Dragon Ball Z 1. Prologue

A/N: This fanfiction is set during the 3-year break in DBZ as our protagonists are training for the coming androids. It's really important to me to stay in each characters' perimeters. This is my first Fan Fiction! _ Thoughts are in italics_ and there is a -o-o-o-o- to denote when the POV changes.

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I wanted to Thanks everyone who have been so great and given reviews (so far 48!) and made this story one of their favorites (23!)! You know everyone on here has a fragile ego that needs constant stroking by reviews of how wonderful the story is, so thank you! Special thanks to aria710 for all the support and encouragement too. (Read her stuff it's wonderful!) How many more exclamation points do I need in this intro! 7.

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Disclaimers: nope. not mine :)

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><p><strong>Prologue: <strong>

"Vegeta, why do we _always_ have to begin like this?" Bulma said rubbing her temple as she stared at the man, twisted metal in his hands and sweat dripping down his naked back as he stood in training shorts inside the front door if the Capsule Corps Lab. "Can't you walk in here calmly and politely ask for help? AND," her anger growing now, "My name is not, Woman, it is Bulma! You know that Vegeta, so use it." Bulma walked over to the alien in her lab, finger pointed and poking at his bare and glistening chest. "And, I don't take orders from you." She could feel his chest vibrate under her finger as he growled at her.

This had been the routine for the two over the past year as Vegeta stayed with Bulma's family until the androids arrive in less than 2 years. _**He**__ is going to be one of the heroes that save Earth from the androids? This arrogant prince only cares about beating Goku, not saving the Earth,_ Bulma thought, looking the Saiyan in the eye defiantly. As the staring contest continued she comically imaged lightning flashing between their pupils, which broke her angry concentration.

She sighed, "Just put it on the table, I'll get to it later" she conceded waving a hand as she walked back behind her desk and sat back down.

"No. Now," he said after placed the smoking machine on her desk and on top of several piles of papers. As oil leaked onto her work papers, he leaned back with arms crossed over his chest in smirking satisfaction.

Bulma jumped up from her seat in renewed anger at the mess. "Vegeta you asshole! What's your problem?" she spouted as she tried to save some of the papers.

His palms slammed down hard on the desk, "You. My problem is You. So fix the machine, now," his face was so close to her's that their breath mixed as he said the statement before strutting away.

Bulma crinkled the papers in her hands as she clenched her teeth and huffed out a deep guttural scream of frustration. _That brat! All he does is train and eat, and break my equipment! I won't see him for days at a time and then he'll come barging in here making demands._ Bulma looked at the broken droid on her desk, giving up on saving any of the papers underneath it anymore. _Damage done._ There were burn marks all over it, apparently from before it had exploded.

_He also had burns, _she thought. He had obviously been working hard in the Gravity Room, or GR. She had peeped in the porthole windows we he first arrived to see him punching, kicking and jumping against at 300 times the earth's gravity inside. Determination written across his face as much as the sweat and strain his body was undergoing. She admired that about him, he worked harder than anyone she knew. Certainly more than Yamcha who welcomed his role in the background in the coming fight with the androids. _Ugh Yamcha_, Bulma thought of her ex-boyfriend. _At least Vegeta is goal-oriented and brave enough to throw all of himself into trying to achieve something. But he certainly isn't a hero. _

Bulma laughed at the idea of Vegeta riding up on a white horse, rescuing her from some terrible tower. Princess Bulma would leap down into her handsome prince's muscular arms and they would ride off laughing into the sunset. A childish happily ever after complete with singing birds. Bulma waved her hands in the air like she was destroying the dream bubble above her head. _No way, that is just… too laughably weird!_ She thought as she checked the time_, after 11._ She turned to switch off the lights in the lab, but then suddenly bent over laughing. _Oh yeah! He IS a real Prince!_ Bulma laughed all over again as she went into the house.

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><p>So how did I do? Thanks! See you at the next chapter<p> 


	2. The Last Nerve

**Ch1: Last Nerve**

Vegeta was annoyed but happy that the Woman's parents seemed to be away for the week. He didn't particularly want to be alone with the Woman, but her mother could be a lot to handle while still remaining civil. However annoying, she was a fine cook and without her there was no meal laid out for the hungry Saiyan. He reached into the fridge and pulled out the rotisserie turkey he saw there. _This will do. For now,_ He thought as he ripped into the bird at the kitchen table.

Halfway through his meal, the door opened and the Woman walked in. She wore a tank top and mini skirt under her white lab coat, which bellowed around her perfect legs as she walked. _Didn't that woman know how to dress herself __with__ more…substance? It doesn't leave anything to the imagination__…__ while I could __still__ stand to think of a few things. _ His thoughts were broken then when she sighed heavily and opened the fridge, bending low to look into the machine. The light shined through the lab coat so that her legs and hips became silhouettes with the glowing coat around them, all available for Vegeta to watch as she searched the machine. A foot escaped the white curtain and moved up and down the calf of her other leg. Scratching never seemed so sexy. She finally stood up with a wrapped bento and a can of coffee in hand. He averted his eyes back to his food before she noticed he was staring at her, and he cursed himself for even noticing the Woman's clothing. _And legs_.

She sat at the table across from him, putting her legs up on the chair next her and leaned back, drink in hand. She sipped and then let out another sigh. Vegeta's eyes flicked all over her body in heated strokes as she rested casually in the chair. Her skin seemed to glow under the lights._ I wonder if it is as soft as it looks. NO!_ Vegeta forcibly stopped the thoughts and looked back at his food. _That Woman is nothing but trouble and only a distraction from my training. _He often had to fight away thoughts of her while he was in the GR, but everyday he felt his resistant to her weakening as his attraction and interest in her increased.

_What is it about that blasted Woman? An_ _elite Saiyan warrior can read his enemy's movements and the next attack from their body language and responses. Almost like reading their mind._ _But that Woman…her actions are unpredictable. An enigma. I find myself pushing her buttons just to get to see what she will do next. _He loved to see the faces she would make to his comments; the way her elbows pointed out on her hips, when she would stomp a foot to the ground and how her eyes narrowed at him. Burning a hole straight into him. _That is it. That fire. That is the thing that disarms me when I look into her eyes. _He could feel the energy swarming into his stomach and down through his body just thinking about those blue fiery eyes. The warm rush invading his body, pumping his heart and spinning in his head so that all he wanted was to be next to it. Warmed by it.

"Hello? Earth to Vegeta," Bulma said leaning over next to his chair, waving a hand in front of his face jokingly. Vegeta had stopped mid-gigantic bite and was just staring off into space, but quickly recovered into an angered expression at her. She had said the words right into his ear and he could feel her hot breath gently flow against his skin. Enjoyment of the sensations on his skin was short-lived as the waving hand deepened his frown. He stood suddenly and grabbed the mocking hand, still waving in front of his face, angrily by the wrist.

"Hey! It's just a joke," Bulma said trying to pull her hand out of his grip, "Let go".

"I don't take orders, Woman. Least of all, a weakling wench like you," he said roughly still holding onto her wrist. He could feel her pulse quicken within his grip.

"Oh come on! Where does all this attitude come from?" Bulma's anger was growing exponentially and quickly out of control now as she tried to push and pull her wrist out of his grip to no avail. Her eyes narrowing and her voice rising in volume with each word that welled up inside of her, "Get off your high horse, Vegeta! I'm the weakling? You couldn't beat Frieza and needed help from Goku, you'd be nowhere without him! In fact you'd be dead! As far as I see it, you owe him and ME some respect and gratitude for taking you in and helping some so-called prince without a planet or people to rule."

Vegeta clenched his jaw tight and bent the wrist still in his grasp back, ignoring the cries as she fell to her knees in anguish. His anger spiked and rage burned through his veins in hot beats. "Insolent cow! This is what you should be doing in my presence, cowering and begging for forgiveness!" She looked up into his face, tears starting to pool in the corners of her blue eyes, but they maintained the same fiery anger and resentment they always had. _She certainly isn't begging_, but the thought flashed in his mind for a moment that he wouldn't want her to be begging. _At least not for forgiveness..._

She pushed him then suddenly, while he was distracted by the strange thought, and ran out the kitchen door. Vegeta didn't chase her, just watched the door slam shut behind her with a boom that shook the windows. _Insolent wench, I hope you stay gone. _


	3. In the Dark

**Ch2: In the Dark**__

_Fuck Vegeta!_ Bulma thought as she stomped out of the house, _That arrogant, pompous, egoistical, self-centered, smug Prince of Monkeys!_ Bulma's insults were never ending as she left the house, then the Capsule Corp compound and continued down the street. She squeezed the tears stuck in her eyes that formed either from anger or pain from her wrist. Her fuming had no direction in particular, just away. Away from Him.

Anger and the cold night air reddened her cheeks as she stomped on with fists clenched. The street was dark, punctuated with street lamps, but still remained dark and alone. The heat quickly burned off, as she realized how far she had walked and how late it had become. _Dammit. Maybe, if I just avoid him for the next two years it'll be fine. _The end of the thought saddened her more then she wanted to admit. She admired his determination and commitment to beating Goku, as stupid of a goal as that was. She trusted him. She even enjoyed arguing with him, seeing the way his eyes and brow knitted to match his deep widow's peak. _And that smirk!_ That conceited and self-satisfied smirk was infuriating and yet burned deep within her in a way she didn't even understand.

