A/N: Well, here's another one. Poor Vegeta. Just don't get a break does he? I know that I promised quicker updates...you can all go ahead and shoot me. Those that have allergies to anything that pollinates will understand where I'm coming from. I hate Spring. With a passion. Though, I can tell you that it's almost over. I know some of you don't want to hear it, but it's true. Though there's still a little way to go. But not that much more to go.

Black Sunrise

Chapter Thirty-Five: Boy Time

Vegeta turned his head to see who had burst into the room and his eyes widened. "What the hell are you doing here?" Was all he could say, knowing that he was going to be rebuked for the language he had used.

"Now now Vegeta, that's no way to talk to your mother, is it?" She smiled softly, stepping farther into the room. Lilian stepped off to the side so that Bryce and the other pair could walk in.

"Bulma!" Bunny whispered, rushing to her daughter's side. "Oh honey. Mommy's here. She'll make everything better."

Vegeta moved away from her bedside to allow Bulma's mother the chance to sit down if she wanted. Walking to his father, all Vegeta could do was throw his arms around the broad man. His suit was wrinkled and his eyes blood-shot, and even though he had just spent hours traveling Bryce hugged his son. "Vegeta, these are Bulma's parents. Obviously." His father exclaimed and pulled himself away from the distraught male.

Doc walked up to Vegeta and shook his hand. "I'm sorry that we're meeting under these circumstances, but sometimes these things cannot be helped. Why don't we leave the women and go some place to talk?" He could see that there was a part of the young man that didn't want to leave his wounded daughter, and he admired the integrity of his feelings for the blue-haired young mother. "She'll be alright. I'd like to see someone get between Bunny and her daughter. Come, we'll bring you right back."

Onyx eyes looked into blue ones and Bulma tried to offer him a weak smile, but the stitches in her lip had spilt and had to be redone, leaving the said lip throbbing and full of pain. "It's alright. I'll be fine." She said to him and then threw her arms around her mother and broke out into loud sobs.

Nodding, Vegeta followed his father and Doc out of the hospital room and down the hall. "Where are we going?"

"To get disgustingly drunk." Bryce grinned at his son.

"I don't want to get drunk."

"No, but it's what the Doctor ordered. You've got a long story to tell and we might as well wet our whistles as you do. Plus, it looks as if you haven't eaten for what looks like days...but that could just be the stress." Bryce said, wrapping an arm around his son's shoulders.

"She'll be alright Vegeta. Trust me." Doc said with a knowing look in his eye. "I agree with your father. On more then a few things, but let's go out somewhere and get something to eat."

"Rayne." Vegeta protested weakly.

"Is well taken care of, as well as your friend and sister." Doc sighed, pressing the button to the elevator. Once the metal doors slid open, the three men stepped inside and said nothing as the lift took them to the ground floor and then out of the hospital. "Don't think that I wouldn't provide anything for my granddaughter. If you think that, then you're not the man that I thought you were."

Vegeta shook his head. "It's not that sir. I just didn't know where she was. She's my daughter and I worry about her constantly when she's not around."

"That's good to hear then." Was all Doc said before he pulled Vegeta into a pub. It was dark inside, though dimly lit with lights scattered all over the place. A man behind the bar looked up and then broke out into a large smile. Wiping his hands on a cloth that was hanging from the band of his pants, he quickly moved around the bar and towards the three.

"Well I'll be damned. Never thought I'd see you around here again Doc." The man spoke, though Vegeta was slightly surprised to hear an English accent instead of an Australian one. And even more surprised that a man like Bulma's father knew where this place was. A sign that he frequented this place often.

"Sometimes it's better if you don't think Mick." Both men clasped hands and then it quickly turned into a rough hug.

"Who's this you've got with you?"

Doc pulled away from Mick. "You remember Bryce, and his son Vegeta."

"Ah. The bloke that's madly in love with your daughter right? How is Blue anyway, how's she feeling? Her shoulder going to be alright?"

Vegeta was puzzled, but his father put a hand on his shoulder. "I should hope so. It seems that my son is finding himself in a situation that he's got no control over. It's good to see you again Mick."

"And you. How's Lilian?"

Was this man, this Mick, ever going to stop surprising him? "She's good. Pregnant again. Twins."

"Congratulations. And what about you young man? Keeping that little girl of yours close?"

"What?" Vegeta asked, confused beyond all belief. "How did you know?"

Bryce laughed at his son's confusion and patted his shoulder. "Do you not think we didn't know where you were at all times? Mick here has been looking out after Bulma and it turns out that he found out where Keisha herself was hiding. We've all known each other way back. I'm surprised that you didn't notice Bulma right from the start. It's not that hard to remember that blue hair of hers, though I do say it was a lot lighter then it was before."

