Bra sat next to the window with Trunks. It was already dark out. She tried her hardest to stay awake. The whole time their father was gone, Trunks had tried to entertain his sister. He didn't want her to think too much about what had happened to Bulma. It was bad enough the child was still convinced it was her fault. Although, when Bulma did come back, Trunks was going to talk to her about putting the shield activation button in a hidden place, that couldn't be accessible to just anyone. She wasn't as absent-minded as her father, but sometimes Bulma did things that didn't make any sense.

Their grandparents stood by idly, offering food or drink for the children. Neither one of them had been very hungry. After a while, Dr. Briefs melted into the background, tinkering with one of his inventions. Mrs. Briefs starting talking on the phone to all of her friends, and giving herself a pedicure. She didn't mention the death of her daughter to anyone. At first, Trunks was a little angry by this, but then he realized that the less people knew, the better. She would be brought back on the same day she had died anyway, and none of her friends knew about the Dragonballs.

Just when his ideas had run out and Bra was started to droop, her head tucked against her chest, he felt it. It was strong and deep. His father's ki. No one else in the world felt like that. Reading Vegeta's ki was like reading the ocean. No matter how it raged on the surface, or even when it was calm, you could feel the deep, cold darkness below. Only a few chosen people were allowed to tread its waters.

He shook Bra gently by the shoulder.

"Bra-chan. Wake up. Dad's home!" The little girl bolted upright as if she had been splashed with ice water. She didn't say anything, or even make a sound. She just got up and ran for the door. Trunks followed. When he got to the door, he turned around.

"Aren't you two coming?" His grandparents were still occupied by what the were doing. He wasn't sure if it was a sort of social grace, or just because they really were that simple-minded. He didn't ask twice. If they wanted to, they would show up when Shenron was summoned. If they didn't it would give the family time to be alone. Even though Bulma had only been gone for one day, it felt like so much more time had passed. Sometimes she would leave for a couple weeks at a time on a business trip. Naturally, they were always happy to have her back. But this time, she had actually been dead. Even if it had been weeks, or months, their reactions would be the same. Bringing somebody back from the Otherworld would always be a big deal, even if they were there for minutes only. It was the very act of defying nature that made it so intense. Shenron had brought back countless people, and many among them had been friends and family. But they would never lose that feeling of awe at his power. It was not something to be taken lightly.

Vegeta chose to touch down in one the of the exterior gardens. It was dark and calm there, dimly lit by the glow of red and orange lanterns. As he pulled the Dragonballs out of his pockets one by one, they added their glow to the night. They pulsed now that they were together, and it gave Vegeta a strange longing of his own. His heart beat with the rhythm of the pulse. When he had them in a cluster on the grass, he noticed the ki of his children. He was a bit relieved to feel no one else. If her parents had come, he wouldn't have objected, but he would have felt himself fading into the trees. The only people he could behave naturally around were his family. They were pieces of him. Part of his blood. He would bleed out on the battlefield for any one of them. He spotted them through the darkness. Trunks was flying with Bra in his arms. She had learned only recently, and would have slowed him down. When Trunks hit the ground, Bra wriggled out from his arms and jumped to the soft grass. Then she ran to Vegeta. He bent down towards her as she flung her arms around his leg. He lay a hand on her head.

"Papa…" She said breathlessly. "I knew you'd come back." He smiled.

"I told you I would. Lost Dragonballs are no match for me."

Trunks had wandered slowly over, coming to stand by Vegeta's side.

"They may be no match for you, but you look the worse for wear. What the heck happened to your jacket? It's sliced through!" Vegeta straightened and eyed his son.

"Are you really asking me that now?" Trunks blushed and lowered his head. Even in the dark, he could tell he was smiling awkwardly.

"I guess it can wait." In the silence, they heard the Dragonball's power. They seemed to be pulsing more rapidly now. It seemed as if Shenron was trying to fight his way out of his glass prison. Bra looked at them, fascinated. She tugged at Vegeta's pant leg.

"Papa?"

"Yes?"

"Can I summon Shenron?" Vegeta and Trunks both laughed. Trunks's was lighter, while Vegeta's was deep and throaty.