Bulma was walking slowly now, to deep in thoughts to notice the approaching footsteps behind her. Her heels clicked against the pavement as she walked. Eventually she looked down at her watch and decided to return to the house. As she turned around there was a man inches in front of her.

"Oh, excuse me," she said after bumping into a man and moved to step around him, but he side-stepped into her way again.

She looked up into his face to see the wide smile across his face, but his eyes were only deep shadows hidden by the edge of the streetlamp's light. "Hello there little lady" said the smile, "you're out rather late, why not come with me? Grab a drink?"

"No thanks, I've gotta get home" Bulma stammered out reached in her pockets for her pepper spray. Shit, I left my bag at home. She side-stepped him again.

"Don't be like that" the smile grabbed her arm roughly as she tried to pass, "One drink"

She tried to keep a calm face while the panic was quickly taking hold deep in her chest. Bulma roughly pulled her arm back from the smiling shadow. She walked on more quickly, but she heard the footsteps behind her also quicken. Heart rate was racing, as she began running, her heels sinking into the dirt as she cut through a grassy area. But the effort was soon all in vain.

Her breath rushed out of her scream as his weight landed on top of her. He turned her over on her back, grabbing her wrists as she tried to claw and flail them at his face. The Z gang's punching lessons now seemed like a useless child's game. He pulled her wrists down on each side of her thighs; he grinned as the effect made her lift her chest to him. With one hand on her mouth, he used his shoulder, other arm, and knees to wrench her clenched legs apart. As he conquered each leg, he put his own knee on top of her thigh, effectively and painfully putting all his weight on top of her legs and hands. Ending all chance of struggle.

Her eyes streaming with tears as she thrashed her head from one side to the other, desperate to escape the hand covered her mouth. _Vegeta,_ she thought searched the sky, wishing for him. _Please._ Bulma felt her mind leave her body then in a deafening calm. As tears pooled by her cheek, she listened to the wind blowing through the trees. Clouds overhead reminded her of picnics with Goku and the rest of the Z gang. All of them laughing at Goku as he ungracefully stuffed his face. Although he had never been there, she imagined Vegeta leaning against a tree a smirk on his face. _Vegeta._

The man shifted his weight on top of her and her tears renewed as she heard the jingle of a dangling belt. The sliding of metal button from cloth. But the sound that ripped Bulma fully from her dreams was the zipper's descent. It seemed more terrifying than any horror movie then. Screams ripped through her body. The zipper's sound made vomit come up her throat, unable to leave her covered mouth. As he leaned back fiddling with his pants one handed, she let loose a muffled screamed and bucked, freeing an arm and bring her fist across his face, knocking him back and more off balance, till another bucking of her hips sent him falling back.

With a despite scream, she was up and running again. Her lungs burned and kept her from screaming. She was too afraid to look back, but she managed to peek over her shoulder to see him flying at her again. His fist connected with her cheekbone, sending her spinning to the ground. Her hands and knees braced her fall, but before she could recover he stood on her calves to keep her down. He grabbed her wrists, holding them behind her back, and then with a hand in her tangled hair, he slammed her face into the dirt.

Lights and colors flashed in her eyes as her teeth cut into her lip. She still saw the lights as he positioned himself behind her still holding her wrists. She could only mouth the words into the dirt. _Vegeta,_ her mind begged, _please Vegeta. Help._


	4. A Hero

**Ch3: A Hero**

Frustrated and annoyed, Vegeta walked towards the GR. The Women plagues his thoughts so much that he could no longer think straight and decided to concentrate on training instead. _Infuriating Wench, I am convinced, this is all her fault! _He slammed his fist against the GR wall.

Exhaling in disgust, he looked up at the house. Not sensing her presence anywhere nearby, but he knew she would return with renewed "discussions" waiting. Kicking off the ground hard, Vegeta flew off into the night, leaving the GR behind and deciding to avoid the "Bulma situation" completely by sleeping outdoors somewhere.

He growled in his anger. _That Woman! She is keeping me from becoming a Super Saiyan, from reaching my goals. MY Birthright! _Frustration and anger clenched his jaw with aversion. He knew his attraction to her was strong, and she seemed to taunt him with temptation. _HIM, the Prince of Saiyans, and she is a weakling Earthling who deserved only to cower before me. However…_ He wasn't sure when he began to love the warmth of that feeling as his blood boiled every time she stood up against him. The fire in her eyes as she refused to forfeit to his demands and argued with him. And more often than not, he found himself submitting to her will. She would pock her finger to his chest and then lead him to a shower or somehow convince him to wear strange Earth clothing. And he would! It was truly a mystery and it angered him to no end. Not only that, he felt a strange comfort and relaxation in her presence. _As if hypnotized by those damned blue eyes. My senses always seeking out her weak ki, and my eyes always seem to follow her form._ He was always impressed by her technical prowess as she created and repaired anything put in front of her. _The look she got when she conquered the problem she had spent hours struggling over. How she always seemed to get grease on her forehead while working in the lab. How she hummed songs in the shower. Her smell—_

His thoughts were broken then, by a piercing screaming. _Bulma,_ he thought stopping dead in its tracks. He could sense her. Her power level was fluctuating wildly. In an instant, he was flying towards the feeling. He hovered above with his keen eyes searching the ground for her figure. _There!_

He saw her, felt her, as the attacker had her bent over with her face on the ground while he fiddled with his pants. In an instant Vegeta was flying down and kicking the monster off of her. She collapsed and remained on the ground, quiet and still. Vegeta looked at the man struggling to assemble his pants. The attacker was trying to scurry away from the short flame-haired man.

Vegeta's hand was quickly around the scum's neck and lifting him off the ground, "Going somewhere, Trash?" Vegeta's _dark _smirk growing with each word. The man reached at the hand, legs kicking at the air and his pants falling around his ankles.

"Please man, let me go. Please!" he begged. Vegeta only looked at him grinning. "I wasn't really going to do anything. Truly! Come on man, you know how it is with women. I mean, look at that skirt, she was practically begging for it-"

Vegeta slammed the man into the ground, creating a small crater. Sitting on top of his chest, Vegeta brought fist after fist down on the man's face. He held nothing back from the human, screaming the whole time as he brought down every blow. His scream seemed to never end as his punches came down on the Trash's face. The only other sound, other than Vegeta's bellowing scream, resembled the sound of slamming down a wet log each hit with heavy wet thuds and cracks. The sound soon changed to impacts of sopping smacks and then finally only squishes, like his fist was hitting jelly mixed with rocks. Vegeta stood and threw his head back as the scream grew louder and his Ki rose even higher.

Within him something erupted. Screams bellowed out of him and his body flashed to life with bright golden flames. Vegeta's hair was set alight by the gold lights covered his body in a haloing flame.

Anger and power with which he had never known coursed through his body and he looked at his hands. He was panting with excitement at the feeling. His smirk widened as he looked at his clenched glowing fists. He threw his head back and shrieked with laughter at the feeling of power until he looked back down at his enemy. What was left of the man had long ago gone limp and unrecognizable; Vegeta prepared a blast from his palm inches from the scum's bloody mess of a face. A hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Vegeta?"

It was the smallest voice he had ever heard, he didn't even recognize it as he turned around to discover it was the Woman's. His expression quickly fell away to one of shock and pain. Her body hung like a puppet with broken strings. Blood trickled from her mouth and on her high cheekbone below her eye. Bruises seemed to darken before his eyes on her face, wrists and legs. Clothing torn and stretched loose in the struggle to escape. Tears cleared a trail down the one side her face through clinging dirt. But it was her eyes that scared him most. Placid and hollow, empty of the fire that attracted him to her so many times. The small foreign voice spoke his name again, "Vegeta?" The sound was pleading with more urgency this time, as her legs gave way.

Vegeta arms were holding her before her knees even touched the ground, his hair and body returning to normal. "I'm right here, Bulma". Her face fell into his chest; he could smell the dirt and sweat on her… and the Trash. He squeezed her closer to him, lifting her body so her head fell on his shoulder as he lifted them into the air.

"I called for you. I knew you'd come," the words sighed out of her. A small smile. "My hero" and she was asleep.

Vegeta lifted them higher into the air, but before taking off to Capsule Corp he faced his palm at what was left of the Trash on the ground and blasted him into dust.


	5. Cleaning off the Night

A/N: sorry for all the confusion! I posted the wrong chapter and that is why it looked like I had not updated when I had. This is the missing chapter.

**Ch4: Cleaning off the Night**

Bulma was actually grateful her mother and father were gone and couldn't see her like this. She looked at Vegeta as she sat on the bathroom sink. He was dabbing a wet cloth on her arms and legs. He quietly worked, but he wasn't looking at her.

"Vegeta?" He grunted but didn't look up from his work. "Vegeta," she said again with more force, "look at me."

