Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Whatever It Takes ❯ Chapter 6

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

AN: Thanks bunches to justkizzmy for leaving me my first review! Maybe leaving a review seems like such a little thing, but I was tickled to see it. I've had to put this down for a little bit, and getting such a nice review only made me want to get back to finishing this nice long chapter. See, getting reviews make us writers want to write even faster for the rest of you. :)

This chapter has a bit that I've had written for a while now (the doctor's office) and particularly had fun writing. I hope you enjoy - I think we all have run into a child like Yoshi from Chapter Four or a 'dear Chomei' (or worse yet, his utterly clueless mother) from this chapter, and can fully appreciate poor Vegeta's anguish.

For those of you who may feel that Vegeta is a little out of character in places here, I am more inclined to believe, at least for the purposes of this story, that Vegeta's true nature really isn't cold, cruel and heartless; that's simply what he's been conditioned to feel ever since he was taken from his father. These are the only emotions he allows himself to feel because they are 'safe' in that they at the very least cause no physical pain. Since he has now been accepted by people who actually care about him despite his past, this creates conflicting emotions that he's not comfortable with and doesn't know how to handle, since these emotions have only brought him pain when they have been used against him, and he withdraws again into that comfort zone devoid of positive emotion. However, I also envision him as a bright, mischievous little boy full of life before he was taken, and little glimpses of that sometimes show through in his behavior. Will more glimpses peek through the cold façade he's erected? Only time will tell!

Thanks yet again to my hubby, who I truly love and cherish, for reviewing this chapter for me.

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 Six

Bulma dried her hands and took a deep breath. This had to get better. She couldn't be sick the entire pregnancy, could she? She opened the door of her private bathroom and stepped out.

Nuiko, Bulma's personal assistant, rushed over. "Are you all right, Bulma?" she murmured.

Bulma nodded. "I just don't know how much more of this I can take."

"It'll get better, honest. I was sick with my daughter for the first trimester, then it really lessened up," Nuiko offered. She handed Bulma a glass of water.

"Thanks." Bulma accepted the water and took a sip.

"You're how far along now?"

"Almost seven weeks," Bulma responded, taking another sip.

"Just hang in there. It'll get better soon," Nuiko said encouragingly. Her eyes darted up to the door. "By the way," she began hesitantly, "I think the non-natives are becoming a little restless."

"I refuse to wait for much longer, Woman!" an irritated voice growled right on cue through the office door.

Bulma groaned and set the water down on her desk. "Again?"

"Apparently." Nuiko came around behind Bulma's desk to answer the phone when it rang. "Go ahead, I'll answer this."

"Thanks again." Bulma opened her office door, revealing a very irritated Vegeta standing there. "Did the GR break again?" she asked, trying to keep her voice calm.

"Yes. I need you to come fix it immediately," Vegeta demanded, tightening his already crossed arms over his chest.

Bulma had never felt more tired in her life. "Vegeta, I wish I could leave right now but I just can't," she told him quietly in an effort to avoid a scene. She didn't need the client waiting for her to hear them argue. "I have a very important meeting to go into in-" she looked down at her watch- "three minutes, and I was just very sick again."

Vegeta growled and opened his mouth to respond, but she beat him to it.

"Please Vegeta," she whispered, taking his arms gently. "Don't be angry. I'll fix your GR just as soon as I can leave, I promise." Her hands moved down to tug his hands out from under his arms and hold them in hers, and she leaned closer to place a quick kiss on his lips. "If I mess up this meeting, it'll be really, really bad for us. Hey," she said brightly, a thought coming to her. "We have a very nice workout room for the employees here. It even has a pool where you could do laps. I'll give you my pass. Nuiko, where's my pass?"

"Your pass won't let him in the right locker room, Bulma." Nuiko had ended the phone call and was busily gathering the things Bulma needed for her meeting. "I had this all ready. How did it get so disorganized?"

"Oh. You're right. I know, maybe you could use Daddy's." Her large blue eyes pleaded with him to acquiesce just this once.

"Or I could have Hina issue Vegeta his own pass." Nuiko handed Bulma a thick file and a notepad with a pen clipped to it. "That way he could come here whenever that stupid piece of tin that you can't seem to fix properly breaks." Her eyes twinkled with amusement when Bulma looked over at Vegeta with what was clearly not amusement.

"What?" Vegeta asked defensively. "It is a piece of-"

"I suggest you go use the workout room," Nuiko interrupted with a laugh. "You, go." She steered Bulma into the main office and toward the adjoining conference room. "I'll take care of him."

Vegeta looked around Bulma's private office as Nuiko herded her off. He had been here a couple of times in the past couple of weeks when the GR had broken, but had never stayed long enough to actually snoop around. The room was fairly large with pictures on the walls and two overstuffed guest chairs in front of the desk. A large potted plant, which Vegeta quickly discovered with amusement to be a very good fake, stood in one corner. There was a large window behind the desk which let in a nice amount of sunshine and had a good view of the grounds.

"Okay, I'm back."

Vegeta turned from the window as Nuiko reentered the office. He said nothing, just stood there wearing his ever-present scowl.

Nuiko ignored his grumpiness. "Come with me and we'll get you your pass." She beckoned for him to follow her.

Grudgingly Vegeta followed the woman through a short series of hallways until they reached an office with a sign reading HUMAN RESOURCES on the door. "Oh, good morning, Gai," Nuiko greeted the man she saw standing by the receptionist's desk and looking through a file. "Is Hina in today?"

Gai eyed Vegeta critically. He knew who this man was without ever having seen him before, simply because of the office gossip which had been spreading like wild fire the past couple of weeks about Ms. Briefs' 'hot new boyfriend'. "No, she's off today," he responded.

"Oh." Nuiko paused, waiting for an offer of 'is there something I can help you with?', but it didn't come. "Well, Gai, this is Vegeta-"

"Yes, yes. I've heard all about you," Gai interrupted. He shot a smirk Vegeta's way.

"Vegeta, this is Gai Tottori, our Human Resources Director," Nuiko continued before Vegeta could react to the other man's impolite behavior.

The prince within Vegeta silently stewed. He didn't know what it was that this Gai creature knew 'all about' him, but only for his woman's sake, he would tolerate this human. He forced himself to at least nod politely to the man, who he deemed unworthy to receive the typical bow Bulma had shown him that was customarily used when being introduced to other humans. He had not received one, nor would he give one.

"Anyway," Nuiko continued, "I need to get an access pass for Vegeta so he can use the gym-"

"I never got his employment papers," Gai interrupted again. "You know we don't grant access to people who aren't employed here."

Nuiko held in her sigh. "Bulma has personally given clearance for Vegeta. I'd suggest that you call her if you need verification of that, but she's in a meeting right now."

Gai's mouth curled up in another smirk. "Oh, I'm sure she has," he remarked sarcastically.

"Just what is that supposed to mean?" Vegeta growled, taking a step forward.

"Never mind, Vegeta," Nuiko intervened. "Gai, just issue him a pass, would you?" she asked, trying to keep an irritable tone from her voice.

"Or else you'll go crying to Bulma, right?" Gai pulled a plastic badge from Hina's desk drawer and sat down at the computer to activate it.

"We'll need full access to all facilities," Nuiko informed him in a no-nonsense tone.

Gai looked up at her briefly before returning his attention to the computer. "Whatever. It's active." He tossed the badge on the desk. "Come back when Hina is here and she'll put your name and picture on it."

"I know you know how to do that," Nuiko said quietly.

"Yes, but I have better things to do than waste my time gratifying what everyone's boyfriends want," Gai told her snidely. "So unless you have anything that's actually important for me, you can go now."

Nuiko snatched up the badge without another word and guided Vegeta, who was visibly offended, out of the office. "I'm sorry, Vegeta. He's known for being rude, but he's just..." She shook her head.

"An ass?" Vegeta finished for her dryly.

Nuiko couldn't help but giggle. "In a nutshell, yes. The gym is this way," she told him with a wave of her hand. They went down another series of hallways and got into an elevator down to the basement. "The gym is down here, along with some storage space," she explained.

Vegeta grunted in response. He was still disgruntled by Gai's rude behavior and didn't really care what was in the basement, as long as he'd be able to do some sort of training while he was here.

"Here." Nuiko handed Vegeta the badge. "Your badge acts like a pass because it has an electronic strip in it that the little card readers by the doors pick up. Just slide your badge through it."

Vegeta did as she directed. The reader beeped and the door unlocked with an audible click. It reminded him somewhat of the access system on Frieza's ship, except that a handprint and retinal scan were needed instead of a pass. Frieza had been quite paranoid despite his power, and everything had security on it. One of Vegeta's favorite things to do had been either gaining access to places where he wasn't permitted or getting someplace he was permitted without being detected. It had become something of a game to the young prince.

They entered a room which immediately sectioned off into men's and women's locker rooms. Again, the pass was needed, Nuiko explained, and he repeated swiping his pass. The door to the men's room clicked open, and she gestured that he go inside.

"I'll go through the women's lockers and meet you in the gym," Nuiko offered.

"Why not just walk through here?" Vegeta held the men's room door open.

Nuiko blushed slightly. "That's not proper," she objected.

Vegeta snorted. "There are no other males here. Come along, Woman." He ushered the embarrassed woman into the locker room. Truth be told, he wanted her to show him the facilities available in this room.

"Well... I guess I could give you a little tour," Nuiko relented, as if reading his mind. She showed him the lockers, showers, and toilets. "Now, on to the gym."

They entered the main gym. Vegeta's brows rose; they had quite an impressive selection of equipment. This might be useful after all.

"Before you take a look around, let me show you the other rooms," Nuiko's voice interrupted his thoughts. "We have a sauna, dry heat room, Jacuzzi, pool, and an indoor tennis court."

***

Vegeta lowered himself down into the warm depths of the Jacuzzi. After the rigorous workout he'd put himself through- the most rigorous workout he could manage utilizing equipment meant for humans, anyway- followed by a couple hundred laps in the pool, the hot water felt wonderful. He sighed, letting his head settle back against the cushioned headrest and his arms along the top edge, and closed his eyes.

Perhaps this was not so bad after all.

All was quiet for a few minutes until the spa door opened.

"I'm so glad it's Friday," a female voice declared.

"Oh, you and me both," a second female voice responded. "It's been a long week... Hello, what have we here?"

They exchanged a look. They'd heard rumors that Ms. Briefs' new boyfriend was hot; this had to be him. Didn't he realize they were standing there? One of them wriggled her eyebrows and licked her lips, and the other smacked her on the arm and mouthed 'stop it, you pervert!' to her friend.

Vegeta opened his eyes when the women let loose a smattering of uncontrollable giggling. He eyed the two pink-cheeked young women standing next to the Jacuzzi but said nothing.

"Hi," the first young woman said with a little wave. "I'm Tsumugi, and this is Orika. We work in R&D."

Vegeta responded with a little noncommittal grunt, and another smattering of giggles peppered his ears.

"Mind if we join you?" Orika asked, boldly slipping into the Jacuzzi without waiting for an answer.

Vegeta shrugged. "Whatever." His eyes closed again.

"C'mon, Tsumugi! The water feels great! Don't you want to come in with us?" Orika stretched like a cat, deliberately letting her toe rest against this might-be mystery man's leg. If the queen bee herself was going to let such a nice honey loose in the wild, she might as well see if she could get a little taste of her own.

Tsumugi felt a little uncomfortable. She loved to flirt as much as any other girl did, but with her boss' boss' boyfriend? That was suicide! "Uhm, sure, O..." She slid into the water beside her friend. "So, are you new here, Sir?" she asked as she attempted to nudge the other woman's toe away from her intended victim's leg as discretely as possible.

Vegeta's eyes opened again. Unlike her flirtatious friend, it seemed that this female might merely be trying to be polite. "I am not employed here."

"Oh." Tsumugi paused. "Do you know someone who works here?"

Vegeta held in a sigh and resisted the temptation to simply tell her to go away. There would be no rest for the weary today. "I am Vegeta-"

"Ooh, so you are Ms. Briefs' boyfriend, I knew it!" Orika squealed excitedly.

Vegeta raised an eyebrow at her. Boyfriend? The word sounded so... infantile to him. "The woman is my mate," he confirmed.

"That's so sweet," Orika simpered in a way that made Vegeta look past the fact that she had used the word 'sweet' in favor of wondering if she honestly felt that way. "Although, I imagine she can be difficult to handle, since she has quite a temper at times-"

"Orika!" Tsumugi exclaimed, blushing in embarrassment.

"What?" Orika asked innocently. "Tell me you've never seen her mad at someone." She turned her attention to Vegeta, who had yet to comment. "You're a big, strong man," she observed, running her eyes over his wet physique appreciatively. "Does she ever yell at you?"

Vegeta looked over at her, deciding that attempting to put this one in her place through chastisement might not be the most effective plan of attack. "Hmmm... frequently," he responded. This was followed by a throaty chuckle and a smirk naughty enough to make even Orika herself blush.

Orika covered her mouth with her hand and giggled almost hysterically. The look Tsumugi was giving her told her that she dared not ask any more such questions, even though she was dying to.

Vegeta rested his head back down against the headrest, mildly amused by the behavior of these strange females. Just as he was beginning to relax, he opened his eyes again. "In here, Woman," he called out.

Momentarily, Bulma came into the room. "Oh. Hello Vegeta, ladies," she said slowly. Finding Vegeta in the hot tub with two attractive young women wasn't exactly what she had hoped for, but considering who the women were, she wasn't all that surprised. The one, especially, had a reputation for being a rather incorrigible flirt, and she had to wonder if the girl had tried to put the moves on her mate. "Vegeta, Mom said you missed lunch and wondered if you had a request for dinner. She hasn't started it yet."

Had he really been here that long? "Hn, whatever," Vegeta responded casually, "as long as I get you for dessert." The naughty smirk returned, inciting further twitterings from his tub mates.

Bulma couldn't help but blush. "Uhm... Enjoying the Jacuzzi, I see."

"Yes, I've been busy conducting a little R&D," Vegeta continued in a lazy voice, making the two women in the hot tub with him continue to giggle. "This is the 'R' part."

"Oh?" Bulma asked, curiosity getting the better of her. Vegeta rarely acted this way, and she had to admit that she found herself intrigued by his behavior. "What about the 'D' part?"

"We'd best discuss my findings over dessert, don't you think?" He looked up at her from under heavy eyelids, that smirk that made her weak at the knees tugging at his lips.

"Vegeta..." Bulma whispered weakly, finding herself blushing even more deeply. Who knew that Vegeta could be such a flirt? She couldn't claim to know if his behavior was meant to show up the other two women's flirtatious behavior and insinuate that his interest in the female sex did not extend to them, or if he was in an unusually playful mood and truly meant to flirt with her. It didn't matter at the moment. What he was doing would actually help her cause; once Orika started gossiping about the afternoon's events, everyone would know that yes, not only was the moody dark-haired man indeed Bulma Briefs' boyfriend, but he had flirted with her shamelessly while pretty much ignoring them. He'd be off-limits. Of course, when the right person happened to find out that Bulma was pregnant, the rumors would really fly. At least there wouldn't be speculation about who her baby's father was.

