Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or the characters

I finally have some good news going on with my family after...ages. My cousin got engaged. That girl is like my sister, so now it's time for wedding planning and I'm just insanely excited. Who knows? It might give me ideas for my BXV fics...hint hint ;)

She couldn't believe what he had done. All she had wanted was to stay at home with their son and keep a low profile until she was ready to face her father. In one carefully executed move, he managed to not only rock her already shaken boat, but completely disregard everything she wanted. His secretary had called her saying that Vegeta had wanted her to join him for lunch. She had been willing to risk being seen just so she could be with him, and had left Trunks with the woman as per Vegeta's instructions. She had no idea that he was going to blindside her and force her into a position as his company.

After he had made his announcement, causing the board room to break out in a frantic uproar, he just casually walked over to her, looping their arms together, and then left the room. Bulma was shocked and didn't say anything, but her mind was raging. Her inner self was starting to break out, and the only reason she was holding back was because of their son being present. By the end of the day, all of the Orius Corporation knew Bulma was in town, and that she and Vegeta had a child together.

Later at home, Bulma still hadn't confronted Vegeta, nor would she speak to him or respond to anything he said to her. Eventually, he stopped trying to engage her, both brooding. It wasn't until after Bulma put the tired babe down for a nap. Trunks had fallen asleep instantly.

And that's when she finally confronted Vegeta, about everything.

"How dare you?" she asked harshly, hands placed on her hips. "First you pulled me away from a town and job that I had wanted to keep and now, after I made it clear I would only come back if no one knew until I was ready, you thought you could just force me to work for you. Do you know how bad it's going to get when my father actually finds out? Did you think of what it would do to me to throw myself back into business against my father? He's going to see it as betrayal, and he's going to come after us worse than your father had."

Vegeta watched Bulma as she shouted at him, forcing himself not to smirk since the topic was serious. This had been exactly what he wanted, the fire to return to Bulma's eyes. Sure, he had expected it to happen gradually, but he was very happy with the results. "First of all," he said, his deep voice carrying through the room, "our fathers betrayed us first. If he goes after you, he will only do what my father did and ruin his own company. Everyone in this town, and I mean everyone, felt sympathy for us, not them.

"Both businesses suffered for a while, especially my father's business. I'm trying to redesign the company, to avoid being associated with him. One thing I needed was to get rid of those loyal to him including that sleazy bastard he hired as a vice president. I knew you would be a refreshing addition to the company. We already know we work well together."

He took a moment to look her in the eyes, stepping closer to her. Bulma looked slightly hesitant and skeptical, but she still had anger shining in her eyes. "As for if I took you into consideration," he whispered softly, "of course I did. You couldn't stay in here forever, and you're already starting to act like your old self. It's going to be a process, Bulma, but you can't run away from yourself forever."

"And who are you to make that decision for me?" she snapped slightly. "You know how much I hate being controlled. I've been controlled my whole life, Vegeta. Why are you doing the same thing?"

Vegeta wrapped his arms around her, leaning in to place a soft kiss on her lips. When he pulled away, he said, "I am the man that loves you and can't stand to see you acting as a shadow of your former self. I don't want to control you. I would have asked you first, but with how you're acting right now, I knew you would shoot down the idea. You belong at my side, Bulma. If I had told you ahead of time, you might have-"

Vegeta stopped himself from voicing his one fear to Bulma. He didn't want to make things worse between them by telling her that he was expecting her to run away from him again. His only hope was that she wouldn't pick up on it, but of course he couldn't be so lucky.

Bulma bit her lip nervously, attempting to hold back tears she felt pricking her eyes. She couldn't blame Vegeta for his hesitancy with her. It was impossible to deny that she gave him a reason to trap her into staying. Where it irritated her, Bulma had to admit it would be nice to work with him again. She may not have had the choice to accept but, if she let it happen smoothly, she would be publicly rejecting the rivalry and accepting her family. She could finally live a public, happy life: no hiding, no running away. Didn't she deserve some peace for once? Didn't Vegeta and Trunks both deserve a true family unit?