"I don't take orders, Woman," his eyes kept to his task, now removing what was left of her broken heels and then rubbing her feet and calves with the cloth. The sensation was anything but sexy, but it did hold them in a level of intimacy that she didn't think them capable. _But he still refused to look me in the eye_, she thought biting her lower lip, but winced as she reopened the cut on the tender flesh.

"You find me despicable now, don't you?" her voicing becoming small as she looked away. He slammed his both hands on the counter where she sat, making her snap to face him. Their noses weren't inches but seconds apart. Their eyes now locked.

"No. I would never think that about you". He was almost fuming with anger, but then he touched her chin tenderly. They stood there a moment like that; she could feel the heat off of his fingers. His thumb stroked her cheek once as he exhaled and lowered his gaze. Stooping again to clean her wounds.

Bulma watched quietly as he gently wiped away dirt and bandaged the small cuts he discovered. She expected him to say something about her being weak. Complain about how she was wounded so easily and flinched when he poked a wound with the towel to harshly. Criticize her for not even being able to run from that….

"Did you kill that…" she couldn't even call him a man, but Vegeta answered before she had to.

"Yes" he replied flatly.

"Are you sure?" a quiver entering her voice.

"Absolutely. You think I couldn't turn that Trash into dust? Of course, that garbage was no match for a Saiyan Prince"

Bulma smiled at the prideful prince. Anger and hate soon melted her smile as she said, "Good" with malicious dripping from the word.

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Vegeta looked up at her face then. As he often enjoyed her angry and fiery eyes, he had never heard her voice filled with such distain and hatred. He had always thought her to disapprove the killing of people, even evil people. _So, she had not touched my shoulder to stop me from annihilating the Trash. She touched me because she hadn't recognized me. Touched to confirm that it was really me._

He got a new towel, wet it and stood to clean the marks on her face. He ground his teeth as the towel exposed the damage to the bright bathroom lights. _That Scum_, his mind hissed. He thought of searching for the Dragonballs to wish the Garbage back so that he may kill him again. He continued to endlessly curse and imagine horrible scenarios for the Trash, when her voice broke into his thoughts again.

"Thank you, Vegeta. For coming to find me and helping me." Her eyes burned into his till he was forced to look away from her eyes. He couldn't think of an answer that satisfied him, so he grunted. He continued to dab her rose-pink lips, now a lopsided version of the pout with which he had grown familiar. "I never would have guessed that you were a kind man. I know you aren't always a good man, but you are kind" she said with a strange half-smile at him. When he dabbed at the cut under her eye, she winced from the sour spot and their eyes met again.

"I owe you" she said, forcing him to stop his work yet again.

Gruffly he said, "Good. You can fix the GR with some new droids," then continued to dab at her cheekbone more gently this time.

She smiled warmly next to the damp and stained towel "Of course." She touched his hand gently and Vegeta's eye widen momentarily, as she took the towel out of his fingers and began dabbing it onto his own face. "There's blood here" she said.

"It's not mine" he said quickly, realizing that it must be from the Trash. She nodded knowingly as she then began to wipe his knuckles clean of the mess there. He hadn't even realized how murderous his fists and face must have looked to her while he was cleaning the evening from her body. He suddenly felt fearful. _I must look like a monster, but… she__ doesn't seem afraid of me_, he thought as she continued to hold his hand in her's and wiped the blood and dirt from each finger. His fingers tips rested inside her palm. The skin was warm and smoother than he expected, since she worked with so much machinery. He traced his chaliced finger in a circle on her palm; the sensation mesmerized him. The tip of his finger rose and fell into the creases in her palm. His finger followed the valley of her palm lines all the way around the base of her thumb and then traveled back up the soft pad of her thumb to her wrist_. She has such beautiful wrists._ He didn't even notice that she had stopped moving the towel that had been cleaning his hand. Both had become lost in movements if fingers inside her palm.

Getting up off the sink suddenly, Bulma lifted a fresh towel off the rack and turned with her back to him. "I'm going to take a shower now"

Without another word, Vegeta exited the room, closing the door behind him. He stood guard with his back to the door for a while, listening as she turned on the shower before he finally left her. He walked around the grounds, part of him searching for more threats that he could obliterate with glee, but he only found a harmless green garden snake fleeing under a bush. The other part of him wished to think in peace.

He flew up and perched on the roof of the domed house. He could see the sky and horizons on all sides. The number of stars even seemed greater, but the black space between the twinkling spots did not seem like such a cold and hollow void as he had always imagined it as before. Before the black seemed to surround and loom over each light, threatening to consume them completely at any moment. _I can't tell how it is different now. The darkness just seems different. _He gave a great sigh._ Looking at the stars always makes me forget reality._ He thought smiling, at least it was a smile for Vegeta, but his seriousness quickly returned.

He had finally reached his goal of Super Saiyan that night. _The power was incredible__, heightening my power and speed.__ The androids will be no match for this new found level of ability._ He knew the power was awakened by a Saiyan's anger and rage, but he did not know that seeing the Woman crumpled on the ground like that would inspire such feelings in him. He thought the Woman and his attraction to her was keeping him from his goal, a distraction from his training and true desires. _Who could have guessed she would be the gateway to it._

He chuckled at the irony. "That Woman," he said to the stars with a grin. He could sense she had left the shower and was quickly falling asleep in her room. "What am I to do with you now?"


	6. Breaking the GR

**Ch 5: Breaking the GR**

Bulma sat in the kitchen with her mother, Yamcha and a fresh cup of coffee. _How on earth did I date him for so long?_ She thought as Yamcha talked about training or Goku or something. She had long ago stopped paying attention, but he just kept going. She turned with her back to him nodding at whatever noises he aimed in her direction and sipped her coffee. She could see the GR from the kitchen window across the compound. _Wonder what Vegeta is doing? Well, duh he's training, but I wonder how it is going. No I don't, don't lie Bulma! You know you just want to see him. _It had been almost a month since the night Vegeta had saved her and she was really unsure of what she thought of him anymore. She hadn't told anyone about what had happened that night. _It would be a problem is Vegeta got in trouble for murder._ She had checked the paper regularly for a while afterwards, but there was no news about the scumbag who tried to rape her. A missing person no one would miss.

She sipped her coffee again. _If Yamcha or anyone else did know, they would probably treat me differently, like I was broken in some unseeable way. But I'm fine. Better than fine. And I'm glad Vegeta doesn't treat me or look at me like that. _She felt closer to the arrogant man, her thoughts often drifting in his direction without warning. She saw him in a way she hadn't before. Sure he had rescued her, but Goku and the others had saved her before too, but he had also been so kind and tender to her. _I would have never expected that from him._

"Yo, Bulma! Did you hear me?" said Yamcha's voice from behind her.

She turned to face him then, embarrassed that she had been caught daydreaming. "Yeah sure, that sounds great Yamcha."

"What sounds great? I asked if things are going ok with that guy here."

"Oh Vegeta is just fabulous. And so handsome! Such a gentleman and always cleans his plate. If I was a single woman, I wouldn't hesitate to—"

"Mom!" Bulma yelped, her face flushed a bright red. She pulled a hand through her hair to collect herself again, "Yamcha, Vegeta is fine. He is obnoxious and stubborn but he hasn't caused any kind of problems. It has actually been really peaceful around here lately." BOOM!

A huge explosion sounded behind Bulma then, shaking the windows and the caused Bulma to drop her coffee cup in shock. She turned around to see the GR turn to a pile of burning rubble out the window. Before another word was spoken she was running out the door. "Vegeta!"

Bulma stood at the rubble's edge, "Vegeta!" she shouted then fell to her knees, pushing aside rocks and metal scraps. "Vegeta, can you hear me?" Suddenly a gloved hand shot out of the rocks startling her so much that she fell backwards. _Is he a zombie now?_ "Vegeta!" she said, reaching for the hand and grabbing hold to help pull him from the wreckage.

"Are you ok?" she whimpered as she sat back in relief as Vegeta brought himself all the way out of the remains of the GR.

Giving a painful and shaky chuckle at her question, "Of course I am. I'm a Saiyan."

Bulma breathed a deep sigh of relief. She exploded then, "Are you crazy! You could have destroyed the whole house! Do you know how long it will take to repair this thing?"

"You better get started then," Vegeta said with a chuckle before the strong words were no longer strong enough to hold his feet firmly on the ground and he fell backwards.

"Oh no!" Bulma said rushing to his side and holding his head in her arms, "Yamcha, help me get him in the house. Just lay back Vegeta it'll be alright."

"I don't want help and I don't take orders," Vegeta's pride never faltering even if he could no longer stand.

"Yeah yeah, _Master_ Vegeta," she said rolling her eyes, "So please, as a Favor to me. Rest," her tone was soft now, a kind of beg.

-0-0-0-0-0- (I give up on defining POV for this chapter, You'll get it!)

Vegeta smirked, he enjoyed her calling him Master. He also liked the idea of her owing him a favor. Even though he probably couldn't stop her or the other weakling from sharing his weight as they walked to the house, he quietly compiled.

