Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Danger in the horizon ❯ Aftermath ( Chapter 47 )

Chapter 47 - Aftermath

Note: I don't own DBZ

Special thanks to: Xorwais (wonderful work youhave done!!! Thanks for the constructive feedback!!!) Squirrel, Bulveta, Vege-Chan, sailoryesl, Jadedbest, Pan-Chan Briefs, Khris, Trunks102, Phoenix Feather, mousey7891(congrats on getting into acting school!), dragon's moon, Bulma, smiling sam, moonsaiyanprincess, Vin88, Mandy (my inspiration for Amanda - Radditz's mate) Rez, W-chan, Say-jin Goddess of Darkness, catgirl26, dbzkeri, Flameraven, pyrite, Lady Delvalle, otepoti, Ms2ry Angle7, badgerwolf, moonangel and last but by no means least, Sue!!!!!

A/N: As you all know, FFN has in its infinite wisdom decided to remove all NC17 fics from the 12th of October 2002, what this means for me is that I will now be posting DITH at MMO instead for the duration or at least until FFN gets their arse into gear and sorts out this ridiculous situation.

Now on with the show………………

It was a truly magnificent and frightening sight that would only be witnessed once in a lifetime.

The asteroid that had captured the attention of countless millions of people on Earth finally came into plain sight, terrifyingly beautiful against the now darkened sky making it clearly visible to the naked eye, it's full fury about to descend on the unfortunate Station Delta and, like a pack of salivating dogs, the press readied their camera equipment to capture the never to be seen again moment. They pushed and jostled each other; some even coming to blows over the best location to get the shot that would pay their bills for the rest of their lives. They cared not about the feelings of others, those who had lived there or worked there, to the press, it was all about ratings and money, not lives destroyed.

The refugees who had assembled in the settlement area together by some silent agreement, their eyes focussed skyward, however did not look at the event in the same way. For them, it was the end of an era, their safe haven from those that persecuted them was about to become space junk and now the cycle of rebuilding their lives had to begin anew, the trials and tribulations about to begin. Station Delta had been safe, comfortable and for the most part, the refugees had felt like useful members of society. Each one of them had heard what Victor had said about assisting in integration into Earth society during his little speech at the press conference, but until everything fell into place, each one of them felt a shiver of unease as the asteroid grew every closer, and each man, woman and child had the same question hovering on their tongues, Will we be safe here?

Hundreds of kilometres above the Earth, a lone man sat quite still in his chair, watching and waiting as those on Earth did, only he had a different reason for doing so. He could feel the rapidly unbearable heat as the asteroid approached the space station, but still remained immobile, his tired and sad eyes fixated firmly on his impending doom. It would only be a matter of minutes before the asteroid struck, giving him the sweet release from the mortal realm, letting him be with his beloved wife again, for eternity. It had been Richard Evans intention to never leave Station Delta alive, for there was nothing left on Earth to hold him there any longer. He had made meticulous plans to take his own life when his tenure as station director had come to an end, but instead the asteroid had given him a quicker way, a way that would absolve him of guilt, and silently, Richard gave thanks to God for letting him see his wife again.

In fact he was so preoccupied in spending eternity with his wife by his side, that when the fateful moment finally arrived, he didn't feel a thing.

The asteroid hit with the force of 10,000 nuclear missiles, hitting Station Delta head on, the explosion blasting apart the once elegant and technologically advanced space station in millions upon millions of tiny metal shards, the force of the impact shaking even the Earth so very far below it, tearing through the briefly lived huge ball of fire that Station Delta had become and headed directly for its next target, the Earth. The asteroid slammed harmlessly into the Earth Shield only a minute later self destructing as it failed to break through the impenetrable defence, and for a nano second the whole sky above those watching with a frightened fascination, seemed to be on fire, the flames licking across the shield like evil red and golden fingers, then as quickly as it had arrived, the fire was gone and so too was the asteroid that many had feared would devastate their home, a great cheer of relief and triumph rising up from those millions transfixed by the terrible sight, each one so very proud and relieved that life would go on, and that nothing could stop them now. Bottles of alcohol were swiftly decanted into glasses or just poured down throats without any great ceremony, and the people of Earth danced in the streets, hugging and kissing one another with joy at overcoming the odds, the reporters from the various t.v. stations zooming in on the celebrations and filing their reports, eager to get involved in some major partying, which some had quickly dubbed the masses thronging in the streets, the "Armageddon Party".

All was well with the world, so they thought.

But the asteroid was only an appetiser for the main course, an evil far worse than some random cataclysmic event was steadily approaching and its name was only known to a few on Earth - Freeza, the destroyer of worlds, the grand slave master, torturer and murderer, a creature of such evil that even Hitler, Attila the Hun and Vlad the Impaler, worthy candidates for the most evil creatures that the Earth had ever seen, looked like boy scouts in comparison, and when he arrived, the Earth would then know what it was to look upon the face of true evil.

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Krillan turned his attention from the once again dark night sky and retreated back into his sensei's house, disturbed by the sight of what he felt was a very bad omen, his superstitions a by product of the few years he had spent as a monk before leaving to train along with Goku under the then strongest man in the world, Muten Roshi. The old master had not cared much for the display and had remained inside with Yamchas companion the shape shifter Puar, saying very little and cradling a glass of beer in his hand, a thoughtful look on his usually merry wrinkled face as the information Krillan, Tien and Chao Tzu had relayed to him about the battle to come sunk in. The trio had arrived on his peaceful little island in the sun earlier that day, bringing with them the tale of Freeza and of the two Saiyans. Roshi had been transfixed by the story, which had unfolded before him, causing him to completely ignore his stack of soft porn magazines, which he habitually read leaving them in a pile at the side of his deck chair, not picking one up and thumbing through as he was apt to do if the conversation took on a distinctly boring note.

He was by no means the strongest man alive anymore, and could not assist the rag tag band of warriors in their fight, but he was going to do his very best to prepare his last remaining student for the battle to come. Roshi prayed in his mind that Krillan would survive, for the little ex monk had already died once at the hands of the Demon Kings minions and as such, could not be revived again with the wondrous power of the dragon balls, not to mention the fact that although Roshi never said it, Krillan was the son he had never had the chance to have, and to loose Krillan again would break his heart.

