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They hadn’t spoken in months. If they happened to be in the same room they didn’t acknowledge the others’ existence. Her mom simply tried to be the bandaid and fill the silence. Bulma knew she crossed a line – the line being his pride, but she simply couldn’t apologize. It wasn’t in her nature. How can one train if their body is broken? Was she supposed to just let him lay in the rubble until he became conscious again and then lick his own wounds? She absently started to braid her hair. It was a short braid, but it would keep her hair from getting on her nerves. She glanced at her perfectly manicured nails and wondered how long it had been since she used a blow torch. Even though she felt a little self-conscious when her hands were dirty, she was definitely happier.She looked at Capsule Corporation’s quarterly reports half-heartedly. As always profits were up and she exerted little effort to accomplish this. Everything should be good, but truth be told it wasn’t. There’s just over two years before the androids arrive and the only thing Bulma wishes she could occupy herself with is the success of her family’s company, but her mind drifted as usual. She sighed. She couldn’t believe Vegeta still took up this much of her headspace when she was certain he hadn’t thought of her. To make matters worse her and Yamcha were on the outs yet again. Apparently her nursing Vegeta back to health rubbed him the wrong way. In fact, a lot of things she did rubbed him the wrong way and the feeling was mutual. Yet somehow they always seemed to find their way back to each other. As dysfunctional as they were they had grown accustomed to the toxic nature of their romance. The word romance being used loosely.She clicked her pen incessantly. When she was 16 years old and first met Goku and soon afterwards Yamcha her life had been one life-ending struggle to the next. At least 3 years total reprieve gave her a chance to feel like a normal person. Well, as normal as the richest, most-powerful woman on the planet could feel. She glanced at the clock. Whoa. 8 PM. She double-clicked her inbox. There's not a single thing left to do. Considering she started the day with over 300 emails and reviewed and finalized the specs for two new capsules she could leave with a clear conscience. Who knows. She may not even go in tomorrow. She pulled up her calendar and made the impulsive decision to cancel the only meeting she had in the morning. She shocked herself and even giggled a little bit. Another part of being a normal human is taking a mental health day, but she still felt guilty. After all, her company’s employee appreciation party was this Saturday. She needed to show up, play the part of an unconcerned president and owner. She just needed to get the right outfit. She had been working so late everyday she hadn’t gone shopping in a while. So . . . it was technically work related.It was a short walk from her office to home as all were in the same compound. She had the long weekend completely planned in her head starting with rushing through her evening routine so she could get to bed early. Sometimes sleep (when she could sleep) was the only reprieve she could get from all the what ifs of the future.She walked up the back steps to see her mother sitting on the porch watching soaps and eating biscuits. She greatly envied her mother. In many ways she had the same naivete as Goku. She seemed to have mastered the art of living in the moment. She knew the androids were coming, but aside from a brief moment of reflection it was life as usual for her.“Oh hello, Dear!” Her mother smiled and walked up to her. “Would you like to have some of this tea I got? New store in town!”Bulma smiled, “Does it have caffeine? I’m hoping to get to bed super early tonight.”She frowned, “Oh darn. Yes, caffeine.”“No worries, Mom. Maybe next time. Where is Dad?” Bulma asked mid stretch and yawn.“Oh, well . . . “ She trailed off and glanced at her fingers as they were suddenly the most interesting thing in the world.Bulma snapped out of her yawn, “Mom? What? Where is he?”___________________________________________________________________________ Fists clenched she stomped towards Vegeta’s gravity chamber. So he thinks he can just bypass her? As brilliant as her father is, some of what he does can have bugs in it anymore. Why does Vegeta think when her father works she is always nearby? If he actually wants another accident her dad is exactly who SHOULD help him.She peeked in the window of the chamber and sure enough she could see her father spinning some kind of yarn much to Vegeta’s dismay as evidenced by the sweat on his brow.Bulma grinned. Perfect. Serves him right. She pushed the entrance button and Vegeta refused to look in her direction. She fake laughed, “Dad, what part of imminent retirement don’t you understand?”Her dad stopped mid-story, “Well, hey there, Honey! Vegeta here was just telling me that his training is at a standstill and it reminded me of a time at college when-”“Ah, yes, that’s nice Dad, but maybe you should focus your efforts on planning Mom’s birthday trip?” She added coolly, “I’ll deal with him.”Dr. Briefs smiled and was about to launch into another story, but he could see the tension between her and Vegeta. “Maybe I better. Gotta keep the women happy, don’t we young man?”“Tch,” Vegeta kept his arms crossed with his back still to her.As soon as the door closed Bulma wasted no time, “You know how old he is? I oversee everything he does now. He means well, honestly, but I don’t want another crater in my yard.”He turned his head slightly so she could make out a smirk on his profile, “Risk death or deal with you? Hmm.”“ENOUGH!” She yelled then caught herself, “Enough. You aren’t going to get a rise out of me. What exactly are you needing that is so important that you’d put your faith in my father assembling it for you?”“Ever since I blew up the inferior gravity chamber and you provided this one there’s been no updates that really challenge me. Whether that be increased gravity pressure or better bots.” He looked at the wall, disinterested.“You get nothing unless you come to me.” His jaw clenched for a millisecond and Bulma smiled sweetly. She pulled a notepad and pen out of her lab coat pocket, “What EXACTLY are you wanting?”Vegeta turned to face her with his hand on his chin, “Hmm. Take everything you’ve done so far that is defective and make it challenging.”Bulma closed the notepad and put it back in her pocket. “Ha,ha. If you don’t know how to get stronger just say so.”He clinched his fists, “I need them faster, stronger, different. The bots. I need them faster, stronger, different.” He took a breath and sneered, “And I need the gravity chamber to go at least 200 times stronger than it is now.”Her phone pinged in her pocket and she took it out to see what email she had. She doesn’t usually check her messages once out of the office, but she had just left and wanted to make sure there weren’t any questions about something she approved. “This sounds like a wishlist and not something that is actually possible.” Bulma rolled her eyes. A RSVP from Yamcha for her company’s party requesting a plus one. She gritted her teeth, “You know I have a company to run, right? A company that makes all of your comforts possible.”Vegeta shrugged and said sardonically, “This should hardly be an issue for someone with your means and talents.”Yeah. Someone with her means. She should be able to pull anything off. She jammed the phone in her pocket. Nice to see all the men in her life are playing games. She looked up at Vegeta. There’s that damn scowl again. She could explain what actually upset her, but chose to let him think it was him. She can play games, too. “Okay Vegeta. Let’s cut the crap. If I’m going to do something for you, you are going to do something for me.” He raised an eyebrow with slight interest and she continued, “I have a company party here Saturday. I want you to be my date. All you have to do is stay near me and make me look good. You don’t even have to talk. There will be good food, great drinks, and I’ve hired that local DJ everyone likes. It is simple enough.” She walked towards him and circled him, “Do you have any clothes not meant for combat?”Vegeta looked rigid and very uncomfortable, “Those types of clothes don’t last with me. I’m not sure if I’d even have anything appropriate.”“No worries there!” Bulma beamed, “The perks of being rich and powerful!”“That’s all well and good, but I didn’t agree.” Vegeta looked at her, his expression unreadable.She swore sometimes he just experiments with her. Picks apart her emotions for his amusement, “If that’s how you want to play it fine.” She walked up to the control panel for the gravity chamber, pushed a few buttons, and the control panel completely shut off.“Oy! What do you think you are doing?” Vegeta fumed. He walked over completely at a loss at what to do. A vein popped out of his forehead.Bulma smiled and held out her hand, “Do we have a deal?”Vegeta looked at her hand and turned his back to her. He sighed shoulders slumped slightly, “Fine.” He quickly squared his shoulders again, and faced her, “But you will get started on the upgrades immediately.”Bulma clicked a few buttons and the control panel powered on. As she strode out of the chamber she flashed a grin and a peace sign. Vegeta muttered under his breath in what she assumed was his native tongue.____________________________________________________________________________ It wasn’t how she expected to spend her day off. She rarely got to tinker in her private lab so in a way it was a treat. She blew her hair out of her face and looked closer at the motherboard of the gravity chamber. Unfortunately, it wasn’t going to be as simple as making a few tweaks here. When she worked on the formulas that would make the updates possible to the gravity chamber she realized immediately it would require an entire rebuild with much stronger material. She suspected as much anyway. She needed to find something that was still light in the event it was going to be used for space travel. And aside from this she kept having this nagging feeling like she was forgetting something.She clicked her tongue. Finding a new material may take longer than her creating something new. She finished tweaking the motherboard, “Well, that’ll have to do for now. A small increase to tide you over until I can work a miracle.”The intercom in her lab went off, “Um . . . Ms. Briefs?”She knew this voice as her assistant. She sounded frazzled, which wasn’t typical for her. While cleaning up her workstation she answered, “Rhonda, I am not technically working and I said I wasn’t to be disturbed.”The connection to the intercom clicked again and she could hear breathing, hesitation. “Ms. Briefs your plus one for the company party-” Somewhat breathlessly, panic rising in her voice. “I arranged for everything you requested and it . . . It isn’t going well at all.”She leaned back in her chair and spun it slowly. “Ugh. Fine. I assume he’s in his living quarters?”The static of the intercom died. Ugh. She wondered how much this tantrum is going to cost her.Bulma broke into a brisk walk. The type of walk that makes people stare, but you think you are playing it cool. She arrived outside Vegeta’s quarters to be met by her assistant crumpled on the ground crying. She was a short, very shapely woman with a beautiful, round face and brunette hair in a neat, long ponytail down her back. Bulma sighed and shook her head, “Oh, Rhonda. I’m sorry. What happened?”She sniffled, “Well, I . . . I laughed at him.”Shit. Bulma quickly patted her on the back, “I’ll, um, give you a raise. Take the rest of the day off, okay?”She pulled her mascara streaked face out of her hands, nodded, and quickly scrambled off. Bulma let a long breath escape her lips. She probably has the highest paid assistant on the planet, but she was worth every penny. She hit the override command for the door on his quarters and entered.At first all she saw was the scowl, but when she took the rest in . . . It was a lot. He was wearing a dress shirt that fit perfectly across the chest, but length made it look like a dress. The sleeves were comically too long. His pants were also well fit in the hips and thighs and far, far too long. He looked cartoonish. Bulma’s reflex to laugh was hardly caught by her hand when she noticed the tailor hiding behind the mirror.“Something funny woman?!” Vegeta snarled, red rushing to his cheeks.She took a deep breath to steady herself, “Vegeta, you understand that your measurements were so off the charts that it will need to be custom made to fit? Your chest and thighs are . . .” She tore her eyes away and looked at the tailor, “Come on out. Get it done as quickly as you can.”The tailor gulped and rushed out. Vegeta stood completely immobile while the tiny, elderly man worked as fast as possible. As soon as the tailor stepped away and bowed Vegeta began taking the clothes off. Bulma abruptly turned her back to him to give him privacy and he was already rushing past her in his armor. That was fast. “Uh, Vegeta! Hang on!”“I need to train. Now.” He kept walking determinedly, she followed him outside. “I assume you are done with the upgrades?”“Vegeta, that’s just it. For the interim I’m only able to increase it minimally. I have to do tests, look at the design, and worst case scenario find or invent a new, stronger-”He looked up at the heavens. “Well, if that’s the best you can do.” Bulma stopped in her tracks. Speechless. He turned his head slightly, “You know the last time I had anything tailored was when I was a child? It was before my planet was destroyed.”Bulma wasn’t sure what to say. She figured this was a good time to listen.Looking back up at the heavens, “Sometimes – not often – I wonder what my life would have been like.” He crossed his arms for a moment. She made a motion to walk closer to him unsure of what exactly she was going to do and he took off in a flash.She watched as he disappeared off the horizon. What was that? She actually felt concerned for him and forced herself to push that feeling aside. If he even suspected she worried about him she would be met with scorn. She hoped he would actually come back tomorrow.
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Capsule Corporation’s party was turning into a who’s who event. Anyone that was important was going to be there. Well, aside from most of Bulma’s friends. The only ones that RSVP’d were Yamcha and Krillin who also requested a plus one. Turns out the threat of the androids prevented most of them from even taking the night off.Back in her lab Bulma sighed. Her phone lit up and she could see it was another of her most reliable employees. “Hey there, Mac!”A gruff voice responded, “Yes, ma’am, I’m about to send those specs over to you right now. I managed to get three of your top engineers on it right away. I just don’t understand how useful this would be in the retail market though.”Mac was a solid beast of a man. He was very hairy and could be mistaken for the missing link. If Bulma was honest he reminded her of a huge, non-threatening teddy bear.“Oh, I just got it.” She opened the email and scanned the specs. “Hmm. Very tricky, just as I suspected.” She sipped her coffee, “Also, like some other things I’ve asked you all to work on this is on the hush, hush. Many others don’t even know I asked for this.”He laughed, “We wondered if this was going to be a private pursuit when gravity manipulation was involved.”She smiled, “I really want to thank you for getting this to me. Especially considering the party is tonight.”He hesitated, “About that . . . our babysitter fell through so I’m not sure we’ll be able to make it tonight. I mean there’s a chance we could find someone last minute.”She couldn’t hide the disappointment in her voice. “Oh no! Oh please come and bring your baby! You are one of my most valued employees and I know it isn’t much, but the whole reason I’m throwing this shindig is for people like you. Also, I think your wife will have a blast.”“I dunno. The baby is teething . . .” A sudden schrill infant scream could be heard in the background.“Well, babies DO cry. There will be enough distractions and things going on. Don’t even give it a second thought.” She was halfway paying attention to the phone call at this point. “Mac, this is some interesting stuff. Thank you.”___________________________________________________________________________ Vegeta looked himself over in the mirror as the tailor kept his head bent in a bow. The outfit seemed to be in order as far as he could tell. He could definitely pass for an earthling. He realized the tailor was still immobile and he kept his eyes on his reflection. “I think we are done. I will show,” with a sneer he continued, “my date to make sure she approves.”The tailor nodded his head frantically and left immediately. He gave himself one last look in the mirror and cursed under his breath. How does he get himself into these absurd scenarios?He walked to Bulma’s residence. The banquet hall on the grounds was already set up and guests were arriving. As soon as he walked in he was met by her mother. The creature was so unnerving.“Oh! Wow-wee!” She ran up and wrapped her arms around one of his. “You look so handsome and I am so happy you are coming to the party. Are you excited to have a break from training?”That’s the problem – he didn’t WANT a break. He scowled, “Where is Bulma?”She giggled, “Oh she’s in a bit of a state right now. She got so involved in your little project that she completely forgot to get a new outfit for the party so she is going through things she has that the public may have not seen yet.”“A bit of a state?” He rolled his eyes. “Is she yelling?”She giggled. “She’s past that point sweetie. I’m guessing she found something to wear. It should be fine for you to head on up. It is the eighth door to the right.”Finally out of that unnerving woman’s grasp he made his way up the stairs. Walking like a commoner was such a hassle. He knew he had to deliver tonight on his commitment if there was any hope of getting his way. He came upon her door. He could hear the low hum of music and it was cracked. He lightly tapped on the door.“It’s open! Come in!” she yelled.He walked in. Her room looked more like an additional workspace than a bedroom. There were stacks file manilla folders, blue prints, and clothes strewn everywhere. She was sitting at her desk with her back to him. He glanced over and saw blueprints strewn all over what he assumed was her large bed. Stopping behind her he crossed his arms. She still hadn’t even looked at him. Okay. He cleared his throat.She jumped and turned around. Her jaw hit the floor. He couldn’t help but smirk. He was wearing a baby blue button down shirt with a stifling polka dot bow tie and black pants with black shoes. It isn’t every day he makes her speechless. He decided he liked speechless Bulma. To his surprise she was still in a bathrobe and he frowned. She recovered herself, smiled and said, “Wow Vegeta. It pains me to say it, but you look . . . Very nice.”She stood suddenly and brought him over to the full length mirror. She gently wrapped one of her arms around his and began, “Now I know you hate everything about this so I’ll try to keep my appearance at the event brief. Like I said – you don’t need to say or do anything aside from eating, drinking, danc-”Vegeta interrupted and raised an eyebrow, “You never said anything about dancing. Don’t push it.”She grinned, “Okay, okay. Well, I think I found my dress. Now tell me if this is too much.”Without further ado she dropped her robe to reveal a form fitting leopard print short dress with thin straps and no back. Vegeta eyed her uncomfortably, “That’s a dress? It doesn’t look like too much. If anything it looks like too little.”“Ugh. It looks bad doesn’t it? I bought it when I was going through some things, but never got the nerve to wear it.” She looked at them in the full length mirror again and gently wrapped her arm around his again. “It is either this or a classic little black dress.”Vegeta walked around her. He wasn’t sure how the dress was staying on because there was so little fabric. Why did this make him uncomfortable? He felt like a vulture circling her. He looked her up and down once more and managed a poker face, “What you wear doesn’t matter to me. I’m here for my part of the agreement and people are already showing up. Let’s get this over with shall we?”___________________________________________________________________________ It turned out they didn’t get to go down right away. He was made to sit on her bed when two people showed up to help her with her hair and makeup. It was actually interesting to watch as he had never seen the amount of work that went into these things, but he made it a point to look disinterested. It was exhausting. As far as he was concerned she looked like a clown when they were done. Money wasted. Her hair was in an updo on top of her head and he swore he could see her pulse in her thin neck.She looked herself over in the mirror once more and slipped on heels. She exhaled loudly possibly from jitters and turned and smiled, “Ready?”Vegeta snarled, “Woman, I’ve BEEN ready.” He walked up and gently grabbed her arm and put it on his as she had done in front of the mirror, “Let’s GO.” He heard a stifled giggle. “What now?!”“In these heels I’m taller than you. Well, minus your hair that is! HEHE!” Vegeta knew this may be the longest night of his life. This was a huge mistake.As soon as they were out of her residence he was amazed at the number of people there. There was food piled high everywhere the eye could see as you walked in. Many people’s inhibitions were already being lowered since they were plied with alcohol. Her parents waved beaming with pride and everyone cheered when they entered. Bulma grabbed two glasses of wine from a passing caterer and handed one to him. He gave her a warning glare, “I’ve only drank two times in my life and this will not be the third time.” She gave him a perplexed look, “I’m in the middle of training and I have to keep my focus. I plan on using the incomplete gravity chamber as soon as this is done.”She rolled her eyes, “If you want to stop talking now that will work for me.” Vegeta looked around. He was expecting to see many of Earth’s fighters here tonight. She followed his gaze as if to answer his question, “Only Krillin and Yamcha will be coming. Along with their dates.”Well, that answers a few questions. He was wondering why he didn’t sense enhanced ki around him. Given that they are two of the weaker fighters he’s not at all surprised. Since Yamcha is there with a date he now sees how he got roped into this charade. He looked at Bulma and she gave no indication that she was upset. As much as he lived to get a rise out of her, he thought it best to not try anything. “Krillin has a date?”She smiled and winked, “I know, right?!” Someone caught her eye across the hall. “Hey, I really need to go talk to her. She’s one of the engineers that is helping me with your project and I want clarification on two things real quick.” Vegeta inclined his head and she walked off. He surveyed the room as she walked across the dance floor and everyone – men and women – turned and took notice of her. He became immediately aware once again of how revealing her dress was as the lighting caught her milky skin. He didn’t realize he was staring at her until he felt HE was being watched. A group of women on the side of the dance floor were staring and beckoning him. They were all ages and appeared to be scantily clad and very drunk. “Tch.” To his dismay he saw that Bulma had another glass of wine in her hand as she walked to say hello to someone else. He turned his back and there was Krillin.“Hey-a Vegeta! Didn’t expect to see you here.” Holding his hand was a very young, blue haired woman. She had a very vacant expression. If there was a dumb, younger version of Bulma this would be it. Krillin noticed Vegeta glaring at her and perked up, “Oh yeah! This is my girlfriend Maron! Maron, this is Vegeta. He lives on the compound, too.”Maron looked at him blankly at first, then there was a very slow moment of recognition, and a sudden flirty smile materialized, “Oh! You live here? Maron thinks you must have oodles of money. Is that true Veggie-wedgie?” She began to reach out to stroke his chest.Vegeta bared his teeth. “That’s enough from you.” He eyed Krillin with disgust before walking away. He could see Bulma across the hall joined by her assistant who was feverishly taking notes. She was very engaged in conversation with a tall, brunette man who kept leaning in extremely close to speak to her. She had another glass of wine in her hand. How many was that now? His eyes narrowed and in that moment she made eye contact and excused herself from the man she was speaking with and made her way to him. She pulled him close. Too close in his opinion because he could easily make out her scent. She seemed to have forgotten herself. “I’ve got good news” She lightly put a hand on his bicep, “I think I’ve found an answer to one of your training issues.” She leaned in closer, “This is strictly on the hush, hush of course.” She hiccuped. “I found the, uh, thingie I need. I just have to schmooze to get it.”Vegeta felt a bit of excitement well up inside him, but then skepticism took over. “Schmooze? What is that?” Her strap slipped from her shoulder and he gulped and quickly replaced it.She giggled and leaned in and whispered, “Oh, you know. Using my charms to get my way.”He could still feel the heat from her whisper in his ear and sneered, “So you’re saying it is a lost cause then?” Bulma threw her head back and laughed, spilling a few drops of her wine. It caught him so off guard even he let a short chuckle escape his lips. He recovered quickly and tried to be discreet, “How many of those have you had?” He gestured to her glass.She looked at it, “Worried about me, huh? I’m a big girl and I can take care of myself!” She flexed her arms and laughed again. Vegeta missed this gesture though and his face turned to stone because he was looking at the center of the dance floor. Yamcha was kissing a blond woman. Classless. Great. He gets to deal with this now.Bulma could sense he was looking at something and when she went to turn her head. He grabbed her and forced her to look at him. He drew a blank for a millisecond. If she hadn’t been drinking she would’ve known something was up. “Food. Take me to the food. You promised me food.”Bulma giggled and pulled him close, “You are acting weird. Sure, I’ll take you to the mountains of secret food we’ve already walked past.”He had her walk in front of him and kept his hands on her shoulders. Over his shoulder he heard someone yell CONGA LINE and someone put their hands on his waist and the line kept getting longer. Bulma was laughing, “Looks like you are going to dance whether you like it or not!” Vegeta kept hissing to the person to stop touching him or they’ll cease to exist and without realizing it the line changed direction led by her. Abruptly the line stopped and he looked up. They were back at the dance floor. The conga line hit Vegeta’s back and fell like a set of dominos. He gritted his teeth.Her head dropped for a moment. Her fists clenched. The moment it started it ended and she spun on her heel to Vegeta. Involuntarily he winced and prepared for the worst. She smiled, “Food. You wanted food.”___________________________________________________________________________ She walked with a fake smile plastered to her face. There’s a way to sober up quickly. As she passed a caterer she grabbed another glass of wine. It felt like something she needed to do to get through this night. As she walked she chugged it and put the glass on another waiter’s tray. Vegeta marched right behind her with his arms crossed. Since Yamcha was a famous baseball player the general public knew that they had been linked romantically over the years. It wasn’t that he was kissing someone else, but the AUDACITY to do it when there was press here. This was going to be a PR nightmare for her.She grabbed a plate from the stack at the end of table. Without realizing it she began roughly throwing food onto the plate loudly. She felt a pair of hands lightly take hers and take the plate. Vegeta. A sigh escaped her lips and he muttered under his breath something about the need to hold it together. Surprisingly, it had the desired effect. He veered her to the table near the entrance. The farthest table from the dance floor. She sat with him and flagged down another waiter and grabbed some more wine. She looked up at his black eyes staring at her. Through her fake smile/gritted teeth she mouthed eat which looked more like a command than a request. He had his hands resting on the table trying to look casual, but he was the most tense she had seen him. “Seriously, Vegeta, I got all those turkey legs just for you because I know they are your favorite.” He glanced down and fixed his eyes on her again. A bead of sweat began to form on his temple. Her fake smile melted into a real one, “You look like we are about to go into battle. You weren’t even this tense when I first met you on Namek. Everything is fine.”Vegeta finally began eating. Bulma smiled at him. It was a peaceful, much needed moment. She rarely saw him experience anything that resembled joy so this was as good as it was going to get. Suddenly the comfortable silence between them was interrupted by the DJ. “Okay everyone let’s slow things down for a little bit and grab that special someone.” Vegeta jerked and looked up at her while still taking bites out of the last turkey leg.Bulma laughed and was looking past him. She put her hands up in surrender, “Ah, it would appear you’ll be spared.” She stood and went to her colleague Mac and his wife. They showed up with their baby in tow. “Give me little miss and you go dance with your wife.”Mac’s wife, Aria, beamed at him and she looked at Bulma with a twinkle in her eye, “Are you serious? I don’t remember the last time we danced!” She was a lovely petite woman with red hair and her face sunkissed with freckles. Her size only made Mac look even larger.Mac hugged Bulma, “Hmm. Probably our wedding if I had to guess!”The moment their baby left her mother’s arms she broke into a high pitched cry. Bulma shooed Mac and Aria off to the dance floor and went to a quiet corner near Vegeta. As she sat with the baby she could occasionally whisper “there, there” but when it became clear she wouldn’t be able to calm the baby she walked to Vegeta, “I’m taking her for a walk around the compound and I need to swing by my lab. I think even in this corner it is too loud for her.” Vegeta stood and she held up a hand, “I’m good. I’m fine. Get more food. Have fun.” She noticed him glance nervously at a group of women near the dance floor. “Or you can always go and train. You’ve definitely held up your end of the bargain.”He tapped his foot, “As much as I’d like to, I made an agreement to be your date for this evening. I don’t want you shortchanging me for any reason when it comes to what I want.”She rolled her eyes,”Fine. Come along then.” The baby was now alternating between half smiles and still crying for her parents. Vegeta again followed with his arms crossed and kept surveying everything he could see. As soon as she was within the lab with the door shut behind them she leaned against the wall and looked up at the ceiling. Being so composed when she was so angry had never really been something she was good at. She looked from the ceiling at him, “I’m going to need you to hold the baby for a moment.” He eyed her dangerously. “Please.”He held out his arms and the baby went right to him. She walked over to a workbench she had pushed off to the side and pulled out something. “When Mac first mentioned to me she was teething two weeks ago it really bothered me. I mean, if they are screaming like that it must be very painful.” She took what she grabbed and put it into another device. “I’m sanitizing it now.” She looked over and the baby was calmly patting his chest. “I think she’s hungry and she thinks you're lactating. I told you your chest was off the charts.”“Hmph.” The baby leaned her head over and went right to sleep. He looked a little alarmed, “Did I hurt it?”Bulma smiled, “Good grief! Nothing like that. You are like a heater and I’m sure it is comforting for her.” The second machine dinged and she pulled out the first object she grabbed. “Well, I decided to take a bash at designing a teether. I guess I’ll just send this home with them and they can let me know how it works.” She chuckled at his pouty face. “The beat of the music has changed. I suppose the slow dances are done. Let’s get her back to mom and dad. How about we switch?” She gently took the baby and handed the technicolor teether to Vegeta. He let a labored breath escape his lips at the relief of not holding the baby.They walked around the grounds for about thirty minutes and the baby woke back up. Bulma talked to the baby the entire time describing everything she saw and telling her what a good girl she was. As they made their way back to the hall the crowd had thinned out a little and Bulma could see thankfully Yamcha and Krillin were gone with their dates. Mac and his wife walked up. Her hair was slightly disheveled. Bulma handed the baby to Mac and as if on queue a waiter walked by and she grabbed another glass of wine. Vegeta handed over the teether to Aria without making eye contact. She smiled, “Oh. Thanks! I hope she didn’t give you two any trouble?”Vegeta dodged interacting with her and Bulma smiled, “She’s precious. I really hope that teether helps you all out. Let me know.”Mac slapped Vegeta on the back, “You are a lucky guy. I feel like there isn’t anything Bulma can’t do! I’m trying to think how long have you two been together now?” Vegeta gritted his teeth as Mac’s hand rested on him and Bulma hugged his wife goodbye.Bulma interjected, “He’s a friend that is trying to decide his next move in life. I figured he may as well stay here while he did.”As they walked away Vegeta’s gaze followed them. Bulma was sure he was imagining vaporizing Mac, but his expression was at first unreadable. She gently took his arm and put another glass of wine down the hatch. As she did so she swayed slightly and he got a firm grip on her. Bulma turned to face him and he turned to face her. He couldn’t hide the annoyance on his face. She smiled, “Listen, I know that as far as you are concerned this entire evening has been nightmare fuel, but I’m not sure I can ever fully repay you for what you’ve done tonight. I know it wasn’t easy.”Vegeta watched as the group of women that stared at him were finally leaving. “Hmph. It is fine. The food was good.”“Vegeta, I’m trying to say something kinda important. Well, important to me.” He turned and looked at her with his brows drawn together. She sighed, “When you were leading me away from the dance floor I know what you were trying to do. I feel like you are the only one here that has an inkling for how embarrassing this night was for me.”His head cocked to the side. And his finger brushed the end of her nose, “Your nose is red.”“My-?” Bulma blushed, “That’s what happens when I drink a lot. Although I don’t think I’ve ever drank this much.”He let out a relieved sigh. “That’s a relief. I’m surprised you are standing. Did you even eat anything?” His tone was disinterested, but perhaps he was concerned.She blinked. “Actually I don’t think I had one bite to eat tonight. Too busy I guess!” She looked around and the little bit of food left had been out for hours. The thought of it made her stomach turn a little. Pushing the thought out of her mind she continued, “You really are released from your obligation now. Seriously.”“Hnn.” with a curt nod. He untied the bowtie and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt and turned to walk out. Something about this movement made her heart flutter, but then . . .Whoa there goes her stomach. Oh shit. There goes her stomach. Oh no.___________________________________________________________________________ As Vegeta made his way to the gravity chamber that’s when he heard it. The lurching, unmistakable sound of someone about to throw up. His head snapped back and the look of panic on her face was apparent. She tightly closed her lips and green spread across her cheeks. Vegeta’s eyes darted in every direction. Dammit. There were more than a negligible amount of people here and if he wasn’t mistaken one member of the press. He darted to Bulma, threw her over his shoulder and ran as fast as he reasonably could without people realizing he wasn’t just another earthling.He doesn’t know how he did it, but he somehow made it to the back of her house and she began vomiting in the bushes under their porch. He was also going fast enough that he ditched everyone remaining in the hall. When he thought she was finally done she kept going. He was pacing behind her. Listening to her vomit made him want to vomit and his stomach was absolutely full.“Oh my G-” Vomit. “I’m so sor-” Vomit. She stopped for a moment and panted. Then, she started shaking all over.Vegeta rushed over, seeing her shake, “What?! What are you doing now?” He started bending over and heaving.Bulma panted a few more times. Tears and mascara were streaming down her cheeks. “The worst part. The worst part is I did this to myself. I’m – I think – I’m done.” She tried to right herself up and lurched again, but there was nothing left in her stomach.Vegeta now panted himself. Thank God. Now maybe his stomach will calm down. He tried to banish the image of her throwing up so much. “Just never again. Why? Why did you do this?”“Listen, I know the idea of annihilation is a new concept to you, but I’m sick to death of worrying if everything and everyone I know and love will be destroyed. I guess that’s what started it and then when I saw Yamcha with that woman. I know I don’t love him anymore, but the very idea that our history . . . My feelings . . . My reputation didn’t matter anymore to him. I couldn’t get over this feeling that somehow drinking would help.” A few more tears streamed down her face. “Do you have any idea how hard it is to be taken seriously in this industry as a woman? And it isn’t just that. This isn’t how I saw my life being by this stage. And-”Vegeta helped her stand up and wrapped one arm around her to steady her. “What he did was unforgivable. It is one thing if he wants to make stupid choices on his own time.” More tears came down her face and he realized she wasn’t crying from being sick anymore. He growled and leaned in so she had to hear him, “Yamcha is weak and ineffectual. He purposely surrounds himself with those that are weaker in his profession to make himself feel better. He was fodder for my Saibamen and they disposed of him in record time.” Bulma sniffled, but seemed to be getting herself back under control. He experimentally let her go to make sure she was steady and kept going, “I saw what this planet has to offer tonight and he has also proven he’s a fool to choose anyone else over you. If you are going to let any other person get to you – which I suggest you don’t – at least make sure they are worthy of you.”A small smile played on her mouth, “So you think I have worth, then?”He stiffened for a moment then turned halfway away from her as she used her fingers to comb her hair out of her face. “Hmph. For argument’s sake let’s just say you had nothing else going for you aside from your money and power. You still held the sway of the entire room. The envy of the women. The object of desire for men. You clearly weren’t paying attention. At the very least you are very admired by many.”He looked up and she was smiling softly at him and his face felt hot. She looked at the ground. “My shoes.”Vegeta looked and only now noticed her shoes were nowhere in sight. No doubt they flew off her feet when they bailed. She looked a little green and shaky still. He walked up and gently wrapped his arms around her, made sure there were no prying eyes, and they levitated from the ground up to the back porch. He carried her in the house and she was already drifting off asleep. Her parents stood as soon as they entered. He didn’t make eye contact with them and proceeded to her room. He ripped the blueprints and specs off the bed and gently laid her down. He pushed her matted hair out of her face a little rougher than intended and leaned close and was relieved to see that her color was returning to her face. He had never seen her behave the way she has tonight. He wasn’t sure what to make of it. “Just because you don’t have the life you envisioned doesn’t mean it isn’t a successful life. That’s what I must tell myself everyday.”He stood and as left her room he almost ran face first into her mother outside her door. He glanced disinterested over his shoulder, “She is going to feel like hell tomorrow.”
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A flurry of images passed through her mind. She felt like she was flying at one point. And Vegeta complimented her? What a wild dream. As she rubbed the dried mascara and sleep out of her eyes she opened them to be face to face with someone else. “AHHHYE!”Mrs. Briefs giggled, “Sorry, Dear!”A sudden throbbing overcame her head. “Ow.” The throbbing grew. “Ow, ow, ow, ow.” The more she spoke the more it hurt. Not a dream. Not a dream at all. She winced, “Please tell me last night went better than I recall.” She looked over at the side table and immediately took the glass of water and put on the sunglasses her mother had laid out for her.“Well . . . Vegeta seemed to take it all in stride – well in stride for him – until I saw your vomit in his hair after he put you to bed.“ She trailed off for a moment. Bulma pulled the covers over her head and groaned. Mrs. Briefs started back up, “It really isn’t all that bad. Everyone had a wonderful time and were completely unaware of your struggles thanks to Vegeta. Doesn’t he clean up nice? His muscles. My goodness.” Bulma lowered the covers back off herself and slowly, painfully set herself up. Her mom smiled sweetly, “And what I’ve got here is the latest tabloid. Went out first thing this morning and grabbed it up for you. The last one on the stand! And while you aren’t bulletproof, what made the front page isn’t as bad as I’m sure you feared!”Bulma tried to swallow. Her throat was dry and she felt like her teeth had hair. Never again. Two glasses tops. She reluctantly took the tabloid from her mother. They both immediately broke out in giggles. She definitely owed Vegeta. She better throw off this hangover and get to work!___________________________________________________________________________ A few days passed and it seemed as if Vegeta wasn’t going to grace her with his presence. It was a mixture of relief and disappointment. It gave her all the more resolve to make as much progress as possible. She increased the amount of blasts the bots offered. She also created more random attack patterns including having the bots shut down sporadically and doing surprise attacks. Instead of slowly building up they start with their strongest beam strike at random.One thing that she regrettably remembered from her pep talk from Vegeta was the mention of the Siabamen. She will forever have the image of Yamcha’s terror when it latched on him etched in her mind and his crumpled body in the crater after he was killed. You would think that knowing she could wish people back with the dragon balls would take away the fear of death, but if anything she imagined scenarios where the use of them was not possible. The kind that would usually keep her up at night.She wasn’t sure what he was trying to accomplish exactly by bringing that up, but it did get her thinking. If she could design the bots to attach, grab, or even bite him it would be a whole new type of challenge. Not as advanced looking, but it would be different and maybe satisfy him for a while.She put pen to paper and started drawing what she would like the bot to look like. She sometimes used computer programs to do this, but she felt more limited by these in the initial mock-ups. She smiled at her nightmarish creation. It was a long way off. To create an artificial grip, grab, bite strong enough for a saiyan would be a challenge. Her pet projects always brought her so much joy though.She pulled up her calendar to look at the weeks ahead. She would have to put in a lot of late hours, but she really wanted to show she would make good on her part of the deal. She looked more closely at something at the end of the day on Friday coming up. She pushed a button on her desk phone and her dutiful assistant Rhonda answered immediately. Bulma clicked her pen, “Uh, yeah. I’ve got an event you added here late in the evening almost two weeks from now. I’m not sure what it is about. Just me and a man named Bannon Summer.”“Ah, yes.” Rhonda was clicking on the keyboard. “I don’t know the exact nature of the meeting, but it is dinner at his home regarding acquiring something his company supplies. You told me to set up the meeting with Bannon’s assistant at the party. Beyond that you made a comment that it was for a project outside of work.”Bulma rubbed her temple. That’s right. Bannon. He’s very rich and powerful and owns an aeronautic company. It isn’t often a competitor had something she needed. He had this liquid metal she could possibly use to make the new gravity chamber. If she recalls correctly he was very handsome. Brown hair, olive skin, very tall, broad shoulders, pale green eyes, and seemed extremely intelligent. Dinner at his home though? “And where is his home located?”Rhonda still typing, “Did I not put it on the meeting? Sorry. Let me get my notes from the party.”The clicking of her typing stopped momentarily. “His villa is located on the other side of the West Mountains in the valley. It is a really nice area.”Bulma sighed and chastised herself again. Maybe she should stay away from wine altogether? She was startled when Rhonda cleared her throat. “Oh, sorry, Rhonda. I thought we disconnected.”“Um, Ms. Briefs if I may speak freely.” She hesitated. “I’m fairly certain he wanted more than a business partnership if I’m honest. The way he looked at you gave me the creeps.”Bulma was a little taken aback. Rhonda never speaks up about anything so there must be something there. “Thank you. Unfortunately, I’ve made a commitment that I need to deliver on. He and I are both very well known and he’d be foolish to try anything unless I made it clear I was interested.”“I’m sure you’re right. Do you need anything else?” Rhonda was still typing away.“That’s it.” She heard the line go dead and she immediately pulled up everything she could about this Bannon Summer.___________________________________________________________________________ Vegeta had successfully avoided Bulma. He considered it a great achievement. Although he had absently realized she had to know he was training so she logically knew where he was. Why had she been avoiding him? She hadn’t even popped in to say hi. Before he broke the initial gravity chamber she would at least do that from time to time. He scowled and reminded himself that it was better to not see her. He had floated above the compound once and seen her about so he knew she was back to her usual self. This morning he had overheard Mrs. Briefs tell Bulma that Yamcha had called several times and much to his delight she said she was too busy to speak to him.Serves him right. He entered the gravity chamber and as the door opened he saw new bots on the floor. The colors were different, but for all intents and purposes they looked identical to the ones he was using before. He frowned. He was sure tweaks were made, but the fact they looked the same was a bit of a disappointment. He walked to the control panel to see some type of newsprint sitting on top of it. He picked it up and looked at the front page. Pictured from behind was him running with Bulma over his shoulder. The headline read, “President Briefs Carried Away For Midnight Romp! Who Is This Mysterious Brute?!”“Tch. Brute? The cameraman is lucky he didn’t get vomit on him.” Well, she definitely knows how to get his attention. He exited the gravity chamber to make his way to her lab and to his surprise he was met with her back capsule in hand. She threw it and a convertible materialized. Arms crossed he shouted, “And where are you going?”She jumped and recovered quickly. “Wherever I damn well please! I’ve got some research to do so I’m heading to the zoo.”Vegeta couldn’t hide the puzzle on his face then frowned. “Oh, no you're not. You haven't delivered everything on our deal!”Bulma turned on her heel and walked to him. She hissed, baring her teeth, “You don’t tell me what I can and cannot do. Ever. Especially when I have employees on the grounds.” He blushed. She had never bared her teeth at him before and he had to admit he liked it. She tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled, “Honestly, Vegeta, you are behaving like a brute.”His eyes popped and he scoffed, “A laugh at my expense? After the hell you put me through?” He turned his back to her.“As sorry as I am about that, I’d rather be seen carried off by you than the other possible fallout from that night.” She walked up and lightly touched his arm and he jerked it away. “If it is any consolation, the research I’m doing is for you. I would invite you to join, but I want to surprise you.”He shook his head, “I have to say I am disappointed with the bots I’ve seen so far. If you think putting a new coat of paint on them will suffice you are sadly mistaken.”She rolled her eyes, “Things aren’t always as they seem. Try them out. For now I’ve got to go because I am meeting with some zoologists.”“And what about my gravity chamber?” He snapped. “I’ve already maxed out the updates you made to the current one.”“ . . . about that.” Bulma giggled nervously, clearly embarrassed. “That’ll take some time. If I’m going to do it right I have to do a complete redesign. There’s also the matter of something I need.” She twirled her hair in her fingers. Why was she doing that? “I’ve got a meeting for that in less than two weeks. Well, a dinner.”His eyes narrowed, “A dinner?”“I don’t recall some things about the party and apparently one of them was setting up a meeting with a competitor. A meal.” She continued in a mumble, “At his house. It might even be a date, but I’m not positive.”Vegeta stared at her hard with his eyebrows drawn together. “A date? Like what we did?”“Egad no!” She laughed. “I hope it is nothing like that!” She checked her watch, “I really need to go. I don't want to be late, especially after they worked me at the last minute.”He didn’t say another word. For now he was processing the implications of what was to come. Quid pro quo. What is this man expecting in return from her?