After laying him on his bed, she was ordering the weakling around for bandages. She sat at his bedside, holding his hand. _Her skin is so warm. She's so much softer than she looks, _he thought as he finally succumb to the inside of his eyelids while she touched his face whispering things he could no longer really hear or understand.

Bulma rubbed cream on the burn marks. Then bandaged his wounds, at least the ones she could get to while he laid like a stone slab on the bed. _Stubborn ass, _she thought bitterly seeing more red and open wounds on his legs and reaching for fresh bandages. _He's temperamental and arrogant, obsessive about fighting and violence in general, _she grumbled. _Then again… I've been told the same thing before__, just not about training to fight._His face twitched before with painful sleep, but now he seemed to have calmed down and he looked almost… peaceful. _Stubborn ass,_ she thought smiling sweetly at his sleeping face.

_How long have I slept?_ Vegeta thought as he pushed against his body to move. _That infernal machine exploded! Damn it. Damn it all! _For a month now, no matter how hard he pushed his body he couldn't seem to open the Super Saiyan form again._ This has got to be some f*cking cruel joke to give me the power and then lock it away before I could truly use it. _Then he saw her there, sitting on the floor next to the bed, her head and arms resting on the blankets next to his body. _Foolish Woman_, he thought gazing at her dreaming face. He pulled her by the arm into the bed beside him, gently as he could manage so as not to wake her. He made his arm her pillow and pulled the blankets up over her shoulder. She was so close now. Vegeta had never seen her face so close, or so quiet and innocent. Her eye lashes flickered with her dreams and her mouth was just cracked open as the tiniest breaths slowly moved in and out. He brushed an escaped hair out of her face then continued to pet the silken threads. He fell asleep with his fingers sinking into her blue waves of hair.

Bulma snuggled into her firm pillow. As she sleepily peeked one eye open and realized what the firmness way, she shot up in bed. _Vegeta?_ _What am I doing here? Did I crawl into his bed last night? He doesn't seem to have noticed or minded…_she looked down at Vegeta. He had one arm tucked behind his head as he laid flat on his back and the other arm was still extended out. Her pillow. Bulma quietly and slowed laid back down, searching Vegeta's face and body for evidence that she had already awoken him up. _I'll just pretend I haven't woken up_. She couldn't keep herself from smiling.

She snuggled in closer than before. Now her head was resting on his chest and shoulder. She put her arms across his chest and boldly wrapped her legs around one of his. She continued to look up into his face, so much closer then she'd seen it before. _Goodnight Vegeta_. _Was that a thought or a whisper? _

Vegeta, who was in fact awake as soon as she had shot upright, felt her body cling closer to him. His extended arm now circled around her, pulling her closer and almost completely on top of him chest. He was holding her to him now. As much as he wanted to move his hand up and down the curves of her back and hips, he did not want to give away the fact that he was in fact awake. So he remained still.

Bulma eyes grew wide at the sudden movement of Vegeta's arm and their now close embrace. _I can hear his heart beating. _She drew a circle with her finger in the space between his peak muscles. _I wonder why Vegeta and none of the Z gang have chest hair. Is it a warrior thing?_ Bulma suppressed the inward giggle of imaging all of her muscled friends waxing their chests.

Vegeta radiated a comforting heat across Bulma's body. Without realizing it, she was snuggling closer to the warmth and her hand followed his body over collarbone and up the side of his neck to his hair. She looked up at his face as her finger traced the hairline behind his ear. Bulma's eyes grew wide then softened into a smile at her discovery. _The skin behind his ear is so soft. The rest of him is hard, rough and chaliced, but here. Right here, it is like a secret. _It was too late by the time Bulma realized that she was pulling herself closer to the secret spot on her side of Vegeta's head. As her fingers continued to pet the spot, on the other side of his head she placed the softest kiss on that soft skin behind Vegeta's ear, claiming it as her own.

_What am I doing?_ She pulled back so hard she was sure Vegeta would wake up. She stared down at his face. _He did not move. He doesn't even seem to be breathing. Should I just go? _She looked down at his face some more, feeling somewhat guilty. But the warmth of his body and the firm arm that continued to hold her around the waist was alluring and drew her back to his side. She lowered herself again into the sleepy embrace. _It will just be a secret between me and his soft spot,_ she thought as she pressed her cheek to his skin and laid her arm across him, her fingers finding their way to the secret spot again with a smile. _Mine._


	7. A Friday Night In

**Ch6: A Friday Night In**

Bulma plopped on the sofa with a bowl of popcorn and clicked on the TV. She pressed play and began watching the title credits of the movie with a sigh. _Home alone on a Friday night. You are living the life Bulma Briefs, _she sarcastically thought stuffing the first pieces of popcorn into her mouth. It had been a long week in the lab and she felt that she deserved a nice reward. She baked cookies, took an extended bubble bath and now was sitting down for a sappy movie. She was wearing her favorite PJ shorts and tank top and unwrapped the towel from her hair. She rubbed then shook her damp tresses before she reclined deeper into the sofa cushions.

The movie couple was just meeting for the first time when she heard the front door open. _Great, here comes Prince Sunshine,_ she thought with an exasperated roll of her eyes. Before he even saw him she shouted out, "There's pizza in the fridge for you". She found herself listening to the sounds from the kitchen then and ignoring romantic quips in the movie.

_Vegeta had been ignoring me for over a week, since the GR exploded and since I found myself sleeping next to him_, Bulma blushed at remembering the experience. She thought perhaps things were different between them after that, but he had disappeared before she woke up that morning. She woke up in the bed cold and alone without the warm Saiyan next to her. And then he spent the next week seriously avoiding her and had barely said two words to her since that night. To top it off, with her parents still gone on vacation, the house felt incredibly lonely and quiet; which was part of the reason for this whole Friday movie night.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw him walk into the room and half empty box of pizza in one hand the crust of a piece in mouth. He stood in the doorway eating and watching her for several minutes, making Bulma have to force herself to focus on the movie more and more as time passed.

"Do you want to sit down instead of just standing there?" she shot at him without looking from the screen. He gave no reply, but to her surprise, he was soon sitting on the sofa a cushion away, and putting the now empty pizza box on the coffee table and crossing his arms over his chest.

The silence was growing increasingly awkward as Bulma realized that Vegeta may be watching her embarrassingly girly movie. She suddenly really wanted to change the channel, when she turned to find him snickering.

"What is so amusing? I'll have you know this movie is really popular and even won—" she stammered out angrily with a blush.

"No, I'm surprised. You spend most days in front of a computer screen but then come home to spend more in front of this screen," he said smirking.

"Everyone has their ways of relaxing this is mine. You should learn to loosen up too. Rest and relaxation is just as important as working hard," she said lifting her chin determinedly. "Besides you should rest more since you are still recovering for your injuries when the GR exploded."

Vegeta just looked at her and widened his smirk with a shrug. They sat in the glow of the TV for what seemed like several hours. Bulma was just beginning to relax into the movie again when Vegeta was suddenly laying on the sofa with his head on her lap and feet up on the arm rest. His arms were still crossed over his chest and his eyes closed but the determined and hard face was still his only expression.

"Wha—What are you doing?" Bulma shouted looking down at the Saiyan on her lap in startled surprise. Her arms in the air like a wet animal had just fallen into her lap. She nearly jumped up off the couch, but then wondered if she would even be able to budge him from his current position.

"You recommended that I relax more. So I am taking you up on your offer. And since you still owe me a favor from that day, I'm collecting you as a pillow," he said without even opening his eyes. He turned his body and head so that was facing the screen again, but she could tell he had kept his eyes closed.

Bulma was stunned and didn't know how to respond to this strange behavior. _What?_ _A pillow!_ _What does this mean? Is he planning on sleeping like this? __I thought he forgot about that favor, or at least would ask for more droids to blow up. W__hy? _The questions were endless in her thoughts but she couldn't think of a single answer to them and didn't dare voice any of them aloud. _Why don't I just tell him to get off? Would he? _But then she realized part of her didn't want him to get up. She liked the feeling of his warm head on her bare thighs. She sighed deeply then, allowing the pestering questions to melt away as she looked back up at the screen and lowered her arms. One rested on his shoulder the other on the arm rest, since she obviously couldn't put them in her lap anymore.

