It had happened when he least expected it. At a low point, when he was ready to give up. Something had come over him, something he had never felt before. A sense of, relief almost. As he just, didn't care anymore. He didn't care about becoming a Super Saiyan, he didn't care about beating Kakarot, he didn't care if he died. Nothing mattered, he was done. A surge of power had awakened in him. It just, came to him. He didn't have to work for it. It was just there, all of a sudden. Almost taunting him. Like it had been there all along, but he couldn't reach it. All he had to do, was let go mentally. His body had been ready a long time ago. He knew this, because he was not getting any stronger. He did figure it was his mind holding him back, yet he hadn't a clue what to do with that information.
It was, indescribable. A power so great, was suddenly his. It was hard to control. That would take some time and training. But he made it. No longer outclassed by that idiot. He was prince Vegeta, and now his power matched his title. He had spent so much time loathing himself. It had been a long time since he felt any kind of respect or pride for himself. He felt like a failure ever since Kakarot bested him in battle. But finally, he was back to his old self. Only much, much stronger.
He was eager to keep training and see what this new found power could do. But his ship had taken damage in a meteor storm a while ago. Before his transformation he refused to go back. He'd rather die than to come back no Super Saiyan. But now, he wanted to get out of there. Risking getting stranded somewhere in space, with no way out, would be stupid now. The thought alone was sending shivers down Vegeta's spine. Finally having the power, only to end up dying on this rock...
So, he would return to Earth, get the ship fixed and go back to space to train in his Super Saiyan form. He had finally checked the date on the ship. There was time. Time before the androids showed up.
Of course, that would mean he would have to go to the woman for help. He wasn't looking forward to that. Being here had done a good job in diminishing his feelings for her. If there ever were any. He hadn't been dreaming of her, thinking of her. Or his child, for that matter. Except for one time. One time, he had woken up in sweat and his heart was beating out of his chest. A feeling of despair had taken a hold of him. And he knew, it had something to do with the woman. He could not explain how he knew, but he did.
He had a hard time moving on from that feeling. Because his mind was working overtime, trying to figure out, what could possibly be wrong with her. Was she giving birth to his child? Was she dead? Did the child die? Did the androids show up early? Maybe everything was fine. Did he just have a nightmare he couldn't remember?
He had almost died that day. Pushing too hard to get rid of the questions. But at some point, he had managed to push it to the back of his mind and move on.
He felt quite confident that seeing her again wouldn't make him do anything stupid. Everything was different now. He was a Super Saiyan and she was a mother. At least, if it all went...well.
He was still undecided as to what his role would be when it came to the kid. He had hoped his new power would have helped him move on from it. To walk away without any kind of guilt. But it had actually done something else. It made him feel closer to his Saiyan heritage and it had given him his pride back. And his pride probably would not allow him to leave and never look back.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Bulma was humming a tune as Trunks settled down on her chest. "Ssssh, there's a good boy. You're ok." She gently tapped him on the back.
The little boy found his thumb and rubbed his face into Bulma's clothes, drifting off to sleep.
Bulma settled down on the couch, watching TV. She loved having Trunks sleep on her. It was such a bonding moment. The little guy had trouble falling asleep by himself.
Trunks was now 2 months old and they were finally finding their rhythm. It had all been so hectic. Thank god for her mom, who had helped her out so much. Every day her mother would take him for a few hours. Bulma would shower, take a nap, have a decent meal, before taking Trunks from her mom. They made a good team that way. And her mother had been one happy grandma, taking care of her grandchild. She was taken aback by how much she missed her father at this point in her life. Bulma and her mom both had a lot of energy, a strong presence. Her father was much calmer, and laid back. She missed that energy.
She slid her hand under her shirt, feeling the faint line of her scar from the c-section. It had healed nicely, she could barely feel it. Thanks to the senzu bean, it had healed like it was nothing. But it wasn't nothing. She nearly died. Without the senzu bean, she would have. If it wasn't for Goku's instant transmission technique, it would have gotten to her too late.
