Choices: Bulma
written by NemKess
Choices
By George Jones
I've had choices, since the day that I was born
There were voices, that told me right from wrong
If I had listened, I wouldn't be here today
Living and dying, with the choices I made
I guess I'm paying, for the things that I have done
If I could go back, oh lord knows I'd run
but I'm still losing, this game of life I play
living and dying with the choices I made
Living and dying with the choices I made
"Stupid jerk," Bulma muttered to herself as she puttered around the lab. If someone had asked her, she probably wouldn't have been able to answer which 'stupid jerk' she was referring to. At that particular moment, any member of the male species qualified. Two in particular were on her mind though.
Yamcha and Vegita.
Yamcha, who was supposed to be her boyfriend, was off somewhere in the desert training for the androids. He'd been gone for almost a month now and Bulma was more than a little pissed at him. Vegita, who was supposed to be her guest, seemed to think that gave him the right to treat her and her family like his own personal slaves.
" 'Wash my clothes!' 'Fetch my dinner!' 'Prepare my bath!' Stupid jerk." She understood that his being royalty misled him into believing that it was his due, but damn if she was going to demean herself like that. She didn't even do those sorts of things for Yamcha unless she was in a really weird mood, why the hell would she do it for the Prince of Assholes? She wasn't his wife, girlfriend, or slave!
She had a sudden vision of being Vegita's wife and had to shudder to herself. Although he was attractive enough and was probably dynamite in bed, she doubted the few perks would be worth the aggravation of living with the man.
On the other hand, she did live with him and didn't even get the perks!
Realizing that the direction of her thoughts was going to get her in trouble, she turned her attention back to the computer in front of her. Her mind just wasn't in it though. For what seemed to her like the millionth time, she started her list comparing the two.
Both were good looking men. She'd be hard pressed to decide which was more attractive. Both were strong though Vegita was much more powerful. Of course, he had the decided advantage of not being human so that didn't count really. Yamcha was definitely the nice of the pair. Unless he was really mad, he was a pretty easy going individual and he got on well with everyone except Vegita. The Saiyin was rude, arrogant, and had a superiority complex bigger than the planet. He almost never got along with anyone, except maybe her mother, and that was only because the woman treated him like he thought he should be treated. And, she reminded herself sternly, his motivation to train had nothing to do with saving the earth and everything to do with finally surpassing Goku.
With all that, Yamcha certainly seemed like the smartest choice. In fact, except for the area of brute strength and power, Vegita didn't even really compare.
So why then, did she find herself spending more and more time thinking about him?
"Woman!"
Speak of the devil. She turned to glare at the man who had dared to disturb her sanctuary. The lab was the one place in the entire building where she could find solitude.
"Where is your mother? She should have had lunch prepared over an hour ago."
Bulma blinked and looked over at the clock, finally understanding that she'd spent the entire morning wrestling with her thoughts. Right on the heels of that realization, came the memory of her mother asking her to fix lunch for the prince as the ditzy blonde was going shopping and didn't expect to be back until shortly before dinner.
Darn it, she hated to cook, especially for someone as insulting as Vegita. While Yamcha might make faces and tease her on the rare occasions she'd prepare food for him to eat, there was always an air of affection and good nature surrounding the ex-bandit that told her he didn't really mind and was just trying to ruffle her feathers a little. Vegita, on the other hand, was downright mean with his complaints. Although, she thought with more than a little vindication, it had never stopped him from eating whatever was put in front of him. He had the same hearty appetite as Goku, just better table manners.
"Are you even listening to me, woman?" He was directly in front of her now with his hands on his hips. Her eyes widened and her breathing hitched. As he usually did when training, he was wearing only those tight shorts that emphasized everything rather than cover anything and left his finely muscled chest exposed.
Okay, so maybe Vegita had a slight edge over Yamcha in the looks department, she thought to herself.
"What the hells are you staring at?"
Her mind was so far gone, it didn't even occur to Bulma to lie and her tone was a lot more breathy than she would have liked. "You."
He seemed startled for a moment. Even if he'd suspected it, she doubted that he would have ever thought she'd admit it. Kami-sama, she couldn't believe that she'd admitted it.
A stray thought crossed her mind as she stared at his lips.
Nah, she didn't dare..
Did she?
