"You have sixty seconds before capture. State your purpose."

The main lab's perimeter was one of the most difficult places to enter and exit from within the compound. Vegeta, Bulma, their children, and crucial workers had speed-of-light teleportation access to the location from above ground, bypassing all others. The entire compound housed vital information, along with Earth's Dragon Balls, to support regeneration of planetary resources.

Larger life-sustaining shelters were available for civilians around West City and other places on Earth, which Vegeta and the Z-Fighters knew of. He and Bulma reluctantly decided their compound was the best place for recovery and sustained communications if he didn't have proper backup above ground or the strength to be effective in battle. It would be unwise to attempt to save everyone. As a proud warrior, it wasn't Vegeta's ideal choice, but he made the concession anyway. Reality and love for family made it clear that he was more useful to everyone alive rather than dead. But after he and Goku defeated Majin Buu, after Goku annihilated Frieza, after Gohan defeated Cell, he still believed in incredible chances to turn around dire situations. His Saiyan powers to fight and destroy broadly were as potent as they had ever been. Earth had support from allies on other planets, too.

"This is Vegeta! Seeking entry to Polaris Terra. Access code Avel, Ermai, Marel, Segu, Amlub."

"Access denied. You have forty seconds."

Like other parts of the compound, security near the main lab was set for containment, not for automatic shoot-to-kill. Firing levels were based on the intensity of outside attack. Bulma and Vegeta and their assistants debated fiercely about that option. Everyone worried about harming possible allies who arrived accidentally. While he understood the concerns, Vegeta thought anyone that strong and determined enough get to that far would likely be an enemy. Even if capture were successful, the danger didn't end. What if intruders could control minds, switch bodies, shape shift, or deplete one's physical energy? He had seen or experienced all those situations as a fighter. They could do severe damage.

It was a tough call. They designed the system to give entrants enough chances to surrender - but not many. Stronger assaults would prompt stronger measures, including targeted radiation that could melt bodily organs, but that was one of the last modes of defense.

"You have thirty seconds. State your purpose."

Pummeling the area with ki blasts would kick-off an intense barrage of firepower that Vegeta didn't want to trigger. He had already powered up to Super Saiyan, so he could certainly handle the fusillade for a while, but much more was at stake. He could sense Bulma's ki signature, albeit not strongly, but he couldn't open any emergency line of communication.

"Shit. Bulma! Can you hear me? Are you all right?!"

Then there was the poison gas. The first round wasn't crafted to exterminate, but it could paralyze one's body until the antidote was given. More aggressive attackers - if they survived being shot at and continued to fight - would receive a deadlier gas.

If Vegeta didn't move at all, the first gas sequence would detonate and knock him out indefinitely. He didn't worry about the killer gas because he was immune. Bulma and everyone else working there had been inoculated against the toxin.

"You have twenty seconds."

###

Bulma barely looked up from the control panel to acknowledge him. She was hungry and her head hurt. She rubbed her temples to dull the discomfort.

"What the hell was that, Vegeta?" she said curtly. "You froze. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe it."

The Prince's face was expressionless, but his entire body had turned a dark shade of red. He was enraged.

"You weren't on your game today," Bulma continued. "You had options to handle the situation appropriately, and you picked the worst. You used the discharge vacuum to get here. Why?"

Vegeta took several deep breaths so he could respond somewhat reasonably to what he felt was poorly timed criticism. "I do not believe I made the worst choice, Bulma. I am here with you, am I not? Now tell me, what the hell were you doing?"

"You didn't follow protocol," she said. "I should not be your first priority if a breach happens here. We house important data and resources in other places that need the kind of protection and knowledge you can provide. Other people work here. If I'm hurt or threatened, my information will be encrypted and sent elsewhere. Besides that, the kids may need your help too."

He was ready to throw her out of a window.

"You think I do not know that?! I helped redesign and build this fucking place with you! You had no right - none - to test my response without my knowledge. And you have the nerve to bring our children into this? Damn it, woman. This is certainly not the best way to make your point."

Bulma turned and slammed her hands on the counter.

"I beg to differ. You are here with me, are you not? This shouldn't be about your concern for me, nor should it be about trust in our marriage, Vegeta. You know that, and we've worked too hard. Worse, you approached the zone's perimeter without wearing your transparent body suit. Even Trunks follows that rule religiously.