Turned out all the cliches were true. All the stress and pain, had been worth it. More than. Because she had the most perfect baby boy. And the love she had for him could not compare to anything else. It was hard to believe, that at some point in her life she hadn't been so sure about having him. But it all fell into place. She was exhausted, but happy.
It seemed even her anxiety had faded. No more nightmares, no more panic attacks. She did still cry a lot though. But apparently that was normal. Hormones, lack of sleep, becoming a mother. It was intense.
She did feel nervous about Vegeta. Knowing he could show up at any moment. Would he be a Super Saiyan? Would he be different? Maybe his new found power would ...awaken his...black heart. He hadn't exactly been nice before, but he had shown kindness. In fact, she felt that without him, maybe she would've been much worse off. When it came to the Frieza stuff, at least. He was the one to set her free, back on Namek. She had no way of knowing what would have happened to her, if Vegeta hadn't noticed her that day.
And when her father died, she went to him for comfort. He never said he was sorry for her loss. He never said any nice words about her father. Yet, he made her feel better. Physically, but also with his words. His sobering honesty was refreshing. Also, he gave her the most important thing in her life. Trunks. Even though it was an accident, she felt thankful for that.
Bulma's heart still ached for him, but becoming a mom did put things in perspective. She would not be miserable without Vegeta in her life. She would get over it, and be fine. She had always been very independent. Never had she relied on a man to make her happy. And she wouldn't start now. Not even for Vegeta. So, when he would show up, she would try and give him space. Pressuring him would only drive him away. And for Bulma, only one thing mattered, and that was for him to play a role in Trunks's life. And if that would be the only relationship they had, parents to Trunks, then so be it. Besides, if by some miracle, they were to become some kind of couple, Bulma knew...it would be...messy. And messy would not be good for Trunks. Or for her, for that matter. And she had gotten a taste of what Vegeta was capable of. He had left her standing there, pregnant and upset. Flat out telling her they did not matter. That had been a very painful moment for her. For him to leave her like that...reminded her of who she was dealing with. Yes, he had been kind to her on several occasions, yes, he was the best sex she ever had, but this was still Vegeta. And in the end, he was always going to choose power and training over her. She still felt a lot of anger towards him. He could have handled the pregnancy news a lot better. He didn't have to upset her like that.
But she would try and be civil and calm towards him when he showed his face again. Assuming he would. For Trunks. She figured Vegeta would not feel a connection to Trunks just like that. Especially not now, as a baby. But she could tell him, about future Trunks. His son killed Frieza. And was a Super Saiyan. That might mean something to him. She hoped it would.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Why exactly did he think he wouldn't be tempted to do anything stupid with the woman? He seemed to be quite sure of himself up and till a minute ago. But it all went flying through the window the second he saw her.
He landed the ship on the other side of the planet. Or crash landed, was a better way of putting it. Coming back early to get it fixed was the right choice. He had barely managed to make it back. It had been giving warnings the entire journey back to Earth.
He was standing on top of the CC building. Watching Bulma. And his son.
The weather was warm. Bulma was wearing a navy blue dress. It twirled around her in the wind. Her curves were the slightest bit softer. Her skin flawless. Her hair was different. Shorter, framing her face. She was...even more beautiful than he remembered. She was barefoot in the grass. Dancing around the little boy who was sitting on the ground. Was she moving in slow motion?
Vegeta was tired and dirty. He had gotten as much out of the old Namek battle uniform as he could. There was barely anything left of it. He sighed, running a hand over his face. He hoped to get some rest here. But that was not going to happen. His body and mind had ...linked with hers, the second he entered earth's atmosphere. He tried to ignore it, but standing here now, watching her move and smile, it was futile. He thought surely his memories were too kind on her. She could not have been all that beautiful. Unfortunately, she was.
He focused on the child. He was so small. Yet, he was very strong already. His powerlevel far exceeding that of the woman. It occurred to him that, that might become a problem at some point.
