Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Whatever It Takes ❯ Chapter 22 ( Chapter 22 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

AN: I don't really have anything new to say this time except what I've been saying lately: more changes are happening. Expect a lot of them. Big ones. So stay tuned, trust me. You ain't seen nothing yet.

One thing I will say about this chapter in particular, however, is that it is one of the rare instances I mentioned before in which I will sneak in actual Japanese for the specific reason of differentiating between the two "Standard" languages, or between Standard and another language. (The first time you saw it was in Chapter 18, when Geta is examining the Gerdian armor.) I don't speak Japanese, so for those of you who are fluent, please forgive me if I failed to find an accurate translation while keeping it simple. Let me know if you know a better one. I will give the intended translation at the end of the chapter.

I want to give a big thanks to everyone who reviewed. Keep 'em coming! This one's for PrincessofSaiyans. Please don't die! This chapter is for you!

Thanks to my better half for looking this over for me as always. :)

Enjoy!


Disclaimer: Dragonball Z was created by Akira Toriyama. It is owned/licensed by Toei, Bird Studios, Shonen Jump, Funimation, and Viz, not me. However, you will see some characters that weren't created by Toriyama-san, and those are my brainchildren. No money was made in the production of this work, more's the pity.


Chapter Twenty-Two

"Well, looks like it's just us this morning, boys," Vegeta murmured. At least he'd gotten a couple hours of weight lifting in before they'd woken up. It was his responsibility to watch them that morning, as the elder Briefs were on their weekend trip, Bulma had taken the rare opportunity to sleep in a little, and Geta had taken Anya to her physician for an early morning prenatal checkup. This Geta did despite being quite able to tell that his unborn daughter was in perfect health, as was her mother. Vegeta held back a sigh. Bulma had insisted upon the same thing during her pregnancy even after she'd been assured there was no further danger to the unborn baby she carried, but then again, Vegeta hadn't taken much interest in his son until after he'd returned from space. He pushed the despondent thoughts aside in favor of the two children before him.

Two pairs of huge blue eyes looked up at him from their respective cribs. "Okay, Ganpa!" Vegeta didn't seem too concerned, but then his expression changed. "I hungee!"

"You're hungry? Grandpa's hungry, too. Let's get you two dressed and then we'll go get something to eat," Vegeta acknowledged the boy.

VJ pulled himself upright using the side of the crib. "Da-ee!" He got his balance and held his arms out. "Da-ee! Uh!"

Vegeta couldn't help but smile. "You want up, huh?" He scooped VJ up and was reaching down for his grandson when a look of extreme concentration spread over his son's face, followed by a noise and an awful smell.

"Oh, great," Vegeta muttered, standing back up and trying to keep from gagging. "Thanks for the present, kid."

***

Vegeta hurriedly pulled on a clean pair of jeans, nearly losing his balance in the process. He'd managed to get both boys cleaned up and dressed in record time. Now he was attempting to do the same for himself without all hell breaking loose in the meantime. He had put them both in the playpen in the nursery, but neither of the two children was one that could be left unattended for more than two seconds without a catastrophe taking place. The babbles from the other room were getting consistently louder, meaning that neither child wanted to be in that playpen, nor probably would be for much longer.

"Ganpa!" came the insistent little voice of his grandson. "Hungee!"

"Okay, I'm coming," Vegeta muttered, pulling on a pair of shoes. As he headed for the nursery, he paused by Bulma's door and placed his ear to it. Detecting that her breathing was deep and even and equating that to her still being asleep, he moved on. Scooping up the children and a capsule car he knew contained car seats, he hastily scribbled a note and left it on the kitchen countertop before heading out.

***

"Good morning, and welcome to the Interglobal Waffle Place. How many of you today?" the hostess asked.

"Just me and two children's seats," Vegeta responded, noting the looks he was noticing from a couple of young women also waiting to be seated. 'Cute' and 'sweet' were two of the words he heard as they whispered and giggled to each other. 'Hunk' was another one, and he was positive they were not referring to the children in this instance.

"Will that be smoking or non?" the hostess asked.

"Non." Vegeta scowled. "I have two babies with me," he objected. Maybe he defiled his own body with the horrible cancer sticks he smoked, but that didn't mean he would allow his son and grandson to be exposed to the same.

"Yes, of course," the hostess told him, grabbing a menu. "But not everyone shares your view on that, so I have to ask. Right this way, Sir," she said, leading him to a table.

Vegeta felt a little guilty for giving her a hard time for just doing her job, especially since he was doing more than his share of smoking lately to calm his nerves, but he never smoked around either of the children. "Sure, sorry," he mumbled.

"It's okay," she assured him, smiling as she laid everything out for him on the table. "It's nice to see a man who cares so much about his children." She smiled at him, and her eyes dropped down for a moment, then back up, and he realized she had checked out his left hand.

"Uhm, yeah..." ~Forward little thing,~ he thought, managing back a blush. Did all women find a man with a baby attractive?

"Yaeko will be your server today. She'll bring you their seats. Enjoy your meal." She leaned down, showing off a nice amount of cleavage. "Bye-bye, cuties," she cooed and waved to the two little boys on his lap. She gave Vegeta one more quick glance and a smile before leaving.

This time Vegeta couldn't help but turn a little pink at her blatant flirting. He grabbed the menu and whipped it open. Fortunately there were plenty of pictured items and he'd already been here with Gohan, so he wasn't left completely in the dark as to the contents of the menu.

"Ganpa, hungee!" Vegeta reminded him insistently.

"I know, I'm hungry too. When the lady gets here, I'll order us some food, okay?" Vegeta grumbled.

"That's him over there at table seven, the one with the two babies. He needs high chairs for them." Despite the chatter of the other diners and her quiet voice, Vegeta's keen ears picked up on the conversation between the hostess and the woman to be his server.

"You mean the heartthrob in the blue shirt?" the other woman whispered. "Dear Kami have mercy..."

"No kidding. I wish you were hostess today. Damn, he's fine. I wouldn't mind serving him, and not just food." She giggled. "I snuck a look but I didn't see a ring."

The second woman giggled as well. "Oooh... I wonder if he's available," she whispered back.

"I dare you to ask," the hostess challenged.

"Well, if I do and he is, I get first dibs."

Vegeta glued his eyes to the menu, willing his face not to turn red. He noted the menu wiggling and looked down. Sighing, he retrieved the corner of one page from his son's mouth. "Vegeta, no-no. That's dirty."

The baby's eyes pinched shut and his face turned beet red as he prepared to let out a scream of outrage.

~Oh, great. Not here, not now!~ Vegeta cringed. "Shh! Don't scream," he murmured to the angry child. "Daddy will get you some food soon." It didn't seem to be working; VJ was holding his breath and his little fists were clenched. Vegeta could tell his son was definitely winding up to pitch a fit, and it was simply a matter of seconds before all hell really did break loose and the child would let out a loud, ear-piercing scream. The restaurant was packed with patrons and he did not want to be one of those parents whose baby screamed the entire meal, earning looks of disgust from the other diners.

Thinking quickly, Vegeta licked his finger to clean it, figuring that was better than nothing, and stuck it in the boy's mouth, effectively quieting him. He ignored the sharp little teeth gnawing on his finger, relieved that it was placating the boy for the moment and cursing himself for forgetting a bottle, or even a pacifier.

He heard a chuckle and looked up as the woman who had been talking to the hostess approached his table. "Well, hello there cuties. Looks like someone's either hungry, teething or both," she commented with a smile. "I'm Yaeko and I'll be your server today." She set down a high chair next to Vegeta and thanked a young man who had brought a second one. "Would you like me to take one of them for you?"

"Please," Vegeta responded wearily. He never expected to be willingly handing over his grandson- who happened to be closest to her and not chewing on his finger- to a complete stranger, but she seemed harmless enough.

Looks could be deceptive.

"Hello there, Sweetie," she cooed, lifting Vegeta up and buckling him into the seat.

He looked at her shyly, one finger at his mouth. "Hi."

Yaeko burst into peals of giggles. "Oh, aren't you adorable!"

"Fank you," Vegeta responded, beginning to warm up to the woman. "You pwetty."

She laughed again. "Aww, thank you! What a little charmer!" She turned her attention to the baby Vegeta was securing into the second chair. "And aren't you a precious little guy?" she asked, leaning down.

VJ looked up at her with wide blue eyes, then gave her a huge, mostly toothless smile. "Oooh, ba-ba!" he exclaimed, his hand waving towards her partially exposed cleavage.

Vegeta went beet red and snatched his son's hand away. The boy had been doing far too much of that lately. But for the love of Kami, who could blame the child this time, given what these employees were required to wear anyway? "I, uh... Sorry about that."

"Oh, he didn't mean any harm," Yaeko said innocently, straightening up. She smiled. "Will you be needing an extra menu for your wife when she arrives?"

Vegeta froze for an instant, then finished with the baby. "I'm, uhm, not married," he murmured, going a little pink. The number of times he had been blushing was becoming disgusting! ~Why are all of these women hitting on me?~

Her smile widened briefly. "Oh. Well, can I get you something to drink to start off with?" she asked, inwardly bouncing up and down with glee. ~This hottie isn't married!~

"Coffee," he responded. "Just bring the pot."

Her eyebrow rose. He did look tired. "Sure. Anything for the children?"

"Some warm milk. Do you have apple juice?"

"That I do," Yaeko confirmed cheerfully. "I'll bring some of both."

"Da-ee!" VJ was beginning to fidget.

"Yes, yes, Son. Daddy's getting breakfast. How quickly can I get a bowl of some sort of hot cereal for them to eat until the rest of the food gets here?" Vegeta asked, trying not to seem too desperate.

"I'll bring it with your beverages," she responded with a smile, trotting off to the kitchen.

Vegeta sighed and leaned back in his seat. ~Why is this so damn difficult? It's just breakfast and they're just babies.~ "Hmph." He picked up the menu again. Most everything in the pictures looked good to him, so he figured he'd just order things that he knew for sure what they were. The smells of the food emanating from passing waitstaff's trays and overhearing other people ordering also helped clue him in on what else was available on the menu.

After a few minutes Yaeko returned with a carafe of coffee, a mug of warm milk, a cup of juice and a bowl of oatmeal. She set it all in front of Vegeta. "There you go."

Both boys began whimpering and kicking their little legs at the sight of the food on the table.

"Okay, calm down," Vegeta said, shaking his head. "You two certainly aren't starving." He scooped out a spoonful of the oatmeal, blew on it, and fed it to his grandson, who promptly wrinkled up his nose.