"I'm not going to leave you," she assured him while sliding her hands off his shoulders and stroking his arms. "I'm not going to walk out on you like I did when I was scared. I'm not letting Trunks grow up without both of us. I'll accept the job, set up roots here again, but I need to do everything at my own pace. Next time, please run something by me before you make life-changing decisions for me. That's all I ask."

Vegeta nodded his agreement, but his smirk returned. "I believe that was our first argument since you've been back."

Bulma's eye's widened before they narrowed at him. She let go of him and her hands returned to their position on her hips. "You are such an asshole! How was that a fight? And way to ruin a perfectly good moment."

Vegeta snickered and shook his head. "I said 'argument,' Bulma, not 'fight.' And yes, there is a difference." When Bulma stuck her tongue out at him, the two of them realized just how laid back they were, and just how normal it felt. Just like old times, Vegeta thought feeling very relieved.

Bulma couldn't believe that she had actually agreed to be Vegeta's girlfriend. Where it was probably the best thing that could have ever happened to her, she still had her father's watchful eye to worry about. If he ever found out...she didn't want to think about it. He had enough power and wealth to make both Vegeta's and her life a living hell.

They took every opportunity they had to go to the lake and just spend time together. Bulma usually worked on her homework there so that, if her father asked her what she was doing out so late, she could tell him she was working in a quiet place.

Vegeta sat beside her, watching her work. He would sometimes do his homework with her, but other times he didn't care. His father could hound him all he wanted; it didn't mean Vegeta would give into his obsession.

Not when he had his own.

He couldn't help but watch Bulma's every move. Since he had realized his feelings over a month ago, he observed everything she did, though not in the creepy stalker way. Bulma had kind of picked up on it, but she hadn't had any clue he liked her that way, even though she had been watching him too.

She leaned against him and sighed. "I hate this class," she murmured. "I mean, we know the important math we'd need for business, but calculus is so annoying. Why did I take it?"

Vegeta chuckled. "It's not that hard, woman," he teased. "You just have to think of it like a puzzle." He looked at some of her answers and noticed something. "Your problem here, though, is that you misplaced the x somewhere else."

"Oh crap," Bulma sighed. "See, that's my problem."

"What's your problem?" Vegeta questioned, concerned about her change in demeanor.

Bulma looked over to him and then down to the ground. "I didn't want to tell anyone," she admitted. "It's really not a huge deal. It's not very severe, but dad hates it."

"What?" Vegeta nearly growled out. "What isn't severe and what does he hate?"

Bulma looked away from Vegeta, not wanting to see his reaction when she told him. "I have slight dyslexia," she told him. "It's really not horrible. I just need to read, and sometime reread certain words, just to make sure everything makes sense. It was honestly really hard with the business presentation because I had to double and triple check the numbers and proofread the slide show every time I looked at it. Sometimes, I mix up the numbers or forget a negative sign even when I'm paying attention. It's one of the reasons dad is so hard on me when it comes to how long it takes me to do work."

"That's ludicrous," Vegeta stated. "The fact that you're trying as hard as you are to make everything perfect is amazing. Who cares if you make a few mistakes here and there? You still correct for them."

"That doesn't matter to him," Bulma explained. "He always tells me that mistakes bring a company down, and he doesn't want me to bring down the company."

"You wouldn't," he assured her, pulling her to him. "Besides," he whispered in her ear, "even in charge, you wouldn't have to do all of it alone. You'll have a vice president to help you, a vital partner that can keep you in check."

Bulma chuckled slightly. "I wouldn't trust anyone with my secret. Someone would be able to use that against me if they needed to constantly check over my work."

Vegeta didn't say anything, since there was nothing he could say. Knowing about Bulma's problem, though it wasn't that major to him as it was her father, helped him to understand what she was going through and why she defended her father. She blamed herself just as he blamed her for her "shortcomings." Still, he couldn't understand why Dr. Briefs was so hard on her. She was flawless, even if small mistakes happened. No one would care about it since it didn't disable her. She could flourish in the business world regardless of this small hindrance. It would make her better and more relaxed if, instead of forcing her to be perfect, he aided her.