His powerlevel was the only thing to let him know the kid was his. There was no other...sensation, or feeling that indicated he was his father.
A very weak powerlevel caught his attention. Someone was standing in the entrance way of the lab. Watching Bulma. Wearing a fancy suit, brown short hair. He recognized the man to be James. He worked for Bulma. By the way his eyes followed Bulma around, Vegeta could tell the man wanted her. An urge to blast him right there and then came on but he suppressed it. It's not like Vegeta had any claim on her. She wasn't his. And even if she were, men would always look at her like that.
Bulma sat down in the grass, in front of the little boy. She tickled his belly playfully before showering him in kisses. The boy shrieked with laughter.
He imagined this scene, with him there. He would be so out of place. The picture would not be right.
He saw James straightening his jacket and checking his breath, before walking towards Bulma.
"Hello Bulma! Is it ok if I finally meet your little boy?"
"Oh hey, yeah of course! This is Trunks."
"Oh wow, what a handsome little man. Hey buddy." He caressed his chubby cheek. "Isn't he super early, sitting up like that?"
"Uuuh yeah, he does seem to be doing everything a bit earlier than the average baby."
"Oh alright. You're a smart one huh? Just like your mommy."
James sat down in the grass next to them. Vegeta saw him put a hand on Bulma's shoulder. Sparking something in him.
"So, how are you enjoying your maternity leave?"
"It's great. Took some getting used to, becoming a mom. But it's wonderful." She smiled brightly at Trunks. Vegeta sighed, that smile...She had smiled at him like that. He hadn't been sure what was behind it then. But seeing her give the same smile to his son, he knew...it was love. Of course, that was before he had abandoned her and their son. No doubt her feelings towards him had changed. Which was for the better.
"I don't feel quite ready to be coming back to work yet though. Have you got everything handled?" She asked.
"Oh yeah, you don't have to worry. You did so much work before your leave, I have it all under control. I did e-mail you a few questions though. Maybe you could take a look at that? No rush."
"Oh sure, will do."
"So Bulma, I hope you don't mind me asking, but...I couldn't help but notice...I haven't seen Trunks's father around? Is that right?" James asked.
Vegeta was rethinking his plan to blast the guy. Who was he to ask questions like that?
Bulma ran a hand through her hair and sighed. "No, he's ...not here. He's doing something important though."
"More important than you and his son?"
She was silent for a moment.
"It's hard to explain. But yes, this is more important right now."
James nodded. "I'll take your word for it. Sorry, I don't mean to be nosy or anything. It's just that...your mom told me...how bad things got when Trunks was born. I'm so sorry you had to go through that alone."
Vegeta clenched his fists. Apparently, the birth of his son hadn't been easy on the woman. Most likely, this is what he felt when he was in space.
"It was..rough, to say the least. But, I'm fine now. We are ok."
"I know, I can't get over how great you look! And you had a baby 3 months ago! Well done to you."
Bulma blushed. "Oh, thanks."
Trunks yawned and reached for his mother. Bulma got to her feet and lifted him up, pulling the little boy in for a hug. Trunks nuzzled into his mother's neck.
"He needs a nap. I'll see you around James. I'll check those e-mails."
"Yeah thanks, see ya."
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
A moment later Vegeta used Bulma's balcony to step inside the house. Her bedroom was just as messy as it had always been. He glanced at the bed where they had spent countless hours having sex. It seemed so long ago, yet he could still remember the feel of her like it was yesterday. How she tasted, her smell, her skin. The sounds she made. He kicked himself for going there. He knew however, this time around he would not be tempted to sleep with her. First of all, she probably didn't want him like that anymore. But even if she did, his power was so much greater now. And he hadn't trained enough with it to be in complete control. He would not risk hurting her. The fact that he needed that as an excuse was absolutely pathetic of course. He had been so determent in space. No more. He was done with her. He had hoped the connection with her would have faded. He didn't want to feel like she was inside his mind all the time. Subconsciously following her energy. But it was still there. If all that time and distance didn't get rid of it, what in the hell would?