Vegeta chuckled and got out of the Jacuzzi. "Actually, I am pretty hungry. What do you say about skipping right to dessert instead of waiting for dinner?" He curled an arm around Bulma's waist and pulled her up to him.

"V-Vegeta, you're getting my clothes wet," Bulma managed.

He chuckled again and began nuzzling behind her ear. "Maybe you shouldn't be wearing them, then," he breathed suggestively. He let her go and ushered her toward the door. "Ladies."

"Bye, Vegeta!" Orika called out. Tsumugi merely waved.

When they had gone, Tsumugi let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "Orika, that was..."

"Disappointing? Tell me about it," Orika interrupted. "He's so hot! Why can't I get a hottie like that?" she whimpered. "And that devilish little smirk of his! Kami, I wanted to-"

"Never mind, I get the picture," Tsumugi interrupted in return. "And I had been thinking that the situation was awkward, incidentally."

"Hmph. That's just because you're a prude and he was practically naked, yum." Orika settled back into the water.

Tsumugi sighed. "O, we came here to relax after a crazy work week. Let's just do that for once, okay?" For not the first time, she wondered how she'd become friends with such a sex-crazed party woman like Orika.

***

"Not that I'm complaining about the attention, but what was that all about?" Bulma asked as they headed for the locker room.

Vegeta smirked at her. She was actually jealous! Even though he didn't feel he owed his mate an explanation, this just might prove to be a fertile source of entertainment to him. "I was in the water when the two females approached. The noisy female got right in with me and began behaving promiscuously toward me."

Bulma nodded and rolled her eyes, not surprised in the least. Orika flirted with any attractive male with a pulse.

"Her friend seemed embarrassed by it and attempted to quiet her by asking me who I was," Vegeta continued. "When the noisy one discovered that you are my mate, she deliberated that you would be difficult to handle because of your temper." He grinned at the irritated expression on the blue-haired scientist's face.

"Oh, really?" Bulma retorted. "If she wants to see my temper-"

"Shhh, Woman." Vegeta placed a finger. "I put her in her place," he murmured.

His eyes actually twinkled with amusement. "You did?" Bulma asked in surprise. Orika hadn't looked hurt or even upset in the least; she'd just sat there giggling like a teenage girl.

"When she got bold enough to ask if you ever yelled at a big, strong man such as me," Vegeta continued with renewed amusement at his mate's reaction, "I told her 'Hmmm... frequently'." He chuckled and smirked at her just as he had earlier, pleased when Bulma's reaction was a blush that rivaled Orika's. "Ah, that's just what she did. And then you arrived."

"I never knew you were such a flirt," Bulma accused him.

"Hmph," was the only response she got, but the smirk remained in place.

"So you flirted with me just to put Orika in her place?" Bulma's voice sounded a little put out and she dropped her eyes, her bottom lip extended into a pout.

It was Vegeta's turn to roll his eyes. "In part, yes. But you worry far too much, Woman. Have you forgotten whose brat you carry, whose mark you bear?" He ran a finger over the scar on her neck, pleased when she shivered at his touch. "Hmm?"

She shook her head. "No, of course not." She looked up at him to see him smirking at her, but his eyes didn't mock her.

"Good." He drew her close again. "You know that I do nothing without purpose, Bulma. Now there is little doubt in the minds of those females who you belong to, or what my intentions regarding you are."

Bulma blushed again. He wouldn't have openly flirted with her in such a manner if he hadn't wanted to. She should have known that. "Are you referring to dessert?" she asked coyly.

"Ah, yes. Dessert," he purred in her ear. "We need to discuss the 'D', remember?" He tilted her chin up and kissed her.

They broke the kiss at the sound of giggling. Sure enough... "Don't mind us, just coming through," Orika announced, stepping past the necking couple where they'd stopped in front of the locker room doors. "Continue!"

"Sorry..." Blushing, Tsumugi followed her friend into the locker room. The door closed behind her with a click, and more giggling could be heard through it faintly.

***

Bulma gave the bot she was working on one more quick once-over before powering it on. Upon activating it floated up and hovered over the table, responding perfectly to whatever voice commands she gave it. Satisfied for the moment, she had the bot maneuver itself into a box before powering back down. She wouldn't do any further testing. That was Vegeta's job. She wasn't as nimble as she used to be anymore and didn't want to face a laser shooting robot of something went awry.

She lifted the box with a small grunt and balanced it on one hip as she left the lab. Hopefully Vegeta would like his new toy. No, it was much more than a toy. It was state of the art technology, able to both create and volley energy blasts, respond to voice commands, and discern patterns in Vegeta's moves in order to adjust accordingly and provide him with a more challenging training session. Even if the bot needed modifications, it was definitely a step up from the shadowboxing he'd been doing. She and her father had met with Vegeta to discuss the notations he had made on the blueprints- which they hadn't been able to read anyway, considering they were written in the Saiyan language- and determine which ideas he'd had that they would be able to incorporate, either now or at a future time. She had worked on the bot after hours for the past two weeks and felt a little nervous now that it was finally ready.

Suddenly realizing that she'd left her purse in the lab, she made an about face and swiped her employee badge to let herself back inside. The door clicked open at the same time the box on her hip decided to slip. "Stupid box," she muttered to herself as she fumbled with the box in one hand and the door with the other. The problem with the doors with security mechanisms was that the handle had to be grasped and pulled to open the door before the lock closed again, which was quite difficult to do if one had one's hands full. "Why didn't I just encapsulate it and be done with it?"

"Oh! Ms. Briefs, let me help you with that," a voice exclaimed behind her.

Bulma gratefully allowed her savior to take the box from her. "Thank you, Akimitsu. I should have encapsulated this, I guess."

Akimitsu smiled. "Hey, it's no problem at all. I'm sure you were just so ready to get home and off of your feet that you didn't even think about it. I know my wife felt absolutely drained during her first trimester, so don't hesitate to ask if I can help out with anything else," he offered.

"Aww, thanks again," Bulma said softly. She had always liked the quiet young man from Financial Services and was a little disappointed that he didn't have a science background instead of an accounting degree.

"Any time," he assured her. He carried the box in and set it on a table. "Now get whatever you need to get and go home!"

Bulma chuckled. "Oh, I fully intend to."

Akimitsu gave her a little wave. "Good night, then."

"Good night." Bulma pulled her purse and an empty capsule from her desk and quickly encapsulated the box before locking back up and heading for the living quarters. She'd been extremely grateful that another employee had been passing by and offered to help. Akimitsu had been right- she was more tired than she had realized.

Making her pregnancy public knowledge at work had been easier than she'd thought it would be. She suspected that Orika amongst others had gossiped about her relationship with Vegeta, so by the time everyone knew about him, someone observant must have commented that she acted like she was pregnant. Nuiko had told her privately that there was indeed a rumor going around and that she had personally been asked if Bulma was pregnant; she had wanted to know what she should tell people who asked. Bulma had told her to just confirm it. There really wasn't any point in denying it. By that time, at nine weeks, some of her clothes were already becoming uncomfortably snug or had even become too small. Everyone would be able to see that she was pregnant, and she didn't feel like trying to hide it.

"Hey, Mom. It smells great in here." Bulma tossed her things down on the kitchen counter and gave her mother a kiss on the cheek.

"Hello, dear. Dinner is almost ready." Mrs. Briefs slid a batch of rolls into the oven to bake. "You look so tired. Why don't you rest for a little bit?"

"I think I might do that," Bulma agreed. "Maybe I'll watch the evening news."

"All right. I'll call you when it's ready. You go relax." Mrs. Briefs turned back to the stove.

Bulma grabbed her purse and the capsule holding the bot and wandered to her room to change her clothes. Her beautifully tailored business suit had felt restrictive and uncomfortable all day, and she was forced to admit that at only two months pregnancy it was time to cave in and buy some maternity clothes. She pulled on a pair of pajama bottoms and a t-shirt and laid down on the bed, then turned on the television.

The news didn't seem interesting anymore for some reason so she shut it off. "Now it's too quiet in here," she muttered to herself. The best solution for that was... "I wonder where Vegeta is?" Bulma got up from the bed and peered out of the window. The GR didn't appear to be active. "He's not training. Maybe he went back to the gym? But it's too close to dinner. I should go find him. Great, now I'm talking to myself." She grabbed the capsule and headed toward the den. For some reason, she just felt that he'd be there.

Her intuition proved correct when she peered into the den to find the Saiyan sitting cross-legged in front of the television, a video game controller in his hands. She couldn't hide her smile- who would have thought that the Prince of Saiyans himself would like video games? "Hey."

"Hey, yourself." Vegeta's eyes remained glued to the screen.

"What're you doing?"

Vegeta paused, as if he was unsure he had heard her correctly. "What does it appear that I am doing, Woman?"

"Playing Tetris."

"I guess the rumors are true. You really are a genius." A smirk curled up on Vegeta's lips, and he looked up at her out of the corner of his eye.

Bulma giggled, and his smirk widened a little. "I love it when you're cute."

"I am not cute, Woman." He smirked triumphantly as he completed still another four-line Tetris. It hadn't taken long for him to become proficient at several of Bulma's games, and Tetris was currently his favorite.

"You're handsome, though." She tossed the capsule onto the couch and bent over to kiss his cheek.

Vegeta grunted in objection. "Leave off, female. Your hair is hanging in the way," he complained, but it was evident that he wasn't irritated by her display of affection.

Bulma knelt beside her mate and wrapped her arms around his neck from behind. "Guess what?" She smiled when he sighed.

"I give up."

"You give up? You haven't even guessed yet."

"No, I meant I give up when it comes to you, Woman."

Vegeta still didn't appear to be annoyed or upset with her, and Bulma knew that he was enjoying their mild verbal squabble. "Oh! You're impossible," she informed her mate, who was openly amused by her frustration.

A chuckle rumbled in his chest. "Me, impossible? You're the one interrupting my game, Woman."

Bulma let him go and stood up. "Fine. I'll leave instead of giving you the present I brought for you." She couldn't help but gloat when he immediately paused the game and reached out to grab her hand.

"You know I am only teasing you, Bulma," Vegeta told her, pulling her into his lap. His lips nuzzled the side of her neck. "Give me my present."

Bulma giggled, squirming with pleasure at the delightful sensation of his lips upon her neck. "Oh, now you're suddenly interested in me when you realize that I have something for you?" she teased back.

"Mmm-hmm." He dropped little kisses along her jawline and then kissed her lips. "So, what about my present?" he murmured.

Bulma wrapped her arms around him. "I'm right here. What more do you need?"

Vegeta snorted. "I have more than anyone needs when it comes to you, Woman," he declared. "But you said you brought me something. You'd better give it to me, or else."

Bulma continued to giggle. She loved it when he allowed himself to be playful. "Or else, what?"

Vegeta ran a finger along the arch of her bare foot and smirked when it twitched in response. "On second thought, do resist. I'll just be forced to tickle it out of you-"

Curse the man if he didn't already know each and every tickle spot she had! "No!" Bulma shrieked and tried to scramble off of his lap, but it was no use; he held on tight, his hands poised to commence tickling.

"Then you'd better give me my present," he breathed in her ear, loosening his grasp on her to wrap his arms around her more comfortably.

Bulma's eyes closed and she sighed as he resumed dropping tiny kisses up her neck. "O-okay," she managed, gasping when his teeth nipped her earlobe and tugged gently. He was seriously turning her on, damn him, and she knew he knew it.

He chuckled again, making her body go absolutely weak in his arms. "I knew you'd see things my way," he purred.

"Uh-huh." Bulma smiled at him drowsily. He could be so romantic when he wanted to- "Hey!" she exclaimed, suddenly finding herself being brought to her feet.

"Come now. Go get my present," Vegeta insisted, giving her backside a little swat. "There will be time for this mushy stuff later."

Bulma would have pretended to pout if she hadn't been giggling. If he didn't find his behavior or the fact that he was unconsciously picking up Earth colloquialisms and habits to be cute, he was sorely mistaken. "Okay, but I'm going to hold you to that, big boy," she informed him, retrieving the capsule. She sat down and patted the couch, indicating he should sit beside her. "Come here."

Curiosity got the better of him and he obeyed, coming over to sit down on the couch. "Fine, Woman."

Bulma tossed the capsule onto the carpet and unencapsulated the box. "Ta-da! Open it," she urged.

He looked at her briefly then leaned down to open the box. Bulma watched intently as he did so, a wide smile slowly spreading across her face as his brows rose and he fought to hold back his excitement. He looked like a little boy in a toy store who was being told to pick out the very toy he'd been asking for. He looked back over at her. "My bot!"

"Yep. Once I show you how to program it to respond to your voice, you can make it do things like this." Bulma cleared her throat. "Bot command: activate." The machine powered itself on and rose out of the box before them.

Now he really looked like a kid in a toy store, only this time he knew the candy store was the next stop of the day.

Bulma giggled at his expression and tried another command. This time the bot followed her when she got up from the couch and walked across the room; a third command had it sending itself back over to the box and powering itself back off. During all of this the Saiyan remained motionless, watching with the silent observation of the proverbial hawk.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Bulma plopped back down onto the couch beside her mate.

"It appears to function appropriately," Vegeta responded slowly. He was still in awe that the little human female he had mated had really constructed this machine in such a short time. If she and the old man could create his GR and now this bot, what else could they create that might enhance his training? "Does it perform in the other areas we discussed?"

"It should," Bulma answered. She wasn't certain how to interpret his reaction. "I didn't final test anything that should only be used in the GR. I'll leave that up to you. Let me know if anything needs adjusting."

He nodded and picked up the robot from the box. He let out a snort and shook his head. His woman really was something else, that much was certain.

Bulma's face fell. "Don't... don't you like it?"

Vegeta turned to her instantly. "Bulma, you misunderstand me. I am simply impressed by your handiwork. It is everything I had hoped for." A small smile flickered at the corner of his mouth, and he looked back down at the bot.

Bulma let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "You're happy with it, then?" she asked, relieved.

"Yes, I think this will work quite well for my training." Vegeta did not further attempt to contain his pleased expression as he examined the bot. Every change they had agreed upon had been incorporated, and he was indeed very happy with the end result.

Bulma smiled, tickled pink that he liked the bot. "I should be able to get half a dozen or so done for you over the weekend, and more later if you don't run into any issues with them that need changing."

"Good." To her surprise, Vegeta's expression had further softened, the constant scowl he wore no longer present. Instead, he was looking at her with what she could only describe as fondness. "I am not impressed solely by this bot. In fact, I am quite impressed by you." He reached over to cup her cheek, letting his fingers tangle in the hair framing her lovely face.

Bulma blushed, never having expected such a statement from him. "Thank you, Vegeta," she whispered.

He grunted in response and placed the bot back in the box.

Bulma smiled and maneuvered herself up onto his lap. "Don't I get a thank you?" she asked mock innocently.

"Hmph." But then, he smiled. Not a smirk, or a grin, but an honest to goodness smile that made her breath catch. "What kind of thanks would you like, Princess?" he asked in a low, throaty voice. He ran his fingers through her hair, a feeling that he had very much come to enjoy.

