A/N: Ahhhh this is a long one! Wanted to get this up on Thursday, but Christmas season is wild! Too crazy to find the time! And the chapter was long. Thanks to all who reviewed: a guy (from when I was writing it last, it only was a couple of days…and remember, it took them over a month to get to Namek with Kami's ship! But there's a little time skip here and this is the last chapter where they are on the ship to the planet) elsi (Trunks is wayyyyy too smart…which is why Bulma decides that as much honesty as possible is the best policy! Lol) RedSmileyFace (Yay, kissing is right! more on Vegeta's family to come! Bulma's father always was a great source of amusement for me, as was her mom…haha! Its hilarious that her eyes are always closed) elianni (Bulma is the only woman Vegeta is interested in, to his dismay and eventual acceptance…whether that means she is his mate, well… we'll have to see!) sora 79 (Yamcha's a good guy, isn't he? He would have happily played Daddy. Next chapter after this will be the start of life on Vegeta-sei haha we WILL get Earth POV too, but not for a while) hisuichanxx (so happy you think so! You're awesome and thanks for reviewing!) wiz2mii (Trunks is crucial to this story, that's all I'm gonna say, lol) sukisuzukipuki (glad to hear it! And thank you for letting me know!) and jazzymay377 (you won't have to wait much longer to see that interaction, the next chapter or two will have it! And more insight on what the King did, that helped enough that Frieza didn't destroy the Saiyans…thanks for reviewing!). And now onto the part that people actually care about: the story.

Days and weeks passed quickly, where Vegeta focused on his task and did not bother Bulma much, wanting her to focus on her own tasks. Everything between them had sunk into a sort of professionalism that persisted for the near-month they were on the ship, both of them still chafing from the last conversation they had. He only visited the room he had assigned to her and Trunks to retrieve the boy for training. Bulma, meanwhile, was constantly hunched over her computer, notating and documenting away. She had taken his vitals, his blood, anything she could do without a usable lab. And she did the same with Trunks.

The boy's legs dangled off the bench and he unflinchingly sat as his mother filled a couple vials of his blood, obviously used to her doing such a thing. Vegeta was glad the boy didn't whine and complain, or pass out like he had seen one pitiful human do when he happened to walk past what Bulma had called a "blood drive". Humans were so disappointing. Except, perhaps, the Woman…

"Why do you have to do this again, Mama?" Trunks asked as she motioned for him to hop off the bench. Bulma smiled, having fully anticipated the question from her son. She already suspected that he had inherited her genius and both of his parents' drive for knowledge, and his insistent curiosity only confirmed that for her.

"Didn't I tell you, baby?" She brushed an affectionate hand through his hair and tried to look as light as possible. "I'm doing an experiment with you and your dad."

"What for?" Trunks ducked her hand and glanced at Vegeta. "Is this why we're really here with him?"

Vegeta waited for Bulma to respond, anticipating the answer as much as his son. Clearly, she had decided to tell him at least part of the truth. He wondered why the change of mind, but he honestly didn't care whether the brat knew what they were doing or not. The reluctance had all been on her end, to shelter the boy. He was hoping that her illusions about protecting Trunks were slowly fading, because he was not looking forward to the histrionics she would expose them all to once she realized that this would be impossible on his home planet.

"That's partly why, yes." Trunks tolerated the woman's caressing as she spoke, though Vegeta was sure it was mostly because he wanted information. "We want to see what will make a Saiyan stronger and what makes you different from your dad. That's all."

"That's all?"

"That's all," Bulma said. She took off her latex gloves and smiled at him. "Well, I'm all done here, so if you want to go hang out with your dad—"

"Actually, I need a word with you, Woman," Vegeta interrupted. "It's important."

Trunks shot him a waspish look. "I wanna train, Papa."

Vegeta blinked, never really getting used to hearing the boy term him with a paternal endearment like that. The first time he had said it was after about a week on the ship and Vegeta had immediately said, "In public, you are always to call me 'Father', as befits your royal blood."

"What's 'public'?" Trunks had asked, completely unaffected by what could have been perceived as coldness or rejection, just like his mother. Vegeta rolled his eyes, forgetting the boy's youth.

"Public is when you are in front of others, the low-class, the elites, anybody who is not within your circle."

"We're not with people now," Trunks pointed out, and before Vegeta could re-word his command, the boy addressed him as, "Papa" again! It was only because the boy's intelligence and tenacity impressed him that he decided to leave the subject be. As long as he never said "Papa" around others on Vegeta-sei, Vegeta figured that he could stand to be called "Papa" by the boy in private.

