Chapter 75 – Epilogue

Over the years, the universe had settled down once more to the way it had been before Frieza's tyranny, and everyone got on with their own thing.

The rebellion army was no more, as there was no longer any need for the rebels. It was with unburdened shoulders and lighter hearts that they all parted ways, some searching the universe for any survivors of their race, others going back to what was left of their home planets to try and start anew, to build those planets and races back to their former glories. And as for those who were a major part of the rebellion army?

It was after a rather long discussion that they decided to remain on the planet that had become their home. There was no official name for the planet, as some named it 'New Earth' whilst others called it 'New Vegeta–sei'. Bulma liked to think it was a mixture of both, even though there were more than just humans and Saiyans on the planet. Namekians also resided on the planet as well as the race Tarble grew up with and other peaceful races such as those. And together, they all formed a force of sorts. It reminded Bulma of the police from her home planet, only much more powerful.

Whenever they heard that something was going wrong in the universe, or that there was a disturbance, their warriors would be sent out to go and take care of that problem. In the first few years after Frieza's defeat at the hands of Vegeta, there had been two major problems, although they had been settled fairly quickly.

King Cold had somehow found the scattered pieces of his youngest son and with those pieces, he had had some of the most intelligent scientists in the universe bring Frieza back to life by having him made into part–robot.

He was still no match for her mate.

That had definitely been too much of an ego boost for Vegeta, as he had drawn out the battle ridiculously long, torturing both Frieza and King Cold with the fact that they could not beat him, that he was finally much more powerful than them and he held the power, the control. Oh Vegeta had gloated about that for months, had been so very smug and proud of himself. Saying that, though, it definitely made for some of the most amazing sex Bulma had ever had.

Sitting back in her seat with a sigh, Bulma glanced up at the ceiling of her lab.

Many races praised them like they were Gods. They had so much respect, so much admiration, that it had confused Vegeta, Nappa and Raditz into silence for at least a few weeks. None of them knew how to act or what to say. They'd gone from being some of the most feared warriors in the universe to now being it's heroes. Eventually, however, the arrogant pigs in them came out and somewhat enjoyed all of the admiration. It was more Raditz than the others, for he'd become quite the player and always had a new woman hanging off of his arm, although it was never for any longer than a few days. By then, he'd have found a new woman. Like he'd told Bulma all those years ago, he just wasn't one for settling down and having kids. Same went for Nappa.

No, instead of being rebels, they were now the universe's protectors.

Well, nearly all of them were.

"Hey, mom? Can you come and take a look at this?"

She nodded without a word, standing to go and look at her son's work. After the war, things had been difficult for Bulma to say the least. Many had suffered from post traumatic stress disorder and she just happened to be one of those unfortunate people. But so had Bardock and together, they determinedly fought through it until they finally reached the other side.

Bulma was no longer a warrior. Well, it wasn't that she no longer fought, because if somebody attacked the planet or her family, snapping back into that warrior mindset was like second nature and she knew exactly what to do to protect them. No, it was the simple fact that Bulma preferred to stay in the labs, to help from the sidelines instead. By doing that, she was able to raise their son properly, so he could not only become a warrior, but also an intelligent scientist, too.

Like the vision Bardock had had, Gohan trained Trunks. Of course Vegeta trained with his son, too, but when he was incredibly busy either with his own training or protecting the universe, Gohan would step in like an older brother would and helped out.

"Can you check mine, too?"

Glancing at the boy sat beside her son, Bulma nodded. "Sure. That's what I'm here for, Goten."

Goten. The youngest son of Chi–Chi and Kakarot. He definitely took after his father, however. Returning home from the battle against Frieza on Tech–Tech and finding a miniature Kakarot being held in Chi–Chi's arms, with a proudly grinning Gohan right beside her, had stunned them all into silence. Kakarot hadn't even known that his mate was pregnant! It had been a pleasant surprise, however. One they had all secretly needed.

Growing up, Trunks and Goten had been inseparable – still were! They were more than just best friends, they were like brothers. Like Bulma and Kakarot, in a way, they looked out for one another and protected each other with their lives.

"Man," Goten sighed, leaning back in his seat and folding his arms behind his head, "I don't get why I need to learn these things. My dad never did and he's fine."