"Yucky!" the boy declared, crossing his arms and turning his head away in what Vegeta realized was a near perfect imitation of him.

Vegeta snorted. "Well, you won't get anything else until Grandpa's food comes, so you'd better decide to like it." He put a small amount of oatmeal on the tip of the spoon and fed it to the infant on his other side, who quickly gobbled it up. "See? Even a little baby is eating it." He tsked and shook his head. "I thought you were such a big boy, too," he said, pretending to sound disappointed.

"Am big boy!" his grandson objected, pouting. "Want!"

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "Will you eat it?" he asked, giving VJ another little spoonful.

Little Vegeta contemplated this. "Okay," he decided.

Yaeko laughed. "I'm sorry, he's just so cute," she said apologetically. "What can I get for you?"

Vegeta glanced down at the menu briefly before continuing to feed the children on either side of him. "I'll take a tall stack of blueberry pancakes and a short stack of buttermilk pancakes, two Belgian waffles, one with strawberries and whipped cream and the other with peaches and ice cream, the cinnamon raisin french toast, the everything omelette with absolutely no green peppers, hash browns, sausage links, brown sugar ham, bacon, and fried apples." He glanced up at Yaeko, who was scribbling furiously. "Are you getting all of this?"

"Mmm-hmm. Did you want either grits or biscuits with that?" She looked up from her order pad. "It comes with either or both."

"Sure, why not?" Vegeta shrugged. "Also the eggs Benedict, a piece of the bacon, egg and cheese breakfast casserole, some sausage gravy, and a big dish of fresh fruit. Oh, and throw some pastries and a loaf of banana bread on there. You like banana bread, Vegeta, remember?"

"Mmm!" the little boy hummed in agreement, licking his lips. "Mama make yummy!"

"Yes, she does." Vegeta glanced down at the menu again. "Oh, steak and eggs. I forgot about that."

Yaeko took it all in stride. "How would you like your steak?"

"Rare."

"Eggs?"

"Poached."

"I can do basted. Is that all right?"

"Sure, sure. Vegeta, stop kicking Grandpa."

"What kind of toast?"

"Rye."

"More hash browns?"

"How about corned beef hash?"

"You got it." She looked up at him skeptically. "Anything else?" she teased.

"Is this the place with the fried green tomatoes I've been hearing about?"

She let out a disbelieving laugh. "Yes. I'll add them on." She leaned in a little closer. "Okay, are you for real here or just pulling my leg?"

Before he could respond, Vegeta's phone made a noise he recognized as indication of a new text message. "Hold on one second," he requested. "I'm for real... okay, double my order and throw on another order of french toast besides. Looks like my other son and his wife are on their way." He grinned at the astonished waitress.

"Da-ee!" VJ waved his arms at his father.

"Ganpa, baby Veeta hungee," little Vegeta informed his grandfather solemnly.

Vegeta's eyebrow rose. "You mean you're hungry, right?"

"Uh-huh."

Vegeta gave the boy a smirk of amusement as Yaeko giggled. The children were cute, he had to admit. "Well, if you can hold your horses for a bit, we'll have plenty of food coming, okay?" he told the hungry little boy as he rapidly texted his response.

Little Vegeta huffed a sigh of reluctant acceptance. "Okay," he finally agreed.

"Da-eeeeee..."

"Daddy's getting us food," Vegeta responded, slipping his phone back into its case. "Some orange juice and another coffee mug. I think that's everything," he told Yaeko, who was smiling at the children as she waited.

"Sure thing. I'll put this in right away." Yaeko rushed off, whispered something he didn't catch to the passing hostess briefly, and headed for the kitchen.

Vegeta had to wonder what exactly she was saying this time. His thought was answered, at least in part, when a couple other employees came over, cleaned up a table which had just been vacated, and pushed it and some chairs over to the one he and the children were sitting at.

"Here you go, Sir," one of them said. "Let one of us know if you need anything else."

Vegeta nodded. "Thanks."

"Ganpa, is Da! Is Mama!" little Vegeta exclaimed, having seen his parents approaching.

"So it is," Vegeta agreed, holding in a laugh as his son approached and the employee's eyes grew wide at the sight of the much taller man. "Hello, Geta, Anya."

"Hey, Father," Geta responded as he and Anya settled down at the table. "You did order already, right?"

"I hope so. His stomach's been growling for the past hour," Anya supplied.

Geta shifted in his chair. "I'm hungry!" he objected, sore at being poked fun at for probably the hundredth time.

Vegeta let out an amused noise as the last employee scuttled off, no doubt to assure the cooks that the order they'd just gotten was indeed real. "Yes, I did. No worries, we've got plenty of food coming."

"DA-EE!" VJ shrieked, making several heads turn.

Vegeta turned to his son and let out a hiss of disapproval, holding up his finger for emphasis. "Daddy ordered food, so you stop that this instant," he reprimanded the boy.

VJ pouted and let out a huff of defiance. "Wan num-num."

"Yes, I know. The food will be here soon." Vegeta ran his hand over his son's soft hair. "I also know that you are able to be nice until then, right?"

"Okay, Da-ee," the boy conceded.

Anya giggled. "Poor little baby," she crooned.

"Baby Veeta hungee, Mama," Vegeta told his mother, as if she hadn't already grasped the concept herself.

"Yes, I see," Anya acknowledged.

Geta reached over to grasp his wife's hand. "Vegeta, the baby in Mama's tummy is growing bigger and bigger," he announced, unable to keep a silly proud grin off his face. "Soon you'll have a baby sister. How about that, hmm?"

The boy wrinkled his nose in distaste. "Icky!"

Both of his parents laughed, and even Vegeta smirked at the boy. "Hey, do you think Mama is icky?" Geta asked in amusement. "What about Grandma or Gram? Or Miss Etsuko?"

Vegeta considered this. "Well... No icky."

"Some girls are icky," Vegeta supplied, earning himself The Look from his grandson's parents, "but there are lots of them who aren't, like your mama and Grandma and Gram. Since your mama is having your sister, I'm sure she won't be icky." He straightened up as Yaeko approached the table with a heavily laden tray of food.

"Okay- nana bwead!" Vegeta exclaimed upon seeing one of his favorite yummies, bouncing in his seat.

Yaeko took the newest occupants of the table in stride as she opened up a portable holder for the tray, which she set upon it. "Yes, I have banana bread with me," she agreed. "What a smart little boy you are."

The boy sat up straight in his high chair, puffing out his chest in indignance. "Am big boy," he informed the obviously unknowing waitress.

Yaeko giggled. "Wow, look at you," she commented as she set fruit and baked goods onto the table. "Kami, you're cute."

"We say 'thank you'," Anya prompted, although anyone could see that the proud young mother herself meant it just as much.

"Fank you, pwetty lady," the boy said, pleased when the lady seemed happy by what he'd said.

"They're working as fast as possible to get out your food," Yaeko assured her hungry customers. "I'll bring it out as it's ready." She spied the two men. "You're really serious about all that food, aren't you?"

Part way through her question, Geta's stomach rumbled louder than she'd ever heard one rumble before, quickly followed by Vegeta's. Anya gave the wide-eyed waitress an amused look. "Very serious, I assure you. This one," she continued, nodding toward Vegeta with her chin, "ate three bellyaches and one of every dessert including an avalanche in one sitting at Buffalo Bob's once, then ate a full-blown turkey dinner a few hours later."

"Holy cow." Yaeko could tell that Anya was serious by the smug look on Vegeta's face. "I'll tell them to hurry up with your order."

***

Vegeta situated both children into the back seat of the car. "That sure hit the spot, didn't it?" he commented as he closed the door.

Anya giggled. "Oh, the look on her face was priceless when you wanted to place another order," she added. "Good thing you told her it wasn't for you."

Vegeta chuckled. "I could have fit more. Hey, calm down in there, will you?" he instructed the two restless occupants of the car.

"Ganpa, gotta potty!" Vegeta yelled.

Vegeta gave Anya and Geta a crooked smile. "Great. See you at home later." He got into the car and drove off.

Anya winced as the car fishtailed as it turned onto the street with a screech of its tires. "Pops... Well, I at least have to say that I'm pleasantly surprised by how easily that came out of his mouth."

Geta rewound his memory a few seconds until he remembered what his father had said, despite everything that had happened in the past few months.

See you at home.

Geta smiled and curled an arm around his wife. His father probably hadn't even realized how he'd referred to Capsule Corp, and it warmed his heart as well that Vegeta thought of it as his home. "Me too, Baby." He kissed the top of her head and lead her to their car.

***

Vegeta pushed the back door open with his foot, a child in each arm. "Hey, Bulma!" he called, hearing noise come from beyond the kitchen. "I brought you breakfast." He put both boys down to take off their coats.

Bulma came into the kitchen, only to be followed by the only individual Vegeta could honestly say he hated as much as he'd hated Frieza. "Hi babies!" She leaned over to kiss each child. "What did you get me, Vegeta?" she asked expectantly.

"What, they get kisses but not the guy who brings you food?" Vegeta complained, inwardly pleased when Hiroshi shot him a dirty look.

Bulma's cheeks flushed pink, and he wondered if he would have gotten at least a peck on the cheek if her disgusting boyfriend hadn't been present. "Vegeta, really."

"Yeah, yeah. Here." Vegeta dug a capsule out of his pocket and opened it on the counter, making wonderful smells come out.

Bulma leaned over to smell her food, the scents of raspberries and crispy bacon hitting her nose. "Ooh, cr?pes! Thanks." She paused. "Did you want some, Hiroshi?"

Hiroshi wrinkled his nose in distaste. "No, I hate pancakes," he announced.

"Okay." Bulma paused again.

"You'd better eat that before it gets cold," Vegeta told her. "The world won't stop turning if he waits ten minutes for you." He gathered the boys' coats up in one arm and VJ in the other. "Come with Grandpa, Vegeta," he prompted, not acknowledging Hiroshi as they passed by. "Enjoy the cr?pes, Bulma."

"Oh, Vegeta? I'm leaving for my birthday vacation tomorrow. Do you think you'll be able to handle a few meetings for me while I'm gone?" Bulma spoke up.

Vegeta paused in the doorway. "You're going on vacation? I hadn't heard. Someplace warm, I hope."

Bulma was grateful he hadn't made a big deal of not being informed. "Yep, blue skies and a sandy beach," she agreed. "I'll be gone for two weeks. Just have Nuiko send you my appointments and if you can't do one she can reschedule it or Daddy can help."

