Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Whatever It Takes ❯ Chapter 4

AN: As Chapter Three did, this chapter has a couple parts in it that I'm particularly fond of. Thanks go again to my hubby for his input in several areas, including his terrific suggestion of how Vegeta makes a selection at the butcher's shop.

The end of this chapter is basically fluff, I know. But it serves as the end of the introductory portion of the story and as a lead-in to the first real arc of the story. A little fluff now and then never hurt anyone, did it? ;)

FYI, _dialogue_ in place of "dialogue" means that the individual is speaking in a foreign language as appropriate to the situation. You will see what I mean when you reach the scene where Vegeta recalls an incident from his past.

Oh, and BTW, I'm not looking for debates from anyone regarding Bulma's comments on the video game being played in this chapter. I just thought that she'd find it to be an amusing comparison, and that Vegeta would not. Poor Veggie...

Enjoy!


Disclaimer: Dragonball Z was created by Akira Toriyama. It is owned/licensed by Toei, Bird Studios, Shonen Jump, Funimation, and Viz, not me. However, you will see some characters that weren't created by Toriyama-san, and those are my brainchildren. No money was made in the production of this work, more's the pity.


Chapter Four

"Here we are. This is the best butcher in ." Bulma turned off the car and gave her shopping companion a smile before getting out.

He watched as she pressed a button and the car disappeared, the small metal capsule appearing in its place. She had warned him of her intentions to encapsulate the vehicle or reopen the capsule after he'd been so startled the last time, and caught him paying particular attention this time.

"Pretty neat, huh? I'd eventually like to modify one to float up after encapsulating so I don't have to bend over to retrieve it or risk losing it when it hits the ground."

He grunted in mild assent, unwilling to let on how utterly fascinating he found not only the capsule but the concept itself. He had always had a head for technology and would even sneak off on his own private time to examine- or even disassemble and reassemble- technology that Frieza had confiscated from planets they'd purged when the lizard wasn't around. He had a mind like a sponge and retained every single fascinating detail; from the time he could walk he just had to know how and why things worked. "I want my meat."

Bulma was a little disappointed by his apparent lack of interest but decided not to let it bother her. Maybe he was just tired of shopping and would want to really see one later. "That's why we're here," she told him, opening the door so he could enter the store. A little buzzing sound came from within as they entered.

Momentarily a large man wearing an apron came out from a back room and approached a large glass counter separating the back of the store from the rest of it. He smiled in recognition when he saw Bulma. "Good afternoon, Ms. Briefs. How are you today?"

"Hey Mr. Imano!" Bulma called back. "How's it going?"

"Good, good. Can't complain. What can I get for you and your friend today?" the butcher asked.

"This is Vegeta. He'll be staying with us for a while and asked where to get a nice cut of meat. I told him that this is the place to come."

The butcher beamed at the compliment. "Thank you, Ms. Briefs! I always aim to please. Did you have anything specific in mind, Mr. Vegeta?"

Vegeta was staring at the counter that the man stood behind. The case below it was just filled with meat, and he licked his lips unconsciously. "I don't know yet. Let me see what meat is available," he murmured as he approached the counter. He leaned down to get a closer look.

"Those are beef ribs," Mr. Imano told him. "And right beside them, pork ribs."

"Hmph." Vegeta shrugged. They did look good. "Very well. Give me the beef ribs."

"All right. How much would you like?"

"The beef ribs. Get them ready for me," Vegeta repeated irritably. Why was everyone second guessing him today?

"We'll take them all, Mr. Imano. Thank you," Bulma interjected.

"Oh. I must have misunderstood you, Mr. Vegeta. I'll wrap these up for you." Mr. Imano couldn't claim to know why this odd little man was so cranky, but figured he'd just play it safe and get him whatever he wanted. It wasn't as though the Briefs couldn't afford it.

"Vegeta, Mr. Imano just wanted to know how much you wanted because usually no one buys all of what's there, unless there's not much left," Bulma explained in a low voice, not wanting to embarrass him. "Most everything here is sold based on how much it weighs."

Vegeta found his tetchiness quickly fading as he watched the older man packaging up the ribs. "I see," he said slowly, still perusing all of the luscious meats available for his selection, none of which he had to either kill or prepare.

Another buzz sounded from within the depths of the back of the store as a woman and her young daughter entered. "I'm almost done with your ribs here, Mr. Vegeta. Do you see anything else you like?" Mr. Imano piped up. "I'll be with you in just a moment, Ma'am," he called out to the woman, who nodded and began examining the various cuts of meat. The girl, on the other hand, was fascinated by the man who was buying meat; she'd never seen hair like his before. He looked kind of scary, although the lady looked nice. She kept her distance, but watched him from close by her mother's side.

"You liked the steak you had for lunch. How about a couple different cuts of steak?" Bulma suggested.

Vegeta nodded. "Yes, I want some steak," he decided.

Mr. Imano came back up to the counter. "What cut were you looking at?"

"Well, he ate the 'Bellyache Steak' at Buffalo Bob's for lunch," Bulma suggested.

"I consumed three of them," Vegeta corrected her, but he didn't seem to be perturbed. He actually seemed quite proud of himself, and smirked when the woman who had just come in was unable to hide a little gasp of surprise. Evidently most people knew about the establishment he had been served at. "Do you have such a steak here?"

~Great Kami!~ "Three?" Mr. Imano's eyes grew wide, wider still when Bulma nodded in confirmation. "That's a lot of steak. You've got a good hearty appetite, and I think I have just the thing for you," he commented, waving them over to a different counter. "Let's see what I've got over here, shall we? I'm thinking you'll probably want a nice sirloin. I don't have anything as big as the steak you ate, but I do have the same type of steak."

The butcher held up a thick steak for their inspection. It was a nice red color with just a little marbling, and juices dripped from it. The smell of the freshly butchered meat reached his nostrils, and Vegeta unconsciously licked his lips again. "Let me have that steak," he decided.

"All right, I'll wrap it up for you. Did you just want the one?"

"No, let me have the steak. Give it to me," Vegeta demanded.

The dumbfounded butcher hesitated, then handed the meat over the counter to Vegeta. "Sure..."

Vegeta sniffed the meat, then took a liberal bite of it.

"Eeew! Mommy, that man din't cooked his meats before he eated it!" the girl exclaimed. "That's gross."

"Hush Riina, and don't stare," the woman whispered, pulling her daughter a little closer. This one looked a little off-kilter and she wasn't taking any chances. "Maybe he likes it that way."

Vegeta snorted in amusement and took another bite of the bloody meat.

"Vegeta..." Bulma felt her face grow hot at the reactions of the woman and her daughter, but at the same time, she wasn't really surprised by the Saiyan's behavior. "Uhm, yes, that is a nice cut," added weakly. "We'll at least take that one I guess."

To his credit, Mr. Imano was able to hide his reaction and took Vegeta's conduct in stride. "Should I wrap them up for you, sir? Or would you like to select some of these and some of another type?" His eyes met Vegeta's, letting Vegeta know he was entirely in control of this decision. "I have some nice Porterhouse steaks here, some strip steak, or," he continued, leaning in a little as if ready to share a secret, "I have a whole tenderloin that I haven't cut up yet in the back."

"Tenderloin?"

"That's the best cut," Bulma infomed him. "Well, my favorite anyway. That's what I got at lunch today. It's very tender." She smiled encouragingly. "Whatever you want, we'll buy it."

Vegeta contemplated this. "Whatever I want, hmm? You may be sorry you offered, Woman. Yes, this will do. I will take this meat, servant man." He handed the partially consumed steak back to the butcher and eventually ended up selecting all of the sirloin, half of the Porterhouses, some T-bones, several good-sized pork roasts, some plain and some stuffed with various ingredients, a couple different flavors of sausages, a rack of lamb, half a dozen ducks, two large hams, an entire tray of bacon, a prime rib roast and several pounds of beef jerky in addition to his ribs.

Bulma decided to add chicken breast, the tenderloin and ground beef to the order. "So, is that everything or have we cleaned you out enough, Mr. Imano?" she joked. "Good thing I have an empty capsule with me."

"I may have to expand my store if you two keep coming by on a regular basis, Ms. Briefs," he responded with a grin. "Oh, by the way Mr. Vegeta, if there's anything you want in large quantities, just let me know and I'll make sure to get it for you," he offered.

"Good." This rotund human had earned his favor today. That was a first.

The buzzer sounded again as they left the store, leaving the shell-shocked woman and her daughter standing there alone with the butcher. "Uhm... wow. He's a little, well, different," she managed.

"You said it," Mr. Imano agreed.

***

"You made some pretty nice selections there, Vegeta," Bulma commented as they pulled up to the grocery store. "Just wait until Mom makes her special rub for the ribs. Oh, man is it good." She turned off the car and got out.

Vegeta got out as well and immediately crossed his arms, scowling. "Don't tell me. This place is crawling with even more females and infants than that stupid mall was, isn't it?" he complained, watching as a woman with a baby entered the store at the same time that another woman with two young children exited it. The woman looked exhausted; the baby seated in the front of the cart was crying incessantly and the little boy whose hand she was holding was being just as noisy.

"Mama, I want it!" the boy shrieked. "Why can't I have it?"

"I said no, that's why," the woman told him in a tired voice.

The boy promptly threw himself down to the ground in the middle of the parking lot and started kicking his feet. "You're mean! I hate you!" he screeched.

"It's too bad you feel that way- Yoshi, come back here. Yoshi, stop!" the woman exclaimed as the boy got up and began to run. With her baby seated in the fully loaded cart, there was little she could do to chase him.

"No! You're a mean old lady!" Yoshi screamed. "I'm running away! I wish Dad was here instead of you. He's not mean to me like you are!"

The boy was heading their way, and Bulma nudged Vegeta. "Hey, grab that little kid," she whispered.

"What do I want with the whiny little brat?" Vegeta demanded. "If it were up to me I'd teach him a thing or two about respect."

"Shh!" Bulma hushed him. "Be glad it's not up to you." She stepped in front of the running boy, stopping him. She squatted down to his level. "Hey, kiddo. What's wrong?" she asked him in a pleasant voice.

"Shut up, you ugly old hag!" Yoshi yelled snidely.

Bulma gasped. "You're right, Vegeta. He is a little brat," she told him, offended.

The woman rushed over as quickly as she could manage with her overloaded cart and the screaming baby. "I'm so sorry, Ma'am," she apologized profusely. "He'll be punished when we get home, I assure you," she said, looking pointedly at her son.

Bulma managed a smile. "It's all right," she responded. "I'm sure they're just tired is all."

Vegeta watched the woman as she secured her children into her vehicle and began to load her groceries into the trunk. "What little brats," he growled. "They both need a good beating."

"Vegeta, they're just little kids! You can't beat little kids," Bulma objected. "The baby was cranky and was probably reacting to her brother, who obviously was upset because he didn't get something he wanted."