"Well, we can practice what you need to look for in a partner," he purred in her ear, taking her homework away from her. "Why don't we go over this first problem together?"

Bulma blushed slightly, but nodded. She couldn't deny that she loved being treated as an equal for once. Vegeta, though he now knew of her flaw, was not making her feel inferior to him. She had always worked hard to hide it when they were in middle school, afraid he'd torment her. When they had become friends, she thought about telling him, but it never came up. During their biology project, they worked together, and he did a majority of the typing, so she didn't have to worry about mistyping something on their presentation. The fact that he was helping her now, without judgment, made her feel a sense of relief. For now, he was her partner, and that was strangely okay with her.

It came out very quickly that Bulma was back in town. After Vegeta announced to the board that she would be a part of the Orius team, it became public knowledge. Bulma realized she couldn't hide out anymore and started going out to do more normal activities. When grocery shopping with Trunks, she was met with classmates from high school, all of whom commended her and told her how happy they were that she was okay. Bulma hadn't realized how many lives she had touched in school, mainly because her mind was always elsewhere. Her classmates really had truly cared for her and Vegeta being together. It was like a huge group of fans shipping their favorite forbidden couple. As she thought this, she couldn't help but chuckle. Vegeta must have loved that, she thought giddily.

So far she hadn't run into her father, which was amazing. She had envisioned him storming into the Orius main building demanding to see her so that he could berate her for her choice. Vegeta had assured her that her father wouldn't get near her, especially if she was alone, not until she was ready to face him. She knew it was only a matter of time before he found out about everything, and at that point Vegeta wouldn't be able to protect her.

"So it's true..."

Bulma gasped, dropping the box of cereal she was taking off the shelf. She turned to see her father before glancing quickly at her sleeping son. Not here, Bulma pleaded mentally. She wasn't ready for this at all.

Dr. Briefs looked to the sleeping child and scowled. "I can't believe you," he muttered. "An unwed, teenaged mother, with that...that...bastard's son. How could you do this to me, Bulma? You know how I felt about that family."

She felt a twinge of anger when he started attacking Vegeta's family. "Y-You," she stammered. "You knew how I felt about him. I told you when the pictures came out and you disowned me. You have no say on what I do. I don't answer to you anymore."

"No, you answer to him," her father growled. "The fact that you would betray me this way...my original opinion of you stands. You were always, have always, and will always be a mistake."

Bulma's face fell as her father said those horrible words to her. She had always tried to be perfect for him, always doing what he wanted of her. When it didn't work, she allowed herself to become her own person, and then he went so far as to throw that in her face when the pictures came out. She knew she had messed up horribly in his eyes, but she couldn't regret it. Looking at Trunks again, her heart breaking, all she could think of is how something unplanned had been such an amazing blessing. She and Vegeta had created something so beautiful. Listening to her father hurt her, because she knew that he did not feel the same way about her. He was making that abundantly clear.

"Hey!" Bulma's attention snapped to Goku, who happened to overhear everything. The look on his face told her that much. "Leave her alone," the normally kind man threatened. "You should be ashamed of yourself for uttering such hateful words." He looked to Bulma and said, "Let's get you and Trunks out of here. You can get groceries another day."

Bulma agreed, abandoning her cart, but not before taking Trunks's carrier. "You gave him my name?" her father yelled in the middle of the aisle causing many other shoppers to run and see what was going on. "That is going too far."

"Enough," Goku said darkly. "You need to lay off. Haven't you caused enough trouble for my friends?"

Dr. Briefs was taken aback at the disrespect Goku was displaying towards him. It bothered him when the teen wrapped his arm around his daughter's shoulders. "Come on, Bulma," he said loud enough for her father to hear. "I'll take you home. Vegeta got off early today."

"Okay," Bulma said quietly, her voice cracking slightly. She turned her head back slightly, though she wasn't looking directly at her father. "Goodbye, daddy."