Vegeta was still by the window when Bulma walked in. She didn't even notice him. Oblivious as always, it seemed. She lifted her arm and attempted to pull the zipper to the side of her dress down. It was stuck.
"Motherfucker..." She mumbled
Vegeta smirked. "Need some help, woman?"
Bulma gasped and her head jerked up. "Vegeta."
Her blue eyes drew him to her immediately. He saw her eyes roaming his body. Then a smirk appeared on her face.
"You're different. You did it." She said.
"Yes."
"Is it...what you thought it would be?" She asked.
"Better."
She nodded. "Good."
They stood in silence for a few seconds, before Vegeta stepped closer and reached for the zipper. He figured it would be a good way to test his control. He put the small zipper between his fingers, tugging at it with all the restrain and precision he could muster. Then he pulled it down...ripping her dress.
"Fuck." He said.
Bulma gave him an amused look, holding her dress together with her hand. "Subtle as always."
She disappeared in the bathroom for a moment before coming out in some grey sweatpants and white tanktop. She tucked her hair behind her ear self-consciously as Vegeta watched her intently.
"You have a son." She said in a soft voice.
"I know."
She walked past him, her arm slightly grazing his. "Come." She said. His eyes were on her lips. The lips he had kissed so many times.
He followed her to the child's bedroom. The door was open. Bulma leaned against the doorframe. She gestured for him to go inside by nodding her head. He hesitantly did so. Sleeping in the crib was his son. Peacefully sucking his thumb.
"His name is Trunks." Bulma whispered. "He's a healthy and happy little boy. He does have a temper though. That was always a safe bet, of course. His coloring is more mine, but he looks just like you, really."
"He's strong."
"Of course he is. His dad's a Super Saiyan."
They locked eyes for a second.
"Why don't you go take a shower? Meet me downstairs, I have something to tell you." She said. He watched her walk out of the room.
Then he turned to his son, who suddenly had his eyes wide open. A scowl on his face. The woman was right. Besides his hair and eye color he looked exactly like him. Vegeta felt a little awkward. The kid was staring at him with such intensity. Could he sense him? Did he know he was his father?
"Go to sleep, boy." He said in an annoyed voice. Trunks turned his back to him and went back to sleep.
He took a long time in the shower. He was extremely dirty and the hot water felt too good on his muscles. He wondered what the woman wanted to tell him. He didn't really expect her to be so...welcoming. He figured she'd still be mad. Maybe it was just the calm before the storm.
His bedroom had remained exactly how he left it. He put on black sweatpants and a white t-shirt and made his way downstairs. He was met with the smell of food. Good, he was extremely hungry.
He sat down at the table where there were already several plates of pasta and started eating. Bulma put a beer in his hand. He chugged it in one go.
"The GR is...slightly damaged." Vegeta said between bites.
"Yeah right. It's totally ruined, isn't it?"
"Pretty much."
"I'll send my people to go fetch it. See if there's anything to work with."
Vegeta nodded. "What did you have to tell me?" He asked between bites. "Please don't tell me you had twins and there's another baby around here somewhere." He joked.
Bulma smiled, sitting down across from him. "Hah, well no...but..."
He gave her a questioning look.
"I had something of an epiphany when I was pregnant. It's...crazy."
"Spit it out woman."
"OK, so...remember the strange fighter who killed Frieza? The...Super Saiyan..."
"Yeah..."
"He's from the future...and he's a Saiyan...with hair similar to mine..."
Vegeta dropped his fork. "That's..."
"Crazy, I know."
She gave Vegeta a moment to process.
After a while he started eating again. "Can't believe I didn't put two and two together myself."
"I did." She smirked. "Of course I checked with Goku to be sure."
"Kakarot knows about this?"
"Yes, Trunks told him who he was. Goku knew we were going to have a son together. Piccolo too."
That didn't sit right with Vegeta. For Kakarot and the Namekian to know that he was going to give into his cravings with the woman when he himself hadn't even known it yet.