"Gotta potty, Ganpa!" their grandson reminded him. He'd now begun to squirm, his hands crossed over his groin.

"That's fine, Bulma," Vegeta told her in a level voice. "Have a good time."

"Vegeta..." Bulma sighed when he kept walking. "I guess I should have told him sooner."

"Oh, the world's not going to stop turning if he doesn't know everything," Hiroshi said sarcastically. "It's not as though it's any of his business anyway what you do with your time." He put an arm around her shoulders. "Didn't you say you wanted a new sundress before you leave? Let's go find you one." He steered her toward the door. "Grab your coat and we'll get out of here."

"But..." Bulma eyed the cr?pes on the counter as Hiroshi guided her from the kitchen.

***

Vegeta looked up from his easel at the two children asleep on his bed and sighed. Mrs. Briefs had been correct- art did help relieve his stress. He set the charcoal in his hand down on the edge of the easel and wiped the gray dust on his fingers on his jeans. He knew that Hiroshi had herded Bulma out if the house without giving her time to eat, as he'd found his offering cold and stale on the counter when he'd gone back to the kitchen to get lunch. ~Stupid bastard. At least she'll be away from him for two weeks.~

He glanced at the phone number written along with Yaeko's name on the credit card receipt from breakfast and sighed again. He didn't want Yaeko or Rikae or any of the multitude of women who'd slipped him their numbers. He just wanted her. But he couldn't have her.

Tossing the receipt into the trash, Vegeta carefully scooped up the two children and placed them into their respective cribs before heading down the stairs. Anya and Geta were making a day of it so they weren't home yet. The house seemed so quiet and empty, which unnerved him for some reason he couldn't put his finger on.

Vegeta went into the den and tossed an oversized beanbag down in front of the television. "Maybe kicking some flunky ass will make me feel better," he muttered, flopping down onto the beanbag and pulling out one of his favorite video games.

***

Bulma placed the capsule containing her luggage into her pocket and headed downstairs. The kids were asleep, so she decided to say goodbye to Vegeta and get going. Anya and Geta were still out, so she figured he must be home to watch the children.

The house was quiet save for sounds coming from the den. She opened the door and stepped inside. "Vegeta?"

Sonic landed on a spike, sending rings scattering everywhere. Vegeta paused the game and turned to give her a mildly irritated look. "That's not the first time you've done that to me, you know," he said dryly. "When did you get back? I didn't know you were home."

She giggled and came into the room further. "Just a few minutes ago. And just because you're easily distracted doesn't mean you can blame me," she informed him, plopping down onto the beanbag beside him.

Vegeta inhaled deeply. How could she honestly not know how she affected him after all they'd been through together? Or perhaps she knew and conveniently ignored it? "That's not entirely true," he murmured. "You've always been able to distract me. Always." He pushed himself up to get up from the beanbag.

"Hey, wait a minute," Bulma objected, reaching over to grab his arm. "Don't go yet."

Vegeta held back a sigh and did as she asked. "What is it, Bulma?"

"I... I really..." Bulma wasn't sure how to phrase her question, but he got the point.

"Yes, you are a huge distraction to me. I have told you this before," Vegeta reminded her. "I am usually aware of anyone wherever he or she is if they are nearby. But you... Do you have any idea how often you have been able to walk up behind me without me detecting your presence? At the same time, you are so deeply ingrained in me that I can feel you here, inside of me." He placed her hand over his heart. "I can tell if you are happy or sad, excited or bored, tired or wide awake. I..." He trailed off, turning his head to look straight ahead.

Bulma suddenly recalled how she had felt some odd awareness that hadn't been her own a couple of times- just before the GR had exploded, while he'd been in space, when he'd tried to get Goku to do away with him while sparring. She moved her hand from his chest. "Our bond?" she heard herself asking.

He turned his head to look at her and said nothing, but simply gave her a little nod before looking away again.

She reached over to lay a hand over his, noting the nearly unnoticeable flinch he gave off at her touch. "I'm sorry, Vegeta."

"Sorry for our bond?" he asked bitterly. Although he might have behaved to the contrary in the past, he'd never truly seen their bond as a burden, nor had he regretted forming it with her, despite how much its existence distracted him.

Now he understood just why it did.

Bulma's eyes teared up. "No Vegeta, no! I'm sorry that it causes you so much pain, and that I'm the cause of it," she told him sadly.

Vegeta picked up her hand, running his thumb along her palm in a gentle caress. "You're not the reason we broke up, Bulma," he told her softly, wondering if she felt as much hurt from the bond as he did. He twined his fingers through hers, suddenly needing the security of the gesture. "Why did you come in here?"

Bulma felt her breath hitch as his fingers curled closed around hers and felt a little grateful for the change of the topic of conversation, even though it needed to be discussed. "I have an early morning flight, so I'm going to stay the night at a hotel by the airport. I wanted to tell you that I'm leaving before I go."

"I see." Vegeta looked back over to her and leaned in closer. "Will you do something for me before you go?" he murmured.

Bulma felt her body grow warmer. "What's that?" she murmured back, not sure she wanted to hear the answer but at the same needing to hear it. Suddenly, she felt him set something down on her lap with his free hand.

"Just for a little while?" he asked.

Bulma looked down at the object on her lap and giggled when she saw what it was. "Oh, I suppose we could go a round or two," she responded in a low voice.

Vegeta bit back a groan. "Don't tease," he murmured, accepting the game she handed back to him and letting go of her hand to start the game.

"Sorry," she said remorsefully, although she wasn't entirely sure she was. She hadn't been with anyone, not even Hiroshi, since Vegeta had left her to go to space, and felt the need now and then. It was worst around him, the memories of their time together and how wonderful he had made her feel flooding back to her mind.

"Bulma!" his voice came insistently as he gave her a little nudge. "Do you still want to play?"

"Huh?" Bulma snapped out of her daydream and felt a blush tinging her cheeks. "Yeah, just thinking of something," she mumbled.

Vegeta held back a smile and handed her a controller. Despite being ki restricted at the moment, that didn't restrict his senses in the slightest and he knew what had been the subject of her thoughts.

***

"Hello?" Anya called out as she and Geta shed their coats. "Where is everyone?"

Geta paused as he felt out for any familiar ki. "Mother and Father are in the den," he reported.

"Oh," Anya responded slowly, as if she was unsure about how to respond to that before heading that way, her husband on her heels.

"Oh yeah, now that's what I'm talking about!" they heard Vegeta announce before laughing heartily.

"Ugh! I'm so sick of playing with you!" Bulma yelled in response.

"Oh, you know you like it when I dominate you," Vegeta quipped.

Geta opened the door to see his parents sitting cross-legged on an oversized beanbag in front of the television, Vegeta fairly shaking with silent laughter as he completed what Geta was sure was not his first four-line Tetris.

"Stop laughing, you big brute," Bulma pouted as random pieces flooded onto her side of the screen.

"Sorry," Vegeta said rather unrepentantly. "You're just so hot when you're angry."

They could see a flush of pink on the back of Bulma's neck. "Oh, stop it," she objected half-heartedly. She looked down at her watch. "Holy cow, we've been playing for two hours!" she exclaimed. "I've got to get going if I'm going to get to my hotel at a decent hour."

"So soon?" Vegeta objected. "Don't you want to say goodbye to the children first? They've been down for a few hours so they should be waking up soon."

Bulma hesitated. "I don't know. I don't want to see them upset that I'm leaving," she told him.

"I know exactly what you mean," Vegeta responded in an uncharacteristically soft voice, making her drop her head.

"Vegeta, I..." Bulma began, clearly moved by his words.

"Bulma? Pops?"

Bulma and Vegeta twisted around to see the young couple standing in the doorway. Vegeta scowled; what they had interrupted was private. "How long have you two been standing there?" he demanded, getting to his feet.

"Not too long," Geta assured him. "I'm glad you're still here, Mother. I'd like to say goodbye to you before you go."

Bulma got up and came over to give him and Anya hugs. "I'm glad too," she told them. "But I really need to go now." She turned back to Vegeta. "Thanks for the game. I had fun."

Vegeta watched her leave. "Yeah," he muttered. "Did you two eat dinner yet?"

"Yes, we did," Geta told him. "Are you all right?"

Vegeta realized he was moping and scowled. "Fine, why wouldn't I be?"

"Just making sure is all, Pops," Anya spoke up.

"I'm fine," Vegeta repeated. "I'm going to order some pizza."

Anya and Geta exchanged a glance. He didn't look fine. He looked depressed.

***

Vegeta leaned against his elbow on the desk as he looked at the notes Hina had translated for him. He didn't particularly want to make this call for Bulma, but it was an important client and he didn't want to make him wait. He didn't want to give the client to Dr. Briefs either, as the older man had just gotten back and had enough of his own calls to return.

A knock at his door made him look up from the file on his desk. "Come in."

Hina walked in with some files in her hand. "Vegeta, Bulma checked in and said to ask you to find her white pool coverup and that it should be hanging in her closet. She said to give it to Nuiko because Nuiko has a few things to give her."

Vegeta frowned. Was Geta dropping something off? "How will Nuiko get it to her?"

To his surprise, Hina went a little pale. "She... Bulma didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

Hina sighed. "Hiroshi is going to meet her at the resort," she said quietly, her heart wrenching for Vegeta when his face fell.

"I see," Vegeta said in kind. "Tell Nuiko I will find it for her tonight." He picked up the phone to call Bulma's client.

"I'm sorry," Hina whispered as she placed the files in his inbox.

Vegeta paused in his dialing long enough to give her a nod of acknowledgement. It wasn't her fault, but he could plainly see that she felt wretched about being the one to tell him. He sighed as the door clicked shut. It was just another of Hiroshi's indignities he had to bear, one that made him feel that he was falling further and further away from any resolution with Bulma.

***

Vegeta sat down in one of the chairs in front of Dr. Briefs' desk. "So, how was your trip?"

Dr. Briefs smiled. "Oh, it was absolutely wonderful. The missus and I both loved the place. We'd like to go back for longer sometime." He shifted in his chair. "How have you been holding up, Son?"

"Fine," Vegeta assured him. "I'm still in the process of making a few calls for Bulma, but I'm starting to catch up on everything else I've got on my desk right now. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you that I had Hina advertise the Human Resources Director position-"

"No, how have you been holding up?" Dr. Briefs interrupted gently.

Vegeta dropped his eyes and bit at his lip, a habit he had picked up from Bulma herself. "Fine, I guess," he mumbled.

Dr. Briefs wasn't buying it. "Are you sure there's nothing you'd like to talk about?" he pressed gently. As before, Vegeta wasn't acting like himself.

