A/N: I will start by apologizing for never updating this thing holy God. Second off, I am writing a very short epilogue. When I say short, I mean it will probably not even be 1k. Third, that is going to be attached to the end of this chapter.

And to the recent reviewers who were extremely rude to me (you know who you are), treating authors like that will NOT get you your way. We update according to our schedules, and if we happen to not have one and update when we please (like I do), screaming at us and telling us how and when we should update is NOT going to make us want to update.

Lucky for you this is the last chapter. Because you were very rude. I'd appreciate it if you don't do that again, to me or any other author. Because it doesn't make us want to write. It actually kind of makes us want to keep procrastinating because it feels like all you want is an update and that you don't care whether it's good or not. It's very off-putting.

/rant

Soundtrack: Echo by Jason Walker; For You by Keith Urban

Warning: If religious profanity bothers you, I apologize in advance but the characters use plenty of it in this chapter. Also, there is a brief non-graphic description of childbirth towards the end.

o-o-o-o-o

It was more trouble than it should have been worth to get Vegeta injected with some soothing drugs but once it was done, he stopped growling and settled down into the soft bed with a groan. His eyes were bleary and he was obviously confused.

"What the hell is happening to me?" He said, his words slightly slurred. Pota bustled around the medical room, checking different machines and charts while Piccolo sat beside the bed, hand placed gently on Vegeta's thigh. The Saiyan didn't seem to really notice him as he continued to look around the room in wonder, the drugs working through his system at an alarming rate.

"Are you sure these drugs are safe for him to have right now?" Piccolo said with a furrowed brow. "He's really out of it." Pota waved him off.

"He's fine. Give him a couple minutes. Those will keep him mostly calm for when the birth canal appears." She put a hand to her mouth, having obviously said too much.

Of course it was too late. That slip-up got Vegeta's attention immediately. He sat up abruptly, or at least tried to; it ended up being more of him raising his head so he could see over his swollen belly.

"Excuse me but you just say when it appears?" He said, the hard edge of his voice coming into play once more. One could say the drugs weren't quite strong enough to fully subdue the Prince of Saiyans. Pota flinched but when she turned around she had a smile on her face. Vegeta couldn't tell if it was a real smile or not (his eyes were still blurry) but Piccolo could; she was about to try and sugarcoat it.

"Yea but it's not a big deal really."

Her lie was revealed not seconds later when Vegeta let out a strangled yelp, his knees coming together with a hollow sound.

"JESUS what the fuck was that?" He hissed, shooting daggers at Pota with his eyes. The woman immediately chuckled nervously.

"That would be your body preparing to tear itself open."

"WHAT?" Vegeta shrieked, attempting to sit up again and failing. Piccolo rubbed soothing circles into the agitated Saiyan's leg but he was too busy continuing voicing his dislike of the whole thing.

"My body is going to WHAT? No. NO NO. NO." He yelled, struggling to sit up. Piccolo put a hand on his chest and pushed him back down slowly.

"Vegeta please, be reasonable-"

"BE REASONABLE?" Vegeta yelled. Piccolo could see the panic in his eyes so he leaned forward and pressed a tender kiss to his forehead before putting them together.

"I'll be right here the whole time."

"And as much as I should be appreciating that, there's still the matter of my body opening up like a goddamn bag of Lays chips FUCK."

His body arched and he made a pained noise, his face screwing up into an expression of extreme discomfort. Piccolo sat back down in his chair, taking Vegeta's hand and turning to Pota, who had a fist to her mouth, looking perplexed.

"Can't you do anything?" He asked gruffly, not liking seeing his mate in pain. Pota shook her head, looking helpless.

"Not until the canal is revealed. I do anything now and I could screw the whole ordeal to Hell. We just have to ride it out."

Vegeta grunted, managing to scoot back on the bed just far enough that he could lean against the backboard and see her without straining his neck.

"This is not a orgasm, Pota, I assure you. I'm not gonna 'ride it out'. Fuck that." He snarled, baring his teeth. Pota took a step forward, her hands in front of her.

"Vegeta you need to calm down-"

"WHY SHOULD I CALM DOWN?" The Prince yelled. Piccolo winced at the spike in energy. Pota finally grabbed one of his legs, squeezing for emphasis.

"VEGETA LISTEN. I know you're in pain, and you're nervous and scared, but listen to me: if you go Super Saiyan or anything even remotely close, you will kill this baby and possibly yourself as well. You. Will. Not. Survive."

Vegeta's face went slack before going white as a sheet. Even for the Prince with natural alabaster skin, that was very pale.