He had fleetingly flirted with the idea of contacting his sister, the witch Baba Uranai to ask her for a reading from her crystal ball, but thought better of it, musing that it was probably best not to know and see the destruction of Earth before the actual event. It was not that Muten Roshi was pessimistic, he was just a realist and if Freeza proved to be as terrible as Krillan had said, then he wanted to go down fighting if possible, even if he was no longer in his prime.

His mood did not lighten even as Krillan, Tien and Chao Tzu returned inside and seated themselves on the sofa, each with a grim look adorning their features, ignoring the brimming glasses of beer that Muten Roshi had offered, each lost in his own thoughts. "How long will it be?" Roshi croaked out, setting his glass down on the rough-hewn table beside him, its contents barely touched.

Krillan scratched at the six burn marks on his head, another by product of his life as a young monk before replying, not even lifting his head to look at his sensei, knowing exactly what the old master was speaking of. "Two weeks, maybe less." He took in a deep breath of resignation, depressed at the possibility of dying again. There was so much that Krillan felt that he had not achieved, he wanted a family and to be safe, to live in peace, maybe meet the right girl for once.

Roshi spoke again, noting the downcast looks of Tien and Chao Tzu. "Have you seen Goku since Yamcha died?"

Krillan stiffened visibly at the memory of the funeral; it was bad enough that a huge battle was on the horizon without the loss of such a capable fighter as Yamcha. It had been a needless death and for the first few days after the funeral, Krillan had sunk into a deep depression, seeing his own mortality again. He had also blamed Bulma for Yamchas death before ultimately coming to his senses and seeing that Bulma was not to blame, it had been a tragic mistake, an accident wrought from Yamchas own self destructive behaviour and although Bulma was no longer romantically involved with her former lover, Krillan could see that it had hurt her more than anyone, even his closest friends.

He shook his head in answer to Roshi's question. "No." He softly whispered. Roshi leaned forward and patted Krillan consolingly on the shoulder as he responded.

"I suggest that you three go and see Goku, find out what is happening. It is folly to go into a battle without a clear plan of attack and you three know that better than anyone." Roshi leaned back into the comfortable chair and put his hands behind his head, thinking. "I think that I will go with you. I have a jet that Bulma so kindly gave me, and I would very much like to see how everyone is doing, after all it has been at least a year since I last saw Goku and his family, not to mention that I am very interested in seeing these two Saiyans you spoke of."

"Sounds like a good idea." Tien replied his rich deep voice rolling out, "Even if we are the weakest fighters, we still need to know what plans are being made and besides, it won't hurt to take another day out of our training, will it ChaoTzu?"

"Sure." Chao Tzu squeaked out tiredly, shifting around on the sofa, his eyelids beginning to droop, heavy with desire to sleep. "I'm coming too." Puar piped up floating around the sofa and resting on the arm. "There's something I have to give to Bulma, something that Yamcha wanted her to have." The cat like creatures eyes were misty as she mentioned her dead friend, her tail twitching with emotion.

Roshi raised a bushy white eyebrow at Puar, wondering what item Yamcha wanted to give to Bulma. A ring, perhaps? From what Krillan told me, I would say that Yamcha was almost ready to pop the question when Bulma came back, shame its far too late now.

He rose from his comfortable chair, stiff from sitting too long in one position and smiled weakly at his guests, their tenseness and depression bringing him down. "Then it's agreed. First thing in the morning we leave. Good night." Roshi hobbled off to his comfortable bed with the aid of his twisted cane leaving Krillan and the others to their own devices until the morning came.

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The atmosphere inside the main residence of the Briefs family was not one of celebration either. The horrific scene that was laid before Vegeta as he clutched Bulma firmly within his powerful arms resembled a slaughter house, blood and entrails seemingly spattered upon every wall, the water from the burst pipes was steadily rising, but not in its normal colourless state, instead it was becoming as crimson as the walls as what little remained of Zarbon that was not on the walls surrounding him, swirled about and acrid bile rose unbidden into his throat, threatening to make him vomit profusely, an action which only his pride stopped from happening. Vegeta had seen many a battle, and had been involved in countless more, but this macabre tableau was something that even he, as Freezas favoured killing unit, had never encountered before.

Keeping his expression as blank as possible, Vegeta strode from the bunker, Piccolo and Goku close behind, their own expressions not as closely guarded as Vegeta's, Goku holding a limp and almost lifeless Jock Briefs carefully in his own arms, for once they had recovered from the shock from seeing with disbelieving eyes the dark dragon that had emerged from Bulma, and cut Zarbon down, Goku had checked on the condition on Jock Briefs and found to his immense relief, that Bulma's father was alive, but barely and due to the rising water, they could not leave him there to seek help.

Piccolo's black eyes were wide with shock, as he realised how very close they had all come to tragedy, especially Vegeta. He and Goku had been powerless to act upon their instincts to attack and it had been frustrating and frightening all at the same time, because none of them, all strong and proud warriors could do a single thing without possibly causing Dr Briefs death, none of them could halt Bulma as she delivered herself to the lecherous arms of the demented and dangerous of Zarbon.

Once again the proud Saiyan Prince had demonstrated his depth of feeling for Bulma as he attempted to keep a hold of her trembling and frightened form, speaking out loud of his fear of loosing her, his soul mate. During the few seconds that had seemed like an eternity to them all as Bulma had backed reluctantly away from Vegeta's arms to the impatiently waiting Zarbon, Piccolo could have sworn that Vegeta had tears in his eyes and he understood all too clearly that if Bulma had died there and then, Vegeta would undoubtedly have followed her in the abyss of death, after disposing of Zarbon first, his rage would have been unimaginable and destructive in the extreme, blinding the powerful Saiyan and possibly causing all of their deaths in his sightless rage. Piccolo looked over at Vegeta, whose attention was solely on Bulma, a gloved hand cupping her jaw, his thumb stroking her soft pale skin as he slowly back out of the bunker that had now become a charnel house.