On the other hand, she'd already been caught staring. In for a penny, in for a pound...
Hmm..
Don't do it, a small voice in the back of her mind cautioned. Think about Yamcha.
That jerk is off in the desert, he might not even come back.
Then think of Vegita, the voice threw at her in desperation. He'll kill you.
What a way to go....
You're making a bad choice here, Bulma...
Oh well. Shit happens.
Her internal debate finally quiet, Bulma leaned forward and gave in to the temptation put so delectably in front of her.
First impressions were hardly encouraging. She'd known fish who kissed better.
No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than she had to retract it. Vegita, once his shock had passed, not only didn't kill her, he proceeded to show her a few tricks even she didn't know
I was right, Bulma thought later that afternoon as she stared up at the ceiling of her bedroom. Vegita was dynamite in bed. And on the lab floor... and the lab desk... and the stair case...
They'd spent the entire afternoon having sex. Apparently ChiChi hadn't been lying about the seemingly unending stamina of a Saiyin.
Not that Yamcha couldn't hold his own.
Yamcha.
Her breath hitched and her eyes widened. What the hell had she done? She cut her eyes over towards the dozing prince beside her in the bed.
Had she really chosen Vegita over Yamcha? An egotistical, murderous jerk over the man who'd been her friend and lover for most of her adult life? Yamcha would never forgive her for this.
"No," she whispered. No, this had been a mistake, that's all. A fluke of nature that would never happen again, and she was sure Vegita would agree with her as soon as he woke up. Yamcha never had to know.
With that thought firmly in mind, Bulma eased off the bed. Although she was fairly certain that the movement woke her companion, he only rolled over and seemed to go back to sleep.
Good, she wouldn't feel comfortable facing him again until she'd washed away the evidence of what had happened. She had every intention of pretending this day had never occurred. She was pretty sure that Vegita would continue acting like he normally did, which meant that no one would even bother asking him about it.
You can't pretend it didn't happen, Bulma.
I can and I will.
Secrets like this always come out.. Don't you watch the movies?
This is real life. Nobody will ever find out. Even if Vegita lowers himself to actually speak to anyone, I don't think he'll want anyone to know either.
Maybe. And maybe not.
As usual, Bulma ignored the little voice in the back of her head.
Once she'd showered and dressed again, she stepped out into her room and had to stop and stare at the vision that Vegita made. Asleep again as she'd thought, all the harshness that usually marked his features had softened marginally. He would never look innocent, he had come too far for that, but at that moment, he looked much more gentle than normal. Like someone she could love. Like someone who could love her.
She grimaced at the turn her thoughts had taken and carefully left the room.
She poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down. Then she just stared off into space, her mind completely blank.
"Hey, Bulma! Are you gonna let me in or what?!"
"Huh?" Turning around, Bulma's stomach clenched.
Yamcha was back. Thank goodness! Now everything would be all right again!
I wouldn't count on it.
Shut UP!
"Yamcha!" the relief in her voice was palpable. There was no hesitation at all as she jumped up and ran to the door, throwing it open and launching herself at him.
For his part, Yamcha seemed a little surprised at her effusive greeting, but he'd never been one to look a gift horse in the mouth. He wrapped both arms around her waist and whirled around in a circle with her.
"Hiya, babe. If that's how you greet me when I get back, maybe I should go out to the desert more often!" he declared, his tone clearly amused.
"Don't even think about it, buster!" She cupped his face and kissed him with as much passion as she could muster.
"What the hell are you doing, woman?!"
Yamcha's arms tightened around her waist and she pressed her face against his shoulder. Vegita's voice was even more agitated than normal, but underneath that, it had sounded almost... pained.
"Not that it's any of your business, Vegita, but she's greeting her boyfriend who's been gone for a while. What's it to you?"
In the silence that followed, Bulma risked taking a peek at the Saiyin. He was standing in the doorway to the living room, clad in his shorts again.
The sight of him nearly took her breath away again, but she just turned her face away from him. She couldn't answer the questions she thought she saw in his eyes.
"Nothing, apparently. Good riddance. You deserve each other."
Bulma fought the urge to run after him as she heard him stomp out and slam the door behind him.
"What the hell was that all about, babe?" Yamcha tilted her face up so that she was looking at him. "Bulma?"