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Her meeting with the zoologist was . . . interesting. The main purpose of the meeting was to learn about the animal that had the strongest bite force as she kept finding conflicting information in her research. She wanted her bot to mirror this animal. The zoologist she was originally meeting, Dr. Samuels, was insistent that a saltwater crocodile from her exhibit had the strongest bite force. While they were meeting, another zoologist overheard their discussion and interjected. Dr. Foster was of the belief that the hippopotamus had the strongest bite force. A heated exchange ensued with Bulma taking notes as fast as possible to the point her fingers hurt. When she felt there was nothing more to be gained she actually snuck out while they were in the middle of a shouting match.Crocodile. That’s a lot more intimidating than a hippo, although during the shouting she learned more hippos kill people each year. A crocodile more closely matched her initial fearsome sketch though.As she zoomed through West City heading home she phoned Mac. He answered, “Well if it isn’t my and Aria’s favorite person! That teether did the trick!”Bulma smiled, “I need to hurry before a cop catches me on my phone, but I’m about to send you some photos with a list of materials including the equipment and tools I need. Can you have this shipped to my lab by 6 this evening? Oh, and this is-”Mac laughed, “Hush, hush? No worries. It may be tight on a few things, but I’ll try to get them over in a logical order so it won’t hold you up any.”“Great! You’re the best!” She hung up the phone. Finally feeling like she was contributing to the resistance was a good feeling. It was cutting into her work though. Driving down main street she saw the store of the tailor that did Vegeta’s outfit for the party. She could not get how good he looked out of her mind. Specifically when he took off his bowtie and unbuttoned his top buttons when he thought the date was done . . .HONK!Shit. It would be a shame to get into a wreck when she was finally making progress. She pulled into a spot outside of the tailor’s store. When he saw her he ran to turn off his open sign. She winced and hollered to him, “RELAX! It is only me!”A sigh of relief escaped him and he held the door open for her. “Oh, I’m sorry. That whole self-preservation thing kicked in. What can I do for you my ma’am?”She smiled. “Do you still have the measurements for my date from the party?He frowned, “I don’t have them written down, but the trauma made me commit them to memory.”Bulma looked apologetic, “Well since you know them would you be so kind as to tailor a few more outfits for him? I’ll pick them out, you do them here and my assistant will get them when they are ready. If they happen to not be quite right no worries you’ll still be paid and I won’t ask you to re-measure him or anything like that.” He nodded and bowed profusely. The first thing she grabbed was the black pinstripe suit. Imagining him in it made her feel hot.____________________________________________________________________________ The next few days for Vegeta had been . . . odd. Usually consumed with his desire to be stronger than Kakarrot he had been unable to banish HER from his mind. Even that purple haired one that made an appearance didn’t irk him as he usually did. He knew it was unwise to let his guard down. It doesn’t matter how much progress he makes if Kakarrot and that stranger join forces.Never had he ever given this much thought to someone he wasn’t planning on killing or some planet he was planning on clearing. He had only remembered to even use the bots today and had already destroyed one. He found himself floating in the air and occasionally swatting beams that were flying at him. He replayed the short interaction between Bulma and that man in his mind. He simply should not have let her do this schmoozing thing she explained to him and stayed closer. Why was he feeling like this though? She was going to all this trouble for him. In his mind he thought about every touch, every time he had to wrap his arm around her, carrying her to her bed . . . She said she hoped her meeting or date or whatever it was going to be would be nothing like that. How is he supposed to interpret that? More touching? Less touching? Less wine? Was she just talking about the vomiting part?The sudden powering down of the bots caught him off guard and downright ticked him off. “Tch. You’ve got to be kidding. She can’t even keep the bots running, much less build a better gravity chamber. Guess she can cancel her dinner . . .” He made his way to the door of the gravity chamber. He was going to cause an upset whether she was in a meeting or not.He barely heard a low hum when it happened. Next thing he knew he woke up and was face down on the floor. It was dark outside. He could smell burning flesh. HIS flesh. His armor on his back was completely split open. He must’ve been so still that the bots and gravity chamber had long since shut down. Whoa. Okay. He stood a little shakily and could hear the dried blood on his back crackle and smiled. This really was brilliant.He stood and exited the chamber. He hadn’t seen her in a few days and felt like he needed to especially after this. He glanced around and could see the light in her room off. He had no idea what time it even was. He hesitated and looked towards his quarters and saw a rather large package sitting outside. He cocked his head and walked over. Attached was a note. He opened it, “In case you ever get tired of armor. -Bulma”He picked up the box and put it in his quarters and looked back up to her room. It was that moment he realized how hungry he was. How long had he even been unconscious? He assumed it had just been for less than one day, but he wasn’t quite sure.He jogged to the back of her home almost giddy from the pain he was experiencing in his back and ignored her mother saying hi and went directly to the kitchen, but she followed.“Oh my word, what happened to your back?!” Vegeta grunted in response and she giggled, “Okay, I can take that as a hint. Are you hungry? Bulma suspected you’d be burning a lot more calories and got in a lot of yummy things for you!”Mrs. Briefs couldn’t see his expression as the only light on was above the stove, but he raised an eyebrow. New, better bots? New clothes? A lot of food? And yet she still hasn’t come to see him. He was surprised she hadn't checked in in-person. Mrs. Briefs set plate after plate of food on the table. What was this he was feeling? Contentment? His back stung, make no mistake. It was nothing compared to what he had experienced in battle. Yes, he felt satisfied.“If this isn’t enough for you just let me know!” And with that Mrs. Briefs hummed happily as she left the kitchen.It was dark. From the entrance directly into the kitchen he could hear Bulma thanking one of her employees – a man he didn’t know – for working late. She assured him she would be okay and that she thought it was getting better. What was getting better?As she entered his breath caught in his throat. She was dressed in her usual lab coat with soot here or there including a bit on her face. She seemed to be nursing her left wrist though. She went directly to the freezer and tried to pick up a pint of ice cream with her left hand and cursed and used her right hand.___________________________________________________________________________ She can’t believe she had been so reckless. Now she can’t even lift a pint of ice cream! This is one serious sprain. She thought she heard a quiet shuffle from behind everything on the kitchen table and squinted at it, but must’ve been mistaken.A sudden, gruff voice from the shadows scared her to death. “What happened to your wrist?”Vegeta.“Shit, Vegeta!” She panted, “Give me a heart attack why don’t ya!” She went to the silverware drawer for a spoon and decided to ignore his question. She squinted towards him and now could obviously see it was stacks of food her mother no doubt prepared for him. “How’s the food? Did you get the package I left for you? And why are you sitting in the dark?” She tried using her right hand to spoon the ice cream and accidentally dropped some on the floor. Dammit. She wanted to eat every bite.When she turned to get something to clean he was THERE. In her space. He flipped a light switch. He tilted his head and his eyes narrowed and he asked more firmly. “What happened to your wrist? If you don’t wish to tell me I’m sure I can track down your employee and get it out of him.” His brows drew down. His stare was so intense it stunned her into silence. Is he concerned about her? “Tch. Fine. He’s probably parked in the east lot if I had to guess.”“Wait!” He went to open the back door and that’s when she saw it. “Vegeta! Your back!” She ran up and he winced as her volume reached several decibels. “What happened? Good grief, your armor! BLEEDING! YOU WERE YOU BLEEDING?!”He turned to face her. His expression a mixture of annoyance, amusement, and something else. “Oy, woman take it down a notch. I’ll come out stronger on the other side of this.” He seized her left hand suddenly, gently. As he ran his finger over the obviously injured area of her thumb she took in a sharp, shaky breath through her teeth. An eyebrow cocked, he growled under his breath, and he mumbled, “I’m trying to be careful.” He removed his glove from one hand and touched her wrist and thumb as light as a feather. She exhaled suddenly and he pulled his hand back once more.She laughed nervously. “You didn’t hurt me again. Your hand is just really warm and it feels good.” He gave a curt nod and continued carefully. Once he was satisfied with looking her over with great care – one could even argue tenderly – he wrapped his palm and fingers around her wrist and thumb and the warmth took over. Despite herself another sigh escaped her. He was like a heating pad.He looked at his hand holding her for a moment then gave his usual intense scowl. “What did you do? This happened today, I assume?”She closed her eyes, gulped, and mumbled, “A few days ago.”His eyes popped, “Days?!” He bared his teeth, “Medical care on your planet is so primitive if this set wrong they may have to break it again to fix it. I know for a fact a bone in your thumb – and more than likely the joint – are broken. As for your wrist,” he squinted and barely ran his finger tips over it again, “It is too swollen to tell. Explain what happened. I can still get that employee.““I wanted to know how it feels!” She blurted out then blushed. “I . . . the bots I’m making for you right now. I thought certainly if I put one at its weakest setting – a setting I never intended for you to use. I’m not able to fight and I wanted to know.” She couldn’t bring herself to look at him and stared at him holding her hand. She knew she sounded moronic and she hated it. “I felt like I needed to know. I’m so sick of always being saved. I don’t expect you to understand. Logic should have told me not to do it, but I was curious I guess.” She felt herself tearing up. She wasn’t sad or mad, but so incredibly embarrassed. She’s been looking foolish far too many times in front of this man. “And now knowing they may have to break it again. It hurts. It really does. I’ve pushed through though. Your training aides are unlike anything I’ve ever made for you.”“I understand, I think, but perhaps not in the same way,” He whispered. He leaned his head down and her temple barely touched his forehead. “When Kakarrot and that purple haired boy defeated Freiza I wanted to die all over again. Sitting on the sidelines is agony.”“Vegeta . . .” Bulma started, but he snapped out of it and was imperceptibly across the kitchen. Well, that moment is over.He turned his back to her. “I’m taking you to the nearest hospital now. The longer this goes on the worse it’ll be for you.”She considered him for a moment. “Fine. I’m not going anywhere until I eat my ice cream and you change. If you show up like that it will no doubt cause a ruckus.”Without a word he exited and made his way to his quarters.___________________________________________________________________________ He couldn’t help but chuckle at her. She must’ve thought he’d let her drive one of her capsule vehicles. When he said HE was taking her to the hospital he meant it. As he flew her through the sky she alternated between grabbing handfuls of his hair and digging her nails into the armor on his shoulders. The entire time she kept her eyes closed and face in the crook of his neck.“Well, I’m glad you are having a good time. How am I supposed to explain this when there are witnesses?!” Her words were muffled against his skin and it was hard to take her seriously.He laughed, “If anyone sees us they will second guess themselves. Besides,” He gently touched down on the helipad on the roof of the hospital, “We can always say you put whatever we used back in a capsule.”“FINE.” She walked ahead of him and grumbled several things under her breath. He stalked after her with another chuckle. When they entered the ER every person stared at her and in turn him. Bulma looked over her shoulder at him and they both remembered the tabloid at the same time. She was clearly angry on many levels now.They were taken to a room right away, but Bulma was led away for a while to get her wrist/hand x-rayed. With her injured he was very uncomfortable having her out of his sight. When she came back he could tell she was spooked.Once she was in the room Vegeta felt comfortable enough to sit. She paced for a moment then sat next to him in silence. He was sure she would have something to say about the stares in the hallway. Something to say about how quickly or recklessly he flew her there. There was silence. An uncomfortable silence. Finally she murmured something to the effect of it taking 10-15 minutes to read the x-rays.The doctor walked in without making eye contact and seemed overall disinterested and annoyed that he was there. He was portly, short, and very sweaty. Vegeta’s eyes narrowed at him. He better give this the attention and care that it deserves.“Ms. Briefs, you've really done a number on your hand and wrist. Your thumb is broken in three places along with the joint and two of your wrist bones are fractured as well. As I’m sure you are very much aware due to your blue hair, common methods to treat the pain will more than likely prove to be ineffective. We can address this now – which we wouldn’t normally consider – or you can schedule something with a specialist where no doubt you will experience a wait.” The way he rattled everything off as if it didn’t matter enraged Vegeta. “First thing is first though – exactly how did you get injured?”She hesitated, “I was in my lab and got a little careless with a project.”The doctor looked up momentarily at Vegeta. “Is that so?”Bulma sighed in exasperation, “I have an employee that witnessed it a few days ago. I was in denial about how bad it was. I am safe. What I need is to be treated immediately and discreetly.”He looked back down to his notes. “This will need to be reset and due to the type of fracture in your hand it will require pins.”She swayed slightly and Vegeta steadied her. She looked down and nodded.“Okay, I’ll send the nurse in to go through the prep for surgery and we’ll get on with it.” He turned to leave and he gasped as Vegeta was in front of the door.He snarled, “You never gave us your name.”“How did you-” He cut himself off, “My name is Dr. Robins.”Vegeta leaned in uncomfortably close, “If anyone in this place causes her unnecessary pain your bloodline will end.” The doctor gulped and Vegeta stepped aside. The doctor hastily left and shut the door. He turned to face Bulma and to his surprise her face was red with anger. In his mind he was trying to protect her. ”What?”Through her teeth, “If we somehow get out of here without being on the front page of another publication it’ll be a miracle.”Vegeta shrugged, “Getting you better is my primary concern,” He turned his back to her, “You need to finish those bots for me.” Why is he the villain here? “And what is this crap about pain meds not working for you? I thought your planet was supposed to be somewhat advanced.”“I don’t fully understand it, but the gene that gave me this hair is also linked to being resistant to the effectiveness of pain meds. It varies from person to person how severe it is, but I’m one of the unlucky few that get zero relief with them.” She moved her arm and looked at her swollen wrist, “It also used to be the case for some redheads, but they figured that out. Anesthesia doesn’t even work on me either.”“Tch. Stupid planet.” They didn’t look at each other or say anything for a few moments when the door suddenly burst open. A group of nurses with surgical tools entered with Dr. Robins wearing some type of protective vest. They must have decided to skip prep and get right to it. Bulma looked a little green in the face. Vegeta glanced out into the hall and there were what appeared to be several police officers. She jerked her uninjured hand out and automatically he stood closer to her.Dr. Robins began nervously with sweat on his brow, “Okay we are going to try to make this quick as possible although there will be pain. Please get on the exam table so we can strap you in to keep you still.”Her eyebrows drew together and her lip quivered, “Strap me down?”With an edge Dr. Robins responded, “Yes, otherwise you moving could cause more injury.”Bulma nodded numbly and she stepped around Vegeta to the table. He followed and watched as they strapped her arms down and began to strap her down across her middle. They did at least elevate her for the time being. He could not believe what he was seeing. This looked more like she was being prepared for torture, not medical care. They wheeled the bed around so nurses were on either side of her and he looked down at her. As they began touching the hurt arm she turned her face and although he didn’t understand why he moved to shield her vision. She just managed to put her face near the crook of his neck with her cheek resting on his collar bone. He could feel her breaths increase and saw them swabbing what he assumed was an antimicrobial on her wrist and thumb.Aside from how primitive this all seemed he couldn’t shake that this was wrong. All wrong. On some level it disturbed him that he was just standing here motionless and not making a move to destroy the threat. His teeth gritted and he swore under his breath. He felt moisture on his collar bone where she had started to cry. They lowered her bed back down and laid her flat. The room started to fade away. He could hear talking, but it sounded like it was in a tunnel. Somehow muffled. The only thing he was hyper focused on was Bulma and she was about to be harmed. No. This will not do.___________________________________________________________________________ She felt intense warmth. Oh. This isn’t so bad. Not at all as she imagined. Then, she suddenly felt a violent rush of cool wind. Her eyes snapped open and she was midair outside with Vegeta, him refusing to look at her. She glanced over his back and was horrified to see he had apparently blown out the window of her room and blasted off with her in tow. She screamed and straddled him and grabbed handfuls of his hair. Ah, that’s where the intense heat came from. She couldn’t see the expressions of the medical staff because they were already so far away.It took her a moment to find herself, but when she did she was furious. “VEGETA! HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?!” She hissed, “WITNESSES?! Why didn’t you just think? You can’t just blast things the moment things don’t go your way.”Still not looking at her he held her a little closer and picked up even more speed, “There’s another way. You will not need their services any longer.” He shifted her so she was no longer straddling him and he was carrying her.“You’ve got some nerve.” She was outraged, but also secretly relieved. “I got all amped up and was ready to do this because YOU insisted. Then YOU decide getting this done in a safe, clean medical facility is not good enough.”Back at her compound he slowly lowered her down to the ground. He winced at the shrill pitch of her voice. “Stop. Stop now.” And to her surprise she did. He wiped at the moisture that had been soaked into his collar from her tears with disgust, “How do I go about getting those senzu beans?”Oh. Not a horrible idea, “I don’t recall the exact location, but I have the coordinates in the craft at helipad B.” He turned on his heel and Bulma ran up beside him, “While I appreciate the fact that some thought was put into your plan before you blew up a hospital room they don’t just give those out to anyone. They are always limited in supply. I hardly doubt one can be spared for me.”Vegeta smirked, “I’ll just have to reason with them.” She couldn’t hide her horrified expression. Like he reasoned with the doctor at the hospital? “Besides, as far as I’m concerned you are a part of the resistance for these androids. You are definitely of more consequence than some of these earthlings that call themselves fighters.”Bulma blushed, “Well, what do ya know? Someone has developed a high opinion of me!”He rolled his eyes and massaged his temples, “I wouldn’t go that far. The fighters here are just weak that’s all.” She tried to not let him get a rise out of her, but she huffed. He smirked wider. “As soon as I get a senzu I’ll come straight to you.”She yawned, “Well, I’ll be in my room and I’ll leave the window open.”Vegeta looked disgusted over his shoulder, “I’m not going into your room through the window. That’s the most vulgar thing you’ve asked me to do. Creeping around? Why?”Bulma sighed, “My parents still don’t know I’m hurt as far as I know and I’d like to keep it that way. Humor me okay? If you come in through my window you can skip having to interact with them.”He mulled the idea over in his head and nodded. Then, he left, heading directly to helipad B.___________________________________________________________________________ For all her protests and high-pitched screaming, getting the senzu was surprisingly easy. When he arrived the earthling he recognized as the one that sliced his tail off when he went ozaru against Kakarrot was there. Before he could even explain why he was there and what he wanted the earthling panicked and THREW three senzu at him as if they were a weapon. Vegeta made a mock salute, laughed, and was off. After all that drama with Bulma it was even easier than he suspected.The night wore on and he finally made it back to the compound. He had done it. He kept her from getting pain inflicted courtesy of the horrible medical care on this planet and proved he was right about getting the senzu. For as strangely as this evening started it was great feeling like he proved her wrong. He landed quietly in the compound and strode closer to her home.He reflected on the moment they shared in the kitchen before they set out. He shook his head. Holding her hand? Did he say when Kakarrot defeated Freiza he wanted to die all over again? When he was knocked out by that bot he must’ve had some type of head trauma as well.He tucked the three senzu into the collar of his armor and looked at his gloved hands. He cocked his head to the side and to his own surprise he started to take off each glove and drop them on the ground where he stood. What is he doing and why was he doing it? Something is off though. He sensed something. A low ki. He glanced up to her window and was shocked to see someone ELSE levitating outside of it.He bared his teeth. Of course. Why wouldn’t this happen now that things were going his way?
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Vegeta floated slowly up to her window, arms crossed. He knew right away who it was. Why he couldn’t take a hint was beyond him. “I think you are lost,” He said coolly.Yamcha looked at him and had a nervous chuckle. “Oh, well, you see she’s kind of been dodging my calls.” Redness spread to his cheeks, “And I’ve . . . got an itch . . .” more nervous laughter, “That I was hoping she’d scratch.”“Tch.” He bared his teeth for a moment, then switched to looking at his fingers disinterested, “I’m trying to decide if you are stupid, oblivious, or that desperate to show your face here after that stunt you pulled at her party.”Yamcha laughed a little more, “Oh well, you know how it is when the mood moves you.” He backtracked, “Or maybe you don’t.” Vegeta didn’t respond and Yamcha smiled, “Oh by the way, good looking out! I saw that tabloid. My date was actually married and I didn’t want to deal with another angry husband!” More nervous laughter stopped abruptly. “You were the last person I expected to see there.”He sneered, “She and I had an agreement. No more no less.” The longer he spoke to Yamcha the more he realized what a pathetic person he was. No man should come between a bonded pair. “You are tacky as hell,” he spat. They levitated in silence for a moment. Vegeta motioned to her window, “Well, what’s keeping you?”Yamcha giggled and bowed his head. He rubbed his hands together in anticipation and went into her room.Vegeta levitated away, but still close enough so that when Yamcha left he could give her the senzu right away. He guessed now he’ll find out how truly disgusted Bulma is with this weakling. One thing he hadn’t considered was that he would be in there for an extended amount of time and he knew what that meant. He muttered, “Hmph. Doesn’t matter. As long as she finishes those bots and gravity chamber. That is all I’m after.”Almost as soon as Yamcha entered he exited. He floated out backwards, and from his profile his face aghast. Vegeta smiled. Whoa. That was quick. He flew back over.Yamcha snarled, “She . . . She said YOUR name. YOURS. When she was first waking up.” He looked at his own hands in fists, “Are you?! Have you? There’s absolutely NO way.”Vegeta smiled, inspecting his fingernails, “Perhaps she’s done with the small fry and ready for the real deal.”Yamcha’s entire face turned red with anger and embarrassment, “S-S-S-Small fry?! What exactly did she tell you about me?!”Vegeta looked at him quizzically, “I was referring to your ki and overall fighting ability . . .” He trailed off. Oh. This is too rich. With his entire body he erupted in laughter and held up his hands, “She’s never talked about ANY of that. Thankfully. Oy, get out of here, bastard!” He began laughing so hard that his stomach hurt, which is saying something.Yamcha flew off slowly, still red in the face, clearly trying to process everything that had happened.___________________________________________________________________________ Bulma opened her eyes again and sure enough Vegeta was there. She stretched and winced at the pain in her hand and wrist and sat up. Yawning she began, “So weird. I thought you were here just a minute ago, but when I opened my eyes it must’ve been the movement of my curtains.”“Hnn.” Vegeta reached into his collar and pulled out all three senzu beans. “It went exactly as I figured it would.”Her jaw dropped. “Whoa! Three? That’s crazy.”“You keep them all. You are so clumsy and weak you will no doubt need the other two before long.” He turned to leave, making it to the window.“Vegeta, wait.” She got to her feet and he stopped at the window and then was directly in front of her in a flash. He looked down and she noticed for a moment he was wide-eyed. She looked down and realized she was wearing a flimsy gown. Hastily, she grabbed her robe and wrapped herself in record time. She sighed, “First, thank you for getting them. I did manage to make good use of my time and smooth over the incident at the hospital. They were actually worried I’d sue them. You moved so fast they weren’t really sure what happened. They thought we both perished in the blast at first.” With this Vegeta smirked. She hated admitting he was right, but she should have known that the idea a person could shoot blasts from their palms and fly was a lot to confront.“Is that it?” He sounded bored.“No, um.” She put two of the senzu in a capsule case on her night table and brought the third one back with her. “What is it going to feel like when I take this? I never have before and I wanted to have some kind of idea.”He put a hand to his chin and walked about her room. “I can’t speak for everyone, but for me it was,” He stopped to consider his words, “For a split second it does hurt. You have to think that things that have broken, torn, ruptured, or cut are being very suddenly repaired.” He could see the alarm on her face, “After that though you will feel the best you have in a long time. Like you’ve just had the best food and woke up from the most satisfying nap. For me I feel like I could defeat any foe.”She smiled nervously, “Well, that doesn’t sound so bad.” He went to leave, “Wait! You aren’t going to leave before I do this, are you?”“Hmph.” He grumbled something under his breath and approached her again. His eyes looked directly at her hand and wrist. “It looks markedly worse now. Good thing I got those for you.” He gently took her hand and wrapped both of his around her injury.“Oh. It must feel great – always feeling that way. Warm I mean.” She held the senzu in her right hand and closed her eyes. For a moment she swore all the pain in her wrist was gone. She almost leaned into him and caught herself.His brows drew down, “You are stalling.” He pulled her a little closer almost as if he knew that was what she needed to do this. How could he though? He whispered, “Woman, just get it over with.”Eyes still closed she giggled, “Okay. Here goes nothing.” She put it in her mouth and chewed and swallowed it as quickly as she could. It tasted horrible. She felt an intense pain. Like there was a thick rubber band in her hand and wrist and someone strummed it as hard as they could. “OH!” She yelled and Vegeta wrapped his arms around her and she rested her cheek on his shoulder. “Oh. Wow.”He whispered, “I hate to say I told you so.”She smiled while still in his arms, “No, you don’t.”A soft chuckle escaped his lips, “Fair enough. I don’t.”“You know what?” She pulled her head back and looked into his dark eyes. “I feel like I could go for hours.”“Wha-” He began, but she jumped out of his arms. He scowled.“Yeah! I feel like I could go for hours!” She hurriedly found her bedroom slippers, “I can’t wait to get to my lab! I’m finishing those bots tonight!” She playfully danced and broke into a jog to get back to work. She yelled over her shoulder, “Besides I have that dinner date tomorrow anyhow!”She didn’t even realize she left him in her room empty handed with a lot on his mind.___________________________________________________________________________ Sure enough within 10 hours the finished bots were dropped off at the gravity chamber. He assumed she was sleeping since she was probably up the rest of the night and into morning. That was fine and all, but he has felt strange ever since. He hadn’t felt like himself since the dinner party. It was confusing. Vegeta snarled and tried to destroy the blasting bots and couldn’t seem to focus. He eyed the new ones she made. A total of four. These at least looked different. HUGE metal teeth on massively long jaws. Each tooth was around the size of his hand. They were tall and long-limbed as well with very large, jagged claws. At least two feet taller than him. If he had to say what they resembled it was an earth creature called a crocodile only it had limbs like a human. One thing that seemed to be missing was a component to create blasts, but perhaps it was somehow concealed. She did so well upgrading the program and function of the ones he already had he figured he’d need to trust her judgment. He looked at the control panel and could see the time was 2:30 PM. He wasn’t sure when she’d have to leave to make it to her dinner, but it had to be drawing close.He slid down against the wall and thudded the back of his own head against it a few times. He closed his eyes. Her skin was the softest thing he had ever felt. No scars at least that he could see. Her scent? The words didn’t come to him to describe that either. It was similar to a flower from his home planet. He had held her. An embrace. She really is cold to the touch, but compared to his body temperature it felt amazing. He thudded the back of his head a few more times. He has to snap out of it. Keep his wits about him. He stood and looked at the control panel. He just wasn’t feeling it. The drive to train non stop just wasn’t there at this moment. He shut it off and scowled at it. As soon as he did he heard a knock at the gravity chamber door.He opened the door and there she was. Her eyebrows went down, “You look exhausted.”Absently he snapped, “I never went to sleep last night.” He rubbed his temple, “What is it?”“Well, I was coming to say goodbye and I found these out on the lawn.” She held up his gloves. “These seem to be the last ones you have that are in good shape so I figured you’d want them.”He looked down to her holding his gloves. His mind drifted back to holding her injured wrist and hand. His eyes popped and he snatched them from her. “Anything else? Don’t you have somewhere you should be?”She looked hurt for a split second then worked her face up in anger, “Damn. What crawled up your ass? Next time I’m leaving to be your errand girl I won’t bother saying goodbye.” She picked up luggage next to her and turned on her heel. Right behind her was her assistant Rhonda looking extremely uncomfortable.“Tch.” He almost slammed the door, but noticed what she was wearing and what she had picked up. A suitcase? His jaw dropped as he once again saw her in a dress that was far too revealing. It was that little black dress she almost wore to the party. “And how long are you going to be gone?”Bulma didn’t bother to turn around, “What do you care anyway?” Then suddenly he was in front of her and she jumped. “I hate it when you do that! Vegeta, I don’t have time for this. If you have something you want to say, spit it out already.”“This was just a dinner. Why are you wearing that?” He crossed his arms and looked at the luggage, “And have that?”She tried to hide her smile, but couldn’t as she was also clearly annoyed. “Well, Dad, if you must know,” She paused to see all the veins popping on his head, “I’m bringing a few things to try to win favor with him. No one gives something for nothing. Just a few tokens of appreciation for his time and technology.” She opened the suitcase and it turned out to be a deluxe capsule case. She snapped the case shut loudly for emphasis and continued, “Even though I am in no way interested in this man this may be the last time I go on anything considered a date before the androids come. I’m going to look good!”Vegeta mumbled, “You look inappropriate.”She stamped off and yelled over her shoulder, “Funny! I dress like this when I’m with you and you don’t say a word. Rhonda, if he needs anything take care of it!”With her head bowed she handed him her card. “You can reach me at any of those numbers or emails. I always have them pulled up.”Vegeta turned with a renewed interest in training and beating the crap out of something when Rhonda cleared her throat.“Sir, I know this really isn’t my place, but I feel compelled to say something. She chose to drive because it is just a pretty trip and she will be over two hours away.” She managed to put on a brave face.Vegeta stopped, “Why are you telling me this?”“This is highly inappropriate, but there was something odd that happened at the party. Something that gave me the creeps.” She hesitated, “I don’t trust this guy. She wants to get this project done for you so badly I’m afraid it is impacting her judgment.”Vegeta glanced over his shoulder as Bulma vanished after walking around the side of her home, “Go on.”“When she was talking to Mr. Summer he offered her a drink. She refused it, but he took her hand and began rubbing it rather roughly. He kept saying how a few drinks were exactly what she needed and she ended up drinking more than I’ve ever seen her drink. I’ve been her assistant since we both graduated from high school. It was just all so weird.”“So? I’m supposed to care because?” He racked his hand through his hair, “What she does with that man is none of my concern.”“What I’m telling you is this guy is no good. I think she is blinded by her wish to get your approval for whatever reason.” Rhonda rolled her eyes.He turned his back to her and continued making his way into the gravity chamber. “I think you are seeing something that isn’t there. She is an adult and in full charge of her faculties and we need to stay out of it.”“Like you did just now questioning her?” Rhonda popped off. Vegeta jerked his head at her in annoyance. She shrugged, “What?! YOU aren’t my boss!”___________________________________________________________________________ The drive was incredible. Once she was out of the city the mountains were gorgeous. It was hard to believe these were so close by and she so rarely enjoyed it. The fresh air. The trees. She even saw a few animals. The one thing she did regret was her outfit. The higher in elevation she got she’d have to crank the heat up to full blast. She was going to sweat off every bit of her makeup.At the top of the mountain the clouds looked foreboding. The good news is she remembered to grab her emergency capsules from her night stand. She rarely if ever goes anywhere without them. If things got bad she’d use one of the small planes and fly above the storm. She just didn’t consider the fact that getting there she’d be going through different climate zones.After another hour and half of driving she finally entered the valley to the west of the mountains. There were beautiful creeks, rolling grassy hills and many vineyards. Just thinking about wine in any capacity made her feel slightly ill. Never again. She felt her stomach roll. Never again.Her console of her vehicle let her know she was three minutes away. She glanced over and realized she was already seeing his estate. There were hundreds of evenly spaced, mature pecan trees. The balance of it was comforting. Finally she made it to the long winding driveway. Wow. This was nice. She always resided in the city for logistical reasons, but this was breathtaking. His mansion was set atop of the highest knob at the base of the mountains. It looked more like a castle. Like something out of a fairy tale.She made it to the end and pulled into the roundabout and could see Bannon waiting and a butler came to take her vehicle.Bannon walked down the stairs, “I am so happy we were able to get together like this.” He looked her up and down and took her hand and lightly kissed it. “Wow. You look incredible. Just as beautiful as at your party.”Bulma blushed, “Thank you, Mr. Summer. I’m embarrassed to say I don’t remember much of that night, but I figured this was a casual meeting to say the least.”He raised an eyebrow, “Mr. Summer? Meeting? Please call me Bannon.” He laughed, “Oh, I never mix business with pleasure. You will never find me in my home working. I have to keep a strict work and life balance. And by balance I mean complete separation.”“Oh.” She hesitated, “Oh. Because I thought we were going to discuss that liquid metal?”“Discuss? The verbrakium? I heard you have a need for it so I will simply give it to you.” He took her luggage she was carrying, “Besides you are quite the business woman so why put up a fuss when you will likely get your way anyway?” He held out his arm and she wrapped hers around his as they finished making their way up the stairs. He was solid and absolutely gorgeous. To her surprise his hands even seemed to have calluses on them so he clearly wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty on some level. It was odd talking to someone she had to look up to so she could see in their eyes. She doesn’t understand why her assistant was so put off by him.Bulma was somewhat dumbfounded. She had already rehearsed everything she was going to say and offer. She thought of every counterargument he could give and came up with the compelling reason that they should see eye to eye. Nerves started overtaking her. So this really was just a date then? How does she act on those when there aren’t cameras on her? She became self-conscious. Why did she wear this dress again?The double doors on the front of the mansion opened. It was beautiful. Minimalist. Despite what he said Bulma was trying to find some work space. There was no way he didn’t work from home. No way. Every room in her home had a way for her to improvise a workspace if needed.He noticed her peeking around and smiled, “I really hope you brought your appetite. I have my chef making a rack of lamb, new potatoes, and a salad. He makes his own salad dressing and it is amazing. Tuxedo cake for dessert.”“Oh wow. Rack of lamb is my favorite. How lucky am I?” She smiled. It was then she realized her hand was still wrapped around his arm and she jerked it back quickly. He didn’t seem to notice.“Do you have a preference on where we eat? The great hall or out on the overlook?” He snapped his fingers, “I’ll show you both. It is much easier to make an informed decision.”Bulma followed him to the great hall. It reminded her of something she would have seen in medieval times, but with modern conveniences. The enormous fireplace. The dim lighting. She loved it. They walked out of the doors that led to the overlook. There was a path made of brick below them. On one side another vineyard and the other side were the pecan trees.Bulma turned around and beamed, “Oh, I definitely want to eat out here! It is gorgeous. Are those your trees?”“Ah, yes. They remind me of my childhood. Although then I only had two pecan trees in my front yard.” The vineyard is my newest venture.” Bannon smiled, “You will need to try my label while you are here.”She didn’t respond. This night may be turning into a dream, but she was not going to drink. He continued the tour and showed her his study, living room, kitchen, sitting room, library, the three downstairs bathrooms, and attached greenhouse out back. He didn’t show her the upstairs, but motioned to it and said there were seven bedrooms and five more bathrooms.They rounded back to the overlook. Bannon pulled out the chair for her and she sat. It was a formal setting. She didn’t remember the last time she didn’t woof down food over a sink because she was so busy. She looked over to another table and could see what she believed was the verbrakium ready to go. Good. The butler must’ve brought the deluxe capsule case and put it right next to it.Usually she doesn’t eat much when at any type of social occasion, but the food smelled amazing. It was the best meal she ever had. She and Bannon chatted away. It was nice talking with a fellow innovator. The ambiance was perfect. The sun was barely peeking on the horizon. Looking at him in this light he was by far the best looking man she had ever seen. She felt a flutter in her stomach when he looked at her.When the meal started he had been sitting across the table from her, but as the night wore on he moved his chair beside her. He stared at her and she blushed, “I’m sorry, but in this light. You . . . Wow.”Bulma smiled, “I have to admit. This night has completely caught me off guard. I’m not sure I remember ever having a night like this. I just have to ask though – how are you single? Also, is aeronautics the only business you are involved in?”He laughed, “Well, when I was very young, I did marry, but we were too immature and it didn’t work out. I guess I just don’t want to rush into anything again and get it right next time.” She smiled gently, “As far as business goes, yes, aeronautics are my primary business. For fun I have this vineyard. I’ve only somewhat recently acquired a pharmaceutical company and we are making great, great strides to say the least.”Bulma saw the door open and the butler brought out slices of tuxedo cake and an unopened bottle of wine on a cart. She smiled wide, “I’ve never tried tuxedo cake, but I’m afraid I’ll need to pass on the wine.”“Oh, nonsense! It is my own label. You simply must try it.” He poured a glass for him and was making the motions to pour her a glass.She held up a hand, “On this I must insist. Not that my reason matters, but I had no plans to drink tonight.” She watched him and she saw an angry tick momentarily disturb his otherwise handsome face. He recovered quickly though. That was odd. “Y’know I don’t know the first thing about pharmaceuticals, but if you would ever like to pick my brain about aeronautics you can feel free to reach out to my assistant to set something up.”He smiled charmingly, “Well, please do consider taking some wine for the road. I want to know what you think. Also, I was hopeful if things went well tonight I could start reaching out directly to you?”She smiled, “Sure, of course.” He took a sip of wine and gently took her hand and began to rub it. At first very softly, but suddenly so rough it was almost painful. She glanced up at him to ask what was the matter when she saw the deranged, terrifying look in his face. Then, everything started to . . . melt and spin around her slowly. His face, the scenery, the table. She started breathing fast, “Wha- I don’t understa-”___________________________________________________________________________ Vegeta was in the middle of an intense workout. All of the upgraded bots had been destroyed. He was trying to decide if he wanted to destroy the other new ones with the large metal teeth. Despite his rage he did feel like he was running out of steam. He hadn’t rested since he regained consciousness and took Bulma to the hospital. The control panel showed it was 1:13 AM. She wasn’t back yet. He walked up to the new bots and growled. Out of the corner of his eye he saw flashing lights through the window on the gravity chamber door.He looked out and saw Bulma’s parents and her assistant talking to police officers. This alone was alarming enough, but when he saw the expression on Mrs Briefs’ face – a person that isn’t troubled by anything – he immediately marched over.The police loaded up and were leaving when he made it to them. Mrs. Briefs had clearly been crying and wiped her nose. Dr. Briefs was quiet for a change. Rhonda looked furious.“Oh dear. Oh my.” She turned to Dr. Briefs and sobbed into his shoulder.Vegeta looked at Rhonda, “What the hell happened?”Rhonda looked away from him in disgust, “We got a beacon from Bulma’s vehicle that she more than likely wrecked in a very remote area of the west mountains. There is a horrible snow storm and the police are refusing to go out until the snow stops. They also think it is best to wait until daylight. They said a rescue attempt now wouldn’t be safe for anyone.”Mrs. Briefs wailed into Dr. Briefs shoulder, “Oh dear! I don’t understand. If she brought her emergency capsules surely she would have had something she could navigate the storm with. Do you think we should hire some military brigade to get her?” She glanced down at her phone, “According to this we know exactly where she is!”“Tch. Nonsense. That is completely unnecessary.” Vegeta snatched her phone. “I’ll go get her now.” He was about to take off and Mrs. Briefs grabbed his arm.“Oh it is much too cold in those high elevations for you to go like that! If you insist on going, at least dress appropriately. Also,” She started running to the back door, “While you change I’m going to get some capsules together for you. They say it is white-out conditions!”“Hmph.” Vegeta turned on his heels and moved so quickly to his quarters that he seemed to disappear. Rhonda’s jaw dropped and she glanced at Dr. Briefs. He held up his hands with a nervous chuckle. Then, as quickly as he vanished he reappeared in front of Rhonda and Dr. Briefs. Mrs. Briefs came running with the capsules.Vegeta shoved the capsule case into his pocket and gave a curt nod and was off. His mind was racing. There were several aspects to this that confused and upset him. Bulma was by no means helpless. Her mother was right – she was more than capable of getting home safely.
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He flew as fast as he could and once he entered the upper elevations of the mountains he could hardly see. He didn’t know how an earthling could survive this. The concern of locating her himself made his heart race. It was a curious feeling for him. Even though only a matter of minutes had passed he was feeling frantic despite his best efforts to be calm. “Dammit I should be right on top of her!”Even though he was flying closely to the ground he decided to land and walk on foot. If he did this he thought there should be no way he could miss her unless her vehicle was completely covered by snow. He looked at Mrs. Briefs’ phone once more and tried to slowly and methodically walk closer to the location she should be. One step at a time felt like an eternity. What if he was too late? How would he ever be able to accept that?The beep of the beacon was loud and more frequent. She should be HERE. He looked to his left and there were deep snow drifts. He began to dig. Nothing. He looked at the phone again. Shit. She should be right behind him, not in front. He was so exhausted even simple things were difficult. He turned and squinted. He could barely make out something holding on to a guard rail. He ran up to it to realize it was the back portion of her vehicle embedded in it. Her vehicle was hanging off the side of a mountain. He powered up, ”BULMA!”He flew down underneath the vehicle and lifted it with ease. He squinted through the snow. He could scarcely see anything in the blizzard. He carefully set the vehicle down. The windows were steamed up. He took a deep breath. At least at some point she was alive. He looked at her door and there were deep dents and scratches where she may have hit a patch of ice and hit a few other things before the vehicle jumped the rail and the back miraculously got caught on it. His teeth gritted and he ripped the door clean off.She was there. He took his glove off and felt her. She was breathing. In his initial assessment he saw a large, bleeding gash across her forehead. He threw his jacket on top of her and looked where the snow drifts were. He used his boot to make sure he was standing on the road and decided this would be the safest place for them to ride out the storm. He blasted as much snow away as he could without disturbing the side of the mountain. Once he was done he stood for a moment to make sure the remaining snow was stable. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the capsules. He squinted and saw one labeled shelter. He clicked and threw it. As it expanded he didn’t waste time marveling at it. He was definitely relieved her mother thought this far ahead. He would have had great difficulty getting her back home due to low visibility and sheer exhaustion. He may have been able to keep her from freezing to death using his ki at least.He ran back to the car and scooped her up and ran back to the shelter. As soon as he got in he could see that this was much nicer than just a basic shelter. Maybe even nicer than his quarters. It was like a small studio apartment with a kitchen, small seating area, king size bed, and a large couch facing a fireplace already stocked with wood. On the other side of the bed was a large tub out in the open and what he assumed was a small water closet behind a door. He gently laid Bulma on the couch, took his jacket off of her to see she was clutching her purse. He put a blanket on her and shot a small blast to get the fire going. He placed her purse on the side table and was about to try to attend to her wound when he remembered. He opened her purse and pulled out the emergency capsules. They were all there along with the two senzu. He smiled. Well, one thing is going to go right.He took one senzu and crushed it in his palm. As gently as possible he tilted her head back and put the powder in her mouth. He chuckled under his breath as she made a face at the taste. It was a relief to see some type of recognition because she looked dead despite the fact she was breathing.He waited for her to swallow it. Finally, she snapped awake and was terrified. She stuttered between shivers, “W-Where am I?!” She saw Vegeta’s face and threw her arms around him.The way she gripped him startled him. It made him feel as if she was fighting for her life. He rested a hand on her back and whispered, “I don’t know what you went through or what you remember, but you are safe now.”He felt her nod against his shoulder. She started again, “I don’t. I don’t remember anything past his house. I remember what I ate, he offered me wine, but I refused to have any.”Vegeta held her still, “I know. I don’t smell any on you. I can smell exactly what you ate. I also smell a man’s cologne.” He pulled back for a moment with an unreadable expression, “I smell the cologne on your forehead and hand, but . . . nowhere else.”A relieved sigh escaped her. A few tears fell down her cheeks, “Thank goodness.” She sat up and looked at the fire, “I-I-Is this the honeymoon capsule?”Vegeta faced the fire, too, and shrugged, “Hell if I know. It is what your mother gave me.”___________________________________________________________________________ Bulma stared at the fire. She was freezing despite it. She went over everything she could recall. She described the drive, the trees, the estate, the vineyard, the food. For a change Vegeta was hanging on every word instead of staring off disinterested. She blushed a little embarrassed, “It was like a dream. Everything was perfect. It was like he read some cheesy romance novel or like he read my mind.” She shook her head. “The only time things didn’t seem fine was when he wanted me to have some of the wine from his vineyard and I refused. I just didn’t feel comfortable drinking and hadn’t planned on it. He looked angry. Then,” she hesitated, “He took my hand and began to gently rub it. Before I knew it he was rubbing it very hard . . . and . . .” She looked down at her hand, “That’s seriously the last thing I remember.”Vegeta leaned in uncomfortably close to her. He held her face in his hands then turned her head in both directions inspecting her neck and collar bones. He continued working his way down and cleared his throat as he lifted up each arm and looked around the top of her chest that was visible in her dress. He gently took one arm at a time and looked at her hand and fingers. He then took her other arm and began working his way down to her hand, “This is the one he held? That’s what I smell anyway.” Bulma looked at the fire and nodded. He cocked his head to the side. “Here. Between the inside of your thumb and hand. On the webbing.”She squinted at a speck of a scar. “It is tiny. Could it have happened in the wreck? Why didn’t the senzu heal that completely?” She looked and he wasn’t paying attention. Now he was on his knees looking at her calf muscles and he felt behind her knees and she jumped and started laughing, “Whew. I’m very ticklish there.” He rolled his eyes and gently took her shoes off and looked between every single toe. She giggled nervously. She’s never been looked over like this and suddenly every perceived imperfection came to the forefront of her mind.He sat on the couch apparently satisfied, “I can’t say why it didn’t heal, but I don’t smell him anywhere else on you and I don’t see any other injuries.” He took her hand and looked at the tiny healed puncture mark. He ran it under his nose and smelled it. Then, to Bulma’s surprise he licked the spot and scrunched up his nose, “Yeah, you’ve been injected with something.”She sat up closer to him, “Any clue what?”He gritted his teeth, “None whatsoever.” He stood unsteadily and started making his way to the door, “I’m going to pay him a little visit.”Bulma stood in front of him with her arms out, “You are going to leave me alone in the middle of this storm? Please don’t leave me!”Vegeta looked at her and mutely walked back to the couch and sat, “I will get to the bottom of it.”Well, he gave up easily on that. She walked back to the couch and continued to shiver. “What do you think he did to me?”He seethed, “That’s exactly what I’m trying not to think about if you want me to stay here.” He leaned back into the couch, “Thanks to you I haven’t slept in days.”“Me?” She turned to face him and he continued to stare at the fire. It was then that she noticed he was wearing regular clothes. Insulated pants, flannel shirt. It wasn’t a look she would have chosen for him, but it was practical. They sat in silence for a few moments and she continued to shiver. “Well, not to make things awkward, but I’ve got to get out of this dress. I’m frozen to the bone and it is even still a little damp. And I’m sorry but I’m changing out here because you can’t even turn around in the bathroom.“Hmph. Whatever.” He stared at the fire stiffly. She smiled. She suspected if a bomb went off behind him he wouldn’t have looked over his shoulder. She knows he would consider gawking at her vulgar.She stripped off her dress and undergarments. “Oh, shoot.” She walked up behind him on the couch and rested her open hand on his shoulder, “Hey can you hand me my capsule case? I have a closet and clothes in it.” Looking over him from behind she could see the red spreading on his face. He grabbed it and firmly put it in her hand. This is kind of fun. She leaned forward and whispered in his ear, “Thank you, Vegeta.”His eyes popped and she decided that was enough fun for now. “Here it is!” She pulled out the capsule and clicked it and threw it in front of the tub. It bounced and . . . Nothing. “Hmm.” She walked over and grabbed it, clicked it, and threw it again. Still nothing. She had this capsule for a long time so perhaps something happened to it? Another capsule was a small cupboard with non-perishable food. “Are you hungry? I’m starving.” She clicked it, threw it, and again nothing.“Are you dressed yet?” Vegeta queried. “You have food? I’m hungry, too.”“Uh, no, not dressed. So far my closet and cupboard capsules aren’t working. I mean I’ve been lugging them around for a long time, but I’ve never ever had two capsules malfunction like this. Hang on. Don’t look yet.” She walked over to the nightstand next to the bed and opened the drawer. There was a white satin robe. Great. At least it is dry. She put it on quickly. “Okay I’m covered.”Vegeta walked over to and crouched looking at the capsules. “Has this ever happened before?”“No, never. I mean I’ve had newer prototypes that needed bugs worked out and sometimes wouldn’t open.” She stood with her hands on her hips. “This is weird. Thank goodness this robe was here I guess.”Vegeta looked up at her after inspecting the capsules on the floor and gulped. He stood immediately. “You are more covered up in that robe than the dress. Although the light from the fire behind it leaves little to the imagination.”He abruptly walked back to the couch and sat putting his head in his hands. Bulma walked to the kitchen while tying the robe tighter around herself. Hopefully there is something to eat here. She opened the fridge and there were chocolate covered strawberries and everything she needed to make some sandwiches. To drink there was wine or water. “I’ll make you five sandwiches. I can get you water or wine. I know you will want wat-”He waved his hand to dismiss what she was saying. “I’ll have wine. Not as if I can train now anyway.”Okay then. She got to work making him five turkey, ham and cheese sandwiches. She made herself one and set them on the middle seat of the couch. She then brought the strawberries followed by the wine for him and water for her. “A sandwich has never looked so good to me!”Vegeta ate three in record time, “Sandwiches are one of my favorite foods.”“Oh yeah? What else do you like?” She watched as he ate. He always seemed the most content when he was eating.“Hmm. Ramen. Chicken on a stick. Dumplings. Pork buns. Turkey legs may be my favorite thing though. I will say the food on this planet is amazing.” Now he slowed down eating and had his first sip of wine. She knew he loved turkey legs so she’ll have to make sure to remember the others. Ramen was a surprise.“Do you,” She swallowed her last bite, “Do you think I work too much? That Bannon guy was insistent that he never worked from home. I think I’d shrivel up and die if I didn’t work every opportunity I got. I mean even when I’m not working I’m usually thinking of something work related.”He grabbed a chocolate covered strawberry and eyed it suspiciously then gave it a try. She could tell he was surprised he liked it. He thought and responded, “I don’t think so. I’m probably not the best to ask though. I suppose we can both get a little obsessed.”“Yeah, but what I would do with your strength!” She grabbed a strawberry. “Don’t get me wrong. There were times I would be so focused on a project that I wouldn’t eat or sleep. If Yamcha was over I wouldn’t,” She paused and he raised an eyebrow, “I didn’t spare even a minute for him.”“You shouldn’t let anyone make you think there is something wrong with you.” Vegeta got up to get a second glass of wine. Bulma smiled. Perhaps this is why he is having an actual conversation? Or lack of sleep has caused him to forget himself?“It isn’t that. He did make me THINK though.” She watched as he came back to sit down. Only one strawberry left. He looked at it. She giggled, “It is all yours.”And without hesitation he took it and to her surprise started talking again. “If I didn’t have my training I’m not sure what I’d do. Sometimes I feel like it is the only thing that is keeping me sane. If I were on my planet I’d be considered a disgrace. Here I’m at best considered rude or at worst evil. I’m stuck here for now. And I’m not good enough for anyone.” He took another swig of wine, yawned, and quickly added, “Not that I need anyone. Not that I care either.”Wow. She moved the plates from the couch to the floor and could see his wine glass was getting low. “I can’t imagine how that would feel.”“Hnn.” He looked at his wine glass and tapped it with his finger as if considering if he wanted more. He set it on the floor as well. “I’m not ashamed of the things I’ve done, but the idea of my people seeing me now . . .” After trailing off he moved a little closer to her. He looked at her with his brows drawn down. “Are you warm now?”“Honestly?” She looked down at her robe and felt like it was as see-through as Vegeta said, “I am still cold, but I’m almost always cold.”Vegeta stood up and began unbuttoning his flannel shirt to hand to her. “After that wine I feel so hot I can’t breathe.”Bulma gulped. He was so muscular. His body was marked with many scars. He yawned and stretched casually then sat back down. The craziest part was these actions had no ulterior motives. She became aware she was staring at his physique and put on his shirt over her robe and breathed in his scent deeply and sighed. “Hmm.”“Hnn?” He looked over at her with one eye half opened. She had tucked her legs in it as well and was smiling.“Don’t make fun of me, but I really like the way you smell.” She took a deep breath of his shirt. “Like pepper and grass and something else. I don’t know.” She slid to the side and rested her head on his shoulder and sighed again.He lifted his arm and wrapped it around her. “That’s the weirdest thing anyone has ever said to me. Warm enough now?”She could feel her heart pumping throughout her entire body. “Shew. I’m getting there. Can I get a little closer? My feet are all that’s cold now.” She scooted closer and tucked her feet under his thigh on the couch.“Oy, I can feel your ice cube toes through my pants!” He hissed. After the initial jolt he rested his head on the couch, lowered this leg on top of her toes, and closed his eyes.She looked at his profile. He looked exhausted. She was hit with a pang of guilt, “Thank you for coming and getting me. I will never put you in this position again.” She leaned in and gently kissed his temple. His one eye slit open and closed again, but he didn’t say anything. “Why don’t you move to the bed and get some good sleep?”He mumbled, “No. Here. You. Bed.”She giggled, “Not to make things awkward, but I was planning on getting in the bed with you to stay warm. Is that okay?” He stood groggily and picked her up gently and carried her to the bed. “Vegeta, I could have taken myself to bed. I had that senzu, remember?”“Oh.” He gently placed her on the bed. Still mumbling, “I’m about to go into a deep sleep I think. You are okay?”She couldn’t get over how cute he was like this. “I feel perfectly safe thanks to you.”Vegeta was trying to wake up and walked to the other side of the bed. He looked at her with an uncertain expression, “Maybe I should stay on the couch.”Bulma stood and walked over to him, “Wherever you are I’ll be because,” she motioned to the almost dead fire, “I really want to stay warm.”He took a step toward her and pulled her close. He rubbed the back of her arms and she turned her face and rested it in the crook of his neck.___________________________________________________________________________ Vegeta was feeling . . . odd. How does he keep her warm without holding her close? The answer escaped him. If just one circumstance was different he wouldn’t be like this with her. He’s never done anything remotely like this before. She rested her head against the crook of his neck. His pride wouldn’t allow him to say it, but he had always liked the way she smelled, too. He felt delirious from exhaustion, yet amazing. His belly was full and he was toasty warm. She lightly sighed against his skin and he felt it though his whole body. How was she doing this to him? Was it the wine maybe?She pulled her head back and her big blue eyes looked into his. The color reminded him of a sea on a distant planet he had once purged. He wasn’t sure what to do. He was honestly resisting the urge to throw her to the other side of the shelter and put distance between them, but instead he leaned his face closer to hers and she to his.When their lips first touched he was surprised his whole body didn’t jolt as a reflex. A kiss. His first ever. How was every bit of her so soft? He couldn’t describe the texture of her skin and he definitely couldn’t describe what it felt like to kiss her. He knew that he liked it though. He tried his best to follow her cues and mirror anything she did. Her eyes were closed, but he kept his wide open in case there were any indications she wanted to stop or he was doing something wrong. She lightly moaned against his mouth and he involuntarily closed his eyes. He felt her wrap her arms around him as she traced the muscles in his lower back. It made him shudder. His hands left the back of her arms. One arm wrapped around the small of her back and his other hand gently took a handful of her hair and moved them both into a deeper kiss. She moaned again. He surprised himself. He seemed to be doing the right things.Vegeta would always rush to the rescue if this was the end result. He paused kissing her and she pulled back breathlessly. He was here to rescue her. She had been through trauma although it remained to be seen exactly what happened. They were miles away from any other living soul. Suddenly this doesn’t feel right. Her eyes closed and she moved in to kiss again. He took her arms again and gently pulled her back. “I’m exhausted. Maybe it was the wine, but I think we need to sleep. Tomorrow I’ll get you home if it has stopped snowing and we’ll find a way to uncover exactly what happened.”She blinked, “Oh. Oh I see.” She didn’t look disappointed, but almost as if she had to have done something wrong. She slowly walked to the other side of the bed. He sat on the bed and was trying to get himself in check. If he looked at her he may lose his resolve. “Is . . . Is it okay for me to get in the bed with you still?”Vegeta slowly exhaled, “Yes, or if you’d like I can sleep on the couch.”She murmured, “No, that’s okay. I kept saying it was because I’m cold which is true, but I’ll feel safer with you closer.”“Hnn.” He laid as far on his edge of the bed as he could facing the wall and fading fire. “You can get closer if you are cold.” And with that she did move closer to where both of them were essentially on one side of the bed. She pulled the covers over them both. She spooned him and lightly rested a hand on his side which caused him to intake a fast breath, but he released it slowly hoping she wouldn’t notice.Well, now he has something else to obsess over. As if he didn’t already waste enough time thinking about her. Where the discipline to stop came from he’ll never know, but he silently cursed himself for doing what he felt was right. He just knew he had to keep his back to her until he was calm and no longer aroused. She had awakened something within him. Something he didn’t know existed and it scared him slightly. He hoped when he woke in the morning the feelings that were stirring would be gone.___________________________________________________________________________ She thought she wouldn’t sleep at all. She felt his breaths slow under her hand so he must be asleep. Did she do something wrong? Or something he didn’t like? Does he even know what he likes? She assumed he hadn’t ever been with anyone else, but perhaps that was way off the mark. At the end of the day he was a man. Her mind raced. Just when she was certain she wouldn’t sleep she drifted off.She had many feverish dreams. Many involved Vegeta and were mundane, but most were about making him bots and not remembering how to draw plans, calibrate, or update them. This went on over and over again. Even the most basic things she had done for her work for years she couldn’t remember to do. It was a horrible feeling and felt so real. It then got much, much worse. She kept seeing herself at Bannon’s estate and he had free reign to do as he wished with her. Even though internally she was screaming for help she willingly did whatever he wanted – even at great harm and peril to herself. She kept trying to will herself to wake up and make it stop, but that relief never came.