"Then go train, brat!" Vegeta said, pointing to the door. "Go through your forms for a while. Or do you need a nanny to watch you?"

"Vegeta!" Bulma cried, exasperated by the Saiyan's impatience. But Trunks merely bounced away, not having to be told twice.

"Bye, Mama!"

Bulma shook her head ruefully. "He always like that now, running all over the place, it was bad enough when he first started to walk…as soon as he figured it out, he never wanted me to hold him anymore."

"That is his Saiyan nature," Vegeta responded, though in his opinion, the boy accepted her coddling more than enough. Something in what she had just said had given him a twinge of wonder, knowing a piece of Trunks' infancy was not something he had thought about before, even when Bulma called him to task for it. Now he knew that his son had always been restless. He looked at the boy's mother, feeling a need to move the topic of their conversation, lest he become compelled to fulfill that urge and seek more answers about his half-breed son. "And what was that, Woman? Telling the truth now with the boy?"

Bulma's eyes sharpened on the Saiyan's face. "I didn't tell him how you forced us to be here, did I? That's on you. But I realized that Trunks may look back on this someday and wonder why I lied so much about what was happening. And even now, I worry that he's too smart for his own good. I don't want him to ever think that he can't trust me."

Trust, looking back, love…all these human things. Vegeta grunted, uninterested in her explanation now that he'd heard it.

"Come here, Woman" Vegeta said to Bulma, reaching out for her wrist. She inhaled sharply at his rough touch.

"What?!"

He pushed up the sleeve of her shirt, exposing her slender, white forearm. "The gravity on my planet. It will be too much for your puny human form. Our son has trained above that gravity with me, but your power level could never hope to withstand the pressure."

"Yes, I know all of this," Bulma answered, trying not to get distracted by the feel of his calloused hand prodding her skin. "I asked you before and you said that I could worry about that when we were closer to your planet. Of course, I don't know how long it takes to get to your—"

"Two more standard days," Vegeta said. "And I have something that will give you the ability to survive on my planet despite your human weakness."

"What is it?" Bulma asked cautiously, trying to tug her hand away from Vegeta. She didn't want him injecting or binding her with anything before she knew what he was going to do. The situation was bad enough as it was without other complications. "If you just gave me some information, I could build something for myself without needing whatever it is—!"

"Without a lab? Heh. You don't trust me." He didn't know why he said that so derisively. She had no reason to trust him and were he in her place, he wouldn't trust him either.

"No," she chuckled nervously. "Of course not."

"You said yourself that it was in my best interest to keep you alive."

That was a fair point, so though she was still chary of doing so, she held still and let him press his fingers into her arm. "What are you doing? Ow!"

"Finding the nerve," Vegeta said, ignoring her exclamation and putting a strip of something that felt like adhesive gel, but firmer, over the part of her that twinged. Then over it he clasped a thin bracelet that felt astonishingly heavy and secured the clasp. "This will provide you a force field that will lighten the pressure of the gravity and enable you to carry on as normal." He purse his lips in a half-smirk. "It's also a very recognizable mark of a slave, as many of the planets we have conquered have a gravity similar to your mudball."

"What?" Bulma shrieked, ripping her hand from his. The bracelet did not jingle with her movement, but stayed in place. "No. I'm not wearing something like that! What will people think? I've already told you: I'm not your slave, Vegeta! If you think this is how it is going to go, you're better off killing me now."

"Calm down, Woman!" Vegeta barked, rolling his eyes. "If I wanted to enslave you, believe me, you'd know. And you wouldn't be able to do anything about it anyway." Looking away from her, he turned his face up in condescension. "I have my honor. You bore me a son that has the potential to be very powerful. I will not make a slave of the woman who has done that. However, my people will not necessarily feel the same way."

"And how will they feel?" Bulma asked, knowing that no matter what Vegeta said, how the Saiyans would react to her would certainly play a part in her life on Vegeta-sei. Again, her mind returned to Nappa. Somehow, she expected that his behavior would be more in line with what she would see than how the prince treated her. Nappa had never minced words about how repulsive he found her relationship with his prince, and that if she hadn't been available to use as a glorified sex toy, they would have dispatched her long ago. Nappa had always completely ignored any advances she made with her inventions, allowing Vegeta to strengthen in a mostly risk-free environment (though with Vegeta, it was never completely risk-free…).

