Falling In Love A Second Time

Chapter 5 - Home at Last

"Where is Trunks?" Bulma asked as she watched Chi-Chi enter the room without the handsome young boy.

"I told him I would bring you home. He wanted to go ahead and make sure everything is," she cleared her throat before finishing her thought, "prepared for your arrival."

"Awe, he didn't have to do that," Bulma sighed, she had actually been looking forward to seeing the little tyke. In the short time since she had met him, or at least remembered meeting him, he had quickly grown on her. "Well, I guess I'll still be seeing him soon. When can I leave?"

"It won't be too much longer," she answered quickly, before taking a seat upon the bed next to Bulma. She had to be careful with her next choice of words. "But, Bulma, before I take you home, there is something you need to know."

"About what?" Bulma raised a suspicious brow; by the look upon her friends face this 'something' was serious.

Chi-Chi took a deep breath, before continuing. "How were things left, between you and Vegeta last night?"

"Vegeta?" Bulma's eyes bulged as her visitor from last night was brought up once again, "what could he possibly have to do with my going home?"

"I can answer that, but I need to know, were you still petrified of him when he left? Or were things calmer between the two of you?"

"Ah," Bulma stuttered, unsure of what her friend wanted to hear. "I don't know. He is a very intimidating man, and yes I was scared half to death of him when I first realized his presence, but he didn't seem that threatening to me up close and personal. I mean I wouldn't want to spend any more time alone with the guy, but I don't feel as though he is an immediate threat to my life. But, I don't see what this has to do with anything."

"Well, unfortunately it has a lot to do with everything," Chi-Chi admitted quietly before deciding to simply make her confession. Judging by Bulma's response, Chi-Chi wasn't expecting any horrified outbursts when she was told the truth, at least she hoped. "Bulma, you were asking Trunks earlier whom he had been staying with while you were in the hospital, remember?"

"Yes," Bulma nodded quickly, very much wanting to hear the whole truth.

"Well, the person who has been taking care of Trunks while you have been in the hospital is the same person whom you invited to live at Capsule Corp since shortly after your memories end; the same person who was here last night."

"Vegeta?" Bulma whispered his name as her eyes widened in utter disbelief. "You are not serious," she shook her head with a slight chuckle. "I allowed Vegeta to move in with me? That's insane!"

"Please, try and stay calm," Chi-Chi raised her hands in a silent gesture to relax her friend. "I know this must be bizarre for you, but he had no other place to go, and so you let him stay with you all those years back. Then, as he said, the two of you became friends, and he has lived at Capsule Corp ever since."

"Unbelievable." Bulma covered her face as she thought back to the night before. This did explain a few things, such as how she could have played a role in 'changing' him, why he had been so interested to see her, and why he had caught her when she had fallen. Of course, this did bring up several more unanswered questions. "And, I actually let him stay? Even after I had Trunks?"

"Yes," Chi-Chi nodded, "Trunks is very fond of Vegeta; you do not have to worry about his or your safety. I know it is difficult to believe, but Vegeta is the last person on this planet that would ever hurt you. So, you don't have to be afraid to see him when you return home."

"Return home," Bulma repeated as though it just dawned on her that this implausibility was about to become a reality. "I just can't believe Vegeta and I live under the same roof. It's too surreal."

"I know it will take some getting used to, but I thought I should warn you in advance. Limit your stress, remember?"

"Right," Bulma nodded, this was bizarre to say the least, but she didn't want another episode like last night. She would simply try to remain calm as she allowed this new information to sink in. "I can handle this, just give me a little time."

"Very well," Chi-Chi was glad to see her friend handling the situation so well. "I'll go check on your release papers, and see if I can get you out of here."

"Great," Bulma forced a smile before watching her friend turn and leave. It would definitely take some time to wrap her brain around this new development, quite a bit of time.

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"Dad!" Trunks screamed as he ran through the house looking for his father. He finally found him sweaty and exhausted as he walked out of the gravity room.

"What is it, boy?" Vegeta breathed heavily as he walked past his son, heading towards the kitchen.