"Did she really go on vacation with him?" Vegeta asked, without looking back up.

Dr. Briefs held back a frown, having suspected what the problem had been. He'd stayed out of it, not wanting to be in the middle of the situation concerning Bulma's choice of travel companion. "I'm afraid so," he confirmed. "There will only be a few days when they will both be there, but, nonetheless..."

"I can't do this," Vegeta blurted in a choked voice. "I cannot stand to sit back and watch this any longer. You and I have spoken about expanding to Eastern Country. I will do the scouting for you. I will go to Eastern Capital, Big Apple, Sage City, Cherry Hills, or anywhere else you want for me to go." Visibly struggling to control the emotions he both cursed and embraced, he turned away from Dr. Briefs, his head down and breathing heavily. "I will go." His voice was little more than a whisper. Humiliated by his second bout of what he considered weakness in a week's time, he inhaled deeply in an attempt to hold himself together, but it did little good. Utter despair overtook him; he would be a fool to expect that Bulma and Hiroshi would be staying in separate rooms. Why would they? They were dating, after all. They were mates... The ray of hope he had felt from B's visit withered and died from the crushing blow this latest news had dealt him.

Dr. Briefs felt as though he had been stabbed in the heart when the proud young man grabbed a tissue, the back of his neck turning bright red in embarrassment. "All right, Vegeta," he said quietly. "If that's your wish, go ahead and make the arrangements."

Vegeta nodded. ~How could I be so weak as to fall apart twice in hardly more than a week's time, let alone at all?~ "I will," he managed.

"Vegeta, I want you to ask if you want anything at all, understand?" Dr. Briefs' voice did not leave room for argument. "I will support whatever you decide."

"Thank you, Shatsu," came the small response.

"You're welcome, Vegeta." Dr. Briefs turned to leave in order to allow him some privacy, then paused. "I will miss having you here, Son."

His statement hit Vegeta like a load of bricks. "Yes, there is something I want," he decided, stopping the doctor in his tracks, "although I will understand completely if you do not support me on it."

"What is it?"

"If we make this happen, in all likelihood I can expect to be gone for long periods of time, correct? Away from my son." Vegeta blew his nose and threw the tissue in the trash.

"I hadn't thought about it, but probably so- Ohhhh..." Dr. Briefs felt another stab of sympathy for Vegeta rush over him as he realized the true meaning behind his question. "You had best speak to Bulma about that."

"Of course," Vegeta agreed, helping himself to the hand sanitizer on Dr. Briefs' desk. "I am not expecting her to be pleased about it." He sighed tiredly. "The boy will be living on another planet when he is old enough to take the princess for his wife, so I will rarely see him after that. And everyone keeps telling me how fast they grow up. I do not wish to be a stranger in my own son's life, someone who only caused his birth and periodically trains him."

Before Dr. Briefs could respond, the phone rang. He gave Vegeta an apologetic look. "I'd better answer this. It's Bulma," he reported, feeling even worse when Vegeta shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Hello, Bulma."

"Hey, Daddy," Bulma's voice came through the speakerphone. "Just wanted to check in with you. How was your trip?"

"Oh, wonderful," Dr. Briefs responded, holding up a finger when it looked like Vegeta was about to get up to leave. "Vegeta and I were just talking about it."

"Oh. He's in the room?"

"I'm here, yes," Vegeta spoke up. "I take it you are having an enjoyable time?"

"Yes, it's absolutely beautiful here," Bulma responded, feeling a little awkward. There was something about his voice that bothered her. "Did I interrupt something important?"

"No, no, it's fine. There is something that Vegeta and I need to discuss with you, anyway," Dr. Briefs told her.

"Okay." Bulma was at a loss as to whatever it might be that couldn't wait until she got back. "Is something wrong?"

Dr. Briefs steepled his fingers. "Vegeta and I have been discussing the possibility of future expansion for Capsule Corp," he informed her. "We are looking at several larger cities in Eastern Country. The numbers certainly seem to support it now, after Energy Technologies."

"Really? That's great!" Bulma exclaimed excitedly. "I wondered if we'd ever go that route, but I never had any time to pursue it."

Dr. Briefs nodded. "We're going to send someone over there to do a little legwork, in order to select what seems to be the most suitable location."

"Did you have anyone in mind yet?" she asked.

"Yes," Vegeta responded, after the doctor's pause tipped him off that he should field this question. "I am going."

Bulma paused. "You, Vegeta?"

"Why not?" he countered. "It was my idea."

"It's his project," Dr. Briefs added. "I intend to give him full authorization to run with this."

Bulma knew exactly what something this huge meant- he would be working constantly, would probably never be home. It had happened to her in the past and she'd dealt with it, but now that she had a baby and a... a...

A what? Bulma couldn't bring herself to fill in the blank.

"But why you? Why not send someone else?" she asked in a quiet voice.

"As your father said, this is my project," Vegeta reminded her. "Why should it make any difference to you whether I go or someone else does? Do you wish for me not to go?"

"I-" Bulma couldn't think of a solid reason for him not to go- not one that didn't touch her personally, anyway. "What about VJ?" she asked, suddenly experiencing a despairing feeling of loss when she realized how much she would miss him while he was gone. It would be different this time, different than the times he'd gone to space. He'd be close, yet so far away.

"I will miss our son," Vegeta admitted. "But I am certain that we can arrange for a mutually acceptable joint custody arrangement with visitation for whomever he is not living with at the time." He shot the doctor a look that asked him to go along with the flow of the conversation.

Bulma found herself completely floored. She'd never expected him to do anything remotely close to this. "J-joint custody? Visitation? What do you mean?"

"Bulma, certainly you realize that I will be spending extended periods of time overseas to complete this project, most likely months at a time," Vegeta told her matter-of-factly. "I do not intend to be a stranger to my own son. And do not forget that as part of his service to Gerdia, he will be required to protect not only the crown but the populace as well. He must be adequately trained in that area and in the ways of formalities of the royal court."

Bulma was still in shock. ~He... he's really leaving? But... I...~

Vegeta picked up on her hesitation and decided to snap her out of it the most effective way he could. "That being said, I have decided to take Vegeta with me when I leave."

"What? You want to take my baby halfway across the planet with you?" she shrieked.

"Why not?" Vegeta responded casually. "I won't be gone too long this time, and he is my son too, remember? I need to make airline reservations for both of us, so unless you were planning for your mate to bring him along on vacation with you, which I doubt he'd appreciate, you'll be fine until you get back, won't you?"

Unbeknownst to them, Bulma's eyes widened; not only had she caught the carefully worded statement within his question, but, within that same statement, he'd revealed that he somehow knew that her vacation plans included Hiroshi. What could she say in response? "I..."

"Ah, so the office grapevine was correct," Vegeta remarked. "I am fortunate that a certain employee who has at least a small measure of respect for me was decent enough to tell me privately before I heard the wrong way and ended up in an embarrassing situation because of it." He crossed his arms, scowling, the irritation coming through in his voice. "You might have had the courage to tell me yourself, unless, of course, you thought I would have some reason to be upset about it. Should I?"

Bulma blushed bright pink, glad he couldn't see her. "What I do on my own personal time is none of your or anyone else's business, Vegeta," she snapped.

Vegeta was counting his blessings that he had heard the news from Hina before he'd gotten wind of all the gossip going around. And boy, was it ever going around. "Then Bulma, why does the entire Marketing department know about it? And Engineering, Community Relations, Administration, just to name a few. Even your own science lab is gossiping about it. Only this time, I am not the subject when it comes to rumors about you," Vegeta informed her.

Bulma gasped, but then her eyes narrowed. How dare he? Before she could begin her verbal assault on him, he continued.

"I did not confront you with this to insult you or hurt you," Vegeta said quietly, "and I do apologize for doing this in the presence of your father, but he does have the right to know what is going on around here."

There was a long pause. "No."

Vegeta frowned, confused. "No, what? You don't think that-"

"No, you're not taking my son with you," she said flatly. "You're going in there blind. You don't know-"

"Do you honestly think that I would deliberately bring harm to my own son, Bulma?" Vegeta interrupted incredulously. "You know me better than that."

"Do I?" Bulma asked coolly.

"Bulma, I am not going to do this with you," Vegeta murmured. It tore at him that he had just lost control of his emotions because of her for the third time, and now she was giving him the third degree. "I will not pick a fight with you, nor will I again make the mistake of saying something hurtful before I leave because I foolishly believed that it would be easier to go if you were angry at me."

There was another long pause on the other end of the line. "Vegeta, I..." Bulma sighed.

"I'll leave you two alone to talk things out," Dr. Briefs spoke up.

They waited in silence until the doctor left the room. "Bulma, I am very sorry that I hurt you," Vegeta murmured. "If I could take back that day, I would without hesitation. I don't want to hurt you further, and you know that I could never allow any harm to come to our son."

"I know," Bulma conceded, not verbalizing which part- or parts- of his statement she was referring to. "I just... He's my baby."

"I know," Vegeta acknowledged. "You told me that you will be gone for two weeks. If I am gone for longer than that, I will have Geta come get him upon your return. How does that sound?"

"I... I don't know," Bulma murmured.

"I will defend our son with my life," Vegeta said firmly. "I will never allow him to be in an unsafe situation. Besides," he continued, his voice softening, "there is no reason for him to be separated from both of us, is there?"

Bulma sighed again. "All right," she finally agreed. "As long as you take good care of him and he comes home when I do."

Vegeta found himself a little offended by the very thought that he wouldn't properly care for his son, but at the same time he understood the bond between parent and child and decided to let it go. "Agreed. Don't worry about Vegeta. He will be with me continually. All right?"

"All right."

"Good. I will e-mail you my itinerary as soon as it is available," Vegeta assured her.

Bulma thought about him mentioning sending Geta if his trip extended longer than her vacation and frowned to herself. "When are you leaving?" she asked.

"As soon as I can make the arrangements," he told her. He wanted nothing to do with her vacation or covering for her further. Besides, being away on this business trip would keep his mind away from her and her travel companion. "I only need to make a couple more phone calls in your behalf, and the rest of my work can wait."

"Oh." Bulma found herself surprised by not only this turn of events but especially by how quickly he was leaving.

"Yes." Vegeta felt decidedly uncomfortable by the situation and decided it would be best to end the call. "I should go home and pack. I will find your robe for you as well."

"Okay. Thanks."

There was another awkward pause. "Bulma?"

Bulma's heart leapt up in her throat. "Yes, Vegeta?"

