Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Dragonball Z

A/N: I would like to apologise once again for the long gaps between chapters. My laptop has been overheating a lot recently and so I've had to rest it before resuming my usual furious typing. That and I'm off on vacation to France soon and don't know if I'm taking said laptop with me. Anyway, enjoy!

Chapter 13

Something in the air

Gohan grunted as he hauled the crumpled wreckage of an engine onto the metal table in the lab, smearing grease and engine oil over his shirt. "Thanks Gohan," said Bulma as she perused the outside of the exploded engine, "I'm sorry to keep you so late."

"It's ok," said Gohan as he looked at his hands that were also covered in grease and wiped them on his shirt.

"It's so nice to have a Saiyan around to do the heavy lifting," Bulma said softly, "Not that that's the reason I hired you." Bulma shifted her gaze from the tangled machinery to the young man's face. She'd damn near dropped dead at the sight of Gohan sat with all the other hopefuls from various colleges applying for the five spots on the Capsule Corp Future of Science Internship Programme. When she had finally regained her voice and senses, she had dragged him into her office and berated him for a full five minutes about how if he'd wanted a job, all he'd had to do was ask. Gohan had done nothing but look at his feet the whole time Bulma had been raging at him. He'd felt so utterly lost and helpless in the week following the revelation that Appura was pregnant. But then his professor at college had announced the programme to the class, it had made sense to Gohan to go and apply. He could continue his studies, earn some money and be closer to Appura whilst she was pregnant.

Upon discovering him waiting for his interview, Bulma had told him there was no way he was going to slog away for the shocking pay that the internship offered, which was really little more than living expenses. She instead gave him an engineering job, something she hinted she'd been training him for since he was eleven. He still attended the same classes at West City College as the other interns but he worked longer hours with Bulma for far better pay. He also wasn't relegated to the dismal housing the other students were. Instead he stayed with Appura, who had moved into Capsule Corp permanently. Appura's move had come about following her mother moving in with Yamcha on the far side of the city. Capsule Corp was much closer to Ima and Yamcha's apartment than Appura's old house which Appura hated rattling around on her own in.

Appura's pregnancy was still a subject of media speculation, but as she was beginning to show as the baby's growth accelerated, she knew she couldn't keep it a secret much longer. A faint smile spread across his face. There was nothing more he liked more than slipping into bed with Appura and resting one hand over her small bump, feeling his child's ki spike at the touch. He'd become quite familiar with how quickly Saiyan pregnancies developed. The child would look like a full-term human at just six months of development.

Gohan returned his attention to the engine, the offending item that kept him from his mate. It was from a new prototype motorcycle. It had run beautifully for thirty seconds before exploding, sending him flying across the room albeit unscathed. Bulma rubbed her forehead and looked at the twisted hunk of metal. "This is ridiculous," she said, "This is the third night this week I've missed putting Trunks to bed and Appura's probably asleep as well."

"Who's been putting Trunks to bed?" asked Gohan.

"Appura and my mother," said Bulma, "Last time I asked Vegeta to make sure Trunks had a bath, he took him out in the yard and turned the hose on him. Trunks thought it was fantastic. My mother's geraniums begged to differ." Gohan chuckled.

"Look, honey, I think we should leave this for tonight," said Bulma, "We'll pick it up tomorrow. I'd like to go to sleep before four in the morning. Which, even now, is unlikely. Vegeta will wake me up when he gets back."

"Why? Where does he disappear to?" asked Gohan as Bulma threw a tarp over the wrecked engine.

"He's been scouring the city, looking for Puchin," replied Bulma, "It's like he's obsessed."

"What's the deal with this Puchin guy?" asked Gohan, "Why has he got Vegeta all riled up?"

"I dunno," said Bulma as they headed for the door, "From what little he's told me, all I know is he played some part in forcing the Saiyans into Freiza's empire, but that's all I know. Vegeta won't talk about it and Ima clams up when you mention Puchin's name. So anyway, ever since Ima and Yamcha's wedding, he's been..."

Bulma stopped when she ran into Gohan's back halfway up the stairs that led from the underground lab to the fresh air above. She stumbled and nearly fell backwards but Gohan grabbed her wrist, stopping her from falling down the stairs. He yanked her back up so she was upright. Bulma didn't dare say a word. She could just about see Gohan's face in the darkness and knew the look that he was wearing from experience. It was the look all the Saiyan's wore when something was wrong. She'd seen it on Gohan's face before, the night Appura's home had been broken into. Gohan let go of her wrist and slowly edged up the stairs, Bulma was close behind.

