The glow of the moon spilled through Vegeta's open window. He paced rapidly around his quarters, taking deep breaths every so often to slow his heart rate. Bulma was in danger. The woman from Sian, Clea, had informed him that the Astrids were coming to get her. Vegeta could not quite understand why this revelation bothered him so much. One, why should he care what happened to Bulma? She was incredibly smart, but there were many other smart people in the ever-expanding universe.

Why did he even pretend? Vegeta had grown fond of Bulma. No, he didn't have "feelings" for her, like his guards and sparring partners liked to tease him about. Usually the teasing didn't go very far because the Prince was fairly comfortable with death threats. And, he was a man of his word. But, he did have a strong urge to protect her, keep her close. She was fairly enjoyable company, and she knew how to keep her mouth shut when it mattered. So, Vegeta would not let anything happen to her.

He pretended because emotions were for the weak, and they only caused vulnerability. If anyone, including Bulma, knew that he did in fact care for her, they could use it against him. To hurt him. Or her. It was in everyone's best interest for him to close himself off to the world. Besides, she was no Akari. She could never replace Akari in his heart. Akari and he had gotten so close while they grew up. They did everything together. Their bond was unbreakable, and together, there was no stopping them. And, one day, she just left him. He was all alone in the world now. Sometimes he entertained the thought that Bulma could one day fill the gaping hole Akari had caused in his heart, but each time he did, he decided it was better to not have a heart at all. That way he could never feel the pain of losing someone again. It had almost resulted in his demise.

Vegeta was the Prince of all Saiyans. He could not let a mere woman be the death of him. So, he closed himself off to Bulma, as well as everyone else. That being said, the blasted woman had found her way through his tough exterior. There was no denying he valued her life. She was his "friend," even though he despised that pathetic, human word. Vegeta vowed that he would protect Bulma from the Astrids. He would have done the same for Akari.

Clea had warned him that, although it was not confirmed, the Astrids might come to capture Bulma. They had recently formed an alliance with an unknown force who needed extremely advanced technology. This force had offered to pay an obscene amount of money and provide security in the future, so the Astrids had accepted and immediately thought of Bulma. Bulma would be their head scientist, and then Clea said the Astrids had another use for her, after her inventions were complete. Currently, they were trying to determine Bulma's location, and they had just discovered she was no longer a part of the prostitution trade.

Clea had also cautioned him that the Astrids worked in discrete ways, meaning once they figured out where Bulma was, they would probably not come and attack head on. Vegeta took that as he should definitely be on alert.

He hadn't told anyone. He hadn't even told his blue haired scientist that her own life was in danger. Vegeta knew he had to do something to keep her safe. It was like he had somehow been given a chance to save someone, when he hadn't been able to save Akari. He could finally do right by someone. He actually felt inclined to do right by someone. He had spent the better part of the last two years filled with so much hate. He had murdered so many: men, women, children. He had even raped some women. And, the worst part of it was he had felt no shame for his actions. He did not have one ounce of regret. Then, he met Bulma. And, everything changed. He didn't become what most people would call a nice person, but he regained his honor. She had made him finally open up slightly, or maybe she had forced him. Either way, he now felt obligated to protect her. So, he decided the best thing he could do was find Bulma, tell her, and see what her opinion on the matter was.

He immediately flew to her quarters.

She couldn't even breathe. She had never felt such ecstasy, such pleasure. With every thrust, her climax was drawing nearer and nearer. She could see sunlight pour through the window as the sun rose, but she could barely pay attention. He was all she could see, all she could feel. He nipped at her neck for a moment, cutting through her skin with his sharp, white teeth. He pulled back to look in her blue eyes as he pushed her into oblivion. She lost her grasp on reality and all she could feel was his member pulsating within her velvety folds. He leaned down to bite down on her erect, pink nipple, and she could not repress the moans of pleasure that seeped out of her mouth. He made his way up to kiss her red lips and gently licked them. She sighed, and he grunted in her ear about how amazing she was, but she could barely hear him. She could only feel him. She was so close. She wasn't yelling, but she was about to. She could barely contain herself.

"Oh...Vegeta!" She moaned.

Vegeta was about to wake up Bulma, and then she had moaned his name in her sleep. He felt heat rush to his cheeks. Why was she moaning his name? He was a Saiyan: he could smell arousal, and it was potent on the woman in that moment. He had never smelt it on her before. At least in his presence. Vegeta was not an idiot. Bulma was moaning his name in her sleep, and she was heavily aroused. He couldn't help but feel smug at the thought that she was subconsciously sexually attracted to him. He smirked as he watched her writhe in her slumber. Clearly her subconscious' version of him was very talented.

Of course he was not sexually attracted to her, she was his scientist. That was completely inappropriate. He had only had vulgar thoughts of her when they had just met; that was way over. Okay, he had had a few dreams about her, but that was completely irrelevant. She was attractive, objectively, he just felt no urge to do anything about it. Except when she was all fired up and yelling at him. His eyes occasionally drifted to her lips, neck, and chest when she was screaming at him. But, only then. He would never actually partake in such activities with Bulma, such as the ones she was currently dreaming about.

