Next chapter and I updated in less then a week! Thanks again to Chazie, Bulma and Vegeta fan, SuperMaz, Cappuccino Penguin, Hatake Umino Nezumi, Ren, St-fux, and rayray for your reviews. They make my day! Hope you enjoy the next segment of my Bulma and Vegeta novel, since it has become so enormously long!

Chapter 21

"I'm pregnant."

Those words kept running through Vegeta's mind as he quickly walked away from his mate and slammed the outside door behind him. She…she couldn't be serious, could she? Shaking his head, he tried to think, but all thinking did was make him even more angry than he already was after being unceremoniously barfed on. Making his way as fast as he could to the looming Gravity Room, he decided the best course of action for the time being would be to push Bulma's preposterous announcement out of his head and the best way for that to be accomplished would be to continue on with intense training: so intense that he wouldn't be able to think about anything else as long as Bulma's stomach pains didn't continue to distract him.

Entering the room, he quickly closed the door behind him, making sure to lock it in place. With a look of determination and fortitude, he walked over to the control panel and turned the gravity on. In only a moment, the computer's voice chimed in alerting him to the fact the gravity had been initialized. Feeling comfort as the familiar sensation of the crushing pressure on his body began, he focused his mind on only two things: survival and beating Kakarot to death. Closing his eyes, he let out a deep breath, savoring the image he had in his mind of the ultimate destruction of his rival. After all, what else did he have to live for in this world? Everything he had ever had had been ruthlessly taken away from him or killed. Unbidden, a sudden image of Bulma and a child whose features he couldn't clearly make out slid past his mind's eye. Hearing his inner voice growl out, he forced himself to shatter such a picture into a million pieces, carrying them away on an imaginary wind. Bulma…he could admit in the recesses of his mind that she had somehow managed to worm her way into his affections, whatever few ones he possessed. Why else would he have mated with the wench? But he couldn't allow his attraction for her to get in his way or the idea that he might finally have something in this world that was tangibly his and his alone, something he could protect. The only friends he had had in this lifetime were pain, suffering, and his pride and that was how it must continue if he ever had any chance of meeting his new life goals. And a child, if what Bulma had said was true and not a mistake, would alter his path of destiny even more than Bulma had already done, and he couldn't afford the possible danger that such feelings would cause. He had already suffered enough, losing his family and his world. If he allowed himself to be influenced by Bulma and the responsibility a child would bring along, he would be opening himself up to another reincarnation of misery and that could not happen.

Snapping his eyes open, he slowly made his way through the crushing gravity to the closet that stored all of the attack bots he used to fight against. It was only when he reached the closet and opened the door that he remembered he had put the last two remaining bots out of commission. Clenching his fists in ire over his own stupidity and lack of foresight for destroying his mechanical sparring partners, he blasted the closet in a fit of rage, watching as it instantaneously caught fire and then was vaporized, the remains floating to the ground as specks of soot and ash. Stepping away from the mess he had just created, he decided to use the outer shell of the Gravity Room as a deflection shield. Quickly letting out blasts of ki in every direction, it became a game of survival to be able to duck and parry his reflected attack blasts. That was all Vegeta needed to clear his head until a later time when he was in a better frame of mind to digest and dissect the importance of what Bulma had just told him.

Meanwhile…

Bulma stared at the door that the retreating form of her stunned mate had just slammed behind him as he left the building. Straightening up slightly, she looked around her noticing that he had left his vomit-covered armor in the hallway. The first thing she thought of was that he was going to need it if he intended on sparring in the Gravity Room, an idea which was so completely at odds with the situation, Bulma would have laughed had not the enormity of her predicament suddenly come to light in the blink of an eye.

Stepping back slightly, she sagged against the wall, hugging her belly with one arm and putting her hand to her forehead with the other. In all honesty, since the day of the picnic she had suspected as much but she had been praying and hoping that that wasn't the case. But of course, her rotten luck prevailed and that was exactly what was causing her to feel literally like death itself. And now, she was unsure of how to proceed. Obviously, Vegeta hadn't taken her news well. But then again, he hadn't blown her up, the house up, or flown over to the hospital to blow it up as well so that was a good sign, right? The truth was, she really didn't know. Vegeta was extremely good at keeping his thoughts and feelings completely hidden from her for the most part, except for a few times here and there were he did something so out of usual character that she got a glimpse behind his cold and uncaring exterior demeanor. But that didn't mean she understood him. In fact, it was quite the contrary. Every time she thought she had him pegged down into a certain stereotype, he would throw her for a loop. So for all she knew, not throwing a fit of rage at her announcement could mean dire consequences for everyone involved.