She gave a nervous little laugh. "You know Vegita. He's probably just constipated."
Though he looked somewhat dubious, he took her word for it. He'd opened his mouth to say something when the house began to shake.
"What the-" Bulma broke off as she realized that it was the gravity machine being powered up for flight. "No, Vegita!"
Both she and Yamcha ran outside, but were powerless to do anything other than watch the machine fly towards space.
Vegita...
She couldn't have actually hurt him, could she have? No, more than likely she'd just injured his pride. Either way, Vegita was the one who was never going to forgive her.
For some odd reason, that thought hurt.
4 months later
"Yamcha, will you chill? I'm fine! I don't need you hovering over me 24/7!"
"Bulma, if I want to hover over and pamper my pregnant bride, I think I'm entitled," he announced with a silly grin.
"You should enjoy it while it lasts, dear," her mother put in as they sat their bags down on a table in the food court. The trio had been out shopping for baby stuff all day. And though Bulma was complaining, she was actually loving every second of it.
Life was perfect, she thought as she watched Yamcha saunter off to get them a pizza. They'd been wed just a couple of weeks ago, once she'd been sure she was pregnant. At first, she'd thought the happy go lucky fighter would be upset, but instead he'd been on cloud nine ever since she'd told him. He'd been the one who'd insisted on getting married. Bulma could hardly believe how enthusiastic he'd been about all of it. He'd even used all of his savings from his baseball playing days to buy a small house for them near her parents. They'd spent the days since decorating the nursery and talking about the coming baby.
She could tell he already loved it. Just as much as he loved her, if not more.
Just the night before, she'd caught him sitting in the nursery, talking to himself about all the things he was going to do. How great a father he was going to be. It was then that she'd known without a doubt that she'd made the right choice. Vegita would never do any of those things. He just wasn't the sort.
A scowl settled onto Bulma's features as she realized where her thoughts had taken her once again.
It should have been easy to completely forget about the Saiyin prince and that one incredible day. He hadn't come back to Earth yet, nor had he made any contact at all. He could have been dead for all she knew.
That thought always made her heart hurt a little. She didn't want him to be dead. She wanted him safe and sound and back home annoying the hell out her again, like he used to.
No, she reprimanded herself. She couldn't care less about where he was. She had Yamcha. She didn't need him.
Somehow, that didn't keep her from missing him.
"Here ya go, babe. One ham and cheese pizza for the most beautiful pregnant woman there ever was!" Yamcha announced as he sat the large pizza in front of her and kissed her cheek.
"Well, dears, what are we doing next?" her mother asked.
"Doctor's office," Yamcha answered as he scooped up a piece. He took a bite and swallowed before continuing. "The ultrasound is today."
"Really?!" the ditzy blonde squealed and clapped her hands together. "So after today we'll know whether or not to get boys stuff or girls stuff?"
"Yes, mom. And we can finally paint the nursery."
"You won't be painting anything, Bulma. That's my job. If I need any help, I'll call Krillin. Paint toxins are bad for the fetus," he stated, almost sounding as if he actually knew what he was talking about. Of course, he had read just about every book he could find over pregnancy and babies. In fact, she hadn't seen him read nearly as much in the entire time that she'd known him as he had in the last 2 months.
"Well, I'm certainly not going to argue with you about it," she replied as she dug into her own food.
"Good, because you'd lose."
Although part of her felt like arguing just for the sake of arguing, she let it drop. If she wasn't careful, she'd end up talking her way into helping and she really didn't want to do that.
They chatted on until the entire pizza was gone and then Yamcha gathered up all the bags and followed the women to the car. In less than a half an hour, they had dropped off all the bags and her mother at Capsule Corp and the pair continued on to the doctor's office.
Yamcha talked about the baby the entire time. For some reason, he seemed sure it was going to be a boy.
Bulma had to laugh at him; he had the poor kids life planned out until he graduated college. Even beyond that.
"And then I'll swing a few favors and get him into the league. What do ya think, babe? I'll bet the kid turns out to be the best baseball player that ever lived. And we'll go to every single game, of course."
She laughed out loud and decided to stop him. "And what if it's a girl, genuis?"
"Oh well, if it's a girl, she can still play baseball, it'll just have to be in the women's league, that's all."
