FLOWERS - MAD DUCK

Bulma was thrilled beyond belief. She had managed to get backstage passes to see her favourite singer. Her heart fluttered and she tried to get herself to calm down but then just closed her eyes and giggled at herself. She couldn't believe that she was acting like such a school girl!

"Miss Briefs"

She opened her eyes and saw him standing before her. Tall, slightly built, sun kissed blonde hair, dark brown eyes and a the most gorgeous smile she had ever seen.

"Hi...Tim." she felt a slight blush rising. Next she felt a sting on her cheek and she cried out as she fell to the floor. She raised her hand to her cheek as her lips trembled, tears threatening in her eyes. He had hit her, she couldn't believe he had done such a mean thing.

"Why did you do that!" she exclaimed, receiving a kick in reply.

"Stop it, no, that hurts..."

"...Stop!" Bulma almost yelled until she released that she had been dreaming. But what a dream, she could almost feel the pain. She heard mumbling next to her and frowned as she turned to look at her husband. Of course, he must have hit her in his sleep. Bulma gave him a slight nudge but he continued to sleep. She closed her eyes and pulled the covers back over her.

"Kata" Vegeta frowned in his sleep as he called out softly.

"Huh" Bulma's eyes shot open.

"Kata, don't leave me, please don't leave"

Bulmas eyes stung. Please... he never said please not even to her, his wife. Bulma cursed him and cried silently into her pillow as her husband muttered to the woman in his dreams.

"Hi mom!" Trunks walked into the kitchen, all too brightly for bulmas liking, grabbed a glass of milk and some cookies and went to sit next to her by the kitchen table. "Can I go...woah." He stopped in his tracks as he looked at his mother. She was staring into her coffee cup, and it looked as if she had been crying because her eyes were puffy and red. "Are you sick?" he asked in fear. Mothers weren't, after all, supposed to get sick. They looked after you when you sick.

"Can you what Trunks." Bulma closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead with a slight sigh, making a mental note to take the morning off so she could get some rest.

"I was wondering if I could go over to Gotens."

"What about breakfast?"

He lifted his cookies into the air to show his mom.

"Cookies are not for breakfast." She looked at the boy with a smile "Yes,"

"Thanks!" he finished the cookie he was on and downed his milk. He slipped off the chair and taking the remaining three cookies on the table, slipped them into his pocket to eat on the way. He went to kiss his mom before heading out of the room, bumping into his dad in the door way.

"Look where you're going brat." Vegeta glared

Trunks looked at his father for a few seconds before he continued on his way.

Vegeta growled as he watched after the boy then headed into the kitchen.

"Where's my breakfast woman,"

"Get it yourself." She replied

"What!"

"Who's kata" she asked angrily as she looked up at him, the tears threating to start all over again. Vegeta stood there, his face paled slightly before going red.

"None of your business" he seemed to hiss out the reply as his eyes narrowed. Then he turned around and left, breakfast now the farthest thing from his mind, to train.

Bulma lowered her head and cried once more.

Vegeta fumed as he left the house. Kata had nothing to do with Bulma. Not now or ever.

"Kata" it came as a whisper as he clenched his fists. He was shaking from fury

He closed his eyes and an image of her smiling face appeared in his mind and her laughter ringing in his ears, all reminding him of a memory as fresh as if it had happened yesterday.

He was sitting in the room that was to be his bedchambers for the next few years on Frieza's ship. He sat and waited silently and so sure that his father was on his way to rescue the princling. But the dream was soon shattered by the lackey who had brought him his evening meal. The soldier had laughed as tears stung Vegeta's eyes even though he refused to cry in front of the soldier and instead turned to gaze out at the nothingness of space from his chamber window. It was lie, it had to be. His father had sworn to retrieve him. He was the last heir to the saiyin throne. Screams of pain broke Vegeta's thoughts and he turned around.

"I'm sure you weren't meant to tell him were you." The voice grew colder as she tightened her grip around his ear, the most tender spot to the lackey's species. He yowled once more and, once she finally released him, was jumping up and down and trying to soothe his burning ear.

"Aah," she closed her eyes as if the sight of the lackey was irritating her and she waved her right hand "Just go. And be thankful that I don't tell lord Freiza."

The lackey froze then quickly saluted before leaving as quickly as possible. The lady stood watching Vegeta for a few seconds longer before leaving.