Vegeta, for his part, had made some decisions just as the Woman had regarding their brat. He didn't want her for an enemy, though he had certainly earned her ill intent by forcing her to come with him. If he could be honest with her, work with her in some ways, like they had so many years ago, perhaps that bad feeling would dissipate. He frowned at how difficult she had become… he knew the difference in her. Trunks had changed things and she would not be easily won because of Earthling-manufactured feelings for him, like she had been so long ago. Trunks was now a greater priority than Vegeta was, in her mind. That thought created a brief flicker of resentment, thinking of how he might never have known about Trunks if hadn't called out for his mother—Bulma was going to let Vegeta fly away from his son without ever knowing—but he pushed it back down. He would not allow the boy to destroy any control he could hope to have over her. He would use it as he could, and when he couldn't…well, he would put her firmly on his side.

He was going to be as honest with her as Nappa probably didn't want him to be. Nappa likely still held out hope that the King would find the girl and rip out her throat once he knew what she had spawn. Vegeta knew his father's mind better than that.

"The Saiyans will likely hate you," Vegeta told her bluntly. "For as long as I can remember, mating outside of your Saiyan heritage and creating half-breeds has been considered nothing more than mixing with low blood and below the dignity of any of our race, even the low-class." She already knew, from one of his more talkative nights before Trunks that Saiyans had had a fairly consistent pattern of killing those they raped immediately afterward in order to prevent too many half-breeds from running around. Not to say that there weren't a few half-Saiyans on various planets that had been appropriated and/or enslaved, but it was much more prevalent to end the entire encounter a woman's blood. Vegeta had never cared for that sport, so focused was he on his objective. And he knew why he had stayed his hand with Bulma, but he still wasn't sure what had driven him to succumb to her sexual charms in the first place…

"But I am their prince," Vegeta said. He took her hand back, indenting right where the bracelet sat on her wrist. Letting go, he stood up and smirked. "My kind has been woefully short-sighted for centuries. You know that I do not intend to be. As my people grew accustomed to a wandering prince, so will they become accustomed to whatever I bring back."

"Whatever…" Bulma said. She stood too, wanting them to be at level when having this conversation. "I'm a person, so is Trunks. Not a prize, not a gift. Not a slave."

"You will be what I need you to be," Vegeta murmured at her assertion, his face was very close to hers. He was uncaring over her desired dignity. In his mind, she was his and he didn't need to qualify that to her. Strength was strength, and he had more of it than she did. But then…there was something else too. His hand came up almost without any forethought and he traced it down her face. "But you have your own power, Woman…and while I'm alive, no other creature will put their hand to you."

She was burning alive. His hands were everywhere, too fast and yet too gentle, and she couldn't think as she gasped against his mouth and he broke the clasp of her jeans in his haste. She tried to push him off and undress herself, thinking that she'd get them off faster, but he wouldn't be pushed. So she settled for snagging his shorts and pulling him closer, trying to matching him for clothes.

Their ragged breathing clashed against each other as they stumbled back to the bed, Vegeta snatching his hand around her naked waist to lower her with newborn finesse, all instinct in him when he had never known anything but brutality. She was sweet, feverish, longing…everything he had never known to crave. He was over her, all around her, insistently on every part of her.

"Vegeta!" she swore, gripping the back of his head as he sank his teeth into her shoulder. "Don't—"

"Stop," Vegeta ground out as he lifted his face and her mouth opened again underneath his. There was a powerful mantra in his head: mine,mine,mine,mine,mine. He could nearly understand what he had only ever seen from a distance…powerful creatures losing all reason because of a female. Nearly.

This female was beautiful and strong-willed and powerful in her own way, though he would never tell her. She was worthy. He wanted every inch of her. He wanted to hear her scream, but in a way he had never imagined before—in ecstasy, for him. They were on her bed, crying out as they moved together in furious synch. Their hands tangled in each other's hair, his other hand bruising on her hip as he wrenched all that he could from her lithe little body.

Nappa had warned him about this woman, that having carnal relations with her would change everything…but he had barely taken his second's word before. Now, he was taken under this pleasurable fire, unsure whether the cause was in her or in the act itself.