Feeling the stress of the situation and what she guessed were her hormones get to her, Bulma let out a sniffling sob, feeling her eyes begin to tingle with unshed, salty tears. What was she going to do? Part of her was secretly happy about the news. She had been longing for a child of her own for a while now, ever since she had first met Gohan at Kame House. But the time had never felt right besides the fact that Yamcha died soon after and it was over a year before she had seen him again. And then there was that strange boy from the future bringing them his tale of apocalyptic terror. So everyone had become consumed with training to try and defeat the Androids. Then she and Yamcha started to have problems, which they had been dealing with for years but had never properly addressed. And somehow, in all of the confusion and shuffle of the last year, she had ended up with her ungracious houseguest and the baby she and wanted but had never felt ready for was finally here and the father was not the person she had expected it to be.

Straightening herself up she decided it was worthless to pursue a pity party just because her life had been rocky for the last year or so. People went through tough periods during their life spans all the time and somehow managed to get back on top of things. And in reality, she didn't have it that bad. She came from the wealthiest family in the world, she had a career that she loved and lots of friends she cared about deeply. Even if the worst case scenario was that Vegeta would disregard her and their child, at least her baby would grow up knowing that it had a mother that would give her life for it and grandparents that would love and dote upon it. The only thing was, she didn't want Vegeta to ignore either herself or their child. It was her personal opinion that children needed both of their parents. Maybe it was because both of her parents were still together and she had grown up knowing that sort of special love between two people. At any rate, she knew that Vegeta had never had such an experience in his life and he had come to the erroneous conclusion that having loved ones and a family were things that were undesirable, things to be feared and avoided at all costs. And such thinking saddened and hurt Bulma acutely. The night they had finished their stupid bond, she had seen his entire life and it had been a horrible existence, one he was still trying to overcome although in her opinion, he was going about it in all the wrong way. But then again, how could he really have any true understanding of what friendship was or what it could do for him when the only friends he had ever had had abused and betrayed him? Just thinking about the insight she had had into his previous life before Goku beat him when he first came to Earth made her shudder. At least their child would hopefully not have to endure such a life, especially if the Z-Senshi managed to defeat the Androids whose appearance was approaching all too quickly in Bulma's opinion.

Shaking her head slightly, she pushed herself away from the wall and walked slowly over to where Vegeta's filthy armor was laying on the floor. She was about to bend over to pick it up when her mother breezily walked in through the door that Vegeta had recently exited from, carrying about five or six huge shopping bags.

"Bulma! I just had the most wonderful time shopping! All of my favorite shops had sales going on and look, I even found something for you!" Setting down her shopping bags, she was about to pull something out of one when she wrinkled her nose, smelling the sour odor of vomit. Looking towards where Bulma was standing, she saw Vegeta's armor and the mess that was covering it.

"Oh my! The poor boy is feeling all right isn't he? It just wouldn't do if he were sick. I'll have one of the bots send him up a tonic to help with his stomach problem." She was about to reach over to one of the communication links to order a work bot brought up when Bulma snagged her arm, pulling her quickly back before she could make the call.

"Mom, don't worry about it. Vegeta's not sick. He's in the Gravity Room training as we speak. I'm…I'm the one who puked on Vegeta's armor. And unfortunately, I did it when he was wearing the stuff so needless to say, he's not a happy camper right now and probably wouldn't appreciate being bothered."

"Oh dear!" Mrs. Briefs exclaimed as she quickly stepped over to where Bulma was standing. Putting a hand to her daughter's forehead, she tsked to herself realizing that Bulma didn't have a fever. "You threw up the day of the picnic too, didn't you? Have you heard back from your doctor yet? This could be serious!"

Bulma rolled her eyes at her mother's theatrics. "Mom, please! I'm a grown woman, not some snotty nosed kid." With that said, she gently disengaged herself from her over-zealous mother. Looking at her mother's somewhat sad expression for being brushed off, Bulma suddenly felt bad, realizing how much she really did want to tell her mother and cry on her shoulder. At least her mother would understand what she was going through to a certain extent seeing as she had obviously given birth to her. And it would feel good to cry on someone's shoulder and blurt out all of her hurt and confusion instead of letting it fester inside her or come out as angry outbursts to the one person who didn't seem to care. The only problem she could foresee was that Vegeta didn't want anyone to know what was going on between the two of them, but it was a little too late for that seeing as she was going to be having a baby in less than nine months. She also didn't feel right talking to her mom about it before really getting a chance to discuss things with Vegeta. She planned on letting him cool off for a bit before confronting him, but most likely they would only end up getting into another yelling match without resolving anything.