Without words the trio made their way down the flooded corridor, two with very precious cargo, not one of them looking back at the carnage they were leaving behind. As Vegeta approached the disabled elevator, a shock wave threw him back slightly as Radditz fired a ki blast at the metal cube from above, and he pulled Bulma closer to his chest, protecting her from the showering of dust and metal. The rising sickly red flood of water and blood now rendered the elevator useless, and so the blast that Radditz had concentrated on the elevator was made strong enough to create a large hole for the warriors to exit from. Vegeta levitated himself through the wide gash in the elevator ceiling, using care not to brush against the jagged edges of metal before coming gently to rest on the marble floor in the main entrance of Bulma's home. Not once did he take his gaze from the woman in his arms, not even as Sarah Briefs flung herself towards her unconscious daughter, hurriedly checking Bulma over to ensure that she was in fact still in the mortal realm, not just a beautiful corpse. Sarah attempted to wrest Bulma from Vegeta's arms but found a fierce resistance from the Saiyan Prince and he growled as her delicate fingers attempted to peel his fingers away from her daughter. Sarah could see that Bulma had very little colour in her face, which was highlighted by the thick splashes of blood that adorned it, but her breathing was deep and regular, and to her immense relief, the blood was obviously not Bulmas, so Sarah let Vegeta continue to hold her, the feral look in his ebony eyes warning her off, telling her silently that he would be the one to take care of Bulma, his mate.

As she backed away, disturbed by the intensity of Vegetas look, Sarah's attention was diverted by the timely arrival of Goku, cradling Jock Briefs in his arms and with an impassioned sob; she rushed towards him, caressing Jocks cold and pallid face with trembling fingertips, seeing with dread that her husband was horribly injured. "Oh, Jock…….." She sobbed quietly, the tears coursing down her face, ruining her carefully applied make up. She rose a now puffy and reddened face up towards Goku, asking what had happened. "H,How? W,Why?" She stuttered, the shock of seeing both her daughter and husband in such terrible states coming full force. Goku replied as calmly as he could, his voice cracking a little as he searched his mind for the right words, for he was just as shaken as the tiny blonde woman having seen much more blood than could be considered healthy. "No time to explain, Mrs Briefs. We must take him to your infirmary and get a doctor here as soon as possible."

Sarah stood mutely, frozen to the spot for a few seconds before a large gentle hand placed itself on her shoulder, bringing her back to reality and the situation before her. Radditz curled his arm around Sarah's shoulders and her mind snapped into action, belying her normal vacuous exterior as she briskly gestured for the warriors to follow her to the infirmary, and once they had reached the designated area, Sarah quickly dialled the vid phone and summoned the team of doctors that the Briefs family had on stand by 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to come and attend to her quickly failing husband. Sarah then gestured to Goku, asking him to lay her husband down on the bed while they awaited the arrival of the medical team. Jocks head lolled uselessly to the side as he was gently laid down, his devastating injury now plainly obvious to Sarah, and so she carefully held his hand, stroking it and murmuring words of affection and reassurance, as much for herself as Jock, even though it was entirely possible that he could not feel a thing, his body more than likely paralysed by the crushing of his neck by the loathsome Zarbon. His colour was still pale and his breathing was erratic, showing that he was having considerable trouble in the mere act of breathing and that time was fast becoming a precious commodity as they all waited, mute and unsure of what words to say as the obviously shaken Sarah bowed her head and cried, the tears dripping like liquid diamonds onto Jocks limp hand. The medical team then arrived and took control of the emergency calmly and efficiently, prising Sarah away from her husband as he struggled to stay alive, Goku leading the distraught woman away as the medical staff tried to perform a miracle and keep Jock Briefs alive by any means necessary.

Vegeta grasped this very moment to exit the sterile cold infirmary and without a backward glance made his way up to his and Bulma's room, as his own concern was not for Bulma's father or anyone else for that matter, save the woman nestled in his arms. He lay her down tenderly on the fur covered bed, removing his soiled gloves, then climbed onto the huge bed himself, pulling Bulma up to rest in his lap, lowering his mouth to kiss the top of her head, firmly and comfortingly encasing her within his steely embrace, his tail curling around Bulma's thigh. The stench of Zarbon was all over Bulma in every spot that he had touched her and it sickened him that Zarbon had been so close to taking her from him, his disgust evident when Zarbon had so casually mentioned his intention in burning away the mark that bound Bulma to him as his life mate. Just like the nightmare…. Vegeta wanted to awaken Bulma from her sleeping state and get her cleaned up, but she had still not roused, and Vegeta knew it was better to leave her be, let her mind and body repair themselves as she slept and besides, he did not want to let her out of his sight right now, not even for a moment.

Her nightmare was a prophecy after all…..but one that will not come to pass.

Vegeta struggled to keep his own eyes open, mental exhaustion hitting him like a ton of bricks as his mind replayed the events of the day. Outside, he could hear the sounds of many people celebrating the asteroids demise and he grunted aloud, "Stupid humans. If only they knew what was coming for them."

Vegeta turned his attention back to the treasure in his arms, his strong thick fingers stroking Bulma's tousled hair, his other hand fingering the tiny gold medallion slung around her neck, murmuring almost to himself softly, "My little warrior woman, you mean more to me than you will ever know." She had accomplished a great feat, considering her relative physical weakness in comparison to Vegeta, Goku and the others, but it was her mind that was most powerful, not just for her intellect, but sheer mind power, from where she had inherited the talent even Bulma did not know. The huge black dragon that had all but erupted from her body and attacked Zarbon so viciously was a manifestation of all the anger, hate and fear not only from herself but Vegeta and countless millions of others, each one baying for blood, for revenge. Vegeta had felt his rage being stripped away at that fateful moment and it was all channelled towards Zarbon, sealing his fate. It had been a glorious yet fear-provoking sight as Vegeta had stood, immobile as were Piccolo and Goku, all three of them staring at Bulma, as her arms were stretched out to the sides, her ki a shock of black and white flames and hearing her guttural howl of pain and fury as she cried out. To Vegeta, it almost appeared that Bulma had been caught within a fierce whirlwind, her hair whipping about her face and her clothes rippling as her power increased. To him, she had never looked more beautiful, than she did at that very moment.