"I'm sorry. For everything." Vegeta hit the release button, ending the call before she could say anything in response, and leaned heavily against Dr. Briefs' desk, his hands over his face as he let out a long sigh. The whole situation was messed up. He could only hope that getting away for a while doing something as important as preparing for this project would help him get her off his mind.

***

Vegeta sighed as the same ugly polka-dotted suitcase with a ratty piece of neon-colored cloth tied to its handle made its way around the baggage claim carousel for the third time, willing himself not to be impatient as he waited for his own suitcase. Why couldn't he have taken a private flight as Bulma had? On his initial flight out of Western Capital, it was bad enough the way he'd gotten frisked at the airport, but to his extreme annoyance the security officer had refused to allow him to carry his luggage on board via a capsule and had made him check his suitcase. Even worse, the man had attempted to confiscate the capsule until Vegeta had told him that he couldn't give it up, claiming it held trade secrets. In the end, he had called Geta, who had unfortunately made quite the sight when he teleported into the middle of security and taken the capsule before teleporting back home. When all was said and done and Vegeta had finally arrived at his hotel in Sage City, his first destination, Geta had popped by again to deliver the remaining contents of the capsule- a laptop, a fully stocked diaper bag, and a briefcase. Needless to say, traveling with all of that and an infant had not exactly been easy, especially since he'd had to cram the laptop bag into the overstuffed diaper bag so he wouldn't exceed his carry-on limit (no, the boy could not carry anything on; he'd tried that argument). He'd finally caved and bought a piece of carry-on luggage small enough that he could bring the bare essentials with him on his flights.

He sighed again when his luggage finally emerged from the depths of the baggage claim and slid onto the conveyor belt. Shifting VJ a little more snugly against him with one arm, he reached out to grab his suitcase, a relieved feeling flooding over him as the tag on it confirmed it to be his. It had already gotten misdirected twice during this trip and he had no desire to repeat the experience. He'd have to get a neon cloth of his own.

What? Hell, no! He'd have to invent a capsule that didn't look like a capsule and wouldn't be detected like a capsule. Maybe something that connected to his keys. Humans always had fifty billion things unassociated with keys on their keyrings anyway. He'd seen rodents' feet, whistles, flashlights, miniature shopping cards, pill bottles, pocket knives, and other equally unrelated items dangling from people's keyrings. He shook his head briefly, willing the thought away. For the love of Kami, who cared about keyrings? This trip had become exhausting, and all he cared about at the moment was getting to his hotel.

VJ yawned and rubbed at his eyes. "Da-ee, ni-ni," he whimpered, looking up at his father with pleading blue eyes.

Vegeta ran a hand over his son's hair. "I know, Daddy is tired too," he consoled. He hadn't realized that the way humans typically mass traveled by air could be so tiring; after all, wasn't he just sitting in a seat? But it was tiring and they were both overly fatigued as a result of constant traveling every couple days. Even so, he didn't regret bringing his son along for an instant. At times, it had been the child who had kept him going. In any case, the faster he could fly under his own power again, the better. "We'll get to our hotel and have a snack so we can go night-night, okay?"

VJ rested his head on Vegeta's shoulder. "Okay, Da-ee."

Relieved again when his son responded positively, Vegeta stacked his carry-on on top of his suitcase and wheeled the luggage toward the elevator leading to the shuttle pick up zone. If he could just get through this last leg of the trip in Strawberry Fields, he could go home and sleep in his own bed.

***

Vegeta sat cross-legged on the bed with his laptop, typing his daily report. He had just put VJ down for the night and didn't really prefer to do more work after a long day but it was easier to just get it done rather than try to remember all of the details the next day. He looked up from his laptop when he heard a knock at the door. Out of habit, he almost searched out for a ki but remembered his restriction. Besides, it wasn't as though he'd actually know anyone here. "Who is it?" he called out, unsure of who would be knocking at his door and why.

"Bulma."

Vegeta froze. "No, it can't be," he murmured to himself. Although, since he had left his itinerary with both her and Dr. Briefs, it wasn't completely unbelievable who the person on the other side of the door was. But why would she be here? Perhaps she had cut her vacation short for some reason and had come by to claim their son. "Just a minute."

He put his laptop on the nightstand and got up, briefly checking on VJ, who was still asleep. He took a deep breath and opened the door. Indeed, Bulma stood before him. "Bulma, what are you doing here?" He stepped aside and gestured that she should come in, shutting the door behind her.

"I missed my little Vegeta," she told him a little apologetically. "But I missed my big Vegeta, too." She looked up at him through her lashes. "Both of them." Her eyes traveled down briefly, then back up to meet his again.

Vegeta's eyes widened; surely she didn't mean what it seemed like she did. "B-Bulma?"

She gave him a knowing smile as she unbuttoned her blouse and slid it off, letting it tumble down into a pile of silk on the floor. "I know you want me, Vegeta," she murmured in a sultry voice. "I want you, too." Her skirt quickly followed the blouse.

"What... what about Hiroshi?" Vegeta whispered. By the gods, he wanted her! But it was disgraceful to touch another man's mate in such a way. To his disappointment he forced himself to back off, knowing full well that he wouldn't be able to stop himself if she touched him with those soft, warm hands that he would never forget the feel of on his body.

Bulma's lower lip protruded into a pout. "What about Hiroshi? I'm through with him." She reached behind her back and unhooked her bra, tossing it at him and taking advantage of his surprise as he caught it by slipping off her panties, giggling throatily at his expression as she did so.

He groaned as her fingers slipped under the waistband of his shorts and pulled them down, leaving him naked as well. Unable to hold back any longer, he wrapped his arms around her when she embraced him, pressing herself closely against him.

"I want you, Vegeta," she breathed in his ear. She nibbled her way down his neck, down to the mark she'd left where she'd bitten him. She ran her tongue over it, and he was incapable of suppressing a shudder. "Make love to me," she demanded. "I need you now!"

He stumbled backwards as she pressed against him, the backs of his legs hitting the mattress. The next thing he knew, she had pushed him back onto the bed and climbed atop him, and was kissing him with a fierce passion. He rolled them over, devouring her mouth with his own as his hands roamed hungrily over her body. She gasped and moaned and trembled at his attentions, encouraging him to continue.

She hissed with pleasure as he-

Vegeta woke with a start, wondering what had roused him, and cursed in several different languages as he heard his son begin to wail. He rolled over to look at the clock. Its large green numbers glared back at him in the darkness.

1:36

He had been in the middle of his fondest dream- Bulma had dumped Hiroshi. This time, however, she had sought him out, with only one thought, one intention in mind, and every intention of acting on it. Why, oh why did the boy have to wake up now? He rolled out of the bed with a groan. "Even five minutes would have been nice. Okay, I'm coming, I'm coming," he muttered as he made his way to the crib in the corner. He paused as he reached down to pick up his son. "Well, not anymore," he told the crying infant in a soothing voice. "Somebody made sure of that, didn't they? That's okay, I'm better off not dreaming about your mother like that."

A loud noise in the hallway interrupted him, and he turned his head toward the door, resting his sniffling son up against his chest as he began shushing the child. "What the hell?"

He heard it again, and his keen hearing detected two voices.

"Be quiet, would you? You're going to wake someone up."

"Good, then they can help with this luggage. Did everyone really have to bring two suitcases?"

"Jeff, that is so rude," the woman's voice whispered.

"They'll get over it! Kami, calm down already."

*THUD!*

Vegeta scowled, now knowing what had not only woken his son up, but rudely interrupted his dream as well, just when he was getting to the best part. He patted VJ's pajama-clad back one more time before laying him back down in his crib. He'd take care of these two, give them a piece of his mind!

VJ promptly began to cry even harder than before, a mournful, choked sobbing that made it evident that he did not want to be alone in his bed. It suddenly occurred to Vegeta that his son, being in a strange place with loud noises and voices he didn't recognize startling him awake, was afraid and merely wanted the comfort of being in his father's arms. It probably didn't help that the child would pick up on the angry feelings Vegeta was experiencing.

"Hey, it's all right, Son," Vegeta said soothingly, scooping the little boy back up. "Don't cry. Daddy has you." VJ immediately stopped crying and rested his head on Vegeta's shoulder, sucking his thumb. "Let's go see who woke you up and spoiled my nice dream."

He padded to the door and opened it a little, peering out into the hallway. There was another loud thump as Jeff hauled another piece of luggage off of the cart he was using and shoved it into the room.

"Excuse me," Vegeta began, holding in his irritation, "but it is 1:30 in the morning, and you woke up my son," he informed the man, aware that he would be able to see the baby he held. "Would you mind-"

"Hey, chill out, buddy," Jeff interrupted sarcastically. "I'm almost done here, so go back to getting your beauty sleep."

"I... pardon me?" Vegeta asked, stunned by this man's audacity. Several other doors were cracked open; it seemed that they had an audience.

All right. ~Well, let's not disappoint them.~

"Jeffc" The man's wife put her hand over her forehead as if staving off a headache. "I'm sorry, Sir." She turned her head. "Andrea, turn down the TV right now. In fact, turn it off."

"Calm down," a teenage girl's voice came from the room. Evidently she had the same manners- or lack, thereof- as her father. "Kami, Mom, you're such a freaking nag sometimes!"

"Yeah, you're a total nag, Mom!" another teenage girl's voice repeated.

"I'm sorry, everyone," the woman repeated, obviously embarrassed.

"Go back in the room, Helen," Jeff demanded. "Hey, short stuff! This isn't a show, so why don't you just put your whiny little brat back to bed and go away." He turned his back on Vegeta and continued with his luggage.

Vegeta's eyes narrowed. This Jeff individual had just crossed the line. He opened the long bar latch at the top of the door to prevent locking himself out and stepped out into the hallway, clad only in his black spandex training shorts. "Hey! You get over here and say that to me!" he snarled, pointing to the hallway in front of where he stood. "Come on, tough guy! I'm loaded, so let's make the intent to commit great bodily harm lawsuit you'll undoubtedly file against me worth it!" He shifted VJ in his arms so he could better look at him, an idea to further get everyone else on his side suddenly popping into his mind. In a complete change of behavior, he smiled tenderly at his son, running a gentle hand over his hair. "I know what will help you feel better. Did you want to see Daddy rearrange the weakling's face for what he said about you, Son? Yes, of course you do!" he crooned to the boy in that soothing tone of voice someone trying to get a baby to react happily would use.

VJ did not disappoint and clapped his hands, shrieking in delight. "Da-ee!" His once innocent little face twisted into a perfect imitation of his father's smirk.