'Screw Vegeta! I've turned into a big marshmallow around him, letting his thoughts and ideas about our relationship rule my behavior. Well, this girl doesn't give a shit anymore about what he thinks.' Bulma thought to herself. If he was going to repeatedly act like there wasn't anything between them except for their bond, then she wasn't going to continue to bow down to his wishes concerning whether or not people knew that they were sleeping together. Letting out a huff, she stepped closer to her mother and gave her a hug.

"Hey Mom, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. I've probably been driving you nuts with my cranky attitude lately. I just…I just don't know what to do." Before she could stop herself, she started to cry on her mother's very supportive shoulder, feeling her mom rub her back gently.

"There, there sweetie. It's okay to let it all out. I know you've been under a lot of pressure these last few months and sometimes, you need to just let everything that's been bothering you go." Holding onto Bulma for a few more minutes until she got herself under control, Mrs. Briefs tried to sooth her distraught daughter as best she could before Bulma pulled away from her again.

"God Mom, why does everything have to be so hard? Why can't things be the way they were when I was just a happy go lucky teenager with no worries in the world except for finding myself a boyfriend, huh?" Wiping her eyes, she turned to the filthy and very smelly armor stinking up the hallway. She was about to pick it up when her mother took her hand.

"Let a work bot come up and get that honey." Picking up her shopping bags, she motioned for Bulma to follow her into the living room. Seating herself on one of the sofas, she patted a spot beside her for Bulma to sit down. When she was satisfied that her daughter was settled in, she opened the bag that contained her fly of the moment gift for her Bulma. Pulling it out, she handed it to Bulma who was looking at her curiously.

Taking the bundled up material that her mother had handed her, Bulma shook it open, unfolding it so she could see exactly what it was her mother deemed worthy enough to buy her. Lifting it up slightly, she blushed in embarrassment as she finally figured out what it was she was holding.

"Oh my God Mom, what were you thinking when you bought this?" Bulma screeched. It was an almost transparent piece of lingerie with a matching pair of thong underwear. Pushing it hurriedly back into the bag it had come from, Bulma shoved the very pretty but very mortifying piece of sleepwear at her mother. All she got from her mother was a silly giggle, finding the bag squarely back in her hands.

"Oh please sweetie! Could you see my wearing anything like that?" Her mother laughed.

The sad thing was, Bulma knew her mother owned quite a few numbers very similar to the one she had just given her, and she certainly didn't like the visual image that flashed through her mind of her mother wearing something like that in front of her father. Totally gross!

"Besides," her mother said as she gave Bulma a sly look, "I thought you might like to put it to good use for our handsome and buff houseguest. If you won't, maybe I will!" Honestly, with the way Bulma and Vegeta had been sneaking in and out of each other's rooms for the last few months since he had come back from the wilderness when they didn't think anyone was watching, it wasn't like it was a secret with her anymore. Besides, she liked to get her daughter riled up once in a while for the fun of it. Everyone thought she was a simpering idiot for the most part, and basically she was, but she did have a devious streak inside of her that begged to get loose once in a while.

Bulma tried to gauge her mother's intent before she sputtered out her rebuttal. "Mom, you can't…you wouldn't…you're…you're married for Kami's sake and old enough to be his mother. On top of that, I know for a fact that Vegeta would rather run naked through the streets of West City instead of having to see you flaunt yourself in a teddy. And what makes you think I would want to expose myself to him in such a manner? He wouldn't care anyway. It would be on the ground before I'd have a chance to show it off to him." With that last comment, Bulma covered her mouth in shock. She couldn't believe she just said that in front of her mother. Closing her eyes, she let out a small moan feeling like she wanted to bury herself inside of the sofa she was currently sitting on.

"Well, don't worry honey. Vegeta's all yours. I do find him very handsome, quite charming really. But your father is the only man for me. Besides, men can be quite unpredictable when you do something that changes their routine, if you catch my meaning." Patting Bulma's arm, she smiled as she watched her daughter grow three shades redder.

"So, ah, Mom, I…mmm, how much do you know about me and Vegeta?"