"Do you even know what to say, Bra-chan?" Trunks asked. The little girl paused for a moment, her eyebrows scrunching together.

"Come out, Shenron?" Trunks laughed again, this time softer.

"Well, something like that. I think 'Arise Shenron' will do." The girl's eyes narrowed in thought.

"What does 'arise' mean?" Trunks's hand went halfway to his forehead before it stopped. He was trying not to lose his patience. Vegeta knelt down to her.

"It's the same thing as 'come out' only fancier. Shenron is special, so you'll have to use the polite words with him." Bra frowned at that.

"Is this like manners?" She grimaced. Vegeta's mouth twitched up in the corner.

"Well, sort of. Kakarrot talks to Shenron like he's a grocery store clerk, so I doubt it matters much." Bra giggled. Then, she shyly made her way to the cluster of glowing orbs. She took a deep breath and clenched her little fists. Then in a firm but polite voice she said:

"Arise, Shenron!"

The orange globes shot out a brilliant light, like an explosion, and Bra stepped back, startled. This was her first encounter with the dragon, and Vegeta was proud that she had asked to summon him. She stood in front of him, and he placed his hand on her head again. An yellow beam of light surged from the orbs, and it climbed higher and higher into the sky like lighting. A chilly wind blew, and the stars were blackened out. He felt the energy from his children intensify, and he suspected that even his own was rising. The Saiyan blood in them turned any kind of fear and awe into a surge of power. The wind buffeted at their hair, and the ground trembled. He felt one of Bra's arms wind around his leg, and he pressed his hand a bit more firmly on her head, reassuring her. When the tower of light slowly solidified into Shenron, she gasped. Her head tilted back until she almost fell. Vegeta bent down and picked her up. She tensed up for a second, but relaxed when he rested her on his shoulders. It wasn't impressively high up there, but to a three-year-old girl it was tall enough.

The long, snake-like body of Shenron coiled around itself in the sky. Trunks stared in awe. Vegeta tried to remember if his son had ever seen him at all. Surely at least once? The boy was seventeen by now. But as he stared up at Shenron's glowing body, he looked just like his baby sister. Vegeta made sure that his own mouth was closed and his eyes weren't too wide. He didn't want Bulma to see him looking like star-struck child when she arrived.

Shenron finally turned his enormous face towards them. His mane and long whiskers whipped in the breeze. When he spoke, his baritone shook the earth beneath them.

"Who summons Shenron? What is it you desire?"

Bra fidgeted, her fingers pulling at Vegeta's thick hair. For a moment, he thought he should answer, but she cleared her throat and shouted into the darkness.

"It's me, Bra Briefs! Daughter of Vegeta and Bulma!" Trunks stared, and a wide smile formed on his face. Vegeta hid his own smile.

"I would like a wish granted!" She paused. "Please, Mr. Shenron." The dragon narrowed his red eyes, then seemed to come closer, observing her. Then he looked at who she was perched on.

"Ah, the one called Prince Vegeta. You are not wishing for a whole planet and its inhabitants this time, I hope?" Vegeta smirked.

"No, not this time. My wish is much more simple."

"Your wish? Not the wish of your offspring?"

"We both desire the same thing."

"And that is?"

"To have the life of Bulma Briefs returned to us."

"She's my mama, and I love her, Mr. Shenron! Please, can you bring her back?" Bra chimed in. There was a hint of amusement on the dragon's face. Vegeta could almost see a smile.

"Your wish is granted." His eyes glowed bright red.

After a mere moment, a sudden warmth was poured into Vegeta's veins. Like liquid gold, Bulma's soft ki trickled back into his senses. Then she appeared. Floating in a glowing aura of light, she drifted down to them. Vegeta could feel Bra jump down effortlessly off of his shoulders to the ground. As soon as Bulma's feet touched the grass, both Trunks and Bra were at her side. She embraced them both, laughing. Vegeta watched them, and a strange warmth took over. It felt like a fire inside him, but different from any he had there before. It wasn't the raging fire of a warrior. It was the soft flame of a person who was loved. He had tried to shut it out his whole life, but now he held onto it. The feeling brought no weakness to him, but another kind of strength. He knew from a few other experiences that he should trust this feeling. In the past, he had been a righteous protector of both his son and his wife. And both of those times had he been filled with more power than he had ever known.