"Yes, which makes them brats," Vegeta insisted as they entered the store.

Bulma sighed. "Just be glad they aren't your kids."

"Believe me, I am," Vegeta informed her. "I have no desire to sire any worthless little brats. My father would have beaten the insolence from me had I dared address him in such a fashion."

Bulma's spirit fell. She was rapidly finding herself falling for Vegeta, but she desperately wanted children. Especially considering his negative reaction when she asked him if he actually wanted her to get pregnant, it was clear that if she did stay with him, she'd better forget about them having any children together. "I- I'm sure if you had children you wouldn't allow them to be brats," she commented quietly. "But don't worry, this won't be all that bad. You'll see." She commandeered a cart and placed her purse in the baby seat. "Let me know if you see anything you want, okay?"

She looked over at him when he didn't respond to find him surveying their surroundings with astonishment. She'd told him that the grocery store had all kinds of food, but there was more food there than he'd imagined- row upon rows, shelf upon shelves, all just full of food.

Bulma didn't know whether to smile at his child-like awe, or cry in pity for the obviously neglected man. Compared to Goku, who certainly had enough to eat, Vegeta suddenly seemed scrawny and undernourished. ~I'll put an end to that,~ she decided. ~Whatever he wants, I'll get for him.~ "Vegeta?" she asked softly. "Ready to start shopping?"

"Yes... Show me where the best consumables are," he responded with less authority in his voice than usual.

"I'll lead the way," she assured him.

They made a full circuit of the store, jamming Bulma's unfortunate cart as full as it could get. "Okay, one last stop," Bulma informed him. "Frozen foods." Her feet slipped on the floor as she attempted to push the heavily laden cart around the end of the aisle and down the next one with a small grunt.

Vegeta snorted. "Weak woman," he teased.

Could that almost be warmth in his voice that she detected? "Hmph," she pouted with a scowl. "If you're so big and strong, why don't you push the cart, tough guy?"

"Because I don't want to," he answered immediately. "It's much more amusing to watch your feeble attempts."

She pursed her lips and stared at him. Amusement was plainly evident in his eyes. "But, Vegeta," she purred, changing tactics, "wouldn't it make more sense for me to save my strength for, oh, more productive uses?"

She was looking up at him through her lashes, and a hint of pink flushed across her cheeks as her lips quirked up in a flirtatious little smile. He could feel the heat rise up in his body- and realized that that was her intention. "Blasted woman," he growled, shoving her hands from the bar of the cart.

She ran her fingertips along his bicep. "Thank you."

"Hmph," was the only response she got.

"Stop here for a second," she requested, opening up a glass door. Icy cold air rushed out from behind it, and she grabbed various items from inside and crammed them into the cart. "Vegetables," she commented at his inquisitive look. "I hope you like green beans. My parents both love them."

Vegeta watched as her perky little nose wrinkled up in distaste, followed by the emergence of her tongue and a sound of disgust. He leered at her. "I'm sure you can find a more productive use for that tongue of yours, can't you?"

Another blush flitted across her cheeks. "Just push the cart, okay?"

***

"Mom, we're back!" Bulma announced, tossing her keys into what had affectionately been dubbed the 'junk bowl', a small bowl on the counter which was filled with various miscellaneous items.

"Did you stop by the grocery store for me, dear?" Mrs. Briefs inquired as she breezed into the kitchen.

"Yep. Here you go." Bulma placed the capsule she'd put the groceries in on the counter.

"Thank you, dear. Oh! Vegeta, you look so handsome in that shirt," Mrs. Briefs cooed, admiring the way it hugged his physique. She renewed her hope that Bulma would keep this one. He seemed like such a nice young man, despite being a little troubled. Perhaps he'd had a rough childhood, the poor dear! "Did you get a matching hat, too?"

"A hat?" Vegeta repeated. Was this woman serious? "What in the hell am I going to do with a hat?"

Bulma was giving her mother an equally blank look. "Mom, how is Vegeta supposed to wear a hat? You have noticed his hair, haven't you?"

"Oh my, yes. And such nice hair, too," the blonde woman said with a sigh. She hummed to herself as she strolled over to the oven and opened it. "Mmmm, doesn't that smell good?"

"Ugh, just the thought of eating anything right now makes me sick," Bulma complained. "We had a big lunch and I'm stuffed."

"Where did you go, dear?" Mrs. Briefs asked as she basted an enormous turkey.

"I took Vegeta to Buffalo Bob's," Bulma responded with a grin.

Mrs. Briefs pushed the turkey back into the oven and began to giggle. "Did you get the big steak, Vegeta?"

"Yes. I consumed three of them," Vegeta informed her. "Also a large onion, wings and various confections."

The blonde woman's mouth rounded into an 'O' of surprise. "My goodness, dear! You sure were hungry! Well, it's a good thing the turkey is big, especially with all of the guests we have tonight."

"Mom, Nameks don't have to eat like we do-"

"Nonsense, dear! I'm sure they'll like the turkey just fine." She turned back to her cooking, humming to herself as she tasted something she was cooking on the stove. "Oh, that's good," she murmured, replacing the lid. "Bulma dear, why don't you help me put away the groceries?"

"Sure, Mom." Bulma retrieved the grocery capsule and opened it. "Vegeta, I'd suggest you enjoy the afternoon outdoors, but it looks like we made it home just in time. It's raining." She sighed. "I suppose you could watch a little television in the den while I do this, then maybe we could put away our clothes." She smiled suggestively.

Vegeta felt a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "I just might do that, Woman." Without further ado, he turned on his heel and headed for the den.

"Oooh, he's a cute one, dear!" Mrs. Briefs cooed, giggling when her daughter's cheeks flushed pink.

"Mom, would you stop already? For Kami's sake, you've been making lewd little comments all day today!" Bulma objected as she opened the freezer and crammed several boxes of ice cream inside.

Mrs. Briefs turned from the stove and eyed her daughter. "All right. Look me in the eyes and tell me you don't find him attractive," she challenged as she crossed her arms, a wooden spoon still in one hand. "Just that devilish little grin of his-"

Bulma sighed raggedly. "All right Mom, you win," she interrupted. "I'm very attracted to him, okay?" The blush on her cheeks got deeper.

Her mother giggled in delight. Of course she'd been right all along. She hadn't been wrong about any of Bulma's other so-called 'friends'. "Only attracted? What a shame." She set down the spoon and came over to help sort through the groceries. "So... is my assumption that you didn't need me to tell you to take good care of our guest also correct?"

"Mooom!" Bulma couldn't imagine her face becoming any redder. "That's none of your business!"

"Dear, your father and I aren't clueless," Mrs. Briefs informed her. "Even if I hadn't heard you two earlier this morning, the way you act around him is a dead giveaway."

"You heard us?" Bulma groaned and sat down on the floor with her back against the cupboards. "Is there a hole nearby that I can crawl into and die?"

"Bulma!" Mrs. Briefs chastised gently. "I was going to tell you good for you. He seems like such a nice young man who just needs a little loving. Am I right?" She offered her hand to her daughter.

Bulma allowed her mother to help her up. "Yes, something like that."

Mrs. Briefs smiled and kissed Bulma on the forehead. "That's nice, sweetheart. Here, come try this cranberry sauce I'm making."

***

Vegeta approached the den and frowned when he heard noises coming from inside. He pushed the door the rest of the way open to find it infested with little green men.

Two of them were lying on their bellies in front of the enormous television set, little handheld devices with an array of buttons on them in their hands. "Oh! No fair!"

"Sore loser!"

"Boys, that isn't polite, especially in someone else's home. Be nice," the elder Namek advised.

What was his name... ah yes. Moori. "Yes, be nice and leave," Vegeta barked, grinning when the whole lot of them jumped in surprise.

"Uhm... would you like to play?" One of the Nameks held the video game controller in his hand up toward the prince.

Vegeta narrowed his eyes. "Play?"

"Yes, video games," the Namek told him hesitantly. "Dr. Briefs had us come indoors when he said it looked like it was going to rain and showed us how to use it."

His opponent nodded. "It's fun." The others murmured in agreement.

Vegeta sneered at the boy. "I don't play games, and I certainly don't need that device to have fun beating Nameks." His smirk grew wider.

"Come now, boys. Let's allow Vegeta to use the den. We have been here long enough," Moori advised, not wanting an altercation with the Saiyan.

"How about that? Wise words, old man." Vegeta watched the Nameks hurriedly file out of the den, leaving him alone and with the sudden realization that he didn't know how to use any of the contraptions set before him. He scowled, and pushed a button on the box the device the Namek had offered to him was connected to. The screen flashed, and the title screen appeared. "How do I get rid of this annoying music?"

***

"How much longer until dinner is ready, Mom?"

"Oh, a couple more hours. This is a really big turkey," Mrs. Briefs responded, sliding a pie into the second of her dual ovens. "My pies should be done in a little more than an hour. Let's see now, what else..."

"Well, it's just that for so many people in the house it's too quiet, don't you think?" Bulma asked hesitantly.

"Oh, I don't know dear. Maybe the Nameks got bored and took a nap, the poor dears," Mrs. Briefs suggested.

Bulma found that highly unlikely but kept her thoughts to herself. "Maybe. I'll go check up on everyone." She grabbed a Coke and a beer from the fridge and headed to the den, from which she could hear energetic music and various computerized noises. ~Oh, someone's playing video games.~

A roar of "Damn it! Jump, you stupid little- Arrgh!" followed by a string of rather colorful expletives interrupted her thoughts. A smile spread over her face. "Vegeta? Playing video games?" This she had to see. She pushed open the door a little further and peeked inside; sure enough, her Saiyan guest was parked cross-legged on the floor in front of the television, his thumbs moving rapidly as he pressed the buttons. "Hey Vegeta!"

He growled in response and gripped the controller harder, embarrassed at being caught playing a child's game but unwilling to quit and let it beat him.

Especially in front of the woman.

"Don't you break that. I've had that system since I was a kid." She opened his beer and set it down beside his feet, then plopped down next to him with her own drink. "I still love the game though, and like to play it now and then. I guess I'm just sentimental that way."

He growled again. "This stupid game cheats," he accused darkly, ignoring her sentiments.

Bulma grinned. "Well, of course it does," she agreed. "You didn't really think they'd make it easy to beat, did you?" She took a sip of her Coke and leaned back. "I can tell you a shortcut to finish this zone if you want," she suggested, running a hand up and down his back.

"I can play by myself just fine, Woman," Vegeta insisted. "I don't need your- damn it!" His growl drowned out the little tinkling sounds that accompanied the scattering of rings all over the screen when the unfortunate blue hedgehog landed on top of a spike. He gritted his teeth in irritation. "Now look what you made me do!"

"Oh, no. You can't put this one on me, mister. Not with your superior reflexes, remember? Just grab a ring before you get hit again."

"I'm not going to get hit again."

"You're not doing badly at all for your first time playing this. It is your first time, right?"

"Yes, now shut that enormous mouth of yours and let me play."