His release left him spent, and he collapsed sideways so he wouldn't crush her, his arms loosely enfolding her. She was in his arms when he woke, head pillowed on his chest and curled up like one of those furry little felines that tread the Earth with infuriating, knowing eyes. Quickly, he disentangled himself and left her there, sensing Nappa and Raditz making their landing just beyond the borders of the property. He rolled his eyes as he donned his shorts…what perfect timing.

He glanced back at Bulma as he left her room, thinking, as he perused her enticing figure, that he would very much like to do that again… perhaps, after he spoke to his underlings and trained and ate. He would find her.

Nappa and Raditz stood straighter as Vegeta found his way to the clearing. "Back so soon?" Vegeta asked in a bored tone. "The way you are completing these missions, Frieza would never suspect I'm not accompanying you…what?" His eyes narrowed at their expressions. "Is there something wrong? You did complete the mission."

"Y-yes!" Nappa said, closing his mouth. He handed Vegeta his scouter. "It's off. Though Frieza will probably wonder why it's off so much…"

Vegeta snorted, that was a patent lie, but Nappa was always hinting that Frieza would be angered if he found out that they were lingering on this planet. Vegeta knew that Frieza could give a damn where Vegeta was unless he needed to complete an assignment. "No, he won't. He pays no attention to Saiyans unless he wants a planet destroyed. And he doesn't monitor scouters unless he's suspicious. And he has no reason to be." He glared at them. "Right?"

"Of course not, Your Highness," Raditz said. "It's just that…"

"What?!" His men were particularly dim-witted today and after the active evening he had, he didn't have patience for their sluggish responses. "Get to the point."

"We received word that your brother, Tarble, has not disappeared from the rosters within the Planet Trade Organization, but he has not been seen or been in communication for at least a month. There is talk…" Nappa swallowed, thinking of Vegeta's weakling younger brother. "There is talk that Frieza has finally done away with him."

Vegeta didn't speak immediately, considering the implications of this. Tarble had disappeared before to much speculation, and he had always turned up eventually. Vegeta hadn't seen him since he was a baby on Vegeta-sei. His father had handed over Tarble when he was very, very young, claiming that Tarble's potential was on par with (if not, outstripped) Vegeta's. It hadn't been true, of course. It was a ploy to hide his heir from Frieza's reach when Vegeta left for other planets, seeking strength. Frieza had never read Vegeta's power level at so young an age, so he was none the wiser. The King had further appeased Frieza by saying that though Vegeta was off-planet, his heir would be at Frieza's beck-and-call to perform missions.

Vegeta was smart enough to hold a very distant relationship with the Cold tyrant, and Tarble was young enough that his royal blood gave him a decent power level, leaving Frieza to figure out much later that the cub Saiyan had no fighting spirit. Frankly, Vegeta was surprised that Tarble had lasted as long as he did. From what he had heard from other PTO members, Tarble had little stomach for violence and was not even adept at training, though Frieza drilled him and sent him on missions with his closer advisors who were likely as ruthless as he was. Frieza had tortured Tarble for years and their father had stood by and allowed it. Vegeta knew just how easily it could have been him, had he not had a younger brother to be sacrificed in his stead.

Seeing the true weakling that Tarble was, Frieza might have gotten tired of him...or suspicious. The tyrant's paranoia could be dangerous when directed in the wrong place. And Vegeta wasn't sure what this would mean for him, if Tarble really was dead. He hadn't known the boy, so the death itself affected him very little. It was what his death could bring about that gave Vegeta pause. He probably wasn't dead, just out of communication for Frieza's amusement, but Vegeta never forgot to map out all possibilities…

Would Frieza refocus his attention on the eldest Saiyan prince after eliminating the younger? Would he think that the King had been dishonest about his respective sons? And thinking this, what would Frieza do?

"Sire?"

Vegeta snapped back to the present. "Brother or not, there is nothing that can be done whether Tarble is dead or alive. From what we've heard, his instinct as a Saiyan was disgraceful in any case."

"And are we staying on this planet?" Nappa prompted. "Are you going to remain with the little scientist for longer still?" Behind him, Raditz looked almost sly. Vegeta felt his cheeks grow hot, reminded of only hours ago when he was in the throes of something he had never experienced before. His men couldn't have known what he was doing, could they?

"As long as she has the capability to make me stronger, this will be our base, yes."

"Why not just take her with us?" Raditz said idly. "It would solve the problem of having to go back and forth all the time and she can still invent."

Nappa threw him a sharp look. "No one asked your opinion, third class. And that would be a terrible idea."