As the images swirled about in his head, Vegeta leaned against the pillows behind his back, his eyelids fluttering before finally closing, muttering once again, his voice thick with exhaustion, "You mean more to me than you will ever know Bulma," before he submerged into a deep sleep, arms still wound around Bulma's deeply breathing and relaxed body as he dipped into the realm of dreams.

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Victor woke with a start, his eyes focussing almost immediately at the scene surrounding him. He attempted to raise his body up from the carpeted floor, but the shooting pain and dizziness forced him back down. Even from his current position on the floor, Victor could see that it was now very early in the morning, which meant that he had been unconscious for quite some time, lying like a wounded dog on the floor the whole time. Victor gingerly rose again from the floor, his head still throbbing and it felt like Thor himself was in his cranium banging away with his mighty hammer, so Victor hoisted himself up inch by inch until he was finally able to just collapse in a chair nearby, trying to make some sense of just why he had been lying on the floor as if he had been attacked.

Or has the asteroid hit? Did the aftershock knock me out?

His eyes honed in on the window directly across from him and from the dull red and orange glow of sunrise beginning to form in the sky the area surrounding Capsule Corporation he ascertained that all appeared to be well, the asteroid had been diverted after all. That did not however explain his current situation though. As Victor's senses started to reassert themselves, and the initial fuzziness cleared, he licked his parched lips and as he tasted the metallic tang of the blood that, had burst from his nose hours before, Victor almost vomited in disgust, spitting out the foul mixture of saliva and blood without ceremony onto the carpeted floor.

Slumping back on the chair, Victor grimaced as the last of the disgusting bloody spittle in his mouth dissipated. "What the fuck?!" He croaked, his throat as dry as his lips. "Blood? How?" Victor frowned, coarsely dragging his forearm across his nose to wipe away the crusted blood and mucus that had remained on his upper lip. As he scrubbed away, Victor was trying to focus his mind on the last thing he had seen or done. He could see flashes of Jock Briefs, Bulma and some weird looking guy, sitting down in front of him, as calm as the blue sky. That's it! Now I remember….

Victor now recalled what had happened before he had woken in the state he was now and that was of having a protracted conversation with Dr Briefs and a rather suave although horrifically disfigured alien who was the weird looking man and who had by some minor miracle slipped through the security measures put in place for the arriving refugees.

As he remembered it the alien had made them both an offer, one that neither he nor Jock could resist. It had involved the two alien males that had arrived with Bulma. He closed his eyes again, the images and conversation coming to him thick and fast, revealing enough to put his mind at rest. Victor rose slowly, his head still in great pain though as he headed for the doorway, eager to clean himself up and find out if the alien had made a start on his promise. As Victor neared the door, the aliens name came to him suddenly. "That's right………….Zarbon….."Victor whispered hoarsely, a smile beginning to emerge on his soiled face. "He is going to get back what is mine…"

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A thick white mist surrounded Vegeta as he dreamed, wisps of it swirling around as he walked, his senses on alert for any attack, even though he was well aware that where he was was just part of a dream, nothing could kill him there, but old habits still died hard with Vegeta and he was suspicious as always, his eyes darting around in the void, knowing that there was always a reason for everything and that there was a reason for this imagery.

Even being as on edge as Vegeta was, the gravely voice that drifted out from the mist surprised him and he whirled around on his heel, trying to lock onto who was calling out to him. "What do you want? Who are you?" He snapped out, starting to loose what little patience he had, the owner of the voice still not emerging from the void.

"Vegeta……." the voice intoned, "do you not recognise the voice of your own father?"

Vegeta swallowed the lump in his throat at the words, and could now see his own father emerge from the mists, attired in his royal armour and cape, the crest of Vegetasei clearly emblazoned on his fathers chest, the flame like brown hair and the beard, completing the picture. "Father?" Vegeta croaked as he came face to face with the man who he had not seen in twenty odd years, making him feel like the small rebellious six year old he was when King Vegeta last spoke with him before his death, before Freeza had come to take him away as a hostage to keep his father in check.

"Do you not believe your own eyes, Vegeta?" King Vegeta chuckled as he looked upon the shocked look on his only sons face.

Vegeta was lost for words and his jaw moved uselessly up and down, the words failing to be formed by his voice box. "I don't have much time, my son, so I'll get to the point" King Vegeta muttered, his eyes being cast downwards in resignation, "The lords of hell are only allowing me a few moments with you."

"Who?" Vegeta replied, still mystified by this strange apparition before him. It looked and sounded like his father, but he was dead, and had been for over twenty years. The very real hand of his father rested on his shoulder, so real in fact it stilled his thoughts and Vegeta could swear that he could feel some warmth radiating from the appendage.

"I came to tell you that I am proud of you, my son. You have achieved what so many had strived for and we, the Saiyan race will be avenged finally, after all these years."

King Vegeta then did something very strange, an act that would have been inconceivable if the Saiyan race was still in existence, he pulled his son into a close embrace, so tightly that Vegeta felt for a few seconds that he could not breathe, before releasing him and slowly disappearing into the mist once more, his last words very faint, even to Vegeta's superior hearing as they floated out. "Take good care of her, Vegeta, you will never find another like her."

Vegeta rushed forward into the void, madly searching for any trace of his father, shouting out, "Wait! Why did you come here?", but heard nothing but the wind as the mists enveloped him as well and then the dream was abruptly over, seemingly as quickly as it had begun. Vegeta's eyes snapped open as he woke, he was breathless and clutching Bulma almost painfully to his heaving chest and as his eyes focussed, Vegeta could see the early morning peek through the drapes, and he realised with shock that he had slept for at least 8 hours, yet the dream had seemed so very short. There was one very good thing about the strange dream though, and that was that his father was watching over him wherever he was, and that he was proud of his son. Vegeta lightly grazed over the scar on Bulma's neck, realising that the last words from his father were about the woman in his arms and a small smile graced his proud mouth as she roused from sleep, sleepy eyed and slightly dazed, fixing her gorgeous blue eyes on him with a look of affection. You were right father, I will never find another like her…….never.