Bulma took this all in stride. "Wait, jump on that thing there."

"This thing? Ah! What did it do to me?"

"It made you invulnerable for a short time, unless you fall into a pit or drown or something like that. Run into that bad guy. See?"

"Invulnerable, hmm?" Vegeta's eyebrow raised and he grinned as he gleefully mowed down more bad guys, mentally giving each one the name of one of Frieza's cronies as he did so.

~He's actually enjoying this, so I think I'd best refrain from mentioning Super Sonic and Tails. However...~ Bulma giggled. "I dare say, Sonic sorta looks like you. He's got the spiky hair, perpetual little scowl, athletic..."

"This game is an insult to Saiyans. I'm not playing any more," Vegeta proclaimed, tossing the controller in her lap and crossing his arms.

"You don't want to play any more?"

"No."

"Now look what he's doing. Tapping his foot as if to say, 'do something Woman, I haven't got all day'!" Bulma giggled again.

"Hmph."

"Come on, Vegeta. Hedgehogs and Saiyans obviously have nothing to do with each other. It's just a game, and all for fun." Bulma curled up on the floor with her head on the prince's lap and looked up at him with big soft doe eyes.

Vegeta looked away, managing to hide his surprise at how much her large blue eyes had affected him and even more unwilling to admit that they actually had. "Hmph. Give me one good reason why I should continue to put up with you, Woman," he demanded. "You have taken far too many liberties all day, and I for one am-"

She sat up and kissed him to silence him. "Because you haven't seen what I bought for me for you today yet, that's why," she purred, running a finger down his chin. "It's red," she told him, giving him a quick kiss on the lips, "and silky," she continued, giving him another kiss, "and I guarantee that you're going to love it."

He was staring at her with an unreadable expression on his face.

"What?"

"Nothing, Woman. You're just crazy." Part of him was angry at himself for allowing this woman to so easily manipulate him, and the rest of him was again screaming that he'd be insane to reject her attentions. He barely managed to keep himself from ravishing her right then and there.

She giggled. "Guilty as charged. Say, I have more than one game system here. Want to play something else?"

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Playing games, what a foolish waste of time. I thought we were going to do whatever I want to do today." A slow smirk spread over his face.

Bulma grinned. "And what were you doing when I walked in here, oh mighty Prince? Don't worry, we will, if you're a good boy now," she promised with a wink. "You were good at that game. Now I want to play this one. It's for two players simultaneously, and no one ever gives me a challenge." She gave him a sideways glance and grabbed a different game cartridge.

Vegeta snorted. This woman needed to be brought down a peg or two. "Bring it on, Woman. But you'll only get punished for your insolence."

Bulma grinned. "Is that a challenge?"

He leaned in close, their noses almost touching. "No. That's a promise."

***

"Bunny, it smells absolutely wonderful in here," Dr. Briefs commented as he entered the kitchen. "You've really outdone yourself tonight."

"Thank you dear," she responded, giving him a kiss. "Have you seen Bulma? Dinner will be ready in just a few minutes."

Dr. Briefs shook his head. "Sorry honey Bunny. I can't say that I have."

Mrs. Briefs giggled, just as he had anticipated she would. Such a dear man she had married! "Hmm. I know she got drinks for herself and that nice young man of hers. Maybe they're watching television," she mused.

"Want me to check?" he offered.

"Oh, that would be wonderful, thanks," Mrs. Briefs told him as she poured gravy into a gravy boat.

"No problem." Dr. Briefs made his way toward the den.

"No! Don't you dare!" he heard Bulma shriek. "I swear to Kami I'll hurt you."

Vegeta laughed heartily. "Go ahead and try, Woman."

Dr. Briefs nudged open the den door a crack in time to see Vegeta complete a four-line Tetris, which in turn dumped a boatload of random pieces onto Bulma's side of the game and overflowed her lines off of the top of the screen. Vegeta continued to howl with laughter as she flung down her controller and screeched like a spoiled child.

"You ass!" she yelled.

"Loser!" he countered. "How many times in a row did I just beat you? Why can't you simply admit defeat?" he asked smugly.

"I don't like you any more," Bulma pouted.

"Oh, you say that now," Vegeta told her slyly, running a finger down her bare arm and chuckling throatily when she shivered. "I see somebody's got goose bumps."

Wordlessly, Bulma grabbed a pillow off of the couch and swung at him with it.

Vegeta laughed as he snatched it from her effortlessly. "Is this how you swore you'd hurt me? Oh, somebody help me!" he teased, further incensing the blue-haired woman's temper.

Dr. Briefs slowly shut the door again when the Saiyan scooped up his daughter and kissed her to quiet her, knowing from his brief association with the young man that he was an extremely proud and private individual. His behavior stunned the doctor; Vegeta had gone from sullen and cranky to playful and affectionate in a day's time, and hadn't made any indication that he'd detected his presence at the door. "Bulma?" he called, knocking on the door.

Vegeta pushed her off his lap and got up to sit on the couch, scowling. Stupid humans! Why couldn't they just leave him alone?

Bulma shot Vegeta a hurt look. "Come in, Daddy."

The door opened again and the doctor stepped inside. "Hello there, Vegeta. Bulma, your mother asked me to tell you two that dinner is ready."

Vegeta said nothing but Bulma turned off the game and got up. "Thanks Daddy." She paused. "Mom isn't harassing the Nameks about eating again, is she? Honestly, they don't eat."

A smile flickered at the corner of his mouth. "You know how your mother is. She just loves feeding people," he reminded her. "I'll tell her I conducted a test on one of them and that was my assessment as well." The older man's eyes twinkled with amusement.

Bulma giggled. "Daddy, you're hilarious."

Dr. Briefs smiled. "Well, we don't want to make our guests uncomfortable, do we?" Another doorway opened down the hall and he turned to see who it was. "Hello, Dende, is it?"

"Yes, sir," the little boy responded.

"I hear you've been having a few problems with my wife and food?"

Dende shuffled hesitantly. "Uhm, yes... You see, Nameks don't need to eat. Water is fine for us. But we don't want to offend Mrs. Briefs."

"Don't worry, m'boy. I'll take care of it," Dr. Briefs assured him.

Relief rushed over Dende's face. "Thank you, Dr. Briefs."

"Not a problem. We're going to have some dinner now, if any of you need one of us."

Dende nodded and trotted off. "We'll be in the library," he called back.

Dr. Briefs turned back to his daughter. "Give me just a minute, then come to dinner," he told her with a wink.

Vegeta finally spoke up after the doctor left. "Hmph. Crafty old man." A hint of a smile pulled at his lips.

"I'd more likely to acknowledge that he's a smart man, but yes, he does have a few tricks up his sleeve." Bulma's tone was decidedly icy.

Vegeta frowned. "What the hell is the matter with you, Woman?" he demanded.

"Oh, nothing. I just love the fact that you're more than happy to hop into bed with me whenever you feel like it, but if anyone sees us standing too close, I might as well be a leper," Bulma snapped, hurt.

~She's hurt. How interesting.~ Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Get over it, Woman. I am not in the habit of openly displaying personal matters for all to see. My dealings with you or any other female are none of anyone else's business."

"Your dealings with me or any other female. What am I, the flavor of the week? Because if that's how it's going to be, you can just-"

Vegeta put a hand over her mouth. "Be quiet, Woman. You assume far too much. I simply am not comfortable making a show out of what is private between a male and female. How many of those other females who showed me attention today did I respond to, hmm?"

"I..." Bulma found herself speechless by his question. "I'm sorry," she mumbled. "I just feel like you don't want anyone to know. I mean, would it really be that horrible if people knew we were... I don't know. What are we doing, Vegeta? Who do you consider me to be?"

"An annoying woman," Vegeta responded. "Come along. I'm hungry."

Bulma bit at her lip. She felt like crying as she watched him leave the room. ~Just an annoying woman. That's all I am to him.~

Vegeta stopped inside the doorway and turned back to her. He scowled at her. "Leave off with the sniffling, Woman," he told her quietly. "I told you, you are making far too much out of this."

"But, I just..."

"Woman, I learned early in life that if I claimed something as my own or even showed an interest in it, it would either be taken from me or used against me. It has always been so." His mind drifted back to a time in his youth, a time he thought he'd managed to put out of his mind for good.

"So, why are we here?" Vegeta crossed his arms and frowned. He didn't want to be at this loud, foul-smelling establishment full of drunken males and solicitous females.

"It's your sixteenth birthday, little prince," Ugon, one of Frieza's higher-up soldiers, reminded him. "Don't you want to be a big prince?" He pointed to a woman who was gyrating her hips against a stripper's pole and wriggled his eyebrows. Several of his friends snickered.

Vegeta hated Ugon. Ugon had gleefully made the young prince's life miserable in numerous ways since Frieza had started sending them on the same team for missions and purgings together, but it did no good to complain. Evidently Frieza felt that Vegeta could learn a thing or two from the older man, who was vying to become one of his lieutenants. Since Ugon was in the lizard's favor, he probably would get the promotion shortly, which would be a really bad thing for Vegeta, considering they were currently at the same rank. "You of all people should know better than to try to use that line against me, or have you forgotten? I'm not as little as you say, you big suck-up," he retorted with a sneer, the double whammy of his declaration effectively turning the tables while earning himself snickers from several of the men in the group and infuriating Ugon. This was because not only was it common knowledge that Ugon kissed up to Frieza, but Vegeta truly wasn't as 'little' as Ugon had insinuated. True, Vegeta was quite short in stature for his age and race, but during his young life that had not hindered him from already experiencing his share as far as keeping 'company' with women was concerned. One woman at an establishment they'd visited had actually made a snide comment which degraded Ugon's physical attributes and prowess, and put Vegeta's in a very positive light, despite him being a teenage boy and Ugon well into adulthood. Most of the men with them knew this; no doubt the rest of them would by the end of the day.

"You will regret disrespecting me, you worthless monkey," Ugon snarled, his face turning red with anger.

Vegeta merely shrugged. "Whatever." His smirk widened and he decided to pour some salt in Ugon's wound as he caught sight of one of the serving women in the tavern. He waved to the woman, who came over.

She reached the table and her eyes widened as she realized who he was. Not only was he with Frieza's men, but his looks gave him away, as the men of the House of Vegeta had very distinct breeding; because of his hair and the tail wrapped around his waist, there was no mistaking who he was. His reputation preceded him, and only the foolhardy didn't fear him. He could easily crush her like a bug if he chose to do so. _P-prince Vegeta!_ she gasped. She nodded deeply, hoping to gain his favor. _How may I serve you?_

Vegeta knew that Ugon did not speak the common language of the populace of this planet, but despite Vegeta never having been here before it was evident that the young woman had not only recognized him, but respectfully acknowledged his rank as a powerful individual in society as indicated by her bow. As useless as the men with him might find his status of Prince of Saiyans to be, Vegeta knew that Ugon would not have been either recognized or responded to in such a respectful fashion. Even this much of the situation would have been enough salt for him, but Vegeta decided to really rub it in. _My friends and I would like to order drinks. I do not wish to offend my superior officer, so I will allow him to do so._

She nodded and turned her attention to the man Vegeta had indicated. _What may I bring you, Sir?_

Ugon stared at her blankly. "What... Vegeta, what does she want?" he forced himself to ask. It seemed less foolish than not responding at all.

