Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ A Friend in Need ❯ Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own it, not making even half a cent on it. You get the drill.


"Hey guys! I didn't know you'd be here today! We coulda all come together."

Bulma and Vegeta shot upright in startlement, nearly knocking chins as they did so. "Goku, you scared us!" Bulma exclaimed, her hand clutched over her heart.

"Whoops, sorry about that," Goku said, rubbing his hand on the back of his head sheepishly.

"Kakarrot, you Kami damned idiot," Vegeta growled irritably. Bulma had just told him of her attraction to him. He'd been about to kiss her, and that moron just had to show up and ruin it. And as long as he was on the topic of morons...

"What are you two doing here?" Yamcha asked suspiciously. Jealousy welled up inside of him. The two had been dangerously close to each other; what had that monster Vegeta been trying to do?

"We're at the beach, idiot," Vegeta told him dryly. "We swam, and the sun is out. What the hell else do you think we'd be doing?"

Considering what had almost just happened, Bulma couldn't keep from blushing a little. "Vegeta, it's okay," she told him softly, putting her hand on his elbow. "He's just trying to rile you up."

Vegeta knew she was right and attempted to calm himself. He would be civil for her benefit. "Fine."

"We brought lunch, and it looks like you did too," Krillin spoke up in a further attempt to keep the peace. Bulma seemed to still be bitter about her breakup with Yamcha, considering she wouldn't even look at the man, and the last thing they needed was a scene on the crowded beach. "How about we all eat together?"

Bulma held in a sigh. She didn't want anything to do with Yamcha, but Krillin and Goku were her good friends. It wouldn't be fair to brush them off simply because Yamcha was with them. "That sounds great," she said, trying to sound cheerful.

The three men spread out their towels and sat down with them. "Chi-Chi made us sausages for lunch," Goku said to no one in particular. "Mm-mmm, do they ever smell good." He pulled one of the sausages out of a plastic container and put it in a bun. "Do you guys want one?"

"No, that's okay. Mom made us fried chicken. But thank you for offering," Bulma declined politely.

"How about you, Vegeta?" Goku asked, his mouth full of food. He swallowed. "Chi-Chi made them herself, and they sure are good."

Vegeta finished the chicken leg he was eating and eyed the pile of sausages. They did look and smell delicious, and he knew from experience that Kakarrot's woman could cook. "Sure, why not?" He helped himself to a sausage.

"Don't forget the condiments, Goku," Krillin reminded him. "I want some of those sautéed onions and peppers on mine."

"I'm looking forward to the sauerkraut myself," Yamcha spoke up.

"Oh, I was so hungry that I almost forgot," Goku said with a chuckle. "Here you go, guys."

The smell of the peppers and sauerkraut hit Bulma's nose and she felt her stomach lurch. Normally it wouldn't bother her, but today was a different story. She got to her feet and staggered a few steps away, her hand over her mouth.

"Bulma?" Krillin asked in surprise. "Are you-"

Whatever he'd been about to say was cut off when Bulma ran over to a nearby trash receptacle and lost her breakfast.

"Eeew..." the four men chorused.

Vegeta leapt to his feet and hurried over to her. "Is it..." He gave her a knowing look.

Bulma accepted the bottle of water he held out and rinsed her mouth. She nodded. "I don't know what else it could be," she responded quietly.

"Bulma, are you okay?" Goku put down his food and came over to them. "Are you sick?"

Bulma and Vegeta exchanged a glance. "Well, I guess there's no point in lying about it," she murmured.

Vegeta easily picked up on her trepidation. He knew she didn't want Yamcha to know, but everyone would find out soon enough. Neither pregnancy nor the resulting child were things that Bulma would be able to hide. "I guess not."

Goku cocked his head to the side in confusion. "Lie about what?"

"I'm okay, Goku. I..." Bulma looked at Vegeta again. This was really hard for her to say.

"Bulma is pregnant," Vegeta spoke up. He'd said he'd be there for her, that everything would be all right. He would help her through this, even if it wasn't in a way she expected. "She is feeling sick because of it."

Yamcha leapt to his feet. "You're pregnant, Bulma? Why didn't you tell me?" he demanded accusingly.

"Wow, Bulma. Congratulations," Krillin exclaimed. "You too, Yamcha."

"Yeah, congratulations," Goku added. This was certainly unexpected. Trunks had never said anything about having a brother or sister when he'd shown up from the future. Maybe it was because Yamcha was the father, and he wanted his own parents to get together instead.

"I..." Bulma stammered, feeling embarrassed and hurt. Yamcha knew, something she hadn't wanted. There was nothing she could say to make the situation better.

Vegeta, however, had other thoughts. ~Now or never, Vegeta.~ "Why are you congratulating that loser? I am the child's father," he announced, stepping forward to curl an arm around her waist. No one saw her look of surprise, since they were all staring at him in shock themselves.

"You, Vegeta?" Yamcha asked, his voice disbelieving. Not only had he not thought that Bulma liked Vegeta, since he was so moody and he'd seen them bicker, but he was insulted that she would have slept with another man so quickly after they broke up.

Vegeta's eyes narrowed. "Is there a problem with that, weakling?"

"Vegeta, please." Bulma turned under his arm and placed a hand on his chest. "Let's not do this right now."

Vegeta was still glaring daggers at Yamcha from over her shoulder. The imbecile did not deserve a woman such as Bulma, nor the right to claim paternity of the child she carried. He was willingly offering a solution to both issues with Bulma right then and there. "Fine."