After that he was often summoned by the Lady who, he had soon discovered, was the wife of lord Frieza and the only women aboard Frieza's ship. She made no pretense about adoring Vegeta and treated him as if he were her own son, often taking him with her on her walks around the gardens (lord Frieza had theses made especially for her aboard the ship) and even saw to the training of the young warrior. Yes, Vegeta loved her and adored her with all the feelings his childish heart could muster. He hated Frieza with a passion, not only for destroying the young sayins home planet and kidnapping him, but also because she belonged to Frieza first.

Then it came. Vegeta had searched everywhere aboard the ship for her only to discover her sitting in the garden, a smile of pure joy on her face as she told him she was pregnant.

The night of the birth had been the worst of all. Even though his bed chambers was far from her own that she shared with lord Frieza, Vegeta could still hear her crying out from the pain and had blocked his ears to try and stop the sound and closed his eyes to stop the tears that were springing, eventually falling asleep from mental exhaustion. He had awoken late the next day and was summoned by Zarbon, Frieza's right hand man. It was then that he learned that she had died trying to give birth to a baby that had already rejected life.

It was then that no one ever mentioned her or the birth again. It was then the nightmares had started, growing fainter and fainter until it no longer existed and only to return once he had learnt of Bulma's own pregnancy.

The witch he growled.

She claimed to love him yet would inflict this torment upon him

It was almost afternoon and Bulma hadn't seen Vegeta since this morning. Is this it, she wondered, is this the beginning of the end. Bulma picked up the telephone and dialed the Son home number. If the children stayed over there tonight, maybe she and Vegeta could try and ...

"Hello" Chi-chi answered the phone, her voice cutting into Bulmas' train of thought.

"Hi Chi-chi, its Bulma."

"How are you?" Chi-chi cradled the phone between her ear and shoulder as she continued to mix the mixture in the big plastic bowl with a wooden spoon.

"I'm..." Bulma panicked, what should she say. Should she tell Chi-chi the truth, should she lie. "I ...could Bra and Trunks stay by you tonight."

"Sure." Chi-chi answered with a big smile "Just send them over."

"Thanks." Bulma started playing with the telephone cord "I'll bring Trunks his overnight bag when I drop off Bra, so he won't have to come home and get it." Bulma noticed she had made a horrible mess of the telephone cord and began trying to fix it. "Can I speak to him? Or is he and Goten out sparing?"

"His not here" Chi-chi replied, stopped her stirring and whipped her hands on her apron. "Gohan took Trunks and Goten to go sparring."

"Oh. Ok" Bulma's heart sank even lower. "I'll see you later then."

"Hey there Vegeta." Goku waved at his fellow sayin.

"Oh great." Vegeta growled "And I thought this day couldn't get any worse."

Vegeta turned "What are you doing here Kakkarot."

"Who me, I'm on my way home." Goku smiled

"What's the flowers for?" Vegata asked looking at the yellow sunflowers that Goku was carrying.

"They're for Chi-chi. Aren't they beautiful?"

"I'm beginning to think that your going soft on me Kakkorot. No true warrior goes about picking flowers."

"I always do after arguing with Chi-chi. Its my way of apologizing to her and giving her something that symbolizes my love for her. "

"What are you talking about?"

"Whenever Chi-chi and I are mad at each other I go out into the forest to clear my head and cool down a little." Gpku began to explain.

"And what do flowers have to do with this?"

"When I pick them I think of all the happy times we shared and why I love her. Like when we first met, our wedding, Gohan's birth, stuff like that. "

"You're a real sucker. Did you know that." Vegeta sneered

"Maybe, but I'm a sucker who knows when he has a good thing." Goku smiled "I better go. I don't want these these things die-ing before Chi-chi gets them." Goku grinned happily.

Bulma was glad to finally be home from work. She hadn't been able to concentrate at all today.

"I'm home." she yelled out as she entered the house. 'No-one cares' she thought silently then gritted her teeth. Yes that would be something that Vegeta would say. He didn't care about her did he? She was just a lowly slave who had to cook, clean and raise his children for him. Screw that! He could do his own supper tonight. She was going to have a bath and climb into bed. Bulma walked into her bedroom and switched on the light. She gasped at the usually white carpet had changed into a sea of different blues. Flowers! He had brought her hundreds of her favorite flowers. Tears were starting to sting her eyes as the smile spread on her face. He really wasn't that bad after all.

End