As she moaned his name for a second time, he figured it was time to wake her up. But, why not play with her for a moment? Might as well lighten her mood before he informed her about the Astrids. He stealthily climbed into her bed and leaned over her so that his face was just above hers, their noses were almost touching, and he could feel her soft breath tickling his face.

"Woman," he said aloud.

"Vegeta..." she moaned back, still within the realm of deep sleep.

"Woman," he repeated, slightly louder. A smirk was plastered across his face.

Her blue eyes fluttered open, and they widened as she saw the Prince perched on top of her. "Vegeta?! What the hell are you doing here? Why the fuck are you on top of me?" She pushed him, and he fell to her side.

"What were you dreaming about, woman?" He asked, barely containing a laugh.

Bulma blushed furiously, thanking the lord that it was dark in her bedroom so he could not see how her porcelain skin had transformed into a shade of vermillion. "I don't remember, Vegeta," she lied. "Did you wake me up to ask me that?"

"Woman, I am your Prince. Show some respect."

"Of course, your Majesty," she giggled as she squeezed his cheek. He yanked his face away and rolled his eyes.

"You are very irritating, are you aware of that?"

"You know you like me."

"You are repulsive and weak."

"Well, you're short."

"Sometimes I wonder why I saved you," Vegeta teased, earning a punch to the shoulder from his blue haired scientist.

Bulma laughed and cuddled up into the Prince's side. He became quite still but did not push her away. There was silence between the two for a while. Sporadically, Vegeta would lean down and smell the woman's hair. Her hair, for some strange reason, always calmed him down. He was very anxious about telling Bulma about the Astrids. She had grown so comfortable and had finally begun to get over her traumatic past. He didn't want to be the one to bring back those horrific memories. He scolded himself for being so careful with her feelings. 'Who cares?' He argued with himself.

"So..." Bulma whispered, breaking the peaceful silence. "Did you just come here for a sleepover? Or, do you have something to tell me?"

"Hm," was all Vegeta had to reply.

"Vegeta, I know you're hiding something. Just tell me. I'm sure it's not that bad, whatever it is."

The Prince took a deep breath. "The Astrids want you back."

Bulma's stomach lurched. Was Vegeta selling her back to the Astrids? For the first time in about a year, she felt truly scared. She was unsure how to read the man next to her in bed. The man she had grown to blindly trust and adore. "What...?" was all she could muster.

"I said, the Astrids want you back. They need a head scientist...It's all rather complicated," he answered monotonously, unsure how to respond to her shaky tone.

Bulma did not want to ask, but she knew she had to. Her life depended on it. "Are you...Are you selling me back to them?"

Vegeta shot up in the bed. "What?! Woman, you must think more of me than that."

Bulma sighed in relief, and Vegeta lay back down as he felt her ki change from very scared to slightly more calm. "Just...The way you said that, I thought that's what you intended."

"No," he replied. "You mean a lot to this Empire, I would not do that to you." He paused for a moment. "I value your life, woman. I will always protect you," he informed her matter-of-factly.

Bulma knew better than to start crying at Vegeta's nice gesture, even though she certainly wanted to. "I'm sure the Saiyans are stronger than the Astrids. Are you worried?"

"The woman from Sian informed me that the Astrids work in discrete ways. She said that once they discovered your location, they would seize you in a way that I would not foresee. That is why I am not entirely...at ease with the situation."

"Shit...I see," she responded. They lay in silence for a few more moments. "So, obviously, they'll soon discover that you had me released from the prostitution trade...They'll know to look for me on Vegeta-sei. So, how about I leave Vegeta-sei?" Bulma spoke up.

Leave Vegeta-sei? Vegeta did not want that. He did not want her to leave him. She had become a part of his routine. He enjoyed her company and sought her advice regularly. But, the genius woman did make a convincing point.

"That would make sense..."

Bulma sensed his hesitation. "I know you wouldn't be able to come with me, of course, but...perhaps after this whole Astrid business is over...I could come back?"

Vegeta did not know want to say. He truly did not want her to leave. He didn't know when "the whole Astrid business" would even be over, if it ever would. There were so many obstacles and complications: he would have to convince his father to fight the Astrids and such. Would his father even do that, just for Bulma?

"Let us discuss this tomorrow, woman." He snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her close. He buried his face in her sweet smelling hair. The Prince and the scientist both fell asleep within minutes.

A/N: Leave Vegeta-sei? Uh oh...

This chapter was kinda fluff-filled, but I hope you liked it. Sorry for teasing you with the lemon, hehe!

Anyway, thank you guys so much for the reviews. I love all your kind words so much! Reading them is definitely the better part of my day. I hope you enjoy this chapter and if you do, please review and let me know. Even if you don't, let me know about that, too.

Thank you! :)