Twice Upon a Time

Summary- All Vegeta wants to do is fall asleep and wake up to see his dead wife, Bulma, in the Otherworld. Instead, Vegeta wakes up rejuvenated over thirty years in the past to find that he's been given a second chance.

Disclaimer- Dragon Ball Z is owned by Akira Toriyama and Toei Animation

Chapter 8-

The flight turned into Bulma barking directions into his ear. He winced at her loudness and wished he could just tell her he already knew the way. The houses, buildings, and general civilization thinned. Trees and mountains sprang up. Movement of animals and dinosaurs emerged below. Birds and pterodactyls met them in the sky.

Vegeta scanned the scenery carefully, trying not to miss the small structure in the middle of nowhere. He spotted it, a small dot on a green plane.

They lowered slowly and he set Bulma down on her feet. She disengaged from him and fixed her windblown hair and smoothed down her short skirt.

The quaint dome and attached cottage with triangular roofs met them. Steam drifted from the fireplace of the dome, which gave it a cozy atmosphere. The shutters on the side window were open, letting in the summer breeze. Vegeta found it simplistic and old-world. He preferred the sophisticated and elaborate life. He deserved the best after all, being prince.

Bulma had the audacity to take his hand. He resisted.

"Oh, come on," she urged. "Don't be so shy."

He pulled back. "I'm not someone you show off to like a puppy you took in." He crossed his arms.

She shook her head.

The fact that they didn't call first amused him. The unexpected entrance was going to pass very entertainingly. They didn't get far before Kakarot's volatile wife took a step out. Her hair was up in a bun and she wore a blue dress with leggings underneath. The clown Kakarot had chosen well. Not as well as he had, however. Sure, Bulma could be high-strung too, but she wasn't a harpy. The woman barred the doorway with a broom handle.

"Bulma, I'm glad you came to visit. You are always welcome." Chi-Chi pointed a finger at Vegeta. "But, that one, I'm not so sure about. What are your intentions? I don't think I want you around my family."

Bulma grinned. She gestured to Vegeta. "He's harmless."

"I am not!"

"I just meant," Bulma said, "you mean no harm."

"Oh, I'll give Kakarot harm. But, he'll still breathe."

Chi-Chi's eyes widened. "Kakarot? You are going to hurt my Goku?"

Bulma reached out a hand to Chi-Chi. "Calm down. Vegeta only wants to spar with him."

Vegeta scowled. "I don't demand an entrance into your dwelling. I only demand to know where I will find the one you call your husband."

There was a moment where Chi-Chi considered this. She frowned deeply. "He's out with Gohan. I don't think I want you around my son. I've heard about you. You're that Vegeta person who wanted to steal the dragonballs for immortality."

Bulma gestured in his direction. "He is also the one who put Goku into a healing tank and gave Gohan armor," she pointed out.

Uncertainty passed over Chi-Chi. "I still don't trust him."

"As you shouldn't, woman," Vegeta said. "But, I'll find Kakarot whether you tell me his whereabouts or not."

This deflated Chi-Chi. She must have been familiar with ki detection. She gave Bulma a questioning look for assurance. She sighed and said, "They're fishing by the river."

Vegeta smiled. "You've been cooperative. Thank you."

Chi-Chi still sulked.

He turned to go.

Bulma called out, "Good luck, Vegeta!"

This time, he didn't need any luck. He'd prove to himself his true worth, and make her honored to be called his mate.

The Son Household

The women were left alone to do what women do best: chat about their men. Bulma found it refreshing to enter the tiny home. Sometimes Capsule Corp seemed cold, outsized, and too advanced. Not that she didn't appreciate style and money, for she loved the good-life, but now and then it was nice to escape it. Her friend, Chi-Chi, motioned her to take a seat at the wooden kitchen table. A red shirt lay on the tabletop along with a collection of thread and needles in a pincushion.

Chi-Chi settled down and examined the garment's hole in the sleeve. "Gohan just can't keep from tearing his clothes. We don't have the money to keep buying him new outfits. If only I'd get him to stay indoors and study more often."

Bulma giggled. Lately, she'd been in such a good mood, and everything made her happy. Except for when she'd gotten sick a few days ago, which was one of the things she wanted to discuss with Chi-Chi.

"Boys will be boys. They don't like to be cooped up, I guess. I think that's why Vegeta decided to come out here. He needs to let out some pent up energy."

Chi-Chi nodded. "It's the same with Goku. I can't get him to stay inside with me and just relax. He's always prancing around helping baby dinosaur eggs or doing whatever Kami knows what. Sometimes I'd like to have a lazy day with the whole family together."