The movie continued on, but Bulma had no idea what was going on anymore. She could feel Vegeta's warm breath on her knees in long deep rhythmic strokes. _He must have fallen asleep, _she thought looking down then at the Saiyan prince. Curiosity overtook sense then as she reached a finger towards his mane of hair. _Even while __lying__ down, it still seems to defy gravity_. She rubbing a piece of the hair between her fingers investigating its texture, _it is softer then I would have guessed. Like __fine__ wool._ Her fingers were petting the mane then, reaching deeper and deeper into its black void and combing out to the spiky tips. She smiled as she felt his stiff body soften, his arms uncrossing slightly and relax. The strands of hair felt like soft bristly threads as they passed between her fingers. She felt him give a soft hum that vibrated on her thighs. She closed her own eyes and continued to pet the cooing beast.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Over the past week he had busied himself in order to be away from her. He still felt strange about the night they had spent in each other's arms. Her soft body melted over his skin, her sweet smell seeping into his very being. _And she kissed me! Well, she kissed my head but in the weirdest way. Perhaps it is an Earthling custom? It certainly hadn't made the evening more comfortable._ Not to mention the strangle hold she had on his body in the morning. In the course of the night her arms and legs became wrapped around him like an octopus, awaking him with an asphyxiating chokehold. It had taken a lot of time to unhinge her body from his without hurting her. _I had no idea that her sleeping form was so strong! _More than the hurried morning exit, it was the kiss that stuck with him, the memory alone warming his cheeks. Making him feel like a idiot each time his cheeks burned red. That memory of such a strange kiss and the deep blush sent him fleeing from the room whenever she would enter. Telling himself now, A_ Saiyan __**never **__flees the enemy. A Saiyan only conquers_. _And this is where my pride has brought me, in the hands and lap of the enemy. _

Vegeta didn't know what had processed him to lie upon the woman as he was or even what made him enter the room. He simply wanted to, and that was enough of a reason for the prince to get what he wanted. _Maybe the smell of her fresh from the shower?, _he thought. He had expected her to shout or try to push him off when he laid on top of her, _I doubt that she would be able to do such a thing,_ _and if she did the fight would have been much more amusing than that mindless baka movie she had been watching_. However, he never would have expected her to accept this proximity without complaint.

He could smell her so clearly when he was sitting on the opposite side of the couch, the scent of soap still clinging to her skin, but now, as he laid with his head in her lap, her smell enveloped him. Not just the clean smell of soap, but also the sweet and bitter smell of her sex that was so very near to him now. He had turned away from her to prevent her from seeming the effect her smells had on his body, but unwittingly getting even closer to the source. He tensely lay for a while wrapped in her aromas, wondering if he could stand it much longer, when he felt her fingers touch his hair.

No one had ever touched his hair like this before; he would never even allow anyone to presume to touch him without finding their fingers broken, but for some unknown he allowed her fingers to cautiously investigation his strands. Daringly, she was rubbing her fingers and nails on his scalp and then gently pulling her fingers through his hair, stroking each piece to the very tip. For a moment he didn't care about anything else, only Bulma's fingers and the tingling sensation that erupted all over his skin and body with her touch. He couldn't help the satisfied moan that vibrated through him as she touched him more boldly now. It somehow relaxed him and excited him at the same time.

He was lost in the moments under her fingers' control, when she began softly humming. The sound was gentle and dreamy and he could feel the vibration all over her body. _It is that strange song she hums in the shower._ There was something familiar at the vibration, like a memory he never had. _Mother?_ He felt a throbbing ache deep within his chest at the idea of her, the woman who had died long before he could remember. While he pushed the idea of her away knowing that such behavior was very unlike a Saiyan, mother or not, he couldn't shake the familiarity of the humming's vibration. It was comforting and he yielded to it entirely.

He turned over suddenly facing the wide-eyed woman. She was obviously surprised to see that he was not asleep as she must have assumed. She looked speechless almost fearful of Vegeta's reaction to the audacity of her touching him so informally without permission. Vegeta only lifted a hand to her face and scooping strands of hair from behind her ear. Her hair had dried into gentle waves and as she looked down at him it fell in waterfalls around her face. He tenderly pulled the long threads between his fingers until reaching the very end and brought the tips of the hair to his nose. He breathed in the silken threads and kissed them, all while his eyes remained locked with hers. His lips smirked against the strands of cerulean hair as he saw her swallow hard and blush deeply.

As his hand reached up again for more hair, her body and face lowered to meet him. The inches were shortening between them quickly while their eyes never left the others; unsure and unsteady as they succumb to the impulse developing in the shrinking space between them. No words or thoughts could be found to stop them.

RING! RING! The sudden noise shattered the silence and both figures snapped to opposite sides of the couch. RING! RING! As Bulma reached to answer the offending phone beside the couch, Vegeta was already up and leaving the room without a word. She watched as he left, holding the receiver to her ear and not listening to the receiver's voice and feeling the sinking ache in her chest.


	8. On the Roof

**Ch7: Watching the Sunset**

Bulma huffed and clinched her fists as she stared at the smoking equipment on her desk. She wasn't really mad about the machinery or the messy of oil growing underneath it, just annoyed to the brink of exploding. It had been nearly five weeks since the "incident" on the couch. For the week after the near-kiss on the couch, Bulma found herself turned into a blushing idiot every time he entered the room. And each time she found herself with the courage to bring it up or try to rekindle the moment they lost, he was gone! He kept escaping without a word. If he did speak it was insults and demands. _I can understand if he just feels awkward, but either way he is treating me worse than before! _She dropped her lab coat on top of the broken junk and stomped out of the lab. _Break time! And I don't care what that jerk says. I have already fixed his precious GR, which HE exploded, and that is obviously all he really wants! But just to make sure… where won't he find me?_

She didn't really feel like shopping or going too far, mainly because she had promised her father to help with looking over his newest prototype when he was ready. Bulma looked around the grounds. Suddenly the idea occurred to her, where she used to hide from her parents as a kid. _The roof! Wow, I haven't been up there in ages._ There were many happy memories of playing on the wide domed roof, imagining being a princess trapped by her evil parents, perfect for the stubborn child that laughed in the face of gravity and needed to rebel for an hour.

Soon she was on her bedroom balcony and her barefeet dangling as she crawling up the overhang to reach the roof. _I used to love to sneak out here. I'd read a book or watch the stars._ Bulma sat down near the crest of roof and leaned back on her elbows, soaking in the low hanging, but still warm, sun. She let out a long sigh, _prefect, this is just what I needed,_ she thought as she began to close her eyes.

"What are you doing, Bull-moose?" said a gruff voice from behind her.

Bulma nearly jumped out of her skin, "How did you get up here?" she screeched as she turned towards the noise. There was Vegeta, arms crossed over chest, his shoulders thrown back and an angry scowl across his face as his feet floated a few inches above the roof. _Duh, Bulma, he flies. _Recovered now from the shock, she turned back around and leaned on her hands, "I can be on my own roof is I want to" She listened as he touched down gently on the surface behind her, then she heard the shuffled of fabric and weight as he shifted and sat somewhere nearby.

The silence was held between them for a long while; so long that the sky began to burn orange and red from the setting sun. _It's really pretty,_ Bulma thought smiling softly at the sun and forgetting her silent companion.

"You had better not come near when the androids arrive. You had better try to not get in over your head. A naïve girl like you should really stay in the light and out of the dark"

Bulma turned around at the sound of his voice surprised by the softer tone it had taken. _He seems kinda different than usual… _"What do you mean?"

"Never mind. Just go away, Idiot Woman. Hurry and get lost!" he shot back. _Back to business as usual, huh Jerk?_ _And here I thought something was different about him_. Bulma was standing and facing him now, fists clenched at her sides. His back was still turned away from her as he sat facing the darkening sky.

"Look you! I've had enough of that! Would you quit calling me idiot, woman, or bull-moose, and learn my name alrea—"

"Bulma" he said, his eyes locked on hers. There was a something there, not anger or annoyance, but… concern maybe fear. "Bulma," his voice was soft and velvety as he said her name. She really liked the way it slipped from his lips and hung in the thin air between them. "Now get lost and no backtalk," the gruffness returned quickly to his voice as he turned away from her again, laying back with his arms behind his head and looked out at nothing in particular.

Bulma truly looked at him then, so surprised she didn't even refute his attitude and demands. _What is going on?_ The black sky behind him was being broken by the appearance of tiny persistent stars just beginning to shine. She smiled devilishly then and walked over and sat down beside the stubborn prince.

"Sorry Vegeta, I don't take orders from you" she said and laid down beside him, her head resting on her arms as she looked up at the rapidly darkening sky. "Besides, I came up here to watch the sunset," she lied.

"The sun is over there" he said without even gesturing to the opposite side of the roof now bronzed by the burning glow, "I thought you were a genius?" he grinned but said it without all his usually bite.

"Yes, I am a genius, and of course I know the sun is over there. I don't like watching the sunset as much as I like to watch the stars appear, which is on this side," _Nice lie, Bulma! _Smiling wider now, "So I guess you'll just have to deal with me over here".

-o-o-o-o-

Vegeta grunted in response and a small smirk crept onto his face, _Little liar._ He liked how she joked and bickered with him. She was the only he really let joke with him, at least without punching that person. _She certainly is a worthy opponent for verbal fights and she never cowered before me, even though her power level was laughably small. Her defiance is intriguing._ _She keeps me on my toes. _He had to admit, he was never bored with her around. Lying there now with nothing but silence and stars, and still he was anything but bored.

"Do you like stars?" she quietly asked the air.

"I don't hate them," Vegeta scoffed with a wide smirk. Actually, he had always loved the stars. Some of his favorite moments with his father on Vegeta-jin was their star-gazing lessons; they would stand close together on the balcony and the king would point and instruct his son on the stars and planets in the Saiyan domain. The stars held part of his birthright. While the stars on this planet were very different than those he saw on his planet, they still seemed to shine in the same familiar way.

