Her vision was still fuzzy when she felt her body land with a thump into something hard, yet yielding. Vegeta. His arms tucked under her, his face pulled close. She could see his black eyes, pupils dilated, searching. Their daugher appeared over his shoulder.

"What happened, Papa? Why did she fall?"

"I'm not sure…" His voice was a rough whisper. Then she felt his warm hand on her face. It drew back slightly, then hit her cheek with a sting. In her brain, she felt a jolt, but her body didn't seem to get the memo.

"Papa! Don't hit her!" Bra gasped.

Vegeta ignored her, and Bulma felt a few more stings on her face. With each one, the dent by Vegeta's frown got deeper. She could see him, feel him, but she didn't have the strength to respond. How could she have lost energy so fast? She had been doing so good. Was there something wrong with her? Vegeta's eyes widened slightly, and she could feel a small wave of panic. He was holding her, gliding to the ground. She felt it when his feet touched the grass, and heard Bra land beside him. He knelt down on one knee and lowered her onto the yard. Her eyes were betraying her, the lids getting heavy. She wanted to scream out "I'm okay!" But she wasn't so sure if she was.

"What's wrong with her?" Bra's voice was tiny, scared. Bulma saw a lump slide down Vegeta's throat as he swallowed. His hands were on her, grasping, shaking.

"Bulma?" His voice was hoarse. "Come on. Wake up, love." Love… She thought wistfully. He's only called me that two other times during our entire relationship. The poor guy, he must be really worried.

"Bra." He turned to their daughter, who looked pale. "She needs a senzu bean. Do you know where your maresh keeps them?" The little girl's widened in confusion.

"What's...maresh mean, Papa?" Vegeta took a startled breath.

"What?"

"You said…"

"Mother. I meant your mother. Do you know where she keeps the senzu beans?" His voice was harsh now, almost mean. He was angry with himself for remembering the past. Bulma knew… Maresh was what he had called his mother. He still whined it in his sleep on the bad nights. He had never told her, but she gathered from what she heard that his mother had been killed before his father and planet had been destroyed. And whatever happened had been brutal. Something that he had witnessed at a very young age.

Bra ran off quickly, and Vegeta remained at her side. He hovered over her, his brows furrowed. She knew that if he used an old word from his childhood that he must be really frazzled. His hands were on her again, but this time instead of pain, she felt energy. He filled her slowly, carefully.

"Woman...I don't know what the hell happened here, but you need to wake up." She heard the quiver in his voice. Her eyes were almost closed now, but she could still see a blurry outline of him. After a few minutes, the energy jolted her back into her body. She wriggled a finger experimentally. When her eyes fluttered open again, she saw relief flood Vegeta's eyes. The only other indication he gave was a quiet sigh, and then he stood up, looking away from her. She felt his ki broiling inside. There was relief, yet anger. Who was he angry at? Himself? Her? She found her voice just as Bra came careening onto the grass, her small hand clenching a senzu bean.

"Vegeta? What…?" She felt the bean being pressed in her mouth. Turning her head to the side, she chewed and swallowed. Her eyes found her daughter, who still looked frightened.

"Thank you, baby. Mommy's alright now." She said softly. When she sat up, her eyes wandered over to Vegeta, and she noticed as she kept talking to Bra, reassuring her, that the tension left the prince's shoulders. Soon he turned back to her. No real emotion showed on his face, but she could feel the turmoil inside. Standing up slowly, she tottered over to one side. When Vegeta was there in a flash, his hand on her back, steadying her, she almost smiled. She had her strength back, but she liked to reassure herself now and then of his love for her. He had done it gently, making a small sound of concern, so she knew wherever his anger was coming from, it was not directed at her.

"I'm alright, 'Geeta." She whispered, using a rare nickname that normally got a raised eyebrow from him. This time he turned away, his eyes on the horizon.

"I told you I wouldn't let you fall…" He was so quiet, she could barely hear him.

"I know. And you didn't." Her eyes tried to find his, but he ignored it, saying nothing. So...he was angry at himself. He hadn't let her fall to the ground, but she had fallen, scaring their daughter in the process. And him, I bet. She thought.

"Well, I'm alright now. I should be able to fly again, don't you think? All I need to work on is that stamina thing, right?" Vegeta eyes snapped her way for a nanosecond, and then away again.

"Yeah, Mommy! Stamina! You just gotta try not to pee your pants!" Bulma laughed. Vegeta grunted and turned away. He vaulted up into the sky before they could even call him back. Bulma wanted to leap after him. She wanted to chase him to the ends of the earth. But she stayed put.

"Exactly, Bra-chan." She said. "Mommy won't pee her pants anymore."

After an hour or so, Bulma found her small stash of beans (she mostly kept them around for Vegeta, even if he refused to use them half the time) and kept working. Soon Trunks showed up, becoming involved too. By evening, the three of them were up in the air together, with Bulma taking on more and more speed. Whenever she grew tired, one of the kids gave her energy. If she used it up too fast, she ate a senzu bean. Soon, night was falling, and Vegeta hadn't returned. She asked Trunks to find him, and the boy concentrated.

