Everybody Gets a Second Chance
(a song by Mike and the Mechanics)
Bulma looked down at her stomach. She sighed, a contented sigh, and ran a hand down it.
Still flat as a board, as it would continue to be for another couple of months. Not a single sign of the child growing within. No proof of her accomplishment.
" I bet he'll have his facial expressions," she murmured to herself as she lay in bed, in the early evening, " He'll definitely inherit the frown. I'd be amazed if any child of his didn't look like him; he had such strong features.
She should have been extra careful about sleeping with Vegeta. After all, every condom she tried to put on him broke, till she just gave up. And of course, he'd be extra potent. But it was too late now for thoughts like that.
Bulma was having Vegeta's baby. No, she was carrying thier baby. And she couldn't deny that she was happy about it. SHe loved him, even if didn't love her back.
They weren't married- and they probably never would be. But Bulma didn't care. She had him to herself at least. She sighed again. A door slammed downstairs. Vegeta was home.
" Woman!" he called out, kicking his boots off and throwing his gloves on the table. Bulma jumped out, happy for once, to play domestic, and ran downstairs. I'll tell him about the baby tongiht, at dinner! She thought cheerfuly to herself. He'll probably be smug at the news . She smiled wide.
He was already sitting at the table, fork in hand, when Bulma reached him. She walked over and kissed his forehead, not caring that it was all sweaty.
" Why don't you go wash up while I get started?" she suggested, beginning to pull things out of the fridge.
Vegeta grumbled, but did it . He was in an extremely bad mood, as his training had gone very poorly. Yet another day he didn't reach Super Saya-jiin. Too much time around that woman. Bulma. I'm getting soft.
But while he was mad at himself, he was never mad at Bulma. She meant everything to him. And hust because he never said it, didn't mean he never thought it. He thought about her every day. Which was the root of his problems, as he saw it.
He splashed his face with cool water, then frowned at his reflection as he toweled his face dry. Today , he just didn't feel like being nice.
When he re-entered the kitchen, Bulma had dinner well under way. Enormous pots and pans sizzled on the stove and Bulma, the picture of domesticity, sat in her apron at the table, tossing a salad.
" What is that green stuff?' Vegeta demanded, nodding towards the enormous bowl of lettuce.
" Salad.' Bulma didn't look up from what she was doing.
" Salad?" Vegeta sneered, " I don't want salad .What kind of dinner are you trying to serve me, woman?" he demanded.
God, but being called "woman" was so degrding, day after day, after a day.
"Here's your dinner Vegeta." she put some plates in front of him. He grunted, and dug in, hardly acknowledging her.
They ate in silence, as was their usual routine. Vegeta wasn't a very big talker.
" This tastes like shit." he commented, but didn't stop his consumption. Bulma bit her lip, and said nothing. Her joy over her pregnancy was rapidly fading.
What kind of father would Vegeta make? A bad one, that's what. He'd probably never be around anyway. Her insides ached, she felt sick. Her fork clattered onto the plate in front of her, and she clutched her stomach. Her heart hurt. Vegeta didn't love her, didn't need her. She didn't want a storybook man. She wanted Vegeta, as he was. She just needed to hear he cared about her every once in a while. She squeezed her eyes shut. She needed him to at least feel love for her. Like she did for him. So very much.
If Vegeta noticed her, he didn't let on. He didn't even look up his plate.
" I'll be going away to train tomorrow. I'll be gone a couple of months." he said abruptly.
Bulma's head snapped up, her eyes grew wide. shimmering with unshed tears. Weakling tears, that Vegeta would hate, Bulma knew.
" What?" she whispered.
" Didn't you hear me?" he asked coldly. Kame, he didn't to leave. But he figured the only way to forget Bulma was to cut himself off from her entirely. Quit Buma cold turkey. Train a lot, push himself over the limit, and thoughts of her would go away. Love for her would go away.
" Why do you have to go for so long?" she clutched her sides tighter. Her heart was breaking.
" It won't be that long. Besides, training is more important that staying here." Why the hell did I just say that? I just want to leave her, not make her hate me. Bulma jumped up suddenly furious, the anger building up , sheilding her sadness from veiw.
" You bastard! Don't I mean anything to you? How can you just pick up and leave?" her eyes blazed.
Vegeta said nothing, just stared at her impassivley, his arms crossed over his chest. Bulma's fists clenched and unclenched on their own volition. Then he raised one dark eyebrow.
" Why should I ?" he said slowly. She gasped , and sunk back into her chair, her face turning pale.
A single failure
A little slip
A misdemeanor
A little trip
Does this condemn me, lock me away?
I have one mroe thing to say, to make amends
Maybe be friends
Bulma lowered her head to the table, and Vegeta's heart sank. She clutched her stomach even tighter, as if trying to protect her unborn child from him.
Then the tears fell, rapidly and silently. He could hear her soft sniffling. He couldn't see her face; she was hiding it in her arms. But he could see her body trembling all over, rocking with the force of her tears. He longed to take her in his arms. He was beginning to doubt the wiseness of his descision. But he wasn't sure how to touch her. Would she even want him to?