"Why didn't you tell me you went to see Mom last night?" the boy asked very bluntly, he was much like his father in that he felt no need to mince words.

Vegeta's brows narrowed, "How the hell did you know that I--"

"Mom told me. You scared her, you know." Trunks frowned rather disappointedly as he crossed his arms loosely.

Vegeta sighed before continuing his trek towards the kitchen. "How is she?"

"Better, at least physically," Trunks admitted, still very much sobered by his mother's mental state. "The doctors are releasing her today. Chi-Chi is bringing her home in a few hours."

"Hmph," Vegeta kept his back towards his son, shockingly this news failed to excite him, as it probably should. "Then I suppose I must leave."

"No," Trunks was fast to object. "Chi-Chi and I have already taken care of it." Trunks then began to explain the plan the pair had concocted to tell his mom the partial truth.

Vegeta listened rather despondently, this plan would only ensure her physical presence; her emotions were still beyond his reach. "Very well then," he agreed not too terribly enthused, "I am going back to train."

"What? Why?" Trunks blinked in confusion. "Don't you want to stay and wait for Mom's arrival?"

Vegeta didn't answer, as he decided to skip lunch and just go right back to all he has left to clear the emotional turmoil wreaking havoc on his consciousness, the purification of physical punishment.

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"Hello?!" Chi-Chi called as she opened the front door to Capsule Corp. Bulma followed closely behind as she entered and looked around. The first face they saw was Trunks' as he came barreling down the stairs.

"It's about time you two got here," the boy smiled with a deep grin, utterly thrilled to have his mother home once again. "I was excepting you sooner."

"We would have been, but the paper work took forever," Bulma absently admitted as she assessed her home. It was different from what she remembered, but not indecipherable.

"Well," Chi-Chi interrupted, deciding it was time to make her exit. "I'll leave you to get reacquainted," Chi-Chi walked over and gave her friend a quick hug before offering, "call me if you need absolutely anything, alright?"

"Right," Bulma agreed as Chi-Chi pulled away. After waving quickly to Trunks, the friend left mother and son to themselves.

"So," Trunks cleared his throat after a few awkward moments passed, "Mom, I guess Chi-Chi, um, warned you of everything before bringing you here?"

"I suppose you are referring to Vegeta," Bulma raised a brow. It seemed she couldn't get through more than an hour without the man being mentioned. "Yes, she told me. Though I wish you would have sooner. It is rather hard to swallow."

"You aren't upset are you? I mean, you don't have to be, D-Vegeta is really nice-well, not nice, but he's not dangerous-or, I just mean he's not threatening-well, not around us-" Trunks suddenly stopped to scratch the back of his head, he didn't seem to be helping his father's case very much.

"I'll take your word for it," Bulma blinked a few times as she tried not to think too deeply upon the matter. Right now all she really wanted to do was go to her room and take a nice long hot bath, letting all of her discomfiture and confusion drift away. "So tell me, is my room the same as it was before I lost my memories?"

Trunks cursed himself mentally; sleeping arrangements were something he had failed to consider. "Um… Ah… Well, your room is-um… it's--"

"The same room as you remember," a deep voice answered, grabbing the attention of both Trunks and Bulma, "though it has been enlarged to the size of a master bedroom."

Bulma withheld her uneasiness as she glanced over to see Vegeta casually leaning against a wall in khakis and a sweater. Funny, in human cloths he almost looked like any normal human being, almost. Taking a small gulp, she nodded to him rather hesitantly. "Thank you," she then turned back to Trunks, "I think I'll go settle in then." Without further eye contact, she walked past Vegeta and headed straight to her room, not realizing there were two sets of eyes following her every move.

Once Bulma entered her room she looked around in wonderment. It was nothing like her old room. Yes, it was decorated in a style similar to the room she remembered, but the scale; it was so much grander. The walk-in closet was the size of a small house, the balcony could hold a few hundred people, the bathroom one could get lost in, and the king sized bed that rested against a center wall could support several people. 'I can't believe this is all mine. I don't need this much space.' Bulma shook her head in disbelief as she wandered around the room a few more minutes before plopping down upon the bed. She let her light body bounce upon the springy mattress a few times before she raised an eyebrow in confusion. 'This side of the bed is worn in, but I thought everything was brand new after the explosion?'