She smirked at his answer and turned away from him to look up the sky again. "Did you know that the black of the night sky isn't a void at all? Our telescope satellites have taken pictures of black space and found it full of galaxies that are just too far away for us to see. And there are all these great studies about dark matter. It is some kind of substance that holds stars and galaxies together in formation or even from colliding into each other. We call it dark matter because we have no way of observing it yet. We can only speculate based on how it interacts with other celestial bodies. And this other study…"

"What are you talking about, Woman?" Vegeta interrupted with a gruff grumble.

"I'm just saying the universe isn't just light and dark. Or good and evil. So don't tell me where I should or shouldn't go." Hearing no reply or rebuttal, Bulma took a satisfied deep breath of the heavy night air.

She let out several heavy sighs, which drew Vegeta's attention to her large rising and falling breasts. _The Woman does have a nice body. In this moonlight her skin seems to…glow. _Smirking widely to himself again, _and her face when she is angry… it awakens that rush of excitement for a challenge. Is it just that? _He looked at the profile of her face. _I wish I could see her eyes, _the thought surprised him, but he did have to admit that she has stunning eyes_, like blue flames. _

Like his wish had been granted, she suddenly turned to face him; her eyes narrowed at him in an inquisitive way and seemed to search his face for answers to a question she hadn't yet asked. She continued this unwaveringly for several minutes, just staring questions into the confused face of the Saiyan prince.

"What?" he sputtered out finally, unnerved under her constant gaze.

Her eyes continued to examine his face and eyes like she was conducting a very serious investigation. "Are you in love with me?" she said flatly.

"What?" his voice and body shot upright to look at her then.

"You are, aren't you? You are crazy about me. You are madly deeply in love with me," she said matter-of-factly as she sat up to face him, "You should just admit it. I already know it's true. Just give up the charade".

Vegeta was too shocked to speak, _the absolute gull of this woman! She's lost her mind! _

"Yup, you've got it bad," she said with condescending pity. "I don't blame you though. I mean I am a catch! Rich. A genius. Incredibly beautiful," she counted each modestly with a finger, "It isn't hard to fall for someone like that. Really, you never had a chance, poor thing," she looked at him with a sympathetic half-smile. "It's okay, Vegeta. And you know I really value our friendship and hold a very special place for you, but I don't think it would work out. I'm sure you'll find some special girl someday," Bulma condescending smile could no longer be held back as she looked at the slack jawed Vegeta. "I mean, you've got a great body, even if your attitude is rotten. And you are a meathead who only cares about working-out and fighting. And I bet if you worked on those crazy mood swings you'd be just fine". His wide-eyed look quickly darkened into a furious red, like any moment plumes of steam would be shooting from his ears.

"Woman, have you gone completely insane? What in the world would ever make you think something as outrageous as me having any such feelings for a pompous, spoiled brat like you?" he shouted into her face rising to his feet.

Bulma rose to her feet and his challenge to yell back, "Don't give me that! You watch me all the time! I can't go anywhere without your eyes on me like some crazed stalker."

"Me watching you! You are the one that comes and peeks into the GR window while I'm training."

"I'm just making sure you haven't died in there, since you have a habit of staying gone for days at a time. Eventually, I'm going to see the stinking dead body of some stuck-up Saiyan who was too stubborn to take a break and relax for once."

"How can anyone relax with you scampering around the house in your underwear? You should dress with more modesty, because no one wants to see your body, least of all me!"

"Me dress more modestly? Coming from the guy who wears nothing but spandex suits?" she said pointing a finger into his chest, "And it is MY house, I can dress however I wish. You should just be grateful I let you stay here; no one else could stand to put up with all your crap. Especially with how much you eat all the time. Just admit it, you feel it too!"

Vegeta smirked then as he crossed his arms over his chest, "Sounds like you are the one with these _feelings_, not me".

Bulma blushed and took a step back. She opened and closed her mouth inaudibly a few times, Vegeta rejoiced at having actually making the woman speechless. Finally she said, "What? No! We are talking about you—"

He stepped forward into the ground she retreated from, "No, I think you are the one who is crazy about me," he said as he continued to move towards her as she stepped back. "You like arguing with me, pushing my buttons and tempting me. You admit it,"

"I won't," Bulma raised her chin proudly, realizing too late that she had not deny it either. She felt herself begin to loss her footing on the domed roof, and as she raised a hand to catch her balance Vegeta grabbed it by the wrist.

"Me either," Vegeta said with an even wider smirk as he pulled her close to him and pressed his lips to hers. He released her wrist and wrapped both his arms around her trim waist. She circled her arms around his neck and pulled herself even closer to his face. He could feel the heat pooling in his gut then overflowing as the kisses deepened and his hands roamed and freely across her body. His eyes opened with surprise at feeling her tongue slip from between her teeth and press against lips. Curious, he opened his mouth to have his tongue meet hers when she bit gently on his lower lip and drew it into her mouth. The moan erupted out of him at the new sensation and he suddenly pushed her away from him.

"You're going to get it for that," he said seductively into her ear while picking her up in his arms and flying away into the night.


	9. Tryst

**Ch8: Tryst ** - Very naughty adult themes in this chapter. You know you love it!

The wind roared past Bulma's ears as Vegeta cradled her in his arms as they flew away from the Capsule Corp compound. The cool night air couldn't release the warmth in her cheeks. Where they were going was the least of her concerns as she touched her fingers to her lips. _I've never been kissed like this before. I don't know if it is gentle or violent. But it was… amazing,_ she thought renewing her blush. She looked up at his face, even the dark his eyes seemed to have their own light that twinkled warmly. Her hand reached up and touched his cheek, drawing his lips to hers again.

The kisses melted away all that went on around them; the rushing wind as the flew across the night sky, the descent to the sandy beach of an island, and the yanking and tugging off of each other clothes as Bulma walked backwards into the lush foliage and trees. Steadying herself with a palm against a tree trunk and the other against Vegeta's rigged chest, Bulma took in several huge breaths. She allowed herself to look at him then, his naked glory basking in the streams of moonlight through the trees.

She looked at his face with laughing eyes; he stared back at her like a lion about to pounce on a gazelle. She leaned her back against the tree trunk, allowing herself to be cornered by her predator, and took his hand in both of hers. Every inch of her felt the pleasure of anticipation. Lifting each finger to her lips for a kiss and then took his thumb into her mouth, massaging it with her tongue, all the while her eyes egging him on.

Never one to disappoint, Vegeta's lips were on her again heavier this time and more passionate. His hands journeyed up the curve of her waist and cupped her breast. His kisses moved from her lips up her cheekbone, past her ear and down her neck to her collarbone. Bulma's knees were quickly losing strength as she felt his lips and hot breath flowing over his skin, and gently slid down to the ground. Her hands gripped to his mane of hair as he kissed and nipped at her breasts. Each touch held its own electricity burning within and Vegeta was quickly consumed and controlled by the sensation.

He was stretched out on his stomach then in the leafy sand, like a snake sliding out of the island, between her bent knees and covering her body with his, kissing and nipping as her body to test which area it would like to really sink his teeth into. Her fingers clucked to his arms and down his back as the soft moans escaped her lips.

His lips and hands followed the curve of her body down to the epicenter and source of her heat and scent. He enjoyed how her body reacted to each caress and kiss and bite. Her hands were on his shoulders in limbo, undecided if she wished him to continue or return to where she could see him. Bulma's hands seemed confused on what they wanted to do; she dug her nails into his hair, then across her own chest, and then wrapping around the tree trunk behind her head. He was lifting her hips off the ground, making it even more apparent as they unconsciously bucked and leaned into the source of her pleasures. He began to tease that spot as she wildly pushed towards him, craving more. One hand gripped and her nails continued to dig into his skin as her back arched like she was possessed. She had never imagined experiencing sensations like these and was quickly losing herself completely to their whim.

Vegeta has long ago lost himself in her flavors and smells as her juices dripped from his chin. The moment of her body and the sounds that she could not restrain escaped her lips added to his fervor. Her sudden whispers, "I—I'm coming" caused him to stop and look up at her face. She looked at him too then, with blushing confusion.

It an instant, Vegeta was standing, lifting her so her back balanced against the tree trunk and her knee touched her shoulder, as he brought himself inside her in all in one motion. His pace was relentless as he ripped open his passion on her body. Her arms gripped onto his back and hot ragged breaths pooled on his shoulders and neck. Instinct pounded his hips in inexorable thrusts as all thought left him.

"Vegeta, Please. Please be more …gentle," her begs seemed to fall on deaf ears and Bulma's arms and legs clung to his body, her feet no longer touched the ground. Her nails pierced into his back and shoulders, drawing blood and scratching red lines across his skin. In a final attempt to bring him back to reason, she pulled her hand back and slapped him across the face as hard as she could.

Her strike had worked in that Vegeta stopped; the shock apparent on his face as he looked into her eyes. Suddenly embarrassed, hurt and confused, he was about to bolt into the sky at her rejection when her hand caressed where she had just slapped. Before he could form the question, she stuttered out, "You… were hurting me."