"You had a much stronger chance of being killed not only by the system, but by anyone. You didn't know what was in here with me, which you could've found out eventually by retreating to other parts of the compound. Of course I didn't set up this test to harm you, but you were the one who insisted on these security changes, so you should be prepared for them."

Vegeta knew she was right. The rugged commander in him accepted that, and his glaring, emotion-driven mistakes embarrassed him, but it didn't make what Bulma did any better.

"I just… cannot do this with you now," he said. "I will not do this. What is wrong with you? Why are you being so obsessive? Forget the last couple weeks. You have been edgy for months. For all of your activity, it does not seem like you are enjoying it."

"You're saying I'm obsessive? Don't even think about going there with me, Vegeta. Not with the kind of life you've lived."

He clenched his fists. "Enough! I am leaving. I assume you canceled dinner with Kakarot's insufferable wife - which is excellent for me - but I know our daughter would appreciate having you all to herself for a meal, even if you come late."

Vegeta was much better at getting digs in when he was upset. Bulma was very, very good at it too, but her husband's ability to verbally burn his rivals was legendary. He had lived a hard life, and the behavior sustained him. However, after they settled down, the couple vowed to avoid that conduct within their relationship. Arguments came and went - they often had fun with them - but they weren't corrosive like the ones that gradually destroyed other relationships. That was the last thing they wanted, but they both wondered occasionally how long it would last.

"When did you plan to tell me about training Bulla?"

"Ah, I see now." Vegeta massaged the stubble on his chin. "This is payback. How spiteful of you, Ms. Brief. What I find interesting is your overconfidence that this argument has nothing to do with your trust in our marriage."

Bulma didn't know how to respond. The situation was more complicated than her husband realized, and the fight she picked with him was becoming more of a problem than she wanted it to be.

"You don't have to belittle me, Vegeta. What I did just now has nothing do with our daughter."

"I believe it does, and your attempt to punish me does not fit the crime," he said. "Woman, I planned to tell you about Bulla today, among other things, but I have no desire to talk anymore. Do not wait up for me. Trunks wisely said I should sleep elsewhere, so I am taking his advice."

Bulma grabbed his arm as he attempted to leave. "Please wait. Please."

That voice. No matter angry he was, Bulma's voice always got to him. In his youth Vegeta would've clearly called it a weakness, but he had long stopped caring about that. Sometimes the tone of her voice conveyed her remorse, which was all he needed, even if she didn't automatically say the words. But he wasn't so sure about her regret this time.

He sighed and removed her hand from his shoulder. "What now?"

"I'm working hard to finish a project that involves us both," she said. "I wanted it to be a surprise."

"Well, what is it?"

"Just give me a few more weeks and you'll know everything."

"None of this makes any sense, Bulma. Why can you not tell me now? My patience is thin. Find me when you are ready to talk."

"Vegeta, there really are good reasons for my actions. Just give me a few more weeks. Please."

Bulma didn't want him to leave. Not like this. He had to calm down. She made a big mistake by testing him and then arguing with him so vehemently. Her reaction was impulsive and prompted by nervousness. That's why she told him just enough about her work, but it wasn't enough to ease his suspicion. Her behavior was too erratic. She knew he would pressure her to discuss all of it later. In all truth, he would be entitled to know, but her plans needed to be well underway before telling him everything.

Vegeta stood gloomily with his arms crossed. It was taking too long to walk away from her. He felt humiliated by her scolding, but he didn't move when she pressed her body into his and kissed him. He soon became hard and wet as she rubbed her thighs on his midsection and fondled the place where his tail had once been with her fingers. She laughed softly when his eyelids dropped and his head fell backward from arousal. The metal examination table he leaned on was cold, too, which made him even harder. She figured it would, so she grasped and stroked his erection faster until he began to thrust convulsively into her hand. He began to feel light-headed as she pushed him into a reclining position across the table and drew his penis into her mouth. She wanted him to taste her offering, and he wanted her to taste his.

Then he rejected both.

This was manipulation, and it almost worked. He didn't appreciate it.

Vegeta lifted his wife and stared into her eyes like he was examining a lab specimen. It reminded Bulma of the way he observed his opponents before fighting them.

"Let go of me, Bulma - now. I want to be in the right state of mind to talk. You should want that also. I will tell Bulla you are coming up soon. Trunks may still be around as well."

