Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or the characters

I know, another update in the same week. This is for my friend TheWonderfulShoe. Keep up the good work. Here's something for you to read when you get your well-earned downtime :)

As the battle raged forward and King Vegeta took his troops to Frieza's ship, Celen and Tights were still on the planet. They were preparing to leave; Celen didn't want to remain on the planet after the battle. There would be a lot of chaos, and besides he promised his mate they'd be back on Earth for the holidays. Of course, they couldn't leave while the war raged, but they could start readying the ship.

They had yet to leave their home when Celen froze. He sensed an unfamiliar energy lurking around. Tights noticed his alerted mental signal. "Celen, what's wro—"

"Sh," he replied as he held his hand out to her. Once he was able to register the ki, he realized he recognized it. "Shit! Tights, grab your capsules and let's get the fuck out of here. There's a few soldiers not too far from here. They're Cooler's."

Tights gasped. She remembered Cooler. They witnessed the appearance of the Arcosian on another planet once before while they were undercover. Cooler destroyed an entire armada in one blast. He was different than Frieza, more ruthless and less talkative. Why would he send soldiers to Planet Vegeta? That was part of his brother's territory, and Cooler never did anything for his brother. If anyone hated Frieza more than the Saiyans, it was Cooler.

"We need to get out of here," Celen declared as he picked his mate up and held her protectively. "Stay as quiet as possible, got it. I'll get you and our son out of here. I promise."

Tights nodded, though she did not really take in Celen's words and understand what they meant. She didn't know the soldiers were as close as they were. The Saiyan was already planning to get her off of Planet Vegeta without him, but she didn't need to know that. All that mattered was that she and their child would be safe.

Celen flew quickly to the launch bay and sensed three distinct energies heading towards them. They were strong, and at least one of them was strong enough to take on Celen even if the Saiyan could overcome the other two fighters. When the doctor arrived, he got Tights settled in her ship. "All right, we're ready to launch and— Celen, what are you doing?"

Celen stood outside of the ship and did not enter. His mate looked at him and silently demanded answers. In her mind and heart, she already knew. She could feel it in her soul and tears fell.

"Come on, Tights. None of that bullshit," Celen said fondly as he wiped away a single tear of his own. "You know if we flee to Earth, they'll find us. I'll head them off. Once I beat them, I'll catch up. But…if you feel a sharp pain and the connection sever, please, never come back here. Raise the child on Earth. Don't let him become what we did, okay?"

Tights nodded in response and fed off his determination. "Celen…I…I love… You complete me."

The sad smile Celen wore became the biggest, most genuine grin she had ever seen from him. Tights had never said those words prior to this moment. Celen told them to her once before, but she always used her cultures words. To see his reaction now, Tights regretted not saying it more. "I love you, too, Tights. So much."

Likewise, Celen had never used those words with her, only used his culture's words, so to hear him say them was a big deal to Tights. The tears returned, but she wore a loving smile as the door shut and she took off. She needed to get as far away from the red planet as possible.

Celen watched as the craft got further and further away, but as his mate got further, Cooler's men got closer. He turned to see the three warriors standing before him.

"Celen, I presume," a blue-skinned, blonde haired fighter spoke in what sounded like a French accent according to the Earthling programs Celen had watched during his time there.

"You've got me," the Saiyan replied coolly, arrogantly, despite the fact that he was nervous about taking these three guys on.

It was then the blue alien looked out to see the ship that was already out in the distance. Celen noticed where his attention was and tried to block his view. The alien laughed. "Trying to protect your mate?" The Saiyan was caught off-guard. "Yes, we know all about you and the women, even if your people don't. We don't really care. Our orders were to bring you to Lord Cooler so that he could decide your punishment for your crimes against the Cold Empire."

"I won't go quietly," Celen replied darkly. He couldn't let them get to his mate. Surprisingly, though, the reddish brown, skinny alien raced past him. Celen attempted to react, but the large, green one managed to pry him away and hold him prisoner. Angry and humiliated, Celen fired up two spherical ki blasts in his two palms and placed the hot orbs directly over the stomach of the alien. He managed to free himself, but the blue alien entered combat and the two exchanged fast blows.

"Doore, Neiz, get in that ship and follow her. Kill anyone that gets in your way."

"Right, Salza!" they both claimed as they got in the ship.