"I thought we came here for women and alcohol. She would like our drink order. I didn't wish to be presumptuous enough to order for you... Sir," Vegeta finished with deliberate emphasis on the last word.

Ugon fumed inwardly. So the little bastard had decided to embarrass him in front of the rest of the men, had he? He would be showing weakness in Vegeta's eyes by admitting that he didn't understand the language and having to ask Vegeta to speak to the woman in his behalf after just having demanded the younger man's respect. The Saiyan had dropped his usual haughty smirk, but the amusement in his eyes was evident. "Just order us drinks, you idiot. I'm not in the mood to play games with your little whore there." His eyes traveled the length of her body. "At least not yet. She's not that hard to look at." The young woman noticably flinched, despite trying to hide it.

~What a pig!~ Vegeta actually found himself feeling sorry for the girl, but realized a way to use Ugon's indiscretion to his advantage. _Miss, please bring us a bottle of your P'Anto whiskey,_ Vegeta requested. _I am told that it is quite good. _ His lips curled up in a flirty little smile.

A slight blush spread across the young woman's cheeks. _Right away, Prince Vegeta,_ she responded. Her large blue eyes shone at him as she rushed off to get the beverage.

Vegeta sat back in his chair, not bothering to hide the smug look of satisfaction on his face. "I think that went well."

One of the other men spoke up before Ugon, who was visibly furious, could make a scene. "What did you order us, Vegeta?"

"A bottle of their private blend whiskey," he responded. "I have been told that it is exceptionally good."

"What does an adolescent brat like you know?" Ugon snarled.

"Well, I know that one of us did our homework before we got here, and it evidently wasn't you," Vegeta responded without missing a beat. "Although I have never set foot on this planet before, I used the ship's database to brush up on my fluency of the language and culture of the people here. It certainly gave me an advantage just now, didn't it?" His smirk returned. "You could have used your scouter for a direct knowledge transfer course before we got here, but if I'm not mistaken you were too busy fraternizing with the ship's whores. Isn't that something that, oh, let's say a hormonal sixteen-year-old adolescent brat would be doing, rather than someone practically forty years old who knew he had been assigned to head up this rather important assignment?"

A few nervous coughs were all he got from his teammates. Ugon, on the other hand, was more furious than Vegeta had ever seen him. A sick sense of pride washed over him; he was the one to infuriate rocksteady Ugon. "Why you- how dare you speak to me in such a fashion?" he all but screamed at the boy who sat gloating at him from across the table.

"Yes, that is how I knew about the whiskey," Vegeta continued, feigning thoughtfulness as he completely ignored the older man's tirade. "I'm looking quite forward to sampling it."

Ugon leapt to his feet, sending his chair flying back onto the floor. "I am going to make you suffer, monkey!" he howled.

The soldiers on either side of him got to their feet as well in an effort to restrain him. "Sir, please do not do this," one of them muttered. "Have a drink for now and wait until a more appropriate opportunity to discipline him."

"Everyone is watching, Sir," the other soldier reminded him. "Lord Frieza would not be pleased if he heard of an altercation between you two while we are here handling a matter in his name."

Ugon visibly calmed somewhat when one of the soldiers retrieved his chair and offered him a seat. "Just you wait, you miserable little bastard," he hissed. "I will see you punished with the greatest of severity."

"Oh, good. Here she comes," Vegeta said brightly. His lips twitched in an effort to hold in his laughter.

The young woman hesitantly approached their table and set their order down. _Your P'Anto whiskey, Prince Vegeta,_ she said softly, opening the bottle and pouring a shot for each of them. _May I bring you anything else?_

_Thank you, no. That will be all for now._ Vegeta handed her a coin.

_Thank you. Please let me know if you require anything at all._ She gave him another nod of respect before scurrying off from the table.

"She seemed to like you," one of the men commented with amusement.

"Of course she did," Vegeta responded smugly. "What's not to like of one who treated you with dignity?" He sampled his drink and one dark eyebrow rose. "This is good."

"Why would you do that? She's just a servant here," one of Ugon's men asked snidely.

"Because I am well aware that many people would love to see retribution against me," Vegeta retorted. "If I have the favor of one such as her who would not expect it, I am less likely to find myself poisoned by one of the various odorless and tasteless concoctions I read about that are found on this planet." He took another sip of his shot. "In fact, I did you a favor," he informed Ugon pointedly.

Ugon snorted. "And what deludes you to believe such a thing?"

"Did you not notice the unopened bottle I ordered?" Vegeta responded seriously. "Don't delude yourself into believing that one of the lovely ladies here who has been harassed by drunken males all day wouldn't poison the next one given a chance. You just might have been the next one." He leaned forward and a grin spread over his face. "Sir."

Ugon was visibly angry but said nothing. Instead, he finished his drink in one gulp and glared at the young prince.

When Vegeta sat back up, the soldier sitting beside him leaned over. "I think you might best back off, Vegeta," he advised quietly. "I would take his threats seriously, if I were you."

Vegeta dismissed this. "Pfft! What will he do, go crying to Frieza that the little prince was picking on him? He knows that I would simply inform Frieza that he was ill prepared to complete this assignment and if I had not been prepared it would have been a dismal failure."

The soldier still looked uncomfortable. "Even so, I advise you to tread carefully tonight." He leaned back and picked up his whiskey.

***

Vegeta watched the girl pick up her things from behind the bar and head toward the door. He followed her out and grabbed her arm, placing a finger atop her lips before she could cry out. _Shh, woman._

The girl actually looked relieved. _Oh! Prince Vegeta, you frightened me,_ she exclaimed, her hand on her chest as she caught her breath.

Vegeta's lips curled up in a smile and he guided her around to the other side of the building, away from prying eyes, and pushed her back against the wall. _Aww, little one. There's no need to be afraid of me,_ he purred close to her ear. _You'll find that I can actually be quite nice._ His hand rested on her hip.

She blushed and bit at her lower lip, but her eyes were anything but shy. He couldn't help but wonder if she had been thinking about doing this to him as much as he had about her? _Is that so?_ She took a chance and rested her hands on his chest.

He growled in approval. _That's so,_ he agreed. His hand slid up to caress her side, and his smirk widened. The young woman was rapidly becoming aroused by his touch; not only had her pulse quickened, but he could smell her excitement. _If you're a nice girl, I just might show you._ His other hand curled around her back to pull her against him.

She let out a little giggle and sighed when his lips brushed against the side of her neck. _Why, Prince Vegeta! Isn't this naughty rather than nice?_ She turned her head to whisper in his ear. _If so, I won't mind if you decide to not be nice._

He had nearly lost control when she nibbled on his earlobe. For a moment he thought that she had no idea what her actions were doing to his Saiyan mind, but it made no difference to him as his armor and shirt swiftly ended up in the grass, along with her shirt. Their hands roamed freely and he growled with pleasure as her soft lips traced warm pathways along the contours of his chest.

Never had he experienced this, never had a woman willingly come to him and touched him, aroused him in this way. She gasped and let out a moan when he ground his pelvis against hers. _Vegeta... Why don't we go-_

_Shh!_ He froze, putting his finger back over her lips when he heard voices approaching the doorway from inside the tavern. Sure enough, the door opened.

"Are you sure he didn't just visit the privy? After all that booze he drank, I'm surprised he hasn't fallen flat on his face, let alone start puking his guts out."

Vegeta recognized the voice as one of Ugon's soldiers, as was the voice that responded. If they found him in such a compromising situation... He held a finger in front of his lips, indicating that the girl should keep quiet.

"I wouldn't be surprised," the second soldier responded. "But then again, that hot girl he's been eyeing all evening is gone, too."

There was a snicker. "Think maybe he's getting laid?"

"Like I said, I wouldn't be surprised," the second voice repeated. "A kid his age is thinking with his pants half of the time anyway-"

Vegeta let out a sigh of relief when the door shut again. _That was close._

_Yes... Yes, it was,_ the young woman responded in a small voice, her eyes downcast in disappointment that she wasn't hiding very well.

Vegeta leaned over to pick up their clothes and handed her her shirt. _I think you were about to suggest we take this elsewhere?_ he said suggestively. He ran a finger down her jawline, chuckling when she shivered and nodded quickly in response. _All right, then. Give me an hour to get rid of these losers and then meet me back out here,_ he instructed.

She blushed again, but it wasn't completely out of bashfulness. _I'll be here,_ she told him. After dressing herself she paused, then quickly placed a kiss on his lips and gave him a coy little smile before scampering off.

***

An hour came and went, and there was no sign of the servant girl. Vegeta sighed in exasperation. He was all wound up from their activity and had been looking forward to release.

After another half hour, he decided to go back to his room. Perhaps she had become afraid. Her eyes had widened rather dramatically when she'd felt him grind against her. But, it hadn't been a fearful look in her eyes. It had been a lustful one. He would question her in the morning. Perhaps even arrange to bring her along.

***

Vegeta scanned the tavern servants as he ate his morning meal but didn't see his blue-eyed temptress. An unsettling thought niggled at the back of his mind. Even if she had been too afraid to return the night before, there was no way the tavern owner would let her hide so as not to face him this morning. He looked up as someone joined him at his table. ~Great. As if my meal isn't unappetizing enough.~ "Ugon."

"Why, Vegeta, whatever is the matter? You look a little troubled. Let me guess, your little friend didn't show up last night and you wonder why, is that it?" Ugon asked in a patronizing voice. A slow smirk spread over his face.

Sudden realization hit Vegeta- Ugon had probably killed the young woman just to spite him, or at the very least violated her. "I assume you have no reason to wonder," he responded in an emotionless tone.

Ugon laughed. "No, and actually she was quite entertaining while she lasted. It was too bad you couldn't be there. Too bad for her, anyway."

Visions of all of the things Ugon had made him do to some of their victims while purging planets over the years flashed through Vegeta's mind. He had no doubt that Ugon's treatment of the girl had been nothing short of horrific, and if she wasn't already dead, she wished she was. "You are a very sick, twisted man, Ugon," he responded in a low voice.

"Thank you." Ugon preened visibly. "Consider this a glimpse of what you will receive once we return to the ship."

"Whatever. You don't scare me, Ugon." Vegeta's outward demeanor reflected that he couldn't have cared less about the serving girl, but in truth what happened to her bothered him greatly. Nighttime activities aside, she had been sincerely kind and gracious to him, something he was not used to. Remembrance of the feeling of her hands and mouth on his body burned on his skin as if she was still touching him.

She would never touch him again.