"I… I didn't…" He couldn't seem to get a sentence together as his hands covered his stomach protectively. Pota shook her head and smiled, showing him that it was alright, he couldn't have known. Piccolo shifted to sit on the bed beside his mate and curled an arm around his shoulders, pulling him close. Pota patted the leg that she had previously had a grip on, returning to her machine just as Vegeta had another convulsion, biting out curses in Saiyan.

"How much longer is this going to go on, Pota?" Piccolo asked, smoothing a hand through the Prince's hair as he burrowed further into Piccolo's side, whimpering slightly. Pota sighed dramatically.

"Honestly? I have no clue. NO clue. I'm just as in the dark as you. So stop asking me. Vegeta's body will be ready when it's ready. All we can do is wait for that moment. Of course, while we're waiting, we can get things situated for big moment number 1."

She started pulling Vegeta's boots off, earning herself an irritated glare.

"What are you doing?" He asked, his voice tired already. Pota continued undressing him despite his weak efforts to stop her.

"Well considering that your body is going to tear itself open, I don't think you'll want to have your pants and boots on. They'll just be in the way."

Vegeta might have gone a tad paler at the mention of 'tearing open' but he made no comment, letting her shimmy off his pants before then hanging them over the chair back. She then covered his lower body with a sheet to keep him comfortable.

"I'll let you tug your underwear off yourself." She said, once again turning to the monitors. Vegeta lifted his hips slightly and with a grimace managed to get his undergarments down his legs and off. He tossed them onto the chair beside his bed with his pants, relaxing back into Piccolo's arms with another groan. His back arched as another wave of pain wracked his body and he cried out.

"JESUS that one hurt!" He ground out. Pota actually had the audacity to smile at him.

"Good. Then we're almost there. Hang on just a bit longer-"

She didn't get to finish her sentence because Vegeta screamed out an extremely filthy word in Saiyan and arched clear off the bed. A horrible ripping sound was heard and the sheet covering Vegeta's lower body was covered in splotches of red. Piccolo made a pained noise at the same time that Vegeta sobbed out another series of curses, this time in English.

"Goddamn son of a bitch…" Vegeta sobbed, curling in on himself more than into Piccolo's side.

"Holy Hell, Pota!" Piccolo exclaimed. "Did you know that was going to happen?" He asked, heart rate dangerously high as he half-glared at her, half-stared at her in panic. The Saiyan woman swallowed audibly but nodded.

"Yes. I did. But I knew if I told you, you'd make me do something about it."

Piccolo's face twisted into an expression of rage and he opened his mouth to speak but Vegeta gave another sob and pressed closer to him, so instead he continued to glare at her as he shifted onto the bed entirely, letting Vegeta lie on him as he pleased.

Pota looked at them both helplessly.

"If I had interfered at all, it could have been catastrophic. Damage could have been done to the baby and more than likely him as well. I didn't know what else to do but to let it run its course." She motioned vaguely at the red-spotted sheet. Piccolo rubbed Vegeta's back slowly, occasionally scratching it gently. That seemed to calm the Prince because he eventually removed his face from Piccolo's shoulder, glaring at Pota.

"You're a bitch."

Pota glared back this time.

"You guys keep this abusive shit up and I'll leave you to have this baby without my help. Jesus fuck I'm doing the best I can here. This is a first for me too you know." She snapped, hands on her hips. Piccolo had the decency to drop his gaze and mutter an apology. Vegeta said nothing but his glare softened and his body lost a bit of tension, which was as much an apology as Pota was going to get at this point.

"The worst of that pain is over. Now we have to wait for contractions, which should be coming very soon. Saiyan babies don't waste any time finding their way into the world."

Once again, the second after Pota stopped speaking, Vegeta made a pained noise and pressed into Piccolo. The pain wasn't as bad as the first time but it was more than uncomfortable.

"I think that was a contraction." Vegeta said, shifting closer to Piccolo. If he moved any closer he would probably end up on top of him in some manner, so with a little maneuvering, Piccolo got himself behind Vegeta so that the Saiyan was laying back against his chest between his legs. The Prince seemed to relax far more now that he was secure in the Namek's strong arms. A calmed expression covered his face even when he winced slightly at the next contraction.

The wave of contractions continued for the next 30 minutes, during which Pota put on some white medical robes. Piccolo spent the short amount of time carding his fingers through the Prince's hair and whispering soft words in his ear when he tensed up.

The waiting game was killing them all. Vegeta was ready to get this over with more than anyone else in the room.

"Can't we just start this now?" He growled during a particularly jarring contraction. Pota shrugged.

"I can check and see."

She went to lift the sheet but Vegeta jumped.

"Ah! Wait a damn minute. What are you checking?"

Pota rolled her eyes.

"If the birth cannel isn't big enough for the baby to fit through, we can't do this yet."