"Could I talk with you privately, please?" she asked, rubbing gentle little circles on his chest in an effort to calm him down.

"You heard the woman," Vegeta growled. The others got the point and left them alone. "What is it?"

"Vegeta, I… Why did you say that you're my baby's father?" she whispered, staring up at him with wide blue eyes.

"How did you put it to me? You're my friend, and good friends are there for each other to help each other when they need it. You needed help, and I wanted to be there for you." Vegeta tipped her chin up. "I really wanted to be there for you," he finished in a whisper, "and not just as a friend."

Bulma's eyes filled with tears. The way he was looking at her made her feel like someone important, someone of value. Someone who was loved. Yamcha had never made her feel that way. "Oh, Vegeta," she managed. "I truly wish you were."

He frowned. "Of course I am," he objected. "Why else do you think I said what I did?" He paused when she shook her head, and realization hit him. She hadn't wished that he was her friend; she'd wished that he was in fact her baby's father. "Oh."

Then he smiled, an actual honest-to-goodness smile.

She blushed and averted her eyes. "Well, uhm, you do realize that now that you've claimed to be this child's father, if we don't… I mean, they'll think badly of you if you don't…" She ran a hand through her hair. How could she say this without being rude?

"Bulma," Vegeta said in a deep, low voice, "I did consider that, and I want you to know that I have no plans to go anywhere. As long as you're agreeable to that, that is."

A tear trickled down Bulma's cheek and she nodded. She smiled, despite the trembling of her lips. He wanted her, even though she was pregnant with another man's child. He wanted to claim that child as his own, to take care of him or her as if the baby was his own child. She could ask for no greater gift, no greater expression of not only kindness, but love. She could think of no better man than the one who stood beside her, the man whom she now knew she not only had a strong attraction to, but loved with all her heart.

The look in her eyes made him feel like the greatest man in existence. "Good." He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close against his chest, the unnamed emotion he felt for her growing ever stronger as she snuggled against him with a contented sigh.

They stood in silence for a moment, simply enjoying each other's presence. "Vegeta?"

"Hmm?"

"I just have one problem with this," Bulma told him.

Vegeta's face sobered. "A problem?"

"You've only ever kissed me once, you've never seen me naked, or even touched me, let alone made love to me, and we're having a baby together," she explained, reaching up to place her hands on his shoulders. She looked up at him through thick lashes and gave him a secretive little smile.

A huge grin plastered itself across his face. "I can remedy that problem if you like, princess," he murmured in her ear. He cradled her in his arms and lowered his lips to hers, kissing her soundly. "How's that for starters?"

She gave him a loopy smile. "Can't complain."

He picked her up in his arms as if she weighed nothing and took to the air toward Capsule Corp.

***

He held her in his arms, confused as she cried against his chest. Why would she cry? They had come home, indulged in some serious foreplay, and made passionate love. Wasn't that what she had wanted? A thought suddenly struck him- in his excitement, had he hurt her?

"Bulma, are you all right?" he asked worriedly, stroking her hair in an effort to soothe her. "Did I hurt you?"

Bulma wiped at her face with the back of her hand. "No, no, you were wonderful," she whispered. "It's just that, well, I didn't know it could be like that, that it could be so incredible, so special."

Vegeta just barely managed to keep himself from growling. What had that loser Yamcha done to her? "Bulma, this is only the beginning," he promised her softly. "There is much, much more to come."

She sniffled and smiled. "I'm looking forward to it."

"Count on it," Vegeta promised. "There were of course exceptions, but Saiyans were not known as a race who neglected the needs of their mates." He placed a feather soft kiss upon her neck. "Most especially their sexual needs." He kissed her neck again.

Bulma shivered. "Mates? Am I your mate?"

Vegeta nodded, nuzzling at her collarbone. "Indeed," he murmured. "You cannot know how long I have waited for this day to come, the day when I could finally claim you for my own."

He'd waited for her? Bulma's eyes widened, then softened. "How long?" she whispered.

Vegeta paused in his task. "I honestly don't quite know when it was that I knew I wanted you for my mate," he admitted, "but I..."

She squeezed his bicep in encouragement but remained silent.

"I realize now that I was affected by you ever since I first saw you on Namek," Vegeta's confession continued.

Tears returned to Bulma's eyes. "Oh, Vegeta," she whispered, snuggling close to him. "I wish I would have known sooner. We both could have saved ourselves a lot of heartache."

"Shh, it's all right, Bulma," he murmured. "We are mates now, and that is all that matters." Vegeta still couldn't believe how much this little female had changed his life, how much she made him feel inside. It wasn't something he was used to, and it was a good feeling. "All right now?"

She sniffled and nodded. "I'm happy, Vegeta."

"Good." Vegeta curled his arms a little more tightly around her.

"Vegeta?"

"Yes, Bulma?" Vegeta had never felt more at ease in his life.

"Do you... Do you love me?" Bulma asked timidly.

Vegeta had been stroking her hair and paused. "I don't know how to answer that," he admitted. "But I do know that you make me feel something inside that I have never felt before, here." He placed his hand over his heart, as he had at the beach. "I simply want to please and protect you, only you, my Bulma," he told her softly. "I feel pain when you are sad. I am pleased when you are happy. I have no desire to have any other female as my mate." He kissed the top of her head, and froze when he realized that she was crying again. "Bulma?"

"Oh, Vegeta... I love you, too." Bulma lifted her head from his chest and kissed him.

So. What he had been feeling for this little female was love. He had never known what love was, but he was more than happy to learn with her. He rolled them over, covering her body with his as he ardently returned the kiss.