Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z.

A/N: This one is for the prompt: family dinner. So, I had finals this week, and all the hits and reviews made it so much better; thanks to reviewers, I really appreciate the input. Anyways. Enjoy!

Family Dinner

"Dad?" A grunt. "Where's Mom?"

Vegeta shrugged, too focused on his food to pay much attention. Trunks rolled his eyes and scowled, looking much like his father in the process.

"Dad, it's late. Mom never misses dinner without telling us first."

His father growled and leveled the boy with a hard stare. "Your mother is a working woman, Trunks. She is probably in the labs, catching up on something."

The boy inhaled deeply, slowly, and Vegeta finally noticed a touch of nerves in his son's gaze.

"I-" he started, but stopped. He didn't want to say it, and glanced back down at his food. "I can't feel her, Dad. She's not in the compound."

Vegeta sighed in exasperation; the boy could be as paranoid as his mother. He knew he could feel for Bulma's ki much easier than his son could, partially because he was older and more capable, and partially because he tracked Bulma a lot. But she'd told him earlier today that she would be on an errand in town and not to worry, so he hadn't. He'd focused on his training in the Gravity Simulator and sparred with his 12-year-old son. Trunks was just worrying himself for no reason, and more out of a want to get back to his meal in peace than to ease his own growing suspicions, Vegeta reached out and sought for Bulma.

Trunks watched his father's eyebrows twitch downward, and he suddenly felt a heavy knot develop in his stomach.

"Dad?"

"Quiet."

He reached further, focusing so hard he didn't notice his fingers obliterating the fork still in his hand. There was a pit in his own stomach, and it grew heavier with each passing moment where he couldn't feel his wife.

"Call her."

"I did. She didn't answer."

"Call her again."

"But-"

"Don't make me tell you again, boy."

Trunks blinked at his father; he hadn't seen that frustration in a while, not since his last spar with Goku, so he nodded and pulled his cell-phone from his pocket, dialing his mother again. Straight to voicemail. Vegeta heard from where he was and began to grind his teeth. "Did she tell you where she was going?" Trunks shook his head, willing for his hands to stop shaking. His father never worried like this. Sure, he would yell at his mom if she was gone for too long, but nothing like this, which meant he couldn't feel her either. They sat in silence for a moment, each searching for her ki, trying desperately to find her. Maybe she'd been in an accident. Maybe she got sidetracked. Maybe she was just stuck in traffic.

The phone rang. Vegeta was there in a second.

A/N: Please review!