This time Bulma felt humiliated. She wiped the sweat from her chest and forehead and returned to the control panel.

"Understood, and I won't wait up for you tonight."

Bulma waited until after he left to scream. She was tired, and it aggravated her that Vegeta was just now recognizing the cracks in her physical and mental armor. She had been working secretly on her project when she could for three years, in addition to overseeing new lab operations and trying to be a loving parent. Something had to give, but she knew it was unfair to lay blame on him completely. Everyone has a choice. She had made hers, which meant she was invested in acting normally for as long as possible. She tried to convince herself her decision wasn't a deal with the devil.

She and Vegeta weren't having sex as much either, but that wasn't what kept them together. They genuinely loved each other, but Bulma also felt her husband's yearning for something she couldn't provide. His longing was evident when he sat outside at night staring into the darkness. He still struggled with his identity, even though their family brought him happiness, and even though he once risked it all to save the universe. That's why she was impatient about completing her work, she told herself.

She poured herself a glass of scotch and opened a communication portal.

"Hello again, Bulma. Are you OK?"

"Not really. Vegeta and I had a blowout just now. I did something stupid."

"So that's why you shut us off so quickly. I understand. Do you want to continue working?"

"No, let's stop." Bulma paused and set her glass on the control panel. "I need to see my daughter, Kaleb."

"Not a problem. I have a doting child, too, as you well know. It sounds like you're drinking something."

Bulma felt awkward about his observation but quickly decided that she didn't care. She could either finish the small glass of alcohol in her hand or scream in frustration for another hour before seeing her family again.

"It's scotch on the rocks," she said. "I don't drink often, but it does come in handy on days like this. I won't be in as late tomorrow, but don't expect to see me too early either."

"Bulma, don't let whatever happened with Vegeta upset you. We're almost there. He will eventually see the good in this."

She stirred the ice in her glass and opened rotating 3-D images onscreen of Goku, Vegeta, and Gohan.

"I hope so, Kaleb. I hope so. You know, it's so strange calling you by that name now."

"My name suits me. When we're done, yours will suit you. Good night."

###

Bulla and Vegeta were in the dining room when Bulma entered. She looked a bit messy in her lab coat, but she managed to pull herself together to be ready to listen to whatever her daughter wanted talk about.

"Hi, mommy!"

Vegeta wiped his mouth and continued eating as the girl ran to hug her mother.

"Hiya, girlie!" Bulma smiled and looked around the table. "I see your papa ordered dinner."

"Yeah, it's really good," Bulla said. "Are you hungry?"

Bulma pulled out a chair to sit next to her. "I'm starving. Thank you both for leaving enough food for me."

"You almost lost out on that," Vegeta said. "Now if you two will excuse me, I am going for a walk outside."

"No, papa." Bulla lowered her eyes and began to pout. "Please stay longer. You and mommy should discuss what you both did today."

Vegeta and Bulma glared at each other.

"You go first, Bulma," he said.

"Well, Bulla, I actually have a question for you," she said. "How's training going?"

Bulla's eyes grew wide. She glanced at Vegeta, who nodded for her to continue.

"It's fantastic! I'm so glad papa finally told you. We thought you'd be upset at first, but I really wanted to do this. It's not all his fault."

"Honey, to be honest, I'm worried that you'll pressure yourself to do too much too soon."

"Not at all, mommy. Papa is extremely tough, but he wants me to feel good about each goal I reach."

Vegeta placed his hands on the table and stood. "I have to say good night now. Bulla, forgive me, but I do need some alone time."

"Sure, papa. I'll tell mommy more about what we've done."

Bulma ruffled Bulla's hair as Vegeta bent down to kiss the child.

"Vegeta, I left my scotch and a glass for you in the bedroom near the rock garden," she said. "Also, I'll take her to school tomorrow."

"That works for me," he said. "Bulla, we'll continue our training later this week."

"Papa, what's going on? Why are you in the guest room tonight?"

"Well, princess, if you must know, your mother snores like a buzzsaw these days, and I need my rest."

Bulla burst into laughter, while Bulma tried to hold back hers.

For a moment Vegeta's eyes flashed. Bulma touched the middle part of her neck and looked away.

"You have asked enough questions, child," he said. "Enjoy your time with your mother."