"He's pretty far away."

"Hm. Do you think if you guys helped me, we could find him together?"

"Well...I guess...But it's past Bra's bedtime and-"
"I WANNA GO!" THe little girl's eyes shone with fierce determination. No one could deny her an adventure. Bulma smiled. She was a mixture of both her parents in that respect.

"Tell you what. I'll bring a Capsule house with me. Wherever he is, we can stay there when we find him. I've got one in my purse, fully loaded." The kids shouted with joy. Both of them loved spontaneous fun. Even though Trunks was sixteen, his eyes still sparkled.

"Sounds like a plan!"

"YAY!"

Bulma's whole body tingled with delight as she and her children chased the sun across the sky. It had been setting behind the West Mountains when they left, but when they flew over them, there was sunset after sunset to admire. She blew through the puffy pink clouds, wearing a long coat to shield her against the spring night. In one pocket was the Capsule house. The only one she had found full of food was a one bedroom, but the kids would sleep in cots in the living room. She kept the little house around for when she wanted to run off with Vegeta, which was something even he enjoyed. He never resisted when she came out of the office, her hair frizzed out from pulling at it all day, then flashed him the capsule with a knowing smile. She had even inked a tiny red heart on it, and it was just childish enough to provide teasing amo for him for hours. This was the first time she was using it to get away with the children too, but she didn't mind.

The other pocket held a Dragon Radar, just for fun. They had been lost for awhile now, and it would be fun to find a couple if they were in that direction.

They felt Vegeta's energy signature as they kept going north. He was close to Yunzabit Heights. Bulma wasn't sure why he favored this place. It was freezing cold, and a complete wasteland. She guessed it was perfect for brooding, with all the high cliffs, but even Piccolo, who was born there, didn't hang out there anymore. She suspected that something about the cold or the craggy cliffs reminded him of his old home, where he had been born. A planet long gone, and named after its royalty. The air started to bite her skin, and she noticed Trunks take a capsule out. It exploded in the air with a bang, and then he and Bra were pulling on coats, mittens and hats in midair. She was surprised to see a pair of gloves and a cute pink hat falling down to the rocks below. Bra swooped down and grabbed them. She waved them at Bulma with a smile.

"These are yours, Mommy!"

"We didn't forget about you, Mom." Trunks smiled crookedly like his father, and eyed her bare head. Like you forgot about yourself. The sentence went unsaid. Bulma shook her head, smiling, and pulled on the gloves and hat. It was a larger version of Bra's, with a little pink puffball perched jauntily on the top. Vegeta was going to tease her mercilessly about it.

When they got close to the cliffs, Bulma was startled at how surprised Vegeta was. However, when she thought about it, it all made sense. This was the first time has family had come looking for him. The first time anyone had come looking. She wanted to shout out "Here we are! We love you, babe!" but she restrained herself.

He had been sitting on a cold frozen cliff, and when he sensed them, he stood up. When they got closer, he floated over to greet them.

"Bulma, what the hell-"

"PAPA! We found you!" Bra sailed into him, her head butting into his chest like a battering ram. Vegeta grunted, but Bulma knew it was mostly for show. His arms went around her small body, and he glanced up, still bewildered. His eyes told Bulma that this place was not for three-year olds, that they should get her back home. That they should get her back home, and what the hell was she thinking coming all the way out here? But all he said was:

"How in the world did you get out here, woman?" She smiled at him.

"Well, it may surprise you, but I know how to fly now. The kids taught me." His eyes narrowed. I taught you, you she-devil. They said. But he just shook his head with an amused frown. She floated over to him, and Bra made room for her to encircle him in her arms. Her lips brushed his forehead, and he flinched a little, feeling the children's eyes on them. But he said nothing and tightened his grip on her.

"You're freezing." He whispered. And batshit crazy, his eyes said. She only nodded into his chest. Then she felt Bra digging into her coat pocket.

"Look what we brought, Papa!" She waved the capsule into her father's face, and Bulma felt his heartbeat jump as he laid eyes on that little red heart that always meant a "sexcapade" for them. He cleared his throat, suddenly awkward, and Bulma muffled a laugh into his leather jacket.

"Hn. A Capsule house, huh? Did you all think I was going to be gone that long?"

"Nah." Trunks said, casually. He dug into Bulma's other pocket and flashed them the radar.

"We were just looking for the Dragonballs." His smile was supposed to be crafty, but there was no bleep from the radar, making it transparent. Vegeta snorted.

"Right." He said. Bulma raised her head and kissed his frown dimple, feeling his mouth go into an unbidden smile. He let her kiss him for a second or two than pulled away with a shake of his head.

"Dammit, woman." He muttered. He pulled on the puffball of her hat then, and the smile returned, slow and wicked.

"You look like a sock monkey." He teased. Bulma rolled her eyes, and Bra laughed.

"Me too! I'm a sock monkey too!" Vegeta laughed then, seeing the identical hats.