"Well, how much do you want me to know? You've been sharing each other's rooms since he got back and I've had my suspicions long before that the two of you were fighting with each other because you enjoy the attention you get from one another and the fact that you were trying to deny an attraction that was more than obvious to my closed eyes. If you don't want the world to know about your undying love for one another, that's your business. It's just a little bit futile when all anyone has to do is spend time with the two of you in the same room when you don't think anyone is watching."

Bulma scrunched her eyebrows together in horror. What was her mother, some kind of creepy voyeur? She couldn't be seriously spying on the two of them, could she? Besides, what the heck was she talking about, Vegeta's undying love for her? More like his undying dislike of her. Maybe he did stare at her a lot, but he did that even before he came back from the mountains. And, if her mother really was chasing after the two of them she would know that she and Vegeta had been avoiding arguing with each other.

"What were you doing, skulking around in vacant rooms and corners trying to catch the two of us alone? That's sick not to mention mentally unbalanced Mom!"

"Well, look at it this way. When you have a twenty eight year old daughter who is still unmarried and you want to have grandchildren, wouldn't you want to make sure certain positive things were happening?"

"That's what this is all about Mom, the fact that you want grandchildren? Why couldn't you have said something when I was with Yamcha? And why would you want me to have Vegeta's kid? That just doesn't make sense!" There was no doubt in her mind that her mom was beyond strange.

Moving in closer to Bulma, Mrs. Briefs put her arm around Bulma before answering her questions. " Baby, I might not always be the smartest fish in the sea, but even I could tell that having a child with Yamcha would have just ended up in heartache. That boy is no where close to being ready or responsible for a child just yet. Besides, even though the two of you had been together for a long time, your father and I could tell that the two of you had matured apart from one another over the years, your lives moving in different directions."

"But Vegeta? That makes even less sense than Yamcha Mom!"

"Well, I don't know. I'm not sure what kind of a father he'll make, but he sure is a hottie so I'm guaranteed my grandchild will be graced with good looks. He seems to be a troubled young man and maybe he needs a few miracles in his life before he sorts things out for himself. And a child is a miracle, wouldn't you say?"

"Yeah, I guess it is. Well, thanks for the lingerie Mom. I don't know if I'll ever use it, but could you please not say anything about, uh, you know, Vegeta and me to Dad? I mean, unless he's been spying on the two of us like you have been? Then again, what's the point when the whole world's going to know anyway?" With that, Bulma pushed her face into her hands and stared straight ahead of her. She wanted to tell her mother, but even though she had told herself she didn't care about Vegeta's input anymore, it was pretty far from the truth. He came first, then her parents.

"What do you mean, the whole world is going to know?"

"Ah, it's nothing." Standing up slowly, she rubbed her belly slightly, noticing that it wasn't any different looking than it normally was. But how long was that going to last? There was no hiding this little secret, at least not from her parents. Moving towards the doorway, she looked at her Mom as she also stood, picking up her numerous bags containing her large amount of purchases. "Look, I'm not feeling too well. I'm going to go lie down for a while and then I'm going to have a little chat with the Prince of all Saiyans who is currently sulking in the Gravity Room. He blew up the last attack bot and I've got a million other things on my mind right now. But thanks for being there for me Mom. I really mean it. Sometimes, I don't realize how lucky I am to have parents who really and truly care about me." Sighing, she turned her conversation inward. 'I hope my little squirt will have two parents that care about it.' With that, she walked out of the doorway and up to her room where she seemed to be spending an inordinate amount of time lately.

Watching her daughter go, Mrs. Briefs had mixed feelings. It wasn't really like Bulma to keep her problems to herself. She had a big mouth, which she had inherited from her, and when things were wrong or bothering her, she let everyone know about it. At least she had opened up somewhat about her current emotional state, but she had a feeling it was because something had happened between her and Vegeta that had changed things making them more unsettled and unclear. If only she could talk to Vegeta about what was going on but she really didn't want to end her life prematurely. She was still one hot mama and life was too precious to waste. Feeling disgruntled, she looked out in the hallway noticing that Vegeta's armor was still sitting around. Using the nearby communication link, she paged the front desk of Capsule Corp to send up two workbots, one to clean up Vegeta's armor and one to take her purchases upstairs. With that taken care of, she whistled a little off key tune and decided to bake Bulma's favorite dessert: a good old-fashioned cheesecake. If anything, a sweet treat could put a smile on anyone's face. That was her philosophy for life and she was going to stick to it no matter what.