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Vegeta startled awake and it took him a moment to realize where he was. He didn’t feel Bulma behind him. He turned over quickly. She was nowhere to be seen. He jumped out of bed and lightly tapped on the bathroom door. Nothing. As he walked by the tub he could see the remnants of water in the drain. Well, she was here and apparently bathed out in the open and he had no idea. He found his flannel shirt neatly folded on the foot of the bed and started putting it on when the door swung open. His eyebrows went down, “What do you think you are doing?”He then realized she was in full snow gear including goggles. She lifted them to reveal her eyes and he could see her cheeks were rosy from windburn. She set down a heavy metal drum on the floor. “Well, I figured I’d let you sleep since you were so tired. You made it clear I was the reason you were exhausted.”Ah. So she definitely remembers last night then. He absolutely remembered everything. He wished he could get his damn heart rate to slow. “Your clothes . . ?”She started taking off the bulky coat and laughed, “Oh yeah, I went through the rest of the capsules Mom gave you. I had a full wardrobe full of winter clothes.”Vegeta’s face turned red and he mumbled, “I didn’t know. Obviously that makes sense. I assumed a shelter and some form of transportation would be there. I was rushing out of there and all.”Bulma smiled, “I know you didn’t know. You hardly seem the type to let me freeze all night for your own jollies. I don’t think either one of us was thinking clearly last night.”Jollies? Thinking clearly? What does that mean? He finished putting on his shirt and scowled, “What couldn’t wait until I was awake then?”She motioned, “See what I carried in? That’s the whole reason I met with that Bannon guy to begin with. The liquid metal – verbrakium. Now I can build you the gravity chamber you’ve always wanted and make sure it is still safe for space travel. Although, I will have my top engineers test it as well. I don’t want to make anything unsafe for you considering where I got it from.”This news should have made him happy, but once the gravity chamber was complete their deal was done. He would have to come up with new excuses to see her. He looked over and saw a crackling fire. How long had she been up? A bath, fire . . . He smelled something cooking, too. He felt pretty useless at the moment and didn’t like it. Not that he wanted to be in service for anyone, but just last night she was so vulnerable. To be clear, he didn’t like her vulnerable either, but he felt more in a position where she actually needed him. Feeling needed actually didn’t bother him as much as he thought it would. Observing earthlings so dependent on each other disgusted him. He went and sat at the couch and stared at the fire. As it popped and hissed he had vivid flashbacks of the night before. He sighed. He really hoped she wasn’t going to want to talk about anything.She walked over to the kitchen and checked in the oven. She then went to the fridge and got out eggs and bacon. Damn. What all did her mother pack?“Shew! I gotta get these snow pants off!” He fully expected her to get next to him on the couch to get them off, but she walked over to the bed. After kicking off her snow boots to Vegeta’s relief she was wearing thermal pants underneath. She walked back to the kitchen. “How many eggs do you want?”Vegeta looked over this shoulder, “How many are there?”She rolled her eyes, “I have eighteen here and I usually have one or two.”“I suppose I’ll have sixteen then.” He tried to sound disinterested, but he was famished. Looking back at the fire he asked, “How much longer do you figure we’ll be stuck here?”Without looking up from scrambling the eggs she chuckled wryly, “Don’t worry, Vegeta. It looks like it is clearing off so I’d say by this afternoon. Now that I have the right clothes you could even fly us out of here if you prefer.”He wasn’t sure how he felt about all of this. Were they really just going to go back to the compound and act like nothing happened? Part of him hoped that would be the outcome, but the other part of him that held back last night really didn’t want that.For the longest time the only sound was the bacon crisping in the pan. She hurriedly got out plates and put the completed eggs for Vegeta on one and the two for her on another. As the bacon finished she took two slices and placed the rest on top of his eggs. He then heard a DING and she took out what he believed to be some kind of bread. She only took one and piled the rest on his plate. She poured him a large glass of orange juice and handed him the food and drink without a word, which perplexed him because he looked up at her to make eye contact and was anticipating her saying SOMETHING. Was she rushing?She took her food and drink and ate alone at the two seater table. Fine. If that’s how she wants to be. Fine. He certainly could eat in silence, but he highly doubted she could. She set down her fork on the plate and Vegeta glanced over his shoulder expecting her to speak, but instead she stood and put her dishes in the sink. She walked to the front door and opened it a crack and then turned around and smiled sweetly, “It is your lucky day. As soon as you are done eating you will no longer be stuck here with me.”___________________________________________________________________________ He held her securely as they flew. Bulma refused to look at him. She wasn’t mad at him, but she was so embarrassed that all she wanted to do was put some distance between them. She couldn’t believe it went as far as it did and then for HIM to be the one to stop it. Tired her ass. You can’t kiss like that one moment and then suddenly be too exhausted to keep going. She kept her eyes shut tightly, but the wind and embarrassment made tears stream down them. She didn’t want to, but she put her face into the crook of his neck.They made it home in no time and he gently set her down. She really didn’t want to speak to him, but she forced herself. “I will get to work right away on the gravity chamber. Thank you for coming to get me.”He was going to respond, but her parents came running out. He took off walking towards his quarters.Mrs. Briefs whispered, “How did last night go?”___________________________________________________________________________ Satisfied that she was safe, Dr. Briefs left them to talk. Bulma scoffed, “What do you mean how did it go? I’m here aren’t I?”“No,” Mrs. Briefs giggled, “The honeymoon capsule? How did THAT go?”Bulma gasped. What she didn’t notice was that Vegeta never actually entered his quarters, but instead walked around out of view to listen to what was said. She stammered, “Mom. Mom. Holy crap, Mom! What were you thinking?”Mrs. Briefs held her own face in her hands, “Oh, I don’t know. It was an impulse I’ll admit that much. If you could have seen how concerned he was for you though. I had these flashes of the two of you . . .” She trailed off, “How romantic! So, how did IT go?”Vegeta couldn’t believe it. He doesn’t give Mrs. Briefs enough credit. She more or less orchestrated the whole thing. Way to think on your feet when worried about your kid.‘Ugh. Gross.” Bulma blushed and looked away, “Let me say this – I can confidently say nothing else will ever happen between the two of us. He isn’t interested, believe me.”Wasn’t interested? He would have never let her near him the way he had if he wasn’t interested. She continued, “You know what the saddest part is?” Mrs. Briefs gently patted Bulma’s hand as she continued, “I really miss being with someone.”“Oh dear.” Mrs. Briefs clicked her tongue, “What about that Bannon fellow? I think he’s even better looking than Vegeta.” Vegeta scoffed and covered his mouth.Bulma gritted her teeth, “I’m not sure what his deal is, but he is not to be trusted. People . . . Situations . . . They just aren’t what they appear.”Mrs. Briefs hesitated, “I don’t want to upset you, but he has been sending you gifts. Flowers, chocolates . . .”“I let my guard down. He charmed me. I never want to see him again.” Bulma folded her arms around herself. “Although I may have to so I can figure out what happened.”Mrs. Briefs continued patting her, worried, “If he did something to you we will get it sorted.” To Vegeta’s surprise she didn’t question what she was talking about and changed subjects, “This may not be the best timing – but since you are missing being in a relationship and all – I could set you up with some of the sons of your Dad’s friends. They may be a little different than what you are used to, but they are well educated, handsome, and I’m sure lots of fun. You’ll have some things in common with them, too. Your father and I have enjoyed many years of wedded bliss after all!”Bulma shook her head, “Is this what it has come to? My mother playing matchmaker?”Mrs. Briefs giggled, “Dear it isn’t all gloom and doom! I love this kind of stuff. Just too bad about Vegeta. You two are so similar.”Vegeta angled himself so he could barely see them. For whatever reason Mrs. Briefs was always in his corner and it fascinated him.Bulma laughed, “He and I are NOTHING alike.”Mrs. Briefs put up her hands, “No, no, I’ve really thought about it. You both go all in on things that interest you. Both are very smart. Hard-headed. And both of you have an adorable short fuse. I just really thought you two understood each other well. He tolerates you when he won’t anyone else. And the way he looks at you! You are even the same height basically which works out well for somethings . . .” She giggled and held her own face in her hands.Bulma’s lip quivered and she looked on the verge of tears. She was no doubt thinking of the previous night. Vegeta himself found his thoughts drifting back to last night and how they were exactly eye to eye. She sighed, “Give it up, Mom. Nothing will come of it.” She managed to rally and not cry and started making her way to the house, “When you start searching, absolutely NO tall brunettes.”Vegeta walked into his quarters and sat in the nearest chair. This is why he doesn’t choose to do the right thing. What does he have to show for it? She is oblivious now. His pride would not allow him to say what was necessary to pick things back up where they left off. When he agreed to stay at her compound he never imagined anything like this happening. A grand miscalculation indeed. He already spent an inordinate amount of time watching how she operated and moved. He put his head in his hands and whispered, “Just let this die down. Let this go away as if it never happened. You’ll be better off. You are only here to train.”Flashes of her being held by anyone but him made him grit his teeth. A whole new type of anger he had never felt before. Not anger at her, not anger at the other person, but anger at himself. It was similar to the self-hate he experienced when he lost to Kakarrot and then later lost to Freiza. For someone with an overwhelming amount of pride he could certainly be consumed with self-hate.___________________________________________________________________________ As soon as she got to her room the flipped the light switch to see flowers and boxes of chocolate all over. This. Is. Bull. Shit. She threw her window open and started throwing everything out of it. Through gritted teeth she growled, “GRRR!”What does she do now? How does she even safely figure out what happened to her? Her eyes stung from struggling not to cry. If only Vegeta hadn’t noticed that spot on her hand maybe she could keep ignorantly believing nothing bad happened.She looked over on her workspace to see more chocolate and flowers, “UGH! You asshole! I’m not into you!” She ran to the window to chuck these out as well and was stomping to grab more things. She heard an OOF. She cringed and hoped it was her imagination. Please say it isn’t so. ANYONE, but Vegeta.She looked out her window and it was Yamcha. Never thought she’d be this happy to see him. She only then noticed he was rubbing his head. “Oh shit! Yamcha, I’m sorry!”He chuckled, “Eh, no worries. I sometimes forget that despite not being a fighter you can still inflict some damage.”She smiled. “Well, just the same I promise it was an accident.” She looked around her room at the flowers and chocolates still remaining made her face turn pink.Yamcha smiled and slowly entered her room. He really was so handsome in a boyish, mischievous kind of way. “Looks like you’ve made quite the impression on someone,” He looked around, “Or . . . Multiple people?”“It isn’t what it seems. I don’t trust this guy and hope I never see him again.” She absently rubbed the hand Vegeta said had a scar on it.“You okay?” He took one small step closer and held out a hand, but then took a step back. “I came over yesterday and your mother said you weren’t here, but didn’t give a lot of details . . .”“Long story short, I had a dinner date. I wouldn’t have gone, but he had something I needed. It didn't go as planned.” She kept rubbing her hand.Yamcha tilted his head and looked around, “I see. Well, from here it looks like it went well. This is the kind of stuff you always deserved, but I was too bone-headed to realize or afford it.”“Oh?” Bulma was a bit shocked. She’d only been waiting for him to have this realization their entire relationship.“Yeah the thing is I’ve been doing some thinking. A LOT of thinking. Maybe my timing is bad, but we should hash some things out, don’t you think?” He made it a point to stay near the window. Usually by now he’d already be rubbing her arm or have an arm around her.For a moment she almost shut him down. She had had an exhausting few days. She looked up at him and he seemed pretty earnest though. Progress shouldn’t be shut down, should it? Bulma walked around and sat at her desk. “Now is as good a time as any I suppose.” She motioned for him to sit at the foot of her bed and he did, but quickly stood. He had something tucked into the back of his pants.“Oh,” he chuckled nervously, “You’re gonna have to forgive me, but you know I had to.” He pulled out something framed and put it on her desk with the back of it to her. Intrigued, she turned it around and it was the picture of Vegeta hauling her away at the party.Bulma laughed, “Shew that night was certainly something, wasn’t it?”Yamcha laughed and cleared his throat. “You know I do owe you an apology.” He sat back on the bed, “I suppose I just really wanted to get your attention. Weird that I never got the satisfaction of getting a rise out of you over that.” He looked down, “Vegeta was pretty pissed though.”Bulma’s eyebrows went down, “Vegeta? What are you talking about?”He smiled, “Let’s just say he thoroughly humiliated me albeit not in front of a crowd. I don’t know what the deal is with the two of you, but I actually think he may actually care about you or I guess might be interested in you? I’m not really sure what someone like him does.”She laughed, “Like me? I think I amuse him. Once he figures out how my mind works or what makes me tick I’m sure he’ll lose interest. In fact, I’m pretty sure he has already.”Yamcha stood and winked, “Well, I still haven’t figured you out and I’ve known you since we were sixteen.” He shook his head, “How did we get here? I mean, will I ever get over you?”“I guess there’s not a nice way to say it, but I had to move on. I AM over you.” She glanced at the picture of her and Vegeta and smiled, “Make no mistake though – you still mean a lot to me.”Yamcha glanced out of the window and rubbed the back of his neck, “So are you and Vegeta gonna date now or what?”She rubbed her temples and scoffed, “He doesn’t date anyone. I’m pretty sure he only likes himself.”He smiled, “You keep telling yourself that.” He glanced around her room again, “So . . uh have you guys had sex-”She jumped up, “Okay I think it is time for you to go. That’s enough chit chat for now.” She rushed him out of the window and he levitated for a moment. “Talking was nice though. Made me remember why you mean so much to me.”“Well, I’m here to talk anytime.” And with that Yamcha waved and was off.If recollection serves her correctly it was the first time he had been in her room where he didn’t try to make a move on her. There’s a first time for everything.___________________________________________________________________________ He idly glanced out of the window of the gravity chamber to see Yamcha leave. Good. He has no business here anyway. Although why he cared was nagging at him. After all, he was staying at her compound as a guest. He kept telling himself what she did was of no consequence to him, but then he would recall the feeling of her skin or the softness of their kiss.This won’t do. These thoughts. He already overheard that it will never happen again from her own lips. Is he doomed to obsess over this for it to never happen? Is he going to always train only never to surpass Kakarrot?He growled at the new bots. It was time. Time to see if these lived up to the hype. He looked up to them. They stood as statues looking down on him. Were they looking down on him? They would regret that. He rushed to the control panel and turned the chamber on full power. He came back to the bots and the option to turn them on or off was at the broadest part of their back. That could be tricky, but that’s a good thing.He went to the back of the one in front and switched it on. He immediately assumed his fighting stance. The fighting stance of an elite saiyan. Aside from a light glow from the eyes of the one he turned on nothing changed. “Tch.” He turned his back to it. The more he got to know Bulma the more he realized how intelligent and skilled she was. This was a let down. Suddenly, everything was dark. He wasn’t unconscious, but felt an intense, stabbing pain. His arms instinctually shot up to the pain and he could feel the jaws of the bot were closed across his face just below his nose and on the back of his head. He was excited. He should have known better than to turn his back on any of her inventions. It was a very stupid mistake after getting his back blasted last time. The more he struggled the stronger the bite became. Then, to his horror, its arms firmly grabbed his arms and the metal claws sank in and pulled back. He was completely and utterly vulnerable with his arms and head completely tilted backwards, but he got a rush he hadn’t had in a long time. He smirked, “Good. This will be excellent.”__________________________________________________________________________ Monday arrived. Bulma had felt this indescribable uneasiness. A sense of dread. It was hard to explain. She had never felt so unsafe in her own home. She was plagued by more nightmares. She was surprised to wake up and not have Bannon right next to her. They were so real. Every waking moment she would walk to her window and look to see that Vegeta was in the gravity chamber. She wanted to call him, but she was embarrassed. She needed to remember that he shut things down between them. She also didn’t want to feel anymore indebted to him than she already did.She felt like she didn’t have control over her own thoughts. The thoughts kept getting progressively worse and they weren’t just while she slept. She would try to sleep thinking that she was just exhausted, but then she was unable to sleep. She swore there were moments she could FEEL Bannon breathing down her neck. She shook her head and looked herself over in the mirror. Work will surely provide her with the distraction she needs.As she walked out of her home she looked over to see Mac making his way to one of the larger labs holding a coffee thermos. He waved half-heartedly and yawned. Bulma frowned, “Oh no! The teether isn’t working?”He was still yawning and waved his hand dismissively, “Oh no! That’s brilliant. I really think you should sell those. Definitely an untapped market for us. She has unfortunately gotten her days and nights confused.” They stood outside of the lab and he looked sideways at her, “You look exhausted. How’d your meeting with Bannon go?”Bulma had to remember he had access to her calendar and it was just legitimate curiosity and not an accusation. She changed the subject, “I got just what I needed for our little hush, hush project.”He smiled, “You know I’m always interested in whatever crazy ideas you have. First though we must attend to a few items. We are behind production on one of the newer lines and I was hoping I could pick your brain for ideas that might speed things up.”“Behind production?” She frowned. “Yes, of course.” She hesitated to scan her badge so Mac stepped forward and scanned his. She exhaled slowly. Why was her heart racing? “Yes, let’s do this.”
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Vegeta scowled at the bots. He was completely overpowered and the only reason it released was because he was so still it didn’t register his movement and shut off. This must’ve been some failsafe she installed in all of the bots now. He crossed his arms and stared at them angrily. It only took one to stop him. Good thing he didn’t go with his gut and try them all at the same time. For as excited as he was at first his pride was hurt. How someone with no fighting ability make something like this? He couldn’t just rush to Bulma and say he already overpowered the bots and she needed to go back to the drawing board. He walked a slow circle around the bot that had him in its jaws and claws for the better part of three hours. Nothing. Not one weakness located yet. One thing he knew he had worked up an appetite and it was lunch time. Ever since he brought Bulma back Mrs. Briefs has been working double time in the kitchen and he was actually looking forward to seeing her even if it was just for the food and not the company.The door to the chamber opened and he saw Mac walking away from it. Mac turned on his heel, “Oh hey. I was about to interrupt you . . . Yikes! What happened to you? Your face is all bruised. Were you in a wreck?” Vegeta ignored him and he got to the point, “I-I know we aren’t supposed to bother you ever – kinda like an unspoken rule around here – but I really don’t know who else to get. She hates when her parents worry.”While annoyed Vegeta was intrigued. Why would Mac need him? “Hmph. Make it quick, I'm hungry.” Vegeta continued to make his way to the kitchen thinking he could be filled in on the way and Mac rushed and blocked his path.“It is urgent. I need you to get to the main corporate lab now. I probably shouldn’t have left her, but she’s having . . . I don’t know what you’d call it.” Vegeta looked at Mac’s usually jovial face and could see he wasn’t just concerned, but he was terrified.Vegeta nodded and they broke into a jog. At the entrance to the lab, Mac was so shaken that he kept trying to scan his badge and was unsuccessful. Vegeta growled and punched the door open and continued at a jog. Mac stood for a split second in disbelief and then broke into a run to catch up. Vegeta looked around, “Well? Where is she?!”Mac kept running and yelled over his shoulder, “I left her over here.” He added hastily, “I’ve already dismissed all the other employees from the lab.”Vegeta looked down and she was under her desk in the fetal position. Her eyes were clenched shut with tears streaming down her face. Her arms were held up stiffly in front of her face as if she was being attacked.Vegeta crouched down completely unsure of what to do. He spoke firmly yet softly. “Bulma?”Her eyes popped open. They were bloodshot and her face was blotchy from crying. “Vegeta they’re here!” He reached out to try to calm her, but she slapped his hand away – hard.He rubbed his hand a little surprised and looked at Mac. Mac was having a hard time even looking at her, he was so disturbed. Vegeta gritted his teeth, “Who is here?”“THE ANDROIDS FOR SHITS SAKE!” She doubled over on the floor and began to shield her face again. “I’ve got it all figured out. They are here!”He pretended Mac wasn’t there. As far as he knew the fighters wanted to keep this from everyone to avoid a panic. He leaned in and tried to whisper, but it came out more as a hiss, “No, you are mistaken. They aren’t here.” He leaned closer and managed a low whisper, “There’s still time. They won’t be here for a while yet. You are safe.”“Of course leave it to you to talk down to me at a time like this! She held a shaky hand up and pointed to her computer monitor, “Look at the formulas! It is all there on the damn spreadsheet! They are here!”Vegeta immediately stood at attention and looked at her computer. It was unintelligible gibberish. He looked at Mac for confirmation and Mac shook his head. What the hell should be done? He looked down at her and she started bawling and said, “Oh please tell me you believe me. If you can’t save me please save my parents!”Vegeta about-faced and leaned close to Mac so she couldn’t hear, “Are there any other Capsule Corporation employees on the grounds?”“Well, of course. We are actually behind on one project. That’s what I thought she was working on when . . . This started.” He breathed slowly trying to be calm.Vegeta glanced at her again and she was tensing almost as if she was being hit, but nothing was there. “You will dismiss them immediately. They can be permitted back in the morning.”Mac’s jaw dropped, “If I do that she’ll kill me. I don’t remember the last time we delivered something late. That’s just not possible!”Vegeta roughly grabbed Mac’s shirt and released it slightly because he didn’t mean to use that amount of force. He growled, “What will be worse for this company? A late project or photos leaked of its owner and leader ranting and raving like a lunatic?!” Mac paused and then hung his head and Vegeta knew he had his answer. “If she has a problem with it she can take it up with me. I know how to handle her. I think. Have some pride man! She trusts you with things that she trusts no one else with. If you were really that brilliant you’d use your abilities and figure out a way to deliver regardless of the obstacles.” Vegeta slowly released Mac’s shirt.Mac pulled a walkie talkie from his belt. Before he gave the order he shook his head. “I think her working on those bots for you has gotten to her somehow. I mean she’s ranting and raving about androids. I’m doing this although I don’t know why. You don’t have the authority really. This is insane.”Vegeta sneered, “You came to me for help, therefore I have all the authority I need. Unless you have any better ideas that is.”Mac turned and began barking out directions for all employees to leave the premises immediately. He said there was an unforeseen water line failure and employees could take the rest of day off paid. As he left he hastily picked up the door Vegeta had broken. He nodded at Vegeta and put it in the doorway as best he could to provide them with privacy.Vegeta exhaled and his shoulders hung for a moment. He knew how important her reputation was to her so he had no choice but to choose the lesser of two evils. He crouched down to her. Well now what does he do? He rested a hand on her leg, “Bulma?”Her eyes opened again and she looked at his face. She reached out and gently touched him, “Oh my gosh did they do this to you? The bruises?”He took in a breath. Her tiny, cold hand on his face. It felt good and numbed his pain. He exhaled and smiled despite the strange circumstances, “I am fine. By tomorrow I’ll be healed. Tell me what I need to do for you.”She started shaking and crying. “I don’t know. I just can’t turn my brain off. They are going to kill me before I can make your chamber and get you stronger so you can destroy them. I know you can as long as I don’t let you down.”He blinked. Hearing her say that made a strange sensation swell in his chest. Deep down half of the time he was so disgusted with his progress that he wondered what she thought of him. Her best friend is Kakarrot after all. He scowled, “First, let's just try to get out from under the desk.”She nodded. He wasn’t sure if it was to him or herself. She shakily grabbed his arms and took a breath in pain and she cowered back under the desk. “And Bannon. He won’t leave me alone. The things he wants to do to me . . . I can feel it in my head.” She broke into sobs. “I can’t do this. It hurts too much. It all hurts.”Vegeta looked at his hands for a moment and realized HE hadn’t hurt her. Without touching her he sat next to her. “I’m going to need you to do this. It is important. I am the only one here.” He exhaled and decided to change his approach, “You should know how important this is if I’m here.”Bulma considered this. Her eyes were darting all around him, “I do trust you. Very much. I know you would never hurt me.”He cocked his head, “Is that so?”She was taking deep breaths and closed her eyes. She was calming down. She smiled weakly, “The night with you – out in the middle of nowhere – It was the safest I’ve ever felt. It was the best night ever.”Vegeta gulped. He wasn’t sure how he should respond. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it. Best to not respond and get her out from under this desk. “If you trust me, come out.”Bulma once again took his hands and shakily grabbed him to steady herself. She again took a sharp breath. Vegeta quickly got her to her feet and she buried her head in his shoulder trying to steady her breath. She turned her face and rested her cheek on him. She cried, “I don’t understand what is happening to me.”Vegeta rested a hand on the small of her back and looped the other around the middle of her back. He gritted his teeth thinking of Bannon and whispered, “We will figure everything out. Let’s get you to your room and to bed.”She suddenly stiffened. “My room isn’t safe. I can’t go there. I didn’t sleep. I kept hearing things. I-I kept feeling things.”He tried to not be annoyed. He knew he needed to remember that something has happened to her that none of them understand and logic may not work. He exhaled, “Where would you feel safe?”She started shaking her head and wailing, “Nowhere is safe. And I don’t know why.”Vegeta glanced at the door and could see Mac giving him the thumbs up so he knew he could get her out of there without any witnesses. He held her a little closer and looked at Mac, “I need some different capsules that have dwellings of different sizes. I’ve got to get her out of here.”Mac nodded and vanished for what seemed like an eternity, but it was likely only a few minutes. He tossed a capsule case and Vegeta caught it. He pulled Bulma back and looked into her eyes, “Where would you like to go? We can go anywhere you feel safe.”“Will you stay with me? I don’t want to be anywhere I’ve been before. Anywhere I can imagine is dangerous.” She hung her head. She must’ve known she wasn’t making sense.“ . . . I think I may know a place. A calm place.” He gently ran a finger along her chin although he didn’t understand why. She sniffled and nodded.Without another word he lifted her and stepped out of the lab. She melted into him. Mac watched as they flew away. Good thing he can keep things hush-hush.___________________________________________________________________________ Running water? She definitely heard running water. She woke and was obviously not in her room or her lab. Bulma sat up. She felt like she had been in another car wreck. There was a small lamp turned on on the side table. It was then she realized she was in an early model capsule. She glanced at the window in the room and it was all the way open and a gentle breeze rushed in. That’s where the sound of the water was coming from. She stood a little shaky. She looked down at herself and she was still in all of her clothes. Even though she had no clue where she was she felt completely at ease. It was odd after being on high alert since she had been home. Why was she on high alert though? She felt like she was in the twilight zone. It was very similar to the accommodations she took when she first met Goku and they went on their adventures. She opened the bedroom door and glanced around slowly. No one was there. So much for feeling at ease.Her gut took her to the front door and as it swung open she realized she was in a cave of some kind. Her eyes slowly focused in the dim light. A cave behind a waterfall? Vegeta was sitting on the ground with his eyes shut listening to the waterfall. The breeze was moving his hair and he had a light sheen of water all over him.Bulma cleared her throat, but he didn’t seem to hear her. She cleared it again and began, “Um, Vegeta?” And just like that he materialized in front of her. He looked her over a little frantically. His face was expressionless, but there was no mistake. Bulma swallowed, “I don’t know what is going on.” He didn’t acknowledge her and walked one circle around her. She stammered, “I-I’m sorry. I really am. You’re scaring me.”He exhaled and his shoulders fell. He bent down his head and rested it on hers. She held one of his elbows with her hand and pulled him closer. She wrapped her other hand around his back and gently alternated between making circles and patting him on his back.He turned his head to her hair and took in a gentle breath through his nose. He sighed, “Hmm.” It made her smile. He still wasn’t speaking, but that wasn’t entirely a bad thing. He cleared his throat and pulled back and she followed suit. His eyes still darted all over her face and he exhaled in relief. Finally he spoke, “I think we need to talk.” Bulma nodded and he motioned her to the ground of the cave and she sat on the blanket he put there. He turned his back to her and searched for the words, “You had an . . . episode at work. It was possibly the most scared I’ve ever seen any living thing and believe me I have seen fear in the eyes of many.” Bulma nodded once again and he continued, “I was going to leave and kill Bannon. I would have disposed of him in such a way to where no trace could be found. It would never be linked to anyone.”Bulma’s back went straight and she waved her hands frantically, “You can’t just kill someone like that. We don’t even know for sure he did anything to me.” Now it was her turn to search for words, “Killing people the moment they cross you isn’t real life.”Vegeta chuckled sardonically, “Well, it IS real life for me. I do KILL. I’ve killed so many I don’t know the exact number, but believe me it is astonishingly high.” He clenched his fists, exasperated, “And make no mistake - we KNOW he did something to you. Of that there is no doubt. The smell of him on you! I have killed for less than just a suspected slight. I still do kill for far, far less.”Bulma noticed that killing people wasn’t in the past tense. Her eyes were filling with tears. It was hard to describe, but she still wasn’t scared of him. Her eyebrows went down and she said, “What stopped you then?”He looked at his feet and he mumbled, “I didn’t want you to wake alone and feel . . . unsafe I suppose.” There was silence for a few moments and he continued, “I sent all of your employees home yesterday. Well, Mac did it on my behalf.”“Yesterday?! You . . . Y-You WHAT?!” She got to her feet, “I don’t understand! That’s completely unacceptable!”Her voice echoed in the cave and he winced, “I tried to make the best decision at the time. I made the decision I felt you would make for yourself if you were capable of thinking clearly.” He turned to face her, “You were behaving like a lunatic. There were a few moments I didn’t even think I could get you out from under your desk.”“Under my desk?” She cupped her hands over her mouth. “I see.”Vegeta walked a slow circle, deep in thought. “Y’know you probably wouldn’t have known he did anything to you if I hadn’t found that spot on your hand.”She looked down at the floor and then to her hand, “I’d actually be dead if it wasn’t for you.” She let her head hang for a moment and looked up at him. He was already wanting to kill Bannon with no confirmation of exactly what happened. Should she tell the truth or keep these things to herself? “Sometimes I think some of it is coming back to me, but it doesn’t make any sense.”Vegeta materialized in front of her, “Tell me everything.”She hesitated, “H-He’s talking to me. Telling me things in a kind, even sweet tone. What he is saying is horrible though. Sometimes calling me names . . . Sometimes talking about things he’s going to do to me or that will happen to me. He asks me questions and I feel like I don’t have a choice, but to answer. I feel like I have no control of my own actions.”“Do to you?” Vegeta cocked his head. She could tell the wheels in his head were still turning although he was stone-faced.“Yeah, um,” She looked away, “Some that physically harm me. Humiliate me. Most things are sexual. It goes without saying that he isn’t romantically interested in me and if he does anything sexual with me it is only to cause me trauma. It is clear. He doesn’t want to have sex with me. H-He wants to force me.”Vegeta shook his head, “To what end though exactly?”She sat on the blanket again, “I really don’t know. I’m not even sure if what I remember is something I’ve just made up. I feel like my mind isn’t working. The moment I got home I had this cloud over me. I can tell he delights in hurting me though.”He thought then spoke, “When we were alone in that shelter you were fine?”“Despite how I acted, the missing time was alarming, but I felt better there than I did at my compound.” She started breathing deeply. She didn’t want to cry. “All I want to do is get back to work. Honestly. I’m excited about making the gravity chamber. I think it will be really challenging. It’ll give me something to focus on.” She smiled weakly.He folded his arms and looked down at her. “I have some thoughts on what we should do, but,” He sat on the ground near her with his legs criss-crossed. “What do you think we should do?”“We?” She wasn’t sure she heard correctly and he nodded curtly. “I really don’t want you doing anything. Especially with my thoughts as scattered as they are.”“I don’t think Bannon knows that YOU know. That could give you the advantage. As tempting as it is to retaliate and rebuff him you could just be at the most indifferent.” He put his hand to his chin in thought, “I do think it would be unwise to go back to his estate. Meet on neutral ground. Somewhere you have the advantage.”“Wait. You think I should meet with him again?” She rubbed her head. It was pounding.His eyebrows went down and he bared his teeth, “I know it isn’t ideal. I would never have you see him again unless I can absolutely assure your safety.”She thought for a moment and smiled, “I trust you. I know you can keep me safe.” She looked around, “Where is this place? It is beautiful.”He smiled. He knew she was trying to change the subject. “Oh, no. This is MY place. I come here when I’m mad or need to get away from everyone. Usually I want to blow things up,” He glanced around, “Not here though. Here I just want to relax. I only found it because I needed to bathe before I came back to your compound lest you have commentary on how dirty I am.”She blushed, “I’m just trying to give you the nudge you need.”He looked from the waterfall to her, “Hnn.” He perhaps didn’t realize it, but he was staring at her. Her hair was getting poofy, yet matted and frizzy from the moisture so she ran her fingers through it and tried to tame it. It was no good though. There was a reason she kept her hair poofy for a few months. It was much, much easier.She looked at the waterfall and could see the shimmering colors of the sunset. It was incredible. The sound of the waterfall was so calming. This was just another moment she knew she’d remember the rest of her life. She looked at Vegeta and he was still staring. He snapped out of it and stood abruptly, “I’m going to hunt. I, uh, neglected to get any food capsules. This shelter was the only one that would fit in the cave and there wasn’t any food in it.” And with that he was off.As she watched his trail vanish she stared at the waterfall and wrapped her arms around herself. Her heart raced. She certainly didn’t think she’d be alone with him again and not this soon.___________________________________________________________________________ He flew low to the ground. Pork sounds good. Or some type of poultry. Out of the corner of his eye he saw them. He did a few thin, laser-like blasts and managed to hit multiple turkeys. He grabbed them in one fail swoop. He can’t believe he will have another night alone with her. And of course she still isn’t herself. No matter what he was going to sleep outside of the shelter in the cave. Absolutely no exceptions.When he got back he lightly tapped on the front door. She opened it and saw how many turkeys he had. She smiled and her eyes twinkled, “I should have known.”The sight of her made his stomach feel odd. He was very hungry though. He put all them down but one and began plucking the feathers. To his surprise Bulma picked up one and got started on it. He lifted an eyebrow, “I didn’t know you knew how to do this stuff.”She snorted, “This coming from a prince?” And she continued plucking, “I’ll have you know Goku once said I was a better cook than Chichi. Besides, this isn’t rocket science, which I can also handle.”Vegeta couldn’t hide the shock in his eyes, “What did you cook to make him say that?”She kept plucking and looked off distantly, “I don’t really remember to be honest. It was before he was married to her and knew better than to say things like that. Although he’d probably still say something like that if he thought it.”They both laughed. It echoed in the cave and they fell silent. They both moved on to their second turkey. There were feathers everywhere. Vegeta mumbled, “I don’t know how good it’ll taste, but we won’t go to hungry. How many of these can you eat?”Bulma giggled, “How many? Maybe a fourth of ONE.” As they each finished their second turkey there was one left to go. “Heya, how about I do that one and you get the giblets out? That has always grossed me out.”“Hnn.” And with that Vegeta got to work cleaning them out as she finished plucking the last one.She handed it to him and went inside to clean her hands. She came back outside wearing oven mitts with a frown. “I did find some spices in the kitchen, but I’m pretty sure they are over a decade old. Best not chance it.”Vegeta took each turkey individually and held it in his hands. He concentrated his ki and cooked it right on the spot. This was something new he decided to try. Usually he could just blast them, but he was afraid they’d be too charred for her to want to eat. He handed it off to her and she carried it into the shelter. As he completed the last one he came in and saw she had set the booth for both of them. He sat down and noted they were both having water. PIty. Well, not a pity he quickly decided.She brought a large knife and cut off one portion of a turkey – one leg and one breast – and slid the rest over to him. She got into the booth and scooted around until she was sitting right next to him. He watched and she grabbed the turkey leg and savagely took a large bite. He leaned back and blinked. The grease from the turkey’s skin ran down her chin and her eyes went into the back of her head. She put the leg down and did a little jig in her seat which he took to mean it tasted good. She gently sucked the turkey juice off the end of each finger and was about to start on the leg again when she looked up. She blushed, “I’m sorry. I’m just super hungry. Are you going to eat?”Vegeta looked down at his plate and immediately dug in. He would steal a glance and watch her eat every few bites. This was a side of her he hadn’t seen before. He had seen her prim and proper and an absolute emotional mess. It was different seeing her happy and a mess. He really liked it and needed to turn off the part of his brain where this in particular drove him wild.She put the turkey bone down and smiled, “You know I promised you that you wouldn’t have to save me again.”He focused on his food and did his best to be indifferent, “Hnn. It is slightly annoying, but it wasn’t like I was making progress with those new bots.”She perked up, “Oh really? That’s great!” She leaned closer, “Is there anything that I need to change about them?”Vegeta smirked, “No. Let me try to make progress with them before you do anything else. My neck and arms are still sore from what the single one did to me.”“Oh.” She looked concerned, but Vegeta kept eating and waved one hand dismissively. “So that’s what happened to your face?”“Hnn.” He could feel her gaze on his face. “It looks much better than it did.”She looked back down at her plate and began eating the remaining turkey breast with her hands. He made it a point to not look at her. He was already halfway through his food and if he focused he could finish quickly and get out. He could hear she was done eating and she turned to face him in the booth and smiled. “I want to try something.” Vegeta raised an eyebrow and she giggled. “Turn your back to me. You can keep eating and everything, but I need to pull down the top of your armor.”Vegeta gulped hard and sighed. Curiosity is what always gets the best of him. He turned his back to her wondering how the power dynamic between them kept going in her favor. He winced in discomfort as he pulled his arms out of his armor and lowered it to his stomach just above the navel. He started eating again. There was nothing she could do that he couldn’t be indifferent to. He was certain of it.She gently placed her hands on his neck where it met his shoulders and began to massage. “Shew, you are going to need to relax or I’m going to break my fingers doing this.” He breathed deeply. She leaned close to his ear, “I thought you had better control of your power than this.”“Tch.” He closed his eyes and drew his eyebrows down. He continued to take slow bites of food.“Ah, that’s better.” She laughed, “I suppose I should have cleaned my hands before doing this. You are going to smell like turkey.”Vegeta tilted his head to the side involuntarily as she kneaded his neck deeper. He smiled, “You say that like it is a bad thing.”She didn’t respond and kept working on his neck. “Is this helping? I can’t tell.”He mumbled with his eyes closed, “Yeah. It actually is.” He continued eating slowly. Eating turkey while getting a massage? What kind of voodoo is this? He reached for turkey, but all that was left was bone. He came back to himself and cleared his throat, “Damn. All gone.”Bulma stopped massaging him, “Yeah and I’m afraid my hands are all wore out.” She shook her hands.He turned around to face her. They were very close in the booth. He moved slightly closer, but she didn’t return the move. Interesting. Her face and eyes betrayed nothing. He looked at her hair and chuckled, reaching up to it and her eyes got big, “You have turkey feathers in your hair.”“OH! Oh.” She turned a deep shade of pink and sighed as he got them out. “I think I’m going to need to get the Bannon issue over with. Don’t get me wrong – getting away with you – it is nice. Unfortunately, it isn’t realistic when I’m trying to run a company.”He knew the same. He really did. Once that is resolved and his new gravity chamber built he may go months again before he’ll talk to her. He was feeling something that stung in his chest, but it was indescribable. He focused hard on her, “What are you thinking?”She smiled weakly, “I’m thinking some place like this would be perfect. He disarmed me right away at his estate. This place would do the same to him. One way in and out. I don’t know. Fewer surprises maybe?”Vegeta looked at her and could see she was uneasy and spoke gently, “Very well. Let’s do it here.”Bulma shook her head, “No. This is your spot. I think we all need somewhere we can go to get away from things.”Vegeta looked thoughtful, “What is your place?”Bulma thought, “I guess I never really had one. I mean I always thought of it as my room, but I still work in my room.” She paused and smiled, “So technically I don’t have one. Unless you count vacations.”“Hmm. Vacations don’t count.” Vegeta knew he needed to get back to the task at hand, “So here’s what I’m thinking for getting Bannon,” She shuddered when he said his name, “I will try to find a place like this. If I’m unsuccessful we come here. You need to insist on driving. I’m hoping that will keep him from trying anything as he would put himself in danger as well.” Bulma nodded and he continued, “As far as I could tell at the party he didn’t have a remarkable ki at all so if needed elbow, smack, bite – do whatever you must to defend yourself in case things don’t go the way I envision it. I will follow high overhead and sneak in. Bring everything you’d need to put him at ease . . . A fine dinner, furniture, etc. Also,” he stopped, “I suppose you should wear something like you would for a social occasion.”Bulma smiled, “Oh, do you mean a date?”Vegeta bared his teeth, “Okay. A date. Fine.” He smirked at her smile. She’s trying to get a rise out of him. “I will always be nearby. I will not let him hurt you.” She sighed and looked at him with a strange expression. “What?”She sighed and blushed, “You are just kind of gorgeous right now.”He looked down at himself without his armor on his top half and stammered for a moment, “I-I’ve never been told that before.”“I’m sorry,” She said. “I guess that was kind of weird.” She yawned, “If there are any other fine details I guess we can work them out tomorrow after I get off from work.”“I’m not sure going to work is a good idea for the rest of the week.” She started to protest and he raised his hand, “It could even be as many as two depending on when he comes calling. We don’t understand what happened. We don’t understand what triggered you. You acted as if you were in pain. It could be even worse next time.” She shook her head, but couldn’t manage any words to protest. “You can stay here. I’ll touch base with Mac. Give me instructions and I’ll make sure everything is done.”She looked hurt, “Stay here?”He looked at her sternly, “You seem to be doing better here. I cannot adequately describe how bad off you were earlier.”She bit her lip. He could tell she wanted to argue. Her eyes were filling with tears, “I do feel different here.” She stood and acted like she didn’t know where to go. “I’m-I’m going to bed. Will you come?”He exhaled and motioned to the front door, “I think I should sleep out there, shouldn’t I?”Bulma turned with a sudden mischievous smile, “I think you should sleep where you WANT to.”He wasn’t sure if that was an invitation, but he knew where he wanted to be. So much for self-control. He lightly touched her arm as he began to walk with her to the room. Out of the corner of his eye her expression was unmistakable – SMUG! She looked smug. Here he was with sweat on his brow and she had the nerve. He gritted his teeth, “Oy, what’s that face for?”She smiled sweetly, “Hey, I know smug is usually your look, but let me enjoy it for a change.” As they walked to the room she took off her lab coat and sweater to reveal a cami. Thankfully, or mercifully Vegeta decided, she kept her pants on and threw her shoes and socks off in the hallway. She winked at him, “Oh, and this time you are spooning me!”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
She woke Wednesday morning and it was pitch black. It took her a moment to remember where she was and who she was with. She felt movement on the bed, “Vegeta?”“Hnn? It’s me.” She could hear him softly grunt.She squinted her eyes, “What are you doing?”“Putting my chest plate back on. I want to get to your compound early since you gave me a long list of to-dos. It’ll take half of the morning to go through them with Mac.” He hesitated, “How did you sleep?”She stretched, “Oh, so good. Warm and cozy.” Truth be told she had many nightmares, but at least she didn’t wake up. Her eyes were adjusting and she scooted closer to him on the bed. “How did you sleep? I wish you didn’t have to leave.” She could be mistaken, but she thought he made a smug face.“I slept okay other than you talking my ear off half the night.” He sneered as he heard her huff. “Well, as far as me leaving I have little choice really. I know that one line was running behind schedule and Mac could use some of your direction on that. Also, there’s the matter of food. I figured if I get there before daybreak I can hopefully be back within three or so hours.” He cleared his throat, “Once I bring you food I’ll need to go back-”“Wait! What? Why?” She sat by him on the bed. “I don’t want to be alone here that long.”He gritted his teeth. She could barely make out his jaw flexing, “I need to train. I can’t let that go by the wayside. It is too important.”She let a breath out, “Fine . . .” She gently touched his arm, “Will you be back tonight though?”“Of course.” His arm stiffened under her touch and he turned his face away from her, but he didn’t try to shrug her hand off or jerk away.“Be sure to see my Mom for clothes and food. She’ll give you the good stuff.” She leaned over and gave him a gentle half hug.“Hmph. Be back once everything is completed.” He turned before closing the door to the bedroom, “Try to rest. You were having nightmares.”Before she could ask how he knew or say goodbye he was gone. They managed to make it through the night without being physical again. Although in her mind there was tension between them because of that she was shocked that she was enjoying her time with him. She glanced at the clock. This may be the longest three hours of her life.___________________________________________________________________________ Vegeta flew at breaknecking speed. As he landed at the compound his feet slid slightly from the speed. He ran into her house. Her mother was there waiting and before she could talk he held up a hand and filled her in on what he needed her to gather and to also allow Bannon to send whatever gifts he wishes. “And I won’t go into the details why, but she should be back by this weekend or the next weekend at the most. You will just have to trust her judgment.”Mrs. Brief smiled, “She’s the smartest person I know and you are the bravest. I think she’s perfectly fine! I will get the capsules together you requested. When are you heading back out, Dear?”He glanced at the clock, “No later than 9:30 this morning. Swing by the main lab around 9:00.”He didn’t wait for her to respond and made his way to the main lab. No one else was there yet. He leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. “This is bull shit. Late project my ass.”Almost as soon as the words left his lips he looked and saw Mac had arrived. He still wasn’t his usual jovial self. He looked as exhausted as Vegeta felt. It was comical how large Mac was. He reminded Vegeta of Chichi’s father. Mac started to greet him and again he held up a hand, “I have a long list of instructions from Bulma.”Mac interjected, “Hold that thought.” He got his walkie talkie, “Rhonda, do you copy?” She responded immediately. “Can you get down to the main lab pronto?” He could tell Vegeta was annoyed that he was silenced and he smiled, “If she’s here you can rest assured everything will be done exactly how Bulma likes it if it is something that I don’t handle.”Already making her way to the main lab Rhonda refused to look at Vegeta clearly still mad he ignored her about Bannon. And with good reason. Now that they were all together they entered the lab. The first thing they looked at was the past due project and Bulma’s suggestions to speed up production. Some of the countermeasures she suggested were simple and others genius.Mac smiled, “I swear I don’t know how she does it! I believe this will actually put us ahead of schedule.”Rhonda beamed, “I am fascinated by how she can picture these things in her mind without actually going through the process herself.”Vegeta glanced at the clock in the lab and it was already 7:45. “Yeah, yeah, yeah she’s smart. There were three other things she wanted to go over.” And he went through them quickly and Rhonda somehow managed to keep up. He reached into his chest plate and pulled out a drawing. “She said this is for the gravity chamber and that you would know what to do with it. That way when she returns she won’t have to wait on components she needs.”Mac looked at it and chuckled, “We may even be able to get started depending on the synthesization of the materials. What on earth did she draw this on?”Without thinking, Vegeta responded, “It is the back cover of a book in her night table.” For a few moments they all just stood in silence. Vegeta’s face went red and he scowled. Rhonda cleared her throat and he continued, “Do either of you have any questions or messages I can give her?”Mac and Rhonda exchanged a glance and Mac smiled, “I think we are all good now. We’ll see you tomorrow morning?”Vegeta nodded and Mac entered the lab. Rhonda wasted no time in walking away and he jogged to catch her, “Wait, woman!” She stopped and turned, but said nothing. He gritted his teeth, “You . . . You weren’t wrong about Bannon.”Her eyes went big, “Of course. What happened? Is she okay?”Vegeta got closer to her so passing by employees couldn’t hear him, “I honestly don’t have time for that, but just know we are onto him. If he reaches out to you just act like everything is fine. This is really important, okay?”She nodded. “Thank you for keeping her safe. She’s so smart and capable, but she needs someone to be a rock for her. People often don’t see that.”Vegeta nodded halfway listening and she was about to turn and leave once again but he materialized in front of her. “One more thing. Do not under any circumstances let Bannon touch you.”Rhonda looked confused and nodded. He was surprised she didn’t question him, but just him admitting his mistake about Bannon had built a trust with her. It was oddly comforting. Perhaps because Bulma respected her so much.Vegeta went straight to his quarters to pack. It was a flurry. He packed regular clothes, more comfortable clothes to sleep in, and armor. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and realized he was wearing armor. Perhaps he should wear human clothes in case Mac or Rhonda had any further questions? He does kind of stick out in his regular garb and other employees could see him. He glanced in his closet. Why was dressing like an earthling so stressful?He encapsulated everything he thought he would need. He glanced at the clock and to his surprise it was already 8:30. He was supposed to meet Mrs. Briefs at the lab at 9:00. He looked in the mirror. He was looking rough to say the least. He pulled out one more casual outfit and decided to spend the remaining time taking a hot shower. Even his nails were filthy. He entered the bathroom and saw the bar soap her mother had given him. He smelled it and it wasn’t his taste, but he’d give it a try. He got out of the shower and barely raised his ki to dry off. He looked at the clothes he picked out. “Tch. Fine.”As he walked out of his quarters he could see Mrs. Briefs standing outside of the main lab waiting. She was beaming.“Oh, Vegeta! You look so fashionable!” She lightly sniffed the air, “Did you use that soap I got you? What do you think?”He looked at her in disbelief. She gave him that soap months ago. Despite how clueless she acts, not much gets by her. He cleared his throat, “It is fine. My skin feels different.”She giggled, “Those are the moisturizers, Dear!”He looked at her a little annoyed. He didn’t have time to talk. “I thought of a few more things I need to get for her. LIke shower and bath stuff. Hair stuff.”Mrs. Briefs looked puzzled, “Hair stuff?”“It is humid where we are and I can tell her hair is getting on her nerves.” He blushed.Mrs. Briefs giggled and patted his arm, “Look at you being Mr. Attentive! Give me ten more minutes and I’ll have it together for you okay?” She handed him a capsule case.Vegeta leaned against the exterior wall of the main lab and crossed his arms. He closed his eyes and mentally went through a checklist. It was then that he heard someone clear their throat. “Hnn?” He was shocked by what met his eyes. It was him. Bannon. Vegeta took in a sharp breath and tried to remember to stay calm.“Well, hello there!” He held out a hand and Vegeta looked down at it and sneered. He took back his hand and continued, “I was looking for Bulma.”Vegeta remained stone-faced as Bannon walked closer. In order to look him in the face he had to glance far up. This made Bannon smile wider. “Tch. She’s currently away on business.”“Ah.” Bannon clicked his tongue, “That’s too bad. She really is something isn’t she?”Vegeta kept his face calm, but his words had bite. “I would know better than you.”There was that angry tick Bulma told him about. It faded, replaced by a calm, toothy smile. Something about it made him want to snarl. Bannon laughed, “You would think that, wouldn’t you? I think we really bonded. I’m eager to see her again. Get to know her more . . . intimately.”Vegeta had enough of this. “Well, I don’t have access to her calendar.” He reached into his pocket, “Here is her assistant’s contact information.” Bannon reached for the card with both hands and Vegeta let it fall to the ground. Bannon cocked his head and the tick appeared and vanished in an instant by the time he came back up with the card. Vegeta sneered, “Oops. I really am clumsy sometimes.”He looked up and saw Mrs. Briefs making her way to them. Bannon followed Vegeta’s gaze. Bannon casually sauntered to Mrs. Briefs. It was imperceptible to him, but she glanced at Vegeta and he gave a very slight head shake.Bannon flashed his smile again and held out a hand, “Mrs. Briefs, is it? Hello there. I’m Bannon Summer. I had the honor of having your daughter over for dinner last weekend.”Her brows drew down. It was a very Bulma expression. “Erm, yes.” She pulled her hands back, “I’m sorry dear I was just making some homemade candy and my hands are sticky all over.” Mrs. Briefs sidestepped him and slipped the capsule to Vegeta while giving him a gentle kiss on the cheek. He managed not to jerk since he knew she was trying to behave nonchalantly. She turned to Bannon, teeth bared. “Besides, what kind of man doesn’t make sure a woman makes it home safely?!”Bannon’s relaxed demeanor disappeared and he even looked slightly amused, “My word. I’m sure I don’t know what you mean. What happened to Bulma?”Vegeta stood between Mrs. Briefs and Bannon and smiled sardonically, “Funny thing. Every single one of her capsules were compromised that night.”Bannon continued smiling. Vegeta understood why Rhonda was so creeped out by him. He was clearly used to controlling a room. Bannon held up his hands as a means of putting them at ease, “If you have something you want to say please DO say it.”Vegeta forced his face to go back to stone. That was enough of this fool. He memorized his smug face. It was the last time it would ever be confident again. Vegeta would make him look even more terrified than Bulma did when Mac called him. Vegeta looked at a nearby tree disinterested, “Hmph. I’ve wasted enough time talking to you. I’m sure Bulma is waiting for your call and you have her assistant’s information.”Bannon smiled as if he had won the battle of words and HE had the advantage. It was unnerving for Vegeta. He bowed his head slightly and made his way to the exit of the compound and waved in a friendly manner to the security guard. Mrs. Briefs walked up behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder, “You did well, Dear.”Once Bannon was out of sight Vegeta exhaled and turned to her, “You didn’t do so badly yourself.” He hadn’t warned her about not letting him touch her. He could see the worry lines on her face. Aside from when she broke down the night Bulma was missing he had never seen her like this.“You will make it to where he’ll never hurt her again, right?” She patted his arm.Vegeta clenched his fists, “Absolutely. Although no one will approve of my methods when it comes to that man.”Mrs. Briefs giggled, “Well, what we don’t know won’t hurt us will it?” She winked and turned to walk into the house.His jaw dropped and then he smiled. He whispered to himself, “So that’s where Bulma gets it from.” He shook his head and chuckled. Once he walked behind the house he took off in a blast to make his way back to Bulma.___________________________________________________________________________ Bulma tried to content herself by reading a decade old magazine she had found in the capsule. This was for sure a shelter she had used on her many adventures with Yamcha and Goku. She glanced at the clock. It had been slightly more than three hours. She checked her phone and she had zero reception. So much for enjoying the peace and quiet. She walked out of the capsule house into the cave. She strained her ears to see if she could hear him coming. Nothing. She walked towards the waterfall and peeked out from behind the cascading water. No wonder Vegeta didn’t destroy this place. Mountains and knobs as far as the eye could see. It was incredible. She glanced down to see the waterfall wasn’t as tall as she initially thought. There was a small path leading to the water below. May as well.As she walked her way down to the water she noticed different areas where the vegetation was disturbed. She wondered if Vegeta had ever ventured down here and rested in some of these spots. She kept walking until she made it to the water’s edge. The water was so crystal clear she had a hard time discerning how deep it was. She rolled up her pants and intended to only go knee deep in, but to her surprise she slipped on a slick rock and slid in up to her stomach. Perfect. Really hope he comes through with the clothes. She wiggled out of her pants and pulled off her cami. She tiptoed out of the water and laid them on the rocks and hoped they would dry quickly. Her underwear was very conservative and covered more than most bikinis so at least there was that. She went back into the water. It felt warm compared to the cool of the cave. She took a deep breath and went under the water and decided to go as deep as she could. She couldn’t make it to the bottom, but she figured it was deeper than ten feet, but less than fifteen. As she exhaled her breath she went back to the surface and let herself float on her back. This was how to enjoy this peace and quiet.She took slow breaths. With her ears slightly under the water the crashing waterfall sounded almost like a deep constant drumming. From under her eyelids she could tell things had gotten a little dark. She frowned. As she opened them a slit she was jolted by the sight of a figure floating above her with a pair of judgmental dark eyes. She shrieked and swallowed some water. She now knows where the shadow came from. She tried to clear her throat, “Dammit, Vegeta.”He smirked momentarily and then scowled. “I told you when I’d be back. I got everything you requested and everything should be fine at your work.” His eyes widened as took in her appearance, “Your undergarments, really?”She splashed him and his eyebrows went down, “What? Would you prefer I had gone in naked?”Vegeta turned red and gulped. “Egad. No. You are such a vulgar woman.”This was fun. She splashed him again, “Why don’t you get in, too? You didn’t think I was vulgar when giving you a massage.”He crossed his arms and looked away, “I’ve already showered.”