"Apparently I'm even more of a genius than I thought. I'm going to invent a way to travel through time and build a time machine. Things must be really bad, for me to do such a thing. Send our son back in time..."
Vegeta still had a hard time wrapping his head around it all. He remembered how the kid had been watching him. Because he was his father, he knew now. In the future he dies in the battle against the androids. So, Trunks would not have a solid memory of him. He sighed, exhaustion hit him hard now that he finally had some food in his stomach again.
"You're tired. Go get some sleep." She stated.
Vegeta held out the empty beer bottle to her. Indicating he wanted another one. She took it from him and replaced it with a new one. He drank it in one go, once again.
As Bulma was moving around in the kitchen, Vegeta's senses picked up on the anger inside the woman. She gave no indication that she was mad. But he tuned into her emotions without trying. It just came to him. And she was clearly pissed.
"Let me have it, woman."
"What?"
"You're mad. Take it out on me. I can handle it."
Bulma watched him for a moment with a questioning look. Probably wondering how he knew...
She sighed deeply. Her hand rubbing her forehead. "Leaving like that..."
"I planned to go to space before you told me you were pregnant."
"I know. And I know it was important. I'm not mad that you left, but you didn't have to be cruel before leaving."
"I was honest."
"Right." She let out an exasperated sigh. "But... I just feel like, we both played a part in getting pregnant, yet I was the one having to deal with it. By myself. It's just not fair!"
Vegeta shrugged. "You're right. It's not fair. But it's just the way it is. You're the woman. You carry the baby."
He was making it worse. She was getting even more pissed. Her eyes confirmed his senses. Blue flames burning with fury. He found it very sexy.
"You should have taken some responsibility. You made me feel like we didn't matter! Don't you get that at all!? You could have said something reassuring, instead of making me like shit!"
Vegeta sighed, watching her intently. He didn't know what to say. He could sort of see where she was coming from, but telling her reassuring things when he honestly didn't know what he would do...that was wrong in his book.
"I almost died."
Her words hit him like a slap in the face.
"I had to have an emergency c-section."
"What's that?" He asked.
"Uhm...they had to cut him out of me."
A sick feeling settled in Vegeta's stomach, leaving a bad taste in his mouth. He averted his eyes. "Why?"
"My blood pressure dropped, I was losing consciousness." She was staring blankly ahead, reliving it. "They took Trunks out, he was fine, thank god. But I lost a lot of blood during the procedure. My heart stopped."
Vegeta's mouth was dry. He felt like he could throw up. He didn't want to hear more.
"They managed to restart my heart but I..."
"Stop, stop..." Vegeta said, running a hand over his face.
His eyes met hers again.
"I'm not sure why I'm telling you...I don't blame you or anything. But maybe you understand my anger a little better now that you know what I went through."
"It's not that I don't understand it. But...that doesn't change anything. I could not reassure you because I did not know if I wanted to be a part of the kid's life. I still don't."
"Vegeta, what you want and what you should do are two different things."
He sighed. That was true. "You're right."
Bulma's eyes softened immediately. He could sense that she was calming down. She sat down across from him.
"Look, all I want from you, is to...be there. You don't have to change diapers or do the late night feedings or whatever. And I understand you might not feel a connection with him yet. But before you know it, he's going to want to fly and train with you. I can't teach him any of that."
Vegeta watched her with tired eyes. Letting her words sink in. Trying to paint the picture in his head. Bulma looked down. "You wouldn't even have to live here, if you didn't want to...stay with me." She looked up again. "Just promise me, you'll really think about it."
Vegeta nodded.
He rested his head in his hand, elbow on the table. He felt sluggish. His eyelids drooping. He saw the woman had a concerned look in her eyes. She looked so beautiful. She seemed stronger than she had been. She had been struggling with a lot when he left. Having Trunks probably forced the other things back.
"You're different too." He said.
"How so?"
He shrugged. "Stronger...more..." He couldn't think of the right words.
He ran his eyes over her hair, her lips, her neck, her breasts. He could just make out her nipples beneath the white fabric. Bulma smiled and blushed.