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The dedicated team of medical professionals worked on through the night, not one of them stopping to rest as the full extent of Jock Briefs injuries were revealed. Not only had his neck been crushed, the small bones shattered, Jock had also suffered a massive stroke from the intense shock, making their job to keep him alive very difficult. There was only one glimmer of hope in his condition and that was the fact that his spinal cord had not been severed as first feared and should he recover from the stroke, Jock would not be paralysed and would someday soon walk again and regain his normal functions. The best that the two surgeons could do at the present time was to stabilise his condition and immobilise his head and neck before proceeding with repairing the damage to his neck at a later date. Both had argued with Sarah who had stayed pale faced and drawn in the room as they worked, that Jock needed to be moved to a hospital as soon as possible, but the still crying woman showed her backbone made of steel, forcing them by alternate cajoling and screaming fits to keep Jock right where he was, as she did not want him in a hospital without his loved ones around him for support.

Once the medical team had stabilised Jock, Sarah had all but ordered Goku, Piccolo and Radditz to get some rest while she waited, seeing the mental exhaustion on their faces all too clearly, as finding out the reasons for her husbands current condition would come soon enough. Like a mother hen, Sarah had just once slipped away from the infirmary, checking on her 'guests' for the night, all of them sleeping fitfully in the main lounge area, Goku and Radditz sprawled across the large overstuffed sofas, with Piccolo sleeping cross-legged on the floor, a frown displayed on his face. Sarah had also taken the opportunity to check on Bulma, and to her relief, Bulma was sleeping soundly, curled up on a sleeping Vegeta's lap, his thick muscular arms encircling her like a protective casing, shielding her from the world and despite the desperate situation in the infirmary down below, Sarah allowed herself a smile, happy that her only child had found love, even if she would never admit it to anyone but herself.

Upon her return to the infirmary, Sarah had a few quick words with the surgeons before they left, utterly exhausted by the nights work, leaving behind a team of medical staff to keep Jock stable, both of them advising Sarah to get some rest herself and that the staff caring for Jock would keep her posted on his progress. The idea of sleep sounded very good to Sarah at that moment, but she decided to stay awake as long as possible in case Jock woke up, for she could not sleep without her husband close to her, he and Bulma were her whole life, and so, she pulled up a chair and rested her head on the bed, Jocks hand in hers as she prayed, hoping against hope that God would hear her pleas.

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Muten Roshi was rather rudely awoken by an insistent blue cat like shape changer, whisking her long tail under his nose, causing the old master to sneeze and sputter as his eyes opened, cursing under his breath as his eyes became more focussed and he saw Puar floating before him, a very impatient look on her furry face as she spoke in a shrill tone, ordering him to get up. "Come on Roshi! Everyone is waiting for you!"

Roshi made a grab for Puars tail to teach her a lesson about respecting her elders, but the little blue cat evaded his grasp, showing him all too clearly that his reflexes were not what they once were, and so grumbling under his breath Roshi eased himself out of bed and stomped irritably to the bathroom to get freshened up, not caring that others were waiting for him to emerge. He knew full well what they were all going to do that day, but that didn't mean that he had to forego a perfectly good sleep just to keep everyone else happy.

When he finally emerged, clad in his favourite Hawaiian shirt and long khaki shorts, his bald head shined up to perfection and his cane firmly grasped in a wizened hand, Krillan, Tien and Chao Tzu were all wearing expressions fit to frighten the devil himself, each one grumbling about how long they had been kept waiting. As Roshi approached the kitchen to make himself a refreshing pot of the Chinese tea he loved so much to further wake himself up, Krillan stopped him before he had even set one foot on the wooden floor, dragging his sensei out of the tiny beach house without ceremony, pulling his reluctant body towards the by now warmed up jet, followed closely by Tien, Chao Tzu with Puar floating behind with a small backpack resting on her shoulders. "No time, Master." Chided Krillan half sternly, wagging an admonishing finger in front of his sensei, "You can get something to eat at Goku's, I'm sure Chi Chi will be more than happy to accommodate you."

"Young upstart." Grumbled Roshi as he eased himself into the jet, Krillan taking the controls and piloting the small craft expertly towards Mt Paozu to spend that day catching up with Goku and to learn more about the battle plan being formulated, not to mention some of Chi Chi's wonderful food, as long as the woman in question was in a good mood.

When they arrived barely an hour later, and that was only due to the fact that Roshi had complained bitterly all the way about his empty stomach, causing Krillan to use very much more speed than was necessary, Krillan, who had disembarked from the jet first, found Chi Chi in a bit of a state, dark circles under her dull eyes, her face paler than normal as she clutched a cup of steaming hot coffee and strangely she looked relieved at their arrival, strange because usually she would make some derisory remark about their lack of social graces and lives of constant fighting, or dragging her husband away from his family duties, neglecting her and Gohan. The rest of the motley crew exited the transport as well, but kept their distance, staying outside in the bright morning sunlight, due to the fact that Chi Chi could be a tigress even at the best of times.

Krillan scratched his head, a sure sign of his unease around the normally very vocal ox princess and approached Chi Chi, sitting down in the chair opposite, accepting the offered mug of black coffee. "What's wrong?" Krillan asked softly, bracing himself for the inevitable onslaught of insults as he sipped the molten hot liquid. "Where's Goku?"

Chi Chi sighed heavily before replying quietly. "I don't know Krillan. He left with that green demon, Piccolo and Radditz yesterday morning and I haven't seen him since. What if that demon Piccolo has tried to hurt him?" She stopped in her almost self pitying way, and eyed Krillan with suspicion, wondering why exactly he and the other fighters were at her fathers house looking for Goku.

Krillan carefully chose his words before replying noting her look. "He'll be fine, Chi Chi, he's the strongest man on this planet. I bet that he is at Capsule Corp with the others and the reason we are all here is to catch up with him and the Saiyans, find out what the plan is when Freeza arrives here."

Chi Chi pursed her lips, not entirely convinced of Krillans words, but swept aside the desire to rip into the obviously nervous little man. "Oh, okay then." She moved slightly in her chair and looked at Roshi and others gathered outside. "I guess you mangy lot haven't eaten yet, have you?" She asked brusquely, fixing a steely gaze on a rapidly wilting Krillan.