“So?” She splashed him again and giggled. “I’ve gotten you all wet again anyway.” He flew slightly higher so she wouldn’t splash him anymore. She grinned, “I should have known you were too haughty to do something like this.” He didn’t respond so she looked up and he was gone. She looked around and only saw there were ripples in the water. She listened and all she heard was the waterfall. “Fine. Whatever.” She saw something in the corner of her eye and it was Vegeta’s pants and shirt slowly fluttering down to the water. “Huh?” She felt something pinch her toe under the water, “AAAAYYYYYYEEEE! Vegeta save me!” She kicked HARD and connected with something.Vegeta surfaced the water sputtering with a bloody nose. Bulma was completely horrified she hurt him, but he was laughing. “Vegeta! Are you okay? I’m sorry if I had realized-”He continued to laugh and wiped his nose, “I’m fine. That’s what I get for trying to scare you and shut you up.”She swam up to him and looked at his face. She gave a very Vegeta-like scowl, “It isn’t funny. After how much I’ve been putting you out I really do feel bad.”He was still chuckling and leaned back so he was floating in the water. “Don’t be. It was worth it to see your face.”She glanced at his clothes and winced, “Oh no. The capsules.”Vegeta continued floating with his eyes closed with a smile, “They are on the bank, woman.” It appeared his nose had already stopped bleeding.She looked and saw them tucked into one of his shoes he had been wearing. “Oh thank goodness. I trust everything went smoothly?”He sat up and swam closer to her, “Bannon came by while I was there.”She wrapped her arms around her chest as if suddenly aware of her lack of clothing. “Oh. And?”Vegeta could tell her change in demeanor, “He’s overly confident. Used to having his way. He is going to be very disappointed.” He smiled slightly, “Also, your mother handled him admirably.”Bulma smiled and turned away still covering herself, “People never take her seriously, but she is definitely a force to be reckoned with in her own way.”“Hnn. I see where you get it from.” He swam up behind her and gently put a hand on her shoulder. “Are you ready to get back up to the cave?”She turned, “Yes. Please.” This was supposed to be fun, but just the mention of Bannon made her skin crawl. “Also, I really wasn’t going to get in here like this. It was deeper than it looked-”He shushed her, “Shh. No explanation needed. We are in the middle of nowhere. If there was anywhere you could do this it is here.” He put his hands around her waist and guided her over to the bank and hoisted her out of the water. He sat on the bank next to her.Bulma kept trying to think of things to fill the silence. She looked at Vegeta and he was gazing at the water. He was just wearing some black boxer briefs and he looked striking. She looked at the water as well, “Does . . . Does the way you look matter to you?”He looked at her quizzically, “I’m not sure I follow?”She shook her head. “Well, I know that you train so you can become stronger, but your body. It looks almost fake. I-It is so perfect.”He stood and looked at his reflection in the water. He touched a deep scar. “I suppose I want to look as strong as I feel, but the goal isn’t to look appealing if that is what you mean.”“Wow. Oblivious Vegeta is different.” She reached over and grabbed the capsules out of his shoe.He looked thoughtful for a moment, “I have never been seen the way you see me I suppose.”She giggled, “That’s not true. Remember that group of women at the party?”He bared his teeth, “They were repulsive.”Bulma remembered them. They were not repulsive. She looked down at herself and put her hands around her stomach just below the navel. “What qualifies as repulsive?”“All of them.” Vegeta looked at her, “What is wrong? Your stomach?”She felt her face get hot from embarrassment. “Oh nothing. It is just this one part of my tummy I feel self-conscious about. The older I get I just carry some weight there I guess. Yamcha would always tease me about it.”Vegeta stood and put out a hand for her to take. “Stand up.” She took his hand and still covered her tummy with the other hand. Vegeta gently took her hand away from her stomach and leaned in extremely close for a look. It was clear he was completely oblivious about many things. He gently brushed her stomach with the back of his finger and she shivered. He looked thoughtful, “I thought women of this planet were supposed to be,” uncertain about the word, “rounder?”Her eyebrows went down and she smacked his hand away. “Well, yes, but only in certain spots.”Still thinking and clearly confused, he added, “You are healthy.” Then he spat, “And Yamcha is stupid.”“Ugh, just forget it.” She turned and began picking up her clothes and Vegeta’s shoes.He frowned, “I’ve said something wrong.”Bulma sat on the bank and tried to put her pants back on, but they were still too damp. She was fuming from embarrassment. “I guess not technically wrong, but-”Vegeta materialized in front of her and took both of her hands around the wrists gently. “I’ve obviously offended you. I’m not sure what to say. There are times when I try to get a rise out of you and it is entertaining, but this isn’t it. I’m not trying to upset you.” His eyebrows went down as if annoyed at himself, “I steal a look at you every chance I get. When you are around it is so damned distracting. I can’t stand it. Even all those months we weren’t speaking after I blew up the first gravity chamber. If I even suspected you were on the grounds I wanted to see you. Watch the way you move . . . Through the windows of my quarters or the next gravity chamber door.” Bulma’s jaw dropped and it was clear he still thought he was saying the wrong things, “It isn’t just about the way you look. It is how you do things that I notice most. Do you think I’d concern myself with you at all if-”Bulma pulled him into a kiss. His eyes got very big before she closed hers. She pulled herself back, “Kiss me.” He hesitated, and she demanded more urgently. “Kiss me NOW.”He pulled her in. They immediately were frantic. His one hand went through her hair and pulled her closer and the other gently touched her stomach with the backs of his fingers. They started floating and she began kissing his neck, his chest. He growled, “Do you have any idea what you have done to me?”Bulma was shaking. She was so excited. It was finally going to happen. She needed this. Badly. Between kisses she spoke breathlessly, “I don’t. Show me.”Vegeta grunted and he blasted off with her in her arms to the cave. They went directly through the waterfall. She straddled him and began to rock her hips against him. There was no mistake, he was ready to go. He kicked the door of its hinges and as they walked in he nuzzled her neck, “You sure?”“Yes. Now.” She panted. After they were in the capsule house he seemed unsure. He looked towards the bedroom door, then the couch, then back at the door. Through her teeth she almost yelped, “Doesn’t matter. NOW.” She pulled him into another kiss.He gently laid her down on the couch as they kissed. He pulled back and was panting himself. Bulma sat up long enough to take her bra off. A small gasp escaped his lips. He was laser focused on her chest. He reached out a hand tentatively and spoke, his voice raspy. “Everything on you is so soft . . . Except these.” And his thumb barely touched her nipple on her breast. She moaned and laid back. He leaned over and began to alternate between kissing and licking her chest. He then took her nipple in his mouth and sucked while massaging.“Vegeta, if you don’t take me now I’m gonna lose it!” She felt him chuckle against the skin of her upper stomach and he continued to work his way down. He growled at her panties as if they were offensive or trespassing against her person. He ripped them away and she giggled. In that moment she became acutely aware that she hadn’t done her usual grooming ritual before something like this happens. “Uhm, Vegeta?”“Hnn?” He began kissing her on her knee and was working his way closer, “Everything okay?”“Yeah, I just – you don’t think this is a little demeaning for you? I mean most men think that.” She bit her lip.He chuckled, “As you are very much aware I’m not like any man you’ve met.” He kissed her a few more times moving up and down her leg in thought, “Perhaps if we had an audience it would be demeaning. What happens between us is private. I don’t think I’m above doing anything if it makes you feel good.” He gently kissed the upper, innermost part of her thigh, “Not anymore anyway.” He smiled dangerously, “And as a saiyan I am ALWAYS hungry.”Why was she suddenly nervous? She wanted to be with him. Then, she had a realization. “Okay. I’ve never . . . I’ve never been able to get done like this before. Don’t think it is anything you’ve done wrong.”He whispered against her thigh, “Just communicate and we’ll manage something. After this I will have to go train.” He took a deep breath through his nose to get her scent. “Wow. Nice.”She was about to protest about him leaving again when he went down on her. She gasped and her arms shot up to the arm of the couch behind her head. She breathed and lightly moaned. It felt amazing, but this was difficult for her. This has always been an afterthought for Yamcha. Vegeta’s intent was clear. He wasn’t doing this because of what comes afterwards. His sole focus is her. It was such a turn on, but at the same time unnerving. She had never felt like the sole focus of attention in these moments.Perhaps her issue was inexperience? Vegeta told her to communicate, but she really didn’t want to hurt his pride. She was just going to have to trust that he meant what he said. Panting she whispered, “Um, a little more up.” He moved and was where she wanted. “Oh, wow. Okay. That’s better.” It was then that she could hear the sounds he was making as he was going. Very light grunts and growls. She tilted her head back once again. She was getting anxious because he was so close to what she needed. She whispered, “Maybe more pressure?” Vegeta put his arms under her thighs and bottom. He pulled her so close she didn’t see how he could breath. And there it was. He got it. She gasped, cried out behind closed lips, and he pulled back, “I’m okay, I’m okay. Can you breathe though?”Muffled, she heard him pop off and say something about a saiyan’s superior lung capacity. She has never had this happen where she wasn’t having intercourse and even then it had never been this good. It was almost too much for her to process. She kept biting her lip. She was stifling herself. They were in the middle of nowhere after all. Vegeta pulled her closer still and she let loose. “Oh yeah, right there!” She breathed heavily, rasping. “Whoa!” He began to slowly, excruciatingly make faster movements. Her whole body started shaking. “I can’t believe-” She cut herself off with a moan. She felt him growl against her. “Yes! OH! Vegeta, right there! Yes! Right there! I’m almost-” She cut herself off with out of control moans. Her thighs closed on either side of his face. She caught herself and pulled them apart and stopped moaning, but he pulled them back around his face and applied even more pressure. Her moans picked back up. Her back began arching. A movement that was completely involuntary. He moved his head with her hips to ensure the right contact was constant. She took in a sharp breath. Shaking her head in disbelief as her body continued to be completely lost in pleasure. She didn’t realize it, but her hands had left the arm of the couch and were pulling fistfuls of his hair. How long had her hands been there? How long had they been doing this? As she pulled his hair he made more precise movements. It was uncanny. She was shaking, spasming, completely out of breath, and that’s when she climaxed. She yelled in ways she didn’t know she was capable of. The more she yelled the more Vegeta responded. She tried not to, but she just kept yelling his name over and over. For some reason showing pleasure in this way felt shameful especially in front of him, but she simply couldn’t contain herself. Her hips kept rocking and before she knew it another one was coming on. It was almost as if she was having an out of body experience. Frantically she moaned, “I’m not sure I can handle much more. Please-” She couldn’t get the word ‘stop’ out. The feeling just kept building. She looked down and all she could see were her legs flopped over his muscular shoulders and an enormous mass of unruly black hair. It was quite a sight. It hit her. A final deep breath, a last back arch. Considering how loud she had been, the fact she got quiet in the end surprised her. Her hips stopped rocking and she looked down again. Vegeta pulled his face back and rested it against her inner thigh. His face was completely wet from her and he was GASPING for air.He panted with his eyes closed and had a sideways grin to himself. He sat up and leaned back against the back of the couch and looked at the ceiling. He wiped his face with his arm and then looked at the wetness on his arm and smiled. Still panting he looked over, “Was that good?”Bulma shook her head in disbelief, “Was that GOOD? It was fucking fantastic!” She sat up and straddled his lap and rested her head on his shoulder. “I can’t believe – I mean, how?!”He pulled her closer and openly smelled her hair. “All a man has to do is pay attention. You told me what to do.”She shook her head again, “I mean I said some stuff. The rest was all you.”His head fell back against the couch again still gasping, “I suppose it is in a sense like a battle. I tried to pay attention to your cues and react the way you needed me to. Your muscles flexing. Your body quivering. Every attack needs a counterattack.” He put each hand on her buttocks and pulled her close and he grunted.Bulma’s eyes got big. He was definitely into this and completely aroused. She grinned, “I guess now it's your turn.” She grinded against him and he groaned.“As tempting as that is,” He pulled her back to admire her form, “There really isn’t time. I need to go train. We have an ordeal ahead of us that must be handled. I train better when I’m pissed.” He shook his head as he couldn’t believe what he was saying, “And believe me once I’m there in training mode and not here with you I will be very, VERY angry.”Bulma pouted, “I want to make you feel as good as you made me feel.” She leaned forward and whispered in his ear, “Please Prince Vegeta.”He groaned once again then smirked, “Oy, that’s just not fair now is it?”Bulma nibbled his ear, “We have rules now?” Vegeta gently scooted her off his lap, but laced his fingers with hers. She looked at him and frowned, “This sucks. I don’t want to be by myself. Not after this. And not after Bannon made an appearance.”Vegeta clicked his tongue. “I was afraid you’d say that.” He sighed, “I have an idea for that. Leave it to me.” He looked at her with a surprisingly gentle expression. “Could you do one thing for me before I go?”Bulma perked up and smiled, “Anything!”Vegeta turned a deep shade of red. “Will you stand and let me look at you?”She blushed, “Well, okay. I didn’t know this was going to happen though if something doesn’t look-”His eyebrows went down, “Woman stop. I’m serious. If I didn’t like what I saw I wouldn’t want to keep looking.” She tried to stand as confidently as possible. He leaned his head back and smiled. He exhaled, “Yep. I’m going to be very angry today.” He tilted his head, “Turn around for me will you?”She giggled nervously and that didn’t miss his attention, but she complied. She shook her head nervously as he looked at her entire back, “I don’t think anyone has ever looked at me this way before.”Vegeta growled, “I should say not. This planet is filled with unappreciative morons.”Bulma turned back around, “Shall I dance next for you?”Vegeta chuckled, “Well, now that you mention it, jump a few times.”Her jaw dropped, “Oh c’mon you aren’t serious?” He grinned. “Ugh. Fine!” And with that she jumped in the air six times.Vegeta’s hand involuntarily shot up to cover his mouth. It was her turn to grin. He gulped, “Yep. That’ll do. That’ll do just fine.” He adjusted himself and groaned. He stood, “Let me get you those capsules. I may not be gone too long initially. Once I start training though it may be a while. I have some things in mind that I want to accomplish if possible before I return.”As soon as he went out of sight Bulma sat quickly and grabbed a pillow off of the couch to cover up with. She put her hands on her face. Her cheeks were warm. In fact, she was hot all over. She was pretty sure she stained the couch. She touched her chest to feel her racing heartbeat. Her BARE chest. The fact he made her feel all of those things was completely unnerving suddenly. She felt like she was going to cry. Cry from the release. Cry from the pleasure her body had just experienced. Cry from absolute exhaustion. She just kept begging herself internally to not cry. It would ruin things. It would make things weird. She felt the tears streaming down her face. Shit. Not good. Shit.Vegeta re-entered fully clothed and chuckling under his breath looking quite pleased with himself. He froze in his tracks as soon as he saw her. He put his hands up carefully as if bracing for her to yell at him, “I wasn’t sure if this was a good idea. I know you’ve not been yourself.” He was rambling slightly. Well, rambling for him anyway, “Did I harm you in any way?”She reached out a hand for him, but he didn’t dare move. “I guess I should be honest. I mean I’m completely fine, but the fact you made me feel those things . . . The amount of trust and opening myself up and actually GETTING what I wanted in return. I don’t know how to cope with it. I’m perfectly fine and glad it happened. Just exhausted and shocked I guess.”Vegeta looked at her skeptically. “I suppose I can understand, but I’m not going to cry about it.”Bulma laughed, “That’s fine. I don’t expect you to at all.”He reached in his pocket and stretched to hand her the capsule case. He would not move one step closer to her. He looked down at his feet. “I’m uncomfortable. I don’t think it is right to leave you right now though. Not after what just happened.”Bulma started bawling and sputtering, “I am actually really happy. I swear it. And maybe that’s what has me,” she sniffled so hard she snorted, “has me crying.” Her shoulders started bouncing from crying, “Oh gosh. Please go, this is embarrassing.”He sat on the couch next to her, but wouldn’t look at her. “I feel like this is a trap. If I leave it seems like the wrong thing. I know people on this planet cry all the time though. If you stop crying I’ll go. You can start back up once I’m gone if you wish.”She leaned over and put her head on his shoulder. He was very stiff. She has completely freaked him out. Him being there did help her pull it together even if it was just temporarily. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and stood up with the pillow. She giggled nervously, “I’m going to get a shower. I am fine. I am totally fine.”He stood quickly, “Just sit tight.” He rushed out the door and was gone.Bulma dropped the pillow and capsule case. “Great. Just great.” She picked the pillow back up and threw it on the couch and grabbed the capsule case. “I need to get myself together before he gets back.”___________________________________________________________________________ Vegeta flew away with a lot on his mind. The moment he saw Bannon earlier he already knew it may be necessary to get someone to stay with Bulma while he was away. He needed to train, but he couldn’t bring her back to her compound and possibly expose her to ridicule. He also knew that most of the fighters were training and that was important. Her parents wouldn’t be able to protect her. There was only one person he could think of and it made his stomach turn. He used his senses to find the ki in Metro West. It wasn’t that hard at all. He tried to land on the sidewalk as discreetly as possible. He gritted his teeth. If it was for anyone else he wouldn’t be able to bring himself to do this. He closed his eyes to discern what floor the ki was on and made his way through the lobby to the elevator. He was wearing civilian clothes, but was still embarrassed just the same.He made it to the top floor and focused on the ki once more. At the very end of the hall on the right. There was no mistaking it. He exhaled. Now he just needs to get this over with. He rapped on the door and heard the occupant holler they were coming.As the door swung open the person on the other side dropped a fresh bowl of popcorn they were holding and looked terrified. “V-V-Vegeta! What are you d-doing here?!”Then again, maybe this would be fun.
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Vegeta was amused by how scared he was. What exactly did Yamcha think he was there to do? He walked past him into his condo. It was surprisingly tasteful. He scowled, “I figured you’d be taking it easy. That’s what you do after all, isn’t it?”Yamcha followed him, “Hey, this is MY place. You can’t insult me while you are here.”Vegeta bared his teeth, “Stop me.” He felt like he was being watched and glanced to the kitchen to see Yamcha’s ever faithful sidekick staring at him.Yamcha looked annoyed at Vegeta and walked around him, “Puar, you can come out. He’s not going to do anything.” Puar ignored Yamcha and flew into the pantry and hid. Yamcha ran his hand through his hair and turned to Vegeta, “All right man out with it. What is going on?”Vegeta made a circle in Yamcha’s living room and began, “Bulma is in a bit of a predicament. It isn’t safe for her to stay at the compound. She also doesn’t want to be by herself, but I have to train. I need you to be with her when I can’t be in order to keep her safe.”Yamcha laughed, “You need me to do YOU a favor? Can’t you ditch your training until whatever Bulma has gotten herself into blows over?”Vegeta materialized in front of him causing him to jump and spoke with a snarl, “Bulma didn’t get herself into anything. Watch your mouth! She was doing me a favor and came across a bad character. That’s all you need to know. If I didn’t have to train I wouldn’t leave her, but it is too important.”Yamcha didn’t cower or back down and his eyebrows drew down, “So I guess you could say it is your fault?”Vegeta faltered. This wasn’t quite going how he envisioned it. He turned his back to Yamcha and clenched his fists. “How the hell was I supposed to know? I would have never purposely put her in harm's way. As far as I knew she was going on a date with this guy and I stayed out of it.”Yamcha could tell he struck a nerve. “Listen, I know I’m the last person you would ever want to ask so I’ll do it. I’m just giving you a hard time. I’d do anything for her. Honestly, I’m surprised you are putting yourself out this much. Anything going on with Bulma and I is effectively over. Unless she wants to start things up again that is.” He blushed and chuckled.That was a contingency Vegeta hadn’t considered. She was very emotional when he left her. What if she goes to Yamcha for comfort? It would be logical. Also, they had no understanding or commitment to one another. No one owed the other anything. That was fine with him at the time. For all he knew nothing else would happen between them although the thought made him sick and angry. He kept his back to Yamcha, “Let me be clear – her safety is my only concern. She is going to build me a new gravity chamber.”Yamcha looked at his back skeptically, “How long will you all need me? Days? Nights?”Vegeta turned to look at him and then a moment to consider, “I’d say normally early mornings while I debrief her employees and evenings and nights up until midnight or so while I train. Today is a little different because I’m training for an extended time so I was thinking you could be with her now until I return. Whatever time that may be. It would be through Saturday evening or Sunday morning.”Yamcha frowned, “You are debriefing her employees? Huh. She would have never let me do that. Not in a thousand years . . . Anyway, lemme go pack a few things. I’ll bring Puar, too. She really misses Bulma.”When Yamcha went to his room to pack it was only then that Vegeta realized he had been watching recordings from when he and Bulma were younger and clearly happier. He tried to tear his eyes away, but couldn’t. In some of the images he was training with a much younger Goku or Krillin with her cheering him on. In others they were snuggled up looking very content. He figured Bulma and Yamcha may have been eighteen to twenty years old. He scoffed. While they were going on adventures and still figuring themselves out he was already a battle hardened soldier working his way up the ranks with Freiza. He had conquered and cleared countless planets. Committed multiple genocides. Nappa and Raditz were the only living souls that treated him with the respect he deserved. It was out of fear though. Bulma was the first person that not only treated him with respect, but took care of him. Provided for him. He could confidently say she saw him in ways no one ever had or will. He closed his eyes briefly and flashes of her bare skin came flooding his mind. The sound of her voice crying out his name in ecstasy. In his mind it somehow morphed into her yelling out Yamcha’s name in the same way. He shook his head trying to banish the thought.He also knew that beyond all reason she didn’t fear him. In fact, she even seemed delighted to see him. What he had with her was something he never wanted. Looking at her with Yamcha made him wish it was something he never knew. He would be much happier without anything to lose.Yamcha finally came back with a duffle bag packed. “Uh, Puar is refusing to come out with you here so I guess it is just me! I packed for two days for now since you said this may be a long day. Let’s get going. You lead the way!”Vegeta half heard him and was still watching the recording. Bulma was in a bathing suit and Yamcha was clearly the one operating the camera. He kept zooming in and out but threw the camera down when an old man he knew as Roshi kept slowly creeping closer to Bulma.Yamcha grabbed the remote and stopped the video, clearly embarrassed. “Yeah, I think I really screwed up. She’ll always be my number one girl though. I’m lucky she’ll even be my friend after what all I put her through. All I can do is reminisce now.”Vegeta said nothing and made his way to Yamcha’s balcony. He had no patience for elevators. No patience for other earthlings. The words ‘my number one girl’ kept echoing in his mind. He needed to get back to Bulma and do this before he blasted Yamcha to dust.___________________________________________________________________________ As soon as Vegeta left, Bulma took a long relaxing shower. She groomed and exfoliated herself to the point she would feel much more confident. Her mother was even thoughtful enough to pack her hair products to smooth down her hair. When she got out of the shower she checked out the clothing – or lack thereof – her mother had packed. It was all skimpy things or lingerie. Good grief. As much as she wouldn’t mind wearing things like this when Vegeta was here and perhaps the circumstances were right, doing so when she was alone made her feel vulnerable. She saw Vegeta’s capsule and opened it. He packed mostly armor and a few outfits that earthlings would wear. She knew the armor was the only thing that would come close to fitting, but she didn’t want to take his good stuff. She looked through and saw one in especially rough shape. She slipped it on and was surprised how flattering it was on her. It was extremely form fitting and you’d have to be confident to pull it off. One sleeve was missing, there was a small rip on the back and the knees were torn out, but at least she was covered.Next she got the capsule with the food. Some was the standard ready to eat fare and a lot was ingredients in case she wanted to whip up something herself. She must be feeling domesticated because she was in the mood to cook. She glanced at the ingredients and cookware in the capsule. She smiled, “I hope he’s never tried what I plan on making before.”The next thing she did was make some kimuchi. She used her grandmother’s recipe. It would need some time to ferment and she wouldn’t be able to eat it until hopefully this business with Bannon is over. She exhaled. Who knew food would help her keep a healthy perspective? When she can eat the kimuchi things will be better. Or will they? Will she have anything like the time she’s had with Vegeta now? Once Bannon is taken care of and the gravity chamber is made she’ll probably never see him. She just knew it. Part of her wanted to drag out the gravity chamber project, but she knew it wouldn’t be fair to Vegeta.She went back to see what all was in the fridge that her mother had capsulated. She smiled and began transferring the food from the encapsulated fridge to the one in the capsule house. Her mom may have let her down with the clothes, but she’s been cooking for Vegeta enough to get the food part right. She cracked her knuckles much like she would before she was going to start working in her personal lab and got down to business. She had bragged about her cooking skills so she needed to deliver. She didn’t know how soon Vegeta would be back.She would work away in the kitchen and glance out the front window. Work away and look for him. One would think that being hidden away would be a joy for her since she’s always under public scrutiny, but it was driving her bonkers. Dammit it has been over an hour. She packaged some more food and got back to the pressure cooker so she could finish things faster.She thought she heard him and sure enough when she looked up he was in the cave looking back towards the waterfall. She ran out to meet him. When he first glanced at her he looked pissed and then his head cocked to the side curiously.“My armor? Why?” Vegeta smiled gently.“Mom only packed things that . . . You would find vulgar. Trying to keep it modest anyway” She blushed.Vegeta looked back over his shoulder, “Tch.” He glanced back at her and looked her up and down. “I’m not sure it is having the desired effect. I can, uh,” He looked her up and down once more, “see you pretty well.” His face turned a little red. He shook his head to focus, “Now, I know you may be upset with me, but there weren’t really any choices when it came to someone keeping you company. Everyone is training and I know for a fact he is stronger than Bannon.”“He?” Bulma thought, “I just assumed you were bringing Mom, but having someone strong does make sense in case.” She squinted and could barely make out who it was as he was flying closer. “Y-Y-Yamcha?!”He frowned, “Your safety is important.”Even though she was technically completely covered she felt suddenly EXTREMELY exposed, “Uh, could I also borrow one of your shirts? To wear over this?”“Absolutely.” He turned to meet Yamcha while Bulma ran into the house. She looked through his clothes and put on the pink shirt she gave him right after he moved in with her. When she came back out Yamcha was smiling ear to ear.“Bulma!” He walked forward and hugged her. She half-heartedly hugged him back. After all, he was doing them a favor. “Wow! This sure is romantic!” He motioned to the view then looked at the house, “No way! I haven’t seen this model since we were . . . what sixteen years old? Those were some good times.” His face turned red and he grinned.Bulma looked at Vegeta. HIs arms were crossed and his back was to them. He was his usual cold self, which she supposed was better than hurting anyone. He looked like he was about to take off, “Vegeta, wait!” He stopped, but kept his back to them. “I’ve been cooking the whole time you’ve been gone and I thought maybe you could eat before you left?” He didn’t respond. She glanced at Yamcha who seemed oblivious to the tension. “Um, Yamcha, how about you go on in and get settled and I’ll be there in a few?”She watched as Yamcha didn’t look over his shoulder and whistled while making his way into the capsule house. She turned and she couldn't see Vegeta. She ran out from behind the waterfall and he was about to take off once again and she ran to him. “Don’t you dare. Don’t you dare leave like this. I feel like I did something wrong!”Vegeta exhaled, not looking at her, “You’ve done nothing wrong. I guess this has just been a long, confusing day.”Bulma approached him and touched his arm and he shrugged it off. She balked and yelled, “This is absolute bullshit! If having Yamcha here was going to make you like this then why bring him?! Perhaps I should strip naked to get you to talk to me!”Vegeta pulled her close and hissed, “He’ll hear you dammit.” His brows drew down, “You crass, foul-mouthed woman! You know it is amazing that when you go through things you can cry and act however YOU want, but when I’m processing things I can’t keep to myself.” He took a breath and the vein popping out of his forehead went down. “Ultimately your safety trumps everything. Absolutely everything. Understand?”She put her hand on his arm again and this time he didn’t shrug her off. “Vegeta, if you are worried about Yamcha and I . . .” She leaned in and whispered, “You . . .” She wanted to verbalize a lot of things to ease his mind, but there simply wasn’t a way to word it. Vegeta looked at her intensely. He seemed to know what she wanted to say. She blushed, “Honestly, I’m exhausted, but I wanted to make you some food.” She leaned in and kissed his cheek gently.He gently nuzzled her neck. “I wish I could stay with you, but it isn’t wise. If you would pack some for me though? That way once I get started I don’t have to leave.”They both jumped away from each other as Yamcha hollered out of the house at them, “Can I have some of this food?”Bulma clenched her teeth and took off muttering, “He better not eat one bite that I made for you. Gimme me a second.”As soon as she entered, “DON’T YOU TOUCH THAT CAKE!”“AYYYEEEEE!” Yamcha yelled and retreated to the couch.“I’m packing Vegeta some food for the road. When I get back I’ll let you know what you can have.” She saw Yamcha’s face, “Ugh. Get over it.”As she ran back out she peaked over her shoulder to make sure Yamcha wasn’t watching. She set down the food containers and under the pink shirt pulled down the armor to below her navel. Let’s see him not cheer up with this. She picked the food back up and ran to the other side of the waterfall. He was sitting on the ground holding his head in his hands. He quickly stood at attention when she appeared.“Here’s your food!” She smiled and he took it. There were several heavy containers stacked and she set them on the ground near his feet. She got really close, “And I thought I’d give you something else before you go.”He looked excited enough by the smell of the food, but when he looked up his jaw dropped. She had opened the pink shirt to expose her chest to him. He exhaled slowly. “I noticed your bounce the first day I was at your compound. I should’ve known I was in for trouble.” He pulled her into an embrace and rested his chin on her shoulder. “I know there are a lot of things that are uncertain, but just know if anything happens while I’m gone it is only my concern if you didn’t want it to happen. Otherwise, please don’t tell me. He was watching videos of you two when you were younger when I got to his place. We are just so different. Every aspect of our lives. Despite what you may be thinking, I can never be there for you the way he can. Perhaps he should just stay here with you for the next few days instead of he and I switching out?”Bulma pulled back and shook her head. “You silly ass. He’s not going to watch a video showing all the times he let me down. All the times he lied. All the times he cheated. All the times he stood me up. All the times he was selfish.” She turned around and closed the shirt and wrapped her arms around herself. “Honestly he was always a better friend than boyfriend anyway. This will be better for the both of us. Although I don’t even want to look at him at the moment. Shame on him. Leave it to him to dwell on the happy memories. I’ll continue to live in the reality of what we were.”Vegeta walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. “I’m not trying to upset you.” One hand went under the pink shirt and he stroked the small curve of her stomach that she hated so much with the back of his fingers. “I really must go.”Bulma closed her eyes. He must use the back of his fingers so he can be sure he is gentle. He was so, so warm. He did make an excellent point. If he doesn’t hold her crying against her then she certainly should give him what he needs even if that means doing nothing. She stepped abruptly out of his arms and turned to face him. If she didn’t do it quickly she may have not been able to do it at all. He held out his empty arms a bit surprised at her jumping out of his embrace and crossed them. She smiled, “You’ve got this. Do what you must, but come back to me when you are able. I made something I really want you to try.”He bent over and picked up the food. He gave a curt nod and was off.Bulma stayed and watched until she could see no sign of his ki trail. She better get back in the capsule house before Yamcha sneaks food.____________________________________________________________________ Vegeta flew so fast. The sooner he does what he has set out to do the sooner he can get back. He closed his eyes as he flew. He kept seeing and hearing flashes of her. He smiled. Although he was going to brood, her talking to him did actually make him feel better. He absolutely knew now that if anything happened with Yamcha he would have to be the one to initiate it.He didn’t understand the appeal Yamcha ever had for her, but he didn’t hold that against her. He could care less who she slept with before they met. What bothered him – if bothered was the right word – was the thought Yamcha had seen Bulma even remotely through the same lens as him. The idea that he ever or still does feel the slightest affection for her still made him furious. It was a peculiar feeling even caring if anyone else felt the same as he did about anyone or anything. He never had before. Now he finds himself trying to figure out Bulma, Bannon, and Yamcha. There was no way she meant to Yamcha what she meant to him. Still though Vegeta knew he was up against over a decade of memories. Yamcha said that Bulma would always be his number one girl. He wanted to drain the life from him. The ballsiness to say something like that. Yamcha is a train wreck. Talk was cheap. Actions and behavior were everything. He simply wasn’t worthy in his measure of him. What qualifies as worthy on this planet though?He landed and went to the gravity chamber immediately. He forgot to change into his armor and he packed everything he would wear while he trained. He couldn’t backtrack now. He would lose his nerve and send Yamcha on his way.He slammed the gravity chamber door shut and went to the console. He set the chamber at max and looked at the bot that had him in its claws and jaws for hours. He growled, “Now is the time you will be undone!” He turned it on and assumed his fighting stance. There will be no turning his back on it this time. Once he defeats this bot he will reward himself by getting to see her and not one moment sooner.___________________________________________________________________________ As soon as Bulma entered the capsule house she was startled by the sound of the TV. He must’ve brought it. She was relieved to not be met by silence. Yamcha was sitting on the couch with a beer and glanced over his shoulder and smiled, “Puar says hi. She was hiding from Vegeta or she would have come.”Bulma frowned, “That is too bad. I haven’t seen her in forever.” She looked at the food in the kitchen that was untouched. She sealed everything up and put it in the fridge. “What are you hungry for?”He stood and walked to the kitchen. “Hmm. Just show me what I’m allowed to have and go rest. No offense, you look like absolute crap.”She blushed, “Uh yeah. Something happened earlier today that really wore me out.” She got out several different things for him to make or snack on. She yawned, “I was really going to try to stay up until he got back.”Yamcha laughed, “You’ll never make it. He led me to believe it was going to be a long night tonight. The other days I’m here I bet you could wait up for him.”She yawned once again, “I’m actually pretty hungry. I just can’t decide if I’m more hungry or exhausted.”Yamcha waved her away, “Sit, sit, sit then. I’ll make you some instant ramen. That’ll do the trick.”She went and sat on the couch and saw he was watching sports highlights. “Ugh. Anything but this!” She turned the station until she got to a cheesy movie she could zone out on.Yamcha came in, blowing on the ramen in a cup. “Still super hot!” He set it on the table in front of the couch and then came back with hot tea. He plopped down next to her and picked his beer back up. He also grabbed the remote, “And if you don’t mind I’m going to change it back. It may be the off-season, but I’m trying to research this new player.”Bulma jokingly made snoring sounds and kept eating the ramen. It tasted so good. She blushed to herself. Vegeta really worked up her appetite and she hadn’t taken a break to take care of eating. After the ramen she sipped the hot tea and closed her eyes to reflect on this wild day. After what happened she knew she would never be the same. She’s been having a lot of these moments courtesy of Vegeta.“Bulma?” She barely heard Yamcha. “Bulma? You good?”“Yes, I think I’m going to sleep here, okay?” She smacked her lips and started to prop her feet up on the couch across Yamcha’s lap.Yamcha got up and scooped her up, “No, ma’am. I think you need to go to the room so I can take the couch. I’m not about to sit at the booth the whole time Vegeta is gone and I need to be the one that is out here at the entrance. The booth is uncomfortable as hell. Okay?”She could feel he was carrying her to the bedroom, “I wanna be out here when he gets back.” He laid her down and put the blankets over her. She slit her eyes and could see him staring at her before he closed the door. “Stop.”Yamcha held his head down, “Sorry.”As she drifted off she mumbled, “You touch that cheesecake in the fridge and you are dead. It is for Prince Vegeta.”___________________________________________________________________________ Vegeta was invigorated while at the same time extremely pissed. He’s only ever been this angry at himself over Kakarrot. Hmm. This was the first time he had thought about him in a while. Somehow this made him even more angry. How can he surpass him if he doesn’t focus?Every so often he could hear the clang of the metal teeth and claws of the bot as it attempted to grab him. It wasn’t as fast as the bots that shot blasts – or at least not yet – so he tried not to be complacent. Avoiding being captured was all fine and good, but he wanted to utterly destroy it. Once he felt confident in its movements he experimentally shot small ki blasts at different parts of the bot. He tried different areas of weakness that for all intents and purposes was the neck, elbows, knees, wrists, and ankles. Nothing. It had to have some kind of weakness, right?He glanced at the control panel. Five hours. Five. This is completely unacceptable. A sudden flash of Bulma arching her back went across his mind. At the last millisecond he dodged the teeth of the bot. Damn. That was too close. He didn’t want to end up stuck for 3 hours having to be completely still to be released. He wiped his chin. He was salivating. Thinking about her taste, those insane sounds she made. In some ways she sounded like a wounded animal, which only got him going more. Saiyans can be very primal when in battle and now he learned the same was true when having relations. He wasn’t sure where some of the sounds he made even came from. He also never realized how much he liked the sound of his own name.He sensed it, last second and caught the jaws about to close over his head again. One hand on the upper jaw and the other on the lower up backwards over his head. It was extremely awkward though. He slowly twisted his torso around and was having trouble. He gritted his teeth and powered up. It was pushing him down. If it got him down he would really regret it. He kept trying to push it back, but the more he pushed the further down he slid. The teeth were starting to slice into his palms. He gritted his teeth. Kakarrot, Bannon and now this bot. Why was Bannon so confident anyway? It was deeply perturbing. There was this small voice within him telling him he shouldn’t take Bannon so lightly. Bulma created this bot that is giving him so much trouble now. Bannon was supposedly an inventor, too. He needed to be prepared for anything. The look on Bannon’s face as he looked down on him. At the end of the day height doesn’t matter, but even Yamcha looked down on him. Pretty much everyone that pissed him off looked down on him at least in the literal sense.But Bulma . . . They fit perfectly. The way she purred, calling him Prince Vegeta. He clenched his teeth, “Damn this bot to hell!” He threw its teeth and face to the floor and dashed out of the way. One of its claws barely caught the back of his calf as he dodged and shredded it. “Shit! That hurt!” He shot a large reaction blast at it and dented one bot’s of its limbs to where it would no longer bend. Vegeta tried to stand, but slipped in his own blood so he quickly levitated. He crossed its arms. At least it can’t fly. Perhaps he is holding back too much because he doesn’t want to blow up this gravity chamber.Something clamped on his injured leg. HARD. He looked down and the bot extended an arm to grab him. He winced in pain and muttered, “Not good.” It retracted its arm at high velocity and slammed him to the floor. For a moment he saw stars and thought he was going to pass out.Vegeta was losing his patience. He knows part of being a good fighter means consistency, patience, follow-through. He has to try this now – a focused and powerful ki blast. He doesn’t have his next gravity chamber available to him. If he doesn’t maintain control his training will be at a standstill. Power really isn’t the problem. The problem is focus and technique. He promised himself he wouldn’t go to Bulma until he could tell her he destroyed one of these new bots. It was a matter of pride. The fire in her eyes when he tells her to do another redesign makes life worth living.He focused. Everything in his mind had to go. Bulma, Bannon, Yamcha, Kakarrot. All of them would have to wait. He could do this. He knew he could. He had to. His hands went in fists and he could feel blood dripping from them where he sliced his palms open on the bot’s teeth. That would have to be ignored. He blocked out the sensation of the blood going down his leg. If it was something serious he’d have already passed out. If he didn’t get this right at best he’d be sidelined without the chamber. At worst he could kill himself. He could feel it happening. He was gaining control he had never known. Control that he had mistakenly thought he had in the past. He laughed, “Let’s do this.”______________________________________________________________________ Bulma woke up with a start. What time was it? Was he here? She rushed out of the bedroom to see Yamcha asleep on the couch. She rushed out of the house into the cave to see it was daylight out. Thursday morning. Oh no. He’s not back. What if something happened? What if Bannon did something somehow? She turned to rush to Yamcha to get him to look for him when she heard Vegeta land in the cave. His hands were bandaged. He was wearing shorts and his leg was bandaged as well. Her eyebrows went down, “What happened? You said you’d be back last night!”Vegeta smirked. “It did take longer than expected, but I dismantled one of your new bots. Only a matter of time before I destroy the other three and you need to do a redesign. By the time that was done I knew I’d have to turn back around to meet with your employees. The one line that was behind is now ahead of schedule. Your meeting with Bannon has been set up for Saturday evening. Mac feels if he can synthesize the metal correctly he’ll get started on my new chamber.”She couldn’t help but look annoyed. “Vegeta, I’m talking about your hands and leg!”“Oh,” Vegeta looked as if he had forgotten. “Before I destroyed the bot it went on the offense a few times. You even managed to program in a few surprises. My hands should be fine later today. My leg though . . . I was cut through my muscle. Your mother insisted on bandaging me. Especially my leg.” He turned red.Bulma rolled her eyes. Her mom always was a hopeless flirt. “Did Bannon come back by?”“No, he did not. He reached out to your assistant to set up the dinner. She is in on the plan and followed my instructions.” Vegeta was looking especially smug this morning.Bulma couldn’t help but smile at him. “You haven’t been asleep then have you?”“Can’t say that I have.” He shrugged then sneered. “I’ve been too busy taking care of everything for you.”She ran up and hugged him. He gently rested his wrists on her hips since his hands were injured. “I’m so glad you are back.”He sighed. She could feel him bracing himself and he asked, “Everything went well last night?”“My biggest fear last night was that he would sneak food and I didn’t check for that yet.” She looked at him from under her lashes, “Seriously, everything is okay.”He used his forearms to hold her close. He nuzzled her neck and inhaled her scent. “Come to bed with me?”“Uhm,” She paused and pulled back, “Yamcha is still here. Once he leaves I’ll join you. I just don’t want anyone knowing. I don’t want to deal with the drama.”“Understood. I’m going to sleep for a few hours.” He started limping to the house and Bulma rushed up to him to support his weight. “Tch.”Bulma groaned, “I promise once we get to the front door you are on your own. I can’t stand watching you limp.” He grumbled something under his breath and still shrugged her off. Old habits die hard.As they entered Yamcha was sitting up yawning. He smiled at Bulma, “Did you sleep good?” Then he saw Vegeta enter and his relaxed demeanor disappeared. Yamcha stood, “Whoa. Are you okay?”Vegeta bared his teeth, “Of course I’m okay. After a few days I’ll be healed. My hands are already much better.”She rolled her eyes. She really doesn’t want to see a pissing contest. She murmured something to the effect of going to bed which caused both Vegeta and Yamcha to exchange glances, but neither tried to stop her. Saturday evening. It was coming up fast in some ways and dragging in others. It would be another day that everything would change. She could feel it to her core. There were some things she just knew. She was terrified. The lack of control was something she couldn’t stand. In a way, death itself wasn’t as terrifying as not knowing what Bannon had planned. She didn’t want anyone to see how scared she was. Yamcha would probably refuse to leave. Vegeta would probably take it as an insult AND be angry Yamcha was still around. She knew Vegeta was perfectly capable when it came to life or death battles. This felt different though. Was her life even at risk? Is Bannon even all that dangerous? How far will Vegeta take things?She got in the bed and stripped off the armor, but kept the pink shirt on. The armor was suddenly stifling and all she wanted to feel was the sheets on her skin. Sleep. More sleep. It may not fix things, but perhaps she can escape them for a little bit.___________________________________________________________________________ As soon as Yamcha heard the bedroom door click he looked at Vegeta and tried to whisper, “Dude! She likes you!”Vegeta’s jaw dropped and he scowled when he recovered. “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.” He tried to act put off, but he was certainly hoping he would elaborate.Yamcha looked over his shoulder at the door and got up and leaned closer to Vegeta, “Get this – first she cooks all this food for you and only you. I wasn’t allowed to touch any of it. She started falling asleep on the couch and when I took her to the bedroom,” He could see Vegeta’s face and rushed, “to SLEEP. After-I-took-her-to-the-bedroom-to-sleep she whispered and called you Prince Vegeta! I mean WOW!”Vegeta took in a sharp breath remembering when she called him that to his face. This was weird. Was Yamcha happy about all this? If he were in Yamcha’s shoes he would have already broken every bone in his body. Vegeta turned his back to Yamcha as he felt the heat spread across his cheeks, “You are probably mistaken.”“No way dude! I’m serious. I KNOW Bulma. Usually she talks about everything, but not a peep about you.” Yamcha chuckled, “I mean it sucks for me of course.” With that realization he looked pretty glum. “I’m still happy for her I guess.”Vegeta chose to not say anything. He didn’t even smile or laugh. He didn’t want to betray anything until he understood what was going on between him and Bulma. It was satisfying being chosen over Yamcha even if to him it was the obvious choice. Euphoric if that was the right word. It was a situation he never imagined being in – first wanting the attention of a woman and then actually receiving it. If it were any other situation he would have gloated, been smug. If he were smug it would reveal how much her choosing him meant. He simply couldn’t do that. This is uncharted territory for him. He cleared his throat, stone-faced, “What time will you be back?”Yamcha looked displeased that Vegeta didn’t bite. He sighed, “I can be back whenever you need me, but I figured you’d be here since you’re injured . . .?”“Hmph. My hands will probably be fine enough to train later today. I don’t need both of my legs to train.” He looked at Yamcha and could tell he wasn’t convinced. “Just because you missed two games because of a pulled hamstring doesn’t mean we are all so delicate.”“Ha! Oh, you’ve got jokes now.” Yamcha’s eyebrows went down. “How about this? If you need me just swing by? I’ll be home. Although I seriously doubt you’ll need me.”Vegeta’s eyes narrowed, “What does that even mean?”Yamcha smiled, “Oh, you’ll see. If she likes you that is.” He grabbed his bag and flung it over his shoulder. “I left the first aid kit and TV I brought. Figure you’ll need both. I am really worried about her though. I don’t know what happened to her before you came and got me, but she was completely wiped out. I mean, absolutely exhausted.”Vegeta’s eyes went big and he had a vivid flashback of what exactly HAD happened. At first it came in as a chuckle, but he threw his head back into a full laugh. Damn straight he wore her out. Yamcha looked completely horrified. Apparently, he could be scary when he was happy. Vegeta went back to chuckling, “Oy, shouldn’t you be running along now?” Yamcha flipped him off on his way out, which only got him to laugh harder.He limped over to the window to see Yamcha take off out of the cave. He stood for a moment until he could sense his ki was far enough away for his liking. He exhaled and whispered, “Finally.” He limped over to the bedroom and barely opened the door to peak in. She was resting peacefully. He levitated in so he wouldn’t make any sounds to wake her. He looked and his armor she had borrowed was on the ground.He carefully took his shirt and belt off. He decided to keep his shorts on because he didn’t want her to be caught off guard by anything. He lifted the blankets and got into the bed. She sighed in her sleep and her eyes barely opened. She murmured, “About time.” She turned over and rested her head on his chest. She ran her fingers up and down his breastbone and he exhaled. “I’m sorry you are injured.”Vegeta used his forearm to pull her close since his hands were bandaged, “I’m fine. My hands will be better by this evening when I leave to train some more.”Bulma half sat up to make eye contact, fire in her eyes, “You’re kidding right? You can barely walk!” Vegeta smirked. So this is what Yamcha was alluding to. She gritted her teeth, “Don’t you smile at me. Dammit.”“You’ve seen me injured far worse than this,” He chuckled lightly and pulled her a little closer with his forearm and smelled her hair.“Well, I’d hate to do anything to impede your healing or slow down your progress.” She scooted to the far edge of the bed.It felt like her movements were in slow motion and yet he somehow couldn’t keep up. “I’m not following.”“UGH!” She jumped up and stomped off to the kitchen, “I need to eat and you need to sleep.” She slammed the door just as he was sitting up in bed.He sat there for a moment and listened to her open and shut cabinets and mutter under her breath. He was actually very tired. Maybe he should do what she said? He laid back down and couldn’t help but think this was a trap, but his eyes slowly grew heavy. Maybe she needs space the same way he does? He drifted off as he tried to decipher what he should do.___________________________________________________________________________ Bumla stared at the door, willing him to come out. She shook her leg under the table irritably as she ate a bowl of cereal. The nerve. The absolute nerve. She took a few more bites and she calmed down a bit. All he really did was hold her. He didn’t TRY anything. He was obsessed with training before they had their encounter. Vegeta had been bending over backwards to help her. It was so unlike anything she ever thought he would do. And he was probably exhausted. The entire night and into the morning she had been sleeping he had been pushing himself past his limits. She stopped shaking her foot and looked at the few pieces of cereal still floating in her milk. It hit her hard – this was nothing like the things Yamcha did in the past although a few moments ago it certainly felt like it. Vegeta never lied or misrepresented anything to her. Why was she so mad though? She pushed the bowl away and held her head in her hands. Did she really throw a fit because she assumed he’d spend more time with her, but instead chose to train? These are life and death situations he is preparing for. For argument’s sake if the only reason he wanted to train was to become stronger than Goku even then he didn’t mislead her. Something told her once he rested he wasn’t going to want to rehash things and would probably prefer to not even talk about it, which was fine by her. Now that she’s eaten how does she go back in there without making a fool of herself? She had been waiting for him to come back and now that he’s here she’s not going to pout and punish only herself.She went to the bathroom and brushed her teeth and freshened up. She was still wearing his pink shirt and now that Yamcha wasn’t there she unbuttoned the top two buttons. Okay. Just walk in there like nothing is wrong and lay down fast. No big deal.As soon as the door opened she could hear a gentle snore coming from Vegeta. For some reason this was humorous to her. He seemed too dignified to snore. He was still on his side of the bed so she slid in as quickly and quietly as she could. As soon as she was there he scooped her up in his arms and held her close. He nuzzled her neck and smelled her hair. He spooned her and softly started snoring right in her ear. She really wasn’t sleepy, but she was resolved to lay here like this with him. If he wanted he could have left her here with Yamcha the entire time. It probably would have been much easier on him. Vegeta whispered in his sleep, but she wasn’t sure what he said. She giggled under her breath. It was a little uncomfortable because his hands were bandaged, but when she touched the bandages they were basically falling off so she gently took off what remained and threw them on the floor. As soon as she did this one hand went to the curve of her stomach below her navel and the other hand cupped her breast. She took in a sharp breath and quieted herself.He roused for a moment, smiled against her neck and whispered, “About time.” Bulma turned over to face him and could barely make him out. She left a light on in the living room that was coming through the crack in the door. Vegeta put one arm under her head to rest on and the other hand he grabbed her hip and pulled her closer. He whispered against her skin, “May I,” Bulma took a breath and he continued groggily, “go back to sleep?”She smiled, “Of course. Sleep well. If I’m not here when you wake up it is because I slept all night and needed to stretch my legs.”He murmured as he drifted off about how he’d help her stretch her legs and was out. She wasn’t sure if this was an innuendo or not. She kissed the tip of his nose and he growled. She rested her head on his arm and could feel his pulse. The warmth of his body was amazing. Her eyes slowly got heavy and despite the fact that just moments ago she wasn’t tired she drifted off asleep.___________________________________________________________________________ Vegeta woke up holding her. He closed his eyes and sighed. He thought that she had left, but he was so out of it by the time he got there it must’ve been a dream. He looked and could see the bandages were gone from his hands. He was about to move to pull her closer when he saw he was no longer wearing his shorts. He carefully took his arm out from under her and squinted his eyes to find them. He put them on over his bandaged leg that was still very painful. He hopped on one leg and accidentally put weight on his injured calf a took in a sharp loud breath and landed on the bed much harder than intended. Levitated. He should have levitated dammit. He looked and Bulma was staring at him. He smiled. She smiled back. He looked down at himself, “I was just putting something on. I think I must’ve gotten hot earlier and took off my shorts.”Bulma smiled, “You did. I trust you. You don’t have those kind of motives.” She stretched and made a high pitched squeak, “Or if you do you don’t try any tricks to get it. It is nice.”He rolled over on his stomach and looked at her, “I think I slept about six hours. That should be enough.” He bent his fingers and wrists, “I think my palms are all healed up, too.”“I’m glad. Not being able to use your hands must be pretty miserable.” She yawned and stretched again.“Oy, with you around especially.” He moved closer to her on the mattress and rested his head on her stomach. “I’ve got a few hours before I’m heading back to your compound. I was wondering about the food you made . . .”Bulma smiled and jumped up, “Oh yes! I can’t wait! C’mon!”Vegeta didn’t waste his time even trying to walk and levitated to the kitchen. He sat at the booth as she got out plate after plate of food. The last thing she got out was under a huge dish. She turned on the oven and began warming things up and other things she put in the microwave. She left the kitchen for a moment and came back in midriff top and short shorts. She started to bring warmed up food to the table and as she approached Vegeta couldn’t help but stare. Bulma turned red and rolled her eyes, “Yeah, you can thank my Mom for this outfit.”Vegeta recovered and started digging in. Between bites he said, “Well, I’m not going to complain about it.” He motioned to the large dish, “What’s that?”Bulma grinned, “THAT is something special. Something I made completely from scratch. Have you ever had a cheesecake?”He tried to hide it, but he looked repulsed, “Cheese. Cake.”She laughed, “It is totally not what you are thinking.” She looked as he ate, “Hey! Save me some of that!”Vegeta growled and pushed some of the food over to her side of the booth. She sat down and took a small fraction of the food and began eating. To his surprise she wasn’t talking. She usually had something to talk about. Was he really wishing for conversation? She also wasn’t eating. He kept eating but eyed her warily. She looked worried. She looked up and saw him looking at her so she started eating. They kept eating in silence. She seemed fine with this.Vegeta went to grab more food from his plate and there was none left. Bulma stood abruptly and got him more food and put it in front of him. She sat and looked at her plate. She began eating again. Vegeta took a few more bites. He cleared his throat, “You are a better cook than Kakarrot’s wife.”Bulma smiled and winked, “Told ya! I just never have the time.” She took a few more bites and looked over at the cake on the counter still covered.Vegeta followed her gaze, “The cake? The one made of cheese?”Bulma giggled, “I am just thinking about not eating much of a meal and getting a big piece of cake that’s all.”Vegeta smiled, “Eat every bite on your plate AND a big piece of cake. You may find you need the energy.”Bulma’s eyes widened and she went back to the food on her plate and picked up the pace. Vegeta also continued eating. Every so often they would glance at each other and smile. He knew Bulma was thinking about Bannon and not the cake. He was resisting the urge to call her out on it. It bothered him that she was so worried. Did she not think he could protect her? It was very difficult to not take it personally. He scowled to himself. Bannon doesn’t even have a ki. He finished the food on his plate. The memory of Bulma cowering under her desk completely terrified . . . it was too much to bear. He slammed his fists on the table.Bulma jumped and then stood, “Dammit Vegeta! I’ll get you more food. Calm down.”Vegeta rolled his eyes and as the words came out of his mouth he could scarcely believe them, “I’m actually done eating. I think we need to talk.”She slowly sat back down. “You’re done eating . . . and you want to talk?”“I can tell you have been . . . apprehensive since I mentioned your meeting with Bannon. I need to understand why that is.” Vegeta did his best to look disinterested. He didn’t want her to know she had wounded his pride so.Bulma looked down, “I know you will keep me safe, but I still don’t fully understand what happened. Why it happened. And I suppose I’m scared I’ll feel like this the rest of my life. I cry more, I’m more nervous, more scared. I hate it. I don’t like what I’ve become. I know you’ve noticed. There were at least some things I could face bravely. What if what was done to me gets done to you?”“Hmph.” Vegeta looked away and held up his nose, “It isn’t like I was ever going to hold his hand. I think your worries are misplaced.” He looked at her and she was ticked. He thought he even saw a vein popping out on her forehead. Good. He needed to get some kind of rise out of her.With a thin smile she said coolly, “No one else was lining up to hold my hand so I figured why not? I’m surprised you ever had the nerve to.”Now a vein popped out on his forehead and he turned a little red, “If you paid better attention more than half the planet would hold your hand.” He hesitated, not quite sure what they were talking about now. He mumbled, “I had never held anyone’s hand before.”Bulma leaned over the table at him, “And I only hold one person’s hand at a time and that’s yours for now. Do you plan on holding anyone else’s?”Vegeta scoffed, “Absolutely not. I have no interest in that. You already know what I think of the rest of this planet.”Bulma grinned, “Okay that’s settled. Why don’t we go to the bedroom, then?” She gently took his hand, “We can have cake later.”“Wha-” He was cut off when she tugged his arm. Well, that was abrupt. “I’m a little confus-” She tugged his arm again and turned and pulled him into a kiss. He picked her up and balanced on one leg while pulling her close. He put one hand on her waist and the other around the back of her head to pull her into a deeper kiss. Pulling her as close as possible made him feel invincible. Her hands were coming up under his arms and resting where his shoulder blades were. He pulled back, “What did you have in mind?” They could have a repeat of yesterday. Anything she wanted.She whispered in his ear, “Prince Vegeta – it is your turn today.”