"Yeah, go for it, buddy! I've got to get up at 5:30 for a conference tomorrow," one man complained.

Vegeta turned back to Jeff, and a wide, toothy smile spread across his face. "Anyone have any objections?"

There was silence in the hallway, save the occasional snicker.

Jeff stood wide eyed and frozen in terror. Why, oh why, did he have to piss off someone who not only had fangs, but was an absolute powerhouse? He hadn't been able to tell until he came out into the hallway but, despite being quite a bit shorter, this guy was more built than any bodybuilder he'd ever seen and judging from the amount of scars he had was not afraid to get into a fight. He was a sitting duck if the man did decide to hurt him, and it appeared that there wasn't a single soul on this side of the floor who would stand up for him.

"Oh gods Andi, the guy's an absolute hunk," Andrea's sister whimpered from inside the room.

"I'll say," a voice from somewhere down the hall quipped. Several women giggled.

"Judith! Thanks for nothing. Shut the door and let's get some sleep, will you?" a male voice complained.

"All right, Son," Vegeta continued, a slight blush covering his cheeks, "pay attention now. This is how youc" He trailed off, a broad grin on his face. "Oh, how priceless. That's good enough for me. Now, Jeff- it is Jeff, right? Let's set a good example. You go change your pants and go to bed like a good boy and I'll leave your face intact." He leaned in closer to the terrified man. "But I don't want to hear so much as another peep come from your room or I'll forget that there are children watching, got it?" he hissed.

Jeff nodded frantically.

"I can't hear you," Vegeta said in a sing-song voice. "What was that?"

"Y-yes, no problem. Sorry to have disturbed you, Sir," Jeff stammered.

"Good man." Vegeta patted Jeff's head condescendingly. "Now get your crap out of the hallway and keep it down." He easily removed the last of the luggage from the cart and tossed it into the room.

Andrea giggled. "Hot and strong, too. And good with babies. What more could a girl ask for?"

Vegeta shoved Jeff into the room and pulled the door shut. "For Kami's sake," he grumbled, rolling his eyes.

"Yay, go Mister!" a little boy yelled. "You rock!"

Vegeta chuckled and went back inside his room, shaking his head as he bolted the door. These Easterners were strange people.

***

Vegeta looked down at his watch. It had been a long, busy day. The twenty-minute wait he'd been quoted had come and gone, and he was getting hungry.

VJ cooed and began to wriggle in his grasp, interrupting his thoughts.

"You're a cutie pie! Yes, you are," a voice crooned behind him, causing the boy to coo in response again.

Wondering who the child was reacting to, Vegeta turned to see a pretty red-headed woman smiling at his son. She renewed her smile. "Your little boy is just adorable," she informed him.

Vegeta couldn't help but preen; of course he was. "Thank you," he responded, rubbing the little back gently.

"How old is he?"

Vegeta found the questions some women asked about other people's children to be rather personal, but Bulma had explained to him that they were fond of children and were simply curious and meant no harm. "He's nine months," he answered.

"I would have guessed older than that. You're a big boy, aren't you?" she continued, smiling and waving at VJ again.

"He was almost fourteen pounds when he was born," Vegeta supplied, suddenly wondering just why he was telling this woman he didn't know any of this.

Her eyes widened. "Great Kami," she exclaimed. She looked from the child to Vegeta. "Do I know you? You look so familiar to me somehow."

"I don't think so. I'm pretty proficient at remembering names and faces," Vegeta told her.

She pursed her lips and shook her head. "I know I've seen you somewhere before," she insisted. "I remember your hair. It's quite, ah, distinctive." She smiled sheepishly, then her face brightened suddenly and she snapped her fingers. "I've got it! You work for Capsule Corp in Western Country, don't you?"

The corner of Vegeta's mouth quirked up. "Yes, I do."

She smiled brightly. "You're the one who just closed that huge Energy Technologies deal. Congratulations, by the way. I always keep up with big business when I can. Oh!" She frowned, frustrated. "For the life of me, I can't remember your name, and it's going to bug me until I do. Something different, with a V."

He couldn't help but be impressed. "I am-"

"Vegeta," they chorused.

Vegeta grinned. "I'm not even that public of a person at Capsule Corp yet," he told her. "Not bad, Ms..."

"Fisher," the woman supplied, extending her hand. "Carly Fisher."

Vegeta shook her hand politely. "Carly Fisher, Carly Fisher... Why does your name seem so familiar now?" He eyed her speculatively.

"Vegeta, party of two," the hostess called out.

"Well, it was nice to meet you, Vegeta," Carly said sincerely.

"You too." It suddenly hit him who she was. "I've got it. You're alone, right? Come eat with me so we can talk." He went up to the front of the crowd of people. "Please cancel Ms. Fisher's table. She'll be joining me," Vegeta instructed the hostess.

"No problem, Sir," the young woman responded, grabbing an extra menu. "Right this way."

She lead them to a table and set down the menus. "Mary will be your server, and our special tonight is the swordfish with wild rice and steamed asparagus. Enjoy your meal."

Vegeta settled his son into the high chair the restaurant had provided. "Metallurgics, Inc."

Carly laughed and clapped her hands. "Bravo, Vegeta! Very good!"

He smiled. "I suppose reading all of those business publications had some value after all," he quipped.

Carly chuckled in response. "Yes, I suppose they can be dull reading at times," she admitted. "But there are usually little gems of wisdom interspersed here and there." She picked up her menu and opened it. "So, what brings you to Eastern Country?"

"Business," Vegeta answered cryptically. He laughed when she gave him a withered expression and looked back down at her menu. "Okay, all right. It's not public knowledge yet, but Capsule Corp is considering expansion into Eastern Country," he told her, pleased when she immediately looked up from the menu.

"Really?" Carly asked in surprise. "I admit, I sort of wondered what was taking so long."

"Really?" Vegeta echoed. "Why would you wonder that?"

"Well, Capsule Corp has been steadily growing over the past few years. If someone didn't pay close attention, they might not notice and one day suddenly think, "Hey, what happened? I knew they were big, but..." She smiled. "Like I said, I always keep up with big business when I can. I noticed."

"So you're more than just a pretty face, I see," Vegeta commented, opening his own menu.

"Oh, I try. Now, hush you," Carly responded half-heartedly. "Does this expansion have to do with Energy Technologies?"

Vegeta's eyebrow rose. Definitely more than just a pretty face. "As it was put to me, the numbers certainly seem to support expansion now, after Energy Technologies," he told her a little cryptically. "This trip was merely intended to be taken for scouting purposes, not as a means for an end result as far as something along the lines of production is concerned."

Carly nodded. "That, however, should always be taken into consideration when selecting a facility," she advised. "Metallurgics is expanding in order to acquire manufacturing facilities for a new product line we're currently working on. Strawberry Fields is our top pick."

"It is one of my two top picks as well," Vegeta agreed, "but I do have certain..." He inhaled, trying to phrase his statement appropriately. "...reservations, I suppose one might say."

Carly snorted and waved her hand. "Oh, I completely understand where you're coming from. Let's face it, Strawberry Fields was a beautiful city at one time, but it's not exactly the nicest place anymore. It's gotten run down, trashed. Bad neighborhoods." She closed her menu and set it down. "It's a shame, really. Once the place started going downhill, people left instead of continually putting their hard earned dollars into repairing and replacing other people's lack of better judgment, let's call it. People wanted their families to be safe and secure. I can't really blame them," she said sadly. "I sure wouldn't walk the streets alone in certain areas here."

"What started it all?" Vegeta wanted to know.

"A combination of things," Carly began. "Eastern Country is in the midst of a major recession, and this area has been hit especially hard by it. Rather than tough it out, corporations started relocating to better areas. Jobs were being sent overseas. People lost their means of living and their homes in the blink of an eye. Those who were in the financial position to leave did, leaving those who could barely manage to make it behind. Then you get unscrupulous people moving in, corrupt officials, et cetera, et cetera."

"Ah."

"Da-ee!"

Vegeta looked over to his son. He knew what that particular tone meant. "You're hungry, aren't you?" he asked, letting a little smile escape when a charmed Carly giggled.

VJ nodded. "Wan num-num," he informed his father.

"Okay. When the lady comes, Daddy will get you some food, okay?" He turned back to Carly. "Sorry about that."

"No problem," Carly assured him. "She is taking quite a while." Suddenly she brightened. "I know, put down your menu," she suggested. "Sometimes they won't come over if they think you're still trying to decide."

"Oh." Vegeta did as she suggested. "What were we talking about?"

Carly thought about it for a moment. "Oh, it was Strawberry Fields' decline," she reminded him.

"Right, you're right," Vegeta agreed. "I think, however, that this area has quite a bit of potential. It is an ideal location to ship to and from, being right on the water. There is a major airport. There is plenty of real estate to choose from."

Carly nodded in agreement. "Definitely. We got the property for our new facility dirt cheap. And let's not forget the number of people with little means who would love to have a good job."

"Indeed. I did think of that. Expanding here would create jobs, which will help boost the economy," Vegeta agreed. "I can also think of ways that Capsule Corp can assist financially by heading up various programs here, and take a tax deduction in the process. I think there might be some interest when I bring this to the table." He sat back in his seat. "Well, wouldn't you know it, here she comes."

A waitress came over to their table. "Hiiii, I'm Mary," she crooned. "I'll be your waitress tonight. Are you ready to order?"

Vegeta nodded to Carly, indicating that she should order first. Ugh, but this woman's voice was annoying.

"I'll take the bacon cheeseburger cooked medium and no onions," Carly decided.

"Would you like to add fries or onion rings to your order?" Mary sang.

"Sure, fries," Carly decided.

"What to drink?"

"Root beer."

"Woooonderful," Mary oozed as she scribbled Carly's order down. "And for you, Sir?"

Vegeta absently thought if the pitch of her voice changed one more time, he'd be forced to maim her. "I will also have a bacon cheeseburger, but with onion rings," he informed her. "Medium and everything on it. I'll also have the chef's salad with honey mustard, the fish and chips, the strip steak cooked medium rare with cole slaw and a loaded baked potato..."

Carly's eyes widened as he continued to order item after item. Could he really be serious?

Mary obviously had the same thought in mind. "Uhm, Sir?" she ventured.

"Don't worry, I'm serious. Oh, and a bowl of chili and lemonade to drink." Vegeta handed his menu to the stunned waitress and smiled sweetly.

"All right, I'll put this in," Mary stammered before hurrying off.

"Are you expecting more people?"