His behavior took Bulma off guard, and she found herself lost in his deep black gaze. "I want hugs and kisses," she heard herself whisper.

Vegeta chuckled. "Just hugs and kisses, Woman? You're easy to please," he teased.

Bulma shook her head. "No, not just any hugs and kisses will do. I need the ones that only you can give me."

It was the right answer, one that he was startled to realize that he'd actually wanted to hear. His smile returned and he curled his arm around her, holding her close as his lips descended upon hers.

Bulma felt herself melting into him as he kissed her with a passion that she'd never felt from him before. She slowly slid her arms around him and returned the kiss with enthusiasm. He had never kissed her or even held her like this before.

It was absolutely wonderful.

Vegeta ended the kiss and pulled back to look at her. "Why are you crying?" He smoothed a tear from her cheek, tsking gently. "You please me greatly, Woman," he confessed. "There is no reason to cry, is there?"

Bulma shook her head. She hadn't even been aware that she was crying. "N-no." She gave him a shaky smile. "This is another good cry."

Vegeta cupped her cheek in one hand. "Don't cry, Bulma," he whispered before kissing her again. His hand tangled itself back into her hair, cradling her head, and his other hand caressed her side.

Bulma could feel a low rumbling from his chest. She'd heard him growl while kissing her before, but somehow this rumbling was different. It was almost as though he was purring, much like a contented cat would. Another surge of emotion at this discovery rushed over her, and she held him closer, returning his kiss with every ounce of fervor she had.

***

Mrs. Briefs wandered down the hallway, humming to herself as she walked. She intended to call her daughter for dinner, but Bulma wasn't in her room. Bulma had indicated that she would be watching television, so she peered inside the den. The poor dear had looked so tired after her day- oh! "Oh, my..."

"Did you find her?" Dr. Briefs asked, coming up behind her.

"Shhh!" His wife placed a finger over her lips. "Have a look," she whispered, smothering a little giggle.

Her face beamed as brightly as the sun; perhaps something cute was on the television. But why try to keep quiet about that? Dr. Briefs took a turn peeking into the den, only to do a double-take when he saw Vegeta kissing his daughter with a great deal of passion. The two were so absorbed in their kiss that neither noticed him.

"Aren't they adorable?" Mrs. Briefs simpered once her husband recovered enough to close the door.

"Yes, quite," the doctor agreed. He was astounded by the situation. Vegeta had confessed to finding Bulma to be a 'satisfactory woman' and he had witnessed them kiss before, but never had he seen the stoic young man display that much passion, or even emotion in general, toward her before. It made him wonder what exactly Vegeta's intentions were as far as Bulma was concerned; while he had claimed her as his own, he was so reserved and irritable most of the time, and now the man was holding his daughter, kissing and caressing her as if she were the most perfect and precious thing in the universe, as if they were long-time lovers rather than two people who had only known each other for a matter of weeks. But, so lost was the young couple in their kiss that neither had noticed the interruption of the two older Briefs, and Dr. Briefs was certain that Vegeta wouldn't have so openly kissed Bulma the way he was had he known they were being observed. He was far too private of an individual for that. He truly didn't believe that Vegeta was putting on a show, or indulging his daughter with a kiss of that type simply to please her.

He didn't know what to think.

Mrs. Briefs' happy sigh reclaimed his attention. "He's such a sweet young man," she declared. "I'm sure he'll be a wonderful father, too."

"I hope so, Bunny." ~For all of their sakes.~ The thought of Vegeta growing tired of his 'mate' and son and what might happen because of that was disturbing.

Mrs. Briefs pooh-poohed that comment. "Dear, Vegeta is just shy about expressing himself the way we do," she insisted. "He cares about Bulma, even if he doesn't know how to tell her. So he does sweet things, like giving her nice kisses." She smiled. "If he's good to our little girl, surely he'll be good to his own little boy. Men like Vegeta just treasure their sons." She continued down the hallway, humming contentedly to herself as she went.

Dr. Briefs thought about this. His wife was actually quite a good judge of character, and he was probably just being an overly protective father. Maybe he was just having trouble letting go of his baby girl. He followed his wife to the kitchen. They would come for dinner when they were ready.

***

Bulma pulled back to look at her mate. She had an overwhelming urge to tell him that she loved him, but was loathe to do anything that might ruin the mood. Instead, she favored him with an enamored expression. "Vegeta?"

Vegeta resumed nipping and kissing her neck. "Hmm?"

"Make love to me."

He lifted his head from her neck. Despite finding the Earth expression she had used to be utterly ridiculous, he had become accustomed to hearing it. This time had been different. Her voice was full of desire, of need, even more so than usual. She undeniably wanted him, and only him. There was no way he could refuse this woman, even if he wanted to. Again he smiled, letting his guard down only for her. "As my princess desires," he murmured in her ear, slowly lowering her down onto the couch.

***

To Bulma's satisfaction, Vegeta's new bot worked remarkably well, and he was so pleased by it that she promptly constructed several others. Her satisfaction, however, quickly deteriorated into resentment as once again her Saiyan mate corralled himself into the GR for long periods of time. She resented the fact that he'd come out only to eat and shower, perhaps even expecting a quick little roll in the hay with her before returning. At one point he stayed in the GR for almost three days straight without emerging.

She awoke one morning a week from the day that she had given him the first bot, surprised to find him asleep in the bed beside her. She sighed sadly. It seemed like forever since they had last woken up together. Most of the time he got up to train before she even woke up. He had been so affectionate, so... sweet to her until he'd decided to test his 'new toy', as her mother had put it. And now? She watched him sleep, deciding to enjoy what little time she had with him before he left her again. She reached out, lovingly stroking the hair at his temple. It was amazingly soft and thick.

His dark eyes opened and her hand paused momentarily before continuing to stroke his hair when he didn't move away. He looked at her sleepily but remained silent.

"Hey," she said softly.

"Hey, yourself," he responded, rolling over onto his back. He yawned and stretched, then grabbed her and pulled her to his chest, one burly arm wrapping lazily around her back.

She smiled against his chest and cuddled up to him. "What are your plans today?"

"I will train," he responded simply.

"Oh." Even though she'd already known his answer, Bulma couldn't help but feel a little disappointed when he said it.

Vegeta caught her tone. "What is the matter, Woman? I am cuddling you as you are so fond of, am I not?"

"Hmph. I wouldn't want you to do anything too unpleasant," Bulma sulked.

Vegeta turned his head to look at her. "Would you like me to leave, then?"

"No." Bulma's grip on him tightened. "I just... It's like before, when you got the GR. I miss you, Vegeta. All I want is a little of your time. I feel lonely when I hardly ever see you." She sniffled and rubbed at her eyes with the back of her hand.

He let out a long sigh. What did she want him to say? "I am not attempting to dismiss you, Woman. I simply must train in order to become stronger. Already your machines have assisted with that, but they alone cannot accomplish what only consistent training can."

At least he was talking to her. "You like the bots, then?"

He grunted in agreement. "You will need to repair them."

"You broke my bots?" Bulma exclaimed, pushing herself up enough to look at him.

"Is it all that surprising? The GR breaks too, when I train strenuously."

She held in a sigh. At least they weren't 'stupid pieces of tin' yet. "How bad is the damage?"

Vegeta contemplated this. "One is completely ruined. The others only require minor repairs."

"Oh." Bulma laid back down against him. Her finger traced along a scar on his chest. "This is new, isn't it?"

"Yes. The bot that I ruined exploded, and a piece of shrapnel cut me."

"Ohh..." Bulma lifted her head enough to kiss the small hurt. When she felt him tense beneath her, she kissed his chest again. A low growl of desire rumbled through his chest, and she smiled in triumph, continuing to shower little kisses on his body.

He quickly rolled them over and his mouth descended upon hers.

***

"Are you hungry?"

"What do you think?" As if on cue, Vegeta's stomach growled in answer.

Bulma giggled. "I'm famished too. Mom went to another business breakfast with Daddy, so let's go out. I wouldn't mind having some pancakes."

Vegeta remembered her last pathetic attempt at cooking breakfast and was inclined to agree. She was not a bad cook per se, but she could not prepare breakfast if her life depended upon it. "Fine."

Bulma's smile quickly became a frown as she attempted to zip her pants. "Well, so much for wearing these pants any longer. I guess I'll have to go buy some different clothes."

Vegeta watched as the woman kicked off her pants into a sad little puddle of fabric on the floor and returned to the closet in frustration. Already her once nicely toned belly bulged a little where the child grew within her body. He found himself absently wondering how large her belly would become and quickly dismissed the notion. He didn't need those sorts of thoughts distracting him. The brat was the woman's concern, not his. His current concern entailed food and his stomach, then training. "Just wear a female's garment. They do not require such closures." He indicated the garment he had in mind with his hand, a simple yet classy navy blue a-line dress.

"You mean a dress? I suppose I could," Bulma responded. Suddenly she realized that Vegeta had picked out something for her to wear and pulled the dress he had chosen off of one of the multitudes of rods in her enormous closet. "Actually, that's a good pick. I think this one still fits."

He crossed his arms and grunted non-committally, trying to seem disinterested. He had never seen so many garments belonging to one individual before. His woman had a sickening amount of clothing and normally he didn't pay attention to what she wore, but he had noticed this blue dress, as well as a red one he had particularly liked. They were both very feminine and flattered her form and her exotic coloring. "Fine, good. Hurry up, Bulma. I'm hungry," he urged her.

"I'm hurrying." Bulma turned to her lingerie drawer before her smile reemerged. Her mate may not have realized he was doing it, but of late she was 'Bulma' a little more often and 'Woman' a little less often.

***

"So, will you come with me?" Bulma closed the car door and pulled her seat belt across herself to buckle it.

Vegeta frowned. "Come where? We just ate breakfast. I told you I must train when we return."

Bulma squirmed a little uncomfortably in her seat. "I need to buy some maternity clothes, and I thought since you did such a good job this morning pointing out this dress, that you could help me pick out something nice." She started the vehicle and looked over at him, a little surprised that he had said nothing in response.

"You want me to purchase clothing for you?" he finally asked incredulously.

"Well, no. I just thought maybe you could offer your opinion is all."

"Forget it," Vegeta responded irritably. "You are perfectly able to select your own clothing, and I already told you that I intend to train today." What he actually wanted to say was 'I have better things to do with my time than waste my time watching you select clothing', but for some reason he held his tongue.

"That's true, but..." Bulma sighed and pulled out into the street. "Never mind. I'll take you home and go by myself."

Her disappointment was evident. Vegeta tried to tell himself that it didn't matter, that his training was important and that she'd get over it, but for some reason her displeasure still bothered him. Again he shoved the thought away. These sorts of disquieting thoughts had been occurring more and more often of late, and they were beginning to become irksome to him. She was just a human female, and she would have to learn her place as far as her level of importance to him was concerned. Yes, he'd been far too lenient with her lately; in fact, he was getting soft because of it. Just because the woman was hormonal didn't mean she needed to be clingy. "Good."

She said nothing else the rest of the way home until they pulled up in front of the house. "All right, go train."

Now there was bitterness in her voice. He ignored it and got out of the car, heading straight to the GR. She'd get over it.

Bulma pulled out of the driveway with a small squeal of her tires and drove to the mall. Why didn't he care? It seemed like whenever something had to do with her pregnancy, he wanted nothing to do with it. Did he even care about the baby? He hadn't left her when he found out she was pregnant and had actually seemed to accept the fact that he was the child's father, much better than she had expected him to. So why was he acting like such a jerk? What did he want from her?

***

She'd actually found a few decent outfits in a relatively short time and headed back home. The trip, compounded with her anxiety over Vegeta's behavior, had tired her out, and she wanted to rest. It would still be a couple of hours before he would come in demanding lunch, so she figured she might catch a quick nap before then since her mother wasn't home yet to model her clothes for.

Bulma sighed. She was going to look like a walking tent once she got any bigger. She dropped her shopping capsule on the bed and went into the bathroom to relieve herself. So much for enjoying a seldom taken day off. She hiked up her dress and sat down on the toilet, only to cry out in surprise.

"Oh no… oh, no, this is not good…" she whimpered.

Her panties were stained with a red streak.

She pulled them up quickly and let her dress slip back down as she ran out of the bathroom. Grabbing her purse, she looked up Natsue's business number. She picked up her phone and made the call with hands that shook.

"Good morning, West Capital Women's Health," the receptionist answered. "This is Takane."

"Takane, this is Bulma Briefs," Bulma shrieked hysterically. "I'm bleeding and I don't know what to do-"

"Calm down please, Ms. Briefs," Takane interrupted gently. "Now, you said you're bleeding. Is it a lot?"

"I-I don't know," Bulma admitted. "I pulled down my panties to use the toilet and they've got a red streak on them!"

"How far are you?" Takane asked.

"Ten weeks. I'm so scared…"

"Come on in and Dr. Yamamoto will examine you. It'll be all right, Ms. Briefs."

***

Her hands still shaking, Bulma knocked on the heavy metal door. Nothing. She knocked again. The flashes of light stopped and the door opened.

Vegeta didn't look very pleased. "What do you want, Woman?" he asked irritably.

"I'm bleeding," she told him, her brow creasing with worry. "I-"

"So get a Band-Aid! For Kami's sake, you interrupted my training for that?" Vegeta rolled his eyes and was about to shut the door when she knocked on it again frantically.

"Vegeta, wait, please!" she pleaded.

Vegeta scowled at her. "What do you want me to do, kiss it and make it feel better?"

"I'm bleeding, Vegeta," she told him, ignoring his sarcasm, "down here." She gestured appropriately.

The scowl disappeared as he realized what she meant. "Oh."

Bulma bit at her lip but couldn't keep it from trembling. "I-I called my obstetrician's office and they said to come in," she told him, her voice trembling. "Will you take me? Please?"

The frown reappeared. "I do not want to go to one of those females' physician's offices," he objected, crossing his arms. "A room of bloated females and crying infants is not-"

"Please! I'm too upset to drive and I don't want to go by myself. No one else is home. Don't make me beg you." Bulma began to cry and covered her face with her hands. "I'm scared, Vegeta. I don't want to lose the baby."

Vegeta could feel himself weakening. Was this his fault for having her earlier that morning? He hated to see Bulma cry, and that fact bothered him more than the thought of going to the dreaded doctor's office for females. His face softened, although the scowl remained. "Bulma..."

Bulma looked up at him, her blue eyes full of tears. "Vegeta, this is our son," she whispered. Her eyes pleaded with him.

Vegeta let out a long sigh. "All right, Bulma. All right. Give me five minutes to shower and get dressed." He stepped aside and waved his hand to indicate that she should come in.

Her eyes closed in relief for a moment. "Thank you."

He muttered something she couldn't make out as he headed for the bathroom. She watched him go and sat down on the bed, shaking, her hand resting protectively on top of her belly. "Please be all right, baby boy," she whispered. "Mama loves you."

***

Vegeta pulled on his boots and eyed the sniffling woman sitting on his bed. He did not want to go and she was going to owe him big time for this. "Let's go, Woman."