It was when he heard the sound of her disheartened voice that Dr. Briefs realized the mistake he had made, one that he couldn't take back.

Things were getting easier for Bulma once Vegeta started helping here with her homework. She knew that with his help, even if she missed a few mistakes when she took her tests, her homework and other assignments would be flawless. She'd be able to easily keep her grades up, not that they had been suffering that much in the first place.

Her mother began to notice a change in her daughter. She was no fool; she knew her daughter had started dating their neighbors' son. Though she should have been supportive of her husband, she knew that the rivalry was a pointless waste of time. Vegeta had somehow made her daughter happy, and her stress level was starting to go down as well. She couldn't separate the two children when they just made each other feel this bright. It was all she ever wanted for her daughter, and she wouldn't punish Vegeta for his father's antics.

Bulma let out a contented sigh as she entered the house. "Hey, mom," she said dreamily as she thought about her day.

Bunny smiled at her daughter and ran her hair through her hair. "And what, may I ask, has you in such a good mood, dear?"

Bulma felt bad that she couldn't talk to her mother about her relationship with Vegeta. It had always hurt her that she could never have girl talk with her mother about her first kiss or anything like that. But she did it to protect Vegeta and herself from their bitter fathers. "Nothing really," she answered. "I've just been going to a new tutor. He's been helping me with my dyslexia."

The older woman observed her daughter, her eyes wide. She knew that Bulma had never wanted anyone to find out about her dyslexia. Her friends didn't even know. A knowing smile appeared on her face. Not only had she felt comfortable enough to tell Vegeta about her problem, but he was helping her through it. Such a wonderful boy, she thought.

Meanwhile, Dr. Briefs had walked in. "Bulma, I'm happy for you," her mother told her. "I'm sure this tutor will really make a difference."

"Why does she need a tutor?"

Panchy and Bulma froze when they heard Dr. Briefs' angry voice. "D-Dad," she stuttered, "you're home early."

"Why are you going to a tutor, Bulma?"

"Bulma, why don't you go upstairs?" her mother asked. "Go work on that project of yours, okay?"

"Sure..." Bulma hesitated since she knew the project was a cover her dad would be questioning her on later. It bothered her so much that her parents were going to have another fight over her again. Why did she have to cause so much trouble for her parents' marriage?

Vegeta knew that Bulma was out grocery shopping. She had started going out more since her presence in town had become public knowledge. They rarely ever watched television unless it was movies or TV series on DVD, just to avoid the news stations and broadcasts. What was being said didn't matter to them. There was someone in the company to handle public affairs, and she had told them that there wasn't anything to worry about. All the broadcasters were talking about two lovers reunited, finally being able to be together and raise their son. No one cared about the supposed scandal his father started.

When he heard a car door shut, he smiled to himself and went to answer the door. He was surprised to see that Goku had been driving the car. His good mood instantly shattered when he saw the distraught look on his woman's face. He looked to his friend for an answer.

"Hey," Goku greeted as Bulma stepped into the house with Trunks and quickly headed up the stairs to put him in his crib. "Her father knows she's back."

Vegeta's expression darkened as he allowed Goku into the house. "What the hell did that asshole say to her?"

Goku shook his head. "If I tell you, you need to swear to me that you'll let Bulma tell you on her own before you go on a rampage. I only caught the tail end of the conversation."

"Kakarot," Vegeta's menacing voice bit out, "What. Did. He. Say?"

Goku was normally carefree and jovial, so when his expression became just as angry and bitter as Vegeta's, the flame-haired teen grew even more concerned for his girlfriend. "He said she was a 'mistake.'"

Knowing all that Vegeta knew about Bulma, her feelings and emotions, and the way she had always admired her father, he couldn't help but feel a whirlwind of emotions. Rage didn't even begin to describe the emotion at his center. He was absolutely livid.

"He's also pissed that she named Trunks after him," Goku added as an afterthought.