"Um, no, we haven't. We can get something at Bulma's I guess." Krillan answered, his voice wavering. Here comes the fireworks….. he thought, cringing inside.

Chi Chi stood up and brushed her clothes off, walking briskly over to her stove and picking up a large cast iron pan, noting with some satisfaction that Krillan, one of the strongest men she knew, brace himself for a blow from the heavy metal object. She turned and looked at him with a devilish look and sweetly enquired, "How do you want your eggs then?" enjoying the look of pure bewilderment on his face as he replied with a croaky voice, "Poached please."

Satisfied that she had done her duty in scaring the hell out of someone for the day, and pleased that she had not been physically violent in the least to achieve it, Chi Chi beckoned Tien, ChaoTzu, Puar and Roshi inside for a mountainous breakfast before they all left for Capsule Corporation, herself and Amanda included, leaving Gohan in the care of his grandfather for the day.

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Once Bulma's eyes had opened, she realised that she was safe and warm in Vegeta's arms and for a moment enjoyed the security before recalling with horror the events of the previous night, watching her father be struck down, then her rage exploding violently, tearing Zarbon apart with her terrible powers, the blood festooned like paint blotches on walls of the bunker. "My father…..!" Bulma gasped, quite sure that her father was dead, her eyes threatening a waterfall of tears. My poor deluded father, why did he not trust my judgement?

"He lives." Vegeta replied, his voice toneless. He for one would not forgive quite as easily as Bulma might for his treachery, after all the benevolent doctors involvement with Zarbon could have quite easily caused the severing of his and Bulma's bond, it did not matter to Vegeta that Jock had the best intentions in the world, all that mattered was the Zarbon was dead and would haunt Bulma's dreams no more.

Bulma wriggled out of Vegeta's grasp, setting her feet onto the carpeted floor. "I should go to him, he needs me." She murmured preparing to walk out of the door, knowing instinctively that her mother would not have allowed Jock to be taken to a hospital, instead calling in the medical team on standby.

"Wait." Vegeta called out, rising from the bed, and pulling Bulma back into his arms, "You should get cleaned up first, after all you are covered with a substantial amount of Zarbons blood." Not to mention his vile stench…..

Bulma looked down at her rumpled and soiled clothing with a small shudder, for she too could detect the faintest hint of Zarbon's essence clinging to her, and it made her feel very sick. "I, I, guess you are right." Bulma stuttered quietly, not daring to look into Vegeta's dark eyes, for fear that she would break down entirely, now that everything was coming back in a series of frightening images and sounds, rushing through her mind like wildfire. She looked instead at Vegeta's clothing, which in hindsight was a very bad idea, and saw that his fighting suit and armour were also spattered liberally with dark red splashes of Zarbons life fluid and realised that he wanted to be clean as soon as was possible, hence part of the reason for cleaning up, although Bulma was well aware that Vegeta could have taken a shower earlier whilst she slept, but he hadn't for one reason only - he did not want her out of his sight, even for a second. The thought both comforted and scared her, showing Bulma all too clearly the intensity of the feelings that Vegeta now had for her, even if they were not being displayed openly.

Silently, she turned away to the bathroom and started up the shower, Vegeta following and rapidly stripping off his filthy clothing, and when her trembling fingers refused to work so that she could remove her own clothing, Vegeta gently disrobed Bulma also, dropping a kiss on her neck when she was completely bare, lifting her into the shower under the warm flow of water, turning Bulma's rigid body around and tangling his fingers in her hair, as she pressed her body close to his, suddenly desperate to feel his body pressed to hers, Bulmas delicate pale hands moving over every inch of flesh that she could reach, her tears finally bursting forth and cascading down her cheeks. Vegeta did not speak; instead he slowly tipped Bulma's head back so that he could look deep within her blue eyes, kissing her mouth deeply, tasting the salty tears that had run into her mouth, keeping his eyes locked with hers so that she could not look away from his piercing gaze. When Vegeta broke away from Bulma, not wanting to push her, Bulma surprised the Saiyan Prince by latching herself onto Vegeta like a limpet, not wanting to let go, covering his mouth and neck with feverish kisses, her hands busy stroking his tail. "Please," Bulma murmured against his mouth, "I need this, make me feel alive again…….please?"

Vegeta did not need to be asked twice, crushing his mouth against hers passionately, his large hands cupping her buttocks and lifting Bulma up to rest against the wall of the shower. He suckled at her neck and her collarbone, whilst his hands caressed Bulma's large firm breasts hearing her sounds of pleasure drip from between her swollen lips. It would be quick, that much Vegeta knew, but it did not mean that it would not be pleasurable for them both and he did not want to waste any time with pointless talk, by replying to what he felt was a rhetorical question anyway. He traced a line with one finger down Bulma's belly, past the blue curls gracing her womanhood before delving into her liquid heat slowly, his thumb rubbing against her clitoris, sending shockwaves of warmth and pleasure throughout Bulma's body, her pale skin flushing a light pink. "I want to forget, Vegeta, just for a few moments….get this smell off me…….oh!" Bulma gasped out as Vegeta's skilled tongue made its way to her breasts as his fingers pumped in and out of her by now soaking wet womanhood, her hands, once so busy arousing Vegeta's erogenous zones now hung on Vegeta's broad muscular shoulders for support and her legs were tightly wound around Vegetas waist as Bulma let the emotions and sensations wash over her again and again, because all she could do was writhe and moan as Vegeta's hands and mouth worked their magic on her more than willing body.