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She pulled out of the embrace and pulled him into the bedroom. She looked at his leg, “How about you sit on the side of the bed? Take off your shorts and underwear first though.” As soon as he had them off she pulled him into another kiss. With the roles reversed it was strange being the only naked one.She sat him on the bed and stepped back to look at him for a moment. “Shall I take my clothes off, too?”Vegeta grinned so as she faced him and slowly made a circle as she took her top and shorts off. Her face became less playful, but a smile still played at the corner of her mouth. She slowly took off each strap of her bra and undid the clasp and tossed it to him. His face went blank and his eyes darted all over. He wanted to remember every inch of her. Anytime this happened he wasn’t going to assume it’ll ever happen again. He had to live in the moment. He had been conditioned to live in every moment. She smiled calmly at his expression and turned her back to him. As she took off her panties she bent completely over in front of him and he choked for a moment. He should have asked her to do this when she jumped for him. She slowly stood back up for him and turned to face him. As she approached he raised his hands to ready to receive her and she wagged her finger. “No, no, no. You do NOTHING until I’m done.” Vegeta gulped. She stopped her approach and went to her knees slowly. Then she smiled at him in a way he had never seen and genuflected. The smile was . . . seductive? He never thought anyone would bow to him again and certainly not her. He chuckled. This was great. She got on all fours and crawled the remaining short distance. “If I kiss you may kiss me back, but that’s it, got it?”Vegeta nodded. She took his face in her hands and kissed him. He almost touched her, but forced his hands to grab the side of the mattress. She moved from his mouth to his one ear and she sucked on his earlobe. This was an odd sensation that he didn’t dislike, but it certainly wasn’t something he ever thought of as a location he could derive any pleasure from. She continued moving down to his neck and he shuddered. She worked her way down to his chest and began kissing every single scar. This felt more tender than sexual and he liked it. She looked at the deepest one and whispered, “Freiza?”He almost reached out for her again, but caught himself. He was going to play along since she let him do what he wanted before. He scowled, “Your rules are hard.”“Shh.” She kept kissing him, moving her way down his stomach and murmuring on his skin, “A warrior with discipline will have no trouble controlling himself.” He leaned his head back and closed his eyes as she got closer and she gently put one hand on his cheek. “Vegeta, I want you to see this part.”He forced his gaze back down on her. Her eyes popped for a moment as the size of him registered. She smiled clearly pleased with it. His size of his member was something that had never crossed his mind before and for a millisecond he felt self-conscious. She looked up and then began stroking him. His breathing immediately became raspy. Her grip was very loose and soft, but she slowly began tightening around it. He was surprised she had this amount of strength. It was impressive for many reasons. It was incredible. She smiled and looked deep into his eyes. Vegeta gritted his teeth, “I want to touch you. I want to kiss you. C’mon.”While still stroking him she pulled him into a kiss. He growled against her mouth and one hand went behind her head to pull her into a deep kiss. She immediately stopped stroking him and pulled his face back. “That’s against the rules.” Vegeta’s jaw dropped and she giggled, “Besides, I’m going to need my mouth back for something else.” She started using both hands now and leaned down. She started to slowly lick him from the base up to the tip. His heart was beating so fast he was concerned it would break his breast bone. Is that even possible? There were no words for the pleasure he was experiencing. In a way it frightened him. She put as much of him in her mouth as she could manage. He gasped concerned she was going to hurt herself. He dug his fingers into the mattress and was pretty sure he’d leave a permanent imprint. It was unlike anything he had ever felt. If only she understood how hard he had to work to not hurt her. He wanted more. He wanted all of her. No, he NEEDED all of her. She continued for what he figured was the best five minutes of his life and he was already almost there. She came up and took a few deep breaths, “Is that good? Can I do anything different?”“If you keep doing exactly what you are doing I’ll not last another minute.” He growled, “Is that normal?”Bulma resumed stroking him, “I think it may be. Especially when you aren’t used to it.”Vegeta chuckled, “There’s the understatement of the century.”She giggled and was about to go back down on him, but she whispered, “If you’d like you can grab my hair and help set the speed or, um, pressure I guess.”Vegeta shook his head, “There’s no way. I don’t want to hurt you.”Her face went serious, “I know you won’t hurt me. I want you to get used to these sensations.”Vegeta blinked, “Get used to?”She smiled sweetly, “Did I stutter?”He was unable to hide his excitement. He put on a determined face, “Okay, let’s try it.”Without delay she went back down on him and he at first just rested a hand on the back of her head and hair. This was enough to get done for him, but he did want to try to experience everything he could. Without grabbing her hair he started pushing her head down as gently as possible and finally he carefully gripped her hair. He was so lost in the sensations that for a moment he wondered what he must look like to her. His expressions. “Dammit woman.” She reached up and put her hand on his and helped him see just how much he could move her. It was surprising how much she could handle. She took her hand back and his breaths kept getting faster and she made sounds as if she were choking and also moaning against him. He hadn’t realized it, but he had also been thrusting himself deep in her throat. He made sure she really was okay and kept going. The sounds were just too much for him. “Wow.” His voice rasped, “Bulma, I’m-” The more she sounded like a wounded animal the more he had trouble maintaining control of himself. He would not last much longer. The buildup was more intense than any power up he had ever experienced. He grunted in a way he never heard himself and came. She moaned gently against him as she tasted it. The feeling was indescribably good. It has always been an enigma for him. Something he never thought would happen for him with someone. He took a few gasping breaths and looked down at her. She had a few tears going down her face and wiped her chin. The tears alarmed him, “I-I didn’t hurt you did I?”She laughed, “No, I just don’t have your lung capacity apparently.”They both laughed and Vegeta fell back on the bed and shook his head to himself in disbelief. Bulma laid next to him and he immediately pulled her to him. He gently nibbled her shoulder. He closed his eyes, “I don’t know what we are doing, but for right now – just for this moment – you are mine. Every inch of you. If by tomorrow you never want me again I will still have this.” As soon as he said the words he realized how crazy they sounded, but to his surprise – and great relief – she didn’t protest, argue, or even respond. “That was . . .” There were no words. He exhaled and looked at her. He watched as her chest moved as she still was trying to catch her breath. She wasn’t so delicate. He looked her up and down, “I need to do something for you now.”She smiled softly with her eyes closed, “You need to train. First, I want you to try the cake I made you.”Vegeta mulled over what she said and reluctantly agreed. “Yes, I suppose I do.” He took one hand and traced starting at her collar bone, down to her breast bone, then down to her navel. He gently laid his hand on the spot that she hated, but he found it devastatingly soft and irresistible. It was a peculiar feeling. He was curious how effective training would even be today after what she did to him. He sighed again and looked at her. Her breathing was finally starting to slow.Without opening her eyes she giggled nervously and said, “You are staring at me.”He moved his one hand all over her body. He wanted to memorize every inch. He shook his head, “This has just been a shocking turn of events. It doesn’t seem real.” He scowled. The way she made him feel? The things he felt? They were all so foreign to him. What did he even sound like? What did he look like? He stopped scowling and looked at her and she was staring at him and smiling gently. He cocked an eyebrow, “What?”She lightly touched his face, “Remember when I cried yesterday? I think you are going through the motions like I was.”He considered this for a moment. “Yeah, but I’m still not going to cry.”She laughed, “We just feel things differently I guess.” She kissed him on the shoulder. “Cake?”“Ah, yes. Your cake of cheese.” He still couldn’t hide his disgusted expression, but obediently helped her sit up. He looked around and put on his underwear and she put her outfit back on. He yawned and stretched as he followed her levitating. He tilted his head as he watched her walk. Watching as she moved he felt a pain in his stomach. Had Yamcha seen her the same way he had? Had he experienced her the same way he had? Did he like her smell? Her taste? Did he find her smooth skin as devastating as he did?As she stood and cut the cheesecake her one foot rubbed her other leg. He slowly floated down and sat at the booth as he kept watching her. He was being gripped by something. He wouldn’t describe it as jealousy. It was something else. Did Yamcha even notice the fire in her eyes when she was angry? Yamcha’s unworthiness. And perhaps in the back of his mind he was wondering what he did to deserve to get to this point.Bulma had her back to him as she continued cutting the cake. “I know this is really random, but what can you tell me about Planet Vegeta?”That snapped him out of it, “Hnn. What do you want to know?”She brought a big piece for him and a big piece for her and sat them down at the table and scooted into the booth with him, “I don’t know. I know Earth is your home now, but do you miss it there?”“Oh.” He thought for a moment. “I don’t know if miss is the right word. I don’t remember a whole lot. Freiza destroyed it when I was only a boy. I suppose . . . the climate. All the same no matter where you were. Even though saiyans were blunt and seem uncivilized, things were very structured. Formal I guess you could say. There were things you just didn’t do. I have a hard time reading people here. Not that I necessarily want to, but being able to would make things easy.”She took a bite of the cheesecake and hummed to herself. She asked, “What kind of things weren’t done?”He took his fork and got ready to take a bite. He eyed it suspiciously, but could see her watching him so he went for it. His eyes got large for a moment and he kept eating. She looked very pleased. “You never addressed a higher ranking person without some type of respect. If your rank was very low, you didn’t dare speak. Being the prince I was rarely spoken to aside from my royal guard – which funnily enough I was stronger than – higher members of court, the king-”She had already finished her piece and pushed the plate away. “What was your father like?”Vegeta smirked, “He was a lot taller than I am now with a much lower ki. Aside from that we were very, very similar. I suppose my height comes from my mother.” He finished his piece and looked over her shoulder at the rest of the cake. Bulma got up to get him another piece. It had been a long time since he had thought about his planet at length like this. He continued, “If you are coupled – what your planet would consider married I suppose – infidelity would be punishable by death in most cases.”She set the cake in front of him and looked at him quizzically, “Most cases?”“Higher ranking females could sometimes get away with it. If they could prove they didn’t couple with the strongest male initially in some cases they could be spared, but they would of course have to marry the one they committed the act with. Males aren’t so lucky because there are so many of us. Even if a king cheated he would suffer the dishonor of public execution.” Vegeta hesitated, “I have no time for people that cheat on their mate.”Bulma looked slightly amused, “I suppose this is why you’ve never much liked Yamcha? He and I were never even close to marriage though.”Vegeta sneered, “I despise everyone on this planet – present company excluded. It is one of the MANY reasons I don’t like him in particular. I do think publicly executing him would help my opinion of him though.” Bulma laughed, which caught him a little off guard. He laughed, too, although he really wasn’t joking.Bulma grinned, “Good thing I moved up to you or I’d be in trouble on your planet.”“Damn straight you moved up.” Vegeta smirked and finished his second piece. Since his planet was destroyed he doesn’t even remember discussing it at length with Raditz or Nappa so this was engrossing for him.She looked at him thoughtfully, “I think it would have been fascinating to see your planet. I don’t think they’d like me much there though.”He furrowed his eyebrows, “Why would you think that?”“Oh I don’t know,” She shrugged, “I’m not sure I’m formal enough for them. Also, I’m fairly weak. I sometimes don’t play by rules very well and can pop off.” She made another amused face, “I wonder what your father would think of us . . .”Vegeta chuckled, “Saiyans would like you because you are infuriating in a strong-willed way. Aside from you not being saiyan my father would have some concern or prejudice. He may have made an exception for you. I don’t know. You are powerful, fiery, and incredibly smart. If he realized how strong our offspring would be, any reservations he had would all but vanish. If he objected I guess I’d have to kill him.” He stopped and looked shocked with himself. At a loss for what to say he blurted out, “O-Oy, I think I need more sleep.”Bulma blinked. Vegeta realized for a change HE had said too much. She stood abruptly, “I . . . I’m going for a walk. A-A-And you can get a little more sleep before you head out.”“ . . . A walk?” Vegeta floated out of the booth.She looked nervous. “Uh, yeah. I’m going to enjoy the scenery. I, uhrm, never get to walk anymore because I’m always being chased with cameras.” She hastily made her way to the bedroom and put on Vegeta’s shirt over her outfit. She came back through and out the door. She didn’t even notice Vegeta’s scowl.He folded his arms and whispered to himself. “I was speaking in complete hypotheticals. My father can’t get any deader. Dammit woman.” He gritted his teeth. It is not as if he has sat around at length and wondered about them having children. He truly hadn’t. It was another thing he didn’t waste his energy on since it would never happen.___________________________________________________________________________ As soon as she was outside she rushed down the path until it was level. She looked back up at the cave and couldn’t get over the urge to run as fast as she could for as long as she could. She adjusted the tongues of her sneakers and took off. She hadn’t ran like this since Goku went oozaru when he was a child. She felt like life was coming up fast and it was going to catch her. Children? She could tell by the horrified look on Vegeta’s face he meant nothing that he said, but it still spooked her. There was definitely a time she wanted children, but with the possible impending doom of earth this wasn’t it. Secretly she wondered how she would juggle managing her company while having a child. This was something she simply couldn’t say out loud. Most women would frown at this. She didn’t WANT a child cutting into her time to innovate.She stopped running. In the distance she could hear the waterfall. She looked behind her and was thankful that the path back was clear and obvious. If she got lost she supposed she’d just have to die because she wasn’t going to cry out for Vegeta.Vegeta. Damn. What a horrible way to leave him. If he’s just going to sleep though she had to do something to get rid of some of her energy so she’d sleep tonight. She wasn’t sure if it was the after effects of what Bannon had done to her, but she could not seem to get enough sleep.She saw a large tree just off the path and sat at its trunk. She looked up at the sky and exhaled. As she closed her eyes she started thinking about the last few days. He was nothing short of incredible. The way he looked. The way he made her feel. She smiled. At least she was able to return the favor. Where do they go from here though? She thought of him thrusting into her. Her throat was a little sore, but it was worth it. She thought about how she couldn’t control the rocking of her hips. The way he watched her. The way he actually paid attention to her. It was flattering while at the same time unnerving. She would bet her life that sex with him would be the most amazing thing she would experience. Her conversation with him was a reminder that what they were doing could have definite and serious consequences. Saying he would have killed his father? Is that just the way they did things or was this some exception he would have made for her? Although it was a horrifying thing to think about on some level she was sure he meant her to be flattered. Trying to put herself in the frame of mind of a saiyan female she supposed she could see the appeal. She’d do anything to keep her parents safe though. It was just one of those things she would have to accept.She suddenly felt like she was being watched, “. . . Vegeta?”He slowly levitated down, “I should be sleeping right now, but until that Bannon guy is taken care of I thought better of you going off alone.” Bulma smiled. He crossed his arms, “What?”“I’m just enjoying the fresh air and thinking how incredible you are.” She smiled at him and his face went completely calm. “I’m sorry I rushed off. The things you said made the decisions we've been making seem a lot more real.” She reached out a hand and he came down and sat across from her on the ground, “I don’t regret them though to be clear. Not one bit.”He nodded, “You need not apologize. I think I understand.”She looked and he was still only in his underwear, “Shew-ee. I could look at you all day and not get bored.” She leaned and touched his face. “Were you really going to get a nap or did you just make that up?”“I really think I will, especially if I’m pulling another all nighter. It wasn’t the plan to be away the entire night.” He pulled her into his arms and gently kissed her head. “I will meet with your employees and get some more clothes for you so you can be more comfortable.”She was hit with another pang of guilt and held him closer, “Let me touch your back until you fall asleep.”“Hnn.” He floated them both back up to the cave and they went straight to the room. They got under the covers and she gently stroked and touched his back. He murmured, “This is nice.”“Sleep. Don’t be alarmed if I’m not next to you when you wake up. I’ll be just out in the living room or kitchen.” She lightly kissed his shoulder and he had already started snoring softly. She whispered, “I’m sorry I ran off. Thank you for everything.”___________________________________________________________________________ She didn’t know it, but Vegeta had heard her speak as he drifted off. He already made up his mind he wasn’t going to let her rushing off get to him before he went and got her. After all, he can at least leave the cave to have time to himself to process things. Bulma can’t. When he leaves Yamcha will be there. He didn’t want to follow her to give her that time, but they were so close to resolving the Bannon situation that he would hate if he dropped his guard one time and it put her at risk.As he woke he saw that she was indeed not in the bed with him. Tonight he was going to wear his armor and bring a change of clothes for talking to the employees. After he was dressed he made his way out. She was awake and watching TV. He walked up behind the couch and she still hadn’t noticed him. She was hugging a pillow and sighing deeply. He turned his attention to the TV. It was a tall blond man and a petite brunette woman. He gave her a large bunch of flowers and the woman on the TV swooned. Bulma muttered under her breath, “About time he got his act together.”Vegeta considered this for a moment. He cleared his throat and she jumped. “I’m about ready to head out. You will be alone very briefly until Yamcha arrives. Is that okay?”“I should be fine.” She smiled sheepishly, “If I said I wouldn’t would you stay though?”He smirked, “Honestly I don’t know how effective I’ll be today. I’m too relaxed and . . . content.”She walked around to him and gently held his arm, “I was thinking about that while you napped. I have a few ideas on how to get you angry again.”“Oh?” Vegeta was legitimately interested. The fact she was thinking how to make his training more effective without being prompted by him gave him a new sense of satisfaction.“Well, I don’t know what you were wanting to accomplish today, but if you do succeed,” she leaned in and whispered against his ear, “I was thinking I could take a shower with you and help you get all cleaned up. Get those hard to reach places. I’ll leave nothing untouched.”Vegeta’s eyes popped and he growled under his breath. “That . . . That’ll do woman.” He nuzzled her neck and inhaled her scent. “This is too good.” He leaned back and kissed her. “Yes, I believe I’m ready to punch something now.”She smiled, “Go get ‘em. I-I’m going to miss you.”Vegeta didn’t respond. She’s going to miss me? He opted to hug her once more. “I’m off. Yamcha should be here 30 mins tops.” She hugged him back. He didn’t dare pull back or let go until she did. He walked to the front door and looked at her, “I’ll see you tomorrow.” As he was about to close the door he paused and looked once more.He took off with a renewed purpose. The thought of showering with her unlocked a new level of frustration that he needed. She seemed to know him so well.___________________________________________________________________________ He landed on Yamcha’s balcony. No need or time for formalities this time. He slid the door open to see Yamcha asleep on the couch with Puar. He startled at the sound of his balcony door closing. Puar didn’t stir. Yamcha sat up and gently put Puar on the seat. Vegeta noticed he looked horrible.He snorted, “I see you needed rest from all that rest. Pathetic.”Yamcha grinned and then winced. “Yeah I don’t know what is going on with me. Ever since I got back here yesterday I have felt horrible. Exhausted. Headache.”He folded his arms, “You need to go to Bulma right away.”He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and stood, “Sure, no problem. Just let me get a couple of things together.”Vegeta walked in circles around the living room. At least he doesn’t have to deal with any trips down memory lane. Yamcha came back out with a duffle bag. Vegeta nodded, “I trust you remember how to get there?” He nodded. Something seemed off. Vegeta motioned to Puar, “Are you going to bring that creature with you this time?”Yamcha stepped between Vegeta and Puar. “No. Puar will not be coming.”It was an odd motion. Vegeta cocked his head at first slightly curious. What did Yamcha think he was going to do? He looked away, trying to look as bored and unbothered as possible. “I am unsure when I’ll be back. If I’m successful I’m hoping it’ll be mid-morning or so.”Yamcha rubbed his temple, “Whatever man. It makes no difference to me.” And with that he took off.“Tch. Bastard.” He turned to look at Puar once more. He was surprised it didn’t even stir since it tended to be skittish. He shut the sliding door behind him and made his way to the compound.___________________________________________________________________________ Bulma had been cooking away since the moment Vegeta left. It kept her mind and hands busy. Today was different though. She was going to make some of Yamcha’s favorites, too, as a thank you. Despite his easy going nature she knew on some level he was put out by helping her.She heard a light knock on the door and Yamcha let himself in. He smiled sheepishly, “Hey sorry it took me a bit to get here. I’ve got a bad headache,”“Oh?” Bulma walked over to him and put the back of her hand on his forehead, cheeks, and then held his hand feeling for a temperature. “You don’t feel feverish.”When she tried to pull her hand back he laced his fingers, “You know . . . I was thinking . . .”She jerked her hand back, “You thought wrong. I thought all this was settled.” She turned her back to him and got back to work on the food. “Don’t get the wrong idea here. I appreciate you and what you are doing, but that is the extent of it.”He walked behind her and rested a hand on either side of her on the counter and leaned in and rubbed his front on her bottom, “Remember the first time? It was in this same house.” He was aroused.She was shocked. This was very forward for him in light of everything. She snarled and pushed him off of her, “No, but I certainly remember the last. Right afterwards you were texting with someone else and then left.”He put his hands back on the counter on either side of her again and leaned in and smelled her hair. “I miss you. Nothing would please me more than to bend you over and make you squeal like the pig that you are. I’ll treat you real good until I DON’T.”“Have you lost your mind?! Get. Off. Of. Me.” She broke through his arm and stood with her hands on her hips. Why did his words feel familiar? “Take a hint for shit’s sake. I don’t know what has gotten into you, but the only thing you are getting from me is food.”Yamcha sneered, “Bitch.”“What?!” He had never – not even once – remotely spoken to her like this. Bulma clenched her fists. “Get out!”“Oh? You sure? What if Bannon comes here while I’m gone?” He turned his back to her looking smug.Bulma snarled, “Right now YOU are the only one in danger. Leave.” She walked to focus on her cooking again and heard him slam the door behind him. She sighed. As soon as she was sure he left she began shaking and fell to her feet. “What the hell was that?”She felt terrified of Yamcha. She was sure she had heard those same words in her nightmares.____________________________________________________________________________ Vegeta punched the wall of the chamber. “Shit. Not good. Not good at all.”It appears as if the bots can in some way communicate. Everything he did to destroy the other bot wasn’t working. While he appreciated the ingenuity Bulma used, it was hard on him. Every time he finally felt like he had gains things like this would happen. That was the point though, wasn’t it? He glanced at the control panel and it was 3:30 AM. For a change he decided to take a break. He knew he needed to get Bulma clothes and something to wear for her meeting – not date – with Bannon. He powered down the gravity chamber and exited.As he walked into the house Dr. and Mrs. Briefs stirred awake from the couch and stood immediately and ran up to him. Dr. Briefs laid a hand on Vegeta’s shoulder, “How is my little girl? Is she okay? We miss her terribly!”Vegeta hastily shrugged his hand off and didn’t make eye contact with either of them, “She is perfectly safe. I only came in to get her some more clothes.”Mrs. Briefs’ eyes twinkled and she put her hands on her cheeks, “Oh. What I sent for her won’t work?”His face turned red, but he was unsure of how to respond. He cleared his throat, “She should be back home Saturday night or Sunday morning.”Dr. and Mrs. Briefs sighed in relief and made a motion to hug him, which he dodged expertly. He continued up the stairs and entered her room. It smelled of her. He looked out of the door to make sure he hadn’t been followed. When he was sure things were clear he at first sat on her bed with his eyes closed. He laid down and turned over while gathering up arms full of her blankets and smelling them. Truth be told he’d rather be caught in the middle of an act with her than like this. He closed his eyes once more and reflected on the feeling of her hair in his fingers as she made him feel things that quite frankly blew his mind. He tried to never dwell on things he didn’t have. One day he woke up and his planet and his people were gone. She told him she would miss him. HIM. If he was honest, if he had to describe what he was feeling in this moment, he definitely missed her, too. It was horrifying for him.The other thing that was vexing him was Yamcha. He still felt Yamcha could protect Bulma, but he seemed weak somehow. Vulnerable himself. Vegeta needed to train though. He walked to her closet which on its own was bigger than the capsule house in the cave. He muttered, “And I thought my clothes were intimidating.”He started with the shoes and grabbed one pair he knew he had seen her wear off the clock. He grabbed another pair similar to the ones she wore at the party for her meeting with Bannon. He grabbed sweatpants, tank tops, and a jacket. Last he went to racks of dresses. He had to try to think like her. He shook his head and grabbed three without paying attention to the details. They still had tags on so hopefully one would work.He walked out of her closet and looked around trying to think if there was anything else she would possibly want. Something on her desk caught his eye. He walked over and it was a framed picture of him carrying her over his shoulder. He smirked and gently touched it with one hand. He whispered, “I hope to carry you to the shower the same way later.” It tipped over and the glass broke. “Shit.” When he went to set it back up there was something behind the picture. “What the hell?” It appeared to be an old photo. A photo of Yamcha and Bulma. She was snuggled up to him and he looked extremely uncomfortable or perhaps even afraid. The darkness hanging over Yamcha when he last saw him came back to him. It was the darkness that had hung over him his entire life so he knew it well. A darkness that had only recently begun to subside within himself. He had tuned it out because he felt training was so important.He sat for a moment. His gut was telling him to get to Bulma NOW. He encapsulated what he grabbed. He quickly leaned out of the door, “Oy, who’s can hear me?!” He heard a slight hum of acknowledgement from Dr. Briefs and continued, “You need to check in with Rhonda and Mac later this morning!”With that he left out of her window and was off speeding as fast he could to Bulma. Yamcha wasn't himself and it was risky. He could only hope this sudden overwhelming sense of doom was an overreaction on his part.
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As soon as he landed in the cave he could sense Yamcha’s ki approaching. He kicked the door open to find Bulma still in the kitchen.She startled then smiled, “I didn’t expect you back for a while yet. I-I had trouble sleeping.”He took her hands and looked her over. “Yamcha?” He could tell by her splotchy face she had been crying.She shook her head and melted in a heap in his arms, “How did you know? I sent him away. He actually scared me.”He grabbed her to take off, but she put a hand gently on his chest, “Hey, if we have to leave I need my purse.”As soon as it was slung over her shoulder he darted out with her in tow. “We need to get out of here.” He flew as quickly as he could while concealing his ki and landed at the base of the waterfall. “Be very quiet. I need to know what we are dealing with.”He watched as Yamcha arrived and levitated outside of the cave for a few moments. It appeared as if he hit himself in the head a few times. Then he looked toward the cave and slowly held up a single hand. He paused and began gathering up ki for a blast. This was by far the most power Vegeta ever saw him display. It still was nothing compared to his, but it was alarming. What has awakened this latent power in him? Vegeta’s jaw dropped. He was still gathering more power. It began swirling around Yamcha in shades of red, white, yellow. Vegeta looked at Bulma and held her close, “We need to move further away. NOW.”He barely levitated off of the ground and moved as quickly as he could between the trees. Bulma whispered, “I didn’t think he was this strong. This is different than usual, isn’t it?”Vegeta held her even closer still and kept moving. “You are right. If I had my guard down with this much energy he’d be able to inflict some damage.” Bulma gasped.He finally felt like he put enough distance between them. From where they were, Yamcha looked like a white speck to Bulma. He was still gathering more energy. As Vegeta looked on he was able to hear no sound from the waterfall. It had stopped. He must be gathering so much energy that the water had begun running backwards.He shook his head and whispered, “I should have never left you. What happened?”Bulma hesitated, “He made a move on me.”Vegeta bared his teeth. His eyes closed as his imagination ran wild. “Tell me exactly what happened. Tell me now to slow my thinking.”Bulma stammered as they both watched Yamcha STILL continue to gather power. “He wanted me to remember the old days. He-He made me feel intimidated in a way. Rubbed against me. Said horrible sexual things to me. Things he has never said before. When I turned him down a second time he mentioned he needed to stay because of Bannon. It made me very angry so I sent him off anyway.”Vegeta took deep breaths. The mental images made him want to kill Yamcha on the spot, but something she said caused him to snap out of it. He tore his eyes away from Yamcha powering up, “He mentioned Bannon?”Bulma was still watching him power up and clenched her teeth, “Yeah. It pissed me off. He’s got some nerve. He made me think we really could be friends. I was actually scared of him. I have never in my life been scared of him.”Vegeta pulled her to him so they made eye contact, “I never told him Bannon’s name. In fact, I told him as little as possible to respect your privacy.” He could see the wheels in her head turning, “I sensed something in him that I initially ignored. I was . . . foolish.”Vegeta could sense Yamcha had finished gathering power. It was by far the most power he had ever felt from him. He was sure that he was focusing all his power to his outstretched palm. There was potential that he could have been knocked out by him with this blast. He took Bulma and laid her flat on the ground and got on top of her to shield her. “Bannon has gotten to him. Unless you told him Bannon’s name that’s the only logical explanation.” He glanced up one more time and rested his arms on either side of her and bent his head over her to further shield her. “Close your eyes or you won’t be able to see for a bit.”Just prior to the blast he could feel the ki focused to one point. Despite himself he shook slightly from excitement and also from shock. As the blast hit the cave they felt the earth shake and heard trees flatten facing away from the epicenter. There was a violent wind with large debris and then a secondary strong whoosh of air with smaller things like pebbles, branches. Vegeta simply could not believe the power. If Yamcha had been this strong when he first came to earth he would have easily defeated Nappa and given him a run for his money.As the dust finally settled he looked up to see Yamcha was gone. Along with Vegeta’s beloved hideout. The entire rock formation was obliterated. He could hear unimpeded water rushing to them. He quickly grabbed Bulma and floated to avoid the rush of water.Bulma frowned, “Your cave.”He pulled her close, “Everything is taken from me eventually. This is normal for me. I’ll be damned if you are harmed in any way though.” He leaned down and ripped off the bandage from his leg. Bulma gasped as she saw it. He looked and chuckled, “It is no longer open and bleeding. You should have seen it right after it happened.”She pulled him into a kiss and hugged his neck, “Where do we go now?”“Bulma . . .” He pulled her back and searched her face. He really wasn’t sure where to go. He also wasn’t sure if there was an easy way to say what needed to be said, “I’m going to probably kill Yamcha.”The fire in her eyes was there in an instant, “You can’t! It is clear he isn’t himself. If you did, I'll never forgive you.”Vegeta gritted his teeth, “Did you not just see what I saw? I will do whatever I have to.” Bulma looked hurt. “Besides, he can always be wished back later.”She nodded numbly. “Can you tell where he is headed?”Vegeta eyed her steadily and didn’t have to tell her. “I think he’s trying to lure us back to your compound. As difficult as it is, the most unpredictable choice is to go straight to Bannon as soon as possible. I need to put an end to all this, but believe me I have my reasons for not just removing every trace of him. We need to make one more stop before then though.”Bulma still seemed to be slowly processing everything, “Where?”Vegeta still set his gaze towards Metro West. “I think we need to make a side trip to try to gather some facts if possible. I need to speak with Yamcha’s . . . sidekick?”Bulma perked up a little bit, “That’s an excellent idea. If anything happened Puar definitely won’t hold back!”____________________________________________________________________________ Bulma was hopeful that speaking with Puar would help things. The way it feels now is everything was turning against their favor. It seemed unfair. Unfair because she had been hiding so long. Unfair because she felt Vegeta really had done an excellent job taking care of everything. If she was honest with herself his surprising amount of restraint was a little annoying. She didn’t want anyone to die, but acting like this wasn’t his style. At least not based on what she had seen thus far. When he refused to take them to the compound to save her parents it was a struggle to bite her tongue. She had to remember that this was progress for him. She also had to remember that perhaps nothing at all will happen to them.They landed on the balcony of Yamcha’s condo and Vegeta slid the door open for her and she looked at him perplexed. He cleared his throat, “I think it is best for you to go in alone. It is terrified of me.”Bulma nodded. Puar was still sleeping on the couch. She didn’t know how she was going to tell her what happened to Yamcha. She will be heartbroken. She walked up slowly so she wouldn’t startle her and sat down gently. She whispered, “Puar?” She was so still. She must be in a very deep sleep. Bulma laid a hand on her and it became immediately clear there was no waking up Puar. Cold and stiff to the touch. A scream. Loud, terrified. Bulma didn’t realize at first it was coming from her. Vegeta was standing completely powered up and looking around for what made her scream. He was there before she even realized she was the one screaming. She leapt to his arms as he powered down and shook her head and was shaking. “Puar. My dear friend.”Vegeta held her close, “Dammit. I think it may have been dead earlier. I didn’t realize . . .” He stroked the back of her hair, “We have to go. I powered all the way up. Anyone out to get us knows exactly where we are now.” He gritted his teeth. “Damn it all to hell.”Bulma cried into his shoulder, “I don’t understand.”Vegeta pulled her back and tried to gently wipe her face. “I suspect it saw Bannon.”She put her hands into fists, “PUAR. Her name was PUAR. PU-AR. Don’t call her an it.”“Shh. Okay. Puar.” He said gently. He looked around, “Let’s go.”She unclenched her fists and wrapped her arms around his neck. She sniffled from crying, “Should we bury Puar?”“No.” Vegeta said without hesitation. “There’s no time.”Bulma nodded and he levitated and took off. As he did so she began sobbing hard against his chest. She was crying so hard she had a hard time catching her breath. The sun was rising. It was beautiful, but she was currently too traumatized to appreciate it. Vegeta slowed for a moment and wiped her face gently. He muttered he didn’t want her to get wind burn and took back off.She spoke hoarsely from crying, “Where are we going?”“I have no idea. We both need sleep though. I have some other capsule houses that Mac gave me.” He pulled out the capsule case and let her look at it.She smiled, “I know exactly which one we should use and where we should go. Head about 20 miles east. There is an island near Roshi’s that is uninhabited.”Vegeta picked up speed, but she noted the glow of his ki was so low. Being flown around she was starting to calm and get her wits about her. She looked at the sun rising over the sea and exhaled. They are both alive. She was hopeful her parents were alive. She looked and they were almost there. She really needed to work on aircraft that could travel as fast as him. She was getting spoiled.He touched down and tried to gently get her hair out of her face. HIs face was annoyed, but she knew it wasn’t with her.She smiled, “I’m okay. Really. I think the initial shock has worn off.” She pulled out the capsule, clicked, and threw it. It was an all glass house. Simple. The sound of the waves crashing made her close her eyes. She took Vegeta’s arm and they walked into the house. “I really hope you’ll be able to sleep well.”He looked all around the home when they walked in. “I don’t understand how this technology works.”“Let's get you some sleep.” She walked up to the bed and there was a console on one of the side tables. She pushed the button and the glass went dim to only allow a fraction of the light in. “I’m, um, keeping my clothes on since this is a glass house and all.”Vegeta smiled, “Understood.” He reached into the neck of his armor and pulled out another capsule. “Some more clothes for you.” He yawned and looked at her, “Lay with me.”“Absolutely.” First she took the capsule and saw what he packed. She put on the top and sweatpants. She sighed, “Shew. I didn’t realize how much I missed having regular clothes.” Vegeta didn’t respond and he was sitting on the side of the bed somewhat in a stupor. He laid with his eyes already closed and held his arms open for her. She cuddled up to him and he cupped one of her breasts as he drifted off to sleep. This movement made her giggle. Must be his favorite way to sleep now.“After I sleep, I finish this.” He pulled her closer and she heard his soft snore.She lay awake listening to the waves. He murdered an entire village of Namekians without a second thought. What was the hold up on this Bannon guy? The fact she was even thinking this way bothered her. She attributed it to exhaustion. Wasn’t that his way of dealing with things though? She was ashamed of her thoughts on many levels. He was her champion right now for many reasons. She needed to trust him. She sighed softly and he buried his nose in her hair and continued to snore. She would never reveal these feelings to anyone. She had resolved that. It wasn’t a lack of faith in him, but confusion about how he was currently operating.She turned to lay flat on her back while Vegeta held her. She gently stroked his face and every so often ran her hand through his hair. It was amazing really. That he let his guard down like this around her. Unbelievable. In a sense it felt like a gift. Something he had only given her and wouldn’t dare give to another living soul. She’d be lying if she tried to act like it didn’t make her feel special.He stirred for a moment and muttered something about a shower. Is he dreaming about her? Bulma giggled under her breath. That’s right. She had forgotten. She leaned in and whispered, “Later. I promise.”He grunted, “Damn right, woman.”She would never, ever let him know the doubt in her heart. She knew in some ways that would crush him more than anything else up until this point.____________________________________________________________________________ Vegeta woke to the sound of waves crashing. He figured it was about midday because of the location of the sun. He was surprised to see Bulma awake. “Did you not sleep?”Bulma hesitated, “For some reason I couldn’t turn my brain off. I kept thinking about Yamcha and what I think he wanted to do to me. The things he said. Then, it hit me. The things Bannon said to me. He was saying some of those things.”He drew down his brows, “Next time you can’t sleep wake me.” He was trying to think of something else to say. He wanted to ask what exactly Yamcha said, but he was on the edge of not being level-headed and didn’t want to upset that balance.“Next time?” She sat up. “Today is the day, isn’t it?” She rubbed her temples. She looked horrible.“Oh.” Vegeta sat up, too. “I suppose that is right.” He stood and took a few experimental steps with no limp. “Yes, today is definitely the day.”She stood and stretched. “Do you have any thoughts on how things are going to go today?”Vegeta put his hand to his chin and began walking around the small house. “I need to speak to him. Then, I’ll kill him.”Bulma looked amused, “Hell of a plan. I want to speak to him, too.”He cocked his head, “I don’t think that will be possible.”“Okay . . .” She paused trying to find the right words. “Where will I be safe while you are there? Can anyone but you even keep me safe now? Because I was up all night trying to think of the answer to those two questions.”Vegeta turned his back to her and considered, “Why is it so important for you to talk to him?”She clenched her teeth, “You don’t know? After everything he did to me – or I THINK he did to me – I feel like I deserve some measure of closure. He made a fool out of me. Wouldn’t you want the same thing if you were me?”Maybe he was still exhausted, but he had trouble finding great arguments for the points she made. Now that he knew how powerful Yamcha was he felt fairly confident he wasn’t a threat. Bannon had no ki to speak of, but still did make him nervous. If Bannon was half as smart as Bulma he could be a problem. He looked at her. She looked tired. She looked hopeful. He sighed, “Okay. If for no other reason you do deserve closure. I think I understand you. There are conditions though.” Bulma jumped, feeling victorious. Vegeta couldn’t help but smile. That bounce will get him every time. He gently took her shoulders. He allowed his thumbs to rub her soft skin. “No matter what happens you must do whatever you can to save yourself. Wish me back as soon as you are able.”Her jubilant mood quickly vanished. Her eyebrows went down and she actually looked angry. “Don’t start talking like that. You will win. I know it.”He chuckled. “I just don’t want you getting any dumb ideas if it looks like I’m in trouble. Ultimately – in the end – I know I’ll win. I am just trying to expect the unexpected.”“Can we,” She hesitated, “Can we swing by my place so I can see if my parents are okay?”He mulled it over, “I’m concerned you’ll lose this frame of mind you are in now. If you lose your nerve . . . It will be hard to watch.”Bulma smiled softly. “That’s just something no one can promise. I’ve seen you upset a few times since we’ve known each other. If he did anything to my parents it’ll only make me more angry.”He narrowed his eyes, “Still. Drop it okay?” He closed his eyes trying to rid his mind of the images of her bracing herself as if she was being attacked. “I can’t believe I’m agreeing to you going to Bannon’s. Once there if you stay low and out of sight. He may have no clue you are there, okay? I want to keep it that way.”“Yes!” She twirled her hair with her fingers and smiled, “How about we grab a bite to eat on the way there?”Vegeta scoffed, “You can’t be serious?” She grinned. “Hmm. I am pretty damn hungry.”Bulma patted her purse, “Let’s go to the best buffet in Metro West and hope that no one finds us. That way you can eat as much as you want! I’ve got my wallet right here.”He snatched her up and they took off. No need to say more. Those all you can eat places are perfect for a saiyan. He hadn’t been to a restaurant with Bulma since before he blew up the gravity chamber. He enjoyed it although he wouldn’t have admitted it at the time. He felt like he was above needing anyone’s company at that time. He merely tolerated her and her parents. As time went on she cared for him and seemed empathetic, without pitying him, in his struggle to become stronger. It was odd how for the most part she knew how to handle him. He tolerated her better than most saiyans when he was a child. They landed on the street where the restaurant was between two buildings and strolled out onto the street. They walked arms’ length from each other.“Shit.” Bulma’s cheeks went red. “For a little bit I forgot who I was.”Vegeta looked up and people were whispering and staring at her. He walked in front of her to keep as many people from seeing her as possible. “I suppose I did, too.”She giggled. “Wait here!” And she ran into a store and he stood outside and shot a threatening glare at anyone that had recognized her. It did the trick and they went on their way. He turned to see her walking out in a brunette wig and sunglasses. She smiled and flashed the peace sign, “Hey there stranger. You look a little lonely.”Vegeta turned a deep shade of red, but a smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. “Don’t be crass, Bulma.”She did a turn, “What do you think? Never saw myself as a brunette.”Vegeta walked around her, “I think I preferred my view from the other day when you jumped for me.” Bulma’s jaw hit the ground and he grinned.They made it to the restaurant and he rushed in leaving her on the street. She rolled her eyes and followed. As soon as she walked in she flashed her ID at the hostess and they were rushed away to a private room. As they sat plate after plate was brought out. Once they were done bringing in food they closed the door and they had an entire private dining room to themselves. Bulma got one plate of food and started eating and slid everything else over to Vegeta.He started absolutely stuffing himself and looked up to see her smiling at him. He cocked an eyebrow. “Hnn?” He knew his eating habits were atrocious, but that was something not frowned upon in his culture.She kept eating. “I’m surprised you didn’t like the wig. Most men like that stuff.”He snorted, “I think we have safely established I’m not like most men. Why do they like that?”She shrugged, “Oh, I don’t know. They are cheating without cheating I guess? It is a really popular thing with earth men. Role playing. That and porn.”“P-orn?” Vegeta kept eating. “Never heard of it.”“Oh well . . .” She blushed and tried to figure out the simplest way to explain. “It is where you watch one person or persons trying to pleasure themselves or others.”“Hmm.” He thought. “I suppose I may have seen examples of this in barracks while I was on Freiza’s ship. I guess images to get some of them through until they could complete a mission.”“Oh, here some men watch it all the time. It isn’t something they do when they are away from their significant other. Sometimes they do that instead of having sex or when they are bored.” Bulma kept eating.“So sometimes they have the option for sex? All they have to do is pay attention to be good at it. And they choose that?” He kept eating, half paying attention.”I don’t understand. Can they learn from it?”She looked up at the ceiling in thought, “It is geared more towards a man’s pleasure for the most part. So I’m not sure if they really learn much from it.”Vegeta was slightly disgusted. Watching other people? When he could do it himself with her? What was the point even if it wasn’t going to make them better at it? Then again he had noticed Roshi with his magazines. It is just probably normal here. He looked up at her and she had taken the wig and sunglasses off and was scratching her head. The wig made her look sweaty and very uncomfortable. Vegeta shrugged, “Things like this seem like a waste of time to me. I guess it is just something else on this planet that doesn’t make sense to me. I don’t want you to not be you.”She smiled and looked to the door where the waiter was checking in and motioned for more food. She looked at the ceiling and sighed, “I really do think you aren’t like any other man. Then again, I don’t think Goku was much for it either.”Vegeta scoffed. “He doesn’t seem to be much for Chichi though. That’s an odd match.”Bulma stifled a laugh. “I suppose it is. They make it work though. They married young. She tries to reel him in, but can only do so much. I think as long as Gohan ends up being a scholar she’ll be satisfied.”Vegeta was finally on his last plate of food. “He has real potential. It is a shame.”Bulma thought about what he said, “I think she sees the way it consumes Goku. I think all parents want better for their kids than themselves. I would hope if I ever had any they’d want to take over the company. It is everything to me, but I’d like them to still have a life.”Vegeta leaned back and rested his hands on his full belly. “That’s a legacy though. That makes sense. That’s how it is on my planet. You take over where your parents left off unless you have extremely low fighting power.”Bulma considered what he said, “You mentioned killing your father.”He eyed her across the table. He could tell by her expression she wasn’t condemning his words, but wished to understand. “If it was found out on my planet that we are involved and my father condemned it he could not relent. Relenting would be a weakness. I would have had to kill him.” Bulma still eyed him steadily processing what he was saying. How does he make her understand saiyan culture? “That way everyone’s pride is protected – my father’s included. I would have exerted my will as the heir apparent and no one else would oppose me. No saiyan wants to have an abnormally long life anyway.”She processed everything, “Wow. That’s . . . intense. I couldn’t imagine having to kill my parents.”Vegeta smiled softly, “I know it doesn’t make sense to you, but my father probably would have been proud I stood my ground. Proud and relieved. I doubt any other females would get my attention the way you have.”She shook her head and returned his soft smile. “I suppose I just have to take your word for it. I do think I understand better now.” She started smoothing her hair down again and put the wig and sunglasses back on. She exhaled shakily.Vegeta eyed her warily. He hoped taking her with him was the right thing to do. “It is time.”
