is what you will have unless I tell you otherwise."

Very well. And finally, my last condition is I want to be paid for my services. As you know, I do not have any form of income, and I cannot just rely on the mercy of Goku and Chi-Chi when they now have two extra mouths to feed. I want a suitable income for my work. Whatever you are paying Bardock, I want double."

"Double! You are kidding me!"

"Do I look like I laugh anymore, Vegeta? Agree to doubling it before I say triple."

"You are out of your damn mind!"

"I have a son to feed and rent to pay until I can afford my own place. Double my pay, or I can walk. It will be nothing on my back as this situation is only blood on your hands."

"Don't tell me you weren't affected too."

"I was, but I am not a fool to know that I can't help someone if I don't have any resources. I have myself and my son to look after. I can't afford not to have some income."

"But an astronomical amount!"

"Sooner I can make enough, sooner I can build a house and move Trunks and I out of that place."

"I can't authorize paying you that much without the entirety of the planet knowing . . . However if it's a house you want, that is far easier. I'll make sure you are well paid for your services on top of it. I'll have a house built for you, but I want you to understand that the only reason you two are living peacefully right now is because of that girl. Once she is saved things may hit the fan here again. I am hoping your efforts to save the planet will put you in a more positive light; making any issues that come up easier to deal with. However, I still need you both to lay low after this is over." Vegeta couldn't believe how much information he just effortlessly blurted out. Clearly the stress and lack of sleep was getting to him, and it appeared the woman planned to take advantage of that.

Bulma couldn't help but see the exhaustion in his face as he had clearly been dealing with this issue for awhile. Despite her mind yelling at her to keep her mouth shut, she uncharacteristically followed her heart, "Hey, in all seriousness, are you okay?" It was not missed on her as it was startling that was the first sentence she ever spoke to him without any form of malice. The situation was strange altogether; they were actually being civil.

He ran a hand down his face as he couldn't believe the mystery of this woman. First she was ready to bolt, then she was chewing his head off, then she negotiated; and now? Now she is acting as if she cared. She was so damn confusing! But...in a way, it was comforting. She wasn't the shell he found when she was brought to him. Somewhere in this broken woman, she was her old self. She may put up a hell of facade, but he was beginning to see through the cracks...or maybe he was just that sleep deprived and he was overthinking things.

"No woman . . . in all honesty I am not fine." He lets out a deep sigh thinking over his current position. "My sister is in a tizzy, the empire is a great big mess, and I haven't slept in about a week. Whoever is responsible for these broadcasts and propaganda is truly a relentless little shit." Had it always been so easy to just blurt out his issues? He wasn't sure, all that mattered now was working together to solve the problem. Gods he was starting to sound like Kakarot. He would hit himself right now if it wouldn't make him look super crazy. He tried his best to read the cryptic puzzle that was her features.

"Have you had any coffee? Or maybe we can go sit somewhere and really talk?"

"How do you think I've made it this far,"he give an easy smirk, "to think the prince can be beaten down by paperwork."

"Even princes have limits; believe it or not. But it is good to see you have followed in the Briefs' tradition. At least you learned something on your time on Earth." She returned the smirk with one of own smiles. "But, you still want that coffee before you crash?"