A/N: An early Merry Christmas to everyone! I had the inspiration, and the time, to write the next chapter, and here it is. Thank you so much to those of you who have been reviewing and those of you who have put this story on their Story Alert. I am glad others seem to like Piccolo's addition too. He is an interesting character, and I always thought he and Vegeta had an interesting relationship. Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter.


"Broke him? What do you mean?" she asked as she stepped aside to allow the tall Namekian through the doorway. He stood silent for a moment and then released a big breath.

"Last night, I felt an enormous power surge. After pinpointing its location, I was able to sense Vegeta. He was furious. I decided to sense him for what had made him so angry, and I picked up you. You were the last to have contact with him before he exploded, so it is likely you are to blame." His voice was even and calm, so it was difficult to tell how serious the situation was.

"We…we had an argument last night, but I didn't think it would upset him so much. Did he hurt anyone?" She knew Vegeta was not to be controlled when he was angry, which meant anyone in his way was probably a pile of ash right about now.

"No. He did turn a good chunk of a desert into glass, however. And, despite the fact that he has powered down, fury is still bubbling inside him. I do not believe a simple argument would have caused all that. What did you argue about?" Piccolo was very intimidating without trying to be, and she learned a while ago that trying to hide anything from him was futile.

"I went out with my friend last night to a club, and there were lots of other men around. When I came back, Vegeta must have smelled them because he told me I should not smell like them. He kissed me and tried to…Well, I think he was trying to rid the other scents from me. But I shoved him off. It's not his place to tell me what I can or cannot do with other men. I don't want to give in to him anymore. I told him this and then went to my room. I didn't hear him come back last night, but I didn't know I had made him so angry." She watched Piccolo consider her words and then was taken aback when a small smile graced his lips.

"That makes more sense. Thank you, Bulma." He left without another word.

***

He sensed him far before he saw him. Did the Namekian have a death wish? If Piccolo could not sense how angry he was, then the green man was going senile. Nonetheless, he was now standing a few feet from the man and giving him a cold stare.

"What do you want?" He had no patience left, so the Namekian better not try him.

"You are going to lose her if you do not change your attitude." Calm, matter-of-fact. He wanted to rip those silly antennae off his head and see how calm he was then.

"What are you babbling about? I have no idea what you mean." Yes he did. The fact that he knew exactly what he meant sent a wave of electricity from his skin into the air. Saiyans were not supposed to be controlled by emotions, and yet his body was telling him something he could not deny. Hearing it from someone else made him feel defeated. He would never be defeated.

"Bulma will never be yours unless you do something about it. You know good and well what I mean. That thought wracking your brain and your body will only get worse if you do not make peace with her."

"And why are you so interested in relationship problems, anyway?" he nearly screamed. He knew Piccolo was correct, but that just made him all the angrier.

"Listen, I do not care what the two of you do the majority of the time. But when it becomes a matter of saving the planet, I think it is appropriate that I get involved. Kami would be furious with me if I did not. Last night, you were so angry that you destroyed half this valley. If it gets worse, you might destroy something else."

"Do not think me so weak, Namek! I can direct my anger, and I can control it. I will not destroy the planet, if that's what you mean." Fool.

"What happens when Bulma brings another man back to the house? Would you be able to control your anger then?" Just the thought was enough to send electricity into the air. Mine. No other man would touch her. If one did, he would…

The realization removed the fury from his body. He stood, jaw dropped and speechless, as he contemplated the meaning of his ripping through any man that got close to her with sexual intentions. It was unlikely he would destroy the planet, but some would die. And Bulma would never be able to look at him again.

"But, how do I fix it?"

"Don't ask me. I have never had to deal with women in this way before. But you will need to fix it. I suggest speaking with Yamcha and Krillin: they are the two men that have known her the longest, and Yamcha even dated her at one point. They may be able to help." With that, the Namekian took off.

How was he supposed to fix his relationship with Bulma when they really never had one to begin with? He loathed the idea of speaking with those Earthlings, especially since he knew Yamcha had touched the woman. It seemed, however, he had little choice. He did not know what he felt towards her, but he knew he would not tolerate another male's presence. And the Namekian had a point: it would be very bad for him to lose control of his anger.

He grumbled and searched for Yamcha and Krillin's energy, relieved they were located in the same place. Well, if he had to injure his pride, it might as well be over a woman.

***

"Did I hear you correctly? You want us to help you with relationship problems?" He could not believe it, would not have believed it unless he had heard it with his own ears. Vegeta, the Prince of All Saiyans, was asking himself and Krillin to help him with Bulma.

"Yes, damn it, do I have to repeat myself? I do not want some other man with her, and I need to know how to prevent that from happening." He wondered if the red on the Saiyan's face was from anger or embarrassment. Regardless, his day was already shaping up to be the best day ever.

Beside him Krillin snickered. "Wow, Vegeta, I never figured you for falling in love with someone. You have it pretty bad, don't you?" The prince seemed taken aback by that statement.

"Do not assume this has anything to do with 'love.' Silly human emotion. I simply know I will end any man's life if he so much as looks at her in the wrong way and, as I have learned, killing people is frowned upon." Krillin shook his head.

"Whatever. Deny it all you want, but we know the truth. So, how do you think we can help?" Yes, how did Krillin think he could help? When it came to women, he was not really the person to talk to. Luckily, he had managed to find the balls to find Android 18 and marry her, but that was the one successful relationship he had ever had. He supposed Krillin had known Bulma for a long while, so perhaps he might have a smidge of useful knowledge.