Vegeta shook his head. That idiot should have been honored that Bulma was thinking of him and his father when she named their son. He should have been honored that Bulma cared enough about him. It was a blessing to have both Bulma and Trunks in his life. Dr. Briefs was lucky that he still had the love of his daughter and a healthy grandson, despite the fact that he treated both of them so horribly. He was partly to blame for the fact that Bulma had gone through everything she had. He was the one that led to her leaving.

"Kakarot, I need to let you in on something," he told his friend, "and Bulma is not to know."

Goku was skeptical about Vegeta telling him a secret, but it sounded serious and he was willing to hear him out. If he was bringing it up now, right when he told him about Dr. Briefs words, it had to be important. "What?"

"I'm planning to ruin him," he admitted. "I'm planning to take down Capsule Corp."

Bulma was exhausted in school the next day. Her parents' fight had lasted until the early hours in the morning, though her father had stormed out sometime in the middle of it. It really bothered Bulma that she had a calculus exam that day and yet she was too tired to focus. She needed to focus if she wanted to avoid serious mistakes.

"Bulma?"

Turning her head to the side, she saw the look of concern on Vegeta's face. Almost instantly, tears started forming in her eyes. He took her hand in his and comfortingly rubbed it with his thumb.

"Vegeta, why am I such a failure?" she asked him.

Vegeta instantly grew angry, though he kept his tone in check. "Bulma, we've been over this. You are not a failure. You're an amazing woman who works very hard. Why are you being down on yourself now?"

"Dad's mad that I'm seeing a 'tutor.' He overheard me telling mom someone was helping me through this dyslexia," she explained with a sigh.

"He's such a moron," Vegeta scoffed. "You're doing better than your best. He's asking you to not be human, Bulma. Sometimes we all need help. Do you think that I can write something up without having to proofread it multiple times? Do you think he can write dozens of pages of reports and not make a single mistake? No one is perfect, Bulma, but it doesn't make you a failure."

"I know everyone makes mistakes," Bulma replied shyly.

"Then stop holding yourself to an impossible standard," he ordered gently. "You're doing fine. Just take the test slow and, if you start to panic, take deep breaths and think of the lake. It's going to be okay."

Bulma nodded and squeezed his hand. "Thank you, Vegeta."

Goku had left the house after Vegeta admitted his goal. It hadn't surprised him that Vegeta wanted to destroy Bulma's father. They had all watched how Bulma had to deal with him; they had all tried to help her escape her father. He knew Bulma would not approve of what Vegeta was planning, but even Goku could admit that Dr. Briefs had brought Vegeta's wrath upon himself. There had been a time where Vegeta had been willing to give his girlfriend's father the benefit of the doubt. He had the opportunity to make up for his actions, yet he had made things worse for her.

"Goku, is that you?" Chi Chi called out from the kitchen.

"Yeah, Chi," he shouted back. "I'm back."

Chi Chi came out from the kitchen and saw her boyfriend's expression. "Are you all right?"

Goku shook his head in disbelief. "Not really. I am thankful, though, that neither of us had to grow up with that as a father."

He left Chi Chi speechless, wondering what had happened, and then she realized that he hadn't come home with the breadcrumbs he had gone out for. Guess we're ordering takeout.

Meanwhile, Vegeta found Bulma in their room crying hard into a pillow. He felt a tug in his heart seeing her wrack with sobs, knowing there wasn't much he could do or say to replace her father's cruelty. Still, he had to try. Even though he had tried to reassure her before, sometimes hearing his words again would help her, at least temporarily.

He took a seat on his side of the bed. Bulma didn't even react to him when he placed his hand on her back. As she continued to cry, Vegeta pulled her into his grasp. She allowed him to hold her as she clung onto him, sobbing against his chest.

"Sh, Bulma," he whispered softly as he gently patted her back, "sh."

"V-Vegeta," she managed to say. "I-It was horrible."

"I know," he remarked. "I'm sorry I wasn't there with you."

Bulma released a disheartened chuckle. "Believe me; it would have been just as bad if you were there. I...I just can't believe he could say that...Goku told you, I'm sure."