She had been beautiful. Her blue eyes had shone with pleasure at pleasing him.

They would never shine again.

Her voice had been soft and pleasant to listen to.

She would never laugh again.

He hadn't even known her name.

Despite all of the horrors he'd emotionlessly inflicted upon untold numbers of living beings, Vegeta couldn't help but feel badly about this woman. She wasn't the first female Ugon had used against him, and if he wasn't careful she wouldn't be the last. It would be easier to forget about females; no Saiyan females were left anyway, so it wasn't as though he needed to be concerned with finding a mate and siring an heir. It would be easier to simply mindlessly indulge along with the rest of the soldiers during purgings.

Damn it. Wasn't that what the older soldiers had made him do even as a young boy? Now he joined them without a thought and with even less remorse.

He couldn't afford to feel remorse. Just forget about the female, and those shining blue eyes...

"You should be afraid, Vegeta. You will regret crossing me." Ugon's smile was not pleasant.

***

Vegeta dropped to one knee before his lord and master. "You summoned me, Lord Frieza?" He felt his stomach churn as the words left his mouth. Oh, how he hated this disgusting, perverted monster, and even more his forced servitude to him!

"Yes, I wish to discuss the assignment you just returned from." Frieza and beckoned him to approach.

"The assignment was carried out successfully, m'Lord," Vegeta informed him, rising and nearing the throne where the overlord sat. "All that you commanded has been done."

"So I have been told." Frieza took a sip of his wine. "I have also been told that you overstepped your boundaries as far as following orders is concerned, and that you shirked your duties to consort with tavern whores." He folded his hands and smiled at the prince. Like Ugon's, his was not a pleasant smile.

It was malicious.

Vegeta felt his heart skip a beat; he knew that look and what it meant for him. ~Damn you, Ugon!~ "No, Lord. That is not true-"

"I trust Ugon's word implicitly. Are you calling him a liar?" Frieza interrupted.

~Either way I choose, I condemn myself.~ "He is a liar and an insolent man," Vegeta answered. "He was angry that he didn't know the local language and that he needed to rely upon me because I did-"

"And so you chose to deliberately embarrass him in front of his men."

Vegeta frowned. "He chose to deliberately taunt me-"

"Vegeta, Vegeta. You disappoint me, young prince. I had such high hopes for you. But, you have forced my hand. I shall appoint Ugon as my new Lieutenant, and you will learn a little respect for authority."

The last thing Vegeta remembered before mercifully slipping into mental darkness was the sound of Ugon's cruel laughter as Frieza tortured and beat him.

"It has always been so."

He pushed the memory away, only to see tears trickling down Bulma's cheeks because of his words. It was almost as though she'd recalled the disturbing memory along with him. "How horrible. I'm sorry, Vegeta. I'll try to be more patient."

Those damned blue eyes were getting to him again. "I did not go to that Kami damned mall today because I wanted to. But I came home with you today because I wanted to," Vegeta told her in a low voice. He took her chin in one hand. "Now, no more tears," he whispered. "Let's go eat, little one."

She definitely detected a hint of affection in his voice this time, and a smile wobbled at her lips. "Okay."

"Good." Vegeta let go of her chin. "Then you can show me my present." He stopped again in the doorway, a smirk on his lips. "I've been thinking about it all day today."

Bulma blushed. "I know."

***

Bulma shook her head in disbelief. "Vegeta, you astound me." How Vegeta managed to put away five servings of turkey, sausage and apple stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, salad and rolls after he'd consumed not only three steaks but everything else he'd had with lunch was beyond her comprehension, but he had done it and was waiting as Mrs. Briefs cut into the two pies she'd baked. "Where does it all go?"

Vegeta snorted. "Don't be ridiculous, Woman. I was hungry."

"Yes, what a fine, healthy appetite you have, Vegeta," Mrs. Briefs agreed, setting down a generous slice of Dutch apple pie à la mode in front of the Saiyan. "There's plenty where that came from if you want more, so don't be shy. Would you like some milk?"

He grunted in the affirmative and she set a glass of the cold beverage next to him, and a slice of pie beside her husband's and daughter's plates.

"Thanks, Mom. This looks absolutely delicious," Bulma commented, taking a bite. "Mmm..."

Dr. Briefs nodded in agreement. "Very tasty dinner indeed, dear."

Mrs. Briefs beamed with pride. "Are you enjoying your pie, Vegeta? Have a slice of the pumpkin, too."

Vegeta decided that the woman's mother had now earned the privilege of becoming the second person to please him that day. "Good."

"Oh, wonderful!" Mrs. Briefs hummed happily to herself as she loaded the dinner dishes into the dishwasher.

The three at the table ate in silence for a few minutes until Bulma pushed away her plate. "Mom, this pie is fabulous, but I just can't eat another bite," she moaned. "You gave me too much."

"Maybe your father will finish it for you, dear," Mrs. Briefs suggested.

"I would, but I'm full, too," Dr. Briefs responded. "I could hardly finish my own."

Vegeta shook his head and let out a little chuckle. "Weak humans," he noted around a mouthful of pie.

A fine blue eyebrow rose. "Fine, then would you like to finish it, Vegeta?" Bulma suggested.

The prince eyed her as he finished chewing. It would be stupid to shove her plate away and then fill his own again, and he had every intention of cleaning up both pie plates. He would never admit it, but the meal the blonde-haired woman had prepared that evening was one of the best meals he had ever consumed and was far too delicious to waste. "Don't mind if I do," he informed her, tipping the last few bites of her piece onto his plate.

"Would you like some more ice cream, Vegeta?" Mrs. Briefs offered before Bulma could comment.

Vegeta nodded and she hurried over with the box and a scoop. "Just leave it there," he grunted, indicating the table next to his plate with a nod of his chin.

"Oh. But won't it melt?" Mrs. Briefs contemplated.

"It won't melt," Vegeta assured her. "It will be long gone by then."

He ended up with two clean pie plates and an empty ice cream box on the table in front of him and leaned back in his chair in satisfaction. "Oh, my. You certainly were hungry, Vegeta!" Mrs. Briefs exclaimed. "Can I get you anything else? Some coffee, perhaps?"

"Coffee?" Vegeta had no idea what coffee was.

"Mom and I had some with breakfast today," Bulma reminded him. "It's usually served hot and is a little bitter unless you put something in it to sweeten it."

"Here you go, dear," Mrs. Briefs sang, slipping a mug of the dark liquid in front of him before removing his dishes. "I just brewed a new pot, so it's fresh. We have cream and sugar too, if you want it."

Vegeta picked up the mug and sniffed its contents. It smelled good, so he took a sip. "You humans actually enjoy drinking this?" he said, setting the cup down with a grimace. "It's terrible."

"Try some cream and sugar in your coffee, dear." Mrs. Briefs set the condiments in front of him. "I'm sure then you'll like it much better."

Vegeta eyed her, contemplating telling her not to order him around but deciding he would rather not risk missing more meals like the one he had just consumed. "Hmph." At her insistence he picked up the sugar and poured a liberal amount in, followed by some cream. She had been right about everything else she had given him to eat. Perhaps it wouldn't be all that bad.

"Well?" Mrs. Briefs asked in anticipation as he took a sip of the sugar-saturated beverage.

"Hn. I suppose it could be considered palatable," Vegeta responded, again unwilling to admit that he liked it.

"See? I knew a little cream and sugar would sweeten that right up," Mrs. Briefs informed him. "Oh! I'll have to get out my cappuccino machine. You'd like that," she mused as she loaded the dishwasher. "It makes espresso, too."

Feigning nonchalance, Vegeta shrugged, but was inwardly looking forward to whatever the woman had to offer. "Whatever."

"Maybe I'll make some for dessert tomorrow. Or instead of tea at tea time? My, but that sounds odd." The blonde woman continued to chatter on to no one in particular.

Bulma could tell that Vegeta had reached the end of his patience with people in general that day and decided it would be best to call it a night. "Well, I think I'm going to go through the clothes we bought today and read for a little bit before bed," she announced.

"Are you tired already, Pumpkin?" Dr. Briefs asked. "It's hardly seven o'clock."

"Yeah, it's been a long day," she responded. "Plus, after this big dinner, I'm getting sleepy."

"You go get a good night's sleep and you'll be just fine." Mrs. Briefs placed a kiss on top of her daughter's head. "Good night, dear."

"Good night, Mom, Daddy." Bulma got up from her chair and stretched. She wondered absently just how she would manage to get Vegeta to come with her without making it look precisely like what she was doing. Instead, she headed upstairs, sure that he'd follow eventually.

She had begun to wonder what had happened to the man by the time she had finished sorting through his clothes and removing all of the tags. He still hadn't come to bed, which she found to be odd, considering she knew exactly what had been on his mind all day. Shaking her head, she peered out into the hallway.

Nothing.

Bulma frowned. "What am I supposed to do, just sit here and wait?" she mumbled irritably.

"What was that, dear?"

Mrs. Briefs had come out of her own bedroom, carrying an empty laundry basket. "Oh, I was just wondering where Vegeta was," Bulma confessed. There was no point in trying to hide the fact that she was waiting for him to come to her room, considering her mother already knew about their situation.

Mrs. Briefs smiled broadly, making her daughter blush a lovely shade of pink. "That's so sweet, Bulma-"

"Mom! Have you seen him or not?" Bulma interrupted, even more embarrassed by her mother's flighty behavior.

"Why, yes. He left the kitchen right after he finished his coffee and headed for the stairs. I assumed he was coming to be with you." The blonde woman winked at her daughter.

Bulma sighed again. Her mother was hopeless sometimes. "Okay, Mom. Thanks. Good night."

"Good night, dear. Sleep tight."

Bulma couldn't help feeling frustrated as she shut her bedroom door again and looked at the sexy red teddy she'd laid on the bed. He was doing this on purpose, the jerk, and she was going to make him beg for it. She snatched up the teddy and stalked into her bathroom to change and freshen up. She brushed her hair until it shone, then pulled it up in an elegant twist.

Figuring that Vegeta wouldn't pay much attention to things like make-up and would probably only destroy any jewelry she put on, Bulma opted to forego those options and examined her appearance in the mirror. She knew she looked fabulous- good enough to eat. But she was still nervous. Would he like what she had bought with him in mind? Taking a deep breath, she opened the bathroom door and stepped into the bedroom.

Vegeta was still nowhere to be found.

An eerie feeling came over her, as if she was being watched. "Vegeta?" Bulma frowned and wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly feeling self conscious. "Vegeta, are you in here?" She jumped when she felt hands touch her arms from behind.

"Boo!" a deep voice rumbled in her ear.

"Vegeta! You scared me," Bulma objected, turning to face him.

A chuckle rumbled deep in Vegeta's throat. "I know. Your scent is delicious when you're scared," he murmured, nipping at her neck.