As his head broke up onto the surface, he paused again. Bulma waited patiently behind him. She saw his nostrils flare and his nose twitch. It really was fascinating to watch the Saiyans when they were running solely on their primal instincts. Scary, but fascinating all the same. "Stay down," rumbled Gohan's voice, inexplicably low, "Stay down and out of sight." Bulma crouched down so she was lying on the stairs. She knew better than to argue with them. This primal side, the side she loved to observe so much, only came out in times of absolute danger, allowing them to access their heightened senses more easily. "Three," muttered Gohan, "There's three of them...Appura can sense them...she's scared." His face looked strained. Bulma knew he was fighting against his instincts, seeking her advice on what to do. "Go," she whispered. No sooner had she spoken than Gohan vanished, moving swiftly across the compound towards the main house. Bulma stayed prone on the stairs. She heard the sound of the door being wrenched from the wall but after that came nothing but silence. Then a yell, the smashing of glass, the thud of something hitting the ground, then two more than silence once more. The lights around the compound flickered on and a second later, a shadow covered her. She looked up. She saw her husband's profile, surrounded by the light. She exhaled the breath she hadn't even known she was holding in before clambering to her feet.

Bulma took another look at her step-daughter and quickly put another teaspoon of sugar into the strong cup of tea she was brewing. Appura was sat rigidly at the kitchen table, her eyes wide, her hands splayed across the surface of the table. The blood on her knuckles was dry now. "Appura, honey," Bulma said softly, putting a gentle hand on Appura's shoulder. Appura flinched and looked at Bulma. "Here," said Bulma, pushing the tea towards Appura's hands, "It'll help." The sounds of Gohan and Vegeta shouting in the next room were barely muffled by the two doors. Appura grasped the tea with one hand and gently rubbed her bump with the other. She took a gulp of tea. "I...I've never actually attacked anyone before, not like this," she said quietly, so quiet in fact that Bulma could barely hear her.

"It was so strange and yet it felt so normal," Appura continued, "To hit that...that thing and send it through the window." Her eyes flashed dark. "It felt good," She muttered before sipping her tea again. Bulma took a deep breath and sat down, observing the young woman before her. Neither Gohan nor Vegeta seemed to have grasped the fact that Appura, alone, had fought off three strange house invaders by herself, sending them through a bullet-proof glass window. The three invaders had since vanished without a trace which is why Gohan and Vegeta were arguing. They were each blaming the other for leaving the house unguarded. Bulma couldn't help but think they were missing the bigger picture. Appura's Saiyan nature had been awakened, just as she was pregnant, a state that would make her naturally defensive of herself...Bulma swallowed when she realised that, at this moment, Appura was potentially more dangerous than Vegeta or Goku.

Appura sat on the stairs with Trunks, watching as Bulma worked away. Gohan was off visiting his parents as Bulma had unexpectedly given him the day off. Vegeta was...well, no one knew where he'd disappeared to but he wasn't around. Bulma had her work tablet hooked up to the internal communication system, or Isis as Bulma had christened it however many years ago she had installed it. The system was older than Trunks at least. It went throughout the main house and was hooked up to CCTV cameras so you could see and talk to another person in any room in the main house.

Appura's mind began to wander slightly. She wondered what exactly Gohan was up to. He had said something about going into Satan City and seeing some school friends. Her phone ringing distracted her and she heaved herself from her seat on the stairs to answer it, Trunks at her heels.

Gohan threw back his head and laughed as Sharpner flushed red. Erasa just blinked, completely oblivious to what she had done that was so funny. "So," said Videl, changing the subject to save what was left of Sharpner's dignity, "What's this I hear about you moving to West City?" Gohan stopped laughing and blinked.

"How did you know about that?" Gohan asked.

"Your mom, I rang the house last week to speak to you," said Videl.

"What did she tell you?"

"That you had a job at Capsule Corp and were living there now," said Videl before sipping her tea, still scrutinizing Gohan over the rim of the cup.

"Oh my gosh! Living at Capsule Corp, that must be so cool!" said Erasa, "I heard Apple Vee moved in there. Apparently Bulma's her aunt or something..."

"Step-mom actually," said Gohan, staring down at his drink, "Bulma's husband is Apple's dad."