Vegeta made a disgusted face but nodded to her. She lifted the sheet for a moment before setting it back down.

"You look pretty ready to me if you want to get started." She said with a smile. Vegeta swallowed hard and looked up at Piccolo, who smiled and tightened his grip on him, kissing his cheek gently. The Prince took a deep breath and nodded.

"Let's go."

Pota grabbed a new set of meds and injected them into Vegeta's leg, waiting until he said he felt numb from the waist down to wash her hands and put on gloves. She lifted the sheet once again and patted Vegeta's leg.

"We're right here with you, V." She smiled. Vegeta looked back at Piccolo and after seeing his smile, took another deep breath and nodded at his sister.

"Alright. When I say go, push."

Three hours into labor, there was sweat pouring down the Saiyan's face and neck, his throat was starting to hurt because he couldn't stop the yells that tore from it, and he was completely exhausted. Holding Piccolo's hand wasn't helping anymore, in fact he was sure it was only getting worse. They had hardly made any progress and he was getting extremely frustrated. He was in pain and all he wanted to do was sleep.

When Pota told him to rest for a few seconds so she could give him more meds, he reached back and grabbed Piccolo's collar, pulling him forward so he could see his face.

"When this is over," he snarled viciously. "I am going to kill you."

Piccolo didn't doubt him for a second.

After the shot was injected, they went back to it. After another hour and a half, Vegeta was slumped with his head back against Piccolo's shoulder, chest heaving and little sobs falling from his lips.

"Jesus fucking Christ I am never forgetting goddamn condoms again FUCK." He sobbed. Piccolo was carding his hand that wasn't in the Saiyan's iron grip through his hair, kissing his sweaty temple.

"Come on, Vegeta. Come on I know you can do it. You're almost there, darling."

Vegeta gave him a withering look, eyes filled with pain before he sucked in a breath and screamed, arching his back and giving one last final push. Tiny screams filled the room and Vegeta collapsed into Piccolo, gasping for breath. He was vaguely aware of Piccolo's hand smoothing through his hair and lips pressing to his cheek and his neck and Pota saying 'it's a boy' and God he just wanted to sleep for the next month.

"It's alright, Vegeta. You did it." Piccolo whispered in his ear. He hadn't realized his eyes were closed until Pota called his name quietly. It took him a few seconds and another soft prompt from Piccolo to finally get his eyes open, and when he did he felt the tears welling up automatically.

Pota placed the little white bundle in his arms and he felt a huge grin split his face. Staring up at him with wide grey eyes, mint green skin, tiny antennae and a small tuft of black hair was his son. His and Piccolo's child. They made this beautiful squirming thing together, and his smile only got wider when he heard Piccolo inhale sharply, and watched as his hand shakily came around and placed itself on the baby.

"Oh Vegeta…" The Namek breathed. "He's beautiful." The Namek's voice sounded strained and Vegeta felt a tear or two fall on his cheek even as he turned his head slightly and smiled.

"Yes… he is, isn't he." He chuckled softly as the baby stuck (part of) a tiny fist in his mouth and gummed it idly, staring between his two parents with fascination.

"What should we name him?" Vegeta asked softly, adjusting the blanket ever so slightly, feeling his heart flutter as the sharp grey eyes tracked his every move. Vegeta hardly even noticed that Pota was between his legs again and cleaning him up, or the fact that the dull ache he was feeling was his body sewing itself back up. All his attention was focused on the tiny creature in his arms that was staring at him. He now understood why Bulma had acted so strange when Trunks had been born. She hadn't seemed to be able to pull her eyes away from his face and a smile was on her face as long as she was awake. He had fallen completely in love with the little creature in his arms.

"I guess it should be either a Saiyan name or a Namekian name." Piccolo said, only half listening. He too was enthralled by the way the baby was watching Vegeta.

"No, he was born here on Earth, so he should have an Earth name."

Piccolo shifted his hand and was surprised when the baby snatched his finger in a tight grip, drawing it into his mouth and sucking on it. Piccolo was worried that his nail might damage the baby's mouth, but he quickly relaxed when nothing bad happened.

"Alright, what should we call him then?" Piccolo asked, feeling his heart melt when the baby released his finger, yawned wide and snuggled closer to Vegeta's chest, closing his eyes and sticking his thumb in his mouth. Vegeta smiled as well and brushed a thumb gently over the baby's smooth cheek. Vegeta had never been to Heaven, but he imagined this was pretty close; his brand new baby in his arms and his mate holding him tight and safe in a full-body embrace. He pressed closer to Piccolo, feeling his strong heartbeat at his back.

"I've got just the name." The Prince murmured.

