Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations I put them in. Everything else belongs to somebody else and that's just the way it's gotta be unless you buy the franchise for me. Either way, thanks very much for reading and please review because I'd love to hear from you!
From Ohhing to Laboring
God she hated walking. Okay, so it wasn't the walking she hated so much as the fact that she waddled whenever she did do it. Blowing her bangs out of her eyes Bulma heaved a sigh and hoped that she'd find Vegeta soon because there was no telling how soon she'd need to go pee again thanks to a certain large mass pressing down on her bladder. Oh the joys of impending motherhood. Heaving a sigh of relief when she finally spotted him sitting in one of the lawn chairs by the pool she did her best not to waddle as she approached him to interrupt his star gazing for a minute or two.
Well aware that she was there Vegeta glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, as always amused by her awkward and decidedly comical walk. Not that he was foolish enough to mention that fact, especially since she'd thrown ever single item in her tool box at his head the last time he had. Apparently telling her she walked like a fat drunk was not something pregnant women cared to hear. Wondering idly what had brought her out to speak with him he turned his gaze from the heavens above to her as she carefully lowered herself into the chair beside his. "Aren't you supposed to be in bed?" She was due in two weeks after all. They were both counting.
"In a minute." Wincing Bulma carefully settled herself in, thankful for the support of her back as she leaned against the wicker seat. "Nice night for star gazing."
"I wasn't star gazing. I was thinking." Only idiots stared up at the sky just to appreciate the stars above them, he thought with a roll of his dark eyes. It wasn't like you could really see any of the planets without help from here and even then they were always there, every night until they were blown up by some means. A night sky was a night sky no matter where you were as far as he was concerned.
Since the whole reason why she'd come out in the first place was to find out what had been occupying the Saiyan's mind for the last couple weeks Bulma jumped on the opening he'd practically tailor made for her. "What were you thinking about?"
"Planning."
Something in his tone had her straightening in her seat as she gave him her full attention. "Planning what?"
"I'm going into space to train. I've tried here on Earth long enough and I have yet to attain the abilities of a Super Saiyan. It stands to reason that my training can only improve in space, away from distractions and inferior training facilities. No one will care what I blow up up there." He added with a very Saiyan smirk on his harsh face.
"You're leaving us? When will you be back?"
Hearing not just fear but pain in her voice Vegeta looked over at her in surprise, seeing her struggle to keep her face neutral and failing miserably. She was upset about the idea of him leaving her, Vegeta thought, absurdly pleased at the idea. There had also been a definite question in her tone when she'd asked when he was coming back. As if she didn't expect him to come back at all. "I'll be back when I become a Super Saiyan."
Opening her mouth to point out that if he hadn't obtained Super Saiyan level by now he probably wasn't ever going to Bulma forced her mouth to close, knowing that it would only make him angry and more likely to go just to spite her. To become a Super Saiyan was his major goal in life, even before beating Goku in a fight. It was the most important thing to him in the world and thinking otherwise was just fooling herself. She was probably lucky he'd stayed around this long. "When are you leaving?" She finally asked, biting down on her lower lip to keep from choking on the words.
"After the baby is born. I imagine you'd attempt in your pitiful way to kill me if I left before then."
"Damn right I would."
His words were hurting and worrying her. He didn't know what he was supposed to do about that. He had to go, he had to become a Super Saiyan now, more than ever. It wasn't just him now, he didn't need to obtain that sort of power just for personal gain and protection, as it had always been in the past. She was carrying his child, his one and only heir within her womb and it was his duty, his obligation to protect the both of them with his life. He was getting no where with his training here on Earth, he wasn't strong enough to protect them the way Goku could. And even Goku had failed to protect his son. And that was the root of his worry. If Goku couldn't manage it than what chance did he have if someday someone came and attempted to harm Bulma or their child? He had come to Earth with nothing but hate and the knowledge that he was what remained of a once proud and noble race. Now, for better or for worst, he had two lives that were dependent on him to survive and be kept safe. If he failed them, as he'd failed his people, then what was the point in living at all? If he couldn't protect them, then he truly was as worthless as Goku's human groupies. He couldn't tell her that, couldn't admit that to anyone, having just recently been able to admit it to himself. His reasons for living had gone from two to four before he'd even realized it. One was to beat Goku and the second had been to become the most powerful Saiyan of all time, a living reminder of his kind's greatness. Now, protecting Bulma and the child had become reasons, even more important than the original two.