Bulma crossed her arms. "You didn't have to scare me to change my scent, you know." She sighed. "First you take your dear sweet time coming up here, then you scare the life out of me. You really do know how to kill the mood. Why did I even buy this stupid teddy? It's obviously not doing anything for you."

Vegeta put a finger over her lips. "Woman?"

"What?" she pouted.

He pulled her close, grinding his hips against her. "Does this seem disinterested to you?"

"Oh!" Bulma exclaimed, blushing suddenly when she felt the bulge in his pants pressing against her.

"Would you like me to show you just how much I like your stupid teddy, Woman?" he purred.

"I'm... I'm still peeved at you, Vegeta," she mumbled half-heartedly as his hands began to roam.

"Come now, Bulma," he breathed in her ear. "How did you put it to me? Ah, yes... I promise you'll love it." His lips brushed over the pulse in her neck, making her tremble and moan softly.

Oh! He had used her name again. Her hands reached up to rest upon his shoulders. "V-Vegeta," she managed, feeling her resistance slipping as he continued to nuzzle at her neck. Never had a man made her feel this way before, never had a man so easily aroused her so with the merest touch, a sexy smirk, or husky voice like this man could and did.

He slid his arms around her and drew her body against his. "Give yourself to me, Bulma," he murmured in that husky voice before claiming her mouth with his. His mind gloated triumphantly when any trace of resistance she'd had left died and her arms wrapped around his neck as she returned the kiss with definite interest. Her tongue caressed his and her fingers curled through his hair, playing with it and angling his head to better suit her position.

Vegeta allowed all of this, noting that she was much more responsive in the ways he wanted her to be if he indulged her with kisses and caresses, and had to admit that it was enjoyable to do. He had never been one who was very big on kissing, but then again, he hadn't encountered many women who wanted to kiss him, either. Again, he had to admit that the thought of a woman who truly wanted to please him and willingly did so greatly appealed to him.

A low growl rumbled from deep within him and he slid a hand down the woman's back to her backside. He let it linger there for a moment and gave her a firm squeeze, pleased when her hips instinctively bucked against his, then slipped his arm under her legs to carry her to the bed.

***

Bulma awoke the next morning as she had the previous day- alone. This time the water wasn't running in her bathroom and some of the clothes and the shoes she'd purchased for him were gone. She sighed and drew her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms around them, wondering for not the first time if what she was doing was crazy or not. She'd invited an alien mass murderer not only into her home but into her bed. Would she become his next victim, or did what she knew she saw in him mean she truly could help him the way he deserved? Already it seemed that he was showing glimpses of positive progress.

She stretched with a loud yawn and slid out of the bed, then pulled on a sports bra and shorts. Stopping by the kitchen briefly to grab a bottle of water, she hastily wrote a note and headed down to her personal workout room to get in a little exercise before her mother made breakfast.

***

Vegeta flew back up to the woman's balcony and pushed the bedroom window open. When he'd awoken she had still been asleep, so he'd gotten dressed and left through the window to find a quiet spot to do some katas. He couldn't put his finger on why he hadn't simply woken her up and demanded that she prepare his breakfast first and pushed the thought to the back of his mind. She'd received his undeserved kindness; that was enough.

He climbed into the room to find that the woman was gone, and he didn't detect her parents in their room either. He decided to take a quick shower and headed downstairs to the kitchen.

Sure enough, his sensitive nose detected the smell of food being prepared and he picked up the pace as his stomach began to growl. The blonde woman stood in front of the stove and turned to face him when she heard the kitchen door open.

"Good morning, Vegeta dear," Mrs. Briefs greeted him pleasantly. "We're having pancakes today, just like I promised Bulma. Do you like fruit in yours?"

Her question took him off guard. "I have not eaten a pancake before," Vegeta informed her. "You may prepare them as you see fit."

Mrs. Briefs giggled. He was so cute! She'd been surprised by the amount of ice cream and chocolate that Bulma had come home with the day before until her daughter had whispered to her that the Saiyan prince had a monster sweet tooth, and the majority of it was for him. The poor neglected man had never had ice cream before that day, and she would see to it that she kept plenty of treats for the delightful boy in the house. He had certainly proven his fondness for them last night at dinner. "Oh, that's all right. I'll just make a variety and you can try them all," she decided. "Bulma likes just about any pancake, so whatever you don't like I'm sure she'll eat."

"That's fine, Woman," Vegeta responded. He watched as she opened the oven door and slipped several pancakes onto a baking sheet inside, and some bacon onto a plate beside the stove.

"Oh, good. Speaking of Bulma, would you like to go see her little exercise room?" Mrs. Briefs suggested. "It'll be a few minutes before we sit down to eat, so you have time."

"The woman exercises?" Vegeta asked with interest.

"Oh yes," Mrs. Briefs agreed, pouring more batter onto her griddle. "She has to if she wants to keep that nice figure of hers. It would be so much easier for her if she'd simply cut back on all of the fattening sweets she likes to eat." The older woman tsked and shook her head.

"I suppose I might go see this exercise room," Vegeta agreed, trying not to seem as interested as he was. A physically fit female appealed to him, for obvious reasons. "Where is it?"

***

Bulma had finished her stretches and some shadow boxing and was currently on her treadmill. She was out of shape; she hadn't been able to keep up with her exercise very well while she was on Namek and her body had gotten lazy. She hadn't felt up to the shadow boxing for long and the treadmill wasn't proving to be much easier, as she already felt physically drained by what would normally have hardly phased her in the least. It was hard to believe that such a brief lapse in her exercise routine could cause her to become fatigued so quickly.

"Boy, am I out of shape or what?" she muttered to herself. "What's next, thunder thighs or a badonkadonk butt?"

"Don't tell me you think you're getting fat," an amused voice from behind her commented. Of course, after hearing the blonde woman's thoughtless comment in the kitchen just minutes earlier, it wasn't too difficult for Vegeta to see why the woman was so critical of herself.

Bulma jumped, startled, and was nearly carried off of the back of the rapidly moving treadmill. "Vegeta, you scared me!" she accused.

"Obviously, Woman. You almost leapt right out of your shoes," Vegeta teased. He sat down on a weight lifting bench and smirked up at her.

"What's up?" Bulma panted, trying to regain her pace. "Is Mom making breakfast?"

"Yes," he agreed. His eyes were fixed on her lithe body, and the way her backside moved beneath her shorts. It definitely gave him ideas on what to do that day. "What is this 'badonkadonk butt' of which you speak?"

"A flabby, fat butt," Bulma responded bitterly. "Just what I don't need."

Vegeta wasn't about to tell her, but he didn't think she needed to worry in the slightest about being fat. Not only was she not fat, but he found her womanly curves alluring. Just as the exotic blue color of her hair and eyes were completely different from those of a Saiyan, the supple but firm curves of her body were different from the muscled bodies of Saiyan females. He liked the differences. "You had best keep up with your training then, Woman," he told her instead. "It wouldn't do well for you to get a flabby, fat butt."

Bulma turned her head away haughtily. "Thanks for the vote of confidence," she grumbled. "Great, I thought I was getting chunky and this just proves it." The treadmill beeped, and the next phase of the workout program she'd selected started.

Vegeta snorted. "Whatever, Woman."

Bulma refused to look at him. "What, you're changing your mind now?"

Vegeta got up from the bench and stood behind the treadmill. He reached out to grab her shoulder and turn her.

"Vegeta, what are you-" Bulma suddenly found herself propelled by the moving belt of the treadmill off of it and right into Vegeta.

He closed a hand around each buttock. "Who said I changed my mind, hmm?" he murmured against her neck.

Bulma pulled away and glared angrily at him. "You jerk!"

"I merely agreed with your observation that you did not require a fat butt, but I never said you were fat, Woman," he continued in the same low tone of voice. He chuckled when her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed pink. "I came in here with one thought in mind only to find you hot and sweaty, and a multitude of ideas about what sorts of pleasurable things I could do to your body utilizing various pieces of this equipment immediately filled my head." He drew her flush against him. "Would you like me to change my mind?"

Bulma's cheeks burned an even deeper pink at his insinuation. "Is that all I am to you?" she whispered.

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "Woman, if you do not find pleasure in my attentions-"

She hastily placed her hands upon his shoulders. "No, no! That's not it at all! I mean, I..." Bulma bit at her lip and smoothed a piece of hair behind her ear. "I do enjoy them very much, but... I suppose what I was trying to say is that there's more to a relationship between a man and a woman than sex. I... I had hoped that you were interested in me for more than just sex." She dropped her eyes.

~Why does this woman continue to allow herself to feel hurt?~ "Woman, I told you that you are making far too much of all of this," Vegeta reprimanded her softly. "Will you never remember that this entire situation is different than what I am accustomed to?"

Bulma's eyes snapped back up to meet his again. ~He's never had a woman truly take an interest in him in any way, has he?~ "Oh Vegeta... I'm sorry," she whispered, taking his face in her hands. "I hadn't thought about it like that, honestly." She smiled. "Trust me, I haven't lost interest. I'm not done with you yet," she teased.

His eyebrow rose again. ~What does she mean by that? Is she planning to keep me here to serve her own needs, then rid herself of me?~ "You're not done with me yet?"

Bulma giggled and drew him closer. "It's just a silly expression," she assured him. "It means I don't have any intentions of letting you go." She brushed a kiss across his lips. "Did Mom say how long until breakfast was ready? I could show you the rest of my... equipment," she purred, giving his bottom lip a little nip.

As before, she probably had no idea what her seemingly harmless actions equated in the mind of the red-blooded Saiyan in her arms, but she was about to find out. He jumped when he felt her teeth nip his lip and pulled her close, crushing his mouth against hers.

Bulma sighed and melted against him, looping her arms around his neck loosely. He pushed her up against the wall, growling as he ran his hands over those delicious curves he'd been eyeing earlier.

A buzz sounded from the wall next to them. "Bulma!" Mrs. Briefs' voice came over the intercom. "Are you still exercising?"

Bulma sighed and squirmed away from her lover's hands enough to press the button to reply. "Uhm, yes Mom."

"You sound out of breath, dear. Be careful not to overdo it," her mother counseled.

Bulma blushed. "If she knew," she murmured softly. She pushed the button again. "I'm fine, Mom. You just caught me in the middle of a good workout, that's all." She winked at Vegeta. "Is breakfast ready?"

"Yes, come and eat while it's still hot," Mrs. Briefs counseled. "I sent Vegeta down to see your exercise room. Did he stop by?"

"Yes, he's here. He was just checking out some of my equipment." Bulma suppressed a giggle. "We'll be right up."

"Your mother certainly is a pesky female this morning," Vegeta grumbled as Bulma slipped from his grasp.

Bulma giggled. "Her timing wasn't very good, was it?" She kissed him on the cheek and smiled. "Let's go. I'm starving."

Vegeta wasn't inclined to argue when it came to food and found himself following her to the kitchen. What was it about this insignificant human female that made him do as she asked? He found the very thought to be disturbing.

