Out From Under

Bulma sat up from her bed as she let out a scream. Sweat was beading down her forehead as she looked around the dark empty room, nothing, just another dream. She sighed as she fell back onto the bed, wiping the sweat from her flushed skin.

She was sick of these nightmares, sick of remembering, sick of longing for him. He was gone and he wasn't ever coming back. She had stopped crying about him a long time ago when all of her tears seemed to dry up – she had to be strong for her son, no, their son.

She closed her eyes, praying that when she did she would see his face, like she did every night.

Breathe you out
Breathe you in
You keep coming back to tell me
you're the one who could have been
and my eyes see it all so clear
It was long ago and far away but it never disappears
I try to put it in the past
Hold on to myself and don't look back

Bulma was running down the hallway, explosions echoing off the walls. The city was in shambles and it moving closer to her, closer to her family. It didn't take her long to reach the nursery where her son was wailing in his crib. She quickly grabbed in and held him tightly in her arms.

As she left the room, Vegeta appeared in front of her, a looked relieved when he saw her with their son – safe, at least for now. "What do we do Vegeta?"

"You take the brat and hide woman – I will take care of these fools." He turned to walk out of the house but before he could fly away, Bulma reached out and grabbed his arm.

"You don't have to leave Vegeta, you can come with us." Vegeta didn't bother to turn around, he simply looked over his shoulder. Bulma looked terrified as she realized that Vegeta was in fact going to leave them, go and fight these androids that had killed her friends and family.

"I am the only one that can stop them, you know I can't wait and have them hunt us down like animals. No, I will face them and show them who the most powerful man in the universe is." He shook began to walk away, but stopped and finally turned to face her.

Before she knew it, he had run up to her and embraced her and their son. Bulma wrapped her free arm around him and squeezed as tightly as she could – she didn't want to let go. She buried her head in his chest and took in everything that she could – his warmth, touch, smell, anything she could use to remember him. "Come back to us." She whispered.

And before she looked up, he was gone.

So let me go
Just let me fly away
Let me feel the space between us growing deeper
And much darker every day
Watch me now and I'll be someone new
My heart will be unbroken
It will open up for everyone but you
Even when I cross the line
It's like a lie I've told a thousand times

Bulma sat up in her bed again – another dream, another memory. They were happening less and less as more time passed since that day when she lost the man she loved. She looked over at her clock and decided that 7:30 was as good a time as any to wake up and start her day.

When she left her room she saw her son training and a sharp pain entered her chest. Every day he was looking more and more like Vegeta. Mentally he was completely different, she guessed that they shared the feeling of loss – but who didn't. Physically, he was so much like him that it broke her heart. She missed him, she missed him so much.

"Trunks, you want some breakfast?"

"Yeah – almost time mom, almost time for me to change things." Bulma's heart sank as she started to make her son breakfast for the last time in who knew how long.

And part of me still believes
When you say you're gonna stick around
And part of me still believes
We can find a way to work it out
But I know that we tried everything we could try
So let's just say goodbye
Forever

Bulma stretched in her bed as she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her. She smiled and gladly welcomed their abnormal weight, pushing herself closer to the warm presence in her bed. Suddenly, Bulma shot out of bed and reached for her gun that she kept under the pillow. "What the hell?" She questioned until her jaw dropped.

Vegeta sat up in the bed, rubbing his head with a look of disappointment and annoyance. "What the hell are you doing woman? Come back to bed." He motioned for her to join him but she stood in place, her arms falling to her side.

"Vegeta?" Tears began to form in her eyes as she tried to fight them away, he couldn't be real, could he? Was this all just a bad dream that she had finally awaken from?

Vegeta stood from the bed and walked over to her, Bulma continued to shake and he placed his hand under her chin and tilted her head up to his. She could feel her knees giving way, she loved it when he did that, when he showed her how he really felt, how gentle he could be.

Bulma swan in those black eyes of his, searching for something, anything to prove that he wasn't really there – but she couldn't find anything. Before she could stop herself – she sobbed and aggressively wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him as close to her as she could.

His smell was intoxicating, just the same as the day he had left so many years ago. He felt the same, warm, strong. She never wanted to let him go, she wanted to stay there forever – forever under his embrace. "Oh god Vegeta, I missed you, I missed you so much."

"Quiet woman," He smirked and again tilted her head to his, she took in a breath as he leaned towards her. She closed her eyes to welcome to the kiss until suddenly she was pulled away. Her eyes snapped open as she saw Vegeta, being dragged away from her. She screamed as Android 17 appeared behind him.

Vegeta's eyes grew with terror as he saw Bulma, watching him. Before he could do anything, Bulma heard a sickening snap and cracking of bones. She opened her eyes to see Vegeta with a hand through his chest. Vegeta's eyes were wide as he looked at Bulma before falling lifeless to the floor.

"NOOOOO!"

I don't wanna dream about
All the things that never were
Maybe I can live without
When I'm out from under

"NOOOOO!" Bulma cried as she shot up from her sleep again. She was breathing heavy as tears streamed from her eyes. "Not again." She buried her face in her hands as Trunks burst into her room – his sword drawn.

"Mom what's wrong?" He look extremely worried as he ran to her side and put his arm around her shoulder. Bulma sobbed quietly as she tried to control her sorrow, she hated it, she wanted him back, she needed to forget him.

"Just a dream son, just a dream."

Trunks sighed as he gently rubbed his mother's back. He knew what it was about, she always called out his father's name in her sleep, screaming for the androids to stop, not to kill him. He didn't know what happened to his father, but he knew that his mother couldn't forget his father, she could get away from his memory. "Mom, you need to try to sleep and forget. I am not saying forget all about dad – but you need to realize that he isn't coming back."

Bulma nodded, she hated how smart her son was, she hated that he didn't have a father to teach him what she couldn't – it wasn't fair.

"I'm sorry son, please, go back to bed. I will be alright." Bulma smiled at her son and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Trunks sighed and left his mother alone in the dark room that she had once shared with his father, it seemed to empty now.

Bulma knew that it had to end, she had to stop thinking about him, she needed to stop feeling this way, it had been too long. Trunks was right, he was never coming back, she was alone – and all she could do was move forward, but it was so hard when she could still feel the weight of his arms around her, when she could still feel herself under him.


I don't wanna feel the pain
What good would it do me now
I'll get it all figured out
When I'm out from under