Vegeta managed to hide his smirk. "No, I am just hungry. But I ordered enough that I will still have room for dessert," he informed his disbelieving dining partner.

"But, who could eat all that?" Carly demanded.

This time Vegeta allowed a smirk to emerge. "If you think I eat a lot, I know a couple of people who could give me a real run for my money," he informed her.

Carly's eyebrow rose. "Okay... This I've got to see."

"Oh, you will, I assure you."

"Da-ee, num-num!" VJ insisted.

"The lady is getting us some food, okay? You need to be patient, Son," Vegeta told him gently. "Back to Strawberry Fields. I think it has a lot of potential, which I will mention in my report to the board." He leaned back in his seat. "So, Metallurgics sells all types of metals, is that so?"

Carly nodded. "That's so. Why, are you planning on giving me some business?" she quipped.

Vegeta chuckled. "I just might at that, depending on whether you have what I want and what price you quote me."

"Sure, bring it on," Carly told him. "I can quote lots of different stuff at great prices."

"I'll get you a list," Vegeta promised. "Ah, here she comes."

"Here are your drinks, a bread basket, and a salad for you, Sir," Mary announced, placing the items on the table. She turned to go, then paused.

Vegeta held in a sigh. "Yes, I'm still serious. Thank you."

Mary gave him a skeptical look. "Okay. Your food will be out shortly." She paused again. "Some of it, anyway." She bustled off.

"Da-ee..."

"For heaven's sake boy, you'd think I never feed you," Vegeta complained, removing the child from his high chair and putting him on his lap.

VJ's eyes were glued to the food. "Uh..."

"Okay, all right." Vegeta pinched off a tiny piece of bread and gave it to his son, who eagerly accepted.

Carly giggled. "Aww, he's so cute."

***

Vegeta's phone rang, interrupting their conversation, and he gave Carly an apologetic look. "I apologize for the cellular phone, but I must stay in touch with Capsule Corp. Speaking of which, excuse me one moment." He flipped the phone open. "Hello there Shatsu, how are you today?" he said in Western Standard.

"Hello, Vegeta. My, you're in a good mood," Dr. Briefs noted, chuckling.

"I'm having dinner right now, and it's quite good. Not as good as Bunny's cooking, though."

He could hear her giggle in the background. "Oh, Vegeta. You're such a sweet boy," Mrs. Briefs cooed.

"Hey, what can I say? It's me," Vegeta quipped, eliciting more giggles. "I guess you've got me on the speaker phone then?"

"Yes, we can all hear you loud and clear," Dr. Briefs confirmed, as smatterings of hellos greeted Vegeta. "How are things going over there?"

"Wonderfully. I've already managed to gather a lot of information which I will compile for the board." Vegeta paused. "Hold on- Vegeta, no. Daddy said no, so stop it. That's not for you." He laughed. "You look just like your mother when you make that face, child."

"Hey!" Bulma objected.

"Bulma? You're back." Vegeta never thought he'd be disappointed by that.

She caught the subtle tone to his voice. "You say that like it's a bad thing," she complained.

"No, no, not at all. It's just that you said when you got home, you were going to come get- hold on. Vegeta..." He sighed. "Could you hold him for me? He's going to eat that otherwise, I guarantee it," he said to Carly in Eastern Standard.

Carly laughed and held her arms out. "Absolutely! C'mere, Sweetie. Kami, you're adorable."

"Thanks." Vegeta handed over the baby and reverted back to Western Standard. "Sorry about that. Vegeta was trying to eat the centerpiece on the table," he related with amusement.

"Who were you talking to, Pops?" Anya asked.

Vegeta chuckled. "Oh, you'll never guess in a million years who I'm having dinner with, Anya."

"Sounded like a woman," Anya commented.

"Yes."

"Is she somebody famous?" Geta asked, exchanging a covert look with his wife.

Vegeta contemplated this. Carly must be quite well known by the right individuals. "Yes, in certain arenas," he answered cryptically.

"Hmm. If she were an actress, she'd be famous," Bunny decided. "Oh, I know! Is she a model?"

A chuckle rumbled deep in Vegeta's throat. "Nope. Could be, though."

"I take it she's attractive, then," Bulma commented, a hint of iciness in her voice.

Vegeta decided to take her up on it; after all, she was the one who'd brought it up. "Oh yeah," he agreed, grinning. "A redhead, in fact." He growled playfully into the phone.

"Hmph." Bulma crossed her arms.

"Look, none of you are going to guess any time soon, so I'll snap a picture with my phone and send it to your e-mail, Shatsu," Vegeta decided. "Call me back when you get it." He flipped the phone shut.

"I love listening to people speaking in foreign languages," Carly told him. "It's so cool. I keep meaning to learn another language but haven't. I should, considering my field of work."

Vegeta nodded. "It's very helpful," he agreed, slipping back into Eastern Standard. "They couldn't guess who I was having dinner with. Not even close. So..." He reopened the phone and pressed a few buttons, then beckoned her closer. "I told Dr. Briefs I'd get a picture and send it to his e-mail."

Carly brightened immediately. "You were talking to Dr. Briefs? I've always wanted to meet him!"

"I'm sure I could arrange it, considering our conversation tonight." Vegeta moved his chair a little closer to hers and waved to a member of the staff passing by. "Miss, could you take our picture on this phone?" He held it out.

"Sure! No problem. Okay, everyone say 'cheese'!" the waitress directed, holding the phone up in front of them.

***

A tone signifying a new e-mail sounded on the lab computer. "Let's see who our mystery lady is," Dr. Briefs announced, opening the new message. "Let's see... it says, 'I think you'll be quite interested in my conversation with this young lady'," he reported.

"Quick, open the picture!" Anya exclaimed, eager to see who her beloved Pops was dining with.

He did so, and his eyes widened. "Bulma! Bulma, is this who I think it is?" he asked excitedly, stepping away from the monitor.

Bulma looked at the picture, unsure of what to think. Had Vegeta posed them the way they were on purpose, or had they just moved in closer to both get in the picture? He was sitting quite close to a very attractive redheaded woman, his arm behind her and his hand at her side. She had leaned in from the other direction and was holding VJ on her lap. The child was beaming happily at the camera phone, his hands together as if he were clapping. All three of them were smiling; in fact, Vegeta was grinning broadly. "That woman is holding my baby!" she shouted.

"Mother, you heard what Father said. She was keeping him away from the centerpiece." Geta leaned in to get a better look. "Hey, they look good together, don't they?"

"Shut up, Vegeta," Bulma snapped.

"She is quite attractive, Dear," Mrs. Briefs commented as Geta backed away from his peevish mother, muttering darkly to himself as he did so. "And Vegeta's a handsome man. They do-"

"So is that who I think it is or not?" Dr. Briefs interrupted, noting his daughter's reaction.

Jealousy.

"That's..." Bulma took a closer look and gasped. "That's Carly Fisher!" she exclaimed.

"Who's that?" Anya asked.

"Carly Fisher, President and CEO of Metallurgics, Inc." Bulma supplied. "They're a huge distributor of all types of metals and metallic components." She paused. "You don't think he's struck some kind of deal with her, do you Daddy?" Without waiting for a response, she hit the speakerphone button and pressed redial.

***

"That's all you have to say when it rings."

"I don't know. The only Western I know is 'yes', 'no', and 'good morning'. I don't even know how to ask where the bathroom is, for Kami's sake. I can't be answering your phone."

"Why not? It'll be Dr. Briefs again. He'll get a kick out of it."

Carly sighed, and couldn't help but laugh. "Okay, I'll do it. But first, tell me what I'm supposed to say means."

The phone rang before he could answer. He pushed it toward her. "Go ahead," he insisted. "I promise you it's nothing bad."

"Okay," Carly finally conceded. Although, considering the mischievous look in her dining companion's eyes... She flipped open the phone. "Moshi moshi, Ouji-sama no keitai denwa."

There was silence at the other end, then a snort. "I see his Highness has trained you to worship him already," a female voice with a thick Western accent commented dryly.

Carly blinked. "What! Okay, you. What did you have me say?"

Bulma could hear him laughing, followed by a noise that sounded like she'd landed a well-earned smack on him. "Don't worry, it is nothing demeaning."

"I hope not," Carly responded, giving her unrepentant dinner companion a sour look.

"No, no. He just had you, hmmm, what is the saying, butter him up, is all. Ouji-sama, hmph," came the mildly disgruntled response.

VJ began to whimper; he could hear his mother's voice coming from the phone. "Mama! Mama!" he exclaimed, reaching up in an attempt to grab it.

"I think he wants the phone, Vegeta," Bulma could hear Carly tell him.

Vegeta nodded. "Put it by his ear."

Carly did so, watching as the baby giggled and babbled happily as the woman at the other end spoke to him. "Is this his mother?" she whispered.

Vegeta nodded.

"She works at Capsule Corp, too?" Carly whispered again.

Vegeta paused, realizing his error- she didn't know who she had been speaking with. "His mother is Bulma Briefs," he whispered back.

Carly nearly dropped both the child and the phone in her surprise. "Why didn't you say so?" she demanded. She had heard that Bulma had a child, but wouldn't have made such a connection in a million years since she never read tabloids.

He shrugged helplessly. "You never asked. Besides, think about it. I can't just go around telling people who my son's mother is. She's a very important person."

"I see your point," Carly conceded. "It's okay." She paused. "Would she have seen that picture?" She bit at her lip.

"Undoubtedly," Vegeta responded. "But she is seeing someone else, so it shouldn't bother her that I am having dinner with you." He took a sip of his drink.

Carly frowned. "Are you two, well, on good terms?"

He nodded. "Yes. We are... still friends."

Carly could sense the sadness- bitterness, perhaps?- in his voice. ~He doesn't seem too thrilled about that. Is that a good or bad thing, I wonder?~ "I see."

"Da-ee!" Both adults looked down at the child on Carly's lap. "Da-ee, Mama!"

"Let me have the phone," Vegeta requested. "Hello, Bulma," he said softly, switching back to Western Standard. "I hope you had a pleasant trip."

"I did, thanks," she responded. "I missed my baby, though."

He could tell that she'd turned off the speaker phone and figured she was probably alone in the room now. "I know what you mean. I'll miss him when I'm gone, too."

"Vegeta, Ic" Bulma sighed. She hadn't actually enjoyed her trip as much as she'd hoped to, considering that not only had her boyfriend not joined her as planned, but she'd had more than just her son Vegeta on her mind much of the time. "So how did you meet up with Carly Fisher, of all people?" she asked, changing the subject.