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They flew in silence to Bannon’s estate. For as soft as his expression had been during their meal his expression now was grim and set. She supposed he was already trying to anticipate every contingency. She whispered in his ear, “I will stay hidden. I promise.”He held her close and kept his gaze set on the horizon. “You better.”Once they were on the other side of the west mountains the land settled into gently rolling hills. She looked down and could see the rows and rows of pecan trees. She exhaled. She could feel her pulse bumping in her chest, “We are already technically over his land.”Vegeta gritted his teeth, “It is vast. Dammit.” They touched down in the middle of the pecan grove. “Refresh my memory about the layout of the house.”She closed her eyes, “As soon as you walk in there is a open entry foyer. A spiral staircase. I know nothing about the layout of the upstairs. There’s a great hall for formal dining, an enormous kitchen.” She shook her head, “He didn’t really take me around the entire house. Just the downstairs. We spend the most time . . .” She paused and pointed, “You see that brick path?” He nodded and she continued, “That leads right up to the overlook where we ate outside.” She shook her head, “That’s the last thing I remember.”Vegeta looked up the brick path, “Where does that door go to?”Bulma looked and under the overlook there was a very old, stone cellar. The door looked surprisingly fortified for what amounted to a storm shelter. “That’s odd.”Vegeta relaxed slightly and smiled, “Definitely has some promise. I’m going first. You stay a few rows back in these trees. Give me a good head start after I get the door off. Stay against the walls and in the shadows as much as you can. This still doesn’t feel great. Almost too obvious.”Bulma took a deep breath and nodded. “I think no matter what we are in for some surprises.”He looked over his shoulder, “Yamcha is coming.”He got next to Bulma and they crouched next to the tree. From their angle they couldn’t see exactly where he landed, but it could be assumed he went to the front door. Bulma shuddered, “You were right. Bannon got to him. Makes my stomach turn.” She could feel Vegeta’s gaze on her, “I’m okay. I’m just so angry I’m shaking.”His stare at her was intense. “Hold on to that anger as long as you can think straight. It may serve you well. I know mine does.”She exhaled a shaky breath and whispered, “Okay. Let’s go.”Vegeta led the way calmly. It was quite a thing to watch. She figured he didn’t survive this long by making bad choices. When they got to the end of the pecan trees he signaled for her to stay put and she did. He walked up to the door and eyed it suspiciously. He hissed, “Not sure of this lock, but this appears to be armed in some way.”Bulma squinted at it. She whispered, “I know this! It is a multi-step lock and supposedly impossible to pick.” Without thinking she came jogging up and Vegeta scoffed at her. Before he had a chance to fuss she opened her emergency capsule case and pulled out magnifying goggles and highly complex, yet small tools. She grinned, “I’ve never tried this before.”Vegeta crossed his arms and grumbled under his breath. He chose to be a lookout instead of argue with her.It was taking much longer than she had hoped. Five minutes . . . seven minutes . . . she glanced at Vegeta and there was sweat on his brow. “Almost there . . . four down and four more to go.”As she started working on the fifth part of the lock things suddenly changed. Before she knew it Vegeta had thrown her back and she landed hard on her butt. He stood between her and the door. She rubbed her bottom and was about to curse at him, but was horrified by what she saw. His hands had instinctively covered his face. When he turned to her he dropped them for a moment and his face was covered in blood. “VEGETA!”“SHH!” He hissed. “I’m fine. I heard the lock make a noise and I wasn’t sure-” He cut himself off grunting in pain and clawing at his face. “Dammit I don’t know what it is, but it stings like hell.”Bulma gently took his hands down and grimaced at his face. “It looks like . . .” She touched his chest plate and pulled out a small metal bead, “Buckshot? Like from a shotgun? Covered in acid. God.”Vegeta growled quietly, “Fuck. Bastard. I was keeping my energy level down so low It left me vulnerable.”Bulma reached out to him, but he turned his back to her, “I’m sorry. I must’ve not heard-”“Shush. There’s no way YOU could have heard. I barely did.” He breathed in and out slowly. “I am going to stand between you and the door. Just get it done as quickly as possible.”She nodded. She knew better than to question him in this moment. He stood in front of her and she carefully wrapped her arms around him and continued to work. After all, most of working on this lock was what she could feel or hear and not what she could see. As she got through the sixth and seventh part her and Vegeta both tensed. She whispered, “Last one.”She heard Vegeta grunt and felt the spray of his blood on her face. She also felt stinging in her hands and knew she had been hit, although obviously he took the brunt of it. He hissed, “Fuck this guy. Damn him to hell!”The door slowly squealed open. It appeared to have not been opened in a long time judging by the buildup on the hinges. Bulma looked him over. Luckily his chest plate did its job, but any bit of exposed skin was bleeding. Unfortunately for him he was wearing sleeveless armor without his gloves. She shook her head and inspected her injured hands. “I don’t understand why he would use something so . . . primitive? I would assume he could have some up with something far more deadly.”Vegeta rolled his eyes, “Hmph. Says the woman NOT covered in blood.” He looked at her hands. “Tch.” They both glanced in. It appeared to be carved into a knob that the mansion was set atop of. It was dark and very quiet. There was a faint light at the end of a very long tunnel. “Not another word from you. And remember – Stay back and to the walls.”He didn’t hesitate and took off at a jog. He was clearly trying to put some distance between him and her. She followed slowly and did her best to hug the walls and keep to the shadows. In hindsight she wondered if it would have been more effective to have him rip that door off instead of going through the trouble of trying to pick the lock. She could see the blood dripping from his face, arms, and hands. It made her feel even more angry. Vegeta has been just as much a victim of this man as she had. And yet, he kept going.Despite how quiet she tried to be she could hear every shallow breath and footstep she took. She kept telling herself these things were only amplified because of her fear and adrenaline, but she found herself slowing her pace. She looked behind her and saw no one coming. She looked ahead and Vegeta appeared to be a speck at the end of the tunnel. She picked up her pace a tick and kept going. As she did so she slipped and fell to her knees and somewhat caught herself with her hands before she went flat. She cursed herself mentally. Apparently she can’t even walk when Vegeta is about to save the day. She looked at her hands and they were red. Red with Vegeta’s blood. That was what she slipped on. His trail of blood. He must be injured far worse than he let on. She wanted to throw caution to the wind and take off running. She felt like she needed to be at his side. She needed to protect him. She shook her head. How absurd.Vegeta had exited the end of the tunnel. She continued to hug the wall as much as she could and finally made it to the end. She glanced inside to see a state-of-the-art lab although it looked more like a dungeon than anything else. She muttered, “No work space my ass.” Her eyes adjusted to the light. This was easily three times the size of her personal lab. On her right were two cells for holding prisoners or test subjects. She wasn’t sure which and shuddered. A large island was in the middle with different beakers and flasks although it appeared to be dusty and hadn’t been used for quite sometime. On the left was a large empty, flat wall although there was some kind of control panel. She glanced towards the farthest wall from her and could see the staircase and doorway that presumably led to the mansion. Tucked under the stairs was a large tarp covering some type of large device. She barely made eye contact with Vegeta and he continued to investigate. It appeared to be completely empty of people.She heard what sounded like a static pop and suddenly Vegeta went rigid. He glanced over at her and the horror on his face was evident. It was the only way he could tell her to stay put. She heard a few more pops and clicks and he was suddenly and violently pulled to the center of the blank wall. She covered her mouth to quiet her gasp. The echo of his body slamming against the wall kept traveling up and down the tunnel. It was a gigantic magnet. The ENTIRE WALL was a gigantic magnet. He tried to kick his legs to get down, but it was to no avail. He yelled in pain and was unable to move his arms, shoulders, neck, or head due to the buckshot in his body. His face was contorted due to the metal being pulled by the magnetic force.The door leading from the mansion swung open and Bulma quickly dove for cover. It was Bannon and his butler. He was strolling as a man completely in control. It made her furious. The last time she saw him was before she lost consciousness.He flashed an untroubled smile, “To answer your question when we first spoke – Vegeta, is it – her capsules were disabled by a magnet. Not this one of course, but something smaller and covert. Many electronics can be ruined by them. To what do I owe the pleasure?”Vegeta bared his teeth clearly in too much pain to speak. He kicked his legs to get loose, but it was no use.“Ah, I have it turned up a smidge too high.” He pulled a remote out of his pocket and turned the dial back slightly. “Your friend Yamcha told me to be very careful with you. You aren’t what you seem apparently. He’s very scared of you.”Vegeta’s face turned to stone the moment the pain wasn’t excruciating. If looks could kill this is the point Bannon would die.Bannon made his way down the steps with his butler following closely behind. “Where is Bulma? I doubt you have the intelligence to pick a lock that complex, although you appear to have taken the brunt of the damage from it.” Vegeta still said nothing and stared at him coldly. “If you are trying to figure a way out of that I assure you it is a waste of time.”Bulma gritted her teeth. Being on the sidelines was already driving her insane. At least he looked like he could manage the pain. He made zero effort to look her way. She HAD to do something. She HAD to get him loose. How though? If she put herself in danger it would only make things even more dire.The door swung open again and this time Yamcha entered. She took a quiet breath in. He even looked different. Troubled. Like a cloud hanging over him. He floated down and landed in front of Vegeta. “If he doesn’t look like he’s in pain you have the level down too much. He’s extremely powerful despite his small stature.” Vegeta sneered in response, but Bannon listened and adjusted up the dial.She crouched down. She saw that look on Vegeta’s face enough to know he was figuring something out. The question was if he needed her to do what he had in mind.____________________________________________________________________________ Vegeta eyed Yamcha. He could tell he was not acting on his own. He looked even more exhausted than before and he was sure it was from failed attempts to fight what Bannon was doing to him. The strength of the magnet had been increased, but he refused to let the pain show. Yamcha kept slowly getting closer and closer. Doesn’t he know that he can more or less freely move his legs?Yamcha leaned in and spat on his face. Now was his chance, but to his surprise Yamcha whispered, “Kill me.” It jolted Vegeta back from his homicidal thoughts. It wasn’t an order, but more of a plea. Yamcha knew he didn’t possess the strength to stop the course he was on. Was the only reason he spat on him to give him a chance to kill him? Was it all for show?Yamcha turned his back to him. In less than the blink of an eye Vegeta raised his legs and secured the flat part of his right foot to the back of Yamcha’s head. He hooked his left foot around the front on his chin and made a quick counter-clockwise motion and snapped his neck. He looked up at Bannon before Yamcha’s body hit the ground. Getting to see the momentary look of shock and panic was satisfying, but he also heard a regrettable, muffled gasp from Bulma. Vegeta would win, but he had no clue how. There was no choice in the matter.The angry tick flashed across his face for a moment and then his countenance went back to the usual calm, pleasant one.”Too bad for Yamcha he was right about you.” He looked to his butler, “Cedrick, find her now.” And with that the butler took off to the tunnel.The butler was a wisp of a man. Not as tall as Bannon, but extremely lanky with a long hooked nose and spindly legs.Vegeta clenched his teeth. “Tch. You are already beaten.” To this Bannon just smiled bigger. “Bastard. I’m going to break each of your teeth out before I kill you.” He looked around and knew he needed to start formulating a plan. He looked and could see a large area outlined in yellow paint on the floor. He assumed this was the edges of the magnetic field.“I don’t expect you to understand.” Bannon looked towards the tunnel. “Ah, there she is. My future wife.”“What?!” Vegeta barely raised his arms off of the magnet and they slammed back down.The butler had a handful of her hair and was dragging her along. Bulma hissed, “You asshole!” She wriggled free and slapped the butler across the face. He was momentarily stunned and grabbed her hair once more and twisted her arm behind her back and she cried out in pain. When Vegeta caught sight of the butler’s face he could see Bulma’s handprint burned onto it. If he could have moved his face he would have smirked. He wasn’t sure exactly how things were going to shake out in their favor, but she was definitely no pushover.Bannon shook his head while laughing, “I love the fire she has. Too bad I have to extinguish it. Bring her here.”The butler dragged her all the way over to him and she elbowed him once more and threw her purse towards Vegeta. Just over a yellow line on the floor the magnetic force caught it, it flew fast and stuck to the wall near him. She continued to struggle and grunted, “My capsule case is in there.” The butler headbutted her. Vegeta could tell by her disorientation she was seeing stars.Vegeta snarled, “You’re dead. I don’t care if you are following orders.”The butler exchanged a look with Bannon and also smiled. He began pushing her toward Bannon. She tried to dig her heels in and her tennis shoes squeaked against the stone floor.“No!” Bulma started crying. “NO! Please!” Her face looked much the way it did when she was cowering under her desk. “You piece of shit!”Vegeta flexed and barely got his arms off again, “If you hate her so much why marry her? What kind of sadist are you?” Maybe if he could keep him talking he could buy some time.Bannon turned the dial up higher and Vegeta yelled as he was laid flatter against the wall. His face was now so contorted he was virtually unrecognizable to Bulma. He could feel the flow of blood from his wounds pick up.Bannon grabbed Bulma by the hair and forced her to look as Vegeta as tears streamed down her face. With his other hand he started rubbing her hand and punctured her skin with his fingernail. As he continued to rub at first she grimaced as if in pain then her face glossed over. The tears stopped for a moment. Every so often one fat tear would go down her cheek. Her face went completely blank. It was unnerving. Bannon let her go and she stood in place slightly hunched over and staring at Vegeta without recognition.“Ah, much better.” Bannon smiled, “I guess I don’t really need that Yamcha guy after all? I figured he’d be easy enough to get to since he fancies himself famous. Let me right into his condo. A little flattery goes a long way with that one.” Bannon looked at his hand and pulled the strands of hair from between his fingers that he had ripped from Bulma’s head. “As I said, I don’t expect you to understand. I mean initially I tried to kill her a few times. Alcohol poisoning, car going off the side of a mountain combined with hypothermia. Y’know things that really couldn’t be linked to me. There were a few other things we’ve tried and none of them worked.”Vegeta couldn’t make expressions. He could only growl in response. Bannon made her look like a fool more than he knew. For a while Bannon made Vegeta question if she had any amount of good judgment. The excessive drinking at her party was because of him.Bannon continued to smile and gave a slight chuckle. “Then it hit me. It was so obvious! I’ll just marry her instead.” Bannon pulled out two extremely large metal spikes from a drawer in the island work space. He walked closer to the yellow line that marked the magnetic field and it appeared he was going to try to aim them one at a time at him. Vegeta assumed this may be it for him. These were substantial. He released one and he felt it go through his one leg and shatter a bone in his lower leg. The snap of bone echoed down the tunnel and back. “Yes! Excellent. All those years of darts at college paid off.” He took aim at his other leg and was about to release when he glanced over his shoulder at his butler. “Oh how rude of me! Cedrick, would you like a try?”“Oh no, sir.” He pointed at his cheek that was swelling up, “I’m afraid I may miss and I know we need to get a move on with your plans.”“Good call!” Bannon looked back at Vegeta and took aim at his other leg. Vegeta held his breath as he released and this time it went into the fleshy part of his thigh. Bannon shook his head, “Well, that’ll never do. Gotta shatter that bone.” He reached for a third and released it quicker. It went right through the knee. Vegeta yelled in pain through clenched teeth. Bannon winced and laughed, “Whoo! Bullseye! I almost feel bad about that one.”Bannon walked back to the dial and took it back a few notches. Vegeta felt his face muscles relax slightly. He hurt all over, but if he could muster up the strength to pull his arms away he figured he could survive this. He tentatively tried to raise his right arm and it hit him how woozy and weak he was. Then he saw it. Her purse. The capsule case. Of course. That was her last ditch effort to help. Now it is on him.Bannon smiled pleasantly at him as if they were having afternoon tea. “Okay, so why marry her if I HATE her? Well, I have been her competitor for years. No matter what I do or come up with she’s always one – hell, even three –steps ahead of me. Do you have any idea what it is like to know you are giving your all and still just be second best? It was driving me insane. Before she took over the Capsule Corporation was third. Third! Even if I kill her, her father may still be a threat to my success. So . . . marry her. Have her have my child – or children y’know an heir and a spare – and truly secure my place. I’ll make a large number of capsules faulty using this magnet and ease in and take over. Then, POOF! No more faulty capsules.”Vegeta was catching his breath now that the pressure wasn’t so intense. In one very small way he did relate – being second to Kakarrot did make him feel insane sometimes. The fact he could remotely relate to him made him extremely uncomfortable. He didn’t condone his methods obviously. The idea of him having sex with her was almost too much for him to bear. There were more things he needed to know. He growled, “How? How are you doing this to her?”“That is just a happy little coincidence. A discovery. My first wife – rest her soul – had a lot of stakes in pharmaceutical development. The more agitated I became she suggested I try a new experimental drug. One that helps the rational and emotional parts of the brain communicate better.” He walked closer to Vegeta. Vegeta glanced at Bulma and she was still standing silently with tears slowly streaming down her face. “Then, BAM, out of the blue my wife says I’m using too much and was afraid of me. Wanted a divorce!” He laughed, “Insane.” He looked over his shoulder, “Bulma, come here you pig.”She slowly shuffled towards them. Vegeta could pick up on the slight increase in her breathing as she was trying to fight his orders. Did Bannon notice?Bannon draped an arm over her and pulled her close. “At least she’s pretty, am I right?” He leaned in and smelled her, “Oh God. She smells so good, too!” Vegeta growled and Bannon laughed and continued with his tale while he gently brushed her hair out of her face. “I could see she wasn’t thinking clearly so I slipped some of the drug to her and it had a very unexpected side effect. In addition to giving the person a euphoric feeling if someone in close proximity takes even the most minute dose you are in some ways directly connected to their thoughts. The secrets are what come first – dark desires, dirty deeds. The more mundane and day to day only come after some time. Upon further experimentation I could actually CONTROL my first wife. What a happy little accident. You have to get forehead to forehead to read the thoughts though. Let’s see what my future wife is thinking!”Vegeta felt his head getting heavy although Bannon couldn’t tell since he was being held up by the buckshot. He was about to pass out from blood loss. Not good. Sheer will is what kept his eyes focused. Bannon and Bulma stood directly in front of him. He tried to move his legs, but they were shattered. Vegeta could hear her breaths become more shallow as she fought internally and tears went down her cheeks at a rapid pace.Bannon leaned his head down and forward so his and her forehead touched. He chuckled, “You are so petite. The same size as your Vegeta here. Just so, so small.”Through gritted teeth Bulma managed, “Fuck you.”Bannon pulled his head back and scoffed, “I guess that high IQ of yours makes it not as effective. Little bitch.” He began to rub her hand again and as he did so Vegeta could see a tube like instrument he hadn’t seen before just under the skin in his wrist. Bannon saw Vegeta and added, “I have to have a steady stream of this stuff for me. I use my middle finger nail to puncture her skin and . . .”Her vacant expression was back. This time it hit her so hard even the tears stopped. Bannon leaned back down and put his forehead to hers. They both closed their eyes. He smiled and sniggered. “She wants you to kill me. I’m pretty sure that goes without saying though.” He focused in silence and she shook slightly. “My, my, my. She’s a bit of a pervert, isn’t she?”Vegeta bared his teeth, “You don’t talk about her like that.”“I told you – the desires and secrets are what come first. The things I really need to know – like how her company is so successful – that’ll come in time.” He took his head back and approached Vegeta. “She is terrified of having sex with me. She knows I mean to hurt her while doing so. The things she wants you to do to her though. My goodness. Have you two not even had sex?”Vegeta said nothing. He had no shame about this. His life up until meeting her wasn’t conducive to having relations. It was his and Bulma’s private business though. These were her private thoughts. He closed his eyes, “She can tell me anything she wants and I’ll listen. I don’t need to hear shit from you.”Bannon cocked his head at him, “Now where’s the fun in that? She wants you to hit it from behind so badly she’s almost cried over it just the other day. She wants you more than she’s ever wanted anything. She’s the most powerful and rich woman in the world so that’s saying something. It would almost be adorable if it wasn’t so pathetic! So much interest in a man that for the most part as been indifferent to her.”Vegeta swallowed and continued to not look at them. He was no closer to freeing himself. He assumed he knew what Bannon meant by hitting it from behind. He wasn’t completely dense, but something in his face betrayed his uncertainty.Bannon started laughing, “You’re kidding right? You’re a virgin?” He laughed even louder and his butler joined in. He sputtered trying to catch his breath, “It is also called doggie style. You bend her over and go to town. Hang on,” He looked at Bulma, “Come over here.”Bannon turned her around and bent her over right in front of him and he then began mockingly, dramatically pretending to thrust into her. He pulled her head back, "Bulma, moan like I'm Vegeta."Vegeta shut his eyes tight as she began moaning Bannon's name. “That’s enough.” Bannon kept going and Vegeta yelled and began to glow, “ENOUGH!” He pulled his arms and body down to his hips away for a moment causing Bannon to jump and put the dial at max power.Vegeta slammed against the magnet wall and went out cold.“Hey!” Bannon called to Vegeta. He clicked his tongue, “So that’s it, huh?” Bulma was still bent over in front of Vegeta looking dazed. Bannon rolled his eyes. “Ugh, get over here.” She slowly straightened up and walked over. Bannon looked at the tarp and to his butler, “Is that what Yamcha got from the compound?”He followed Bannon’s gaze, “Yes, sir, it is. Although I’m not entirely sure how they work.”“Hmm . . .” Bannon touched his chin in thought. “In that case then, Bulma and I will go up the stairs so we can have a good view of the grand finale. You get to do the rest.”The butler swallowed, but nodded. Bannon held out his hand and Bulma took it numbly and they made their way up the stairs. He pulled her close, “I’ve got a bit of an early wedding present for you.” He pointed down underneath the stairs. “I hope you enjoy it.” He gently kissed her on the temple and she made no move to acknowledge nor rebuff him. He sighed happily. “Everything. Absolutely everything is going according to plan. If it wasn’t for Yamcha this part of the plan would not have come together. I did intend to have him torture Vegeta a little bit while he is vulnerable, but oh well.” He glanced down as Cedrick removed the tarp. “The button is in the center of the back on each of them.” He looked at Bulma and there was a blink of recognition. “What better gift than to let you see how effective these bots are? Then, I’ll sweep – or knock – you off your feet. I haven’t really decided yet.” He grinned and she still didn’t react. “Whoo, I guess I did a little too much on you last time, huh?”The butler hollered up to them, “Okay they are powered-” jaws closed over his head and he was decapitated before he could say they were turned on.Bannon laughed, “Wowza Bulma! That’s crazy.” He pulled the dial out of his pocket and eyed Vegeta warily. If he left it on the bots would simply be pulled to the wall if they got too close. He looked at Vegeta and he was still completely out cold. “I’d almost feel sorry for him if he wasn’t my competition. I don’t understand how you could want him when you could have me.” He sighed, “Now the REAL show begins.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Vegeta was pissed at everyone and everything in this moment. Pissed at himself because he had more or less gotten himself knocked out. Pissed at Bannon because the caution in the back of his mind had been for good reason. Pissed at Bulma because . . . well, she did make him feel all these things. The way Bannon turned her around and pretended to have sex with her made him feel something in the depths of his soul he had never felt before. Territorial? Protective? It was a lot of things. A lot of new things. Make no mistake – if that was what Bulma wanted he would simply have to step aside. His pride would not allow him to intervene where he’s not wanted. That much mattered to him. If he was honest he needed to admit it to himself – he had grown to think of her as HIS and himself as HERS. If this is what love feels like it feels dreadful. He could confidently say he was more content before he felt these things, but still . . .He heard the metal clang of Bannon taking Bulma’s footsteps as they went up the stairs to the landing leading to his mansion. Also, he heard the tarp he had eyed when he first arrived being moved. He slit his eyes for a split second and was horrified to see the bots Bulma had made for him. It was a struggle to defeat one. Perhaps that was because of the limited space? As long as he got her out of here alive he could have a free-for-all. The space was possibly as much as fifteen times bigger than the gravity chamber. Enormous and cavernous. That should afford him some flexibility. First, he needed to get his wits about him. He had a few ideas before he was knocked out, but between that and the blood loss and the trauma of witnessing Bulma unable to put up a fight he was having trouble staying focused. Currently the dial was turned to maximum power and he had lost all feeling in the top portion of his body. His legs were shattered and were splintered in pain. He was bleeding profusely.Her purse. He remembered. He heard the unmistakable sound of the bots being powered on. All THREE bots being powered on. He then heard the sound of one of the bots attacking someone. The sound of bones and flesh snapping and ripping was something he knew all too well. He slit his eyes for a split second and could see the butler’s body kneel without a head and then fall to the ground. Bulma wasn’t safe up on the landing. If the bots extended their arms they could take her from him instantly. He had trouble making out what Bannon was saying to Bulma, but he could see him holding the dial that controlled how strong the magnetic force was. Whatever he was going to do he’d have to get the timing perfect.Bannon was gently touching her cheek with his back to Vegeta. He began to turn the dial down. He could feel his face again and the sensation was working down to his finger tips. The pain in his legs increased as his body went less rigid. What was Bannon saying to her? Without realizing it his eyes were completely open. Bannon was moving in for a kiss. He could feel a fire welling up in his chest and somehow the pain in his legs was dull and negligible. Bulma looked right into Vegeta’s eyes. There was recognition. Bannon pulled back at her expression and was about to turn when Bulma reached up and took his face in her hands and kissed him. Bulma reached down and lowered the dial the rest of the way without him realizing it and he dropped it on the ground so he could wrap his arms around her. Bulma began running her hands through his hair. Vegeta could move, but as soon as he realized this he started to fall forward along with Bulma’s purse. He could hear the whir of the bots coming towards him. He rolled painfully so her purse would hopefully be just within reach. He opened it. He opened the capsule case. The capsule case contained a single senzu bean.____________________________________________________________________________ The more Bulma moved the more she came back to herself. Perhaps increased blood flow made whatever toxins he injected her with move through the body quicker? Maybe it left the body quickly so he’d have to keep giving her a steady stream of the drug. As they walked up the stairs she only half heard what he was saying. She was focused on trying to check on Vegeta without him catching her. Once they were to the top of the stairs and turned she could see him clearly. He appeared to still be unconscious. She heard the tarp move underneath them and then he said something about the button being in the center of the back? She looked at him, but tried to hide any indications of alarm. How far was she going to have to go to keep his guard down? She turned more so she could seem as if she wanted to see the bots and that’s when it happened – the butler was completely decapitated. The sharp breath she took was thankfully very silent. She had to remember that she’s supposed to be heavily drugged at this point. Well, truth be told she WAS heavily drugged, but didn’t want to let on how aware she was. Things were still foggy, and it felt like time had a lag. After Bannon seemed completely unmoved by losing his butler he turned his back to Vegeta and the bots and lightly touched her face.His once charming smile was now vile and twisted. “I think I’ve decided that for romance’s sake the first time we have sex it’ll be very gentle, but don’t get used to it. I don’t want you to enjoy yourself. I think I’m more after your humiliation. That’ll get me off more than anything. Then, once you’ve had our children I’ll hopefully have refined my techniques with this medication and can get everyone convinced you’ve lost your mind. Death will be too easy for you. I want you to live out the remainder of your days in South Metro’s psychiatric ward.”Bulma breathed through her nose slowly. So far it was helping to keep her calm. He started to lean down to kiss her. She didn’t want this. She wanted to slap him the same way she slapped his now dead butler. She gave one last look to Vegeta before she submitted and kissed him. When she did she could see that he was fully conscious and angry. So angry that despite everything Bannon had done to her she was afraid for HIM. She looked up and she could tell Bannon suspected she was looking at something. She took his face in her hands and kissed him with everything she had. While he still held the dial she adjusted it all the way down without him noticing. Bannon’s arms shot around her and held her close. She nudged it further away from them with her foot. He was in a frenzy on her. She started roughly running her hands through his hair and he lifted her up so her legs wrapped around him. Did he REALLY think she was going to have sex with him here? One of his hands slid under the back of her top and he was unhooking her bra. Good grief.___________________________________________________________________________ Vegeta swallowed the senzu. He looked up and could see the three bots careening towards him. He could see Bannon had lifted Bulma and her legs were wrapped around him and they were still kissing. He suddenly felt his body become light. The buckshot came out of him and lightly pinged on the floor. His skin that had been melted by the acid healed. He gritted his teeth as the bones in his legs rearranged and repaired. He knew it was going to hurt, but somehow nothing really prepares you for that feeling. His vision cleared and his energy level soared. He refocused on the bots.The one on the very right was closest. He ran to it. It tried to grab him with its left claw, but he dodged it easily and grabbed the left arm. He wished there was time to spin it around a few times and build up momentum, but the other two bots were close behind. He spun it once as fast as he could and threw it into the other two. Considering the hell he went through perhaps things were finally looking up.___________________________________________________________________________ Bulma kissed Bannon’s neck and could see Vegeta standing and looking better. She unwrapped her legs from his waist and pushed Bannon back and at first he didn’t seem to notice. Her limbs felt heavy. Resisting was so hard it was exhausting her. She hissed, “Get the fuck off me!”Bannon looked shocked at her, but before he could do anything they heard a loud crash. They both looked down and could see the bots in a heap in the corner of the lab near the holding cells. Vegeta was nowhere to be seen. “Shit.” Bannon leaned over to try to see him, but no luck. He felt over his chest pocket and pants pockets and only then realized he didn’t have the control for the magnetic wall. He turned his gaze back on Bulma. There it was. The angry tick he hid so well. Only this time he made no attempt to hide it. There was no masking for the masses. There were no attempts at manipulation. There was no room he could command. Everyone left here knew the truth about him. He tried to reach for her to force more of the medication on her, but as he did she scratched the side of his face. Her hand and arms felt like puddy so how she managed it she doesn’t know.Bulma was terrified. Even though as far as they knew at this point he didn’t have a ki he was a massive person. He easily a foot taller than her and his shoulders were twice as broad than hers. It seemed insurmountable to her, but if Vegeta can rally back she sure as shit could, too. Those scratches were only the beginning.She continued to backup to get distance between them and he actually hesitated. She kept moving back until she had nowhere else to go. She looked and the stairs leading down to the lab were directly behind her. Shit.Bannon smiled and wiped his bleeding, scratched face. “I suppose you are all out of ideas.” He popped his knuckles and neck as he approached her and laughed. “Gentle? What was I thinking? My first wife always said to go with your gut. I will do with you as I please and once I have you under my control you’ll beg me for more no matter how much pain I cause you.” He sauntered to her. He didn’t even have the decency to run at her like his days were numbered.Bulma glanced quickly behind her. She knew if she went down to the lab it would put more pressure on Vegeta. She put her hands into fists and clenched her teeth, “You talk a big game for a man that has to drug me to get his way.”He lunged for her and she tried to resist tensing while closing her eyes tight, but never felt him connect. She heard HIS blood curdling scream. Vegeta took the arm he reached out to Bulma with and was bending it back and as his arm broke the pop echoed through the lab. Vegeta smiled, “I owe you one more broken limb and so, so much more.” Vegeta let him go and held his palm flat. Bannon’s eyes popped and he backed away cradling his arm. Vegeta shot several small ki blasts that launched Bannon to the far end of the landing. He wasn’t knocked out, but was injured severely. He turned to look at Bulma the concern obvious on his face. Once he could see she was fine he smiled. “Try to get back to the tunnel. I’ll do the rest.” He powered up and went back down to the bots.She was breathless as she watched him. She jumped and yelled after him, “YES! Get ‘em!” She looked over at Bannon. He was conscious, but still slightly dazed by being thrown. He stared at Bulma angrily, but did not dare move. She grinned and turned her attention to Vegeta and whispered. “You’ve got this.”____________________________________________________________________________ Vegeta felt exhilarated. As he made his way back down to the lab floor he could see victory and hear Bulma cheer him on. It was odd having someone cheer for him, but he didn’t dislike it. The robots had righted themselves now. The solution to defeat them was so simple. Why it didn’t occur to him when he was in the fourth one’s clutches for hours on end he’ll never know.He faced all three of the bots. This time the one in the middle was in the front with the other two flanking it on either side. He didn’t want to be reckless, but he wanted to make this quick so he could go back toying with Bannon.Without warning the one on his left extended its arms to grab him. He back flipped and floated away toward the magnetic wall. He sprung off of it and moved so fast that to the observer he disappeared, but in fact he moved behind the one on his right. The arms of the bot on his left curved around to catch him, but actually grabbed the bot on the right. He again moved fast enough to vanish and appeared in front of the middle bot. When it attempted to grab him he moved again and it latched down hard with its claws and jaws on the extended arms of the left bot.He flew high to survey what was done so far. The left bot was being held on the arms by the middle bot’s jaws and claws. The right bot was being held by the claws of the left bot. He looked to make sure Bulma was making her way to the tunnel and she was sitting on the bottom step making sure it was okay to keep going. He looked and Bannon had barely moved. Vegeta bared his teeth at him. He better not die yet. He motioned to Bulma to keep going. She blew him a kiss and he turned red. She giggled and kept moving as close to the ground as possible. He smiled lightly. He’ll make her pay for that later.He started moving again. He gambled that once the bots attached to another bot they would remain clamped down for a total of three hours as long as they didn’t sense movement. So far the bots were still trying to break free. He also knew that they had the ability to adapt and communicate so he need not delay. He materialized in the air behind the bot that was on his left. He rested each foot on what effectively would have been the shoulders and reached over and grabbed under the teeth of the top jaw. Using the strength of his entire body he began pulling the bot back. He started yelling and powering up and continued to pull. He had room to work. Within reason he didn’t have to worry about blowing anything up. No cuts to his hands this time because he didn’t have to hold back. He was prepared and using his ki to protect himself. The bot was robust. He felt surely by now the head would have dislodged at the jaw. He growled behind clenched teeth and his aura spread and began to graze the other two bots. He closed his eyes and forced himself to relive the moment he saw Bannon kiss Bulma. Relive the moment Bulma flenched as if being hit. Relive the moments he shared with her that he tried to not dwell on because he was certain nothing like that would ever happen. He felt his muscles bulk suddenly. He opened his eyes again and gave one last pull with all his might and instead of separating the jaws he ripped the entire head off.He glanced towards Bannon and he was crawling to the door that led to his mansion. Vegeta threw the bot’s head at the door and as it landed the jaws kept clenching in a last ditch effort to do what it was programmed to do. Vegeta pointed at Bannon and shot a small blast off at him that burned through the flesh of one shoulder. He roared, “You’re going NOWHERE!”Bannon rolled almost back to where he had been resting and glared at Vegeta. Vegeta cackled at his displeasure. Bulma had made it to the tunnel and crouched down to where all he could see were her eyes and the top of her head. He let a small sigh escape. No more messing around. It is time to finish this.He looked back up at Bannon and he was still glaring at him. He appeared directly in front of Bannon, making him jump. He grabbed him up by his injured shoulder and he screamed in pain and he flew him towards the tunnel and dropped him. Vegeta sneered, “Oops clumsy me. Stay there and don’t even think about moving towards Bulma.”As he flew back to the bots he could hear Bannon curse under his breath at him. He went back to the landing and grabbed the control for the magnetic wall. He turned it up full blast. The bots weren’t quite in range to be pulled to it so he flew back down behind them. They were starting to untangle themselves. He decided to use his lucora gun technique so he could give just enough energy to push them to the magnet and then stop blasting when they were ready to flee the lab. He inhaled slowly as he focused his energy and began shooting the small yellow/white blasts and slowly move the bots. Once they were in range of the wall there was a small metallic whimper as the bots attempted to stay put and then they were abruptly slammed against the wall. They hit the wall so violently the left and middle one were broken into pieces. The right one was still operational, but unable to move.He looked up at the ceiling and sighed, shaking his head. There were a few moments that this outcome did not seem possible. Bulma popped up and came running. It was quite the sight to be cheered on by anyone, but for it to be her was indescribable. Without thinking she threw her arms around him. He glanced to make sure Bannon hadn’t moved and allowed himself a moment to pull her close and bury his nose in her hair. He pulled back and only realized he was still covered in dried blood.She tried to hide her tears and sniffled, “You saved me again. It is done. It is finally done. I can go back to how my life was.”How her life was? He pulled her back and looked into her eyes, “It is ALMOST done. I’m removing every trace of this place so if anyone else thinks they can come along and continue his work they are sorely mistaken.” He walked toward Bannon and he attempted to roll away. Vegeta laughed, “Oh no, I wouldn’t even bother trying to get away.”He picked Bannon by his injured shoulder and looked him in the eyes then gave one effortless punch to his gut. Bannon doubled over sputtered blood. Bulma gasped as Vegeta threw him the entire length of the tunnel. He looked at her, “If he’s robust enough he’ll have survived that. Now stand in the tunnel and I’ll be along.”Bulma nodded and ran to the tunnel and stood. Vegeta turned and began powering up. His yell echoed up and down the tunnel. He wanted to make the blast big enough to destroy the entire estate, yet slow moving enough that he could grab Bulma and fly away. The power kept building in him. The control he mastered thanks to his tireless efforts and Bulma’s innovations was evident. He had the ability to incinerate entire planets, but that isn’t what he wanted to do now. He opened his eyes and held out his flattened palm. He snarled, “BIG BANG ATTACK!”As soon as it was released from him he flew and grabbed Bulma and made his way down the tunnel. As the fallout from the blast got closer she screamed into his shoulder. Bannon was unconscious close to the end of the exit of the tunnel. He had landed in a heap with one leg in the air. He held Bulma close with his left arm as she continued to scream and grabbed Bannon by his foot and swung him like a rag doll against the walls of the tunnel. Vegeta was laughing like a maniac the entire way.He flew a half mile away to what was the very outskirts of Bannon’s land. He dropped Bannon from high up and landed gently with Bulma. He looked at her and smiled. Her hair was standing on end. She looked troubled though. He cocked his head, “What’s wrong?”Her eyebrows went down and she began anxiously working her hands. “Vegeta, why didn’t you just leave him in the lab when you blew it up?”He eyed her steadily. He knew she already knew the answer. He crossed his arms. “Best to not leave anything to chance. I want to see the life drain from his body. Also, I have a few questions that I will . . . compel him to answer”Bulma shuddered and nodded. She didn’t protest though.,”Okay.”He turned his attention to Bannon who was now conscious and in shock that everything was gone and the piles that remained smoldered. Vegeta crouched down, his face unforgiving. “I have some questions for you. How you answer them will determine the technique and duration of your death. I would choose your words wisely.”Bannon sneered, “Fuck you. I’m not telling you shit.”The next thing he knew was Bulma’s foot swung in front of him and kicked out several of Bannon’s teeth. Vegeta actually fell backwards from his crouching position and looked at her in shock. Bulma leaned over Bannon, “Answer his questions. You don’t want someone like him getting creative.” She stomped away and sat on a small rock with her back to them.Vegeta stood and brushed himself off and cleared his throat. “Yeah, what she said.” He crossed his arms and smiled at her back then his face went to stone again. “I need to know how long she will be affected by that drug. I need to know when she will feel safe in her own bed again. I need to know when she will be herself again.”Bannon laughed while spitting blood, “Oh, so that worked huh? I wasn’t sure if it would. She can’t work if she can’t sleep, now can she? Anything work related would activate the fight or flight portion of her brain.” He managed to stop laughing when he saw Vegeta’s expression. “Honestly? I don’t really know. It was something new I tried just with her. Something special. It was very difficult to accomplish, but I managed it at the end of our romantic rendezvous. She may never be exactly the same.”Vegeta cracked his neck loosening up. “Oh, she slept. I tucked her in personally. I don’t like your answers though. Best guess may redeem yourself slightly.”Bannon gave the first real indication of his fear, “I. Don’t. Know. A month maybe? The ability to control people can last several weeks. As I already explained reading the mind only works if you and another person take the drug and touch foreheads.”Vegeta glanced at Bulma and could see her shoulders bouncing from crying silently at his answers. He smiled, which made Bannon jump and appear more uneasy. He chuckled, “Oh, you should be afraid. Terrified, even. And yet you don’t look as scared as she did when I saw the full effects of what you did to her.” Vegeta took his own hand and made a fist digging his nails into his palm and drawing blood. Vegeta held it in front of him laughing. He materialized in front of Bannon and he flinched. “Why don’t you see what’s on my mind?”Bannon scoffed, “You’ve got to be joking? How do you know I won’t make you afraid of everything just like I did her?”Vegeta smiled, “You don’t have much time left and I doubt you can exert that much effort. I want to make sure you fully understand who you are dealing with.”He held out his hand and Bannon eyed it warily and looked disgusted, “This damned curiosity of mine . . .”Bannon almost took Vegeta’s hand to give him the drug and Bulma slapped Bannon. She shook her hand in pain as she forgot about the buckshot. She growled at Vegeta, “Don’t you dare do that!”Vegeta gently took her by the elbows, “This is something I have to do.”She shook her head and then hung her head. “What if you won’t be the same afterwards?”Vegeta hissed, “Have faith in me, will you?! I’ve gotten us this far!”“UGH!” She threw her hands up in the air and sat back on the rock with her back to them. She muttered something under her breath about saiyans and refused to look back.Vegeta rolled his eyes at her and muttered to himself and despite his imminent demise Bannon looked slightly amused by their exchange. Vegeta bared his teeth, “Do it NOW dammit.”Before there could be any more interruptions he reached out and administered the drug. What immediately struck Vegeta was the distinct feeling that something was very, very wrong. He felt like he was in a whirlpool being pulled down and the harder he fought the less control he had. He supposed he was lucky though. His vision remained. He could see everything including Bulma barely peaking over her shoulder at him to make sure he was okay. His breathing accelerated and Bulma rushed to be by his side.Bannon sneered, “I’m not any more thrilled by this than you, but we have to touch foreheads now.”Vegeta had his breathing more under control now and leaned forward as did Bannon. The sensation was . . . odd. He felt like he had a migraine and its location kept moving in his brain. Like a painful worm moving in his skull. If he hadn’t known what was happening he could have been clawing at his own head.Bannon started laughing, “My goodness. Your brain is totally unlike anything I’ve experienced. Very compartmentalized. Harder to see what I want to see that’s for sure. You spend A LOT of time thinking about Bulma though. Every now and then I get a little treat and see her from some of your more . . . compromising views.”Vegeta gritted his teeth, “That’s not why you are in there. Keep looking.”Bannon shrugged, “I see her a lot in her lab coat. At her party in her lab coat? She wasn’t even wearing it there. Weird. Perhaps a hint on what I’m looking for? All I can sense is your enormous amount of self-loathing. Pathetic.”Bulma interjected, “Maybe you should stop? You should stop.” They both ignored her and she punched Bannon in his injured shoulder. He fell backwards and yelped.“Tch. DON’T INTERRUPT! I have a purpose here! Understand?!” Vegeta roughly sat Bannon back up. “You aren’t done yet!Bannon eyed Bulma, “Fine. Whatever. Don’t let her touch me again.”“Trust me. There’s more you are going to want to see.” Vegeta leaned forward again and Bannon reluctantly leaned forward as well.Bannon grimaced as he focused. “The drug is running low in my pump I use for this. And the rest has been destroyed in my lab-” He abruptly stopped. He immediately broke into a cold sweat. His breath became shaky and rapid. “W-W-Who are you?! How many? How many have you even killed? Do you know?” He shook so horribly from fear Vegeta pulled back completely cutting off their connection.Bulma leaned back and looked at Bannon’s face. Vegeta stood and took him by his hair and forced him to face Bulma. “Bulma, look at him. Look at his face.”She didn’t want to look, but she forced herself. She swallowed and started tearing up.Bannon began to cry. Vegeta shook Bannon’s head as he spoke, baring his teeth, “This is what you did to her and this is what I do to you. You think you are evil for what you did to her? You don’t know evil. I am evil incarnate. Do you have any other smart ass comments or threats?”Bannon was speechless and began urinating all over himself and Bulma turned no longer able to look at him. Vegeta scoffed, disgusted. “Good grief. Enough. I’ve had enough of you, you bastard. You aren’t even worth my time. You definitely aren’t worth one of my finer techniques.” He threw Bannon down. Bannon buried his eyes in his arms and didn’t dare look up.Bulma gently put a hand on Vegeta’s arm and he came back to himself for a moment. She hesitated, “What are you going to do to him? How are you going to do it?”Vegeta faced her and gently tucked her hair behind her ear. “I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about that. If I’m honest the first time I wanted him gone was when you went for your initial meeting. The first time I wanted him dead was when I saw how terrified you were. I . . . I never wish to see that again. I had to keep him alive up until now. I had to know you could be YOU again.” He looked at Bannon sobbing to himself, “While some poor excuses for men want women submissive and stupid I’m not one of them. I needed to mentally prepare myself to do whatever I had to do to get you back, but I digress. I don’t know if Bannon saw what I had planned for him, but I have something PERFECT for scum like him. Something new.” Vegeta leaned in and kissed her deeply. She kissed him back and wrapped her arms around him. He rested his forehead on hers. She tensed. He tensed.The connection. They forgot that both of them had taken the drug. She could see his mind. He could see hers. They both wanted to pull away, but were unable to do so. Vegeta could see every fantasy she had about him in very quick succession. He could feel what she felt when she looked at him and it was very similar to how he felt for her. It was . . . incredible and impressive. He wasn’t sure what she could see, which alarmed him. It was easier for him to feel Bannon in his mind, but with Bulma it felt . . . softer. It hit him in the pit of his stomach. She knew he was far from innocent, but the full magnitude of the things he had done would be a revelation. He didn’t want HER to know. He exhaled and pulled away and he took her hands in his. Her face was tear stained and she was flushed.____________________________________________________________________________ Bulma jerked her hands out of his and took a few steps back. She simply had no idea. She looked up at Vegeta. He almost looked childlike. Much like he did in some of his first traumatic memories. Most of his life had been receiving and inflicting pain. In almost all of his memories of her it was clear how much she meant to him. It was different, that's for sure. How much he had been watching her. Looking out for her. To see herself through his eyes was an experience. There was no one else he had ever seen the way he saw her. She was now certain of it. She felt as if he worshiped her.She took a few more steps back. Vegeta stood still. He didn’t reach out for her, but he didn’t walk further back. For a moment she was so consumed with what she saw that him seeing her thoughts was the least of her concerns.Vegeta swallowed slowly, “Do you want me to tell you what I intend to do to Bannon?”Bulma tried to be calm, “I-I just saw what you are going to do to him. I hope you don’t want me to be there for that?”“No.” Vegeta immediately turned on his heel and began dragging Bannon back to where his mansion once stood. Bannon screamed as Vegeta ripped off his arms one at a time on his way and carried them with him. Bulma knew it was so he couldn’t somehow administer more of the drug, but it wasn’t any less jarring to see how casually he was able to do this.Once they were on the other side of some of the still smoking remnants of the house Bulma fell to her knees. She felt an overwhelming sense of . . . something. It was hard to put her finger on it. She knew that despite everything she saw she didn’t fear him. She knew that she trusted him. The fact that she may have as much as one month of fear ahead of her was exhausting. Knowing what Vegeta was about to do was disturbing, but she had to remember what Bannon had planned for her. Vegeta probably saw the vile things Bannon had planned for her when he read her mind.__________________________________________________________________________ Vegeta began dragging Bannon by one of his legs. Bannon wailed. Vegeta looked at him disgusted, “I’m surprised you haven’t already bled out. You are more hardy than expected. So were you able to see what I had planned?”Bannon shook his head no feverishly, “I saw so many other things. Who are you? What are you?”He exhaled annoyed, “I’m afraid we are out of time. You won’t last much longer now so let me tell you how you will die.” He smiled his own toothy grin that made Bannon resume crying. “I developed a new technique for cooking turkeys. Usually I just shoot a blast at them. They are a little charred on the outside though. If I concentrate just right I can cook them perfectly from the inside out. I wanted to make it more agreeable to my woman’s tastes.”Bannon yelled, “Y-Y-You intend to EAT me?!”Vegeta laughed, “Oh, no, no, no. Not eat you. You’d probably taste horrible. I DO intend to cook you from the inside out. I’ll drag it out as long as I can and make it as excruciating as possible.”Bannon screamed and begged, “Just-Just let me bleed out. This is painful enough. PLEASE!”Vegeta put him up on his knees and walked behind him. He placed a hand on each bloody hole where his arms once were and used his ki to cauterize the wounds. The bleeding stopped. He sneered, “You saw my thoughts. Has begging for mercy ever worked before?” He leaned close to Bannon’s ear, “As long as you breathe she isn’t safe. You tried to humiliate her. You terrified her. All this under my watch! Where was your mercy when you spoke of RAPING her?! Or forcing her to bear YOUR children?! Making the world think she was insane?! You picked the wrong woman to cross!” Vegeta turned. He could feel hs eyes filling with tears. He didn’t want Bannon to see. Perhaps reading her mind and feeling things the way she felt them got to him more than he realized.Bannon weeped, “Please. I was wrong! Please!”He gritted his teeth and faced him with a few tears staining his own face. He thought Bannon would laugh or taunt him. Instead he was horrified. Vegeta picked him up by his hair and carefully placed one hand on each side of his rib cage at a time. “She is MINE . . . If she will have me.” He began to slowly power up and he could hear Bannon start to gurgle, “So now I send you to hell where no doubt I will meet you one day. You will be nothing but a rumor on this planet.” Vegeta forced the energy down to Bannon’s toes first and let it work itself back up.Bannon clenched his jaw and sniggered at Vegeta, “She’ll never let you touch her now. Now that she knows the truth about you she thinks you are a bigger monster than me.” His eyes widened and he was unable to speak. He tilted his head back and opened his mouth wide in an attempt to breath, but exhaled smoke as his lungs cooked.It was done. Vegeta threw him and his arms into the rubble. He whispered, “If she never lets me touch her again so be it. She’s safe. As long as I am here she will be safe. She deserved to see you terrified. I earned the right to make you suffer.” He wasn’t sure why he needed to justify it. He held out his hand and blasted Bannon’s remains to dust.He crouched and held his head in his hands. How come every time things go his way he still somehow feels like he lost? He should be celebrating with her now, but he wasn’t even sure how to face her, much less fly her back to her compound. He forced himself to stand and set his jaw. He whispered, “One thing at a time.”He walked slowly back to her. This was supposed to be his victory. He was supposed to feel invincible now. The internal struggle was painful. He can’t change his past nor would he. If things hadn’t happened the way they did – his planet being destroyed, his being forced into servitude by Freiza, his coming to see who was capable of killing Raditz, his retreating to Namek to get his wish granted, being accidentally wished back to life, and her inexplicably allowing him to stay on her compound, her being the first person in adulthood to treat him with true respect – he never would have known her or had her. Sure, there was a lot of death and destruction along way. A few genocides here or there. If changing one part of the course of his life meant he never met her he would choose to experience them again and again.He walked through the smoke and could see Bulma on her knees with her face in her hands. He stood looking at her vulnerable form. Of all the outcomes he expected when things started to turn in their favor this certainty wasn’t one of them. Some of the rubble shifted under his weight and she immediately stood and wiped her face. She was trying to spare his feelings.She faced him, her face red from crying. “Is it done?”“Hnn. It’s done.” Vegeta watched as she slowly turned and looked at him. She looked apprehensive and hesitated for a moment. Then she ran to him and he took her in his arms. He held her close as she buried her face in his neck. He really wasn’t sure what to say. Was there even anything to say at this point? Is this the last time he’ll hold her?Bulma whispered, “I’d like to see my parents.”“Of course. We can see how you do at home if you want. Or get anything you want to make you comfortable elsewhere.” He ran his fingers through her comically huge hair. “Give me the dragon radar when the timing is right and I will find the dragon balls so you can wish back Yamcha and Puar.”She held him closer and they stood in silence for a few minutes. She murmured, “Why the lab coat? Some of those memories I know I wasn’t wearing it.”Vegeta turned red and stammered. “I didn’t want him to see you and . . . I suppose it reminds me of what you are capable of. I . . . like it.”He could feel her smile against his neck, “I’ll get things together to stay elsewhere. We’ve come this far so may as well not be impatient now. Is that okay?”He continued to stroke her hair, “Yes. Beach or mountains? I’ll find somewhere for you. Aside from the initial hiccups Mac and Rhonda have been running the company smoothly.”She pulled back and looked him in the eyes. “I need to say something to you.”Oh boy. Here it comes. This day has already gone downhill in so many ways why not be told she no longer wants anything to do with you? He exhaled, “Hnn?”She gently touched his face. “I am going to need some time to think. As much as I want you with me I think I’d prefer for us to be apart until I’m back to being myself. Now that the danger has passed, could my mother please stay with me?”Vegeta wanted to argue. He wanted to try to reason with her and understand what is so different now than the rest of the time they were together aside from Bannon being dead. He held his tongue. He knew insisting he be with her would be wrong. She knew better than him what was good for her. He simply wanted what would make HIM comfortable. The selfish part of him felt he deserved it. He tried to betray nothing with his face. “We should do whatever you think will get you to heal.”