Later on…

Bulma made her way downstairs after her nap. Who knew that being pregnant could be such a drag? She felt like the pits but at least her stomach wasn't bothering her anymore. If she had to deal with being sick and tired for the next seven or so months she honestly didn't know what she was going to do. All those TV programs on The Learning Channel made it seem like being pregnant was a dream come true but so far for Bulma, it was kind of like a really bad dream and the sad part was, she had just found out. And on top of that, she was going to have to start seeing an obstetrician who was probably going to be poking and prodding her in any number of very private places. Stinking doctors! They were all nothing but a bunch of perverted leeches in her opinion.

Making her way outside, she felt the warm sunlight reflect off of her turquoise hair. The warmth provided made her feel more cheerful and revitalized. If she didn't have a very important task to accomplish, she would have pulled up a lawn chair from the patio and made herself comfortable, soaking up the light. But instead, she was going to have to make her way into Vegeta's lair, which was akin to throwing herself into a snake pit full of venomous cobras without any protective gear. She'd let him blow off steam for the last couple of hours and the more she waited about confronting him, the more chicken she was becoming. But this situation didn't just concern her; it concerned him as well. Even though in reality they weren't really two separate people living two separate lives anymore, that was pretty much how they, or at least Vegeta had been acting. But she would be damned if she was going to end up pulling all the weight when it came to the little bun in her oven.

Walking determinedly up the ramp telling herself that Vegeta wouldn't dare blow her up, she raised a shaky hand to the communication link, readying herself to scream and plead for him to let her in if the need arose. But for once, she didn't have to. As soon as she touched the button, the hum of the gravity generator shut down and the door slid open revealing a bloody, smelly, filthy, sweat drenched and tired looking Vegeta. She watched as he crossed his arms.

"What? Are you going to stand there gawking or are you going to come inside? That is why you troubled yourself to come out here, isn't it?" Not waiting for her reply, he turned around and walked back into the Gravity Room. Taking the hint, Bulma followed him inside, letting out a little startled gasp when the door slid shut behind her with a whoosh. Letting her eyes wander, she noticed numerous scorch marks littering the walls of the Gravity Room along with a pile of ash in front of what had once been the storage closet for Vegeta's practice bots. Narrowing her eyes, she glared at his back, which was still turned towards her.

"Holy crap Vegeta, what were you trying to do in here, blow yourself up again? And what, pray tell, happened to the storage closet? That's the last straw mister! If you can't take better care of the things my dad and I provide for you then you can just live without them!" She was about to continue on in that vein, finding comfort in the familiar argument when Vegeta suddenly spun around from where he was standing so he was facing her.

"Shut up! I don't give a damn about the stinking closet or the state the Gravity Room is in at the moment. You didn't come in here for the express purpose of screaming at me over a few scorch marks and a disintegrated closet so get on with whatever it is you are intent on telling me before I kick you out." He watched angrily as her eyebrows scrunched up in fury, she clenched her fists and her face began to turn an unsightly mottled color.

"Uhh, why you! Doesn't it bother you in the slightest that whatever you were doing in here could have killed you? And kick me out? You wouldn't dare, you smelly simian! I built the damn thing!"

"Personally, I could care less if I came close to death or not. The more injured I am, the stronger I become when I heal foolish Woman! You should know that by now."

Looking at him with flashing eyes, she lowered her lids slightly and let out a sigh. He really didn't get it. She could fix the GR and build a new closet, but if he accidentally killed himself trying to become a Super Saiyan, well, she couldn't replace him.

"Look Woman, I know my limits. I'm not intent on killing myself if that's what you're so worried about. I've been dead once and I don't particularly want to repeat the experience for a long while yet. I have too many things to accomplish to waste myself accidentally." Vegeta said rather gruffly, looking away from her to try and hide the idiotic feeling of warmth that had crept into his face when he realized she really did care about him for whatever reason he couldn't quite fathom. It wasn't like he was nice to her. Shaking his head, he motioned for her to seat herself on the floor before he joined her. It wasn't like he really wanted to have this conversation with her but he supposed it had to be done and he would rather do it in a more comfortable position that standing upright.

When Bulma made no move to engage him in the dreaded conversation, Vegeta asked the first question that popped into his head.

"You're sure?"

Bulma crossed her arms and let out a little huff, blowing her bangs out of her face. "Yes Vegeta, I'm sure. It makes sense for one thing although how it happened, I have no idea. I've been on birth control the whole time you and I, uh, well, you know. So even though um, you, uh, didn't, um, use protection, I figured it would be full proof. I mean, Yamcha didn't always, you know, and I never got pregnant with him."