Watching her watch him he was speaking before he'd even realized he'd opened his mouth. "Goku's boy, Gohan...he was taken..kidnapped when he was younger. That woman of his was no match for them and only got hurt trying to protect him. You're even weaker physically than she is."
Eyes going wide Bulma stared at him, processing what he'd said and why he might have said it. "I know Chi Chi could kick my ass, pregnant or not. What's you point?" She asked slowly, watching him carefully. She'd bet her entire fortune he hadn't meant to say anything, it was written all over his face. But he'd said it and now she wanted to see what else she could get out of him before he refused to give her any more insight into why he was leaving.
He didn't want to answer that but she had that look she got sometimes, signaling that she'd caught ahold of something and wasn't going to let go of it until she was damn well ready. In other words, he had to find the words to satisfy her without letting her know too much. Letting her in too much. "My point is that the same thing could happen and I need to be ready."
The light went on. A bright light coming into her eyes Bulma slowly smiled, the beauty of it taking Vegeta's breath away as she simply looked at him for a moment, their eyes locking and holding as the world faded away to simply the two of them. "Vegeta... For the first time since I've met you..I honestly believe you'll do it. You will become a Super Saiyan."
His turn to be surprised he was torn between annoyance and confusion. "What do you mean by that?"
"Being a Super Saiyan has been you goal for so long, well I've given it a lot of thought over the years and I think I'm right that it's about more than training and determination. Goku isn't really one for training, it's more of a game to him than anything else and he never knew what a Super Saiyan was so it's not like he set out to become one. You came from a warrior race, Vegeta, becoming stronger and more disciplined was what you all strove for. But you said yourself that Super Saiyans were incredibly rare, that the possibility of becoming one was almost thought to be more of a legend than an actual possibility. I think that that's because it doesn't depend on how many planets you blow up or how many enemies you defeat. I think that there has to be something inside that person, that Saiyan, that allows them to reach a level that others can't reach no matter how hard they try. I think, maybe, that the key is wanting it for the right reasons. That it's a gift, one you have to earn through character rather than battle. Now I know you think this is bullshit so don't even start." Bulma stated, throwing up a hand when he opened his mouth. She wasn't finished yet and she wasn't letting him interrupt her or get her off topic until she'd said her piece. "I'm just saying that knowing you want to become stronger for the baby makes me think you will come back, rather than stay up in space forever trying to achieve a nearly impossible goal. And it makes me happy, more than I can say, to know you care about our baby, even if the only way you're expressing it is obsessing over the idea that someday something or someone might try to hurt him."
It wasn't the first time she'd stated her opinion on the whole mystery behind the achievement of Super Saiyan status and he was pretty sure it wouldn't be the last. Her theory still annoyed the hell out of him but he was so used to it by now it no longer sent him into a destructive rage. Instead, he simply let it go and instead stated the obvious. "We'll just see about that. If you're right, I shouldn't be gone long at all. If I'm not back for a long time, you'll know I was right."
"True, thankfully the baby will bring you back if nothing else. You're stubborn and spiteful enough to stay up there just to spite me."
Since it was the truth Vegeta couldn't really argue with her. Though she was wrong in thinking that it would be only for the child's sake that he would return to Earth, even if he failed in his training. He would need to see her as well, need to be near her, if only from a distance. A necessary distance, at least for now.
"Well I'll tell Daddy to start preparing and modifying a ship for you to take. When you're up there, I'll send you pictures and video of the baby, so you won't miss out so much. Mom's already bought a new video camera and I have a feeling that once the baby's born it's going to become glued to her hand for the first few months at least."
"I would like that."
As the days went by preparation were made for Vegeta's trip as well as the baby's nearing arrival. Her parents had been less than thrilled when she'd explained to them about Vegeta going but Bulma had managed to get them to see that Vegeta was doing this for the baby's sake rather than his own. Or at least they pretended to get it since she'd gotten so worked up arguing with them that she went into false labor. After that, Bulma was always right and her word was law, even in Vegeta's case.
The real labor began early one Tuesday afternoon, Bulma assuming it was the normal pains until three hours of it started to really get on her nerves. After calling her doctor about it and being informed that she could in fact be having labor pains, which she'd always assumed were excruciating from start to finish, Bulma figured it would be a good idea to call her midwife. Once said midwife arrived the house descended into chaos with her mother and father getting all teary eyed and worried while Vegeta watched from the sidelines, his eyes never leaving her as she reassured her parents in between winces. Finally the women headed upstairs to Bulma's bedroom, Bulma's mother insisting on Vegeta carrying Bulma up before going back downstairs to wait since he wasn't staying for the delivery. The midwife informed him that he could if he wanted but the look on his face, as well as the mother to be's said plainly that that wasn't going to happen.