Before Bulma could say anything about that the nurse was calling her name. They stood and followed the woman back to the dark room that housed the ultrasound. The nurse showed her where to sit and reclined the seat back, then motioned for her to raise her shirt off her stomach.
She made a face as something gel covered touched her bared abdomen. There was tapping noises as the other woman transferred the images to the computer screen.
"How odd." Yamcha, who had been having a whispered conversation with Bulma, looked up and towards the computer at the nurses murmur.
His face grew pale and for a minute, he just stared at the image, his face contorted with pain. The eyes that turned back to search her face were filled with betrayal and hurt, and more than a little anger.
"Yamcha, what-" she couldn't finish the question as he calmly unwound his hand from her own, stood, and left the room. She was at a loss.
"Ma'am, I think this might be what bothered him." Bulma turned to look at what the nurse was pointing at and the world suddenly turned black.
The last image that was burned in her mind was a tiny tail floating around an equally tiny fetus.
3 months later
Bulma sighed and rubbed her back as she sat in front of her computer.
She'd been working on something that would allow her to transmit all the way to wherever Vegita had taken the gravity machine. So far, she hadn't had much luck. More than likely, he was gone for good.
Her shoulders slumped and she stood up and went to the window. Yamcha was out on the front lawn doing a kata.
The last few months had been hard on everyone at Capsule Corp. Her father had been appalled to learn that she'd not only had an affair with Vegita, but that the baby was his instead of her husbands. Well, ex-husband, she thought tiredly. He'd started proceedings that very day.
She'd thought he would disappear, go back to the desert, much the way that Vegita had gone to space.
Now, she almost wished he had. He was polite without fail and still looked out for her welfare, but now he was more distant than he'd ever been. And he never lingered in her presence any longer than necessary. He'd put on the mask of a stranger, his eyes shadowed, but emotionless.
There were a few times when she caught him, out of the corner of her eye, staring at her with such pain and bitterness, that it twisted something inside. Without a doubt she'd shattered everything that had ever been between them.
She'd tried to mend that rift, even going so far as to tell him she'd get an abortion if it would make things go back to the way they were. He'd just looked at her with sadness in his eyes.
'It's your body, your baby, your choice, Bulma. But don't do something you'll regret later for me. Because nothing will ever make things the way they were. Nothing.'
Shaking off the depressing thoughts, she turned back to her computer as it began to emit a beeping sound.
Finally, she thought as she walked over. It had found the coordinates of that damn gravity machine. Even if he hated her, she had to tell Vegita about his son. He deserved to know.
It took a minute to set the transmitter and start the feed, but when the automatic controls of Vegita's ship switched on, she found herself staring into an empty room. He had to be hiding off to the side, because one of the small robots that he used train with was smoldering in the middle of the floor and the other 3 were hovering around waiting for their next command.
Obviously he didn't feel like talking to her. That was okay though, as long as he listened. She hoped the machine was recording this just in case she was wrong and he really wasn't there.
"Hi Vegita." She paused and swallowed nervously. She'd practiced this often enough. Why was it so hard now that she was actually talking to him.. well sort of talking to him. "I just wanted to tell you that... I'm sorry. I... was so confused that morning.. and I know I didn't react as well as I could have." Understatement of the year, she thought. There was still no reaction from the empty screen. "I also wanted to tell you something else." The words seemed stuck in her throat. "You see, Yamcha and I... well... we're not together anymore.. for good... and..." Kami-sama, this was so much harder than she'd thought it would be. "I..... I'm pregnant, Vegita. And.. The baby... He has a tail." There was a soft thump off to the right of the screen. So, she thought, he is there. "I.. just thought you should know."
She waited for a minute, but the other end had gone quiet again. Her mouth trembled as she ought the tears. More than likely, he could still see her even if she couldn't see him and she didn't think what was left of her pride could handle it if he were to see her cry. She lowered her face and stared at were she was twisting her hands in her lap. She couldn't help the halting whisper that slipped out. "I miss you."
And she did. She'd missed him from the moment he'd stomped out the door. If she was being honest with herself, she'd missed him even before that, from the moment she'd slipped out of his arms that afternoon.
"Anyways," she continued, louder, as she wiped her eyes. "I don't blame you if you hate me and never want to see me again, but I'd really like it if you came back sometime to see your son." The end came out as a rush and she leaned over and cut the connection from her end.