Bulma couldn't help but shake her head and chuckle. "Your dad was made to learn things like this, Goten. Though, since he's a full blooded Saiyan, your grandpa Bardock thought it would be best to teach him the way a Saiyan child is taught instead of the way a human is."

"I bet that's easier." he muttered.

"Not at all." Bulma argued quietly before giving her son a nod to silently tell him he got it right. Grabbing Goten's book, she pulled it closer to her and scanned his work. "I was also taught many Saiyan things growing up, so that I could help your father with his work. They don't learn half of the things we did on Earth, but they do learn things. Mostly the difficult stuff, like physics and maths."

"For battle, right?" Trunks asked, recalling something his father had told him.

"Right." she nodded with agreement. A moment later and she beckoned Goten closer, he did so reluctantly, already knowing he got his work wrong. He wasn't a genius, damn it! "You got everything right except this little number, here. Good job, kid. You're improving much faster than your father ever did!"

Stunned for a moment, Goten stared down at his work, reading and rereading the equation he had been working on for the past five to ten minutes. He got all of it right except for the last number? Honestly, Goten had rushed that last number, not wanting to be left behind by Trunks when the older boy had asked for Bulma to check his work. If he had taken his time, would he have gotten it completely right? He grinned and took back his book, getting stuck into the other equations rather excitedly. If he was getting it right, then that meant he was getting smarter! No more "you're just like your father, Goten! All brawn and no brains" from his mother! She was going to be so proud of him.

Bulma sat back in her seat and watched the two boys working hard. Altogether, it had been over nine years since the war against Frieza, since the rebellion army disbanded. That meant her son was ten years old, whilst Goten was just about nine. You'd think they were older, however, with how mature they could be at times – and Bulma used the words 'at times' very loosely. They could act just like the average child (playing pranks, getting into trouble, etc), but the way they snapped into fierce protectors, was phenomenal. Like Vegeta, Trunks could flash through strategy after strategy until he found one that was the least risky. Like Kakarot, Goten was a happy–go–lucky kid, but there was a serious part to him that would do anything to protect his precious people.

At just ten and nine years of age, the boys had already been in two battles. Not just sparring kinds of battles, but the type that were to the death. Oh it had almost given Bulma a heart attack having the two boys there on the battlefield with them! However, they were already more powerful than she ever could be.

They were already Super Saiyans.

The very first time Vegeta had witnessed his son transforming into a Super Saiyan had been heart warming for her. He had looked so very proud of his son and his thoughts were just as surprising. 'I knew you could do it, son.'

Since then, Vegeta had opened up more to their son, had stopped seeming so harsh and uncaring. Why? Because Trunks was advancing much more quickly than either of them had been expecting. Vegeta no longer had to be a strict father like his own had been. Sure, he could still be strict and would take absolutely no bullshit, but he was more open now. Despite never saying the words out loud, Trunks could tell that his father loved him.

That was everything Bulma had ever wanted. A happy family.

"Why won't she stop crying?" Bulma groaned to herself as she held a wailing, seven month old baby in her arms. "Trunks was nowhere near this bad."

Bra. She was Trunks's younger sister and a much loved member of the family. Everyone doted on her because of her stunningly blue eyes, which seemed to just drag you in. Times such as these, however, and Bulma thought of her daughter as nothing more than a siren. Perhaps not as bad as them, but she definitely lured people to their deaths, or at least to really bad headaches that made you wish you were dead. Those eyes and that heavenly baby smell that clung to her called to you, it pulled you in and made you feel like she was such an angel.

That was when the screaming would begin.

"Woman," a deep voice growled, "what are you doing to her?"

Rolling her eyes and shifting Bra slightly, Bulma turned to face Vegeta as he stalked into the room, his eyes narrowed and the left one twitching slightly with annoyance. "Nothing. She just won't stop crying and I can't stand it any longer! I feel like I'm going to go insane, Vegeta. I swear–"

Silence.

Absolute silence.

Bulma's eyes were wide as Vegeta took Bra from her, holding her carefully, but that wasn't why she was so shocked. Bra had finally stopped crying. The moment Vegeta reached out for her, she had stopped crying.

"Unbelievable." she sighed, rubbing her temple and shaking her head.