Mrs. Briefs was pouring coffee and juice when they arrived in the kitchen. "Good timing. Breakfast is served," she chirped good-naturedly.

Vegeta's mouth began to water as the blonde woman set plate after plate of food on the table. It smelled delicious.

"Now this is what I'm talking about!" Bulma announced, putting a couple of pancakes and some bacon on a plate. "Try these, Vegeta. I think they're blueberry." She nudged the syrup toward him.

He watched as she proceeded to likewise load up her own plate with food and drown it in syrup. "Do you think you could get any more food in your mouth, Woman?" he asked dryly.

"Bulma just loves pancakes. Waffles, too," Mrs. Briefs contemplated. "But especially pancakes."

"I'm so hungry," Bulma responded around bites. "I feel like I haven't eaten in a month."

"It's probably all that early morning exercise, dear," Mrs. Briefs suggested. "Of course you're hungry."

Vegeta ignored the older woman and poured syrup on the pancakes he'd commandeered. This was a new type of cuisine for him, almost like one of the confections he had consumed at lunch the day before. 'Pancake' seemed an appropriate name. He picked up his knife and fork, grateful that he would not have to use chopsticks for this meal, and cut off a bite.

"Do you like them, dear? If you don't, I can cook you something else," Mrs. Briefs asked expectantly.

Vegeta did like the pancakes, very much in fact. "They are acceptable," he told the blonde woman. "You may prepare another serving of them."

Mrs. Briefs clapped her hands, pleased as punch. "Oh, I'm glad. I thought you would like them. When you've finished with the blueberry pancakes, I made banana nut ones, and strawberry, and apple..."

"Did you make any peach ones, Mom?" Bulma asked, spearing one of the banana pancakes and dousing it with syrup.

"No, I forgot to have you buy some peaches. But I do have caramel topping for the apple pancakes," Mrs. Briefs responded thoughtfully. "Be careful how much syrup you use, Bulma. That's not the reduced-sugar type, you know," she reprimanded gently.

Bulma paused mid-bite and visibly wilted a little. "I... you're right, Mom. Thanks." She finished the bite and set her fork down.

"I don't mean to upset you, dear," Mrs. Briefs continued, dabbing at her mouth daintily with her napkin. "You just sounded out of shape when I buzzed you in your workout room, and you don't want to get chunky now, do you?"

Bulma was about to reply when another pancake landed on her plate, followed by a fistful of bacon. "Eat it," Vegeta told her in a matter-of-fact tone. "Many of the females at the mall where we procured my clothing had bony and unsightly bodies. I will not tolerate a bony female..." He stopped himself before he could finish with "in my bed" and huffed with annoyance at his unintended slip of the tongue.

Mrs. Briefs' eyebrows rose in expectation. She had seen her daughter bite her lip out of the corner of her eye and figured she knew what Vegeta had been about to say. "What was that, dear?"

"Nothing," Vegeta growled. "Leave the woman be. A few pancakes will not make her fat."

Mrs. Briefs was staring at him in surprise. "No, I suppose not," she conceded. "I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings, dear."

"No, it's okay, Mom. Could we get some more of the apple pancakes please?"

"Of course dear. I'll bring the caramel syrup, too." Mrs. Briefs went over to the stove to get them. Just how much did Vegeta like her little girl? Evidently more than she'd thought if he defended her! She held in an excited giggle. Oooh, such beautiful grandchildren she'd get!

Bulma watched her mother leave the table and dish up some more pancakes. Vegeta had actually defended her! She smiled at him broadly and leaned her chin against her palm, elbow on the table, as she lovingly watched him eat.

"What?" Vegeta growled. There would be no getting out of this one unscathed.

"Thanks," she said softly. He'd actually defended her, and said she wasn't fat!

"Whatever. Eat your cakes," he demanded, gesturing toward her plate with his fork. Again, the look in her eyes was making him uncomfortable. He wasn't used to a woman gazing at him with such utter adoration in her eyes, such...

What was it? He couldn't place the emotion behind the look in her eyes.

"Mmm-hmm." Bulma picked her fork back up. Yes, she was falling in love with him, and hard. She'd never expected him do anything like what he'd just done. Maybe she was making a big deal out of it, but it was just so sweet. She took another bite of her pancake.

***

"Vegeta? I just... What you said at breakfast meant a lot to me," Bulma murmured as her mother began to clean up the breakfast mess.

Vegeta clenched his jaw. "Would you stop making such a big deal out of all of this?" he grumbled. He didn't know why he'd gotten involved in the first place. For some reason, seeing the woman upset had bothered him. Realizing that had bothered him even more.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I didn't expect for you to do that, that's all. It... it made me feel better about myself."

Vegeta frowned. "The woman should not have said what she did," he insisted. "Many of the humans at the steak place were fat, but you are not fat. While I approve of your exercise, I do not want a weak, bony female in my bed," he told her, completing his earlier thought.

Bulma blushed. "Deal."

He raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"Uhm, basically I like what you said and agree with it. But by the way..." Bulma looked over to her clueless mother, who was singing to herself in a soft, off-key voice as she worked. "Don't be upset, but she knows."

"She knows what?"

"That we're... you know." Now it was Bulma's turn to raise an eyebrow.

It was enough, and she nearly cringed when realization of what she was saying showed in his face. "You told her?" he hissed.

"No! No, I didn't tell her," Bulma whispered. "Please, Vegeta. Please don't yell."

"Then how did she find out?" he demanded. "I did not give you leave to tell anyone."

Bulma couldn't help but feel hurt. He acted like she had committed an unforgivable sin, and that the fact that anyone might know that they were sleeping together was horrific. "Well... she heard us."

"Heard us?"

Bulma nodded. "She said she was passing by my room yesterday morning and heard us. Even if she hadn't, I mean, it's not like you have your own room or anything. She would have found out the first time she came in to get my laundry." She touched his arm gently. "You're not upset, are you?"

He eyed her as if she'd just said the stupidest thing he'd ever heard but sighed. Not that he'd ever tell her, but he was forced to admit that the woman was right. There wasn't really any point in being angry at her.

She wanted to hug him but knew it wouldn't be the smartest move at the moment. "What do you say we go find Daddy?" she suggested. "We could run the training room idea by him before he starts working on another project."

The Saiyan standing beside her visibly relaxed a little. "That will be fine, Woman."

Bulma held in a sigh of relief. "Thanks for breakfast, Mom. We're going to go see Daddy about some training equipment for Vegeta."

"You're welcome, dear. Have fun!" Mrs. Briefs called back. She watched the two young people leave and smiled brightly.

Such absolutely beautiful grandchildren they'd be.

***

Vegeta watched as Bulma entered a security code and the lab doors unlocked. She opened the door, indicating that he should go in.

"After you," she told him with a little wave of her hand.

"Is that you, Bulma?" Dr. Briefs' voice came from the depths of the lab.

"Yes, Daddy. Vegeta is here, too," she responded as she slipped into a long white jacket.

"Oh." The doctor sounded a little surprised at that. "Well, you two come on back, Pumpkin."

"Over here, Vegeta," Bulma told him, a twinkle in her eyes as she lead him back to where her father was working. "Don't worry, I won't make you wear a lab coat. Not unless you want one, of course." She giggled at his expression.

"That won't be necessary, Woman," Vegeta assured her dryly. "This plastic thing is bad enough."

Bulma giggled again. His reaction when the receptionist had attempted to pin the 'visitor' pass to his shirt had been priceless. "Sorry about that. Just standard procedure." They reached her father, and she gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Good morning, Daddy. I brought you breakfast."

Dr. Briefs returned the affection and took the capsule his daughter held out. "Why, thank you, Bulma. Good morning to you, too, and you, Vegeta." He sat back in his chair and regarded the sullen young man standing with his arms crossed over his chest with curiosity. "Have you come to see our lab today? I'd be happy to show you around if you like."

"The woman said that you installed a gravity system into a ship that Kakarrot was using in space, and that you have the ability to construct such a system for me," Vegeta told him without preamble. "I require a gravity chamber for training purposes, since I must become a Super Saiyan without delay."

"Hmmm..." Dr. Briefs ran a hand along his chin as he considered the younger man's words. "Are you talking about simply strength training, or will you be doing energy training exercises as well?"

"I told Vegeta that we should be able to modify the shell of one of the capsules so that it could withstand moderate levels of ki output," Bulma interjected. "I don't think that should be too big of a problem, do you?"

"No, I don't believe so. But if you want to let loose with one of those Kamehamehas that you boys are so fond of, you'll have to do that in the desert." He chuckled. "I can't build a capsule that can contain that sort of energy."

Vegeta was about to inform the older man that he didn't perform the same ki attacks Kakarrot did when the doctor popped open the capsule Bulma had given him. "I don't-"

"This smells absolutely delicious," Dr. Briefs announced, oblivious to the Saiyan's irritation. "Bulma, why don't you pull the plans for Capsule Three while I start my breakfast here?"

"I can do that." Bulma had detected Vegeta's reaction and ran her fingers along his arm as she passed by. "Did you want a set you can write on, or just to look at for now?"

"We'll write on them. Print the type we can put on the light table," the doctor decided. "Have a seat, young man. We'll probably have a few questions for you along the way."

Vegeta eyed the older man but said nothing as he sat down in the seat the doctor had indicated.

"Did either of you want some coffee?" Bulma asked as she laid the blueprint she'd made on the light table.

"Thank you, Pumpkin. That would be wonderful," her father responded.

"Vegeta?"

Vegeta looked over at the blue-haired woman who had addressed him. Coffee did sound good. "Sure, sure. Why not?" he said in a disinterested tone.

Perfectly anticipating his response, Bulma smiled at him and grabbed the entire pot from the machine, along with three mugs. "Here you go," she murmured, pouring them all a cup.

"Thank you. No, no... Nothing in it for me." Dr. Briefs declined Bulma's offer of cream and sugar. "These pancakes are plenty sweet."

"Okay. Here's the cream and sugar, Vegeta." Bulma made a point of briefly caressing his hand as she gave him the creamer.

His dark gaze bored into hers. He still didn't know quite what to think of this crazy woman. Instead, he proceeded to dump large quantities of cream and sugar into his coffee and leaned back in his chair to observe.

***

A young woman entered the lab. "Here you are, Dr. Briefs. A fresh pot of coffee for you." She exchanged the empty carafe resting on the table beside the two scientists and the Saiyan.

Dr. Briefs nodded to the woman. "Thank you, Tsukiko. By the way, Vegeta, this is my assistant Tsukiko. Tsukiko, meet Vegeta. He's a friend of Bulma's and is staying with us now."

Tsukiko looked at Vegeta with definite interest for not the first time. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Vegeta."

The Saiyan grunted non-commitally in response. This female was openly flirtatious and wore far too much facial paint.

Bulma had noticed her attentions to Vegeta and his evident lack of interest in her. "Thank you, Tsukiko. I'll let you know if we need anything else." She leaned a little closer to Vegeta possessively and gave her a look that clearly meant no competition would be tolerated.