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As soon as they landed at the compound her parents came running and wrapped their arms around her and walked her into the main house. Bulma looked over her shoulder at Vegeta and he watched her until the door closed behind them.Mrs. Briefs looked at her with worry lines on her face, “Oh dear. You look so tired. Is everything . . . taken care of?”Bulma exhaled and hung her head, “Yes, and I have a huge favor to ask.”Once her dad was satisfied that things were okay he gave them space to talk as he often did, but did remain in the room. Mrs. Briefs rubbed the back of her hand and Bulma winced, “Of course, Dear. Anything.”Bulma could already feel the weight of whatever he put in her head closing in on her as they entered her room. “We are hopeful that things will be back to normal in about a month. Would you be willing to stay with me elsewhere until then?”Mrs. Briefs hesitated and exchanged a glance with Dr. Briefs and then smiled sweetly, “Sure. Where are we going?”Bulma smiled softly, “Vegeta is going to try to find a nice area and we’ll bring our own capsule house. Before we go though, I need to pack and I want to take a shower in my own bathroom.”Mrs. Briefs stood abruptly. “Oh! Okay, Dear. I need to pack then.” She glanced at Dr. Briefs, “Help pack will you, Honey?” He excused himself to get started.She was about to leave the room and Bulma stopped her with a hand on her arm, “One more thing – Please don’t set me up on any dates now or ever.”Mrs. Briefs smiled and patted her hand forgetting about it being hurt, “Dear, I didn’t even start looking. I figured Vegeta may be listening in and that would get a little fire going under his perfectly sculpted butt. Did it work?”Bulma’s jaw dropped and she muttered, “I-I’m not sure if I’m honest.”“Pity. Well, I’m off to pack!” And Mrs. Briefs flitted out of her bedroom.She sat on her bed a little in shock. She chuckled to herself. Her mom may just be a genius. A manipulative or somewhat evil genius, but a genius nonetheless. She opened a capsule for her clothes and grabbed whatever she could find as quickly as she could find it. Armsful from each drawer and two armsful from her closet. It didn’t really matter what she wore. She felt it would more than likely only be her mother and Rhonda that would see her.She grabbed a casual outfit for after her shower. As she stripped off her clothing she realized how hurt her hands were. She didn’t have the nerve to get the buckshot out of her own hands. Someone else would have to do it for her. She got in the shower and tried to keep her hands elevated out of the water and heard a light tapping on the door. “Mom?” From behind the door she heard her mom say she was all packed. Wow. That was very fast. “Can you maybe help get this buckshot out of my hands?”Mrs. Briefs threw the door open, “BUCKSHOT?!”Bulma doubled over to cover herself, “JEEZ! Yes, Mom, buckshot.”Mrs. Briefs walked up to look at her hands. “Wrap yourself in a towel. This may be a better job for your Dad. He has steadier hands!”As her mother walked off she turned off the water and wrapped herself in a towel. She sat at the vanity and looked in the mirror. She only had about 10 or so buckshot in her hands. When she considered Vegeta had been eat up with them she was doing really well.Her parents reentered and her father had a first aid kit tucked under his arms and some tools he had in a sanitizing solution. Her heart rate was increasing, but she felt pretty confident her Dad would do just as good a job at this as any doctor.She stared in the mirror as her father started working. It was painful and painstaking work. Her father had sweat on his brow and put on some magnifying glasses and leaned in close. Every so often she would take a sharp breath in through her teeth. Every time she started feeling sorry for herself she remembered the ordeal Vegeta went through. And he was already out looking for somewhere for her to be safe.Bulma smiled as she took in another breath, “You two should have seen Vegeta. He’s so incredible. And smart. And brave.” Her lip quivered.Mrs. Briefs held her cheeks in her hands, “Oh my! I’m so sorry you got hurt, but I’m so happy you had a bit of an adventure!”Dr. Briefs mumbled, “Two more to go sweetie.” He sat up and took off the glasses for a moment and wiped his brow and smiled. “I’m glad he kept you so safe. He’s a great young man. He looked pretty rough when you two landed.”Bulma was about to wrap her arms around herself, but her mother took the hand he was done with and began to wrap it in bandages. “I just feel so guilty. I feel like I’ve brought him so much trouble. I hate it.”Mrs. Briefs eyebrows went down, “You didn’t bring him any trouble. That Bannon did! You have supported Vegeta and he has supported you. That’s how things should be.”Dr. Briefs put his glasses back on and leaned in to get the last two. He murmured, “He has some business acumen about him. Smart lad. I guess that’s what you get with a prince, eh?”Mrs. Briefs fanned her face, “I completely forgot he was a prince!”Bulma started having tears go down her face thinking about his life. He certainly hadn’t lived like a prince for a long time. Right when Dr. Briefs got the last buckshot out they all heard someone at the doorway clear their throat.Vegeta. It wasn’t clear how long he had been there. He looked exhausted. Her parents excused themselves quickly so they could have some privacy. He knelt near her and started bandaging her other hand. Once he heard her door close he began. “I think I found a place. It is nestled between two mountains and there is a creek running nearby. It sounds . . . nice.”As soon as he finished bandaging her hand she wrapped her arms around him. He gave a long sigh and sat on the floor and held her across his lap. She swallowed, “Are you okay?She could feel him smile, “I am fine. Just tired.” He hesitated, “You?”She pulled him close, “I know I’m afraid because of what he did. Logically I should not be scared, but I’m ready to leave. I keep thinking about what Bannon would be doing to me right now.”Vegeta shook his head, “Don’t put yourself down for things you can’t control.” He ran his fingers through her wet hair. “You still have debris in your hair.”Bulma lightly giggled. “I couldn’t really get it clean because of my hands.”Vegeta helped her stand and looked at her vanity and grabbed a brush. “Sit.”She sat and he started to gently brush her hair. She closed her eyes and smiled. “I love having my hair played with. This is nice.” She closed her eyes, “How long had you been standing there?” He didn’t respond so she opened her eyes. He was staring at all the buckshot that had been taken out of her hands. “Vegeta.” He looked at her in the mirror, “How long had you been standing there?”He smiled softly, “Long enough.” He set the brush down, “What else needs to be done before you can leave?”Bulma smiled, “One more thing. Another favor.” Vegeta rolled his eyes, but then smirked. She was surprised he didn’t protest. “Would you fly my mother out first? I think she would get a real kick out of it.”He slowly exhaled, clearly annoyed. “Fine. Never thought I’d be degraded to a taxi service though. Just don’t tell anyone I brushed your hair.”She smiled. “I’m just about to really put my parents out and I think it is something she’ll reflect back on the rest of her life.” He scowled and crossed his arms. She stood and dropped the towel. She thought his eyes would pop out of his head. “Wanna help me get dressed?” She motioned to her clothes. He nodded and helped her step into her panties and pants first. As she jumped to help him get the pants over her hips. “I never thought you’d have to help me get dressed.”He eyed the buckshot again, “It was my failure that got us here.”Anger welled up inside of her, “YOUR failure?!” She faced him, her hands on her hips, “I’d be dead or worse if it wasn’t for you. Bannon is the only one responsible.”He smiled at her bare chest and bandaged hands on her hips. “Well, if you say I’m not responsible you should see your mother’s point that you aren’t responsible for any of this either.”She paused and hugged him. Well, hugged him as well as she could with her hands bandaged.“Knock, knock!” Mrs. Briefs called as she entered. Bulma tried to pull away, but Vegeta rotated them so her back was to the bathroom doorway. Mrs. Briefs took her face in her hands, “Oh my I’m so sorry. I didn’t hear anything so I thought perhaps Vegeta had left.”He let Bulma go gently and walked up to Mrs. Briefs, “Will you help her finish getting dressed? Afterwards I will fly you to the place I found. You can let me know if she’ll like it or not. I’ll come back with Bulma immediately.”“Really? That should be fun!” She rushed up to Bulma and helped her get her bra and shirt on. “I’m ready with the capsules in my pocket!”Vegeta sighed and shot one last look at Bulma. He gently picked Mrs. Briefs up and she blushed. He took off out of Bulma’s open window and her Dad entered. He smiled sweetly after them, “She’ll never stop talking about this!”___________________________________________________________________________ Vegeta flew slower than usual so she could be more comfortable. Mrs. Briefs smiled big, “This is the best birthday present ever!”Vegeta cocked his head, “Birthday?”“Yes, Dear. We were supposed to leave on my birthday trip in a few days, but Bulma needs us so it is settled.” She covered her mouth, “Please don’t mention it to her okay? Knowing her she’d insist we still go. Honestly, I’m looking forward to spending time with her. She’s always so busy I feel like I’m a bother.”His eyebrows drew down, “She doesn’t see you that way. If she does she’s never given any indication of it.” He looked ahead and saw the spot he found. He sat down gently and helped her steady herself before he let her go. “There should be cell phone reception here. If anything makes you uncomfortable don’t hesitate to reach out.”Mrs. Briefs twirled and looked at their surroundings. “I’m surprised she wanted me to stay with her and not you.”Vegeta caught himself taking a deep breath. “I have learned to trust her judgment regardless of how it makes me feel.”Mrs. Briefs covered her mouth with concern, “How does it make you feel?”He hesitated. Does he tell her the truth? What does she know? “It is fine. I’ll have more time to train without interruption. The androids are coming regardless of what else is going on.” He could feel Mrs. Briefs staring at him. He knew she wasn’t buying it.Mrs. Briefs pulled out the capsule case and clicked and threw one that was their lodgings. She opened a food one, a clothes one, a capsule that had different games in it, and then she smiled sweetly and held one to her chest. “I packed things so we could give each other makeovers. We haven’t done that in a long time. I was a hairdresser when I met her father.”Without a word Vegeta carried everything in. It was a nice size two bedroom house. It was fully stocked with things that will hopefully keep Bulma’s mind occupied. He looked at Mrs. Briefs as she worked away making things more comfortable for her. He let a long exhale escape his lips and she stopped abruptly.She smiled, “I’m fine, Dear, if you need to go. Everything will be okay.”Vegeta shook his head slightly, “I’m not so sure. Things have been done that can’t be undone.”She walked up and patted his arm, “If anything I think she’s scared how much more you mean to her. I don’t know what you two went through exactly, but I have faith that in the long run you will be stronger because of it.”Vegeta felt some of the weight lift off his chest. He doesn’t know what he wants. He doesn’t know what to hope for. He just knew the idea of them not being in the same room together ever again was unbearable.Mrs. Briefs interrupted his thoughts, “I really think you should run along now. We don’t want to keep her waiting. It could start rumors!” She giggled and winked and Vegeta was out the front door in record time.___________________________________________________________________________ Vegeta floated outside of Bulma’s open window for a few moments. He was starting to wonder if Bannon may have somehow gotten to his thoughts. He couldn’t shake the feeling that once he dropped her off with Mrs. Briefs that he’d never see her again. It gave him slight chest pains. He covered his chest with his hand. Maybe he was just sick? He was about to enter when he overheard Bulma and Dr. Briefs talking. He knew he shouldn’t listen in, but this whole insecurity thing he was experiencing was all new and he did not like it.Dr. Briefs put all the buckshot in a little glass jar and was eyeing it. “You are one tough cookie. Do you care if I keep these? Never know when I may need them.”Bulma laughed weakly, “I suppose that can be your fee for getting them out. You did a really good job. I mean it hurt, but for me the pain wasn’t bad.”Dr. Briefs furrowed his eyebrows, “That Bannon was one bad seed . . . Will we ever be hearing from him again?”She looked at her dad and said nothing at first. “I have a feeling his enormous estate being wiped from that map will make the news. So we will hear of him again, but never hear from him again.”He nodded grimly, “Those saiyans sure are efficient. How do you feel about that being the outcome?”While sitting on her bed she pulled her legs to her chest. “What do I actually think or what I’ll have to say if asked by the media?”Dr. Briefs sat on the bed next to her and patted her shoulder, “You know we speak the truth in this house. Best to get it all out.”She sighed. “Bannon developed a method for reading minds. I know it sounds so far-fetched. When he was reading my mind I was really fighting it. It was painful. He was so focused on me and I was able to read his mind for a brief moment. He did tell me some of the things he had planned for me and they were horrible. Actually seeing the images play out in his mind was terrifying and demeaning. Not only for me, but for you and Mom. I was so scared of what Vegeta was going to do to him that I refused to look. If I could have stomached it, a part of me regrets that now.” She shuffled uncomfortably, “My OFFICIAL response is that I hope as a fellow innovator he will turn up unharmed. Blah, blah, blah.”Dr. Briefs smiled under his bushy mustache and gave her a little peck on her cheek. “That lad Vegeta is quite the blessing.”She smiled softly, “He really is. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay him for everything he’s done. At least now he knows I’m not usually this mentally unstable.”Dr. Briefs stood, “Oh he knows. Your mother and I always caught him watching you.” He grinned. “I wonder how far he had to go.”Vegeta entered the room immediately. Bulma stood breathless. They both stood and stared at each other for a few tense moments. Dr. Briefs cleared his throat and muttered about having the perfect project for the buckshot and excused himself.Vegeta looked at her. She looked exhausted. She smiled weakly. He didn’t want to let her out of his sight. He didn’t want to be apart from her. He wanted to argue about it. The way they always argue about things. He wanted something normal. Normal for them. He looked at her bandaged hands. “Got everything you need?” She nodded. “So, four weeks?”She hesitated. “I want to be away for five just in case.”A vein popped out on his forehead. “Whatever it takes.” He gently picked her up and they were off. Neither said a word. She had her forearms wrapped around his neck. He flew slower than usual and wondered if she noticed. If so, she said nothing. It wasn’t far away really. He gently landed. She didn’t leave his arms immediately and he looked at her. Her eyes were closed as she listened to the running water. She was smiling.She kept smiling with her eyes closed. “This is nice. You did good. I’m just so tired.” She opened her eyes, “Do you think he got to you, too?”Her eyes pierced through him. He took in a deep breath, “I wonder. As long as you are okay though I am okay.”Mrs. Briefs came out practically skipping. “I’ve already got some food on for us. I thought we’d paint each others’ nails!” She looked at Bulma’s bandaged hands. “Well, I’ll give you a pedicure. How does that sound?”Bulma smiled and carefully got out of his arms and hugged Mrs. Briefs. She looked over her shoulder at him. The pain in his chest increased. He didn’t like this. She went inside and Mrs. Briefs stayed out to see him off.Vegeta’s eyes didn’t leave Bulma until the door closed. He mumbled, “Five whole weeks?”Mrs. Briefs’ face went serious. “If that’s what she thinks it’ll take. Are you going to check in on us?”He certainly wanted to. His concern was if he came one time he would snatch her up and take them away where no one could find them. Seeing her for mere moments may be too hard on the both of them. “No. No, I don’t think so. She’s going to focus on getting better and I’m going to focus on training. If anything seems wrong though I’ll come straight away. I’ll give the coordinates to Dr. Briefs so he can visit.”Mrs. Briefs laughed, “Visit? Oh no way! The moment he knew I was leaving he started thinking of all the projects he’d work on. Bulma comes by it honest.” She looked around, “We will be perfectly safe here. I packed a few guns just in case.” Vegeta blinked then smirked. “I think we may actually own this land we’re on come to think of it.”Vegeta exhaled. The pain in his chest was getting worse. He didn’t even say goodbye and took off at blinding speed. The only remedy for this was to train until he couldn’t anymore. Then, maybe sleep would be a reprieve.___________________________________________________________________________ The first week Bulma slept. It was the most she slept in her entire life. She thought being idle would drive her crazy, but it turns out having your hands bandaged made rest a necessity. She had nightmares. She would wake to see her mother standing over her blinking in concern. She got very sick, but she chalked it up to possible withdrawal. She figured during her last encounter with Bannon he gave her so much of the drug that going without it was wreaking havoc on her mind and body. She was having horrific migraines and throwing up. A lot. When the migraines would finally stop she’d have chills. Chills so intense she thought she would chip a tooth. She was thankful her mother was with her and not Vegeta. He had already seen her so low and she didn’t want him to see her like this after everything he had done. He can’t handle her vomiting.By the start of the second week she started to recover from the withdrawal. She still had the nightmares and occasional bouts with fear, but overall not being at her house and being somewhere Bannon couldn’t pluck from her mind helped. Once the bandages came off she was able to cook in the kitchen, play board games with her mother. It was harder to take it easy, but she forced herself aside from brief progress report calls from Rhonda.By week three she felt more like herself. She was sleeping better. She felt like talking with her mother instead of just sitting silently as her mother told story after story. She even sat down and let her mother give her a makeover with a new haircut. Her mother looked at the products she packed, “I’m sorry, Dear, that I don’t have your favorite hair cream. I suppose it was destroyed?”Bulma exhaled. Yamcha. He blew it up. Yamcha was dead. Puar was dead. It was too much and too beyond belief. “Yeah. Thank you for getting that for me by the way.”Mrs. Briefs smiled with a twinkle in her eye, “That was Vegeta, Dear.” Mrs. Briefs smiled gently and sat next to her on the couch. “I don’t mean to pry and perhaps it isn’t any of my business, but I assume you wanted me here instead of him because you didn’t want to take up more of his time?”Bulma looked at the small scabs on her hand. “I feel like a lot of what happened that day should stay between he and I. That drug I was given was also given to Vegeta. The conditions were just right for us to read each others’ mind. It wasn’t intentional. I’m not going to say what I saw, but I didn’t want to have an episode and reject him and him think it was because I couldn’t move past things he had done. I’m afraid if that happened he may never let his guard around me again.”Mrs. Briefs thought for a moment, “Do you think telling him this much may have been a good idea? I could tell he didn’t want to leave you at all. I think he would have understood.”She sighed, “I’m not sure. He and I were both so tired and emotions running so high I was scared I’d say something wrong. I needed time to process things. I feel like after all of this he deserves to have a level-headed conversation with me.”Mrs. Briefs wrapped her arm around her. Bulma exhaled and let her mother cuddle her just like she would have when she was little. “I suppose that’s why he said he wasn’t going to come by. He needed time, too.”Tears began streaming down her face, “I just hope Bannon didn’t do anything to him like what he’s done to me. I have never been so victimized in my life. Sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever feel as safe as I did before. The things he wanted to do to me . . . I feel as if they actually happened.”Mrs. Briefs kissed her temple, “I’m so glad Vegeta killed him. I hope he suffered greatly.”Her jaw dropped and Mrs. Briefs giggled. She looked her mother in the eye, “At the time I thought what he did was excessive. I get it now.”They sat in silence for a moment. Mrs. Briefs perked up, “I brought new makeup for us to try!”She smiled, “Okay. Let’s see what you brought.”___________________________________________________________________________ The first three weeks for Vegeta were a blur. He really wasn’t sure if Bannon did anything to him or not. He constantly fought the urge to rush to Bulma. For the time being Kakarrot was still on his mind, but definitely an afterthought. He would sometimes forget to eat. He would train for twelve, sometimes even sixteen hours straight. He would go until his body could tolerate no more. Then he would sleep as long as he could tolerate. Some nights mercifully he would sleep soundly and deeply. Other nights he would be plagued by what Bannon would have done to her had he not been there. For that brief moment that he could see her thoughts at first he was bombarded by her desire for him. It was amazing. It was probably the closest to heaven he would ever come unless she let him touch her again. Upon further reflection he could feel her fear and vulnerability. Even when he knew Freiza was about to kill him it was nothing compared to the helplessness Bannon made her feel. He felt it as she felt it.By the fourth week, for those rare moments he was too sore to train or too restless to sleep he would find himself lurking around Dr. Briefs lab as he worked. It was odd. He respected Dr. Briefs enough, but never, ever wanted his company. He would sit and observe him work and listen to him tell stories about when he met Mrs. Briefs or when Bulma first started to tinker in the lab. He would close his eyes and listen to the stories about her. He found that he didn’t mind knowing more about Bulma. It was interesting learning about her from her father’s perspective.Dr. Briefs was in the middle of telling the story of how the dragon radar came to be (for probably the third time) when he stopped abruptly. He wiped his hands on his lab coat, “Are you hungry son? I’m not much for cooking. Maybe we can grab a bite to eat today.”Vegeta nodded numbly. As they excited the lab Rhonda was standing waiting for him. He perked up and rushed over for a report. Rhonda rattled off current stats and turnaround times for all of the lines being made now. He could feel a bead of sweat on his brow. He knew the company was fine. He wanted to know about Bulma. Rhonda looked up from her notes, “Bulma looks better. Much better. I honestly think she wants to get back to work. Her mother gave her a new hairstyle. It is cute.”For a moment he allowed himself to relax. She looks better. She wants to come back to work. That is the woman he knew. He tried his best to sound disinterested, “Does she think she’ll be back sooner?”Rhonda shrugged, “I didn’t ask. I am happy to report that components of your new gravity chamber have entered the molding stage. Mac is overseeing this personally because he figured this is what Bulma would want. He wants her to be the only one that ultimately puts the components together.”He could give a shit about the gravity chamber in this moment. He rubbed his temple, “How many more days?” He already knew the answer.Rhonda rolled her eyes, “Eight more. Eight more days.”Vegeta exhaled. How can it still be that many? Could he survive Dr Briefs’ stories for that long? He turned his back to her and walked behind Dr. Briefs to the vehicle that was waiting. Dejected, he called over his shoulder. “Very well. I don’t want to see you again until the day before she comes back unless something is wrong.”The entire way to the restaurant Dr. Briefs whistled, which made Vegeta want to burst his own eardrums. Once they arrived they were escorted to a private room. Dr. Briefs watched wide eyed and Vegeta ate plate after plate of food. He realized he was staring at him and smiled, “It is great to see you eat lad. How long has it been since you ate?” Vegeta grunted and Dr. Briefs laughed and took a few bites of his tempura. “Y’know this is Mrs. Briefs favorite place.” He stopped and blinked. “Oh, shoot. Her birthday. I didn’t call her on her birthday. I’ll be paying for that later.” He sipped his tea, “Oh no. I didn’t reschedule her birthday trip either.”Vegeta spoke with his mouthful of food. “Just let Rhonda know and she’ll take care of everything.” He thought back to for a moment to the movie Bulma was watching all those weeks ago. “Do you ever get her flowers?”Dr. Briefs ran his fingers through his mustache, “My, my, my. It has been possibly over a decade since I’ve done that. That’s a good idea. I suppose sometimes I’m not the most attentive husband.” He took a few more sips of his tea and got his phone out to message Rhonda.His admission made Vegeta think. If Dr. Briefs scheduled that trip for once they are back he and Bulma would have the entire compound to themselves after business hours. “They will be back in eight days. Maybe you should leave in nine?”He nodded and continued his message to Rhonda. He stretched and scratched his stomach. “There’s a flower shop down the road. We’ll swing by there, too, if you have the time. Do you want more food?”Vegeta pushed away from the table. “I can’t eat anymore. Let’s get this over with so I can get back to training.”They walked in silence to the flower shop. Dr. Briefs bought out whatever they received in their shipment on day eight before their return. His cheeks turned red as they were leaving the shop. “Goodness. I’m remembering what happened last time I got her flowers. For being a genius, sometimes I’m a little slow!” Vegeta stopped walking in disgust and was about to shut down any of that kind of talk. As Dr. Briefs walked by, he handed him his credit card while chuckling. He seemingly didn’t notice how uncomfortable Vegeta was. “We are doing this rivers around the world cruise. Hold onto that in case you need it while we are gone.” He continued muttering to himself about how this trip was exactly what he and the missus needed.___________________________________________________________________________ Vegeta woke with a start. It appeared he had fallen asleep in the gravity chamber. The day was finally here. They were returning. He turned off the chamber and rushed to his quarters to clean up. He jumped in the shower. He kept the water cold to wake himself up more. He rubbed his jawline and face. Damn. He needed to shave. He did it in record time. He jumped out and grabbed something out of a drawer. Gray cotton shorts and a dark blue tank top. Not really his style, but there was no time to waste. He threw on some tennis shoes and left his quarters. Should he go back and wait in the gravity chamber? In the kitchen? Outside?To his surprise, they were already there. Dr.Briefs was carrying in some shopping they must’ve done on their way. He leaned against the outside wall of his quarters. He could see Mrs. Briefs, Rhonda. Where’s Bulma? Maybe he missed her go in?He tried to be nonchalant as he walked up. Rhonda and Mrs. Briefs saw him coming and looked a little . . . concerned? Rhonda exhaled, “She’s not here.”Vegeta said nothing. He processed what she said and could feel his blood pressure rising. He whispered, “Is-Is she safe?”Rhonda bit her lip, “While away she saw how well the company was running and decided to extend her time off. She’s on sabbatical.”“Sabbatical?” He repeated. “Avoiding more work for how long? Is that . . . like her?” He looked down at his clenched fists. He turned his back to them all. He should have known his past was just too much for her to overcome. He couldn’t escape the feeling that when he last saw her look over her shoulder at him that he may never hold her again. There goes that strange pang in his chest only now he even felt it in his stomach.Rhonda hesitated, “I will admit it isn’t like her, but this is how she wants things. I think she plans on taking another month off. She . . . she doesn’t want anyone knowing where she is, especially now that media coverage of Bannon’s, um, presumed death is the top story. I can assure you she is of sound mind. Mrs. Briefs thinks so as well.”Vegeta spoke barely above a whisper and was eerily calm, “She said she needed time to think. It has been five weeks. That’s enough time. It was enough time for me.” He took off and was going to fly to every place he could think of to find her. If they were never going to be together again, then fine. He earned the right to speak his peace. His pride would not allow him to even attempt to change her mind though. He thought he knew her. In fact, he KNEW he knew her. He thought she would at least speak with him to get her closure if nothing else. He was wrong.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
He went everywhere he could think of. He even resorted to visiting distant offices associated with Capsule Corporation. He went to the island, where his cave once was, the creek she and her mother had been. Nothing. It was as if she vanished off of the face of the planet. In his core he was scared. He knew how much she liked working and the fact that she was taking even more of an extended break made alarm bells go off in his head.He touched down at the compound. He had been searching all night. How come no one else was worried? When he arrived her parents were getting things together for their trip. He glanced at the kitchen and through the window he could see that every surface was covered with flowers. Dr. Briefs smiled at him mischievously and gave a thumbs up. He stomped up to them, “Have either of you heard from her?”Dr. Briefs shrugged, “I haven’t and neither has Mrs. Briefs. She used to pull vanishing acts like this when she was young. I’m sure after everything that’s happened she just wanted more time to herself.”He looked to Mrs. Briefs. She seemed to be avoiding eye contact. Once he noticed this he stared at her even more intensely. Vegeta snarled, “What about you? You were with her. Aren’t you the least bit concerned?”“Dear, I’m sure she is fine. In fact, she’ll probably be the last place you’d expect to find her.” Her cheeks went a deeper red. “I’m going to make sure I didn’t forget anything. Be right back.”His eyebrows went down and he looked to Dr. Briefs for more elaboration. He shrugged. “Son, do you think you have everything you need before we go? I gave you a credit card. Need anything else?”“Tch.” Vegeta turned on his heel and made his way to his quarters. Fine. They want to play games, let them. There was this nagging fear in the back of his mind that even though he watched the life drain from Bannon and turned him to dust that he was still alive. Ever since he met Kakarrot people had an annoying habit of being alive when he was certain they were dead. He didn’t care if it was crawling with press. He was going to change into some armor and fly over Bannon’s estate. He needed to be sure.He closed the door to his quarters and punched an enormous hole in the wall and yelled. “Damn them. Damn them ALL to hell!” He thought he heard something. He couldn’t see anything because of the thick curtains over every window. He was about to reach for a light when a hand lightly touched his.She whispered, “Surely you don’t mean that.”Bulma. He hung his head and he whispered, “Here? The entire time? Do you have any idea where all I’ve been? I-I went to the ends of the earth for you.” He went to reach for the light again.“No lights.” She whispered. “I slipped in here right after you left. Do you have any idea how hard it is for me to vanish? I felt like this was the one place no one would dare look for me. I,” She took a shaky breath, “I have some things I need to say. I need you to listen. Then you have some decisions to make and can say whatever you wish.”Vegeta looked back at the wall he punched, “I already know what you are doing to say. I know it.” He shook his head, “Go on. Get on with it I guess.”Her breaths were still shaky. “I’m not so sure. Well, maybe. I can confidently say now you know me better than anyone.” He dropped his hand away from the light switch and continued to stand with his back to her. She gently laced her fingers in his hand although it was still limp and he made no attempt to hold her hand back. “My heart isn’t in my work anymore. I’m taking a step back. This entire experience showed me that I did a great job hiring and training up my staff. I want to focus all of my efforts until the androids get here on getting you stronger.” He could feel her hand tremble from nervousness.He gently held her hand back now. “I thought – that is, I figured you were done with me. After what all you saw.”“What?!” She hissed. Was she mad he thought that? “Vegeta, I could never hold what you did against you. I can’t imagine living your life. I will admit I was completely overwhelmed, but not in the way you would think. I was,” she sniffled, “overcome with relief. Relief I got to know you. Got to understand you better. I’m thankful I have you in my life. You have not had it easy and,” She gently stroked his arm as she searched for the words. He was going to turn around to hug her, but her hand tensed in his, “No. I’m not done talking yet. If you face me or hug me I’ll lose my nerve.”He closed his eyes and kept facing the wall. He saw flashes of memories he had suppressed for weeks now. He saw flashes of her desires. He wanted to hold her, but he obediently stood.Her voice now trembled, “I felt like I needed to do this like this because I was afraid. I was afraid now that the danger had passed and you saw in my head that you wouldn’t want me anymore. Maybe it isn’t fair to ambush you like this, but I was scared you’d reject me.”Vegeta shook his head, “Did you not see yourself the way I see you?” He could feel her nod and continued, “I have never – You’re the only one. You are,” He struggled for the right words. How does one describe what he feels? Normal spoken sentiments didn’t capture his feelings. Are there words? “You are uncommon.”She giggled between tears, “Okay then. I’ll take that. I wanted to stay away longer just in case what Bannon did made me push you away. The last thing I wanted to do was act in a way that didn’t match how I actually felt.” She leaned closer and went back to whispering again. “I’m here now. I have nowhere to be for a month.”You could hear a pin drop as he considered the implications of what was possibly about to happen. He struggled with words. “Your thoughts about me – they remain unchanged?”She laughed shakily. “Yes. Do you still feel the same way?”His stomach felt like it was going to fall through his feet, but in a good way. The words simply didn’t come. Now that he knew she accepted him he wished he could have her read his thoughts once again. He finally turned to face her. He could barely make out the contours of her face. “I am relieved.”She stood for a moment. Was that the wrong thing to say? She took his other hand in hers. “I’m wearing my lab coat right now.”Vegeta cocked his head and the movement in the dark made her laugh. “Oh?”She let another nervous breath escape her. “Yes. And nothing else underneath.”Holy. Shit.