Bulma nodded and stood up, rubbing at her face with the back of her hand. "Here." She handed him a capsule.

Vegeta stepped out of the GR and shut the door after they were both out. "What's this?"

"It's the Ferrari," she told him. "I thought you liked that car."

"The sooner we get there the sooner I can leave," he grumbled, handing the capsule back to her. "I don't need this." He put his arm around her waist, then paused. She was getting too thick around the middle and was likely to complain- or hurt even worse than she already did- if his arm squashed her belly. Holding in his sigh, he lifted her in his arms and took to the air. "Where is this place?"

"It's in West Capital," she told him, pointing the general direction. "I'll point you in the right direction when we get close." She wrapped her arms around him and rested her head against his shoulder.

Vegeta did not particularly want anyone seeing him with a sniffling woman snuggling against him but said nothing. Not only could he sense being so near to him was calming to her, but he knew she would get upset all over again if he scolded her for it. He didn't need that. Her regular mood swings were bad enough.

They flew in silence for a few minutes until they approached the city. "Where now?" Vegeta asked, slowing down.

"It's in the northwest part of the city. Do you remember where that restaurant is that I took you to that has the huge steaks?"

Vegeta couldn't suppress a grin. "How could I forget?" The look on their waitress' face had been priceless when he'd asked for his third steak to come with sautéed mushrooms and onions with gravy, an Antipasto salad with house dressing- don't forget the croutons this time- and a loaded baked potato.

Bulma smiled against his chest. "It's not far from there." Unconsciously, she sighed and clutched her belly with one hand. "Baby, please be all right."

She had spoken her plea in barely a whisper and the wind was whistling past them as they flew, but he heard her. It had actually surprised him how excited she had been when she told him of her pregnancy. He had never expected it. Although in the end she hadn't resisted him, it had not been her idea for him to take her on Namek and she obviously hadn't planned to become pregnant to a genocidal alien with an inflated ego. Yet she claimed to love the child already. It was not truly real to him yet and he had no emotional attachment to the child. He could see and touch and feel Bulma; she was real. This brat wasn't.

He was not, however, about to tell her that when he had grasped what she actually meant by 'bleeding', he had felt for the child's ki with his own and discovered that the boy was fine. Realizing that he had automatically done so annoyed him. This brat didn't concern him; he didn't even want it.

Right?

"There's the restaurant, Woman. Where do I go?" Vegeta grumbled. He tried to brush the unwanted thoughts from his head and hated it that the woman provoked such a weak response in him.

This whole situation sucked.

"Two more streets further, and three more east." Bulma's arms tightened around him again. "It's a large brick building four stories high."

"I see it," Vegeta informed her. He descended in front of the building and set her down.

"Thanks again," she whispered, kissing him on the cheek as she slid out of his arms. He grunted his displeasure at the public display of affection. "Oh, cut it out. You aren't melting," she objected. "Come on." She reached for his hand.

Vegeta scowled and pulled away from her. "I am not going in there. It's bad enough that I'm here to begin with."

Bulma's face fell. "I should have known," she snapped. Tears of hurt filled her eyes. "Don't you care in the slightest about this baby? Our baby?" she whispered angrily. "Do you know the rumors and nasty remarks I'm going to get from the press about this? The snide looks and whispers I already get when people think I'm not looking? But I don't let it bother me because I care about this child and I want to be a mother more than anything."

"What the hell do you want from me, Woman?" he hissed.

"I want you to be a real man and accept responsibility for your actions," she hissed back, glad that there weren't many people on the street to witness what could potentially become embarrassing.

His angry expression spoke volumes; he was highly offended by her implication. "I don't appreciate your demeaning comments regarding my masculinity or your attempts to manipulate me, Woman," he snarled. "Did you think that just because I didn't ask to be put in this situation that I wanted harm to come to either you or the brat?"

"I..." Bulma's eyes filled with tears again and she sighed. "I'm sorry. You're right. I just really need your support right now, Vegeta. Please come in with me. You can sit in the waiting room away from everyone else. They'll take me right away. It shouldn't be long." She took his hand in hers; he could feel hers trembling. "Please do this for me, Vegeta."

He said nothing but turned and started walking toward the building. She hurried after him. "Thank you, Vegeta," she whispered. "You have no idea what this means to me." Her lips trembled despite her smile and a tear rolled down her cheek.

He looked over at her. "Stop crying, Woman," he commanded gruffly, but his voice didn't sound irritated.

"I'm trying," Bulma told him. "I'm just so scared for the baby. What if something's seriously wrong?"

Vegeta could see that the woman was genuinely terrified that she would lose the baby, and suspected that she still didn't believe that he cared at all, and that he was only doing this to appease her. He refused to think about whether or not that was true- that he hadn't wanted the child and so it meant nothing to him. "I sense no distress from the child," Vegeta informed her in an uncharacteristically soft tone of voice, attempting to stave off any further crying bouts. "I'm sure he's fine."

The look of happiness she gave him made his stomach twist. ~I don't know if I'll ever get used to that. Why does she look at me that way? How can she- no! She has no control over me. Emotions are for the weak,~ he reprimanded himself sternly. "Come along, Woman." He put his hand on her shoulder to move her along.

"I'm coming," Bulma told him. Seeing her opportunity, she decided to risk annoying him and stepped a little closer, slipping in front of his arm so that it was behind her back.

Surprised by her boldness, Vegeta opened his mouth to speak when he noticed that her eyes flicked up briefly. ~She's waiting for my reaction, as if she expects me to be angry at her. I don't feel like putting up with any more of her sniveling.~ The unwanted thoughts raced through his brain. ~Why does it even matter?~ he thought irritably, ignoring the niggling little feeling in the back of his mind that perhaps it just might matter to him what Bulma thought and felt. "Crazy woman," he growled, but left his arm where it was.

Bulma couldn't contain her smile when he didn't brush her off. ~Maybe I really can have an effect on him! Does he care about me like that? Kami, I wish I knew why I... Damn it, why did I have to fall in love with a man who can't love me in return?~

"What?"

"What, what?"

"You sighed, Woman." Vegeta's eyebrow rose.

"Uhm, nothing," she lied. "Just a lot on my mind, I guess." Her hand unconsciously rested on her belly.

"Hmph..." Vegeta retrieved his arm and pulled open the door, pushing her along through it.

***

"All right, Bulma. Let's take a look at you." Natsue sat down at the foot of the examining table Bulma was lying on. "We'll see what's going on here."

Bulma's hands fisted the sheet draped over her tightly. "I'm so nervous, Natsue," she whispered. "I want this baby so much, but his father... he's..."

"Not exactly excited about the prospect of being a father?" Natsue offered.

Bulma snorted and rolled her eyes. "Not exactly."

"He'll get over it," Natsue assured her. "You'd be surprised how many resistant first time fathers-to-be melt like butter when their babies are born. Love at first sight. Okay, cold touch."

Bulma laid her head back down on the pillow. "I hate those things," she grumbled. "I'll bet a man invented bras, pantyhose, high-heeled shoes and the speculum." She scowled. "Oh, and mascara too. They'd never try to coat their eyelashes with a thick black liquid."

Natsue laughed. "You're absolutely right about pantyhose and the speculum," she confirmed, "but believe it or not, I know for a fact that bras and mascara were both invented by a woman. There are varying opinions on the high-heeled shoes, though. A lot of people say Leonardo DaVinci, but they were around long before he was."

"Nerd," Bulma shot back.

Natsue laughed again as she bent down a little more. "I don't see anything to be concerned about right off the bat, and everything feels normal. We'll definitely do an ultrasound, too. You're supposed to have your first one next week anyway." She finished at Bulma's feet and got up. "You can scoot back up now, Bulma." She went over to the sink, peeled off her gloves and washed up.

Bulma slid herself back up the length of the table and repositioned the little pillow underneath her head. She sighed, wishing that Vegeta viewed his own unborn son as important enough to share this moment with her.

"Don't you want to see your baby for the first time?" Natsue asked. "Most women are excited to."

Bulma rolled her head the doctor's way. "Oh, no, it's not that," she objected. "I just wish..." She bit at her lip, fighting back tears.

Natsue came back over to her friend and took her hand. "You wish that he would have come here with you?" she asked softly.

Bulma sniffled, hastily wiping a tear from her cheek. "Believe it or not, I actually got him to bring me. I'm still a little disbelieving, myself." She paused. "No, that's not fair, either. He was raised to believe that all emotions other than anger are a weakness. He's not very comfortable in social situations, and sitting in a waiting room with, quote," she wriggled her fingers, " 'a room of bloated females and crying infants', unquote," she wriggled her fingers again, "isn't exactly his idea of a good time." She looked even more depressed.

"It's only human nature to be nervous about these types of things," Natsue assured her. "Like I said earlier, give him some time and he'll come around."

"Human nature, huh?" Bulma chuckled weakly. "Yeah. Well, that's something I thought I should tell you about, Natsue."

"What's that?"

"Well," Bulma began, sitting up and rubbing the back of her head with her hand in a quite Goku-like fashion, "Vegeta isn't human."

"Oh." Natsue's eyebrow rose. "I see. You said he's here right now?"

Bulma pursed her lips. "He'd better be," she declared.

The doctor's amusement was evident. "What does he look like?"

"He's slightly taller than me, dark, handsome, built like a tank and scowling," Bulma reported in a way that made Natsue wonder if she was being serious. "Oh, and you can't miss the hair. If I could have dragged him in here with me, you'd see what I mean... hey, where are you going? Natsue? Natsue?"

***

"Mama! Mama! Mama! Mama! Mama! Mama! Mama! Mama! Mama-"

Vegeta eyed the toddler standing nearby with trepidation and a sharply raised eyebrow. He was the only male in the room over the age of two, and there was nowhere to escape to. ~Dear Kami, if all brats are like this one I'll strangle him myself. Why didn't I keep the capsule with the Ferrari? At least I could wait outside in it without looking like I'm-~

"Mama! Mama! Mama! Mama! Mama-"

"How can you stand it, woman?" came a tormented lament from three chairs over.

'Mama' paused from her task of rubbing a little perfume sample from the magazine she was reading on her wrists and looked up at the man staring with wide-eyed horror at her son. "Hmm? Oh, you just learn to drown it out after a while. After four of them, I'm an old pro." She let one hand rest on her belly and giggled in a way that reminded him of the blonde Briefs woman.

Vegeta was unaware that his eyes had just gone a size wider as he stared at the enlarged belly containing the fifth spawn of 'Mama'. Noting his expression, she continued to giggle. "Is this your first baby?" she asked. Nervous new daddies were so cute.

"Uh... yes."

Normally Vegeta would have simply blasted everyone in the room without a second thought, but the situation was becoming dangerously personal. This was what was coming his way. This is what he could expect.

This was going to be a living hell.

"Aww..." 'Mama' smiled at him. "I think it's so sweet when husbands come along," she noted. "Mine would have, but he had to work and couldn't get a couple hours off. A likely story."

"I hear you," another woman piped up. "My husband couldn't be bothered to come to my first two ultrasounds, either." She crossed her arms over her chest.

"His wife sure is a lucky woman," a third woman interjected darkly. "Why couldn't mine be more like that?"

"Or even half as handsome," the second woman whispered, sending both of them into fits of giggling.

Vegeta shifted uncomfortably in his chair. He did not want to be here-

"Hey, Mister! Wanna try it?" 'Mama's' little angel held up a sucker he had just pulled from his mouth, which was stained purple from the candy. "It's grape!" The boy beamed up at him. "I like your hair!"

"Uh... thanks."

The door leading to the examining rooms opened and a woman in a white doctor's coat stepped through it. She scanned the room quickly and grinned when her eyes set upon Vegeta. Ah yes. This was the one. Even if the room had been full of husbands, Bulma hadn't been kidding when she said she couldn't have missed him. Wordlessly, she beckoned to him.

Vegeta looked to either side of him. No one else was there. He pointed to himself questioningly. "Me?"

The doctor nodded. "Yes, you," she responded, pointing at him to emphasize the 'you'. She beckoned to him again. "And don't say, 'I didn't do it', because oh boy did you do it, Mister." She was rewarded with a smattering of giggles as the wild-haired man's cheeks flushed pink.

Vegeta hesitated. "What the-"

"Hey, Mister! Didja wanna try it?" The sticky fingered, purple faced boy held up the sucker again, hitting Vegeta on the knee with it. "Oopsie." As the boy pulled it off, sticky wet strands of sugary liquid Vegeta could only guess to be the child's saliva stretched between the sucker and Vegeta's previously spotless jeans.

"Mama will get you a new one, precious," 'Mama' said automatically, sniffing at her wrists.

"No!" Vegeta shot up from his chair, still nervously eyeing the purple faced monster, who had climbed up onto the empty seat next to him. This was worse than he could possibly have imagined it. Even being dead was more tolerable than this! He followed the doctor through the door and let out a sigh when it shut.

"Just keep telling yourself, 'It's not my kid, it's not my kid'..." the doctor instructed him. She bowed politely in greeting. "Natsue Yamamoto."

She received a spaced-out grunt in response.

She chuckled. "You poor guy. Not a good first time experience for you. Trust me, they won't all be this bad. Follow me, please." She didn't see the death glare he shot her direction as they walked down the hallway. "Here we are." She knocked on the door before opening it. "Bulma? You still alive in here?"

Bulma had lay back down and raised herself up onto her elbows. "Yes, where did you- Vegeta!" She covered her mouth with one hand.

Natsue shut the door behind them. "Didn't even put up a fight, either," she whispered in Bulma's ear. "Now, Bulma tells me you're not from around here," she sugar coated her statement.

Vegeta's demeanor instantly changed. "I am Vegeta, Prince of all Saiyans," he informed her in an authoritative tone of voice.

Natsue's eyebrow raised and she shot Bulma a very amused look. "So, you got your handsome prince after all," she commented. "Can I borrow those Dragonballs?"

Bulma went ten shades of pink. "Aaugh! Natsue! Can we do this, please? I know you said everything looks okay, but I can't help but worry."

"Sorry, Bulma. I couldn't resist." Natsue turned to Vegeta. "Bulma and I became friends in college. Anyway, I have not heard much about Saiyans." She looked at him from several angles, then shrugged. "I guess not."

Vegeta frowned. Her examinations made him feel like cattle being inspected. "You guess not what?" he demanded.

"I guess physiologically speaking, our two species can't be too much different. After all, you two did manage to make a baby together." She held her chin in one hand, still contemplating him. "Do you know much about inter-species reproduction involving Saiyans?"

The doctor's question took Vegeta by surprise. "No, only that since Saiyan males greatly outnumbered females, some males were known to seek out females of other compatible species while off world in order to satisfy their urges," he mumbled, knowing full well that he himself was, of course, guilty of the allegation. "It was not commonly done at home, as it was generally frowned upon."

"Let me guess. It was unheard of to taint the royal bloodline with alien blood?" Natsue asked, obviously catching on very quickly.

Vegeta shot her another look. "What is your point, Woman?" he growled, quickly losing his patience with this nosy human female.