Vegeta could wait no longer and after torturing her long enough, lifted Bulma and impaled her on his hardened manhood, pumping furiously, revelling in the feel of her tight wet womanhood strongly squeezing him with each movement, his mouth covering hers in a deep kiss that neither seemed to want to break away from, before Bulma pulled her mouth away from Vegeta's and cried out loudly, tears running down her face, her muscles tensing almost painfully, contracting around Vegeta's still pumping manhood deep within her body, before he too released with a growl, pulling Bulma's mouth to his in another bruising kiss, murmuring in his deep voice against her lips, his hands brushing through her wet tangled hair, "You are mine again," before lifting Bulma's now relaxed warm body up and off his still throbbing arousal, placing her under the flow of the shower, whereupon Bulma proceeded to wash off the last traces of Zarbons scent, her back turned to Vegeta. Vegeta could not however, resist tracing his fingers over Bulma's still flushed and curvaceous body once again, readying her for another round and without any warning, Vegeta bent Bulma forward and carefully entered her still wet womanhood with a groan, moving Bulma's hands to rest against the shower wall for support, then resting his hands on her hips as he very slowly and gently thrust into her, Bulmas little whimpers and moans serving only to arouse Vegeta further and causing his thrusting to become less gentle and more feverish, and he ground out a few words from between his teeth, "Never again, no other man but me will touch you again," as his orgasm washed over his shaking body and his movements ceased completely. Panting with the effort, Vegeta withdrew from Bulma slowly so that he would cause her no further harm, for by the stillness of her body Vegeta almost thought that he had hurt Bulma in some way. He was unsure of what strange feelings had come over him to do such a thing, to take her again like she was some kind of whore to be used over and over again. Forgive me….

Bulma turned around, her legs a little on the shaky side, her clear blue eyes looking deep into his ebony eyes, understanding his confusion all too well, she did not need words to know what turmoil was running through his head. What Vegeta had done was just an outward expression of his desire to keep her safe from harm and his own confused way of saying the three words he could not with his voice. Bulma pulled Vegeta close to her, smoothing her hands over his furrowed brow becoming the comforter and Vegeta being the comforted. "I love you too, Vegeta." Bulma whispered, letting the water wash over them as she and Vegeta continued to stand, holding one another, neither willing to be the first to let go.

_________________________________________________________ ____________

Krillan had to admit to himself that he was still pretty damn confused by Chi Chi's behaviour, normally she would have had no hesitation in berating him the moment he had set foot in the house, but instead she had been the model of courteousness, offering breakfast not just to him but to Tien, Chao Tzu, Puar and even Muten Roshi, a man she described as the worst kind of pervert on a regular basis, not even passing comment on his openly leering gaze at her ample bust, while she served breakfast.

Something is definitely up….

He shrugged off the thought and returned his attention to the vast landscape ahead of him, keeping the jet on course to reach Capsule Corporation. No one on board had spoken very much since take off and occasionally Krillan would steal little glances at Amanda as she chatted quietly with Chi Chi, wondering how in the hell a Saiyan who had only just arrived on Earth managed to get one of the best looking women Krillan had ever seen to be his wife. His own luck in the love department had been a failure to say the least, having only had 2 girlfriends in the past 3 years, both of whom left him for taller, hairier, richer men, not to mention they did not want to live in the same house as a so called hermit who took the opportunity to grab at them and openly leer at their physical attributes. Krillan sighed, thinking that after Freeza was defeated, he hoped, he would take the plunge and finally get a decent job and find a place of his own to live in, away from Roshi and his sometimes offensive behaviour.

He could now see the huge domed buildings of Capsule Corporation and to one side the vast expanse of domed buildings, which Krillan knew housed the recent arrivals from Station Delta and he flicked his eyes around, surveying the scene to find the best spot for landing in. "Buckle up," He called over his shoulder as the perfect place came into view, "Coming in to land now." The jet shuddered as Krillan reduced the power and Amanda involuntarily laced her fingers over her stomach protectively, even though she was not yet sure of whether she was pregnant or not. Chi Chi looked over to her and smiled reassuringly, knowing exactly what Amanda was going through, for she herself suspected that she too was pregnant, which was the reason why she did not react to Krillan and the others presence as she would normally have done. It was the precise reason that she had looked so dazed when Krillan had arrived, she had had almost no sleep at all during the night, the thought of bearing another child for Goku scaring and elating her at the same time. It was not the best time to become an expectant mother again due to the fact that Freeza was coming and even though Chi Chi had all the faith in the world that her husband could defeat the creature she still had some lingering doubts.

What if he dies? Who will be my protector then?

The jet lurched as it hit the ground, scooping out large ruts in the earth as it skidded for a few meters before coming to a halt outside one of the many aircraft hangars on the property, and brought Chi Chi back to reality. The group wearily exited the jet and made their way over to the house, some wanting to find out the plan of attack, some wanting just to see their mates again. Puar watched them all go ahead of her and she adjusted the small backpack on her shoulders. What she had inside was not that heavy, just very precious. Yamcha had given his little cat companion strict instructions to pass a few items on to Bulma if he ever died, but they were for Bulmas eyes and ears only, not for general consumption and most definitely not for Vegeta to know about before Bulma did. With a little sigh of resignation the tiny blue cat floated along towards the house, praying that what was contained in her little gold pack was not going to bring anyone, especially Bulma any more pain. Puar had found it very strange that Yamcha who was a man who lived each day as it came and didn't think about the future, had actually prepared a will and left instructions with a lawyer to ensure that his wishes were carried out. Puar had gone as instructed to the Orange Star Bank in Satan City a week after his death to pick up a few scant items contained in a security box there, items for Bulma to receive on his death.

The group entered the house quietly, each of them looking around to see if Bulma, her father or mother were around. To Chi Chi's great surprise and relief, she found Goku sprawled out on one the massive over stuffed sofas in the main entertainment room, firstly muttering to himself under his breath about food and then starting to snore, the rumbling tones echoed by his larger brother, Radditz who had fallen half off his temporary bed and was now sleeping with his head and upper body on the floor, whilst his legs and feet rested comfortably on the sofa. It was a funny sight, one that Chi Chi could not resist chuckling at. Piccolo interrupted her slightly puerile laughing, by cracking open one eye and fixing a dark glare at her, forcing Chi Chi to abruptly stop. He rose from his cross-legged position on the floor, adjusting his cape and turban, walking over to the assembled group. "What happened?" Tien whispered at the large Namek, peering at the Saiyan brothers. "They look beat."

Piccolo glanced back and replied quietly, "We had an unexpected and unwelcome guest here last night, an enemy of Vegeta and Radditz's called Zarbon. A very nasty piece of work he was too. He has been disposed of, but not before Bulma's father was attacked and injured. He is still alive, but barely." He turned again and noticed that Radditz and Goku were now waking up and he cringed, knowing that in Goku's case anyway, it would be feeding time at the zoo.