"Why, Nappa?" Vegeta said, getting irritated with Nappa's constant objection to the blue woman. All he did was warn Vegeta away from her, never bearing in mind that it was the Woman's mind that had increased Vegeta's strength to three times what it was already! "You yourself have reaped some of the benefits of her scientific prowess. Why do you insist upon objecting to her at every turn?!"

"Because if we take her along with us, what will we do with her?" Nappa replied, vehement but respectful as possible. Vegeta could tell he had put some thought into this. "Before long, you will have to kill her. She has no place in the galaxy, physically weak as she is. And could you even bring yourself to do it, my lord? Her…other assets being enough of a distraction to you?"

"She is not distracting me!" Vegeta roared, painfully aware of what transpired between him and Bulma that night and feeling rather exposed by the looks on Nappa and Raditz' faces. They know, he realized. They can smell her on me. He pressed forward to save face, seeing no point in what they all knew going unacknowledged. "Where and when I take my pleasure is NONE of your concern, either of you! I am the Crown Prince of all Saiyans! Do you really think I have forgotten my goals? Do you think that I would lose all sense because of one night with a woman? I am the strongest Saiyan for centuries! Do NOT insult me this way again!"

He had never heard Nappa so bold about any subject and that prickled at Vegeta…what could be so wrong about this? Nappa and Raditz took whores on almost every planet. Since Vegeta had commanded that they not harm anyone on Earth, neither of them had done so here. There was a difference in what they did and what he was doing with Bulma…but he couldn't understand why Nappa was so hard on this subject, and he wasn't going to have it.

"I am going to remain here longer. I will not take Bulma with me into space," Vegeta decreed. He looked at Nappa's bowed head, but saw his lips mouth the blue woman's name and wondered why, but was too furious to ask. "Because despite your borderline insubordination, I do agree that there is no place for her there." He glanced at Raditz. "And I want to see if you can make any progress with Kakarot and his spawn."

"Of course, Sire." Raditz said meekly. "Kakarot is a Saiyan…he loves to fight. But his…what do they say?...Earthly morality, is so deep in his mind that I fear we will never be able to recruit him. But he does stay in close proximity, knowing that you stay with the science woman and they are good friends, he won't go far. He might still be able to be swayed."

"And what of his brat?" Vegeta said. "Any other demonstration of what he displayed that first day?"

Raditz' expression soured, still not accepting getting bested by a young child, even if it was only a one-time thing. "No, my prince. The boy doesn't even seem to enjoy battle. He trains and fights when forced and because Kakarot enjoys it. And his mother…" Raditz cringed as he looked off into the distance, likely remembering an encounter with Kakarot's mate. "The female is impossible. I don't know how my brother lives and beds something that is constantly shrieking without killing it."

Vegeta had no patience for Kakarot's marital woes. All he heard was that Raditz had made no progress. "You will continue to spar with him, as the nitwit is too ridiculous to be unfriendly with those who try to kill him, and press him on joining us. His power level is developed enough that he could be useful, if he isn't, I might just kill him and be done with it." He still wasn't sure whether he would honor his vow to Bulma when he finally left this place and never returned. His killing was mostly done on Frieza's command now…but Kakarot was a special case. As a Saiyan, he represented his people. That he had taken on so many Earthling qualities was something that Vegeta despised.

Believing there was nothing left to discuss, Vegeta turned on his heel to go back to Capsule Corp, intent on training and eating about eighteen of those frozen 'pizzas' (a new discovery) from that big freezer on the garage-level.

"Is that all, my prince?" Nappa called after him. Vegeta didn't even falter in his steps. He knew they wanted to ask where he was going. He knew they thought he was returning to the Woman's bed. He didn't care to disabuse them of it. He knew what he was doing.

"That's all."

He thought he heard Nappa's voice whisper her name, scattered in the wind… "Bulma…"

No creature will put their hand to her.

She supposed that his vow to protect her should have made her feel safe, and it did, in a way…

"And what about your hands?" she said bluntly.

He blinked, obviously not expecting a challenge of that sort. But she needed to be very clear on where they stood. Before, it was fine when they danced around each other, neither admitting what they wanted.

But now there was Trunks. And her little boy always had questions. She had already seen him watching the two of them curiously. Trunks didn't know much about fathers, only having Goku and his Bulma's father to observe, and neither of them were typical. Then again, Vegeta would never be a normal dad either…

The Saiyan bared his teeth in a scary sort of grin. "You're not asking about danger."