"Well, seeing as I don't know anyone who has parents of two different species, I wanted to know if any known cases presented problems to the mother," she explained. "So far, from what I can discern by my examination, Bulma looks fine. I'm going to do an ultrasound to confirm it, but I suspect that since this is your first child together, and your first child at all, Bulma, that instead of your body reacting as it typically would due to normal hormonal changes caused by pregnancy, Vegeta's alien DNA is obviously more trying on your body than human DNA would be. It could simply be some stress on your uterus while your body tries to balance everything out. Pregnancy is tough enough on the body under normal circumstances."

"Oh." Bulma looked relieved. "I should ask Chi-Chi if she had any similar problems when she was expecting Gohan."

Natsue froze in place, then let her breath out in an exasperated huff. "You mean Chi-Chi Son? Duh! That would explain a lot," she grumbled. "But I always just thought Goku was a regular guy with big hair since he acts just like-"

"Kakarrot acts nothing like a true Saiyan warrior would," Vegeta interjected snidely. "He is a pathetic clown and a waste of Saiyan blood."

"I would like to get a blood sample from you, Vegeta," Natsue continued, as if the entire interlude in the conversation had never occurred. "I'll have one of the nurses draw it when we're done here. Then I can do some research to determine if there is anything else I should be concerned about."

"But-"

"So, are you ready to see your baby on the big screen for the first time, kids?" Natsue asked brightly, not letting Vegeta get in another word edgewise. "We should be able to get some nice pictures at ten weeks."

Bulma's face brightened. "Yes! Oooh, I want to see him!"

"Hmph." Vegeta turned away. "Just hurry up so I can get back to my training."

Natsue noted the excited expression on Bulma's face instantly vanish, replaced by one of sadness and hurt, and walked over to him. "I have a mind to thump you a good one right upside your head," she hissed, shaking an accusing finger at him. "Stand here and sulk if you must, but quit raining on her parade. Either that, or you can go back in the waiting room and play with little Chomei out there. He seemed to like you."

Vegeta only crossed his arms over his chest and scowled.

"Let's get started, Bulma, shall we?" Natsue asked softly, patting Bulma's knee as she passed by.

Bulma nodded. She loved Natsue, who always managed to turn the tide of bad emotions another direction. "Okay."

"Before I start, have you ever had an ultrasound before?" Natsue asked, pulling on a new pair of gloves.

"No." Bulma shook her head. "Is it going to take a long time? I really have to go to the bathroom."

Natsue grinned. "Good. Then I won't have to make you drink anything to enlarge your bladder. Okay, first I'm going to put some of this gel on your belly," she explained, parting Bulma's gown in the middle to expose her abdomen. "It'll feel warm."

"Okay- oh. That is warm," Bulma noted.

"Mmm-hmm." Natsue put a device that looked like a small paint roller on Bulma's belly. "This is a probe that sends sound waves through your skin and muscles. It creates images when the sound waves are reflected back to a scanner that measures them," she explained, more for Vegeta's benefit than Bulma's, if he was even bothering to listen. She rubbed the probe around. "I contemplated doing a transvaginal scan, but we'll start with this first."

"Oh, rats," Bulma muttered sarcastically, making a face. "Are you sure? But it sounds like such fun." A mischievous grin spread on her face and she shot a heated look at the brooding man standing several feet away at the other side of the small room. "As if I need to come here for that thing if I want something shoved-"

"Okay!" Natsue interrupted. "Here we are. Can you tell what we're looking at?"

Bulma frowned as she contemplated the picture, which to her seemed little more than fuzzy patches of black, white, and shades of gray. "No, I... wait! Is that... that's a leg, isn't it? On the lower left?"

Natsue smiled and nodded down at her patient. "You are correct. That's your son's left leg." She moved the probe around some more. "You're sure it's a boy? It's too soon to tell here."

Bulma nodded. "Vegeta says it is."

"You can tell?" Natsue asked him curiously. "How?"

Vegeta shrugged. "The brat's ki is male." He turned his attention back to the charts and posters hanging on the walls showing pictures of pregnant females and their unborn brats in various stages of gestation.

"So what else are we looking at?" Bulma urged.

Natsue moved the pointer of her mouse along the screen as she spoke. "Here's the leg again, then we'll follow up the spine. And an arm... the head. But..." She pressed a button on her computer, freezing the image, and waved the pointer around a particular spot. "I'm still a little stumped here."

Bulma gasped. "Vegeta, come see this!"

"Woman, I do not want to look at your underdeveloped brat," Vegeta growled stubbornly.

"Shut up, Vegeta. Quit being an ass and come look at this. You'll want to see it, trust me," Bulma insisted.

"What's so important that I'll want to see it?" Vegeta grudgingly came over to look at the monitor. ~If I don't look at it, she'll never shut up...~

"Here." Natsue slipped Bulma's hand over the mouse. "Go ahead and show him. Again, I admit I'm stumped. Must be a Saiyan thing. I didn't treat Chi-Chi or deliver her son, so I don't know."

"You're right, it's a Saiyan thing all right," Bulma confirmed, indicating various parts of the screen. "See, Veg, you can't see the baby's head from this shot, but here's an arm, this is the spine, a leg, and unless your son decided to grow a third leg out of his butt..." She looked up at him to gauge his reaction.

Vegeta had been about to complain about her usage of a nickname he found irritating when he realized what Bulma was showing him. "A tail." His face had taken on an unreadable expression. "He has a tail."

Bulma nodded. ~Not 'brat', or 'it'. He.~ "It sure looks like it."

Vegeta's chin raised slightly. "Good."

Noting the obvious pride in Vegeta's reaction, Natsue released the screen and continued rubbing the probe. "Let's just watch for a moment," she suggested.

"Oh!" Bulma exclaimed. "Is he..."

"Sucking his thumb? Yes, indeed." Natsue continued to wriggle the probe.

"That's just so precious," Bulma breathed. "Okay, he's not sucking his thumb anymore, he's..."

"Scowling," both women finished before bursting into peals of laughter.

"I wonder where he got that from?" Bulma teased.

Natsue chuckled. "We'll never know. So, about the ten weeks... are you sure about the dates you gave me? The embryo is bigger than ten weeks typically is, even for males."

Bulma blushed. "Well, I can tell you exactly when," she admitted, glancing Vegeta's direction. "He's not paying any attention, are you Vegeta?"

Lost in thought, Vegeta turned his head Bulma's direction. "Hm?" He had stepped away from the women again, unwilling to seem interested and equally unwilling to admit that he was. The brat had a tail. He had almost breathed a sigh of relief. His son had a tail!

"I asked Bulma if she was sure about the dates she gave me, since the baby seems bigger than ten weeks gestation." Natsue looked at him pointedly. She would have bet her apartment that she saw a faint tinge of red spread across the Saiyan's cheeks as Vegeta opened his mouth, then shut it.

"Trust the woman," was all he said.

Natsue nodded. "The development is right on for ten weeks, anyway. I'm going to keep a close eye on her. It's going to be a bigger than average baby," she informed him.

He didn't respond, but merely looked at her.

"Average for boys is about eight to nine pounds," she explained. "Bulma, I'd definitely put you in the double digits category."

Bulma let out a strangled noise and rested her head back down. "Great. How am I going to get a baby the size of a rhinoceros out when I wear size two jeans?" she moaned.

"Easy. C-section," Natsue responded, completely unfazed. "I'll just keep careful track of your progress and when the time is right, we'll welcome your little man into the world." She turned back to Vegeta. "You don't happen to know what the typical gestation period for Saiyans is, do you?"

Vegeta frowned. "No, I do not, since Saiyan females put their unborn brats into gestation cylinders when they became pregnant," he admitted. "They did, however, remain there for the better part of a standard year."

"That works for me. Thanks." Natsue set down her equipment and peeled off her gloves, then handed Bulma a towel. "Here, you can use this to clean yourself up when I leave. Okay, here are my assessments and recommendations. Since physically you are in excellent health, I strongly believe that the bleeding is being caused by the dramatic hormonal imbalance you are currently experiencing, Bulma," she began, sitting down on her stool. "I'll prescribe you a supplement to use for a couple months in addition to your prenatal vitamins after I take a look at blood work for both you and Prince Charming here. There are a couple I have in mind that should do the trick. Otherwise your baby looks perfectly strong and healthy."

"He's okay... my baby's okay..." Bulma looked relieved. "Just a supplement? That's it? Thank Kami," she said, closing her eyes and letting out a sigh.

"Well..." This time both parents looked at the doctor. "I actually have two orders to give you, as well."

"Okay..." Bulma looked at her friend skeptically. "Go ahead."

"Remember that do and don't eat list I gave you? Anything on it that says that you should limit, I want you to avoid like the plague until I tell you otherwise, got it?"

"Got it," Bulma responded. "What else?"

"Whoa, hold your horses there, missy. That includes triple choc-"

The good doctor was cut off by Bulma's horrified yelp. "No triple chocolate fudge brownie ice cream?" she wailed.

"And precisely how soon would you like to be back in here for your next unscheduled appointment, dear?" Natsue asked coolly, watching Bulma's scowl dissolve into a resigned purse of the lips. "Vegeta, I hereby dub thee my official hand slapper," she declared, tapping her pen on each of the Saiyan's shoulders, "meaning that if you see her committing a no-no, even inadvertently, you get to take it away and eat it yourself."

Vegeta had been about to inform the doctor that he wasn't this woman's caretaker when the words 'take it away and eat it yourself' changed his mind. A smile crept over his face. Perhaps this wouldn't be quite as bad as he'd thought.

"Oh, thanks a lot, Natsue!" Bulma complained, glaring at the smirking Saiyan. "It's not as if he needed any encouragement to eat the entire contents of the fridge in one sitting, now he gets to eat my ice cream, too."

"For now, I'm saying three weeks, then we'll see how you're doing," Natsue decided, scribbling some notes down on a page in Bulma's medical file. "I'll get you a revised list, okay? Secondly, during those three weeks, I order you to complete bed rest. Unless you are taking care of personal hygiene, I want you in bed, understood? Capsule Corp will be waiting for you," she continued, seeing Bulma about to interrupt and bring work up herself. "You do have a telephone and a personal assistant who can drop by with things for your approval, do you not?"

"Yes, of course, but-"

"No more than two hours on any given day," Natsue said firmly. "If you do, I'll have my hand slapper here eat triple chocolate fudge brownie ice cream in front of you while you tell him what was so urgent that it was more important than your unborn son's health."

"Can I have whipped cream and a cherry?" Vegeta asked in a manner completely devoid of innocence.

Bulma gaped at him.

"Of course you should," Natsue agreed. "You do realize, however, that should you bravely accept the assignment of hand slapper, you can't just tease her with her favorite restricted foods for no reason. Oh, and don't forget, you'll also be making a lot of midnight runs for weird foods to satisfy her cravings."

"What? That's not worth it," the disgruntled Saiyan objected. "Let her eat the damn ice cream, then."

"Oh, honey, you misunderstand me," Natsue began. "Surely you realize-"

"I'm not your 'honey'-"

"-that you'll be doing that, anyway. So you might as well see the job of hand slapper as a perk, but not one to be abused. That was my point."

"Give me a good reason why I would go out in the middle of the night for weird food," Vegeta demanded.

"Because it's easier to deal with than the side effects of the cravings," Natsue assured him. "Besides, we both know what kind of a sweet young lady Bulma can be when she's upset about something."

Vegeta snorted and rolled his eyes; nothing else needed to be said.

"Hey!"

"Wouldn't you rather nip that in the bud by shutting her up?"

"I suppose you do have a point, Woman."

"Hey!"

"All right, we have dietary restrictions and bed rest," Natsue reiterated. "There's one more thing-"

"Oh, please don't let her say what I think she's going to," Bulma muttered.

"I want you to abstain for two months-"

"Aaaugh! I knew it! How am I supposed to do that with him around? I mean, for Kami's sake look at him!" Bulma demanded, gesturing wildly with her hands at his muscular physique. "You weren't kidding when you said you didn't know much about Saiyans, were you? How on Earth do you expect that to happen?"

Vegeta's eyebrow rose. Since Bulma had become rather ravenous between the sheets lately, her reaction made it pretty clear what the doctor was talking about, but he had to be certain. "Now, when you say 'abstain', you mean-"

"No sex," the doctor said bluntly.

"What? Why the hell not?" Vegeta wailed, like a kid told he could look at a dish of candy all he wanted but not to expect to eat any of it. "What am I supposed to do?"

"I think you'll manage to survive just fine," Natsue said dryly. "Incidentally, I neglected to ask you when the last time you two were intimate was." She was met with silence from both brooding parents. "Well?"

"Who knows?" Vegeta muttered grumpily. ~No sex? I can't screw my own woman? What the hell?~ "What time is it?"

Natsue's jaw momentarily dropped in surprise before she caught herself when she noticed Bulma going a lovely shade of pink. "I see. Evidently, Bulma being pregnant doesn't turn you off, then."

"Nothing turns Vegeta off," Bulma retorted, the blush deepening. "If anything, he's gotten even friskier in the past couple of weeks."

"Well, it's not my fault that your body and scent changed," Vegeta retorted defensively. "It's even more..." He trailed off, unwilling to admit that while he had always appreciated her body, lately he found her downright alluring. It was part of the reason he had been spending long stretches of time in the GR; otherwise, if he found himself distracted by the temptation of his luscious mate's body, he might be tempted not to resume his training in favor of jumping into bed with her.

"I never said you two couldn't have your fun, Vegeta, especially you. As long as you keep out of Bulma's shorts, that is. No intercourse, no orgasms," Natsue said firmly.

"Oh, this is really fair. I can't have any fun when he's the one who got me pregnant to begin with. Two months!" Bulma complained bitterly. "Well, it's for my baby's well being. I guess it could be a lot worse, so I can't complain."

"Thank you for complying with my restrictions, Bulma," Natsue said softly. "Doctor's orders are never meant to be cruel. They're always for a reason. You know that. When you don't feel like following them, just think about your little boy and how precious he'll be. Trust me, the look I see on a new mother's face after 27 hours of labor when she holds her baby for the first time tells me that all of her efforts were worth it, without even having to ask." She smiled. "You two are going to have an absolutely beautiful child, there's no doubt about that."

Bulma smiled, almost shyly. "Thanks, Natsue," she whispered.

"You're welcome. Call me if you have any concerns, if the bleeding doesn't stop by tomorrow or if it gets worse, all right? I'll call in the nurse to draw your blood, then you can get dressed and sit in the waiting room while I finish up with daddy here. Vegeta, please come with me," Natsue requested, shoving a few items in her jacket and exiting the room.

"What for?" Vegeta asked accusingly.

"I've decided to take your blood myself," she told him, shutting the door behind him and going across the hallway to another room. "This is my private office. I'd like to have a word with you, if I may. Okichi?" she called to a nearby nurse. "Could you please draw a vial of blood from Bulma Briefs in room three? Oh, and tell her we're done so she can use the bathroom now. Thank you!" Natsue opened the door to her office and gestured for Vegeta to come inside.