"He did," Vegeta confirmed. "He is wrong, Bulma. You are not a mistake."

"You don't know that," Bulma replied. "You don't know about it."

Vegeta stared at her strangely. "About what?"

Bulma sat up, trying to pull herself together and dry her tears. "I wasn't exactly planned," she explained. "My...my parents weren't married when they had me. My grandfather wasn't happy about it. He actually didn't come around to the whole thing until after I was born. He was still always hard on my dad, though. He always was, just like dad is with me."

"A child is supposed to learn from their parents," Vegeta told her, "both the right and the wrong ways to treat their children. Your father going through what he did is no excuse for him to treat you the way he has. Him saying what he did, it's unforgivable. You know that, right?" Bulma nodded against him, and Vegeta mentally released a sigh of relief. "Good, because he's wrong. You're an amazing woman, Bulma, and I am lucky to have you in my life. For your father not to want you in his life...I can't understand it. Those months we were apart were hell for me. To have you back in my life...words can't describe how I feel, Bulma. It pains me to see you this upset."

"I'm sorry," Bulma muttered against his chest.

He pulled Bulma away from him and looked into her eyes with stern and forceful eyes. "Don't ever apologize for someone else's actions. Nothing is your fault, no matter how much he tried to convince you. No one is perfect, Bulma. I know I told you that before. But that doesn't matter because you're perfect to me. And no amount of mistakes you think you've made changes that. If you were a mistake to him, then you're the best damn mistake he could have made."

A shy smile appeared on Bulma's face as she bashfully looked away. "You really believe that, huh?" she questioned skeptically. "I wish I could."

She could feel him running his hand through her hair. "For now, I'll believe it enough for the both of us. Eventually, you'll be able to believe it too."

He barely gave her a chance to register his words as he pulled her in for a slow kiss. Bulma returned the kiss with equal passion. It was, by far, the most romantic and meaningful kiss they had shared since Vegeta had found her. In that moment, it was like they had never been separated. Their hearts felt as connected as they were the night of the dance.

"I can't believe I did it!" Bulma exclaimed as the two of them walked home hand in hand.

Vegeta chuckled at her amusing behavior. "I knew you could do it," he remarked. "Now your father can't bitch at you. Think you could 'go to Chi Chi's' for the night?"

Bulma laughed and then flashed him a smile. "After getting a hundred on a math test, heck yeah! What do you think we should do? Hang out at the lake?"

"I was thinking something a little more public," Vegeta answered making Bulma gape at him.

"You're joking."

"No, I'm not," he countered. "I'm not ashamed of you, Bulma. There are public places where we could go, yet still avoid our fathers finding out. You know everyone from school will keep quiet, and there's plenty of places where only people from school hangout. I was thinking we could go to the diner and catch a movie."

"You're not joking," Bulma said in a daze. "You mean we're going on an actual date?"

"If you want to."

"I would love to!" Bulma shouted as she jumped into Vegeta's arms and kissed him. She pulled away quickly when Vegeta had first started to react to the kiss. He had been startled by her actions, but he definitely wanted more.

Bulma was taken aback by the intensity of Vegeta's gaze. The way he was looking at her made her feel nervous, but also as if he only had eyes for her. Gently, he cradled her face as he pressed his lips to hers. For both teenagers, time seemed to stop and the world around them disappeared. Bulma's vibrating phone was what separated them this time.

"Dad wants me home to see my test score," she reported as she read the text message. She cast him a sheepish smile. "I'll text you when I'm ready."

"Right," Vegeta replied. He watched her as she started to walk away. "And Bulma?"

"Hm?" She stopped and turned back to him.

His serious gaze drew her in. "Regardless of what he says, that grade was all you."

Bulma smiled and nodded before running off to her home. Vegeta sighed after she was gone. He knew that, even though she scored perfectly, her father would find something else to pick on. Why he did that, he didn't know, but what he did know was that he could make Bulma happy, even if it was just the night, though he planned to continue making her happy in the future.