Angry women he could handle. Angry tears he could handle. But these silent tears of hers were different. They broke his heart.
He reached out a hand to her, then stopped, a mere inch from her shoulder. He just couldn't do it. If she were to shrug him off, he'd die.
Sure, Vegeta knew he was in the wrong. He ached to tell her so, but still, something held him back. Fear? Denial?
Maybe he's just not capable, Bulma thought to herself. She felt the warmth of his hand stopped abover her.
Why won't he just touch me? Her heart squeezed painfully. Even now he can't touch me....
I love you. Bulma....I.......love you. He repeated it over and over in his head, but it never came out of his mouth. He was trying, pushing so hard to get it. To force it out. Vegeta vowed he'd tell her he loved her if it killed him.
Everybody gets a second chance
The circumstance to say Im sorry
I'd like to tell you in advance
Take me chance and tell you
I'm sorry too
Vegeta just stood there, let his hand drop down to his side limply, dejectedly. And he watched her small form shake.
" I have no energy left to get mad at you Vegeta. I just can't do it." she looked up at him.
How did she manage to look so beautiful with red-rimmed eyes and tear stained cheeks? Vegeta's throat hurt.
" Sometimes I think that you care about me. Sometimes you're wonderful, you really are. And you make me feel so good." Bulma paused, but never took her eyes off him.
He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but closd it again, opting to just listen.
" And when we make love, Vegeta, it's amazing. You're tender. And I see tenderness in your eyes. I can feel it in your arms. In fact, at those times, I can almost read what's in your eyes." she continued, "But it's like, as soon as you walk out of that bedroom, you become a different person.
I might be a strong person, but Im not that strong. I can only take so much abuse and neglect from you. I don't expect you to be someone else. I don't even expect you to act differently around our friends. But I love you, so much it hurts. And i cannot live here like this if you continue to cut and cut and rip me apart.
I love you. I'll never stop saying it, or feeling it. Please don't let yourself push it away. You need it, I know you do. And I need you. The tender caring, if not slightly rough, Vegeta. I need that. Please." Her voice cracked.
She could see so many emotions flashing through his face ; one minute self-loathing, the enxt caring, and the next pain.
But still, he said nothing.
A little stumble, a little fall
Inconsequential
Nothing at all
Now there was someone, I heard him say
The teh best laid plans
sometimes go astray
So don't be suprised
If I offer you no alibis
Bulma stood up. Vegeta could see her hands rest on her stomach, possessively, in the way that only pregnant woman have. His eyes widened. She walked past him to the door, then turned around to face him when she got there.
" Im pregnant Vegeta. With your child. And I'm so damned happy to have something inside of me that we made together."
Bulma saw his hands begin to tremble and she wanted to rush to him, but she took a step out the door instead.
" I want you to stay here, with me. Not because I'm pregnant, but because you want to be here. Need to be here. I'm giving you a last chance at something beautiful. Our child. A child , Vegeta! And he would be ours! He'd be part of you ,and part of me. Do you know how special that is? If you leave, you'll never have that. You won't have anything. This is your chance, Everybody gets a second chance, and I'm giving it to you. Please stay, and we can grow together."
With one last look at him, she turned, and exited the room gracefully. He didn't follow her. He just stood there, honestly too stunned to move.
Everybody gets a second chance
The circumstance to say I'm sorry
I'd like to tell you in advance
I'll take my chance and tell you
I love you
When he came into the bedroom, it was late. The lights were off, the curtains open, and the silvery moonlight pouring through the window made Bulma's face glow. One hand curved delicately around her lower abdomen.
My child is in there, Vegeta thought in wonder. And i want it. That was the biggest supirse to him.
He shed his clothes, and climbed in to bed, facing his love. He glanced at her, to find her big blue eyes focused on him, a question in them. He reached out his still trembling hand, and lightly touched her stomach. Then, without a word, he scooted down, wrapped his arns around her waist, and rested his head on her stomach.
" Our child is in there." he whispered. Bulma smiled unsteadily. " A child we made. Out of...out of love." said so quietly, recieved so joyously. Bulma squeezed her eyes shut, forcing herslef not to cry.
" A child I want. Because he is part you. And that makes him so unbeleivably special. So beautiful, and caring, and perfect." he continued softly.
There's not much to this at all. It's not so hard... He smiled, then kissed her bellybutton. He could almost, almost feel the unborn child's tiny ki inside her.
" Bulma, you deserve so much better than me."
" I only ever wanted you, you silly baka." she said tenderly. Vegeta gently stroked her side with his thumb.
" I love you Bulma." he said firmly, " I always have."
" Thank Kame." she replied with a light hearted laugh, hugging him tight.
" I'll be a good father."
" I know you will."
" I'll train him, and with luck, he'll get your looks." he laughed
" I hope he has yours too."
There was so much to talk about, so much time to make up for, and most of all, so many plans to make. So they got started that night, and they didn't stop till Bulma realized that Vegeta had fallen asleep on her stomach. He was snoring lightly.
" Oh, I love you." Bulma whispered, stroking his temple.
Everybody wants a
Everybody needs a
Everybody gets a seond chance.
END