"No!" Celen shouted and then moved to destroy the ship. Salza descended upon him in the air and knocked him into the hard, metal ground before the Saiyan could stop them. Still, Celen tried to blast the vessel, but his beam was cut off by an even stronger being than this Salza he was fighting.

"L-Lord Cooler," Salza breathed out in surprise. Celen's blood run cold. "I…we didn't know you'd be here."

Celen slowly turned himself around and sat up. He was in fact looking at one of the frost demons. "Cooler."

Both Trunks and Tarble were shocked. According to Vegeta, the whole incident had been recorded, but of course they didn't have audio recording, which Trunks was thankful for considering no one would have understood what Celen and Tights were saying to each other. He could only imagine how difficult it was for the man to say 'goodbye' to his mate.

"So, Celen stayed behind to protect his assistant and then they went after her anyway, and he left with Cooler," Tarble stated.

"We don't know what happened after Cooler showed up," Vegeta replied. "He destroyed everything in the launch bay, and that had to have included Celen. Nappa's connection with him was gone, but my mother felt such a sharp pain before she couldn't sense Celen's presence. We believe Cooler killed him, that son of a bitch."

Trunks frowned. He couldn't believe Nappa lost his son to that monster. It just wasn't fair.

Not wanting to linger on negative emotions, Trunks sat up. "So, how did Grandpa get you off the ship? The battle was still going on, right?"

"It was, and Frieza's men were losing. It was the reason he actually decided to leave the ship. When I was younger, I didn't know the details for Father lied to me about a few things, but when Frieza's men lost ground, Frieza grew angry, transformed, and then entered the fray and killed all of his own men except for Dodoria and Zarbon who remained on the ship to watch out for any intruders. Frieza knew our father would come to rescue me."

"He…he killed his own men?" Trunks nearly yelled. "Why? That's so stupid!"

Vegeta shook his head. To be honest, he hadn't fully become like Frieza. He understood the Arcosian's reasoning on a great many things, but he never could fathom killing one's own men. That was one lesson Vegeta was thankful he never learned in those months. He hated to think what would have happened to his mentality, especially after he almost killed Raditz in their spar the weeks before. With another shake of his head, Vegeta recounted the rescue and ignored the fact that the sky was beginning to turn from dark purple to a shade a magenta. Soon, the sky would be red once again, and he would have been up with these boys all night.

King Vegeta felt Frieza leave the ship, which is when he and his men decided to make their move. He was strangely thankful that Celen taught them all how to sense and lower energy. It was a skill they would have never known had the Saiyan not joined the Galactic Patrol. The king decided he would make a treaty with the organization when this whole mess was done. They had done his people a great service.

He signaled for the small band to split up and search the empty ship. He sent a group with Bardock and took a few along with him. No one realized that Dodoria and Zarbon were still onboard, that is until Bardock ran into Dodoria. The pink blob managed to escape the Saiyan, and Bardock would not see him again until an invasion on Earth fifteen years later.

Zarbon, on the other hand, moved Vegeta into the little room with the other two Saiyans. The prince still looked dead which made the blue-skinned alien grin. It was nice to see the monkey brat put in his place. Vegeta's blood was still all over the floor, which is exactly what King Vegeta saw and smelled the second he entered the room.

Frieza's second saw the king and seemed surprised, but he grinned in amusement. Before he could speak, the ship shaken and propelled in the opposite direction from the fight. The king snickered as Zarbon nearly careened into a wall, but then he sensed Frieza's energy. The Arcosian was angered, that was certain, and then everything happened in a flash. King Vegeta turned just in time for Frieza to attack the three Saiyans killing the two who had accompanied him. Somehow, the king managed to avoid the attack, but the ship had in fact taken some damage and the king was highly aware that he was alone with both Zarbon and the frost demon himself.

"Well, well," Frieza sneered. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised by the monkey king's arrival." His eyes shot to his second. "Zarbon, get to the controls and get us out of here. We need to regroup."

"Sire?"

"Don't make me say it again, Zarbon!" Frieza snapped. "Now!"

"Right away, sir!" Zarbon replied before the toad disappeared from the throne room.

King Vegeta felt relief over the fact that Frieza was withdrawing. He knew that the Arcosian must have realized that going against the three races together was a futile effort. However, that still meant that only he and a handful of Saiyans were on the ship. And where was his son? He needed to know. He could not leave without him.