"We were both waiting for tables at this restaurant and she noticed our son, and thought he was adorable. Which, of course, he is," Vegeta told her. "She recognized me and I had just figured out where I'd heard her name before when they called me. So I told her to eat with us so we could talk. She has some very innovative ideas which will prove to beneficial to both of our companies. I think you and your father would be quite interested in speaking with her."

"What kind of ideas?" Bulma wanted to know.

"I will include it in the report I promised your father. Since I have been compiling the day's events every night, it shouldn't be too much of a problem to add what we spoke of," Vegeta told her. "But I am being impolite to Carly right now, so I will call you later. Meanwhile, please check your and your father's schedules so we can all meet together when I am finished here."

"All right," Bulma agreed. "When will you be back?"

"I'm not quite sure," he told her. "I had anticipated coming back the day after tomorrow but things are taking a little longer than I anticipated, especially considering this newest development."

"Okay. So where can I meet you to come get VJ?"

Vegeta's face fell. He'd been dreading this. "Bulma, just give me a couple more days-"

"Vegeta, you promised that Geta could come get him once I got home," Bulma interrupted impatiently.

"I did, but you got home earlier than you said you would, remember?" he reminded her. "Just two more days, Bulma. That's all I ask."

"Vegeta, you promised," Bulma repeated sternly.

"This is about my dinner companion tonight, isn't it?" Vegeta said in a low voice. "I have done nothing improper."

There were a couple seconds of silence. "Where can I meet you to pick up my son?"

Vegeta sighed. It was pointless to try to argue with her when she was in this mood. "Give me a couple hours to finish up here and get back to my room," he relented in a defeated voice. "Just call before you come to make sure I have gotten back."

"All right. I'll see you in a little bit."

"All right," Vegeta repeated, flipping the phone shut. He leaned his elbow against the table, his forehead in his hand.

"Are you all right?"

Vegeta lifted his head. "Yes, fine. Sorry about that."

"It's okay." Carly looked a little concerned. Despite not being able to understand Vegeta's conversation with Bulma, it was obvious that he wasn't on the same page with her regarding whatever they were talking about.

"She was on vacation with her obnoxious boyfriend and was supposed to come get Vegeta once she got home if I was still gone. But she came home early, and..." Vegeta trailed off and sighed, wondering why he had chosen to tell a stranger details about his personal life.

"I'm sorry," Carly told him.

"You've nothing to be sorry for," Vegeta assured her. "She's just being an overprotective mother."

"She was the one who called back after you sent the picture, not Dr. Briefs," Carly countered.

She looked sad. "Carly, please don't worry about it," Vegeta insisted. "She would have done the same thing, regardless."

"Da-ee?"

Vegeta caught himself staring blankly at the centerpiece and shook his head. "It's okay, Vegeta. Daddy is fine." He took VJ from Carly. The boy would be taken away from him soon, and he wanted to enjoy his son as much as possible until that happened. "So, what can you offer me on lixatum ore?" he asked, steering the conversation back to business.

Carly felt terribly for Vegeta but respected the change of topic. After all, she had only just met him and his personal life was none of her business. "I can quote you a price, certainly, but I have something else you might be interested in that could lower your cost by at least sixty percent."

Vegeta's eyebrow rose. "Something as good as lixatum that could save me sixty percent, you say?" he queried. Lixatum was tough stuff, to say the least. It was able to withstand a lot of pressure, extreme temperature and wear before becoming unstable. It cost an arm and a leg, so it was the parts that utilized lixatum in Bulma's energy conversation equipment that cost the most money to produce. If they could save up to sixty percent... "What do you have that's even comparable for that price?"

"We have developed a special metallic compound that can be poured into whatever shape and size you want, then baked at high heat to solidify it. We can add whatever finish you want. It can also be used as a coating for other materials. It is able to withstand 95 percent of the weight and pressure that lixatum can, and the same temperature extremes that lixatum can. It is also tarnish and weather resistant. If you'd like a sample I'd be more than happy to arrange it." Carly took a sip of her champagne, eyeing him speculatively as she did so.

There was a long pause. "Are you serious? Why haven't you manufactured this yet?" Vegeta asked.

"Well, we've just perfected the formula and are about to enter the marketing phase," Carly told him. "I know of a couple clients who I'm sure will be interested in testing this in their products."

"You haven't mentioned this to anyone else yet?"

"No, not yet."

"Then why tell me when you could have sold me lixatum at a far greater cost?" Vegeta asked.

His question took Carly by surprise. "I don't know," she admitted. "I suppose it just popped into my head at the mention of lixatum." She cocked her head thoughtfully. "Tell me, do the products involved with the Energy Technologies deal utilize lixatum?" she asked smoothly.

"Indeed they do," Vegeta responded in kind, "which is why I would like an exclusive on your product, should it pass our testing." The corner of his mouth curled up into a smile.

Carly felt her cheeks flush slightly as she returned the smile. She didn't have many of what she could only call "smooth" clients, none of them even close to this man. She didn't think that he intended to flirt with her or anything, just that there was something about his demeanor that was attractive and grabbed her attention. It could explain how he was suddenly so successful despite being new in the business world, considering the massive deal he'd just pulled off. "I don't know that I can do that quite yet," she told him. "The aforementioned clients might be a little upset and find another supplier if I don't offer our product to them as well."

Vegeta nodded. "I see your point," he conceded. "But do keep me in mind when you accept bids for this... what is the name of your product?"

Carly laughed, surprising him. "We're intending to create a whole line of this type of product, so rather than try to think up something clever, we've considered just calling it Metallurgic lixatum. A little lame, I know." She shrugged.

"Quite accurate, however. Of course, it could be a little confusing if someone was told to buy Metallurgic lixatum and didn't know whether to buy your created lixatum or lixatum from you," Vegeta pointed out.

Carly sat there for a moment. "I see your point."

"You could simply call it metallixatum, or metallurlixatum, or something of the like." Vegeta downed the rest of his champagne in one gulp and poured himself another glass.

"That's... not bad," Carly agreed. "I'll run it by my staff."

"Da-ee!" VJ's voice interrupted them. "Wan!"

Vegeta looked to where his son was reaching and chuckled. "No, you can't have that." He turned VJ around to face him. "What is it with you and wanting things in which you are far too young to partake?"

Carly giggled. The baby was just so cute. "What besides your champagne does he want?"

"Oh, my coffee, playing with women's blouses, things like that," Vegeta responded casually.

Carly laughed. "Yes, I'd say you're just a wee bit too young for that," she informed the pouting child on Vegeta's lap.

***

Vegeta picked up his phone and sighed. It was Bulma, no doubt calling to retrieve "her" son from him. Why couldn't she come to his room as she had in his dream? He knew it was pointless to even think about it, so he flipped open his phone to accept the call. "Hello, Bulma."

"Hey, Vegeta."

Vegeta waited for a moment, but she didn't say anything else. "Hey. How are you?"

"Fine." Bulma found herself a little surprised, having thought that he would be upset at her for the way she had spoken to him over the phone.

"That's good," Vegeta responded.

"How have you been? Things going okay over there?" Bulma asked in the hope of ending the awkwardly formal tone of the conversation.

"Tired from all of the travel, but I think that you and your father will be pleased with my findings," Vegeta said. "I will have a full report for your perusal shortly after my arrival home."

~Home... He really thinks of Capsule Corp as home, despite everything that's happened between us the past couple of months?~ "Great, I look forward to reading it." Bulma paused. "Look, Vegeta, I know that I was rude with you earlier, and I'm sorry about that."

Vegeta shrugged, despite her inability to see him. "It's all right," he told her. "You're Vegeta's mother, and you want to see him. I can understand that."

"No, it's not all right," Bulma objected. "You were right. I did come home early from my trip and I expected you to just hand VJ over earlier than we agreed. I was just feeling irritable, and I took it out on you. I'm sorry."

"Me, too."

Bulma frowned a little. "For what?" She heard Vegeta sigh.

"You were obviously upset about the picture I sent," he said in a quiet voice. "I should have taken a more tasteful approach about it."

Bulma's face softened. "I'm not mad about the picture," she told him. "I guess I'm feeling sorry for myself because I had a lousy vacation."

"What?" Vegeta tsked. "Why? Was it cold there?"

"No, it was beautiful," Bulma assured him. "I just... Hiroshi never showed up as planned. He said something came up he couldn't put off. As much as I wanted to get away from everything and everyone, I realized that I didn't want to do it alone. It was pretty disappointing, actually. Such a nice place, and no one to share it with."

Vegeta wanted to tell her she could have called him and he would have been there in the bat of an eye but wisely refrained. "That is disappointing," he agreed, inwardly gleeful that the bastard hadn't joined Bulma but feeling badly for her hurt at the same time. "I'm sure your next trip will be better."

"Yeah."

"So," Vegeta began, breaking what had become an awkward silence between them. "When can I expect Geta to bring you?"

"Like I mentioned before, I thought about it and I think you should keep VJ with you a little longer," Bulma responded. "You'll only be gone a couple more days, right?"

"Yes." Vegeta decided not to tell her that he already knew that, should the board agree with his report, he'd be back out here for business soon enough. He had a deal to seal that would save them hundreds of millions of zeni. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, it's fine, Vegeta. I can handle a couple more days. Is he still awake?"

"No, he fell asleep before I even made it back here. Too much champagne,
I think."

Bulma's voice cracked a little bit. "Too much champagne?" she asked incredulously. "You gave the baby champagne?"

"Shhh, you'll wake him up." Vegeta chuckled heartily. "You're far too easy, my dear."

"Hmph."

He chuckled some more. "Never fear, he's just tired from a long day is all."

Bulma couldn't help but smile. He'd gotten her mind off of self pity and on to their son instead.

Not to mention his father.

"Thanks Vegeta. Give VJ a kiss from me."

"I will. I..." Vegeta paused. Gods, should he finish what he'd almost said that day in her office? "I suppose I should finish my report before it gets too late."

"I suppose so."

There was another long pause. "Well, good night, Bulma. Or morning, or whatever it is there right now."

Bulma giggled. "Good night, sleep tight."

The line disconnected and Vegeta set his phone down onto the nightstand. He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. If he could just do this a little longer... He shook his head and plopped down onto the bed, reaching over for his laptop. It would be all right. Kami willing, it would be all right.


Note: The intended translation for when Carly answers Vegeta's phone is "Hello, Ouji-sama's cell phone." You all know who the illustrious Prince Vegeta is and what "sama" means. I'm not going to dumb that up. :)

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