Was it true? Everything that they were saying? A memory from a long time ago surfaced after shaking off a layer of thick dust. He was no older then three. He and his father had taken a trip. His mother was there, though Vegeta hadn't remembered how she had gotten there. A little girl was there, along with another man. She was just learning how to walk. He had laughed as the plump little girl teetered and then fell over.

It was proceeded by another short memory. A few years later. He was a spoiled five year old and she was three. She had been sitting politely on a spread out blanket. Her hair was so light that it was almost translucent, though there had been a touch of blue even back then. She had been eating a cookie. Vegeta had taken it. She didn't cry. He remembered that she had calmly clapped her hands to dislodge any of the cookie crumbs. The young Vegeta hadn't even wanted the cookie, he just didn't want the young Bulma to have one.

The memory brought a smirk to his lips. He remembered how the young Bulma from his memory had stood up, patted down her dress to make sure that there wasn't a wrinkle and calmly walked up to Vegeta. She had placed her hands on her hips, looked up at the older boy and then firmly gave him a rough kick in the shin. Once that was done, she had then decided to step on both of his feet before turning around and walking back to her blanket.

Bryce could tell that his son was deep in thought, a silent chuckle breaking from the younger man's lips every now and then. Mick shook his head and grinned. "Boys will be boys eh?"

"How about you bring us something of the best and we'll take a seat. And then you'll close shop, come and join us and we'll get wildly pissed." Doc had said, slapping the Englishman on the back.

"Aye. I'll be doing just that. It'll be good to get the rest of the news as to what's going on with who and who's going on with what." Mick waved over his shoulder. "Go sit down. I'll be bringing the first thing that comes to hand."

Vegeta followed his father and Bulma's father to the closest table. Shrugging out of a jacket that he couldn't remember how he had gotten and then slinging it over the back of the chair, he sat down, eyes full of question. "Why didn't I remember Bulma from back when we were kids?"

Doc looked at Bryce and for a moment neither one said anything. It was Bryce that broke the silence. "Do you remember the day Bulma had decided to kick you for stealing her cookie?"

"Yes."

"That was the last day before Doc and Bunny moved to Toronto. You and Bulma were play-friends, though she often beat you up for stealing her things. You really did like to torment the poor girl."

"Why didn't we keep in touch?"

Doc answered first. "You see, it's hard to keep in touch. We were both in different companies, and in fact our companies were often at each others throats trying to figure out what was going to happen next. Vegeta my boy, owning your own business and keeping it on top of everything is like a game of chess with a mastermind. You've always got to be three steps ahead and be prepared for falling four back. It's a give and take world where it's more give then take. You know this."

"Yeah."

Mick joined them, a tray in hand. Setting it down in the middle of the table, Vegeta saw a dusty bottle of something and four glasses. "This lad, is some of the finest, oldest whisky known to man."

"I'm move of a vodka drinker."

"Vodka's for pussies." Mick laughed and quickly dusted off the bottle, opened it and poured two generous fingers into each glass. "Here's to good health, happy lives and one hell of a hangover in the morning." Each man went and grabbed a glass.

"Here's to long life, happy wives who'll understand the hangover in the morning." Bryce laughed.

"Here here!" Doc chuckled.

The only thing Vegeta could do was pick up his glass, clink it against the others and cock a brow. It seemed as if all the men around the table were looking at him. "Truth, love and happiness. All a kick in the pants unless it's worthwhile."

Bryce grinned and almost as if it had been rehearsed, the three older men quickly swallowed the contents in one go. Then they turned their attention to Vegeta who had no choice but to follow suit. The contents of his glass burned as he swallowed though he had to force himself not to cough before it reached his stomach. "Holy fuck." He gasped, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

Mick filled their glasses again. "So Vegeta my boy. What are your plans with Blue?"

"Yes Vegeta, what are your plans with my daughter?"

Vegeta licked his lips. Oh god, they were numb already. "I..." he coughed. "I'm going to marry her. Sir, with your permission." Tilting his glass towards Doc, he swallowed once more, grimacing as he pulled the glass away and setting it down.

They were all quiet for a few minutes, Vegeta twisting the glass in between the palms of his hands. Why wouldn't anyone say something? Was it getting hot in the pub, or was it just him? "I think, Vegeta, you'll have to ask Bulma that."

"I have. And then she got herself shot. And then she ended up in the hospital, and then you guys showed up. She's terrified as fuck and she won't listen to me. I swear to god, the first moment she can, she'll get right back up and bolt."

"Which is probably what she's going to do. But we won't let her. It's time for her to stop running and face her inner demons as well as those that are haunting her. She might seem strong Vegeta but my little girl has been hurt more often then not. The first boy she ever loved died, she became pregnant, she kept that from us..."

"About that guy, are you sure that he died of natural causes? I mean, I think I read something somewhere that said foul play was suspected."

"They never really proved anything."