"The pair of you know her. You know what she likes, dislikes, and abhors. I never learned those things, and I doubt she would be happy to tell me now. And you, Yamcha, had a relationship with her years ago. You should know better than anyone what pleases her." He was serious. He really wanted their help. Even if he looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here.

"Alright, then. She really likes it when you play with her stomach, and she really likes her hair touched, and—"

"I DO NOT NEED BEDROOM ADVICE!" Vegeta's voice nearly floored him. "Pleasing her sexually has never been a problem. Unfortunately, it seems that is all I DO know about her."

Yamcha laughed, holding his hands out in front of him in defense. Fat lot of good it would do if Vegeta actually decided to take him out. "Okay, okay, I was just joking. Well, I hope you brought something to write with, because she is one of the pickiest women I have ever dated." He could see the sheer pain in the prince's eyes. Yep, best day ever.

***

They had prattled on for hours, and little they gave him helped his cause. She liked tight and expensive clothing, cute shoes, strong men…all of these he had deduced from day one. He knew she liked flowers, but he had not known what kind. Not that he would ever lower himself to buying some for her, but it was probably good knowledge to have. Much of the information had been specific, but the most important piece was also the one that made him angry.

"She doesn't like guys that come on too strong. I mean, I was deathly afraid of women when we got together. To come on any weaker, I would have had to be handicapped. You can't rush her, or she'll know what you're up to. Sorry to say it, but there is no quick-fix for this situation."

Of course the universe would not let him fix this easily. At least he had enough to start formulating a plan. It mostly revolved around "What would Kakarot do?" He knew his rival had never had even the slightest sexual interest in his friend, but he also knew the idiot was very good at making people happy. Taking things one step at a time was going to be torture, but he knew it was the only way.

He ran into the woman sooner than expected, as he entered the kitchen and found her drinking a cup of coffee and reading a newspaper. The look that came over her face told him Piccolo had been here as well. She put down the paper and the mug, standing to face him.

"Vegeta, what—"

"Just blowing off some steam. Nothing to worry about. Where's the boy?" He tried to sound as calm and neutral as possible. Be aloof. If she thinks you're not interested, she'll be even more attracted to you. The Earthling, while a terrible fighter, always smelled of women. Some of his advice must have been worth following.

She looked confused, but sat back down when the look on his face did not change. "He's in his room. Are you two training today?" Her voice was hesitant.

"Yes. We will be done before dinner, so you will not have a dirty child on your hands during the meal." He knew she hated when he finished training and went straight to dinner without washing. What must be true for him must also be true for the boy. Perhaps anticipating her quirks would earn him some points. As long as he intrigued her, she would not stray to other men. He did not wait for her response and headed upstairs to his son's room.

The boy was playing with some of his toys, but stood at attention when he saw his father. "Time for training, my son."

***

It had been two weeks since the blowing-stuff-up incident, and Vegeta had acted the model citizen. Well, as model a citizen as a trained Saiyan warrior could be. But she had noticed a drastic change. Trunks was never late, or unwashed, for dinner, and Vegeta was complaining far less than he usually did. Normally, she would be suspicious of such behavior, but she figured he had taken her words to heart and maybe felt bad about what he did. He was a ruthless warrior prince, and feeling bad was something very low on his repertoire of emotions, but if there were a time for him to use it, it was now. So, she had maybe a twinge of suspicion, but mostly she was happy. Mostly.

Women dream of having strong men around the house, men who will respect them and give them the space they need. She had certainly dreamed of Vegeta doing housework or taking some extra work off her hands, and seeing that dream put into reality, even in the slightest, was hard to resist. But she had to resist.

She did not consider herself a weak woman by any means, but the prince caused her to falter. Her attraction to him had not waned in the slightest over the years. Despite the argument they had a few weeks ago, the change in his attitude combined with his freshly laundered figure often drew her breath away and tightened her body. There were many things Vegeta no longer was, but he was still the perfect picture of a regal prince. And what woman did not want a prince?

Looking down at the piece of paper in her hand, Bulma drew in a deep breath and released it slowly. She swallowed and rapped quickly on the door. Not two seconds later, the Saiyan prince was before her, unclothed save for a tight pair of exercise shorts.

"What do you want?" His tone was even different. Usually he sounded annoyed, but now he mainly sounded bored. When she held the paper out for him, he took it and studied it carefully. "I am confused as to why you are showing this me."

"It's an invitation to the annual Capsule Corporation charity event. It is in a few weeks, and I had hoped to have found someone to go with by now. You see, as a member of the Briefs family, it would seem odd if I didn't attend, and odd if I showed up unescorted. I was going to ask Yamcha if he wanted to go, but I thought maybe you might want to go instead. I know you hate parties, but it might be fun." A hollow feeling settled in her stomach at how desperate she felt to have him come with her. Yamcha was still a good friend, but he always talked about the wild dates he had, and she had nothing to offer in return; her personal life was rather barren as of late.

The prince looked back at the paper, seemingly considering the invitation. "What would my going entail?"

"Well, you would need to dress up and act civilly towards the other guests. Oh…and you would have to dance." She saw him visibly flinch at the latter, but was shocked when she also saw him fight some sort of internal battle. He wanted to say no, but perhaps there was a reason he could not just come out and say it.

"…I do not know your Earth dances. You would need to train me." He looked defeated, like Trunks did when he was told there would be no more toys until his room was clean. Now she knew where he got it from.

"So, this means you'll go?"

If it were possible to see every fiber of his being tell him to do one thing but be forced into doing another, that is what she saw his body go through. "Yes."


A/N: I hope you enjoyed it. I will see you all after the holidays. Please have a wonderful holiday season and stay safe. :)