"Thank you, Ms. Briefs." Tsukiko murmured. There was no use in fighting with her. Not directly with her, anyway. She left the room.

They could hear voices as the door shut. "Did you see him? Great Kami, he's a dream-"

Dr. Briefs looked over at Vegeta, who actually looked a little embarrassed. "Sorry about that," he apologized with a little chuckle. "I'm afraid some of them don't get out much. If you'll excuse me, I need to visit the restroom, then I'll get working on finalizing these plans. You two go enjoy your day. Go on," he urged when it appeared that his daughter was going to object. "I have the data I need to get started."

"All right, Daddy. Thanks." Bulma waited until her father was out of earshot. "So, I see that you've managed to draw the attention of most if not all of the women in this office. Just wait until the rest of them see you. Word travels fast around here."

Vegeta growled when she winked at him. "One would surmise that they have never seen a male before," he said sarcastically.

"Not a male like you, anyway," Bulma agreed, sidling up to him. She slid her arms around his neck and couldn't resist nuzzling her nose beneath his ear. He smelled so good.

"Woman," he objected, still annoyed by the incident with Tsukiko. "You are behaving like the old man's servant woman."

Her lips curled up in a smile. "Well, if you prefer, I could just let them gang up on you," she purred, "or I could nip this in the bud right now."

He frowned slightly and pulled back to look at her. "What are you talking about?"

The smile grew wider. "Just follow my lead, and don't overreact, or they'll think you want nothing to do with me, and that you're fair game."

"Follow your lead, Woman?"

"Yes. I intend to stake a claim within eyeshot of the biggest office busybodies. It should work fine as long as you have no objections." Her hands slid down to his chest.

Vegeta scowled. "No one owns me," he growled, removing her hands. She meant no harm, but the very thought of belonging to someone was distasteful to him.

"You didn't seem to object earlier," Bulma pointed out, giggling when he snorted and rolled his eyes. "Trust me, this is better than being drooled on by a bunch of randy women."

"Whatever, Woman. I wish to leave," he told her grumpily. He had to admit that at first the admiring looks he had been receiving from other females were flattering in a way, but he was quickly growing weary of them and didn't need these females also attempting to 'stake a claim' as the blue-haired woman had put it. Besides, while he couldn't claim to know what the woman meant by 'randy', it didn't sound like an especially good thing.

"Okay." Bulma opened the door and ushered him out.

As they reached the point where they would pass through the office with the giggling randy women, Vegeta couldn't help but wonder what his woman would do. She certainly wasn't lacking in crazy behavior herself at times. He simply determined that if she chose to embarrass him, he would make her pay for it.

Wait. His woman?

Vegeta suppressed a growl. Was claiming her as his own truly his intention? This stupid woman was making his head go soft.

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt Bulma's arm snake around his waist in plain view of the others. "Hold on a second, Vegeta. We need to return your pass, remember?" she told him, steering him back toward the receptionist.

He grunted in response. This was the female who had attempted to touch him far more than necessary in order to pin the plastic thing to his clothing. Aside from her flirtatious behavior, she wore too much artificial scent that bothered his sensitive nose.

"Aww, leaving so soon, Vegeta?" the woman simpered. "What a shame." She pouted in an attempt to be cute.

"The sooner, the better. Your artificial fragrance pollutes the air," Vegeta told her pointedly as he removed the pass from his shirt.

Taken aback, the young woman's mouth opened for a brief moment. "Excuse me?" she asked snidely as she snatched the pass back.

"See, I'm not the only one who thinks she smells," someone else said in a loud whisper clearly intended to be heard.

The woman turned around when several employees started snickering from their desks. "Oh, shut up," she hissed.

Bulma was biting her lip to keep from laughing; it was Kami-awful perfume. "Vegeta! I'm sorry, Shiori. He's not from around here," she said apologetically, but her eyes showed amusement.

Shiori calmed down a little. "Well, all right then," she said softly. She pushed a small bowl over to the edge of her desk. "Would you like some chocolate, Vegeta?"

~He's not helping the cause any,~ Bulma thought as she watched the Saiyan unhesitatingly remove several pieces from the dish. "Thank you, Shiori. Are we ready, Vegeta?"

"I brought in chocolate cake if you'd like a piece, Vegeta," a doe-eyed intern offered.

Vegeta immediately looked interested, and his eyebrow rose. He did like chocolate, and chocolate cake was even better.

"I have cookies," another voice announced.

Vegeta's lips curled up in a smirk at the obviously irritated woman standing beside him.

"I hate to steal him away so soon, but maybe another time, ladies," Bulma piped up. "We have some important things we need to attend to today."

Vegeta continued to watch her as several disappointed 'awws' were heard from the office.

"Well, come back any time and see us," Shiori told him encouragingly.

Bulma decided a more direct approach was needed and grabbed the smirking Saiyan by the waistband of his jeans. "All right, thank you ladies," she said, hauling Vegeta toward the door by his pants.

Amused by her irritation, Vegeta turned enough to give a sexy smile and a wave to the starry-eyed women watching them leave. Excited little twitters followed them to the hallway.

"Great, Vegeta. You're going to have them on you like white on rice now, you know," Bulma admonished him.

Vegeta dropped the wrapper from one of the chocolates on the floor and shoved the decadent little morsel in his mouth, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Oh! Fine, it'll be all your fault, so don't even think about complaining to me," she told him, pressing the up button for the elevator. "I at least tried. Oh, and remember how you gave me stipulations about being in your bed, which actually happens to be mine?"

Vegeta popped another chocolate into his mouth, still watching her as he did so.

"Well, I won't have you sleeping with anyone else if you plan on continuing to be in my bed," Bulma told him in no uncertain terms. "I have no intention of sharing-"

Vegeta whirled her around and pushed her back up against the wall with his hands at either side of her body, his smirk returning when she let out a little gasp of surprise. "You need some chocolate to sweeten up that loud mouth of yours, Woman," he purred huskily. Before she could respond, his mouth covered hers with a chocolatey kiss.

Neither of them noticed Shiori come out into the hallway. Bulma had forgotten her cell phone in the lab, and Shiori thought she might be able to catch the blue-haired scientist before she entered the elevator. Her eyes widened when she saw Bulma and Vegeta engaged in a heavy kiss, completely disregarding the elevator which sounded behind them. She made an about-face when his hands started to wander and went back into the office.

"Why the long face? Did you miss her?" the young intern who had offered Vegeta the chocolate cake earlier asked. "It's not that big of a deal, is it?"

"Well..." Shiori set the cell phone in her hand on the desk. "I didn't exactly miss her, no."

The girl gave her an odd look and went out into the hallway, only to return, pink-cheeked and giggling. "I think it's safe to say that you won't be sinking your hooks into that hunk of man."

"Tell me about it." Shiori plopped back down at her station and reconnected her headset to the phone. "Be honest, Chieko. Is my perfume all that bad?"

"Uhm..."

"Be honest."

"It's terrible."

"Oh." Shiori sat back in her seat. "I wonder no one ever said anything to me about it?" she mused to no one in particular.

"Because you have a very nasty temper at times, especially if it's personal," came the immediate response. "What?" Chieko asked when Shiori gave her an annoyed look. "You asked me to be honest!"

"Better not ask her if your butt looks fat in those pants, then," another woman chimed in.

"What are you implying?" Shiori demanded angrily.

"She's not," Chieko insisted. "See? You're way too defensive."

Shiori sighed. "I guess I need to work on that," she relented.

Their heads turned when the door opened and a certain 'dark-eyed hottie', as one woman had described him, strolled in. "The woman forgot her portable communication device," he announced. "She sent me to retrieve it."

In actuality, Vegeta would have simply told her that she wouldn't be helping to keep her butt from becoming a badonkasomething if she couldn't be bothered to go herself, if she hadn't offered to be waiting for him in their room so that they could 'continue' what he had started in the hallway. He had balked at first, saying she'd do that anyway, when she'd whispered in his ear that she had something else to teach him that she hadn't covered on Namek. This she had stated in a very sultry voice before nipping his earlobe and telling him that she needed a few minutes to get ready, and that she'd make it worth his trouble.

Now that his boxers were behaving again, he found himself amidst the office full of admiring females, many of them attempting to feed him.

Darn. What a shame.

"Here it is," Chieko told him, ignoring the 'hey!' she received as she grabbed it from Shiori's desk. "Could I interest you in that chocolate cake now?"

Vegeta's lips curled up. "Sure, why not?" Before he knew it, he had a whole capsule full of goodies from females eager to feed him, along with promises of more of the same if he came by again. He slipped the capsule into his pocket and gave them another little smirk before leaving the office of enamored females again.

***

"Woman?" Vegeta tossed the cell phone onto a chair and shut the bedroom door.

"In the bathroom, Vegeta," Bulma called in response. "Did they give you the phone?"

"Yes." Vegeta opened the bathroom door, smirking at what he saw. "Well, well Woman. I have seen exotic dancers wear garments less shocking than those."

Bulma giggled and blushed. She'd bought the hot little metal-studded leather outfit some time ago but had yet to wear it before now. "I take it you like it?" she purred, wrapping her arms around his neck and nuzzling at his jawline.

He chuckled in response. Perhaps lowering himself to run just one little errand for her hadn't been a complete waste after all. "Indeed." He hooked a finger through the metal ring holding together the tiny scraps of leather that made up her top and pulled her forward.

Bulma giggled again when he tossed her onto the bed and climbed on top of her, bending his head down to kiss her. She sighed with pleasure when he began to nuzzle the side of her neck behind her ear, a spot that the pointy-haired little devil had discovered drove her wild.

Her hands ran down his sides and over his hips. "Mmmm... Vegeta, do you have a capsule in your pocket?"

"Who cares, Woman?" Vegeta responded gruffly, irritated that their foreplay was being interrupted by something so trivial. "That woman gave me a piece of chocolate cake, that's all."

"She did? Ooh..." Bulma licked her lips.

Vegeta lifted his head. "You're not seriously saying you would rather eat Kami damned chocolate cake instead of screwing, are you?" he asked incredulously.

"Well, I do like chocolate cake," Bulma responded, giggling at his expression. "I'm kidding, Veggie."

"Don't call me that," he growled.

"Oh, come on," Bulma cooed. She buried her fingers in his hair at the sides of his head and pulled him back down. "It's just a little pet name. You aren't dying. Besides," she continued, placing a kiss on his lips, "there are fun things a man and woman can do together with chocolate as they eat it." She kissed him again.

"Oh?" Vegeta's eyebrow rose. Her ideas, as crazy or strange as they might have seemed to him at first, had never disappointed him yet.

"You already discovered one earlier today when you slipped me that piece of candy." She kissed him still again, sensing that his irritation was fading a little with every kiss. "Open the capsule and I'll show you another one."

Needless to say, Vegeta had never imagined that chocolate cake could taste so delicious.