As if on command, Sarah Briefs appeared in the room, her eyes dull and red from the constant crying and lack of any real sleep, wrapping a large plush bathrobe around her slim body, her hair in wild disarray. "Good morning," Sarah chirped although not in her cheeriest tone. "If you want to see Bulma, she's on the second level."

"Good." Krillan replied, unsure of what to say to the distraught woman before him, as always the remarks he made in times of crisis were usually inappropriate, so in this case he said nothing, just moving up the staircase to the second level as the elevator was currently out of order, due to the action the night before. Chi Chi stayed behind to speak with Sarah, understanding the older woman's plight all too well. She mouthed a quick "I'll be up soon" to Goku, who smiled broadly at his dark haired wife, and mouthed back, "Don't be too long" with a lustful glance. Chi Chi blushed prettily at her husband, feeling a familiar rush of heat envelope her whole body. She wondered what he would say when she told him that he was most likely going to be a father again, but decided it could wait until after he had sat down and eaten.

Collecting herself, Chi Chi then sat down with Sarah to talk with her and help her through what was a very emotional time, almost losing her husband and all, which was something that Chi Chi, more than anyone else, was able to understand, considering all the times that Goku had almost sacrificed himself for the Earth. This crisis was not unlike any other the Goku had been involved in and that was that Chi Chi would just want Goku to return to her after the battle was won, in one piece.

_________________________________________________________ __________

Bulma had been to see her father and had recoiled visibly at the machines and tubes attached to his body, keeping him alive, the sight sickening her. Unlike her mother, Bulma could not stand to be in a hospital as a patient or as a visitor, the places were always a reminder of the frailty of human life made all the more painful by the sight of her own father hooked up like a vegetable, having machines breath for him. It did do one positive thing though, and that was to strengthen her resolve in completing her task, building a viable and working regeneration tank, one that would if she worked quickly ensure that her father recovered and that it would be useful in the dark days to come. Slowly, Bulma trudged back to her quarters and found to her surprise the gathering of people in her dining area, helping themselves to the food on offer from the domestic bot and for the most part discussing quite civilly the plan which was to be put into action once the nefarious Freeza arrived on Earth, ready to reek his revenge on Vegeta for his traitorous behaviour. She raised her hand in greeting to them all, smiling at Amanda who was still slightly shy around Bulma and her friends. She was sitting next to Radditz, one of his burly arms around her shoulders as he tried to feed her some of his bacon and eggs. Both of them were to all intents and purposes ignoring the others around the table for the most part, entranced with one another, Radditz only deigning to speak with anyone else when a question was directed towards him.

Bulma noted that Vegeta was conspicuously absent from the proceedings and faintly she could hear the sounds of thumping and ki blasts coming from outside, meaning that for the first time in days, Vegeta was using his gravity chamber and was in his own small way showing that he had enough respect for Goku to let him fill the other z warriors in on the finer details and that he felt she was safe enough without him being around.

What Bulma did not expect was the tiny blue form of Puar barrelling into her arms, pushing her out of the room by a few inches, her normally squeaky voice even more high-pitched than usual as she screeched out, "Bulma!"

"Hey Puar," Bulma replied calmly, even a little jovially, wondering what had the shape changer so spooked or agitated, she wasn't sure which. It was good to see the little blue cat again since the unfortunate demise of Yamcha, she reminded Bulma of the happy times that she had with Yamcha, not the screaming matches and mind games that came later. Even though Bulma had more important things on her mind at that moment, what with her father barely living downstairs, and her brains and skills being possibly the only thing to get him back on his feet, Bulma wanted to take the time to discover what the problem was. No one had noticed her exit from the dining area and were far more interested in the food or the conversation in front of them. "What's the hurry? Where's the fire?"

Puar responded by pushing Bulma even further out of the room and out of the z warriors' earshot completely. "I have something for you," Puar whispered almost conspiratorially, "It's from Yamcha."

Bulma felt the blood drain away from her face as Puar handed the small gold backpack to her, and she could hear nothing but a roaring noise in her ears as her fingers closed over the items inside the pack. Stumbling slightly, Bulma made her way to her bedroom and closed the door, breathing heavily, ignoring Puar calling out to her.

For the most part, Bulma was annoyed at herself for letting such a small thing get to her as it had out there. Puar stopped calling out to her after a few moments, but Bulma decided to lock her door anyway, because the items contained in the pack were bound to be something very personal, not something for the others to have any knowledge of.

Yamcha had once been one of the most important people in her life for at least 10 years and so even a tiny mention or reminder of him, would still hurt her, even though Vegeta was her soul mate, her everything. One could not just shake off ten years of association, and their parting had been long and protracted, forcing her to make the fateful decision to go to Station Delta to escape her soiled romantic past. With her slender fingers trembling, Bulma extracted the items from the pack, laying them out in front of her, almost too scared to open each one up. There were three packages, carefully wrapped in rice paper, each emblazoned with Bulma's name in Yamcha's thick spiky script and despite her best efforts, Bulma choked back the tears. It was patently obvious what Yamcha had done, he had ensured that he had something to give to her girl he once loved on his death, it was just a shame that she had not felt the same in the end, finding instead her true soul mate after leaving Yamcha behind. I'm sorry Yamcha….

Taking a deep breath Bulma opened the first package, finding that it was not what she had suspected at all, in fact the box contained one of the most precious items in the world, a dragon ball and the four star no less, so with Bulma wrinkling her brow in askance at its purpose, she then unhesitatingly reached for the second package, finding inside a disc which she eyed before putting it back down on the bed, next to the dragon ball. The last package was left, and Bulma tore it open to find a letter, not an especially long one, but a letter from Yamcha none the less. On the envelope was written, "Insert cd into drive after letter has been read."

Puzzled, Bulma rose from her bed and placed the cd next to her laptop, unfolding the pages of the letter in preparation to read it.

What she found inside those written pages were things that Bulma had never expected to find…………or would ever have wanted to know…….