"Slashed tire and cut breakline? Doesn't sound natural to me sir. Someone was out to kill that kid and they suceeded."

Doc looked at Vegeta and then to Bryce. Who in then turn looked to Mick. "What are you saying?" Bryce said. "That there's someone out there to get Bulma as well?"

"Like hell there isn't! She's in the hospital right now nursing a bullet through the shoulder and twins. God, that's a fucking kick in the pants. I had some crazy lady break into my house and then cut of a piece of Rayne's hair. I'm sorry, all of that shit could happen to me, but the moment those fuckers decided to touch my daughter, I could have killed them all."

"But Jade is now dead. There's nothing left. Bulma's life should return back to normal."

"Twins?" Byrce said, looking at his son before downing his glass. "First you give me one, and then you give me two more? My god Vegeta. Haven't you heard of bagging it?"

"You're a fine one to talk father." Vegeta smirked and then looked back at Doc. "I don't think that this is over. I don't think that it started with Jade and I don't think that it's going to end with his death. Mark my words...whoever's out to get Bulma will be back. And I swear to fucking God that Cara's got something to do with it. In fact, it could all be about Cara." He poured himself another good swallow of whiskey into his glass and then just stared into it. "I want to know why she hates your daughter and why she's so hell-bent of making her life hell. There's something more to the story and it's not going to end until Cara's caught and forced to talk."

All the men were silent for a few minutes, each one sipping from their glasses every now and then. For a few minutes Vegeta thought that he could feel something warming the rest of his body but now there was nothing but a dull numbness in the center of his stomach.

"Have you told anyone anything about this?" Mick asked, the first one to break the awkward silence.

"No. I've just been slowly piecing it together. Bit by bit you know? It's all a fucking puzzle and I'm missing a key piece. What is it that the person will gain by either harming Bulma, or killing her?" Vegeta sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"That my boy, is the 64 thousand dollar question."

"I just want you to know that Bulma's no longer going to be alone in this matter. She'll be guarded every minute that she goes out and she'll have people in her house with her at all times. That dog that you gave her isn't going to be enough anymore."

"Isis might not be, but I will. No one's going to fucking touch my woman again. No one's going to fucking threaten her, or my children. If I have to hunt whoever the fuck is doing this to her and kill them with my bare hands, then so be it. But they will not harm another hair on her beautiful head ever again." Ah, the old Vegeta was back. His voice was bitter and hard. No man around the table doubted the words that came from the younger man.

There was nothing that a man in love wouldn't do to protect the one that held his heart. Bryce smiled at his son, the pride he held for his blood shone in his eyes. Doc looked from father to son and then shook his head. He took a sip from his glass and felt the alcohol warm his stomach. The worry for his daughter was always first and foremost in his mind, and it always had been. Ever since the incident with Jade back when they were younger, there had always been that nagging feeling in the front of his mind. There was nothing that Doc could do to help the nightmares that had come into his daughter's life other then try and give her a little more protection.

But that hadn't worked for long. The bodyguards he had appointed to his daughter couldn't keep track of someone that was scared and often zigging when they were zagging. The memories of her younger years brought a smile to Doc's face.

"So Vegeta old boy..." Mick grinned, turning his almost empty glass in his hands. "What are you going to do about your lady love?"

Vegeta looked puzzled for a moment before shaking his head. He cleared his throat, took a drink and then cleared his throat again. "Well, only thing that a person can do. Sir, with all respect, I know I should have asked your permission first, but I just couldn't."

Doc looked at Vegeta. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, over Christmas, I went out and bought her a ring. I know for a fact that she hasn't opened it yet otherwise she would have told me about it. And earlier, I had asked her to marry me, though things didn't exactly go the way that they were planned. I mean to marry your daughter."

"Isn't it customary to ask the father for permission for his daughter's hand in marriage before you buy her a ring?"

This caused Vegeta to flush slightly. "Yes, well..."

Bryce perked up and slapped his son on the shoulder. "Ah, give the kid a break Doc, remember what we were like when we were his age?"

"God forbid." Mick laughed, shaking his head. The three older men broke out into laughter and they toasted each other. Vegeta was just beginning to understand that the three men had known each other way back, before they had wives and children of their own.

"You went and married Lilian without anyone's permission." Doc laughed.

"But you went and asked for Bunny's hand, and her father said no. And you were so distraught that you wanted to kill yourself so you then started to drink your problems away and then Bunny came over in a huge tantrum screaming that she didn't want to marry you anyway, and then you tried to apologize and threw up all over her shoes..." Mick retorted.

That had caused more laughter amongst them all, Vegeta included.

"We were quite the team growing up..." Bryce said solemnly after the latest fit of laughter.

"That we were." Mick replied.

"Amen to that. There was nothing that we didn't do."

"Except you know, a few people. And a few things." Mick commented.