The air felt thick and itchy with discomfort then. Bulma stared at the drops of sweat on his shoulder as if they held the secrets of the universe. She felt like crying at the shattered moment that hung between them now. _Shit,_ she thought going over scenarios of what she could have done or could still do to end the strange situation they stood in now. She suddenly felt so alone and stupid, and then his fingers lifted her chin to face him.

He had always known how fragile the creature in front of him was, but he had never been afraid of something weak before. He never had something so delicate that could be so easily shattered that he wished to protect. "It won't happen again," Vegeta softly said as the shame more apparent on his face then he would have wished. He pushed a fallen hair from her face and watched the moonlight radiance on her flushed cheeks. _What has this woman done to me?,_ he thought looking at her with a new wonder.

She smiled a whisper into his ear, "Let me". Vegeta allowed her eyes and body guided him to the ground. She straddled his body with her legs and sat up looking down on him. While he did like to be in such a submissive position, he truly enjoyed the view it offered him. Her body glistened with sweat and sand in the moonlight as her hips settled onto him and began to move, slow at first then in heavy strokes. He could watch her face change and contort with pleasure and need. She leaned her hand and weight onto his chest and shoulders, her nails biting into this flesh again. His hands roamed her body and harden breasts with glee as she moaned and grinded into him. Not sure which he enjoyed more, the sound of her moans reverberating into the darkness or the each new face she made as her hips pumped. He grabbed her hips with his hands and deepened their movements. She erupted then into renewed and louder moans that bordered on screams as she reached orgasm with full force. Her body seemed to lose all strength and fell forward onto him so her forehead pressed against his chest and hot breath poured out in ragged shots. The prince smirked at her moaned release, enjoying how much pleasure he was able to give her.

He held off fallowing her lead, thinking she deserved extra treatment after his "rough behavior" earlier. Rolling them over so that Bulma's long hair tangled and seeped into the sandy grass and leaves of the earth beneath them, Vegeta renewed his kisses to the crook of her neck. She giggled at the sudden movement and the leaves trapped in Vegeta's mane. Her laughter turned into a gasp as in one swift movement he entered her again. The sensation was consuming as he moved harder into her slick warmth.

Bulma's legs wrapped around his waist and pulled his hips deeper into her. She threw her head and abandoned holding back the moans and her cries of joy pierce the wilderness around them as her fingers pulling out plants and digging into the sandy dirt above her head. Vegeta balanced on one arm and let the other roam her body and bring her breast to his hungry mouth. His other hand glided along her side then up her slender arm to interlace with her fingers as he thrust himself deeper into her. He finally allowed his pleasure to become audible as his grunts succumb to cries that rivaled hers.

"Yes," he moaned into her neck, licking sweat from her collarbone. He threw his head back at seeing her body tremble with passion, "Yes. Hmph Bulma," The name rolled from his lips within his grunting. Not sure how much more he could take, he lifted her up again with ease, her arms automatically clinging around his neck as he continued to guide her hips up and down. Her fingers locked behind his neck and leaned back, their bodies creating a 'V' as her head fell loose and her hair cascading like a falls.

She pulled herself close to him then, their foreheads touching as sweat and breathe joined. "I—I'm…" she stammered before her head whipped back as she pulled even close, her breasts bumping into his face, as she bellowed out a scream filled with released passion of her second orgasm. He could feel her soft body clamp down around him in tight waves that quickly brought him over the edge as well. He pulled himself deeper in her body as he released his seed inside her with an uncontrollable roar that melded with hers.

Standing suddenly seemed impossible and he held onto her as he gently fell onto lush foliage and sand again. She clung to him still breathing heavily onto his shoulder. He leaned back with her body still clinging to him as he tried to collect himself again. His fingers tracing the curve of her spine, as he looked up at the stars through the trees. The night air seemed so still and content. Ocean wind blew over him cooling the sweat on his skin; his eyes closed enjoying the delicious sensation. _Maybe it's not the wind that's delicious,_ he thought pulling her waist closer to him again.

She turned and looked up at his face, his eyes were closed and his smirk never seemed so satisfied, if that was even possible. She nestled closer to him resting her head on his shoulder. Tracing her fingers up his chest and neck and then to the 'secret spot' behind his ear. _Hello again, my spot, _she thought stroking the soft skin, _I missed you. _She pulled herself to the spot and kissed it softly, like she had done after the GR blow up. Her smile felt like it had overtaken her face when she saw the expression on his.

A strange mix of amusement and confusion came over Vegeta seeing the goofy smile she was making. He remembered this strange ritual, stroking and kissing behind his eye. "What are you doing?" he said raising an eyebrow, struggling to hide his delight at the blush rolling over her smiling face. "You are strange, Woman".

Bulma pulled the leafy grass and threw it at his face, "Oh shut it," she said not knowing what to do with the butterflies flopping around in her stomach. She jumped up quickly and did a running skip into the shadowy surf. The ocean was black and lapping against the dark sky so the stars danced on its surface. Walking slowly as her naked legs descended farther into the water and disappeared beneath. She looked back at the beach, but she couldn't see Vegeta in the dark.

"Power Ball," Vegeta said as he focused his ki into the energy ball that began floating higher. Moon light spread across the area, bouncing off the water and filling the island with shadows and mystery. He could see Bulma easily then, her pale skin glowing like a goddess rising from the sea before him. She looked at him and smiled widely as she lifted cups of water in her hands and released it to drip down her sparkling body. _She really is breathtaking,_ he thought as he walked slowly towards the vision, drawing the radiant image deeply into his memory. "No need to wash off, Woman. There are still many hours until sunrise," he said smirking as he pulled her towards him.


	10. No Farewell

**Ch9: No Farewell**

_Come on. Come on! Faster! Harder! Come ON! _Sweat dripped from Vegeta's brows and down the tip of his nose as he continued to pump and push his body to the limits. His scowl deepened as he grunted with exertion. Until finally he fell to his knees in exhaustion. "Damn it. Damn it," he whispered between panted breaths, "DAMN IT!" he roared till the GR walls shook.

Vegeta had been trying non-stop for hours but he could not managed to bring out the Super Saiyan power he had felt before when he killed the trash that attacked Bulma. _That woman,_ since the night on the beach the past month had become a storm of sheets and skin. He quickly grew obsessed to the feeling of her and the sounds of her moans. No room or time of day or night was safe from their lust. He found himself kidnapping her from her lab and whisking her into some dark corner or empty room. And every night he would succumb to her beckoning him into her bed. It was exhilarating and addictive.

He did not think that anything could keep him from training, but two days ago she begged him to stay in bed, 'Don't go, just stay here with me a little longer' and then he felt it. His will and pride breaking to her temptation. That is when he locked himself in the GR, his determination renewed to not to leave until he was Super Saiyan again. He would not leave until he had recaptured his Saiyan pride and achieved his goal. And here he stayed, now lying on the floor. A failure.

_This f*cking planet is a joke! I found the legendary power before, I felt it pulse through my veins and now it is barred from me! Kept just out of reach! It is a sick f*cking joke! _He punched the floor once, than again in his frustration. "DAMN IT!" With a final hit of the floor he felt it dent under his fist. _Shit, the Woman will be ticked if she sees that. Wait! Who cares if she does! _

He thought he should be happy with her, she gave him the GR and droids and a place to stay and plenty of food to eat as he trained. All while asking for nothing in return, except to protect her baka planet. And then for the past month she brought a new level of entertainment into his time on the planet. But he felt it then. _I don't belong on this weakling planet._ He felt a sense of satisfaction and contentment when he should be desperately pushing forward towards his goal. He was a man without focus. With his pride. He didn't even recognize himself anymore.

_Then it is decided. _Pushing his body up and to the control panel he turned off the droids and gravity.

A voice giggled over the intercom, "How does this silly thing work, oh that did it! Hello Vegeta sweety. You been working so hard would you like to take a break and have some lunch? I've prepared all sorts of your favorite goodies. Ooooh, why doesn't this have a camera, then I could just watch you all day. Teehee. I say, if I wasn't a married woman…" she broke into more giggles.

"Hmm. Can you make it to go?" he said gruffly and switched the intercom off. He exited the GR and pressed the large panel button that activated the encapsulation process. Picking up the small device he walked away.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Bulma was pacing. She often paced when thinking through a problem, but it usually happened in her lab and not the bathroom. She was staring at the piece of plastic in her hand with the single-minded focus that she would have over blueprints or electronics. She stopped then. Everything stopped as she watched the blue plus sign appear. Grabbing the box of directions she looks back and forth at the positive sign. "Oh dear."

The look of shock on her face in the mirror above the sink was priceless. _Well, it shouldn't be that shocking. We've been going at it like rabbits for a full month. But we were so careful! Well, except for that first night;_ a deep blush set in at remembering, _it was a wonder I could walk after that all-nighter_. _ But I took precautions afterwards and then since then we used condoms religiously. And that was diffidently the most awkward discussion and explanation to Vegeta ever! _A broad smile formed at remembering that curious face Vegeta made at the tiny package and the round disk. _When he sniffed it,_ she burst out laughing. Laughing so hard she leaned over the counter. Laughing till tears squeezed at her eyes. She laughed like she had forgotten how to and just rediscovered the feeling shaking all over her body. As she tried to calm herself down a strange calm and sense of peace overcame her mind. She looked up into the face in the mirror, grinning to herself as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"You've lost it, haven't you Bulma? The genius scientist has finally flipped. And all because of some arrogant guy. No…not because of Vegeta but because of this little guy." She touched her stomach, still flat. Her stomach didn't let loose her secret, but something about her looked and felt very different. "Woah, I'm going to be a mom. This has got to be the craziest idea for an adventure I've had yet," she smiled to herself. She felt the crazied laughter coming back but realization made her face drop to the floor, "Oh crap, what am I going to tell Vegeta?"