Once she was sure he couldn't see her anymore, Bulma put her head in her hands and sobbed.
"Shh.. dear, it'll be all right. You'll see. It'll all work out in the end." Hands stroking her hair accompanied her mothers soft reassurances. Bulma turned and wrapped her arms around her mothers waist, burying her head against the woman's breast.
"I really screwed up, didn't I, Mom?" she asked through her tears.
"You're only human, dear. Everyone makes mistakes."
"But now I've lost them both and it's all my fault!"
Her mother laughed softly. "I don't know about Vegita, dear. But I don't think you'll ever completely lose Yamcha. I'm sure your friendship will survive and thrive again once he recovers from the shock." Bulma nodded as her sobs began to quiet, although she didn't totally agree with her mothers words. She had lost Yamcha. Even if they eventually managed to put this behind them and rebuild their friendship, he would never trust her again. "Come now, my dear. You need to eat some more. All this moping about is bad for the baby. Come eat the lunch I made."
"All right, Mom."
She allowed herself to be led to the dinner table like a child. Right then, she wished she could go back to her childhood. Back when everything had been simple. Back when her life had still made sense.
Between the Androids and Cell
Bulma watched from her bed as Vegita crept into the bedroom and over to the small cradle where Trunks slept so peacefully. Having only returned to Earth the in time to battle Androids 19 and 20, he hadn't really had the chance to look at him. Well, he had but he'd been too preoccupied with defeating the androids and proving his own superiority to actually do so.
Her heart flew to her throat every time she thought about Dr. Gero blowing up her air car that first day. If it hadn't been for that boy, her son from the future, then both she and little Trunks would probably be dead.
She wondered if Vegita would have cared. He certainly hadn't at the time.
"So you're my brat."
She started at the masculine voice. Shifting her attention back to Vegita, she realized that he was talking to the baby.
"You don't look like much."
Bulma had to bite her lip to stop the sharp retort that came to mind. Only the Saiyin Prince would still be a jerk when he was the only one listening to himself.
"But since that boy out there is your future self, I guess you turn out all right. A little over emotional, but strong."
There was silence for a moment, and then she had to strain a little to hear the next hushed words.
"I doubt I'll be much of a father to you. But I... will try to fulfill my obligation to you."
She didn't know whether to be grateful for that small gift or rail against the fates for the rest of that confession.
"Perhaps if I had been here at your birth, I would feel more... paternal. That's life kid. Your mother will try to make up for that, I imagine."
Shifting a little Bulma struggled to see through the darkness, to see Vegita's face, but had to give up when he cocked his head towards the bed. Any further movement would alert him that she was awake.
"What do you think, brat? Do you think she deserves a second chance?"
Her breath caught and she clenched her eyes shut. Was he serious, or did he know she was awake and was just trying to torment her? Her eyes flew back open as one side of the bed sank and fingers tugged on her hair.
"I thought you were awake." His expression gave nothing away. His face was emotionless as he stared down at her. She flinched away from that look, she'd been getting it far too much from Yamcha. Although, she had to admit that her friendship with Yamcha had begun a slow rebuilding. Maybe one day it would be easy again.
"Did you mean it?" she whispered.
His jaw clenched for a moment and he looked away from her. "It was a gross insult to allow me into your bed and then immediately turn back to that human."
"Vegita-"
One hand came up to rest against her lips. "I was not finished." After staring at her for a moment to make sure she wouldn't interrupt again, he removed his hand and continued. "However, you are the mother of my only son. I... do not believe in chance. I am the Prince of all Saiyins and as such, my destiny was written before my time. That belief is all that has carried me through out my life." He paused and frowned for a moment. "You would not have become pregnant if our union was not in my destiny."
She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him as tightly as she could. To Vegita, it probably wasn't all that tight. Almost awkwardly, he patter her back before pulling away.
"Don't get me wrong, woman. It will be a long time before you are forgiven, and I shall never forget."
Bulma just nodded, since she didn't trust her voice right then. Life would probably get a lot rougher from here on out, providing of course, that they all survived the androids and this newer threat, Cell. But it was nice to know she hadn't totally screwed up both her own life and that of her son's with a few bad choices.