Vegeta sighed and went into the office. "Fine." ~I've already tolerated enough from this woman as it is.~

"Have a seat, please," she offered, shutting the door.

He sat in one of the empty seats in front of the large desk at the far end of the office. "What is it?"

Natsue reached into her pocket and pulled out a glove, snapping it on, then proceeded to secure a rubber strip around one bicep. "Look, it's evident to me that you're far from intellectually challenged, so I'm not going to insult you by beating around the bush. You are, however, a very stubborn, proud man," she noted, tearing open an alcohol swab and rubbing it on the inside of his elbow. She felt for his vein with her fingertips. "Could you open and shut your hand for me a few times, then make a fist, please?"

Vegeta decided to just do as she asked. The sooner this was over with, the sooner he could leave this place.

"Thanks." She felt for the vein again. "You've got deep veins," she commented, flicking her finger against the spot a couple of times before feeling again. "There you are, you pesky vein," she muttered, wiping the spot again and pulling the safety cap off of the needle. She paused. "You're not nervous about needles, are you?"

Vegeta snorted. "Kakarrot is afraid of needles. I am a warrior. I have led many skirmishes and have had swords thrust through my belly and emerge from my back. No, I am not afraid of a mere needle, Woman."

"No, I guess you wouldn't be," she murmured, managing to hold back her stunned reaction. "I always warn my patients unless they don't want to know. Just a little poke..." She pushed the needle into his vein in one smooth motion and started the draw. "My goodness, you've got a gusher there," she noted, reaching up to release the band from his arm. "You can open your hand now."

Vegeta watched as his blood rushed into the little tube. "What do you hope to determine from your testing?" he asked as she pulled off the tube and stuck a new one on.

"I have to admit that I am fascinated and excited by the prospect of treating a patient expecting a child with a father of another species. I really appreciate your cooperation with this," she told him. "Besides, since I will be watching Bulma's pregnancy closely, any help I can get by contrasting the differences brought about by your DNA in comparison to a human man's DNA will greatly help me determine whether I can expect something out of the ordinary to be a normal difference or if it's something I need to be concerned about." She put a piece of gauze on the spot and withdrew the needle, then put a Band-Aid on it.

Vegeta digested this. "I see."

"I'll send Bulma a copy of the test results," Natsue offered. "I'm sure she'll be interested in my findings."

"Hn." Something odd caught Vegeta's eye, and he looked down at his arm. "What the hell is this?" he asked with a mild frown, eyeing the picture on the bandage.

"Oh, that's Scooby Doo," she informed him, an amused look on her face. "Sorry. We treat small children who need special attention here too, and use them when the kids get their blood drawn. They think they're cute, so it takes away some of the scariness of being poked with a needle." She took the vials and labeled them. "Just be glad you didn't get Powerpuff Girls."

Just the name was enough to make him want to shudder. "Hmph. Powerpuff Girls." Vegeta spied the candy dish on her desk. "Are those for good little boys and girls who don't cry when they see a needle?" he asked sarcastically. "If that's the case, Kakarrot will never get one."

Natsue laughed. After that and the whipped cream and cherry comment, it seemed that perhaps this one did have a sense of humor. "If that's your way of saying you were a good boy and want a sucker, help yourself. I prefer the red Tootsie Pops myself."

"Hmm. That wasn't my intent, but I don't mind if I do." Vegeta leaned forward to examine the dish's contents and went with her recommendation of the Tootsie Pop, only a blue one instead.

"Look, Bulma didn't come out and say it, but I can tell that she's very distressed about this situation because while she is tremendously excited about becoming a mother, she believes that you are completely disinterested and detached and that you could care less about the outcome of her visit today, and most of all that you want absolutely nothing to do with this child."

Vegeta leaned forward in his seat. "Look, Woman-"

"Oh, no, I'm not done yet. You'll get your turn when I'm through. And these are my words, not hers," she told him, holding up a hand to quiet whatever else he was about to say. "What must make it even worse for her is that it's obvious to me that she's very much in love with you," she continued, noting his startled reaction. "Surprised? Why? She obviously sees something about you that fills a need she has, something that the rest of us may not recognize the way she does. If you didn't care about her, not only would you not be in my office right now giving me your blood and listening to me talk even though you don't feel like being here, but you would have told her to go call a cab or get one of her employees to drive her, so don't even start with any baloney about her meaning nothing to you, even if that's what your behavior intends to indicate."

Vegeta scowled at her. She had him on that one, even though he would never admit it, either to her or anyone else for that matter.

She crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. "Don't say anything right now. Just go home and think about what I've told you. Bulma isn't expecting and doesn't want any forced fake declarations of undying love from you. She isn't expecting you to stop whatever your training is that you would have otherwise been doing right now. She isn't expecting you to be anything you're not. She just wants you to be, that's all. I can tell that she couldn't possibly want anything more than she wants your acceptance of this child as his father, not just someone who unintentionally impregnated her and regrets it down to his toes. I've seen it so many times that it makes me want to cry for these lonely women. All she wants is your support. Believe it or not, your just sticking around for her would mean more to her than her parents' or her friends', or her doctor's support. Just take her home and do stupid little things for her now and then, whether or not she expects them. Listen to her if she's sad or lonely. Give her a hug, hold her hand, tell her she's beautiful, because she is, inside and out, and I know you know it." Natsue sighed and steepled her fingers, tapping the fingertips together. "Just think about it, okay? Seriously, Bulma doesn't want anything you're not capable of offering. She doesn't want a personal servant or a whipping boy that she can mold into a so-called perfect man. If you weren't perfect the way you are, she wouldn't have picked you, would she? Just tone down the tough guy thing a little. There's no shame in showing her that you care."

Vegeta sat there, stunned. At first he was angry that this woman, who didn't know him or anything about him, would dare to lecture him, Vegeta, Prince of all Saiyans, but she had indisputably hit the nail on the head far too many times and he simply didn't know what to say. He just shook his head and got up from his seat.

"You think I'm full of it and just unloaded a crock of it on you, hmm? Try one thing I suggested. Just one, and see how she takes it. Isn't giving just the tiniest bit of yourself worth seeing the happiness shine in her eyes?"

Again, Vegeta was forced to admit that she was right. He had realized on his own that making even tiny concessions for his woman pleased her greatly. "I- I don't know what you're talking about," he growled, regaining your composure. This woman was starting to get under his skin. She was too stinking perceptive of such a private individual like him, someone she didn't even know.

Natsue shook her head sadly. "Prince Vegeta," she began respectfully, "I'm not trying to tell you what to do. What I am trying to do is to show you that you have a choice. Yes, a choice, one that only you can make or even implement. A choice that will affect her life, infinitely more than you know. Or maybe you do know and it freaks you out to even think about it. I wouldn't do this for just anyone, in fact, you're the first. I love Bulma like my own sister, and I don't want to see her unhappy when potential happiness is so close by for not only her, but for you as well. Please think about it. If you decide that I'm full of it and you want me to say nothing more, I'll respect your wishes. On the other hand, if you want to ask me anything and get my honest opinion, I'll give it to you. Here. Please take this," she held out her business card, her eyes pleading with him to accept it. "Don't tell Bulma I said anything to you about her. Just tell her I asked you to give her this. Hold on..." He watched as she typed something on her computer, popped a small device the size of a stick of chewing gum into a hole on the computer, and pulled it out after a moment's pause. "Here. This is a copy of Bulma's ultrasound pictures that she can show her parents and her friends. Stuff like this is important to moms-to-be, even if it seems silly to want pictures of a blobby looking thing with a disproportionally huge head and stubby little limbs." She handed it to him, along with the paper from Bulma's file that she'd made some notes on. "Thanks. There's a new list for her, too."

Vegeta gave her a little nod of acknowledgement before turning to leave.

"Oh, Vegeta? By the way, I agree with you. That boy Chomei is an utter brat and if it were up to me I'd spank his butt faster than you could blink," Natsue declared with a smirk. "If you're worried about ending up with a brat, well, don't. Since dear Chomei is still with us, I can't see you being cruel to your own child, but you wouldn't tolerate your son being a brat either. Another choice you have." She gave him a genuine smile and stood up, offering him her hand. "Thanks for coming today. It meant so much to Bulma."

He hesitated, then accepted her hand and shook it briefly. "Sure."

"Well, I look forward to seeing you next visit," she told him. "Think about it, that's all I ask. For Bulma. Have a good afternoon, Vegeta."

He paused and gave her another nod before letting himself out. "Good afternoon."

Natsue sighed deeply and sank back into her chair. Couldn't this man see what he had? "Oh, Bulma, I hope for the best for you," she whispered. "For all three of you."

***

Vegeta opened the door to the waiting room and looked around. Bulma was nowhere to be seen.

"Sir, are you Vegeta?" the receptionist asked him.

Vegeta pulled the sucker he'd unwrapped in the hallway out of his mouth, slightly embarrassed to be caught doing something so childish. "Yes," he confirmed. "I'm looking for Bulma Briefs."

The woman nodded. "She said she felt hungry and went to find something to eat. She said if she finished before you came out, she'd come back, but otherwise she'd be outside the building."

"Thanks," he mumbled. ~Why am I being polite to these stupid humans?~

"You're welcome, sir. Have a nice afternoon." The receptionist went back to what she had been doing.

"Bye, Mister!"

Vegeta felt the fine hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Chomei. ~He's still here?~ A malicious little smirk covered his face and he turned to face the obnoxious boy. He stuck out his now blue tongue and pulled down his lower eyelid with one finger before sticking the sucker back in his mouth and heading for the door.

"Mama, that man sticked his tongue out at me!" was the last thing he heard before the door shut.

He entered the elevator and pushed the button for the ground floor. "Stupid brat," he muttered, chuckling as he recalled the boy's shocked expression that a grown-up had stuck out his tongue at him and insulted him.

As he left the elevator, he noticed Bulma outside on a bench, licking away at an ice cream cone. He exited the building and sat down beside her. "Tsk, tsk. Am I obligated to take that away and eat it myself already?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Nope. It's French vanilla, though, and it's too rich for my taste. If I'm going to eat rich ice cream, chocolate is the only way to go. If you want it you can have it," she offered.

"Where's the fun if I can't take it away from you?" Vegeta asked. He shrugged and took the cone anyway.

"Vegeta, your tongue is blue," Bulma informed him.

"Oh, right. According to you humans I am an alien, remember?" Vegeta polished off the rest of the cone in two bites before sticking the sucker back into his mouth.

Bulma almost gaped at him. "You're eating a sucker?" She giggled. "Well, that's certainly a sight I ever expected to see."

"Evidently I was a good boy." Vegeta bit the last of the candy off of the stick and casually tossed it into a nearby pot of flowers.

"Vegeta," Bulma chastised him. "That's not being a very good boy, you know."

He pretended not to hear. "Come on, let's go home, Woman," he told her, taking her by the arm and standing her on her feet. "I'm hungry and I want my lunch."

Bulma suddenly looked very tired. "Vegeta, I'm really not up to cooking right now. Let's just grab something and take it home to eat. Then, I promise not to make a fuss about going to bed."

"I guess so," he agreed. "Where else is there to eat around here besides the steak place?"

"Let's see... there's Italian, Thai, Eastern junk food, yuck! Of course, French fries do sound a little appealing right now. Mexican, Chinese-"

"Done," Vegeta decided. "I want some egg rolls. Where is this place?"

***

"Thanks, Ms. Briefs. I put some extra plum sauce in there for you." The waiter handed Bulma a capsule. "Have a great afternoon!"

"Thank you," Bulma told the young man, waving as she and Vegeta left. She sighed. "I can't believe how tired I am all of a sudden," she commented. "I feel like someone pulled my plug or something."

Vegeta looked around and, not seeing enough people to make an unwanted show of it, picked Bulma up and rocketed into the air.

"Oooh," Bulma moaned, holding her stomach and momentarily going cross-eyed.

"You're not going to puke all over me, are you?" Vegeta asked suspiciously.

"I think it was just the sudden change in altitude," Bulma decided. "But at least I have plenty of fresh air. I'm just going to close my eyes and rest until we get home." She slid her arms around him again and rested her head against his shoulder. "Mmmm... you smell good," she whispered, snuggling closer.

Vegeta snuck a look at her. She looked pretty content. "Should I slow down or get back as soon as possible?"

"I'm feeling a little better now and actually enjoying the ride. You can take a nice, slow pace." She smiled against his chest. Vegeta seemed to have lightened up a little and her baby was fine. Maybe this would be a passable day, after all.

***

"Thank you for taking me today, Vegeta," Bulma said quietly as they entered the kitchen. "I know you didn't want to go and I really appreciate it." She put her purse down on the counter and got out the capsule containing their lunch.

Vegeta shrugged. "You just would have complained all day if I hadn't taken you. It was easier to put up with and I got lunch out of the deal."

Her face fell as she heard his cruel words and her eyes filled with tears, despite her extreme effort not to let him see her cry again. She turned away from him. "Vegeta, I know you don't want this baby or anything to do with him, but the least you could do is try not to be so hurtful about it."

He took her arm and turned her around to face him. "I suppose I phrased that poorly," he admitted, although part of him felt that way; the other part was battling with what Natsue told him in her office.

As much as Vegeta kept telling himself that what Bulma thought and that her emotions toward him and the child in her womb that he had fathered didn't affect him in the least, deep inside he knew that was a lie, and that knowledge infuriated him. He honestly didn't know how he felt about the situation.

"Really? You don't say," Bulma clipped out, unable to hold in her tears and unwilling to look at him lest he say something else hurtful or mock her emotions. "Then what the hell do you mean? Do you honestly give a rat's backside about our son or me, or anything?"

"Damn it, Bulma, I don't know..." Vegeta let go of her arm and ran his hand over his face tiredly. "I honestly don't know what to think or how to feel about this," he told her in a much milder voice, fighting the helpless feeling knotting in the pit of his belly. "I- I'm not used to this. I didn't ask for it and never expected it after my planet and my people were destroyed. And now, all of a sudden I'm thrust into..." He let out an exasperated sigh. "I just don't know, and you keep pushing and pushing at me for the answer you want to hear. I won't lie to you, Bulma, and say I'm ecstatic about the brat or that I detest this whole father thing. I can't and won't promise you anything."

Bulma looked up at him with eyes that now displayed a glimmer of a different emotion- hope. "I- I'm sorry, Vegeta. I wasn't intending to be pushy. It's just that, well, it eats away at me not knowing how you feel about any aspect of my pregnancy." She dropped his gaze and looked down at his shirt. "It would almost be easier if you told me that you didn't want... that you hated this baby."

Vegeta tipped her chin up, forcing her to look at him. "Bulma, I never said I hated the brat, did I?" he objected. "Now stop crying so we can eat, then you're going to bed."

Bulma was unsure of whether he said this in order to be commandeering or if it was because he actually did care, but at the moment it didn't really matter. "Okay," she whispered. "Just hold me for a minute first." Her blue eyes gazed into his, imploring him to grant her request.

Vegeta resigned himself to the fact that if he denied her simple request, it would crush her like a delicate flower, like the fragile porcelain doll she'd been since the pregnancy had begun to take its toll on her weak body.