Bulma quickly shrugged off the thought as she rose once again and walked into the bathroom that was simply made for a queen. Quickly disrobing, she ran a hot bath. 'Kami, I need this,' she thought while adding a few bubbles, before slipping under the warm liquid. Closing her eyes she allowed her mind to run freely. She had so many questions, so many gaps in her memory that needed to be filled; particularly the one that had to do with whoever Trunks' father is.

Though she avoided the topic in conversation, it weighed heavily on her mind. It was bizarre to be told you are a mother when you cannot remember giving birth. In fact, she could not even remember ever giving herself to a man. For all intents and purposes, by memory, she was still a virgin; making the thought of having some short-lived affair with some jerk that left her after her son was born seem utterly ridiculous. She didn't believe she could be such a poor judge of character, that she would let someone use her like that. 'I wish I could remember.'

Sinking lower in the water, she closed her eyes as she tried not to dwell on the upsetting issue. At present, there were much more confusing issues she had to delve into, her 'housemate,' the Saiya-jin no ouji, for example. A chill ran down her spine at the thought, she could not foresee getting used to that concept any time soon. Vegeta, the 'former' murderer, was now a part of her life; living under her roof, eating dinner with her, spending time with her and her son, it all seemed too unbelievable.

'But he was so different last night. Maybe he really has changed?" she wondered, as she recalled how gentle he was when he had caught her in his arms. As bizarre as it might seem, for a moment, when he held her, she felt safe; almost as though she was exactly where she should be. Of course, after noting how ludicrous that thought was, she wrote it off as temporary insanity, but she couldn't deny that she felt contented with him. Yes, she was petrified to see him when she had awakened to find him looming over her, but strangely enough, the fear she held came mostly from shock, not from a perceived threat.

'Well, the only way to find out for sure is to ask,' she thought to herself before closing her eyes. Perhaps a dialogue with her 'housemate' might settle some of her trepidation. Taking a mental note to do such after her bath, Bulma allowed her consciousness to clear as the bliss of rest slowly began to encompass her.

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"Are you gonna eat that?" Trunks asked as he stared down at his father's last bowl of rice.

Normally, Vegeta would have gone into one of his lectures about what you should never ask a Saiya-jin for, but he instead pushed the bowl over to his son. "Go ahead, I'm not hungry."

Trunks' eyes went wide as he put his hand on his father's head. "Are you sick? Dieing? You can tell me Dad, I can take it."

Vegeta shook his head in irritation at the boy's comment. "Don't be so foolish, boy. Kakarrot is the only person for which eating means life or death. I have much more self-control."

"Right," Trunks smiled as he downed the rest of the food. "Well, I think you should be happy, Dad. I mean Mom's home, and I'm sure she'll warm up to you soon enough."

Vegeta just 'hmped' at the suggestion. It took them over eight damn years to 'warm up' to one another in the first place. He was not as optimistic at present. Rising from his seat he dropped his plates and cup in the sink before turning to leave the kitchen.

"Hey Dad? Where are you going?" Trunks called after him just before the man could disappear from sight.

"To bed," Vegeta answered rather monotone before exiting the kitchen and ascending the stairs towards what was now his bedroom. A slight smirk crossed his lips as he managed to make it back to exactly where he had started, his original bedroom. It was the room where they united after almost seven years of denying one another their true feelings. His old room held many memories for him, some pleasant, some not so; but the bottom line wasn't what room he was forced to sleep in, he would sleep on the cold tiled floor of the gravity room if it meant he could have his mate back by his side. That was all that truly mattered to him, and that was the one thing he was so cruelly being denied.

Tonight, like every night since she had been taken from him, would be a long sleepless night.

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Aurthor's Note: Awe. Poor Veg, I feel so bad for him… Maybe something should be done about that? Well, perhaps things will get better when Bulma finally breaks down, whether she was ready to or not, and speaks with the Saiya-jin no ouji. Will it ease things between the pair, or with the tension rise? Find out in the next chapter…