"She clearly knows who the better parent is."

"You are so not as good as me!"

"Of course not. I'm better."

"Arrogant pig!" Bulma snapped angrily.

"Spoilt bitch."

Giggling brought them to a stop, making them stare down at Bra as she smiled brightly up at Vegeta, slapping her hands to his chest with happiness and excitement. It hadn't been a serious argument and Bulma knew that Vegeta hadn't been calling her a bad parent, but the sight of their daughter's face lighting up in such a way, seeing how she was so very accepting of her father, was enough to lighten their moods.

Stepping forward, Bulma gently stroked their daughter's head. "Vegeta, you don't mind if she joins us tonight, do you? I don't think she likes this room or her bed."

He shook his head and turned around, already making his way to the bedroom.

Oh that man was so wrapped around Bra's little finger – and she was only seven months old!

"Mom?"

Shutting Bra's door behind her, Bulma glanced down the hallway and saw a yawning Trunks as he stretched and rubbed at his eyes. Another sight that was beautiful to her. "What's wrong?"

"I can't sleep."

Vegeta wasn't going to be too happy about Trunks joining them, considering how old their son was and the fact that he should be sleeping in his own bed by now, but Bulma didn't care. She merely gave him a mental warning to make some room for him, too. "Come on, then." He smiled and shut his door, walking forward and accepting his mother's hand as she guided him to her bedroom. "Careful you don't squash Bra, Trunks."

He shook his head, silently promising that he would never hurt his baby sister, and climbed into bed beside Bra, Bulma slipping in next to him. Vegeta said nothing about it and instead put his tail around Bra, just in case he or Trunks rolled over and crushed her, whilst Bulma fixed the covers over them all before brushing the hair out of Trunks's eyes.

"Why can't you sleep, kid?"

A sigh reached them along with Trunks's next words. "I… had a bad dream."

"I used to get them all the time," Bulma comforted him, throwing her arm over her son and holding him close, "so I know how scary they can be. Is it the same nightmare as the other week?"

Trunks shook his head, looking down at his sister. "It was different this time. That guy was still there, but he was talking to me. I couldn't understand what he was saying – none of it made sense!"

Seeing that he was growing more distressed by the moment, Vegeta cut him off. "You don't have to worry about him, Trunks."

"How can I not when he's killing people?"

"Because you're much older in the dream, aren't you?" Bulma asked softly.

When Trunks nodded, Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Which means you will be stronger than you are now, so if you continue to push yourself, you will be able to defeat him."

Who would have thought that her happy ending would be like this? With Vegeta, of all people? Being curled up in bed with her family had to be one of the most happiest feelings Bulma had ever experienced in her terror–filled life, which was why she always let Trunks off with sneaking into their bed. Having him so close, having Bra so close, and not having Vegeta complain too much about sharing their bed… It may seem small and insignificant to others, but after the life she and Vegeta had lived before the defeat of Frieza, it felt happy.

They were at peace now.

"Can you guys tell me a story?" Trunks asked, looking from Bra's sleepy features to his father's. He would have looked at Bulma, but she was behind him so it was kind of difficult. "To help me sleep?"

Bulma glanced at her mate, raising an eyebrow, before he sighed and glanced up at the ceiling, thinking over his words carefully. No doubt Bulma would attack him if he ended up scarring the brat for life.

"It all started with a tyrant named Frieza…" Vegeta recalled, watching out of the corner of his eye how Trunks snuggled closer to Bulma and stared at him intensely, eager to hear the story.

This was how his life was now.

And Vegeta honestly wouldn't change that for anything.

THE END

A/N - A short and sweet epilogue for you all! Perhaps sometime soon, I might come back to this and fix all the silly mistakes, like the missed out words here and there, spelling mistakes and grammar errors. For now, though, I'm going to focus on other stories. I have a few more Vegeta and Bulma stories waiting to be finished and posted up on here, so keep an eye out for them!

I was planning on posting later today, but I have no idea what my plans are for tonight so I thought it would be safer just to post now since I'm wide awake and it's nearly five in the morning hahaha.

Hope you all have a Happy New Year, by the way!

Thank you all so much for sticking with me through this and I hope you enjoyed it! :-)