Getting out of there as soon as he could after laying Bulma down on the bed Vegeta went back downstairs, not really surprised to see Bulma's father still pacing away in the living room, puffing away at his pipe like he did when he had a particularly hard problem to solve. Only he'd never seen the man look so worried, Vegeta thought, picking up the scent of fear and worry easily enough. And why was that? The man wasn't smart enough to fear the things most intelligent people would, so why was he so worried about something women did every day. If anyone should be afraid it should be Bulma, considering the horrors she'd related learning in child birthing class. He'd heard war stories that were less stomach churning. Since he had no intention of wasting time pacing himself Vegeta was all set to leave when he realize there was no way in hell he was going to get anything done either. His child was going to be born shortly and somehow, for some reason, he felt that he should remain, just in case she needed him. For what, he didn't even want to think about but the possibility remained. In other words, to leave now would put him on the same level as that coward, Yajirobe. The mere thought of that was almost as stomach churning as the thoughts about what might be taking place the floor above him. And so he sat down and waited, and waited, and waited. Then he started being able to hear her and he started to get as worried as her father had been hours ago. The first time he'd heard her yell he'd immediately leapt to his feet, assuming that something had to be wrong and that she needed him. The hand on his shoulder had stopped him, Bulma's father patiently explaining that Bulma would be doing a lot of that until the baby was born. Since the man had been through all this once before Vegeta was forced to acknowledge that the man would know more about these sorts of things than he did. It got increasingly harder though, as the minutes ticked off, to stay where he was as she got louder and louder, the floors practically shaking with the force of her painful rage. Finally, he actually headed up the stairs, only to have his ears insulted in the hallway by a vivid description of just what she was going to do to him for getting her in this situation in the first place once she got ahold of him. "I've rubbed off on her." Vegeta murmured as he backed up and headed back the way he'd come, knowing his presence was definitely not wanted or needed. The tirade had included some impressive imagery and he was rather proud of her for being so inventive in her threats of bodily harm. She might be humanizing him in some ways but she was definitely picking up on some of his Saiyan traits as well. Only a Saiyan's woman would come up with something so excruciatingly painful and nearly physically impossible on the fly like that, he thought proudly, once again taking his seat in the living room.
The sun was nearly set when all the yelling finally stopped, the two men immediately picking up on this as they both got to their feet. There was a change in the air, as if somehow they could both sense that the storm was over. Minutes later Mrs. Briefs came rushing down the stairs and after hugging and crying all over the both of them for what seemed like forever she finally blubbered out that the baby had been born and that Vegeta was to go up.
Surprised, since he'd been pretty sure he was the last person Bulma would want to see at the moment, Vegeta went only because he wanted to get as far away from Mrs. Briefs crying as possible. Besides, he reasoned, Bulma had to be too tired after all that yelling to actually try and disembowel him. The midwife was waiting for him outside the door and held it open for him, beaming at him as if she hadn't just spent hours being screamed at over something she'd had absolutely nothing to do with. Weary, Vegeta went in, the door closing immediately behind him, not striking him as a good sign. His eyes automatically going to the bed his eyes made quick work taking in the most important pieces of information. Bulma lay in the middle of the bed, propped up by pillows, dressed in one of her nightgowns with a small bundle in her arms, wrapped in a blue blanket he recognized from one of her many shopping sprees. She didn't look murderous, in fact she looked radiantly exhausted, Vegeta thought as he slowly approached the bed, his eyes weary as they alternated between her face and the form she cradled so tenderly in her arms.
When he stood beside the bed, his dark eyes questioning Bulma shifted the baby carefully in her arms and freeing up a hand patted the mattress beside her, motioning for him to sit down. When he did, she scooted over slightly than twisted slightly so that Vegeta would have a proper view of the life they'd created together. "Trunks, this is your Daddy. Vegeta, this is your son, Trunks."
Note: Sorry to end it here but I forgot to ask an important question about Trunks in the last chapter. What happened to Trunk's tail since I would assume he was born with one since Gohan was. And don't worry, this scene is far from over lol. Also, for all those who have been asking for some romance between Veg/Bulma, you get it in the next chap.