Running with one thing in mind, she searched the house and grounds. _Probably at the GR,_ but when she got to where it usually was, the GR was missing, only the impressions and dead grass where it used to be. _Did Dad encapsulate the GR for some reason? I bet Vegeta is pissed about that._ She brushed the missing GR away and continued looking for the man.

She found him in the lab, looking at the ship she had been working on, when they weren't…distracted. _What is he doing in here? Looking for me? _"Hey Vegeta! I've been looking for you everywhere. Listen-"

"Not now woman. Help me get this contraption of your's ready to take off," he simply stated.

"Take off? I'm surprised if you want to take a ride around the planet we've got the plane, or you could just fly yourself. But listen, I've got something to tell you-"

"No I'm taking this. Now how does it work," he said as he moved around to what he thought was the front of the space ship.

"Well the controls are rather genius, simply voice activated. Loads better than those pods you had before, huh?" She pressed a button and opened the hatch. She turned around with a smile, but her was no longer standing there. Instead he was encapsulating a box marked 'Supplies'. He picked up the tiny capsule and put it in his pocket. And without another word walked to the open hatch.

"Vegeta? What is going on?" She could feel it then, her heart sinking into the pit of her stomach. She already knew. "I thought… I thought you were staying to help fight the androids." Was the only thing she could think of to say. She followed him into the ship, watching as he looked at the computer screens and starting a diagnostic test of the system.

"I will return to fight these androids. But I am leaving now." He wasn't looking at her, just the ship's command room. He moved around the cabin like she wasn't even in the room. It was infuriating.

"Vegeta that's a year from now!" she was soon shouting. "Why can't you just train here? You made a lot of progress so far, why leave? Why do this alone? I thought… I thought—"

He was in her face then, menacing eyes staring into hers his hand wrapped around her throat, "You thought? You thought what? That this thing between was something more than sex? More than just me using you for convenience? Baka Woman!" he was screaming louder, his fingers pressing deeper into the soft flesh of her neck, bending her to her knees. "I don't need you! You are merely a diversion, just entertainment on this dirt-ball planet. And I have been distracted by you long enough. You will not keep me from my goal any longer!" He was shouting into her face, knuckles white as he gripped her neck. Her face was pale and her mouth gaped open in a silent beg. But it was her eyes that forced him to loosen his grip and stave his anger. Each blue orb was full of fear. _She fears me._ He had a strange aversion in his chest to the idea that she feared him. "Now get out. I will return to take care of the androids. That is all that should concern you." His voice was calm, but warmer than he wanted it to be.

She was on the floor coughing for several minutes, her hand rubbing her throat. Vegeta only stood and watched her and she sat on the floor. Then suddenly she was standing, hands in fists at her sides as she whipped around to face him. The tears streaks down her cheeks looked strange coming from the angry eyes that now faced him. "Fine. Go! We don't need you." A proud smile pushed and arched the tear streaks as she said it again, "WE don't need you." She started to walk to the ship door, but paused at the hatch way. She stared out into the lab room as she said, "Do you love me, Vegeta?"

His thoughts raced quietly through the impregnable pause before he said, "I don't—"

She cut him off then with a raised hand and said, "Forget it. It doesn't really matter," She sighed and gave a small half-smile to the floor before looking back at him, "Nothing you could say would ruin today for me." She tapped her nails on the hatchway frame, looking up at the cabin's ceiling. "Bring the ship back in good condition. There is extra food encapsulated in the kitchen and the center of the ship has its own GR so you didn't need to take the other one." Giving the frame a final pat she said, "That's all, Vegeta."

Since releasing her throat all he could do was watch her. Watch the tears leave her eyes. Watch the strange expressions that moved over her face. He had expected her to scream, to shout and curse him, and she didn't disappoint, but now she was acting so out of character that he didn't know what to expect next. And now he watched as she descended the stairs without even looking back. He simply watched as the hatch closed and left him in the control room alone. "I don't. I don't hate you" he said to the closed hatchway. "I'm actually quite fond of you"

_Enough, _he thought turning towards the control panel. The ship rocked and shook as it blasted through the open roof and into the sky and pushed upward into the atmosphere. Setting the ship to an area of space he knew to be empty. He was happy to fly away from this maddening planet. He watched as the blue-green marble planet drifted away and was swallowed by the empty blackness of space. _Oh yeah, the black isn't a void of light, we just don't know how to see it yet. Only the unseen and unknown. _

-0-0-0-0-

A/N: Yeah I know… probably wasn't the best ending or worth the long wait, but the thrill and tease were really the point of this story and not the ending. This three years are interesting in how Vegeta can impregnate Bulma, zip off into space to become legendary by the crushing anger of his pride, come back to fight the androids, totally not care about her or the kid she had while he was gone, and then move back in with her after Cell. But we don't love DBZ for its thoughtful plot twists and flawless story telling. Besides, the fun of fanfiction is the unexplained and hidden truth.


	11. New Story called Grow Up!

Thank you everyone for all your reviews, comments, messages and support throughout this story!

Just wanted to let you know that I have a brand new story out called Grow Up! featuring our favorite DBZ couple!  
><strong>Grow Up"<strong> is an alternative universe with V/B (and later others) where Vegeta and Bulma grow next door to each other as friends and children. They are as thick as thieves until Vegeta's parents die when he is 10 in an accident and a distant relative, Uncle Frieza, takes over the family business and home who is willing to do anything to hold onto his new windfall of success. The friendship seems to fall apart, but when the two are reunited their senior year of high school, and things are as complicated as ever.

**Story Sneak Peak:**

One of their favorite pastimes in the afternoon was riding their bikes around the neighborhood. "Look, no feet!" said Vegeta.

"Yeah, you're a real Evil Kenevil" Bulma said with roll of her eyes. "How about this? No hands!" Bulma said with glee right before a rock sent her quickly tumbling to the ground.

"Bulma!" Vegeta skid to a stop and jumps down to her rescue. Bulma rolls over onto her butt, hands gripping around the fresh red lines on her knee cap.

"Ow, ow, oowww!" tears threatening and stinging her eyes.

"Oh that's nothing. Don't be such a baby," Vegeta scoffed.

Eyes still on the edge of tears, Bulma looked up at him like a puppy and said, "Can you kiss it better?"

"Do what?"

"Kiss it better. My mom does it to make it feel better,"

"I don't know," Vegeta said crossing his arms over his chest and raising an eyebrow higher, "Sounds gross."

"Please" Bulma said, drawing out the 'Eeess' as she looked at his with wet lashes.

"No way. Does that even work? I think you're making it up," Vegeta scoffed again. He was always a bit skeptical about superstitions. His father told him that superstition was for fools and not to believe a word of it.

"I swear it works! See," With a surprisingly sharp nail she made a white, then red scratch on his arm that stun but didn't bleed, and then just as quickly pressed her lips to the scratch before the boy could protest. And to his shock, the stinging scratch did feel better, not only better, Vegeta could feel a warm tingle flowing up her arm. "All better," she said with a grin.

"It does kinda feel better," Vegeta said with a sense of wonder at this new magic.

"Now will you do it?" she said, her grin gone and the puppy eyes returned in a blink.

Still startled by the seemingly magical kiss she had 'healed' him with, but he neglected to remember that she was the cause of his pain at first. Vegeta bowed his lips to her knee, wondering if he could produce the same magic as she did. As soon as he pressing his lips to her dusty red kneecap he did feel the tingle again as it made his heart skip and his cheek blazed. "All better," he whispered the magic words to her knee.

"Thanks," Bulma jumped up and pulled her bike upright; all thoughts of her skinned knee long forgotten.

"Sure," he returned to his bike too and followed her along the road.

Most afternoons were spent riding bikes, or catching bugs and frogs, or climbing the big tree by the lake. It never seemed to bother Vegeta when the other boys at school would try to make fun of the two friends for always hanging around each other. They often claimed she would give him cooties and that they were secretly boyfriend and girlfriend and sat in trees k.i.s.s.i.n.g. But once they saw that neither Vegeta nor Bulma really cared about cooties or tree kissing, they soon gave up their taunting. And Vegeta and Bulma did often climb trees, not to k.i.s.s., but mostly to read or swing in the shade like monkeys. Goku and Krillian would often come too.

For the next three years they were inseparable and the best of friends. Until the summer Vegeta turned 10 years old when both his parents died in a car accident.

Check out the story for more!

-o-o-o-

Thanks again for Reading **Not the Ideal Hero**


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Dragon Ball Z, Drama, Romance