...it's obvious to me that she's very much in love with you... Just take her home and do stupid little things for her now and then, whether or not she expects them. Listen to her if she's sad or lonely. Give her a hug, hold her hand, tell her she's beautiful, because she is, inside and out, and I know you know it...

He held in his sigh and pulled the woman before him gently against his body, enclosing her small frame in his arms.

Her body began to tremble and he could feel her tears on his chest. "What now, Woman?"

"This is another good cry, Vegeta," she whispered. "I can't help but cry when you're so wonderful like this." She reached up to caress the side of his cheek with her hand, giving him a shaky smile and a look of such adoration that it took him by surprise. "I think I... I... Oh, Vegeta..." She pulled him down to her to give him a warm, passionate kiss.

He hadn't been expecting that and started a little, but found himself tightening his arms around her and responding to her kiss. She moaned against his lips and slid her arms around him.

The kiss grew more heated, and she reluctantly pulled away when she felt his body responding. "I'm sorry, Vegeta," she told him sincerely. "Kami knows I want to, and I wouldn't hesitate if I could, but I just can't risk it." She rested her head against his chest.

His voice broke the silence. "You really want this brat, don't you?"

She nodded and looked up at him. "More than anything. You know how excited I was when I found out that I was pregnant."

He pursed his lips. "Even though it's my brat?"

Bulma blinked. "Vegeta, yes! Why would you ask such a thing?" She unwrapped her arms from around him and grasped his hands. "I asked you to live here, I took you into my bed. I was so happy when you wanted me for your mate." Her hand reached up to cup his cheek. "Do you really think I would have willingly allowed any of that, or anything that's happened between us if I didn't..." She dropped her eyes, blushing.

"Didn't what?" he prompted, again recalling Natsue's words to him earlier.

"Vegeta, I..." Bulma bit her lip, afraid of his response, but equally worried that he would become irritated if she continued to stall.

He wasn't sure why he was pushing the woman the way he was. Perhaps it was to see if there actually was any truth to the doctor's ramblings earlier. "What, Bulma?"

She met his gaze with hers; her blue eyes glistened with unshed tears. "I love you," she whispered, confirming his suspicions. The doctor's assessment had been correct.

Vegeta did not miss the hint of fear in her voice. So, she was afraid to tell him, afraid that his response would not be a favorable one. His expression didn't change. "Why?"

Bulma blinked, startled. This was hardly what she'd expected. "Wh- what do you mean, why?" she stammered.

"I do not claim to know what this 'love' is of which you like to speak so often, but I do grasp the general connotation, that of affection. Correct?"

Bulma nodded. "Yes. But, it's more than simply affection, and there are different kinds of love. I love my parents and this baby," she explained, resting her hands on her slightly swollen belly, "but that's a different kind of love than that I have for my friends."

"Like the women's physician?" Vegeta asked. He had been a little weirded out when Natsue had said she loved Bulma.

"Yes, like Natsue. She's a dear friend of mine and I care about her very much." Bulma took one of Vegeta's hands in hers. "But, the way I feel about you is completely different. Romantic love between a man and a woman involves more than affection. It's also devotion, desire, passion, loyalty. It's wanting to be with and cherish only that person, and no one else. Love can hurt so badly, yet feel so wonderful at the same time."

As idiotic as her last comment seemed, it would explain why the woman continued to desire him, even after he'd said something hurtful. "Hmm. This brings me back to my original question. Why?"

Bulma shook her head. "Vegeta, if you're asking me why I love you, I can't really answer that. You can't decide who you're going to love. It just happens. You just know that person is the one, somehow." A faint blush spread across her cheeks.

"I have ravaged worlds and exterminated entire races without remorse, and you want to cherish me?" Vegeta asked skeptically.

She gave him a little smile. "I see a man who has been neglected the love and attention he deserves, and I feel a strong desire to be the one to show you that it doesn't have to be that way," she said softly. "I can see that deep down you're a good man with good qualities," she continued, shushing him with a gentle finger upon his lips when he opened his mouth to contradict her, "but you were raised in such a deplorable way that you were forced to suppress those good qualities, and to do things contrary to them. It's normal and natural to love and be loved, and there's no shame in wanting that, Vegeta. I want to help you understand that, and feel that."

Vegeta pursed his lips into a crooked frown. "Woman, I have no declarations of this love and devotion to give to you," he told her matter-of-factly. "The only thing I can assure you of is that you will be bitterly disappointed if that is what you are looking for."

Bulma refused to be deterred. "Vegeta, I'm not looking for any declarations of love and devotion from you," she told him softly, further echoing Natsue's earlier assessment. "Just let me take care of you and our son the best I can. That's all." She couldn't help but caress the side of his cheek.

She could tell that he was reaching the ending point of his patience before he became angry at having his flaws pointed out when he pulled away uncomfortably and let out his breath. "I do not require love, Woman. Do not delude yourself into believing that you can change me, either," he told her coldly. "Love is a meaningless emotion to me."

"Then why have you stayed here when you feel you have nothing to gain from being here?" Bulma asked softly, deciding to take a chance that she might further anger him. "Why did you do this?" She placed his hand on her neck so he could feel the scar he'd left when he'd claimed her, then ran her finger along the scar on his neck, inwardly pleased when he closed his eyes and shuddered at her touch. "You told me that you wanted me, and that you intended to make me yours and only yours. I agreed to that, because it's what I want, too," she whispered. "Maybe Saiyans weren't as devoid of emotion as you were lead to believe."

He opened his eyes and scowled at her. She had stepped on his toes, that much was apparent. "Woman-"

Before he could react otherwise, she stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him. "I'm not asking for anything other than for you to let me love you," she whispered, sliding her arms around his neck. "I can't help it. All I want is you, here beside me." She kissed him, longer this time, pleased once more when his arms slowly closed around her and he returned her kiss.

She sighed contentedly and gave him another one of those looks of utter adoration that still rattled him when they parted. "Lunch can wait a little longer," she informed him, letting her fingertips tickle their way down his chest.

He cursed himself for the millionth time when he was unable to suppress a second shudder. "W-woman... What are you-"

"Shhh. I'm loving you."

***

"Bulma, we're home!" Mrs. Briefs called out as they entered the house.

"In the kitchen, Mom!" Bulma called back.

Vegeta sighed. "So much for a peaceful meal," he grumbled, polishing off an egg roll.

Bulma nudged Vegeta's leg with her toe. "Hey, you. Mom's always been nothing but nice to you."

"Yes, too nice." Vegeta tossed down his chopsticks and picked up his soup bowl.

Bulma picked at her food. "You want the rest of my moo goo gai pan?"

"Mmm-hmm," he mumbled from behind the bowl.

Mrs. Briefs breezed into the kitchen. "Hello Bulma, Vegeta," she said cheerily. "My, it smells wonderful in here."

"There's plenty left over if you and Daddy are hungry, Mom," Bulma offered.

"Just don't eat my egg rolls," Vegeta growled.

Mrs. Briefs laughed merrily. "Oh, Vegeta! You're so funny." She patted his shoulder as she approached the table. "So, what's left? If it's something Shatsu likes, I'll bring him a plate."

"Straight to the lab?"

"Yes, straight to the lab." Mrs. Briefs sighed, clucking sadly. "He works too hard, your father."

"Vegeta, did you finish off the chop suey?" Bulma asked. "I know Daddy likes that."

Vegeta poked at the flap of the container with his chopsticks. "No, there's a little left."

Bulma frowned. "Veg, that's gross."

"Hmph."

"That will do just fine. Thank you, Vegeta." Mrs. Briefs took the container and put it and a bowl of rice on a tray. "What did you have, Bulma?"

"Uhm, some hoi sin kow, moo goo gai pan, and wonton soup," Bulma responded. She looked over at Vegeta out of the corner of her eye to see him raise his soup bowl back up to his mouth. "Oh yeah. And some young guy fun," she said innocently, in her best ethnic accent.

Vegeta spasmed slightly as he tried not to choke on his soup and gave Bulma a sharp look over the bowl.

Well, that confirmed it- Vegeta understood Eastern Standard.

"What was that, dear?" Mrs. Briefs turned back to the occupants of the kitchen table, tray in hand. "Is that something new-" She paused, then her cheeks flushed pink. "Bulma Jean Briefs!" she exclaimed with a giggle, "you naughty girl!"

Much to Vegeta's chagrin, Mrs. Briefs evidently also understood Eastern Standard.

The blonde woman patted Vegeta's shoulder again as she went by, noting his slightly pink countenance. "Good for you, dear," she decided, murmuring to herself about young love and how wonderful it was.

"What the hell was that all about, Woman?" Vegeta demanded once the elder Briefs woman had gone. "Are you trying to choke me?"

Bulma lay down her chopsticks and dabbed at her mouth with her napkin. "Well," she began contemplatively, "I decided that if you were going to have bad table manners, then so would I."

"Bad table manners?" Vegeta echoed, insulted. "Woman, I am a prince. I do not have bad table manners. That third class retard Kakarrot has bad table manners. I have seen his attempts to eat." He grimaced in distaste.

Bulma almost giggled at what Vegeta had just said, but managed to hold it in. "Vegeta, don't you remember what you just did? That was bad table manners."

Vegeta frowned. "What are you talking about, Woman?"

"Putting your chopsticks in food meant for everyone is gross, especially if you've already used them. Which you have," Bulma pointed out. "At least turn them around and use the other ends."

Vegeta growled.

"I'm not trying to scold you or tell you what to do," Bulma told him softly. "I just don't want you to be embarrassed if you do something that happens to be incorrect here. That's all." She slid her plate over beside his and stood up with a stretch and a groan.

"Bed."

"What?"

"The physician for females required you to rest," Vegeta reminded her as he dug into the remainder of her lunch. "Tell your mother you must rest and then go to bed."

Bulma shifted on her feet nervously. "I just don't want her to worry."

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "You carry her grandchild, as she is so fond of telling everyone. Of course she is going to shriek about it."

Bulma sighed. "Thanks for the encouraging words."

Vegeta looked up from his food. "I told you the brat is fine. The woman told you he is fine. Quit worrying about it and go to bed before you do become ill. I don't feel like listening to you whine and weep that you should have stayed in bed if something happens to him."

"Is something wrong, dear?"

Mrs. Briefs stood behind them, clutching her hands together worriedly.

"Not exactly," Bulma began slowly. "I had some bleeding this morning, so Vegeta took me to see Natsue."

"Oh! Are you all right? You... you haven't..." Mrs. Briefs trailed off.

"The brat is fine," Vegeta interrupted before Bulma could speak. "The physician believes that the woman is experiencing minor difficulties because of my Saiyan genes. It will pass."

"The woman?" Bulma echoed irritably, although inwardly she was pleased that Vegeta had obviously paid attention. It was then that she couldn't help but wonder what else Natsue had spoken to Vegeta about in her office.

Vegeta ignored Bulma's indignant response. "She must remain in bed until the physician gives her leave to resume normal activities," continued.

"Oh, then we need to get you to bed right away, dear," Mrs. Briefs decided. "Come along, now." She herded her daughter out of the kitchen.

Vegeta merely shrugged and continued eating. Hopefully these crazy females would allow him to finish his meal in peace.

His silent plea was thwarted as Mrs. Briefs reentered the kitchen and sat down across from him at the table. "It was very good of you to take Bulma to the doctor today," she told him softly. "I can tell that she's dreadfully worried about the possibility of losing the baby."

Vegeta looked up at her. "The child's ki is strong. There is no danger."

Mrs. Briefs nodded. "Thank you, just the same. Bulma said it really meant a lot to her for you to be there."

Vegeta paused. What was he supposed to say to that? "I suppose she seemed pleased."

Mrs. Briefs smiled. "Bulma loves you very much, you know."

Vegeta continued to stare at her for a few seconds before going back to his food in a very reclusive fashion.

Mrs. Briefs could see that her statement had taken him off guard. "I'm sorry if you weren't expecting to hear me say that, but she does. I think she has since she first met you," she mused. "And she's so excited about being a mother, oh my! She was so pleased when she told me about her ultrasound today. Did you see the baby too?"

How the blonde-haired woman so easily switched tracks from one topic to the next was a mystery. "Yes, she insisted that I look."

Mrs. Briefs giggled at the expression on his face. "Not much to look at right now, are they?"

"Not really," Vegeta agreed a little uncomfortably. He pushed his chair back and got up from the table.

"It's exciting that we can actually watch them grow." Mrs. Briefs lapsed back into her thoughtful mode. "I still have my ultrasound pictures from when I was pregnant with Bulma. Those are the things that a mother cherishes until her baby is born, and then for the memories later. I do hope Bulma is able to get some pictures." She giggled at Vegeta's expression; a blank stare coupled with a bit of trepidation colored his features. "You were able to see a few things, weren't you?"

Vegeta couldn't explain what it was about this woman that kept him from telling her off or even simply leaving the room. "Yes." He straightened up a little, suddenly remembering something of importance that he'd discovered that day.

"What is it, dear? Could you see the baby's arms and legs?"

"My son has a tail," he proclaimed proudly.

Mrs. Briefs smiled for the young man's evident pleasure that his son would have a tail. "How wonderful, Vegeta!" She giggled. "I suppose we'll have to cut little holes in his diapers for it to poke through. Or maybe we can order them specially made, just for him."

"Hn." Vegeta's attempt at keeping up an emotionless façade failed when the blonde-haired female giggled again and clapped her hands, and an amused smirk flickered at his lips.

"Oh my, but think how adorable he'll be," Mrs. Briefs continued. "With two such good-looking parents, how could he not be?" She paused thoughtfully. "I wonder, if he's a bald baby, will his tail still be fuzzy?" she mused to no one in particular.

"The boy will have hair when he is born," Vegeta spoke up immediately. "All Saiyan infants' heads were completely covered with hair when they came out of the gestation tanks, and none of this odd human trait of bald infants or those with very little hair. My son will have hair. Make no mistake about that."

If she hadn't known better, Mrs. Briefs would have sworn that the young man was offended by her question. "Oh," she said simply. "Well, Bulma wasn't bald when she was born, either, so I guess that doubles the odds that the baby won't be bald." She smiled again. "I'm sure he'll be very handsome."

Vegeta grunted in response. "Of course the child will be attractive. After all, he is my son."

Mrs. Briefs couldn't hold back a giggle. "You're such a dear young man," she declared.

"Hmph." A slight blush crept over the Saiyan's cheeks, a rather disgusting reaction that these two females tended to provoke in him. "I'm going to train."

"All right, dear. I'll have dinner ready around 5:30 or so." Mrs. Briefs watched him leave, a little smile on her face. He had thrice mentioned his son, and had actually seemed proud of the fact.

Wouldn't Bulma be pleased?

***

"Hey." Bulma turned off the television and tossed the remote on the bed as Vegeta came in.

He eyed her. Why did she continue to say 'hey' to him? "Hey, yourself."

She giggled. "Listen, I'm glad to see you."

Vegeta's eyebrow rose. "I have only been gone from your presence for approximately four hours, Woman."