Epilogue

"Chris, put down the book and eat your breakfast. I can assure you that Harry Potter can wait." Vegeta called from the kitchen whilst shaking his head. He knew his 5-year old son was smart, but the fact that he was reading Harry Potter already at this age amazed the Prince.

The young hybrid put his book down with a sigh and began eating his eggs and bacon, silently cursing his father for having eyes in the back of his head. A few minutes later, Trunks came thudding down the stairs and into the kitchen. Piccolo followed after him silently, dressed in a collared shirt and jeans.

"Hey Dad." The 13-year old Saiyan said, grabbing a bowl and some milk, pouring himself a huge bowl of Fruit Loops and sitting down across from Chris. Piccolo leaned down and kissed Vegeta's cheek, accepting the plate of food from his mate with a smile. He had eventually taught his body to tolerate solid foods and found that he rather enjoyed it.

At the table, the hybrid said nothing to Trunks or his larger father as they ate. He never did. Chris had decided a long while ago that he preferred to not speak, keeping his words to himself and learning sign language. Piccolo and Vegeta had eventually started saying that he was a mute when people asked, because getting Chris to talk was next to impossible.

Vegeta sat down at the other end of the table and began eating his own food. There were only 4 places at the table since Mirai had moved out to share an apartment in the city with Gohan. The family ate in peaceful silence until Trunks started chuckling.

"Hey Chris, wanna know something about that book?" He asked. Chris did nothing but raise a slender black eyebrow. Trunks got a big grin on his face.

"Dumbledore gets killed by Snape."

Chris's mouth dropped open and his eyes went wide. Piccolo and Vegeta shared a look across the table as Trunks chuckled into his cereal. No one noticed the subtle twitching of Chris's eyebrow as his face twisted into an ugly glare.

They did notice however when Trunks suddenly got a face full of Fruit Loops and milk, complete with a bowl on his head. Chris was slowly developing telekinetic abilities that were strongest when he got angry. He still had a little trouble controlling himself. As the hybrid watched the milk drip down his half-brother's neck, a wicked smile pulled the side of his mouth up and he dared to chuckle.

"Christopher." Piccolo's voice boomed and Chris jumped slightly, turning a falsely-innocent face to his Namekian father. He was met with a stony gaze.

"What have we told you about that? Apologize to your brother."

Chris didn't look thrilled but he lifted his hands and signed 'sorry' anyway.

"No, I want you to use your words." Vegeta said, crossing his arms. Chris gave him an exasperated look but Vegeta remained firm, staring him down. Chris snarled but looked to his brother again.

"I'm sorry." He said in a soft voice, hating how his throat vibrated with each word. It showed on his face. He hated speaking. Trunks mumbled something close to 'whatever it's fine' and got up, grabbing paper towels and cleaning himself up.

Chris was content to sit silently and stew in his irritation but Vegeta put a hand on his shoulder, gripping it tightly and smiling at him, happy that he had spoken without a complaint, so Chris smiled back and returned his attention to his breakfast.

Vegeta sighed and smoothed a hand through his youngest son's hair, trying in vain to get the unruly spikes to stay in a somewhat-ordered fashion. He knew Chris was trying to learn how to control himself and he knew accidents happened, so he was going to let this one incident slide.

Besides, Trunks gave him a huge spoiler, and that warranted some form of punishment in Vegeta's opinion. He didn't appreciate it when other people ruined his books for him either. So he smiled again and brushed some crumbs from Chris's cheek before eating his own breakfast.

Piccolo watched the silent exchange between his mate and his son from his end of the table with a smile. After Chris's birth, Vegeta had gotten much softer and friendlier. He acted more human and honestly to Piccolo, that was a good thing.

They had moved out of the Tower and into a little house of their own not far from Goku's place. Vegeta and Goku still got together on a weekly basis to train and spar, but outside of that they were all pretty mellow. Chichi was homeschooling Chris for them, ("It's no trouble, really!" she had said), so they didn't have to worry about Chris not doing well in a classroom environment because he didn't speak. Trunks got to play and train with Goten all the time so he was happy, and Piccolo got to spend almost all day with his beautiful mate, so he was happy as well. Their already domestic way of life was amplified by the fact that both he and Vegeta wore civilian clothes unless they were training.

Piccolo's smile widened as Trunks sat back down at the table and Vegeta picked a blue Fruit Loop out of his hair, laughing with him and drawing a smile from Chris. The Namek took a sip of coffee. This was his family, and he wouldn't trade it for the world.

End

A/N: A HUGE thank you to everyone who stuck with me until the end, what with my outrageous update schedule and sometimes-harebrained antics. :D I hope you all enjoyed it and I hope it's been as good a two years for you as it has for me!

Thanks for tuning in!

Also, bonus points to whoever can guess where Chris's name came from. ;D