"Wow, you must hang out with her all the time!" said Erasa, practically bouncing in her seat, "I knew you guys knew each other because she played at our prom." Videl had put her cup down and was leaning back in her seat, still watching Gohan. His cheeks flushed red when he realised that three pairs of eyes were watching him. Erasa was still babbling away.

"Oh, and I've heard rumours that she's pregnant! Can you believe that! She's our age," she babbled, "I wonder if it's true! Who could the father be? Do you think it could be that Johnny Deep guy? Y'know, he was in Die Tough 5 recently, he's a hottie! I wonder what the baby would look like? Oh! It'd be so cute if it had Apple's hair, oh and her eyes! She's got such lovely blue eyes! Oh and if it's a girl, I hope it gets her physique."

"Oh, I think any kid Apple Vee has is gonna look kinda like Gohan here," said Videl slyly. Gohan's head snapped up and stared at her.

"You know?" he said in disbelief.

"Your mom is so proud of her ickle boy getting his girlfriend pregnant!" Videl laughed. Gohan slammed his forehead down on the table and groaned, praying for the ground to swallow him whole. "I can't believe she told you!" he moaned, "She knows she 's supposed to keep it a secret!"

"So it's true," squealed Erasa, "Apple Vee is having a baby!"

"Keep your voice down!" hissed Gohan at the blond girl as people began to turn around.

"Look, she doesn't want to go public with it yet, not with her contract at West City Records up for renewal," he continued, watching as other people turned back to their own friends. Erasa mimed sealing her lips.

"Thanks," said Gohan before putting his head back on the table.

"So how did you find out?" asked Videl.

"When Vegeta punched me in the face, I kinda guessed I was in trouble," Gohan said.

"Vegeta?" asked Sharpner.

"Short angry guy," elaborated Videl.

Gohan stretched his arms over his head as he walked through the front door of the main house later that day. He hung his jacket up on the rack and then looked around. The house was unusually quiet. "Hello?" he called out, "Bulma? Trunks? Appura? I'm home." He walked down the main corridor, heading towards the main living room. As he got closer, he could hear someone crying. He pushed the door open and peered in. Appura was sat, cross-legged, on the sofa, sobbing quietly. "Hey, what's wrong?" he said, entering the room and heading towards her. Appura looked up at him, her eyes starting to get red and puffy. He sat down next to her and put an arm around her.

"We've got a leak," she mumbled through her tears, "Someone's gone to the media about me being pregnant. Bulma's gone nuts." She pointed at a newspaper in front of her. It was open on the celebrity gossip page. Gohan picked it up and examined it. He quickly found why Bulma was so pissed. After quickly recapping Appura's recent move to Capsule Corp and the rumour mill's reasoning for it, it quickly moved on to stating that a Capsule Corp employee had confirmed that Appura had moved in because she was pregnant. "Dad was furious too," sobbed Appura, "Bulma made him take Trunks out so he didn't blow a hole in the side of the house. She's trying to find out who did this."

"Well, it's not that bad, we were going to go public after your next scan anyway," Gohan said, trying to be comforting.

"It's not just that," Appura said, leaning onto Gohan, "I hadn't told anyone at West City Records yet. They found out this morning from the paper...I got a phone call. Apparently, my recent behaviour, meaning my decision to learn martial arts, start dating you and now being pregnant, is 'not conducive to the image they wish to represent and, as such, they will not be renewing my contract'." Gohan paused for a moment.

"They fired you for being pregnant?" he said.

"No, Bulma was straight on the phone to her legal team when she heard that," said Appura, wiping her nose on a tissue, "Apparently they are within their rights to not renew my contract if they believe I'm not conforming to the image they want to put out. Gohan, my chief demographic was 11-to-18 year olds...me getting involved in fighting and getting pregnant makes me a bad role model apparently. Hell, Rick says he even got a couple of angry phone calls from people saying they shouldn't be selling my music to kids because I'm a bad person." She erupted into fresh sobs. Gohan wrapped both arms tighter around Appura.

"Ignore them, babe," he whispered gently to her, "They're clearly busybodies with too much time on their hands. You are one of the sweetest, most responsible people I know. It doesn't matter what other people think about you, you are perfect to me." He smiled down at her. Appura couldn't help but smile back.

"Thanks Gohan, you always make me feel better," Appura said, resting her head on his chest.

"Hey, that's what I'm here for," Gohan said smiling still. He could feel her belly resting against his thigh. The ki was slightly stronger than it was that morning.