Bulma shrugged. "Yes, well, I'm bored, and you're never boring," she told him, gracing him with a smile.

"What am I, your entertainment today? If so, I assure you that you will be bored," Vegeta responded dryly.

She merely patted the bed beside her. "Come sit with me for a minute."

"What for?"

"Vegeta... just come sit with me." Bulma retrieved her laptop from her nightstand. "You're going to help me relieve my boredom."

Deciding it was better than listening to her complain, Vegeta did as she asked and crawled onto the bed next to her. He squirmed suddenly and pulled the remote out from underneath his backside where he'd inadvertently sat upon it, scowling at her giggles as he shoved it onto his nightstand. "What do you want?"

"That's just the question," Bulma countered, opening the laptop. "What do you want? I want a challenge while I'm laid up in bed, and I'm sure you can think of some new little gizmo or thingamabob that you can use for your training, can't you?"

Her offer took him completely off guard, as he had assumed that she most likely regretted building him what she already had. "You want to make me more equipment?"

She shrugged. "Why not? I have nothing better to do for two months, right? I might as well do something useful if I'm not even allowed to do any work."

"This isn't work?"

"Well, it's work to invent things, but Natsue meant secular work. You know, the kind that involves stressful decisions and stuff you'd rather not think about." A slow smile crept over her lips. "You'd better take me up on my offer before I change my mind about building you any more new toys."

"Hmph." Based on her earlier complaints that he wasn't spending much time with her, he was inclined to believe her. "New toys."

Bulma giggled. "Well, if you don't want toys, what do you want?"

He thought about this for a moment. "Can you make some bots that I could spar with hand-to-hand? If the bots I have now can anticipate my moves, why not bots I can spar with?"

"You mean something humanoid?"

"Well, I was going to say bipedal and leave humans out of the equation, but since you mention it, sure. Something like that, yes." Vegeta grinned toothily.

"Let me guess, you want them to shriek in pain and bleed all over when you hit them, right?"

Vegeta could see the amusement in her eyes. "Sure, why not? Sounds good to me."

"Sounds good, huh? Well, I... Vegeta, speaking of bleeding, you're doing it all over the sheets again," Bulma pointed out. "Go get the first aid kit and a wet washcloth, and I'll clean you up."

"Woman-"

"Go. Shoo! And you'd better not go wandering off," Bulma warned as she gave him a little push toward the edge of the bed and closed the laptop again, placing it back on the nightstand.

"Wandering off, whatever," Vegeta grumbled irritably. As much as he was loathe to admit it, he was beginning to enjoy the personal attention she gave him while attending to his wounds. Her hands were so soft and gentle, and the warm wash cloth felt good. He understood now why she liked to do it for him, even if he couldn't fully understand this 'love' concept. He retrieved the items she'd asked for and returned to the bed.

Bulma took the wash cloth from him and put the first aid kit on the nightstand. "Sit here," she directed, patting the edge of the bed beside her. Normally she'd have him sit or lie on the bed and would kneel beside him on the mattress as she cleaned him up, but this would have to do. "Oh, this is where all of the blood is coming from," she commented as she cleaned up one cut in particular on his chest. "You're going to need stitches after you shower. It's too bad I don't have a senzu bean to give you, because that's going to leave a scar for sure."

He shrugged. "I have many scars. What is one more?"

Bulma paused. "I... Yes, you do."

He watched her as she cleaned the wound silently. "What is it, Woman?"

"I always wondered about them, especially the big ones. Like this one." Bulma drew a finger over a scar on his thigh, which was mostly hidden by his shorts. "Remember my discovery of this particular scar while we were on Namek, hmm?"

His naughty smirk matched her own. "I think I do. I wouldn't think too much about it though, Woman. There's nothing you can do about it right now, unless you are already that eager to have me eat triple chocolate fudge brownie ice cream in front of you."

She pouted momentarily then looked back up at him. "Will you tell me how you got it?"

He frowned. "No," he objected rather forcefully.

Bulma was taken aback by his reaction. "Sorry, I was just curious. You don't need to snap at me about it."

Vegeta sighed and looked away. "It... it is not a memory that I wish to discuss, Bulma. That is all. It has nothing to do with you." He didn't need to tell her any more of his childhood than she already knew, that Frieza had taken him from his father when he was a little boy and forced him into servitude before destroying the planet, and that life hadn't been easy for him growing up. Frieza had regularly beaten and tortured him even into adulthood, but Vegeta didn't want Bulma to know that as a child and until he was strong enough to keep them away, Frieza allowed his lieutenants to use and abuse him however they saw fit when he felt that the boy needed to be 'put back in line'. He didn't want her to know that the disgusting lizard enjoyed witnessing the abuse, or that they sometimes even abused him without their employer's consent, to which Frieza usually turned a blind eye. She didn't need to know what their abuse consisted of, the when, where, who, or especially the how. He didn't need to remember that himself. It was that horrific. It was worse than what he had done to his own victims.

Thus resurfaced the worst part- the why. Why had Frieza done this to him, why had he allowed all of this to happen? He knew why- because it had worked, unfortunately all too well. The spirited, headstrong little five-year-old boy Frieza had taken from his father had hardened into a cold-hearted, bloodthirsty, mindless killing machine while on purges. It was maim or be maimed, kill or be killed, abuse or be abused-

"I'm sorry, Vegeta. I won't mention it again." Bulma's voice interrupted his thoughts. All the better.

Vegeta shook his head, trying to clear it of the memories. "It is not your fault," he told her wearily. "I know you are only concerned. But you need not be."

"I know, and I won't mention it again," Bulma repeated. "Just always remember that I care about you, Vegeta, and that I love you." She resumed cleaning the wound when he dropped his eyes again. "I don't want to see you hurt. I wish I could help take your pain away."

His head shot up suddenly. "There is something you can do," he murmured, grasping her hand that was cleaning his wound.

"What?" His sudden change of behavior confused her.

Perhaps recalling ugly memories of his past had not been a completely bad thing after all. "I have your challenge, Woman. I have a new toy you can make me." A smirk crept onto his lips.

"What is it?" she asked eagerly. If he reacted this way to whatever had come to mind, she definitely wanted to be a part of it.

"I would not have all of these scars if I had access to senzu beans, as you indicated," Vegeta reminded her, "but I would have many, many more of them if Frieza had not had what was referred to as regeneration tanks on his ship."

"You mean, like what Goku used to get healed on Namek?" Bulma asked, recalling what Gohan had related to her. She assumed that Vegeta also must have used one after his fight with Goku when he first showed up on Earth, but wisely refrained from mentioning it.

"Exactly what Kakarrot used, yes," Vegeta agreed. "I want you to build me a regeneration tank."

Bulma blinked at him. "Vegeta, I'd be more than happy to make one for you if I knew how, but I haven't even the foggiest idea of where to start. Do you know?"

Vegeta nodded. "The basic concept, yes." He looked around the room.

"There are paper and pencils on the desk," Bulma offered, as if reading his mind.

Vegeta got up and found the paper. "I never really got a good look at one, except from the inside," he told her, "but the basic premise is as so."

She watched in awe as he sat back down beside her and began to rapidly sketch a rough picture of a squat, dome-shaped object with a glass top. A curved arm with a control panel protruded from it, and various hoses were attached. "So, you sat inside?"

"Yes, the patient sat here," Vegeta murmured, still sketching. "A breathing mask was fitted to him, and electrodes were attached to monitor vital signs. Then the tank was sealed and healing fluid pumped inside. I never did find out the composition of that fluid, but it very greatly assisted the healing process." He dropped the pencil on top of the paper.

"That's fascinating," Bulma breathed. "Wow, talk about a challenge for sure." She took hold of her chin in contemplation. "Did it work just on Saiyans, or other species too?"

"Everyone," Vegeta confirmed, "but I do not know if there were different types of fluid for each species or if the fluid was created to be compatible to all. As I said, I only ever saw one of the tanks upon awakening from being inside of it." He sighed, remembering how the alien doctor who had healed him the last time had attempted to give him his scouter, which he had rejected. "If I had a scouter, it might be possible to hack into one of Frieza's databases still in existence and download the information, but I no longer have one."

"That's what you think," Bulma told him in a sing-song voice, grinning when Vegeta turned to look at her in surprise.

"Where the hell would you get a scouter, Woman?" he demanded.

"I have the one Radditz was wearing when he came to Earth," she told him proudly. "It's not fully functional, but I'll bet I could get it working enough to rig it up to a computer."

He was looking at her with the same expression of fondness he'd had when she'd given him the bot. "Good," he said softly, reaching over to cup her cheek. "If you are able to fix the scouter and maintain a moderately pleasant attitude, you should do so." He chuckled at the expression on her face. "What? I've seen you throw inventions across your lab in anger, Woman. Your physician for females indicated that you must remain quiet, and I will not be blamed if you have a conniption if you are unable to fix it."

Bulma crossed her arms, a scowl on her face. "You're on, macho man. I'll have that thing fixed and ready to go before you know it."

Vegeta stood up and placed the paper on her lap. "I believe you, Bulma. I truly do." He leaned over to kiss her gently.

She smiled up at him when they parted. "Thanks, Vegeta."

He grunted in response. "I am going to take a shower," he told her, tossing the clothes he'd worn to the doctor's office in a laundry basket by the bed. Mrs. Briefs had provided it, since he never waited to put his clothes in the bathroom hamper.

"Didn't Mom just wash those jeans?" Bulma asked. "You couldn't have gotten them dirty already."

Vegeta peeled off his shorts, tossing them in after the jeans. "Some brat at the physician's office got candy on them," he complained.

Bulma giggled. "Veg, you weren't playing with that little boy in the waiting room, were you?" She smiled broadly, not only at the sight of the naked Saiyan standing cross-armed before her, but at the very thought of her mate playing with some random toddler in a waiting room.

Vegeta scowled. "No, I was not playful with that irritating brat. And why must you persist in addressing me by such nonsensical names unbefitting of the Prince of all Saiyans?" he growled.

"Sorry," she told him meekly. "Now quit teasing me and get that cute butt of yours in the shower," she demanded playfully in an attempt to lighten the mood.

She held in a sigh of relief when he merely waved off his admiring audience and trudged into the bathroom. "Whatever, Woman."

Bulma did notice a slight pinkness to his cheeks as he turned but said nothing. He really was cute when he blushed, she decided, and picked up his drawing again. "This design seems like such a waste of space," she murmured to herself, setting the sheet next to a blank one that had been beneath it. "What if..."

She was still sketching when he emerged from the bathroom. "What are you drawing?" he asked, having expected that she would simply attempt to construct a tank based on what he had outlined for her. "Plans for my humanoid bots?" He went over to his dresser and pulled out some clean clothes.

"I understand the reason for the regeneration tank design, but I just don't like it for some reason," Bulma responded. "While the dome design would allow for greater circulation of fluid, it seems like a waste of space. Also, what if the patient was injured to the extent that he wasn't able to sit up on his own? You'd either have to strap him into a seat or lay him down. I don't see either option comfortably happening here, especially if your patient is a very tall or big individual."

Vegeta realized that his eyebrows had risen in surprise at her observations and quickly pulled his clothes on as he went back over to the bed. "What did you have in mind?"

"What about a more cylindrical shape? Something taller and narrower," Bulma suggested, showing him a very rough sketch. "You could still sit if you wanted to, or, you could make the fluid such that by the time the tank filled up, the patient would actually float rather comfortably in it, relieving pressure on injured joints that would result from the weight of the body on them. Or," she continued with her rapid fire of excitement, "the cylinder could be made so that it could be placed on its side to lay the patient down, or at an angle to keep blood circulation higher at one end of the body than the other. Or what about making the whole thing portable so it could be encapsulated and you could take it with you? Kami, I have so many ideas, Vegeta! I can't wait to get that scouter fixed so I can get into that database! Who knows what other goodies I'll find? This is so cool!" She clasped her hands together, her blue eyes large and shining with excitement as she gazed up at him.

Vegeta had been utterly astonished by the sketches she'd been showing him; he hadn't expected this at all. He found that her enthusiasm was contagious, and another rare smile crept over his face as he shook his head in wonderment and sat down on the bed next to her. "You truly are a remarkable woman, Bulma," he told her softly, cupping her cheek in one large hand. "I knew I'd have your quick tongue to deal with when I mated you, but still I never expected such a mind and the woman."

Bulma blushed deeply, flattered by his implication. Even if he never actually said the words to her, she knew he found her attractive. Gohan had told her so. But now he had not only complimented her appearance but her intelligence, and neither compliment had been made in jest. She turned her face to nuzzle his palm and placed a kiss upon it before turning the intense blue gaze he would never admit that enthralled him back to meet his. She sighed blissfully when he kissed her ever so softly. Why couldn't he always be this way? "Thanks for everything today, Vegeta. It really meant a lot to me." She took his hand in hers.

"Hmph." Vegeta sat back against the headboard and was about to grab the remote control to turn on the television when something in the laundry basket caught his eye. ~The physician's list.~ "Woman, I have something from the physician that I neglected to give to you." He let go of her hand and leaned over to retrieve his dirty pants.

"What, Natsue's new list?"

"Here." Vegeta stuffed the paper into her hand and got up to leave, careful to keep the card Natsue had given him for himself. He didn't need to alert Bulma to the fact that Natsue had offered him her help.

Bulma opened the list, and a small object tumbled out. "Wait, what's this?" She looked up at Vegeta, who suddenly seemed a little uncomfortable. "This is a USB drive."

"The physician asked me to give it to you," he told her, not meeting her eyes. "She said you would wish to view it."

Bulma's face lit up like a thousand watt bulb. "Are these my ultrasound pictures?" she squealed in excitement. She grabbed her laptop and opened it, then popped the drive in an open port. "Ooh, I'll have to show Mom, and all of the girls at work..." She trailed off, suddenly realizing why Vegeta was acting so strangely. "Vegeta?"

"What is it, Woman?"

She swallowed, gathering up her courage. "Will you sit with me while I look at the pictures?"

That irksome feeling pitted itself in his stomach as her blue eyes silently pleaded with him. She nibbled at her bottom lip nervously, as if afraid he would be angered simply by asking such a thing of him. Just like holding her earlier, he knew it would crush her to refuse her simple request. His own mate should not be afraid to speak to him, and yet she was when it came to the child. His mind warred with itself every time he thought about his unborn son. While it was easier to cast all thoughts of the child aside, he knew he would have to come to terms with his mate's pregnancy if he desired to stay with her. Would it really hurt him to do another 'stupid little thing' for her? Did it really matter all that much?

Damn it!

"All right, Woman. But only for a moment."

Tears formed in her eyes and her lips trembled as he sat back down beside her. Wordlessly, she took his hand, her fingers threading through his. It didn't matter that he didn't react, that he wasn't paying much if any attention to the pictures, that he wasn't excited like she was. What mattered was that he was there with her without her having to beg him not to leave. She wanted more than anything for him to love her and their child, but first she needed to help him learn to accept her love. She cuddled up against him and squeezed his hand. She'd never give up on him.

Bulma burst into tears when she felt him squeeze her hand back ever so gently. Maybe he would get there sooner than later.