Frieza's heated, evil eyes narrowed at the king. "I bet you think you've defeated me, but this is just a momentary lapse. I will destroy all of your races regardless of your shoddy truce. You'll turn on each other eventually."

"No," the king remarked. "Where is my son?"

At that, Frieza smirked knowing that Zarbon locked the child and his comrades in the side room. They were most likely all still unconscious, and they were weak that their energy couldn't be picked up by the scouter.

"Vegeta is dead."

As soon as the words left Frieza's mouth, the king grasped his heart and stumbled bac. His hand caught on a pillar. The pain he felt from hearing the Arcosian's words was unrivaled. Worst of all, it wasn't from a bond being severed. He already felt the disconnect months before, so the king knew that he lost his son's trust. Where he hated it and felt distressed from it, hearing that Vegeta was gone was so much worse.

He could vaguely make out the Arcosian's sickening laugh, his anger started to grow. The king had never felt rage like this before in his life. It felt like it was tangible, yet he couldn't grab onto it.

Frieza took pleasure in the Saiyan king's distress. "It looks like your efforts were in vain, king. Your little prince took his final breaths mere hours ago. And you were so close, too."

"Shut up," the king spat, his voice strained. "Just shut up."

"The sad fact of the matter, Vegeta, is that this was your fault." The king's fiery eyes met Frieza's mirthful orbs. "You were the one who turned him over to me."

"Enough!" King Vegeta shouted. His energy exploded around him as he launched himself into battle with the final-formed Frieza. Frieza easily caught the king's sloppy blows and he laughed in amusement. The transitioning energy of the king, however, was very alarming to the tyrant. His scouter kept flipping between various figures that the Arcosian could not fully make sense of until the device exploded over his face. Frieza shoved the wrecked device off his face and used his energy to push the king back and put more ground between them.

When Frieza backed off, the king took heavy, deep breaths. He was so furious; his aura burned and set his body ablaze. The energy could hardly be contained. He formed a ball of energy in his hands just to fire off for the hell of it. He needed to free himself of this pain, this fire. He was startled by the hue of his ki; it was no longer deep, dark violet, but a bright yellow. His brows furrowed in confusion as his attention shifted to the Arcosian tyrant. Frieza looked confused, but also furious as he launched himself back into battle with the Saiyan.

King Vegeta managed to block and twisted away before Frieza's fist could connect with his body. He moved his head quickly to avoid each of the monster's jabs. The more he dodged, the angrier and more unfocused Frieza's attacks became. The king took advantage of Frieza's lapse in judgment and blasted him into his throne, shattering the seat.

Frieza sat up, and the metal chips rolled off his skin. He sneered and growled at his opponent. The gall of the Saiyan was astonishing, but Frieza was not going to let him get away with his hubris. He would make sure the king suffered greatly before his death. He just needed to overcome this strange, unexpected transformation. And Frieza simply thought that the king changed in appearance only…

The tyrant powered up and phased out of the king's view. Vegeta attempted not to let his guard down, but Frieza took him by surprise and whipped him in the side with his tail. The sudden strike wasn't fatal, but it did cause slight pain. The Saiyan king could hear the Arcosian snicker before he felt searing pain in the form of an electrical shock.

That coward! the king spat internally. The Arcosian was using one of the few weaknesses of the Saiyans against him when his own ability was failing. Vegeta was irate that Frieza would stoop so low. He was in the process of thinking of a way out, but then the shock stopped, and the pain began to subside. The king looked over his shoulder, his breathing heavy, and was astonished by what he saw.

Bardock entered the fray. He pummeled into Frieza as if the tyrant were a ragdoll. The Arcosian was dazed clearly having not expected the Saiyan to appear. His momentary stupor gave King Vegeta the time he needed to recover and join Bardock in the fight.

Frieza was beaten and battered for the first time in his live, humiliated. He had a difficult time with the Saiyan king. It took his failsafe to incapacitate the monkey before the other one showed up. Now, Frieza didn't know what to do. He was standing face to face with two empowered Saiyans surrounded by that accursed yellow aura. There wasn't much he could do...

Except sacrifice his ship and everyone on it.

That was exactly what he intended to do. He smirked but did not give any warning as he blasted a hole in the ship. He would be the sole survivor in this attack, or so he thought as the two Super Saiyans sprang into action and used all of their power to incinerate the demon once and for all.

Victory seemed empty, but they had time before the ship would blow. It was Bardock who pointed out the energy signals coming from behind the door. There were two unmistakable signals and a faint one. The king sighed in relief. It had to be Vegeta.