The conversation stirred imaginations about what it would be like to have a family with Vegeta. And, possibly a boy, like Gohan. Their lifestyles were vastly different, but she was sure Saiyans were a lot of work no matter where or how you lived. Despite all the grumbling, she knew Chi-Chi treasured all the time she spent with Goku and Gohan, and that it all paid off.

"So," Chi-Chi began, "What is your relationship with the scoundrel?"

Bulma raised her head, took a breath, and parted her lips. Were there any phrases to depict her relationship with Vegeta? No. It was too complicated.

"Vegeta is . . . Vegeta. I really don't know how to describe it. We live together, and we're intimate. Whatever that really means, I don't know."

Chi-Chi took hold of her needle and thread and began to continue her sewing work. She pulled through the fabric, trying to make the rip disappear and the shirt presentable once again. "I don't see a ring on your finger, so I gather there are not wedding bells in the near future."

Bulma paled. "Vegeta isn't the marrying type."

Chi-Chi shook her head. "And Goku is? I think not. If you stand strong you can lure in anyone. We women need to take charge."

Bulma glanced down, uncertain. "Oh, I don't know. I'm not exactly the marrying type either. I've got my lab duties and . . . It doesn't matter."

"I don't believe you," Chi-Chi said, unconvinced.

"I'm not going to push him into anything he isn't ready for," Bulma said.

Shaking her head, Chi-Chi examined the sewing. The stitches were as good as they were going to be. "I don't understand it at all. Tell me, why are you with him? He seems so rude and coarse. What happened to sweet Yamcha?"

"Oh, Yamcha . . . Um, Yamcha was a big child. Very immature and unreliable, and I couldn't trust him. I don't know for sure, but I think he had his dessert on the side," Bulma said.

Chi-Chi gave her an apologetic look. Bulma couldn't help but think the other woman thought she was settling with Vegeta only because he was available and filled a vacancy left by Yamcha. That she felt sorry for her. It sorta pissed her off. Vegeta was a lot better than people took him for.

"Is this Vegeta really an upgrade?"

"He is to me," Bulma declared.

The small shirt was folded carefully and laid aside. "Well, you would know better than I would. I wish you the best."

Chi-Chi pushed out her chair and stood up. She proceeded to a cabinet and brought out a large pot, and brought it to the sink to fill with water. Then, she turned on the stove's burner. Chi-Chi grabbed a bag of potatoes and pulled out a paring knife.

"I hope you don't mind us stopping by like this," Bulma said, swiveling in her seat. She reached out in offering to help peel potatoes. Chi-Chi handed over a cutting board.

"I just went to the market, so we have plenty. If you say we can trust Vegeta he can stay too," Chi-Chi said.

The potato skin curled and fell, leaving white. Bulma rotated the vegetable. "There is something different about him lately. It's like he has settled down here, made peace with it. He's not at war with himself, me, or Earth. And, it is very strange, he even speaks about Goku without any animosity. Ever since. . . He woke up from this explosion accident while training, and he's been a different person ever since. Like he matured or something while he was out. I'm not complaining, obviously, but it makes me curious. He's so private and won't tell me what happened."

They both took the words in. Chi-Chi went onto another potato, busying herself.

"Maybe he fell in love," Chi-Chi said. Bulma was glad she'd stopped putting Vegeta down and trying to dissect their relationship. No one could figure it out, but her and Vegeta. There just weren't any words. You had to live it, breath it, be in it.

The temperature of Bulma's cheeks rose. "Love is a strong term. One he'd never use. But, I'm hopeful. Sometimes, I'm certain of it."

"I had to strangle Goku to use the L word too," Chi-Chi said. "If he could say he loved eggrolls or meat-buns, he could certainly use love in reference to me."

Because of Chi-Chi's explosive nature, Bulma wouldn't put it past her to actually strangle Goku. What a funny match they were, and yet, quite perfect.

There never seemed to be the right moment to slip in what she really wanted to talk about. She figured she just had to let it spill. Bulma finished digging out an eye of her potato. She pushed it to the collection of other clean potatoes.

"Chi-Chi, how did you know you were pregnant with Gohan?"

The dark-haired woman set her knife down and stared across the table. Bulma shyly met her eyes.

"You don't mean you are expecting a child with that man?"

Bulma's heart sped up. "I think so, but I still need to take a test. I'm experiencing symptoms such as tenderness in my breasts, frequent urination, nausea, and fatigue."

Chi-Chi leaned back, really taking in Bulma. "You're pregnant. We women have an intuition about such things. And, you are practically glowing."

If Bulma wasn't blushing before she certainly was now.

"What will Vegeta say about it?" Chi-Chi asked cautiously.

Bulma cracked a smile. "Actually, he is surprisingly very open to the idea. Very open." With that, Bulma began her tale about the misunderstanding a few months prior. She sensed that Chi-Chi was gathering bit by bit how untrue her bias against Vegeta was.