"I'm not? I'm not. I'm asking about sleeping arrangements." Bulma leaned back, trying to feel brave. "Clearly…we're not what we were before. You're irrationally mad at me for not telling you about Trunks, even though you're the one that took off, and I'm mad at you because you forced me to take my son to another planet under duress."

"So dramatic, Woman."

"It's the truth! And now you're telling me that your people will probably try to kill us both the first chance they get and that you will have to protect us nearly all the time." She crossed her arms, unimpressed with Vegeta's square eye contact. "So tell me, Vegeta. What does this look like for us? I bet a prince like you has his own rooms in a castle or something…"

"Palace," Vegeta corrected automatically.

"So did you see us staying with you? Or did you have something else in mind?"

For someone doing her best to be forward, her question still remained very vague. What she was really asking is if he had any plans to reacquaint himself with her carnally, likely afraid that he would force her. Vegeta almost smirked…would have, if he had actually wanted to talk about this. But he didn't, because they were both, like she said, mad at each other and he preferred not to talk about vulgar subjects that the Woman so enjoyed. He had to admit that at its surface, it was a fair question.

"You'll be staying with me," he finally said.

"We will…"

"Yes."

"And you expect that I'll be staying…in your bed?" She was getting impatient with him, which amused him. Five years ago, he already would have been outright blushing at her questions. Now, his expressions were mostly blank, and she wasn't sure if it was because of their sexual history or if he had taken up with others while he was gone that he was more desensitized to sex-related conversations. And she told herself that at the latter possibility, a sliver of jealously did not course through her.

"Do you want to be in my bed?" Vegeta asked lowly, catching her wrist again as he drew her arms from where they were folded at her chest and causing heat to tingle where he touched her.

Flustered, she tried to pull away, unsuccessfully. "Don't act like what I want matters. You've already been obvious that it doesn't…at all."

"Do you know what matters to me, Bulma? My pride."

She stopped herself from rolling her eyes. "That's a real surprise to me. You've never mentioned it before."

Vegeta glared and considered not saying what he was about to in favor of scaring some respect into her, then decided against it. "I'm not interested in having you unwilling. I can find satiation elsewhere." He never had… but he assumed that it wouldn't be hard to find someone else to mate with if he tried. The problem was, his desire had seemed to be exclusive to her… at least the level of desire he held for her.

"Forget I said anything," Bulma muttered once he mentioned 'satiation'. "It was a mistake to bring it up." She moved to escape towards the door, but he didn't release her wrist and continued to smirk.

"You little coward…" he pulled her closer until his black eyes were all she saw, feral and frightening, in her face. Her breathing picked up as he edged closer and closer until his mouth was ghosting breath against hers. "If you can't make up your mind, I'll make it up for you."

"I—I can make up my—" she trembled as he swallowed her last word like he had done the first time they had ever kissed. It felt like that first time again…and better, because of the past, the pain, the history. His mouth was warm and alarmingly soft, like the eerie calm before lightning strikes. He pulled back and nipped at her neck not-so-softly. She couldn't find it to do anything but hold on, unsure of his action. He pulled back very slightly and she released her breath.

"Understand me. You won't be anyone else's. Not on my planet. There are Saiyan males that will want to make you their whore because of the bracelet you wear." He tapped the corner and she was once again made cognizant of it. When she looked up again, she was dazed by the intensity in his eyes. "There are many males that will want you. There are males that will want to tear you apart… But you will have me, or you will have no one."

"You can't just—"

"I can," Vegeta said unapologetically. "But I will not take you unwilling. I will honor you as the mother of my son." Apparently, giving Vegeta a child, while causing her a lot of grief, also had given her some protection from the Saiyan himself. At least, as long as Trunks proves to be so strong, Bulma thought to herself. "You can choose to be with me, or you can choose to be alone." He held her in place, the set of his mouth uncompromising. His eyes were so dark that she swallowed apprehensively. "And if I find out that you have ever betrayed me…there will be death that day."

Bulma paled at the look on his face, but she couldn't relinquish herself from his grip either. Everything within her rose to object…but he honestly scared the crap out of her. If she was going to raise hell at his statement, now was definitely not the time. Besides, she hadn't easily forgotten the feelings she had had for Vegeta before her left Earth. Having Trunks was a constant reminder of them and because of that, she didn't know if fighting for the ability to see other people was really worth the trouble if it was never going to happen. Especially with a Saiyan. One emotionally-constipated alien was probably enough for her.