The king and Bardock quickly broke down the door and found Nappa and Raditz struggling to wake and the prince. The boy lied in a pool of his own blood. King Vegeta knelt down beside his son and placed a hand on his forehead. He was so cold and so pale, but he was at least breathing. The king sighed in relief and picked up the child; he cradled his body carefully. The prince groaned, but other than that he appeared to be unconscious. No one noticed his bleary eyes open only for a moment.

King Vegeta looked over to Bardock who was helping his son and the former general. Raditz rubbed the back of his head before he glared at his father whom he hadn't seen in nearly a decade. "You… What are you doing here?"

"Saving your ass," Bardock returned smoothly as if stating a fact.

"There's no time," Vegeta said sternly as his attention shifted to his son's weakening energy. "That coward attacked his own ship. Bardock, what happened to the other soldiers?"

"Sent them back to the ship. Yours?"

The king glowered. "Frieza."

"Figures," the third-class Super Saiyan scoffed.

The king nodded before the group rushed to meet the other Saiyans on the ship. They made it in time and got away from the Arcosian's ship as it exploded in the distant view of space. The young prince was immediately hooked up to the emergency life support system to sustain his body until they returned home and could get him into a proper healing chamber. The king could not believe it. The worst of it was over. His son was alive and safe. He would heal.

Physically at least.

Vegeta carried the two boys back to their respective rooms. They made it through the horror of the story before the stress and exhaustion caught up with them. When he made it to Trunks's room, the boy didn't want his father to leave. Vegeta had never stayed in Trunks's bed before. He knew Bulma did sometimes when the child had a nightmare and couldn't fall back to sleep. It was possible that the story of Frieza left the little prince feeling overwhelmed, and for that Vegeta couldn't leave him.

Trunks sighed and then yawned before he curled up against his father's back. "Dad?" he whispered.

"Hmn?"

"I'm glad Grandpa rescued you and that you're here," he told him which made Vegeta tense just from those words of praise. He didn't know how to react to it. "Thank you for telling the story. I know it was difficult, but I'm proud of you. I know you're probably relieved to be done, but it means a lot that you told us in the first place."

"Done?" Vegeta questioned. Then he chuckled wryly when he sensed the boy's confusion. "Unfortunately, we aren't done. Not by a long shot."

"What do you mean?"

"We may have made it through the history of Frieza, but what's really important is what happened after Frieza, the alliances we made then and the agreement we made with the remaining Colds that the bastard king had broken."

Trunks seemed bewildered as he murmured a quiet, "Oh…"

Vegeta smirked. "Truthfully, that will probably be the easiest thing to tell you boys. Tomorrow night, same place."

"Right," Trunks agreed with determination. "We'll be ready."

Vegeta felt content and managed to fall asleep even with his son's strange need to cuddle against him and his tail curling around his like a safety blanket. The worst of the story was over, but he still needed to tell the boys how difficult life after Frieza and adjusting to the new form of negotiation was for him and why they were so lucky to be born into it. He wanted the boys to appreciate the alliance and the freedom. He wanted them to understand how hard it was for him before Bulma changed his view on everything.

Tights managed to make it to Earth, but her sensors picked up another vessel. She knew Cooler's soldiers were going to find her, but she needed to get to her family. She was desperate to find Bulma. Despite being a child, Bulma was the only one who would understand. She only hoped she could get to her before the aliens found her. She couldn't let them find her sister either. They couldn't know she was passing the torch.

As soon as the ship landed blocks away from her home, Tights took off in a run and used her ki to increase her speed. She hadn't mastered the art of utilizing her energy into attack or defensive power, but she knew she could propel herself further.

The woman made it to her childhood home and chanced a glance over her shoulder to see that she was safe. Bulma was playing alone in the yard, a relief as she called out the little one's name. The blue-haired girl looked over to her sister and smiled. She quickly ran over to Tights, and the blonde released a sigh of relief as she landed next to her sister.

"Tights!" the three-year-old chimed. Then the girl frowned when she noticed her sister's heavy breathing. "What's wrong?"

"Bulma, I don't have a lot of time," she said hurriedly. She took out a small chip attached to a chain that looked like a necklace, but Bulma knew better. This was something more important. "I need you to take this and keep this. One day, someone is going to need that. It contains a coded message that will reveal a weakness to a really strong group of monsters. When that person comes, you'll know. I couldn't decode it myself."