"Gods, they're multiplying!" He laughed harder, with Trunks and Bra laughing with him. Bulma giggled too, filled to the core with love. She felt it in Vegeta's ki like an infusion. He was suddenly flooded with gratefulness that they were here. Being alone, he'd let himself go into a dark place, and they were his light.

Late that night, the two of them lay together in the Capsule house's soft bed. Vegeta's hand stroked down the length of Bulma's thigh, over and over again. They had made love earlier, and she had had to muffle herself with a pillow. Her husband found that very amusing, and at random intervals would grab the very same pillow and shriek his own name into it girlishly. She finally got him to stop after tackling him down and pressing the pillow against his mouth, which had only served to amuse him further. Which caused another round of "pillow sex", as he dubbed it.

Now they lay content, falling in and out of sleep. Bulma would jolt awake after a while, hearing the unfamiliar harsh wind against the little house. After a couple of times of that, Vegeta's hand would find her and brush against her skin, instantly relaxing her. She wasn't even sure if he was awake half the time. It was deeper into the night when she felt his ki level rise a bit with awareness. She wondered if he'd forgotten where they were too.

"Vegeta?"

"Hn?"

"Are you awake?"

"No..."

She smiled and pushed her hands into his thick hair. He made a soft sound of encouragement, which reminded her of a cat.

"After I fell…" She paused, feeling his eyes on her in the dark.

"It felt like you were...angry. I know it wasn't at me. What happened?" She stroked his hair, pulling on it a little to relax him further. He'd tensed up at the question, but sunk back down into the pillow at her fondling.

"I just…" He was silent for a long moment. "When you didn't wake up...it...pissed me off."

"But, why?" She asked softly.

"I don't know why." He growled. She let the room breathe in the silence.

"I hate hurting you." The words were firm and bold.

"I don't understand…" She whispered.

"I taught you to fly, Bulma. I brought you up there. If it wasn't for me-" She sat up then, releasing his hair and leaning close to him, pinning him with eyes.

"That's ridiculous, Vegeta. I wanted to fly. It was my choice! Nobody made me." She sighed. "Least of all you…" A pause. "Sometimes...sometimes your anger doesn't make any sense at all, Vegeta." She felt a small spike of anger, then, as if realizing the irony of it, it relented.

"I know." He replied simply. "Me neither, to be honest." He whispered it, like he was hoping it would fade into the air around them. She cupped his face with her hand, then drew him close to her. Her lips found his, and they kissed deeply. Just when they started to search for each other with their hands, there was a small knock on the door.

Bulma rolled off of him, throwing a bathrobe on. When she opened the door a crack, little Bra stood shivering in the hallway.

"Oh baby. Are you cold?" She looked over her shoulder at Vegeta who nodded sourly and pulled his boxers and tank top on.

"It should be warm enough out there. What's the matter?"

"I forget where I am, and...I don't like the bed. It's too skinny." She rubbed at her eyes irritably.

"Okay. Come into bed with us. It's almost morning anyway." She took the little girl by the hand and led her over to the wide bed. Vegeta's back was turned, but he'd lifted the blanket up. She leapt up and crawled in next to him, curling against his back.

"Papa." She said in a stage whisper. "I love you." Bulma's eyes pricked with unshed tears, and she heard a small grunt from Vegeta. She knew he was smiling. When she crawled back into bed, he rolled over and tucked the princess into his chest and she sighed happily. She was young enough to remember sleeping there as a baby. She grabbed a fistful of his tank top and was asleep within seconds. Vegeta's face rested in her soft blue hair, and he closed his eyes. Bulma's hand reached out, touching the edge of his pillow. After a moment or two, his hand slid toward hers and rested on top. His eyes were still closed, but there was a twitch in his lips. She had never seen the prince so happy. They drifted off to sleep together.

Until just before the sun rose. The door pushed open the rest of the way, and Bulma's eyes flew open. Vegeta sat up, alert. They relaxed when they saw their son.

"Dude. That bed-thing sucks." He saw Bra asleep next to his father, then sauntered over and plopped onto the foot of the bed. Vegeta gave him a mighty kick, and he flew off the bed with a thud.

"Yeah, Dad." He gasped from the floor. "You're right. The floor is way more comfortable. Thanks." Vegeta snorted wickedly, and Bulma laughed.

"Oh, let him up, you brat." She swatted his shoulder. Bra woke up, and heard Trunks making fake moaning noises. She crawled over.

"Trunks, what are you doing on the floor?"

"It's comfortable down here."

"Who says?"

"Dad says."

"Just get up here and quite whining." Vegeta barked. Bra helped him up with a giggle.

Soon they were all huddled together on the bed, Trunks on the other side of Bulma so he wouldn't crowd his father. They drifted off for awhile, letting the sun rise. It slanted through a crack in the curtains, and Bulma woke up and watched her family sleep. Bra's head was tucked under Vegeta chin, and his arms were wrapped around her small body protectively. He was snoring softly, his face totally relaxed. Bulma smiled as she rolled over. She came face to face with Trunks. His blue eyes blinked at her drowsily.

"Oh. man. I really gotta pee."

THE END