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Bulma thought her heart was going to thump out of her chest. He wasn’t going to deny her. For some reason having a lot of time to be with him gave her more time to think about her insecurities. Away from the compound it seemed less real. She closed her eyes and remembered how HE saw her. She didn’t understand it. How could someone who demands perfection from himself not see all of her flaws?His breathing was increasing. “Please tell me I can turn the light on now.”The lights? Crap. Bulma leaned over quickly and turned on a single lamp. Anything but the overhead light. Why can’t she just breathe normally? Vegeta looked her up and down and exhaled. It never occurred to her how short her lab coat was before. She looked at him and he was dirty. Covered in sweat. His shirt clung to his skin and his gray shorts fit snugly. He was indeed happy she was here and completely aroused.He glanced at the little lamp and looked at her quizzically. “I hope you understand I need to see the way you move.”She swallowed, “I know, I know. I don’t know why I’m so nervous. I mean, mostly excited, but nervous.”Vegeta already had his shoes off and removed his shirt. “Nothing to be nervous about.” He pulled her into a kiss. He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around him and he grunted. He allowed his hands to slip up under the back of the lab coat and grabbed her bare bottom. He sighed happily, “Shew. I’m allowed to touch you this time, right?”Bulma smiled as he began kissing her neck. She lightly moaned “No rules.”He growled as he pulled her into a deep kiss. He led them to his bedroom and turned on the overhead light much to her dismay. HIs entire place was immaculate, but his room was even moreso. She rocked her hips against him hard and he gasped. He pulled back from the kiss, “So, uh, how you want to do this?”She pulled him back in for a kiss and he sat on the bed while she continued to rock her hips. She thought it would be better for her to start on top so he could truly enjoy himself and learn to manage his energy. She pulled back and whispered in his ear, “Lay back and I’ll do the rest.”For a split second he looked as if he was going to protest, but she rocked her hips against him again. They both reached for his shorts while kissing and pulled them down. She pulled back breathlessly, “Do you want me to take this off?” He looked down at himself about to enter her and back up at her speechless. “Um, okay.” She opened the front so her breasts were exposed and his hand shot right to one and began to massage. Now she felt frantic. She took him in her hand and he grunted as she stroked him a few times. She touched herself and put her wetness on him and stroked him a few more times. He moved up on the bed and pulled her with him and laid back. She looked at his face once more and he nodded. She eased herself onto him and gave out a moaned. His breathing was more labored than she had ever heard it and his hands moved to her hips and they moved together. He bared his teeth every so often and half grunted/moaned. The more she moved her moans also became grunts. She looked down at him, “Is-Is this good?”Vegeta nodded, unable to speak. She could tell he was trying to keep his ki in check. The veins in his arms and a single vein on his forehead popped out. Everytime she rocked her hips he matched it with a thrust at just the right angle with just the right timing. They caught each others’ eyes and he smiled softly and said, “Good?”She smiled and continued rocking and cut herself off grunting. “So. Good. Don’t. Stop.” She felt his fingers dig into her hips a little deeper. For a moment it actually hurt, but then it only got her more into it. “Oh, Vegeta. Please.”Without warning he growled and they turned over with him on top. They didn’t lose their rhythm. She growled slightly and started scratching his back as she arched hers. Vegeta’s eyebrows went down and he began sucking on her nipples as he kept going. She moaned loudly and saw his eyes roll in the back of his head and he closed his eyes trying to keep himself in check. He looked at her once more, “You have no idea. None. What you’ve done.”She wasn’t sure she knew exactly what he was saying, but she didn’t question it. She was so close now she didn’t give a damn what he said as long as he didn’t stop. “How do you do this to me? I’m almost there.” As soon as she said this he adjusted his angle ever so slightly to where he rubbed against her outside a little more and that’s what did it. The moans were beyond her control. Tears started streaming down her cheeks and she started yelling his name. She angrily wiped her tears and covered her own mouth. What good is hiding out here going to do if the entire Metro West heard her orgasm? Vegeta took her hand and pulled it back. He shook his head no. Everyone will have to hear her then.He put one arm underneath her and pulled her closer so their bodies were almost completely in contact aside from the few buttons still across her stomach. He slipped his free hand between them and unbuttoned them. One of Bulma’s hands shot onto her stomach. It was that one spot she despised. Vegeta cocked his head and gently took her hand away and laced his fingers with hers. He growled, “I need to feel all of you against me.”She didn’t argue. Feeling their bodies together was something she began to think would never happen. The eye contact was . . . intense. Her entire body was vibrating. She put her hands on his bottom and it made him gasp and she pulled him even closer. “I’m yours.” She rasped. “I’m-I’m all yours. Whoa. I’m almost-” She said his name. Can a person pass out from pleasure? If so, she was getting close to that.Vegeta growled and continued going, “You ARE mine. You are ALL MINE.” Hearing him say this made her moan his name even more. His eyes popped, “Okay. Whoa. Whoa. I’m almost done.”She started moaning with more tears going down her face and it happened. They both climaxed. He hugged her close and grunted a few more times with the last thrusts he could muster. They both breathed in unison and tried to catch their breaths.___________________________________________________________________________ He put his arms under her in such a way to where he was supporting her weight and holding himself above her. He looked at her tear stained face. He couldn’t believe she could withstand what they did and not only that, but more than hold her own. She smiled at him and sighed in relief. He has never, ever felt this. “Are you okay?”Her eyes rolled back into her head, “I’m fantastic.” She grinned and he chuckled. She gently wiped sweat from his brow. “How are you?”He gently laid next to her in thought. “Well, now I know why every male around me was always talking about sex. There’s no way it felt like that for them. No way.”Bulma laughed, “While I’m very flattered I’m sure they think the same thing about whoever they are with.”Vegeta scowled. He didn’t like how well they worked together being cheapened. “I can promise none of them think of anyone the way I think of you. We both pay attention so it didn’t FEEL like that for them either.” As soon as he said he closed his mouth and red spread across his sweat covered cheeks..She smiled softly, “That may be so.” She rested her hands on that place of her stomach. She could feel his gaze. “I know I’m being silly.”Vegeta growled and rolled towards her. He gently moved her hands and rested his face on her stomach. “Unappreciative and unworthy of you.” He gently kissed her stomach. He had to remember that Yamcha was currently dead before he said what was really on his mind.She ran her hands through his hair. “You are very sweaty. How about that shower?”Vegeta smiled, “Oh yeah?” He had been waiting for this for what seemed like an eternity. He imagined the water hitting her skin would be very stimulating. He stood and held out a hand to help her get up. After she stood she smiled and led the way to the bathroom. He smiled at her.He could not believe she was in his quarters naked. He watched as she stretched when she walked down the hallway and his eyes made their way down to her waist, her hips . . . Bruises on her hips? “Stop.” She did and turned a little confused. He leaned down and looked closer. Sure enough there were bruises left from his fingertips. His stomach turned, “Your hips. I had no idea I hurt you.”She turned her back slightly and saw them and looked at his alarmed face. “Vegeta, this kind of thing happens sometimes. I promise you didn’t hurt me. If anything you got me more into it. Even folks with regular strength can get carried away.” He wasn’t convinced. He frowned at her. “Silly ass. Let’s get that shower! Go on!”He walked ahead of her muttering to himself in his native tongue. He would have to be more careful. He suddenly heard her gasp. “What?”She covered her mouth with her hands, “Vegeta! Your back! I must’ve scratched you.”“Hnn?” They continued walking to the bathroom and that’s when he saw it. Blood. She drew blood. All up and down his back, but mainly at the top around his shoulder blades. He lowered his ki so much to keep her safe. His eyes went wide and he smiled. “I thought for a moment I felt a very low ki from you. I figured I must be mistaken because you were so good.” His faced turned red not meaning to speak so frankly. “I suppose I was right.”He looked and she was bent completely over at the bathroom vanity. “There should be a first aid kit in here. I’m just so, so sorry. If we bandage it right it won’t scar at all.”He cocked his head at her naked form bent over. She really wasn’t just trying to pacify him. Regular people can get carried away. “Bulma, I’m fine. Stand up.” Her eyebrows were drawn down and she was clearly troubled. He turned his back to the mirror. “I . . . I like it, you know. If I get scars oh well.” She was going to protest, but he pulled her into an embrace and took her chin in his hand. “Do with me as you please. Anything you like. If you ever suspect I am leaving any marks on you we must stop. You must not be harmed. I know I can do better. Okay?”She nodded. She looked in the mirror at the light bruises on her hips and blushed. He smiled. He glanced at his back again. He leaned and turned on the water. “So an entire month, you say?” She nodded and bit her lip.___________________________________________________________________________ The first week was a flurry of activity. He was surprised she stayed put in his quarters. She brought A LOT of things to keep her occupied while he trained including a TV. She was a bit of a messy guest. Not over the top or anything, but he always kept things in his place in order. This was how he was taught to live while serving Freiza. When things weren’t in order it did make him uneasy.She did bring her computer and a sketchpad so she could continue to design and work on the gravity chamber and other training aids. He gave her input on the next bots. Actual constructive input. It was interesting watching her mind work. She really was without a doubt the smartest being he had ever met.One day he was describing an aspect of combat he wanted to improve on when there was a breaking news bulletin on the television. In the rubble of Bannon’s estate a charred human head was located within jagged metal pieces. They both gasped and she turned off the TV. She covered her mouth. “Shit. The butler!”Vegeta shook his head, “Still. They’ll never be able to figure it out.” He looked at her and her chin was quivering.She whispered, “One day. I just want one day to go by where I don’t think about him.” She looked down at her sketchpad and admired what they had come up with together. “Vegeta, I think we need to have sex right now.”He couldn’t hide the confusion on his face, “You sure? Because I don’t know.”She put her sketchpad on the table and turned and straddled him. “I’m sure. I think I need you now.” She tenderly ran her hands through his hair as she kissed him. He took her breasts in his hands. She pulled back and took off the shirt she stole from his closet. “Let’s try something new.” She stood and motioned him to follow her. As he got up he hastily took off his underwear and followed. She stopped in the doorway of his room and looked around. She walked over to the full length mirror on his wall. “Here.” She leaned over and put one hand on either side of the mirror on the wall. His eyebrows went up and he reached around her and used his fingers to penetrate her. She was already wet. She let out a relieved sigh and whispered, “You are in complete control.”Vegeta looked into the mirror to make eye contact and she had her face turned and her eyes closed. He continued to finger her. He pulled her close against him and she sighed. He whispered in her ear. “Look at yourself in the mirror. I want you to watch what I’m doing to you.”As soon as she looked at herself he started kissing her neck. She muttered, “I want YOU to see everything. I hate looking at myself!”He smirked, “Shh.” He kissed her neck and worked his way to her ear, “I’m just wanting to enjoy seeing my woman move.” She could tell he let calling her his slip out. He took back his hand and looked down. He slowly inserted himself into her. He found himself moaning for a change. He exhaled. “Whoa.”Using the leverage she had leaning against the wall she began moving forward and back slowly. She grinned. “I like it when you say I’m yours. It really gets me going.”He exhaled in relief and loosely grabbed her hips and began to thrust deeper into her. It made her gasp. He knew they only said things like this when they were having sex. He thought perhaps it really didn’t mean anything at all to her. He shuddered to think how awkward it would be if he said she was his outside of the bedroom. He did say it one time. To Bannon. He called her his woman. It was a slip-up. He hadn’t intended to say it in front of anyone. Once the adrenaline was pumping through him and he knew he’d avenge her he was overcome. He wanted her to be his every moment of every day, but he wasn’t sure he could be what she needed. Why he was thinking about this now he wasn’t sure, but if nothing else it was helping him last longer. He refocused on the sounds of their bodies slapping together and the look of her bottom bouncing as they’d connect. He looked in the mirror to her chest was bouncing. Her face was in a snarl, which he really liked. She looked very saiyan-like, He double-checked his grip on her hips and he was still good. No new bruises.Her breathing was loud as she worked hard to breathe with their motions. She made eye contact with him in the mirror. She smiled innocently, “How does this feel Prince Vegeta?”He laughed, “You are devastating in all the best ways, woman.” They both picked up the pace and grunted together. She started moaning again. He leaned his head back and felt her quiver on him. It was a different sensation than the flexing she did as she rocked her hips. This was a slight and easy to miss sensation. He knew it was time. He picked up the pace slightly and they both climaxed. He felt his knees get a little shaky. He leaned into her and put his hand against the wall. They were both glistening with sweat. He cleared his throat, “I still can’t believe what you are capable of.” He gently kissed her shoulder.She abruptly turned and hugged him tight and buried her face into his shoulder. “Thank you. You are helping me take things back that were taken from me.”He took in a sharp breath and held her close. “You’re okay?”She nodded. “I know you want to go train, but will you lay with me until I’m asleep?”He picked her up and gently placed her on the bed. He laid next to her and she snuggled up under the covers. Half of his body she wasn’t touching was out from under the blankets so he could remain comfortable while holding her. Training felt like it would be a mistake today. He kissed her head and gently stroked her hair, “I know why you are upset. At least I think I do.”She sat up and looked at his face and touched him tenderly, “Shh. No need to say it.”Vegeta really was going to train. Instead they both quietly drifted asleep in each others’ arms.___________________________________________________________________________ The rest of the month was spent comfortably. Sometimes they would goad each other into arguments, but it was mainly for the sex afterwards. At this point Bulma was having to get extremely creative with reasons to argue. Most of the time they just lounged on the couch or in the bed in silence. He would watch her doodle in her sketchpad. She felt like he was staring a hole straight through her. It was flattering, but still very unnerving. Vegeta was just a very intense person.She didn’t recall a time in her life where she had this much sex. Sometimes a day or so would go by without it, but that was because of his training or them sleeping. She would always catch him looking her over to make sure he didn’t somehow bruise her. For the entire month she tried to sneak showers so she could shave in peace, but he almost always showed up. The first time he got quite the fright because she had already put on a face mask.One time he watched as she shaved and shook his head. “I don’t know why you do that. Your body hair is negligible.”She rolled her eyes as she continued, “You are the one that likes how soft I am. I don’t just wake up that way.” She continued shaving a little annoyed, “I’d kinda like a little time to myself.” Vegeta stood and shuffled his feet with his back to her. “Vegeta, I will take another shower with you when you get back from training if you want. I just need a little me time.” With that he looked at her apparently pleased and gave a curt nod and was gone. He no longer showed up the moment she turned the water on to bathe. Sometimes he came across as very possessive when in fact he was too proud to just say what he wanted.The time went by alarmingly fast. They didn’t feel the need to fill any moments of silence. That’s what happens when you’ve seen the entire contents of the other person’s mind. The conversation they avoided was what would happen when the month was up. It was something that despite their feelings for each other was very much in the air. She knew Vegeta thought of her as his. She knew she had zero interest in anyone else. She felt fairly confident he would rather battle someone to the death than have that conversation. She resolved herself to just not bring it up. It wasn’t the mature way to deal with it, but with the time they had together running short she didn’t want to waste it.She went through her head everything they had done. There was precious little that had been overlooked. She made a mental note of a few things she hadn’t done for a while and things that she still wanted to do. She had every intention of putting her all into it before she returned to reality.There were only two times Vegeta had to meet with her employees. TWO! She couldn’t believe it. Her gut telling her to take a step back was definitely a good move. Rhonda would make regular deliveries of food to Vegeta’s quarters. Bulma figured Rhonda knew she was there, but she played dumb very well. It was nice having people that were willing to keep her private life private.She didn’t turn on the news anymore while there. Vegeta took it upon himself to swing by the main house and watch. He said coverage of Bannon’s disappearance had dwindled, but paparazzi were looking everywhere for her. No trace of Bannon was ever found.They were sitting on the couch while she watched a movie. He would occasionally glance at her, but otherwise had his eyes closed apparently in meditation. There was a light tapping at the door. Vegeta stood, “Rhonda with her delivery.” She left it at the door and Vegeta brought it to the couch. He brought it over and looked in the bags. He looked perplexed, “What’s this?”Bulma smiled, “It is an old polaroid camera. I thought it would be fun to take some pictures.”He eyed her suspiciously, “Pictures of what?”She sighed exasperated, “Of us silly. I thought I’d let you take a couple just for you, too. You can’t show them to anyone of course.” She winked.He scoffed, “I would never. I’d kill anyone that tried to see you like that.” The wheels in his head were turning and he tried to mask his excitement. He looked at it, “It seems simple enough to operate, yes?”She smiled, “Yes. You put the film in and click it. It takes a little bit for the picture to show up though. I’ll show you. Stand up.” He stood with his arms folded and a scowl. He was clearly uncomfortable. She clicked and then began to shake the picture. “Your turn. How do you want me to pose?”He looked thoughtful. “Just go back to your sketchpad. Or I can take a picture of you just as you are.”She sighed and sat with her sketchpad. Here she was thinking it would be a little bit of fun and give him something to truly reflect on their time together. She heard it click and he took the photo and tried to shake it like the one she took of him. He sat it next to the one she took. He leaned over impatiently and watched.She giggled, “I’d like another photo of you. Uhm . . . without your shirt on if that’s okay.” He looked amused, but complied. She shook the photo and put it next to the other two. As she handed the camera back to him she could tell he wanted to request something, but wasn’t so sure of it. “Vegeta, I’ll let you take a photo of anything you want. Seriously, I thought this would be more fun.”Vegeta drew his brows down, “I AM having fun. This is how I look when I have fun. We only have 8 photos total we can take. I’m just . . considering.” He set the camera down and paced. He looked up at the ceiling in thought. He turned and smirked, “I want one of you in your lab coat, one of you in the shower, and close up of your stomach. I’d like more, but you get four and I get four.”Bulma smiled, “How about I only take one more photo of you and you get an extra? My stomach though? Are you sure?”His eyebrows went up, “Yes, I’m sure. Your stomach and hips are some my favorite parts of you.” He turned red, “Well, there are other parts I really like, too. I mean, you’ve got a favorite part of me?”She blushed a deep red. “Well, yes. You’ll laugh though.”His eyebrow raised, “Now I’m curious.”Why was this so embarrassing? She struggled for the words, “Your hands. They . . . are strong. Protective. Rough. Gentle. I’ve felt things I didn’t think were possible and it all started with them. Yet they are terrifyingly powerful.”He didn’t laugh. He took the camera and handed it to her. “How do you want them photographed?”She grinned. “Oh wow! This is fun!” She cleared her throat, “How about I take a photo of your hands holding my breasts? We can get my hips and stomach in it, too. One for you and one for me.”There was something almost boyish about him in this moment. They stood and he hugged her, “Sounds perfect.”___________________________________________________________________________ The final night. His stomach lurched. Why did it feel like someone was about to die? He almost felt like he was mourning. They would be living in the same compound still. He would still be able to see her. Before they spent this month together he really wished they would have agreed what the ultimate outcome would be. He did a few back flips and floated in the gravity chamber upside down. Why has she not brought it up? He was waiting. He scowled. He could shower alone again. Sleeping alone again? That was a whole other matter. The few times she snuck out of bed to get a snack he would snap awake. Feeling her pulse. Hearing her breaths. Hearing her sigh and sometimes say a word or two in her sleep.He crossed his arms. If it weren’t for his pride he’d simply snatch her up and fly off with her in this gravity chamber. Doing something evil was his knee jerk reaction. She’d never forgive him. It was shocking how many times he mulled it over. Her bond with her parents is simply too strong. He landed on the floor with a thud and shut off the chamber. His training was going nowhere. Maybe at least after tonight he’d be angry all the time so his training would be more fruitful.Reminiscing because of their encounter with Bannon made him reflective. It was odd, but he wished he had his father to speak with. Even if his father outwardly condemned their relationship he would nudge him to do the most noble and brave thing. What would that be though? He sat and closed his eyes. Meditation. Maybe he could imagine the conversation and glean some answers.He retreated into the recesses of his mind. He could see his father as clear as the last day they were together. He was a tall, stern looking man with a beard. Without words he relived every memory with Bulma. He told him everything including things he had trouble admitting to himself. From the first time he met her on Namek up until he left his quarters today.King Vegeta shook his head clearly amused, “Well, you stop being a soldier for a moment and let your urges go unchecked.”Vegeta bared his teeth, “Don’t lecture me about urges. This isn’t just a passing fancy. I’ve-I’ve seen her thoughts and I’m fairly certain she feels the same way.”His father scoffed, “Then what is your hesitation? You have no obligations elsewhere. Tell her she is to be your wife. It is a great honor.”Vegeta rubbed his temples and rolled his eyes, “That’s now how things work here no matter how flattered she should be. I’d have to actually discuss my . . . emotions. And I’m sure that our idea of marriage is far different than theirs.”His father looked at him unconvinced and snorted, “So it is hopeless then?” Vegeta gritted his teeth while meditating. “Okay. If you can’t say what you must, perhaps show her through actions? Remember when I had mercy on that group of orphans? That was for my queen. She was right. There was no reason to slaughter them.”“I have!” He yelled exasperated. “And I will continue to do so not because of what it may get me, but because it feels . . . right . . . or whatever. I will try to do what is right.”His father looked thoughtful and ran his hand through his beard, “May as well I suppose. Until you defeat Kakarrot anyway. What about that other possible saiyan? The one with the purple hair?”Vegeta growled, “In vain I have tried to NOT think about that one. One problem at a time. He and Kakarrot seemed awfully chummy. I need advice on how to deal with Bulma.”His father smiled calmly, “I think you know better than me, son. Earthlings are an enigma to me. They do seem an emotional and irrational lot. It will probably require words. If you choose them wisely I’m sure you can get your point across while preserving your honor and pride.”He nodded, “I wish she’d just bring it up though. I swear for having read her mind, I don't understand that woman.”King Vegeta shook his head and laughed, “Ay, and I wager you never will. They like to keep us on our toes. That’s part of the attraction. I wonder if she hasn’t brought it up because she has read YOUR MIND as well. She knew what she meant to you before any of the rest even happened.” He paused and watched his son absorb this. “She is the best possible choice you could have made given the circumstances.”Vegeta smirked. “Ah, a seal of approval?” He broke his meditation. What on earth does he say to make it clear to her?
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Bulma was busying herself in the kitchen. The last night. She felt nauseous. She was keeping it simple tonight. Pork Buns and ramen. She didn’t want to be tied to the kitchen by the time he was back. She figured she had another hour and a half before or so before he returned. She was hopeful she could give him the night of his life and avoid any tense conversations. She thought she heard something and there he was standing in the kitchen. “Shit, Vegeta! I didn’t expect you for a while yet.”A single vein was popping out of his forehead, “My training was going nowhere today. I’m too distracted.”She tried not to make eye contact and kept working. “I’ve almost got the pork buns ready to steam. The ramen is ready to put on as well. If you help we can finish the food sooner.”He looked at his hands. “I think I need to get cleaned up first.” He started making his way to the bathroom.“Wait!” He stopped, but didn’t turn to her. “Did-Did you want me to join you?” He kept walking and didn’t respond. Bulma muttered, “Well, shit at least SAY no.” Brooding? Silence? He certainly is setting the mood for a spectacular last night. Looks like the old Vegeta is back. She heard the shower come on. He couldn’t have been back there three minutes. When he came back out he was wearing shorts only and his arms crossed.“What do you want me to do?” He sounded distracted AND disinterested.Bulma snapped, “Well if it is too much trouble for you just don’t worry about it. I’m sure you are tired anyway.”“Tch.” He rolled his eyes and walked up to the steaming buns. “How long do they steam for? I’ll keep an eye on them.”She sighed, “Twenty minutes. I made them spicy for you.”He didn’t look at her, but decided to dignify her with a ‘hmph’ in response.They finished cooking the food in silence and for the most part ate in silence. Vegeta did make a few sounds while trying the pork buns, which let her know he approved. After that the sound of them slurping their ramen was deafening. She stood as soon as she finished eating, “I still need to get a shower so I’ll be back in a few moments.”Vegeta didn’t look up from his food and kept eating. He didn’t even acknowledge her. She could feel her blood pressure rising. He wasn’t making the night she had planned for them any easier. At this rate would they even share the same bed? Did he just decide he was done with her? She could hardly expect him to have an adult conversation even though she really didn’t want to talk about things. Life had taught her that discussions about relationships and expectations only led to disappointment. She wanted to remember how wonderful this night was the rest of her life. The way she felt in this moment she wouldn’t spit on him if he was on fire.She jumped in the shower and decided she would do her usual grooming. It made her feel more comfortable whether or not he was smart enough to make the most of this night. She was willing him to materialize in front of her and pull her close like he did whenever they showered together, but that moment didn’t come. She felt herself tear up and gritted her teeth. No way. No way was she going to cry. She cried enough in front of him already and wasn’t going to do it today. For shit’s sake they were going to be on the same compound. This was ridiculous.She wrapped herself in a towel and peaked around the corner to see he wasn’t at the table. Okay. So he’s gone to the room? She walked into the room and he was not there either. Her jaw dropped. “You have got to be fucking kidding me.” She was fuming. “Fine. You want to act like a child, I'll pack my shit NOW.”She shrieked slightly as she threw the towel across the room. She started gathering her things in record time and encapsulated things in a frenzy. She heard the front door shut. Shit. She quickly grabbed the towel and wrapped herself back up. She listened as quietly as she could and heard nothing. What in the world? She walked out and he was gazing out the front window with his arms crossed. He had a tshirt and shoes on along with his shorts. She wanted to get to the bottom of what was going on.As she walked out she looked to see all of the food had been eaten and the dishes were in the sink. She glanced to the living room and there was a vase of flowers on the table in front of the couch. She tilted her head, “You got me flowers when you aren’t even speaking to me?”He turned red-faced from embarrassment. “What?! I ate the food you cooked. I heard the shaving cream in the shower and knew you didn’t want me in there. Wasn’t that the deal when you did that stuff?”“OH.” She thought for a moment.”Oh.” Her eyebrows drew down, “You are still acting grouchy as hell! I’ve done nothing wrong! We knew this was coming!”He turned with all the veins in his forehead and arms popping out, “How the hell am I supposed to act?! I got you flowers dammit! Damn this all to hell! We are going to have to talk. NOW.”“Fine. Whatever. Let’s talk.” They both looked at each other scowling. She put her hands on her hips, almost losing her towel. “You go. You want to talk. YOU GO.”He snarled, “I got you flowers. You should know what I’m thinking. You are the ONLY ONE that knows.”Bulma combed her fingers through her hair exasperated, “If you think this is over just because I’m going back to my house you’re wrong. Unless that IS what you want. If it is then fine.”Vegeta looked outraged, “If you know what I think you know that isn’t what I want.” He stammered slightly. “I-I got you flowers. What are you wanting?”She laughed and hollered, “What do I want? I want us to stop yelling and start enjoying our night! I didn’t want to talk about this now because I know we have to return to reality.” She took a few breaths and her lip quivered, “I don’t want things to change. I think what we are doing now works. We will both still be HERE after all. Why is this such a big production? I had so much I wanted to do with you tonight. Now I just . . . I don’t know. It may be too hard.” Her lip quivered some more. So far no tears. “I do like the flowers.”Vegeta looked down at his hands clenched in fists. His expression was that of rejection. Actual hurt on his face. “You could just walk away?”Bulma looked down and tightened her towel around herself, “If that’s what you wanted. Couldn’t you?”He looked her in the eye with his eyebrows down. “Anything you would do I’m sure I could. My pride wouldn’t allow me to be weak.” He swallowed, “I don’t want to fathom it though.”He turned his back to her and she could feel a vein popping out of her forehead. “Is that so?” She ripped her towel and threw it at him. It landed on his head. At first he wasn’t sure what hit him and he ripped it off and looked at the towel in his hands with his back still to her. She grinned, “Fathom this then.” He turned slowly wide-eyed with his jaw already down. When he saw her he gasped. “I’m done arguing. I’m done trying to prove anything to you. You know what you mean to me on many levels. Life would be so much easier for us if we just communicated like a regular couple, but I knew we wouldn’t. I didn’t want to do this tonight!”His eyes darted all around her body as they had the tendency to do. His face went calm. “I do know what you think of me. I do.” He exhaled, clearly struggling with words. “The truth is.” He stopped and his expression changed to something undefinable, but it made her breath catch in her throat. “The truth is.” He started again and he was disgusted with himself and gritted his teeth. “I’ve grown accustomed to you. I was even before all of this happened.” His eyes darted to the coffee table, “And I did get you flowers.”Bulma smiled softly and thought about the implications of what he was saying. There was what he said and how she should interpret what he said based on how she knew him. It was an odd thing to have someone else’s life flash before your eyes. This was the closest he had ever come to saying he NEEDED anyone or anything. She put a hand on her chest and felt her heart racing. “I know exactly what you mean. I hope you know I feel the same way.” She watched as his rigid, stressed posture relaxed. For a moment they looked at each other in silence and then Bulma realized how cold she was. She looked down at herself, “Oh, shit!” She threw her hands over her front. She held out her arm for her towel and Vegeta smiled dangerously.“Come here.” He grinned. He put the towel on the kitchen counter and started taking off his clothes. “You get the towel back once you’ve earned it.” Her face turned beet red and her jaw dropped. He smiled. “Ah, I prefer this power dynamic.” Bulma swallowed. She felt stuck in her spot so Vegeta slowly walked to her. He dropped his shorts and underwear. “Tell me, what did you have in mind?”She bit her lip and her heart rate started climbing. She whispered, shaking slightly, “Bending me over the kitchen counter to start.”His eyes popped and he smiled. He had walked all the way over to her and pulled her into a kiss. She was nervous. They survived the conversation she DIDN’T want to have. She allowed her hands to rest on his chest for a moment. His rock hard body was so warm. His hand wrapped around the back of her neck and his fingers laced in her hair. He gently and tenderly pulled her into a deeper kiss. She absolutely loved the way he held her when he kissed her. It was an experience. He hugged her and she wrapped her arms around him. He let her feel a little bit of his weight against her so it was a closer hug. He buried his face into her neck and hair and sighed.He picked her up in his arms rather suddenly and took her over to the kitchen counter. He turned her around slowly, carefully looking her over and she bent over the counter. His breathing was slow as if he was trying to keep himself in check.Bulma whispered, “Touch me and see what you’ve done to me.” He put his fingers in her and gave a gentle growl. “I’m yours.” He kept fingering her and she moaned. He turned her to face him and picked her up and put her on top of the counter and went down on her. She gasped, “Vegeta, you don’t have to-” And she cut herself off with moans.He pulled back with labored breathing and she stopped moaning and looked at him. His face was serious, but soft. He shook his head looking at her and pulled her to the edge of the counter almost as if he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do next. Bulma felt very self-conscious. He pulled her into a hug and slipped inside of her. He grunted and put one hand on top of her thigh and the other cupped her face. He murmured as he thrusted, “Bulma, tell me you are mine. I need to hear it again.”She took his face in her hands and rocked with his thrusts. “I’m yours. You know I am.” He tilted his head back and sighed as if relieved all over again. “Take me over to the couch. Let me take care of you.”He didn’t argue and they continued having sex as he carried her over and sat on the couch. “These are my favorite.”She began rocking her hips, “What do you mean? When I’m on top?”He grunted, “In my mind, I call these the close-ups. I’m sure they are called something else, but where I can kiss you and see your eyes. Feel more of your skin on mine-” He let one moan escape. “So whoever is doing more doesn’t matter. Just the close-ups.” Bulma giggled and started moving her hips in clockwise circles as he continued to thrust and she continued to rock her hips. He gasped loudly, “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Oy, what is this?”She allowed her head to tilt back and she began moaning loudly. So loudly. “I swear if you were any bigger I don’t think I could handle you.” She yelled his name as he began licking her breasts and sucking on her nipples.He grunted. “I-I want to try something.” She panted as she kept going. “I don’t want to accidentally hurt you though. Be still for just a moment and let me hold you close.”Bulma stopped and they hugged each other. Their chests rose and fell together. Behind clenched teeth it started as a growl then almost a yell. He started glowing. The aura started spreading. Bulma closed her eyes tightly and whispered, “Ouch. Ouch.” She was within his ki aura. She instinctively began rocking her hips again and he resumed thrusting. “Oh wow.”He growled, “I didn’t hurt you, did I?” Bulma shook her head no and began to move her hips in a circular motion once again. “Describe how you feel to me.”Out of nowhere tears went down her face. “I feel . . . Warm. Strong. Beautiful.” More tears as she opened her eyes to be met with his. “I-I-I feel safe.” She began moving her hips counterclockwise and they sped up. They moaned in unison.His aura kept spreading and suddenly the couch underneath them came apart. He caught them with one arm and gently set them on the remnants of the couch and they kept going. For a change he started yelling her name. “I was right. You are uncommon. No regular person could do this.” They kept going and yelling together. His aura destroyed the remnants of the couch and started making an impression on the floor. “Mine. You are mine.” He bared his teeth in a snarl as she rotated her hips clockwise once more. “Dammit. I’m yours. Bulma, you already know I’m yours.”Her head tilted back. Every few seconds she felt a slight pain from the intense warmth, but the payoff of pleasure made it worth it. She felt it building up within her. “Oh. I’m almost there. Wow, Vegeta. I’m almost there.”His breaths rasped. “Me, too. Are you still okay?” She nodded. His eyes popped as he was on the cusp. Finally, a great wave of relief overcame them and they both climaxed. Vegeta gave an inhuman growl. It was the wildness of being a saiyan.Bulma moaned as he thrust two more times as finished coming. Her hands shot to her stomach as she felt her insides fill with heat. It didn’t hurt. It was the best orgasm of her life, but it was a whole new and at first alarming sensation. Vegeta collapsed straight back into the small crater they had made and held her close and kissed her forehead. She sputtered. She said she wouldn’t cry, but she lacked any other way to express experiencing this much pleasure. She kissed his cheek.He jerked his head up to look her over. Once he was satisfied she was okay he drowsily stood and carried her to the bed while staggering slightly. He gently put her down and he collapsed beside her. He whispered, “I-I am spent. I have nothing left.” He pulled her into one last deep kiss with the little strength he had left. “I am yours. You are mine.”Bulma looked at him as he drifted off and smiled in his sleep. He was very pleased with himself as he should be. She moved closer to him and he wrapped her up in his arms and pulled her close. She rested her hand on her stomach. She whispered, “I am yours. You are mine.”___________________________________________________________________________ Every few hours Vegeta would wake to check on her. Even though he knew she was unhurt, what they had done was so intense he was scared she would wake and be sore. He was shocked he took the chance. It was so risky, but not only did he feel she could handle it as long as they moved together, but felt he had the control needed.He looked at her and she was lightly snoring. It made him smile. Her words echoed in his mind – she felt warm, strong, beautiful, and safe. She said she felt safe. It was all he had wanted for her since Bannon first entered their lives. She giggled in her sleep and startled him. He set his back against the pillow and allowed himself to drift off to sleep just for a moment.He startled awake and reached for her. She was gone. He shot up out of bed and looked at the clock. It was four in the morning. He looked around and all of her things were gone. He ran to the bathroom and everything was gone. He went out to the living room and all of her brainstorming supplies were gone save one single sheet of paper on the kitchen counter. He walked up to it and opened it and read. “I thought it would be best if I left like this. Nothing has changed. Thank you for the flowers. Always Yours, Bulma”He exhaled. He supposed she was right. He scowled. He looked at the counter and then to where the couch used to be. He walked to the bathroom and flipped on the light and looked at the shower. He paused and closed his eyes tight, reminiscing. He wondered back out to the living room and looked at the counter and the note she left once more. He let his shoulders drop and glanced to where the couch once was again. For her to say nothing has changed it certainly felt like it had. He slowly made his way back to the bedroom and looked at where the blankets had been disturbed by her. He swallowed and sat on the side of the bed she had slept on. He looked at the pillow and laid down on it. It still smelled like her. It was a relief. It was still early. Maybe he could go see her before the sun came up? He shook his head. No. They have to get used to the new normal whatever that may be.Did she somehow know he was going to keep her there after daylight so he could get one more day? He smirked and opened the drawer on his nightstand and turned on the lamp. He looked at the photos of her. He drifted asleep still holding them.___________________________________________________________________________ Bulma woke around seven looking for Vegeta. Damn. Of course. She really did feel shitty about how she did things, but she felt like she knew the two of them well enough to make that call. She got up and dressed and came down the stairs. Her parents jumped out of their seats and ran to her.“Bulma!” Mrs. Briefs smiled, “Dear, when did you get in?”“At an absurd hour this morning.” She hugged her mother and father tight. “How was your cruise?”“It was AMAZING! Romantic!” She looked at Dr. Briefs and winked and he blushed. “Just what the doctor ordered! Ha!” She smiled with a twinkle in her eye at Bulma, “And how was your sabbatical? Restful I hope.”A deep red rushed to her cheeks. “Well, yes, I slept a lot. I feel . . .” A smile pulled at the corner of her mouth, “Rejuvenated. Rejuvenated and ready to work!”Dr. Briefs furrowed his eyebrows, “I hope you don’t mind, but I had a look at that verbrakium with Mac. That is some very neat stuff. Unstable unless synthesized correctly and I believe Mac was itching to meet with you on that.”Bulma smiled. “I’ll head straight to him. First, I’m going to grab something to eat on my way.”She took off with a pep in her step and grabbed an apple on her way. As she exited from the kitchen she refused to look to Vegeta’s quarters and the gravity chamber he was currently using.As soon as she entered her lab she was dismayed to see no more progress was made on the new gravity chamber. Mac was apologetic, but with more or less assuming her workload he had to prioritize that first instead of her pet projects.Mac shook his head, “I’m really very sorry. I thought I had made real progress and when I came back into the lab one morning everything that had been molded . . . melted. This science is a bit beyond me, but,” he clicked on the keyboard a few times, “Here’s what Dr. Briefs came up with.”Bulma reviewed it and closed her eyes picturing the processes and formulas in her head. “He’s more than halfway there.” She smiled, “He’s still got it.” She looked at Mac and smiled, “I've got it from here. When I get to assembly I want you and only you to help. Okay?”He smiled, “Certainly. I’ll check in later today.” He was about to leave and stopped, “Oh! How was your sabbatical by the way? You shocked us all when you did that!”Bulma grinned ear to ear, “It was exactly what I needed to recenter and refocus. I’m so glad to be back.”Mac left and before she heard the lab door shut behind him she heard him greet Vegeta. Her breath caught. Already? She was stuck between desperately wanting to see him and needing to get back into some kind of routine. She sat in silence for a moment and then it became clear he wasn’t going to pay her a visit. She exhaled and looked back at the computer. She started tapping away on her computer and it hit her. If Vegeta hadn’t helped her she may never have gotten to work again. She jumped up and threw the door open. She had to see him and thank him. She had to thank him NOW.Leaned against the wall next to the door he stood looking disinterested. He didn’t look at her, but smirked, “Are you almost done with my new grav-”He was cut off by her tugging him into her lab. As soon as the door shut she hugged him. He was very rigid and wide-eyed at first and he softened and rested a hand on her back then pulled her close. She whispered, “Thank you. You are my hero.” He didn’t respond, but held her closer. “I’m sorry for how I left.”“Tch. It was the right move.” He was wearing his gloves for a change and ran his hand through her hair.“There have been a few setbacks with the chamber, but I’m going to be dedicating all of my efforts towards it. Luckily, Dad peaked in at it while I was out so I have about a week less of work.” She turned and started tapping on her keyboard. “This is some really cool stuff.” She smiled to herself and kept typing. She turned and he had taken a seat and was watching her work. She blushed. “I’m sorry. It is just good to be back.”He stood abruptly and quickly embraced her, “It is good to have you back.” He whispered in her ear, “Nice lab coat by the way.” Her eyes popped and she could see red spreading across his cheeks. As he opened the door he briefly paused. “I’ll . . . see you soon?”Her heart leapt in her chest. “Of course. Whenever you want.”He gave a curt nod and left.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
EPILOGUEVegeta could tell by the hustle and bustle around the compound that it was time yet again for her company’s employee appreciation party. He loathed parties, but was surprised he hadn’t heard a peep from her about needing him to step in as a date again. He heard a light rapping at the door and answered it. He was dismayed it wasn’t her and shocked at who it was. He sneered, “Kakarrot.”“Vegeta! How ya doing? Long time no see.” He grinned while rubbing the back of his neck.“Hmph. I’m well enough. Better than you I’m sure.” He folded his arms and scowled. They both stood in silence for a moment. Vegeta cleared his throat. “I assume you are here for a reason.”“OH!” He started laughing. “I swung by to see Bulma, uh, to see if anything changed and she wants everyone at the party tonight. I’m just going around to spread the word. I’ll make sure everyone else is there.”To see if anything changed? Vegeta bared his teeth at Kakarrot’s vacant expression. It was infuriating being defeated by someone as dimwitted as him. If she wanted him there he would at least make an appearance. Kakarrot looked very awkward and like he wanted to say something else. He drew his brows down, “Is that it or are we just going to gawk at each other all day?”He blinked and looked at the ground near his feet and chuckled, “Bulma said you got a package, too.”He cocked his head and snatched the package. Again they stood in silence. “Tch.”Kakarrot grinned, “Nothing, uh, new at all?”Vegeta closed the door in his face and took the package to his room and opened it. Black dress slacks, a deep fuschia dress shirt, black bowtie. He rolled his eyes. He wasn’t sure if he could bring himself to wear this knowing for sure that all of the people he knew on this planet would be there. He muttered, “Hmph. They’ve already seen me in earth clothing. It shouldn’t be a big deal.”He laid back on the bed and scowled at the ceiling. What would she be wearing? How was he even supposed to act around her with everyone else there? With her high profile and his disdain for people knowing that side of him he really wasn’t sure. She never asks anything of him anymore. He’ll follow her cues and hope for the best.___________________________________________________________________________ As it turns out the party was not what Vegeta expected. Almost all of the Z fighters and their respective famliies or significant others were there. Krillin was single again. Yamcha was a no show despite the fact that Bulma went to the trouble to wish him back. The food was excellent. The same group of rowdy women beckoned him as last year.He was furious though. Silently fuming. Bulma did not even show up to HER party. Vegeta sat at a table with Dr. and Mrs. Briefs pouting the whole night. He didn’t ask anyone where she was. To ask where she was would show his interest in her. He just couldn’t do this in front of people. Her parents seemed to be the only people to notice his displeasure. To everyone else he seemed to be his usual self. As soon as the vast majority of people left Vegeta stood without saying goodbye to anyone.He walked with his arms folded and looked up to her room. Her window was shut. He looked to make sure the coast was clear and levitated. Sure enough she wasn’t there. He gritted his teeth. What the hell is going on? He landed on the ground and leaned against the outside wall of her house. It was then he noticed another figure land in the distance in front of her personal lab. He cocked his head and quietly and quickly made his way there. He waited. He could see the obvious flashes of light from someone welding inside. It stopped briefly. He could barley hear two people talking. She had her lab pretty sound proof for the most part since he paid her many visits there. He stayed off of the path and watched as the door swung open and Yamcha stormed out.Yamcha slammed a bouquet of flowers on the ground and cursed and flew off. Vegeta came out to the main path giddy. This almost makes up for the odd way this night has gone. He strolled into her lab prepared to heatedly demand an explanation which would hopefully lead to an argument and passionate, animalistic sex. She wasn’t there alone though. She was welding as well as her employee Mac. Mac continued to work and was clearly trying to mind his own business.Bulma didn’t look away from her work, “Ugh, Yamcha. Take a hint and get lost! The answer is still NO!”Vegeta cleared his throat. She slipped up her hood and smiled brightly. His breath caught in his throat at the sight of her. She was filthy, sweaty, and completely in her element. He smiled softly. What was he mad about again?She looked over her shoulder, “Mac, did you want to take a quick break?” Before she finished he had already removed his hood and was walking briskly to the door. Once the door closed she looked him over. “Wow. I knew you’d look good in that, but oh my gosh! How was the food? I got all of your favorites.”Vegeta scowled, “The food? It was good. Although I could take it or leave it AND the company. I came to be with you.”She grimaced slightly, “I know, I know. I really was going to come, but I’ve had a touch of food poisoning the last few days. I seem to rally around lunch though. Then, I found out Mac’s baby is under the weather and I asked if he’d be willing to help me tonight while his wife cares for their little one. You’ve gotten so much stronger with the new gravity chamber. I just had so many ideas for the training aids . . . I knew I wouldn’t sleep. I’m very sorry. I just feel like your training is too important.”His expression softened. She missed her company’s party for him? A late Saturday night when she could be doing anything and this is what she chooses. “If you aren’t well you shouldn’t push. You are like glass.”She rolled her eyes playfully, “If I was like glass there’s a few things you’ve done that would’ve broke me.” He turned red and she winked.He walked closer to her and whispered, “Will I see you later tonight?”“Honestly? I’m already exhausted so I think we’ll wrap it up soon. I can’t seem to get enough sleep. So if it is okay can we just sleep and cuddle?” She smiled coyly.He smirked. “Hnn. Fine. After this place is cleared out.” She smiled and was about to turn when he gently took her hand. When she turned he gently wiped the tip of her nose. “You have soot on you.”“Oh.” She blushed and reached up to untie his bowtie and unbutton his top two buttons. “I’ll see you soon.”He walked out and saw Mac leaned against the wall of the lab. Mac smiled jovially so he must be getting sleep now. “Long time no see. How have you been?”Vegeta really wasn’t in the mood to talk, but Mac was so good to Bulma and to him for that matter. He was fairly certain Mac and Rhonda knew very well they were together and were discreet. He paused. “Fine.”He stood and approached him slightly. “Did Bulma mention how she’s been a little sick the past few days?”“Yes, yes she did. Why?” His eyebrows went down. Why don’t earthlings get to the point?“Yeah, um, have you ever had food poisoning?” Vegeta gave a short nod to indicate he had not. “Well, food poisoning will knock you flat on your ass for days. Maybe even a week depending on what you ate. It is really weird that she gets better each day, don’t you think?” His happy-go-lucky face faded and he looked worried. It made him remember the day Mac rushed to him to help with Bulma.Vegeta mulled over this for a moment. “Should I be worried about her? I would think she understands her body better than anyone.”Mac for a moment lost his patience and became a little exasperated. “I think you should check on her first thing in the morning and if she isn’t better encourage her to go to the doctor. I doubt she’ll go on her own and will keep pushing.”Vegeta considered this. For Mac or Rhonda to ever speak up means they weighed the pros and cons of dealing with him beforehand. “Fine. I will recommend it if needed.”Mac exhaled relieved. “Thanks, man. You’re one of the good ones.” He waved and went back into the lab.Vegeta strolled back slowly to his quarters. His initial feeling was concern. This was all too familiar. Did someone make her sick? If anyone did this to her he would kill them. He looked up and saw the rowdy women leaving the party and ducked into his place and closed the door. They hadn’t seen him.___________________________________________________________________________ When Bulma finally got to her room she was so, so exhausted. She didn’t recall ever feeling this tired aside from when they were dealing with Bannon. It was awful. She could see Vegeta sitting straight up in bed waiting for her. She smiled gently, “Shower?” He nodded and jumped up. He was watching how she walked and seemed to be very attentive to her. “Is everything okay?”“Yes.” He seemed distracted. “How is your stomach feeling? Is anything else bothering you?”As she took her clothes off she thought, “I’m just really tired. I think I’m finally getting over the food poisoning though. I’ve been vomiting a lot and it takes a lot out of me.”He kept his eyes on her as he undressed. “If you get sick tomorrow you will go to the doctor.”She smiled and raised an eyebrow, “Oh will I? Suddenly you're an expert? What is wrong?”He reached out to her and pulled her close to him. “This is just all a little too familiar. I want to make sure no one has done anything to you.”She put a hand on his face, “Vegeta – you, my parents, Rhonda, and Mac are the only people I’ve been around for weeks. Well, and Yamcha tonight. I’m sure you saw that.”“Hnn, I did.” She was amused as he looked gleeful. Well, if Vegeta could look gleeful. “I assume he tried to get back with you again?”Bulma shook her head and rolled her eyes, “Oh, I’ll say. He proposed marriage to me. Had a bouquet, a ring.” Vegeta’s eyebrows went down and he scowled. “Ugh, Vegeta I obviously turned him down flat. I don’t even think he meant it, but since I wished him back he felt like it was the right thing to do.”He turned on the shower and turned back to her. “Oh, he meant it of that I’m sure.”They both got in the shower and she started washing his back. She grinned, “Your body is insane. I love it.” He snorted and she turned so he could wash her back. After all the soap was gone he wrapped his arms around her and let his hands hang. He gently stoked that part of her stomach with the backs of his fingers on one hand. He suddenly jerked his hand back, which made her jump. “Whoa! What was that all about?”He tilted his head as if he wasn’t even sure himself. He wrapped his arms back around her. “Nothing. Sorry. I must be more tired than I realized.”She smiled, “Well tomorrow is Sunday so we get to sleep in a little bit. I never looked so forward to the weekends like this until I met you!”They got out and dried themselves off and put on some underwear. He was staring hard at her. He had a tendency to do this, but for some reason this felt different. She smiled and held out her hand, “Come to bed.” He reluctantly took her hand and they walked and laid down. “Tomorrow is a new day and I feel much better.” They laid together and drifted off to sleep.___________________________________________________________________________ He woke hearing something that made his stomach turn. He looked and she wasn’t in the bed. Vomiting. She was vomiting. He took deep breaths and walked to the bathroom without looking at her. He put up a good front usually, but vomiting and sometimes slimy things made him feel sick or faint.Bulma was shaking. “Oh my gosh this is awful-” VOMIT. “I wish I could figure out what-” VOMIT.His stomach turned, “Please tell me you will go to the doctor.” She didn’t respond, but continued to vomit. Vegeta groaned. He was about to vomit. “Do you need me to take you?”She recovered for a moment, sputtering, “NO! No. After what happened last time I think I’ll take myself once this slows-” VOMIT.Vegeta nodded quickly. “I-I have to go. I can’t handle the sounds, okay?”She turned her face and rested it on the toilet seat. “You are okay. I understand. This is the worst it has been, I swear.” She was catching her breath. “I’ll let you know what the doctor says.”Vegeta flew out of the window and took deep breaths of the cool air. He wanted to be there for her. He really did. If he stayed though he’d be pushing her out of his way so he could vomit in the toilet.He looked at his new gravity chamber. Training. That’ll make the time go by quickly hopefully.About two hours later he saw her leave. He did feel like staying behind was the wrong thing to do, but he also knew ignoring her was definitely the wrong thing to do. He kept watch for her getting back. One hour passed. That’s nothing to really be concerned with. It can take fifteen minutes to get there. Two hours passed. Although he had the gravity chamber set at its maximum setting he stood by the door and half heartedly punched into the air. Three hours passed. That’s it. Too long. Waaaay too long. He exited the gravity chamber and was about to blast off.He idly glanced to the east parking lot to see if anyone was there and he saw HER vehicle. He was slightly perplexed. Unless she parked there to purposely avoid him seeing her get back. He felt himself sweating. What if it was something serious? Earthlings are frail after all. Before he left he assumed at the worst she may need some medication. He felt afraid. It was something he had felt before, but it snuck up on him and he was so overcome by it he forced himself to sit on the ground to collect himself. He clenched his fists and blasted off. He tried to enter through her window and it was locked. “Tch.” He landed with a boom and it shook the entire building and he entered through the kitchen.Mrs. Briefs smiled, “Oh! So that’s what that boom was!”Vegeta snarled, “Where’s Bulma? Now.”She blinked, “I’m not positive, but she is home. Go check her room?”“Hmph.” He dashed away and up the stairs. He opened her room door and the lights were off and she obviously wasn’t there. He took a deep breath and let it slowly exhale. He needed to get his attitude in check immediately. He heard a slight movement nearby. He exited her room and could see the next door down was open with a light on. He walked in and he was met by Bulma bent over and sorting things. He cleared his throat and she stood upright. She had been crying. He eyed her with obvious concern, “What did the doctor say?” He braced himself.She rested a hand on her stomach and he knew. “I was wanting a few more hours or hell a few more days to think of how to tell you.” His face turned to stone and she continued, “I promise I was on medication to keep this from happening. I’m just. Shocked.”His mind was racing. Something else he was going to experience that he had written off. Something else he was going to experience because of her. “I know you wouldn’t deceive me. Have you decided to keep it?”She gently rubbed her stomach, “Well, I thought I would. I know I said I didn’t want kids, but my work life has changed so drastically since we first met. What do you think?”He cocked his head. “What do I think? You are the one that will be carrying it. What I think doesn’t matter.” He turned his back to her struggling for words. “I’m sure I’ll just be considered a lackluster father by all those around me. It is your choice though.”“Vegeta.” Bulma walked up to him and she put a hand on his shoulder, “You mustn't think that way. I’m scared I’ll be a horrible mother, but as long as we try our best-”He cut her off and shrugged off her hand. “I think the best thing I can do now is continue to train. Now I not only have to keep you safe, but the child.” He glanced around and realized what the room was for. “Is this a nursery?”She sighed, “Yes. I had it put in next to my room when I first met Gohan. I was hopeful I could watch and love on him from time to time, but Piccolo took him away to train him before you arrived. It has never been used.”She pulled a photo out of her pocket and held it in front of his face. It did peak his interest. It was grainy, black and white. “What am I looking at exactly?”Bulma leaned closer. “See that white, peanut looking thing right there?” He nodded. “That’s our baby. The doctor figures I’m almost ten weeks along so I'm at the very beginning. I didn’t mention the baby’s father was an alien though so I’m not sure how spot on the doctor’s estimate is.”His eyebrows went down and he gently touched the photo with his gloved hand and then held it. “How long is the gestation? I do not know about saiyan gestation.”Her hand dropped and she absently rubbed her stomach again. “Earthlings usually carry around nine months, but if I remember correctly Chichi she carried Gohan for almost ten and a half months.” She sighed. “I really hope I’m not sick the entire time. She was.” She sighed even deeper, “And I guess I’m stuck at the compound. Babies outside of wedlock aren’t as shocking as they once were, but I don’t want my pregnancy plastered everywhere for all the public to see.”Vegeta turned to her. “Out of wedlock? What do you mean?”She smiled softly. “I mean we aren’t married.”He crossed his arms, “You’re kidding right? We ARE married. By saiyan standards anyway.” Her jaw dropped, “I mean we told each other we belong to each other while we were of sound mind. That’s all it takes.”She shook her head a little alarmed, “Um, no. We aren’t married by earth standards. When you get married on this planet you stand in front of all of your friends and family and declare your love for one another.”He chuckled, “Sounds dreadful. I should have known it would involve some showy display.” He rubbed his temple afraid to ask. “So you don’t want to be married?”She held up her hands, “Whoa, whoa, whoa. That is not what I said.” They both smiled at each other. “Fine. We’re married. Whatever.” She stepped forward and hugged him. He held her close. “You can be as involved as you feel comfortable. I-I know saiyan parents aren’t that involved. Especially when the children are young. For whatever it is worth, I'm nervous, too.”He turned his head and breathed in her hair. She smelled so good. “Hnn.” He held her a moment longer. He pulled back and looked at her stomach. “While you endure this, I’m going to train more. Train harder. I need to maintain my focus.”She grinned, “Um. Before you go, will you be with me when I tell my parents?”He scoffed and clenched his fists, “I’d rather die.” She laughed for a moment and raised an eyebrow. He muttered, “Fine. I’m not saying anything though. They’ll know soon enough anyway and I’ll be damned if they think anyone else is the father.”She giggled and took his arm and they made their way down the hallway. The closer they walked to the living room where her parents were presumably at right now the more his blood pressure rose. It was an odd feeling. Her parents would know what they had done together or rather what he had done to her. He wasn’t feeling nervous or embarrassed. Those weren’t the right words. He was definitely feeling something though. This is not how things are done on his planet. Babies weren’t carried by saiyan females.They made their way down the stairs and her parents were already smiling at them. And they both blinked at each other as they saw Bulma’s arm wrapped around his. Bulma let out a shaky breath so she was nervous. They sat on the couch and her parents exchanged another glance. Bulma exhaled, “I’m preg-”Before she could finish her parents descended on them. His instinct was to protect her which resulted in both of her parents landing kisses on him. He roared, “ENOUGH!”Mrs. Briefs and Dr. Briefs jumped back and held each other instead. Dr. Briefs grinned at Vegeta, “You scallywag. I knew you had it in you!” He turned to Mrs. Briefs and she had started crying, “Me! I’m going to be a Grandpa!”Mrs. Briefs rushed to Bulma and touched her stomach, “Dear, how are you feeling?” And out of nowhere Bulma started bawling.Vegeta rose and slowly backed away as her parents fussed over her. He exhaled with relief that there was some distance between them. He made eye contact with Bulma from across the room and she smiled and shooed him away. The weight of all the people relying on him hit him. Now the real training begins.