As he watched his family, he was once again filled with the urge to protect them. Then Bulma's eyes looked over at him. They gleamed with so much light that he felt blinded. He wondered if it was Shenron's doing. As he looked longer, he realized that it was the energy from the new life she had been given. It revitalized her and made her look young again. The very thing that she had died for. She started walking towards him, and their children stood aside. Even at Bra's tender age, she could read the energy between her parents. Bulma started walking faster and Vegeta moved to meet her. He caught her in an embrace. She gasped in surprise, and he only held her tighter. Her own arms wrapped around him.

"Vegeta…" She whispered, the air sighing in his ear. The only sound he could manage was a moan. He felt her tears fall on his neck, his own eyes stung.

"You did it. You...wished me back. I almost thought…" Vegeta pulled away, and silenced her by pressing his lips on hers. In the distance, he could feel his children watching, and in the sky, he was vaguely aware that there was a huge entity waiting there. It was nothing he would concern himself over at the moment.

After they spend a few moments wrapped up in each other, Bulma stepped back from him.

"Vegeta, I think we need to tell Shenron to go back and wait for the other two wishes." He blinked at her, not understanding at first. She stood confidently, eying the dragon. Her hands were on her hips, and her sky blue hair floated in the gentle wind.

"What?" He whispered. Bulma laughed.

"I know everything. I'll talk to Shenron." She strode up to the giant, twisting form.

"Shenron! We have no other wishes to make at this time."

"I see...Shall I wait for the other two?"

"Yes. They should be made within the next few days. We won't make you wait too long, okay?" She winked at him, and a sweat drop trickled from the green scales on his head.

"I hear your request. I will wait for two weeks time. After that, the Dragonballs will again be returned to stone."

"Sounds like a plan! We'll see you then!" With a roar, Shenron gathered up his immense coils. There were so many, it was hard to figure out just how long he was. Bulma walked over to Vegeta again, and took his hand. She squeezed it tightly three times. I. Love. You. Vegeta raised an eyebrow, knowing what she was getting at. She'd tried this game a few times before, and she knew he wouldn't respond with the fourth squeeze. He smirked at her, and she chuckled quietly. Then she looked over at Bra and Trunks who were making their way towards them.

"I can't believe she summoned Shenron by herself. She's so brave." She smiled at her daughter, then at Vegeta.

"Of course she's brave. She's ours."

Later on that night, Bulma lay shivering in the blankets. She had been cold since she got inside. They had only gone to bed an hour ago, so she she have been warm by now. Vegeta kept close to her, wondering. His heightened temperature had always been more than enough to keep her warm, even on the coldest winter night.

"I was so warm the moment Shenron brought me back. But it seems like I got it all sapped from me. I feel like I'm dead again...What could be wrong?" Her eyes were anxious.

"I don't know. I was never cold either of the times I was brought back."

"I wasn't the last time either...It's so weird…What if…?"

"Don't think about it too much. Just lay still."

"I can't...I'm shivering too hard." After a moment, Vegeta shifted under the covers.

"Let me try something." He propped himself on his elbows and crawled closer to her. She rolled over on her back.

"What are you…"

"Just lay still." He said softly. Then he pulled himself on top of her. She made a small sound of protest at first, but the look in his eyes wasn't for pleasure. She relaxed. Normally she was very receptive to anything physical with him, but she had just been brought back from the dead, and wasn't really in the right mood. Vegeta could sense that too, and gave her reassurance that that wasn't what he was up to. He closed his eyes and concentrated on his ki. He was going to try to warm her with his energy. Like everything else he did with Bulma, it would require control and restraint. One slip up would have her back in the Otherworld in one breath. He gathered his energy, making sure it built up very slowly. When a tiny amount was collected, he released it. Again, with slow precision. He glowed a bright gold in the dark room. Bulma shuddered underneath him, and he knew it wasn't from being cold. He could feel her eyes on his face, even when his were still closed. Her body still felt cool under him, but it was an improvement. Again, he gathered a small amount of ki and released it. It flowed into her, making her glow as well. It was nothing overpowering, just a soft light, not much more than a lamp. She shifted under him.