"But our women sorted us out." Doc smiled, rubbing a hand over his face. It had seemed that all three of them, Doc, Bryce had needed this chance to unwind after the horrific chain of events. "But back to the topic at hand Vegeta, do you plan on marrying my daughter?"

"Yes Sir."

"And you promise to love her?"

"With everything in my soul. She's my life...before her I was nothing. After her I'll be nothing with fond memories."

"And you promise to adopt Rayne as your own?"

"Hell, you should see that boy and your little granddaughter. What a pair. You wouldn't even tell them that they weren't related by blood. He's so in love with that little sprite I think he's totally forgotten about his family." Vegeta's father sighed dramatically.

"And you promise to be faithful?"

"Bulma would kill me if she saw me messing around on her. Believe me, I'm not into that. Bulma is the only one for me, out of all the millions of women in the world, none of them compare of your daughter Sir."

"Damn straight Vegeta. Don't you ever forget that. If you break her heart, I'll break each one of your fingers, work down to your toes, and then all the bones in your feet, and then I'll give her the pleasure of breaking both your kneecaps."

"Never mind kneecaps, he messes around on Blue, I'll bet you twenty bucks she makes this young man sing high C for the rest of his life."

Bryce said nothing but watched his son from the corner of his eye. It was true, there was a love for Bulma written all over his face that had been written all over his own face when he had first seen Lilian.

"I understand." He knew that they were serious, but he was serious as well. There was nothing in the world that he would do to jeopardize his relationship with Bulma and their rapidly growing family.

"Good. Then you have my permission. Where did you say this ring of yours was?"

"In her house somewhere."

"Alright. Well, we'll just have to go and get it so you can get down on bended knee and, what is it you younger people say, 'Pop the Question'?"

"I did it once already."

"And then she went and got herself shot. Jesus, the things women do for the men that they love. But I do believe that we've had enough of this stuff Mick and we should return back to the hospital..."

"Aye, I'll come with you. Just to make sure that you all get there safe and sound. Would be good to see those two little women your married again. It's been a long time."

"That it has Mick, that it has."

Vegeta was slightly puzzled, though when he tried to stand the whole world went spinning and he had to sit back down again. This caused Mick to laugh. "It seems that our fine young man here and had enough himself."

And it was true. The simple movement of standing up was something far beyond Vegeta. But he tried again and this time, with a couple wobbles, he found his balance and then straightened out his shirt. "I'm alright." He grinned. He felt like he was on top of the world. Doc had given his permission for Vegeta to marry his daughter, his father was beside him and he had a good evening of bullshitting with his father and his two friends.

But it was time that he went back to his soon to be fiancee. He missed her, even though she tried to go and reject him. Vegeta wouldn't give up until Bulma said yes. All it would take was a few hours of talking to her. God, did he miss her face. Even if it was split up, pale and slightly bruised. She was the most beautiful angel...

He had taken a step and found that in deed he could walk and then was followed out the door that Mick had unlocked and held open for him by his father, Doc and then Mick himself. If he had had a little more coordination, Vegeta would have danced. Instead he broke out into song.

Blame it all on my roots
I showed up in boots
And ruined your black tie affair
The last one to know
The last one to show
I was the last one
You thought you'd see there

Bryce burst out laughing and Doc just rolled his eyes. Mick on the other hand, threw his voice in with Vegeta.

And I saw the surprise
And the fear in his eyes
When I took his glass of champagne
And I toasted you
Said, honey, we may be through
But you'll never hear me complain

Doc looked at Bryce and shrugged his shoulders. They all knew the song. They were surprised that Vegeta knew the song.


'Cause I've got friends in low places
Where the whiskey drowns
And the beer chases my blues away And I'll be okay
I'm not big on social graces
Think I'll slip on down to the oasis
Oh, I've got friends in low places

What a sight these four men made, walking down the street, staggering in some places, singing Garth Brooks.

Well, I guess I was wrong
I just don't belong
But then, I've been there before
Everything's all right
I'll just say goodnight
And I'll show myself to the door (at this last word, Vegeta began to how like a dog)
Hey, I didn't mean
To cause a big scene
Just give me an hour and then
Well, I'll be as high
As that ivory tower
That you're livin' in

The hospital was coming up and cars were passing them quickly. It was almost as if they had planned it, for they all stopped singing at that point. The somber building loomed ahead of them, dampening their high spirits. Vegeta coughed and straightened his shoulder and then felt a hand on his back, his father's hand, there to give him the strength that he needed.

He took a deep breath and walked in the automatic doors and then nodded to the nurse at the front desk and continued through the winding hallway until he reached the elevator. Three other sets of footsteps followed and he knew without looking that his father and company were close behind. The elevator took moments to get there, but for Vegeta, the ride up to the correct floor was the longest of his life.