"Get your mind out of the gutter, Vegeta."
He smirked. "I"ll try." Then they heard Trunks crying. "That helps." He said, immediately annoyed by the racket.
"Hah, yeah best birth control in the world, a crying baby."
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
He took his t- shirt off and dropped himself on the bed. He felt so strongly that he wanted to sleep, but his mind would not allow him to do so.
He was so irritated with himself. So much for keeping his distance from the woman. He practically eye fucked her. Why did he have to be so damn attracted to her? It was embarrassing really. It was much too dangerous for him to be around her. Because once again, sleeping with her felt like something inevitable. And he had only been here for a few hours. As long as his power was not under control, he would be able to restrain himself. But honestly, had he been fully satisfied with his control now, he might've taken her on the table already. If she wanted it too, of course. But he felt she did. Despite her anger.
He had sensed her anger earlier. Even when she did not show it on the outside. And now, when nothing terrible was going on, he could sense her like she was next to him. She was calm, steady heartbeat, content. He now knew for sure, that he had sensed her when she was giving birth, and almost died. That's how strong the connection was. It still existing between them, after all they went through, was very worrisome. He feared it would never leave him. Then what?
Bulma was with their son right now. He could sense him as well. But just his strength. Not his emotions. It was amazing to think that chubby little thing would grow up to be the awesome fighter he saw, killing Frieza. He had cut him up in little pieces, with a sword. He recalled the look in his eyes, he had recognized something in him. Like Vegeta, they had seen too much. Suffering, destruction, death. But it had made him into a formidable warrior, clearly. Bulma had apparently done a fine job raising him on her own. She didn't need him for that at all, as it would seem. He turned out fine without a father. Maybe better. Had the woman thought of that? He might mess the kid up.
A yawn escaped him. He needed sleep. After about an hour of intrusive thoughts, he finally felt himself slipping away.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Bulma was sitting at the kitchen table, working on her laptop. The GR had been located and was on its way back to CC. She ran a software program to see the damage it had. It seemed almost everything needed to be looked at. Of course...
She had asked her mom to look after Trunks tomorrow. That way she had her hands free to work on the GR.
It was weird how...normal it was to have him back. Like he belonged here. She hoped he had felt that too. He did seem to feel right at home. They hadn't really been awkward with each other at all. She didn't expect it to be that way. She thought he would be...different...darker. He seemed bigger, older, stronger somehow. But he was still Vegeta. The same Vegeta who had touched her softly so many times. Maybe even more handsome though. They had continued flirting like he never left.
Yet she still had a chance to let out some of her anger towards him. She felt he had taken her seriously. No apology of course. But he did seem to understand her anger somewhat. And in return, she could see how it would be difficult for him to extend some kind of promise to her before he left.
She closed her eyes to play back the way he had looked at her. With lust in his eyes. Could he still want her? She wanted him more than anything. She had told herself that she would give him space though. Inviting him back into her bed would not be right, would it?
Having him here, she was reminded of how easily she could fall for him again. Well, actually she had never fallen out of love with him. But being apart from him, did give her more clarity. She had been feeling strong and independent. Her happiness did not depend on him wanting to be with her. She would be fine without him. And even though she still believed all of that to be true, she did know she would much rather have him in her life. And she also started to think, that maybe it was all or nothing with Vegeta. Because it was hard to imagine having him in her life, without having a sexual relationship with him.
It was 10 P.M. Vegeta had been asleep all afternoon and evening. Bulma had just put Trunks down with his last feeding till morning. She should probably try and turn her mind off and go to sleep.
When she got to bed, she wondered if Vegeta was planning to go back to space before the androids arrived. Or maybe he would settle for the GR and stay on Earth.
She sighed deeply, turning around in her bed. Why did he have to look so good? Was he even more handsome than before? Was it wrong that she was hoping he would come walking through her bedroom door right now and have his way with her?
Bulma fell asleep, dreaming of her and Vegeta...