"I think…that's good enough." She still shuddered underneath him.

"You're shaking." He whispered. She arched an eyebrow at him as he opened his eyes.

"Not from the cold, though. Your power is…" She sighed, and made a satisfied noise. He laughed.

"Are you saying that I am amazing?" His voice radiated his signature confidence.

"Yes, I am saying that." She pushed herself up, and he crawled off of her. Then she put her hand on his arm.

"Vegeta...I couldn't believe all that I saw today. You were...it's hard to describe." His eyes narrowed, but he was still smiling.

"Damn it woman." He chided. "So you did see the whole thing, didn't you? I KNEW it felt like you were watching me."

"Yes...Well. I didn't even make it past the check-in station." He sat up and chuckled.

"Heh, heh...really?"

"They knew who I was already, and...well."

"Well, what?" She blushed and Vegeta moved closer to her, curious.

"King Yemma made a bet with some of the oni that…"

"Hmm...not sure I like where this is going, Bulma…"

"Yeah. They bet that you wouldn't wish me back."

"Oh, that's such a cheap shot. Even for Yemma. He was the one who gave me my body back so I could save the damn world! Why would he bet against me?"

"I don't know, but it made me angry. I defended you. Even though…" She trailed off and her eyes were suddenly serious.

"What? What is it?"

"Well, the night before the explosion, you said that…"

"I did not say I wouldn't wish you back. I said it would be your own damn fault if you died that way, and it was. But I never said I wouldn't bring you back, Bulma." His eyes were dark on hers, and she looked away.

"I know… I guess I knew that you would. I mean, I bet against them. Some of the other oni were on my side. Looks like some of them had more faith in you than Yemma did."

"So, what did he bet? They don't use money."

"Well, at first he didn't mean it. It was sort of joke. But since I got so defensive, I made him bet some of his own power on it."

"You're kidding. What did he give you?" Bulma smiled proudly.

"He gave me 7 years of extra life. So I really did get a little youth after all."

"Extra life? How does…"

"Well, there will be 7 years where I won't age at all." She winked.

"You are something else…What did you bet him if he won?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, that was easy. I knew you'd wish me back. So I just told him I'd be his personal secretary for 100 years of my afterlife."

"100 years? And he only gave you 7 years of extra life? How is that a good deal?" Vegeta looked annoyed.

"Well, I guess I could have asked him for 10 or 15…"

"How about 20?"

"But...it would be too obvious, Vegeta. There are a lot of people that know me. Wouldn't they notice if I didn't age for 20 years?"

"A lot of people know your mother too. And she never looks a day older. Plus, you're a scientist. They could just use their imaginations."

"Well, I can't go back on the deal now. 7 years is what I'm getting. And really, I'm okay with that."

"As long as you're happy. It's annoying to hear you bitch about your age all the time."

"Oh, shut up." She was quiet for awhile. Then she whispered to him.

"You know...I didn't die because I was trying to make myself younger." Vegeta was silent, his eyes pensive.

"I know."

"No, you didn't!" She swatted out at him. "You're only saying that to save face! I know for a fact that you thought I was messing around with genetics!"

"No, it was chemicals. Either way, you blew yourself up."

"So...now we're even."

"What?"

"We have both blown ourselves up."

"Woman, don't even compare your idiotic-"

"Okay, okay." She crawled closer until her face was inches from his.

"Let's just...not talk about this stuff anymore. I want to lose myself in you." She climbed on top of him, playfully tugging at his hair. His eyes widened.

"I thought you weren't…"

"I am now. After that thing you did to warm me up...Mmm…" He chuckled and gripped her hips with his hands.

"Whatever you want, woman…"

Later, when Vegeta lay with her in arms, on the verge of sleep, he heard her giggle. He blinked, his eyelids heavy.

"What now?"

"I just remembered…" She continued to laugh. Vegeta grunted in annoyance.

"What could possibly be so funny?"

"I just...can't believe…"

"Just say it already, so I can go to sleep!"

"You battled a giant toucan for me!"

Vegeta rolled over, grabbed a pillow and roared into it.

"Dammit, Yemma!"