"Why are you so possessive?" she wondered, the mildest rebellion she could think of. He was the one that left. What did their past relationship even mean to him?

"We're about to be there, so you shouldn't ask so many obvious questions. Saiyans don't wonder why, Bulma," he said. "They just are."

VBVBVBVBVBVBVBVBVBVBVBVBVBVBVBVBVBVBVBVBVB

"Hey, jerkface!"

Nappa snarled over his shoulder at the young boy floating at the door. The brat unnecessarily flew around everywhere. It was annoying.

"What do you want, runt?"

Nappa had to be careful. The boy was a little snot with an overprotective streak of his equally awful mother, but Vegeta had already proven that he was willing to beat Nappa to a pulp over them. And the boy himself had also thrown some unnaturally powerful fists…and while this boiled the older Saiyan's blood to be taken to task by a four year old, he also was a little impressed. The royal bloodline was very strong, and their prince was carving out his own path from the time he was a boy himself. Under his direction, they may yet get out from underneath Frieza's Cold grip.

"What are you doing?" the boy asked, coming closer to the controls. Nappa wished the kid would leave before he tossed caution to the wind and threw him into the airlock. "When are we gonna get there?"

"Aren't you supposed to be training, brat?" Nappa said. The prince trained with his half-breed son everyday. The child was easily training above gravity, but he was also still a child and needed a lot of development that Vegeta obsessively wanted to provide. It had only been about three weeks and Nappa was already tired of it. What was Vegeta's father going to say about all of this? The King was noted for his intelligence, but sometimes the Prince went too far for Vegeta the Elder's liking. Nappa thought that this would likely be one of those times.

And Nappa was in the shitty position of having to guard that wretched bitch when Vegeta wasn't around. On pain of death. Nappa didn't know where in his life he had gone so wrong, to be punished like this…

"Aren't you even listening?" Trunks said, getting in Nappa's face from upside-down. Nappa wanted to swat him away like a bug. "Papa said we're close to your planet!"

"Then why are you asking me?" Nappa sneered. "Won't he be looking for you if your scrawny little ass isn't in the Gravity Room?"

Trunks shrugged. "No. He's with Mama. He had to talk to her and he said I could go train."

"Then why don't you do that?"

"I did," Trunks whined impatiently. "And then I got bored. But Mama and him were still talking about boring stuff like 'beds', so I wanted to see the control room again." The boy circled Nappa like an excitable puppy. "You should let me try!"

"No!" Nappa yelled. He couldn't believe that he was stuck with this unrestrained little cub while Vegeta talked about beds with his little Earthling science-whore. "You touch anything, and you lose a limb, brat! I don't care who your father is!"

"Fine," Trunks huffed. There was a note of silence and Nappa prayed to whatever was out there that the brat would take the hint and wander somewhere else, but then he heard him shift. "You wanna spar with me?"

"No."

"When are we gonna get there?"

"Two days. If you ask another question, I'm putting you in the airlock."

"I'll put you in the airlock instead," the boy shot back. He crossed his arms in a way that reminded Nappa far too much of Prince Vegeta and stared out the window. "What's it like?"

"What, brat?"

"Your planet, jerkface. Is everybody mean like you?"

"Most everybody," Nappa said conversationally. "If you aren't strong, you die."

"I am strong!" The boy pumped his childish little fist. Nappa rolled his eyes.

"Can't say the same for the harridan that bore you, though…" He couldn't help but want to needle the brat a bit. Kid was just lucky Nappa couldn't do worse to him.

"Mama will be fine," Trunks snapped. Even though he didn't no what half of those words meant, he sensed Nappa was talking about his mother. "I'm gonna protect her and so will my papa! And so will you, because you have to!"

Nappa sighed as he clicked the ship into autopilot. He didn't need the little terror to remind him of that. He looked right behind him, at the boy's ridiculous hair and eyes the shade of his mother's, a blue that you'd never see on Vegeta-sei. And Nappa knew…the boy was going to either put up or shut up. And as a Saiyan, he would have to help himself, no help from any corner, with the added burden of his mother's weakness. It would be a good learning experience for him, Nappa thought with no small measure of glee.

"You know, boy…I might want to rip you in half sometimes, but even I can admit that what happens next is going to be interesting."

A/N: Soooooo long for this chapter… Planet Vegeta coming up! Please let me know what you think! I appreciate it!