"But Tights, you can do anything," the little girl assured her. "You should keep it."

Tights groaned in frustration before she put the chain around the child's neck. "I don't have time to argue with you, Bulma," she countered. "Please, take this and go inside, okay kiddo? I love you."

Bulma looked uncertain and confused. "I love you too, but—"

"Well, well, well…what do we have here?"

Tights's heart stopped beating in her chest as she turned to see Cooler's two goons standing before her and her baby sister. "No," she breathed out horrified.

"Yes," Doore replied as he sinisterly eyed the little child.

Tights immediately stood in the way of her sister to block her from view. "Okay, you caught me. I'll go quietly if you let this child go."

"I don't think so," Neiz rasped. He jumped like a frog behind her and reached out for the little Earthling.

Bulma yelped slightly in fear, but she tried to stand her ground. Tights, on the other hand, was thinking of a way to get Bulma out of the situation. It was then that she got an idea and distracted the two aliens by calling Celen's name excitedly. It caused the two soldiers to look the opposite way in fear. There was no way a Saiyan could defeat their squad leader, right?

Using their momentary distraction to her advantage, she took out her stun gun and shot both of them quickly before she grabbed Bulma and flew them as far and as fast as her energy allowed, getting further and further away from Capsule Corp.

Tights only stopped when she sensed the enemies' energy far away and saw that she and her sister were near a dock full of crates and holes. Tights hid her sister, and Bulma protested the entire time as black eyes met blue. "Bulma, you need to stay hidden. You can't come out for anything, not even if those guys come after me."

"But—"

"No buts," Tights huffed before another idea hit her. Celen taught her sister about trust and honor, and also keeping one's word. Bulma loved the Saiyans and their culture, at least the romanticized version she picked up from them…what the Saiyans could be in the future with the Arcosians defeated. "Bulma, I need you to swear on your honor as an Earthling and as an honorary Saiyan that you will stay in this spot no matter what happens, even if it looks bad."

Bulma looked horrified. She knew what her sister was saying, and she remembered what her brother-in-law told her. It was as clear as day, that Saiyans sometimes needed to fight alone. If they asked one to stay out of the fight, even if they were losing or near death, the comrade would have to honor his friend's plea no matter what. Tights implored the child on the bonds she formed with the two of them. Bulma couldn't argue, but she couldn't agree with it either. The child could only nod as her sister sighed in relief and offered her a smile. Her expression soured as she sensed the villains encroach upon them. "Bulma," she hissed in a whisper, "hide your energy. Keep it hidden, no matter what."

The child nodded again and watched as her sister exited the warehouse. Her eyes caught the enemies, but she refrained from leaving the spot. She knew her sister had to have a way out of there. When Bulma saw her surrender to the men, she nearly gasped. Why was her sister giving up? It couldn't be.

She wanted to call out to her, but she felt the consciousness of her sister demand she stay put. It was then that the big, green alien blasted the woman in the chest which caused Tights to cough up blood. Bulma's eyes widened; her mouth dropped but no audible sound left her. She couldn't have seen what she did. It just couldn't happen.

That horrible monster killed her sister.

Bulma kept her energy low, mainly because she dropped to her knees. "Hey, she's still breathing," reached Bulma's ears, the reddish-brown fiend's voice only passed through her mind. She barely registered Neiz say, "Well, a strong one. That's alright. Lord Cooler will determine your fate. You and your mate's."

"What about the little brat?" Doore questioned.

"Leave her. She wasn't important anyway."

The two demons laughed and flew away with Tights's injured body, and Bulma was still catatonic. It wasn't until she felt the sharp pang hours later happen twice, and all of the emotions she felt from her sister and Celen were gone. The pain was so immense. She screamed out into the night and called for both Tights and Celen. People who were out walking by the docks heard her desperate, hysteric cries and then called the police for they couldn't get near the girl—her body was covered in a ki shield—as she screamed.

The police recognized the blue hair immediately and heard the child calling her sister's name. They telephoned her parents to have them come get her. When Dr. Briefs and his wife got there, all Bulma could say was that Tights was gone. An alien attacked and killed her. Later on in the child's life, her memory would be repressed and she would have no recollection of her sister and her sister's mate. Everything that happened would feel a distant blur except the idea of an imaginary sister who lost her life.