"Woman, don't you dare mention the fact that you and that pansy were doing things that should have waited until you were properly mated to one another. I don't need to be reminded of the fact that he touched your body. Besides, that's completely beside the point. He's human and I'm Saiyan, a much more superior breed altogether. So it stands to say that whatever worked for him wouldn't work for me, although this…this result is not what I ever intended on producing with you in the first place."

Bulma felt her anger beginning to take control again. "Oh come on, you're just jealous of Yamcha. Besides, it's not like you ever touched a woman without the intent of bonding with her is it? And don't give me that male chauvinist garbage that it's different for a man because it's not. And believe me Vegeta when I say this, I didn't want to get pregnant either."

"Hah, that's a lie and you know it. What better way for you to keep me here against my will then to conveniently get yourself with child?" He knew with sudden clarity that he had gone to far with his last comment when Bulma screamed at him in rage, standing up and aiming a kick for his head. Putting up his hands to cover his face from the incoming blow, he grabbed her leg, which had the unintended result of putting Bulma off balance. Seeing that she was pinwheeling her arms to keep from falling over, he instinctively grabbed a hold of her waist, pushing her down into his lap.

Finding herself sitting on top of Vegeta's lap, her face inches from his and her one hand somehow wrapped up in his soft hair, Bulma tried to scramble away from him when she saw the all too familiar look of lust on his face. Thankfully, Vegeta seemed to snap back to reality, letting her go reluctantly as she pushed backward and landed on her butt in a very inelegant heap.

"That was totally uncalled for Vegeta. How could you think I would ever do something that low, you asshole? If you think I'm capable of such a deceitful move than you really don't know me well at all."

He could tell she was extremely angry with him, maybe even a little hateful for that matter and such a reaction should have pleased him because it would make things that much easier in the end. But it didn't please him. Instead, he remembered back to when he claimed her as his mate, realizing that there were a lot of similarities between the two of them, one of them being that each had been used during their lifetimes, albeit for very different purposes. And he was just using her like everyone else and now on top of everything, he'd somehow managed to create a life with his own putrid existence. He felt guilty and angry and even a bit sorry for being himself. However, he couldn't change how he was, not for her and not for their unborn child. He had made many sacrifices in his life and he had suffered defeat over and over again. He had been mocked, abused and humiliated and in the back of his mind, he was a failure as a Saiyan Royal Elite. What right did he have to produce a part of himself in another being? Putting his hands to his head, shaking it in an effort to gain control over the turmoil of thoughts in his brain, he didn't realize he was worrying Bulma until she felt her touch on his shoulder and sensed her sudden concern through their shared mental link.

"Vegeta, are you alright?" He was acting strange and what was more, for the first time since they had bonded together, she could sense his thoughts and they were…disturbing. He was doubtless confused, but she couldn't understand how something like finding out that you were going to be a father could bring up the haunting demons from his past. As soon as she touched him though, his mental walls were up again, crowding her out from sharing his inner suffering and confusion.

Pushing her arm away callously, Vegeta turned his face from her inquiring one. "Of course I'm fine you baka. At least you understand the reality that having a child makes no difference to me. I don't plan on staying indefinitely on this mud ball planet of yours. As soon as the Android threat is taken care of and I beat Kakarot once and for all, I'm leaving, child or no child. And if for some unforeseen reason I decide to stay, the brat will grow up knowing what it means to be a Saiyan. I refuse to treat it like some silly human, doing all the ridiculous things Kakarot no doubt does with his own bratty offspring."

"But you'll acknowledge that the baby is yours?" Bulma asked, feeling saddened at his refusal to bend even just a little bit, to show that he was capable of caring. But then, what did she expect? He was Vegeta after all, one of the most stubbornly obstinate people she knew.

"I suppose so. It's either that or have your entire idiotic friends think the brat is yours and that weakling scarred up freak. Well, I have no intention of letting what is mine be tainted by association with that moron."

'Well,' Bulma thought, 'at least that's something. I should be thankful that he's not telling me it's not his. But still, you'd think he'd be a little more receptive of the idea that being a father and having a family isn't that bad. It's not like I'm trying to change or mold him into something he's not.'

"Fine Vegeta. But you do know that us having a relationship isn't going to be a secret anymore once the baby is born, right? It's not like I can hide my own child. Besides, I had a run in with my mom and she already knows about us, even though I didn't tell her about the baby because I hadn't cleared the air with you yet. But she'll figure it out eventually when I look like I have a basketball stuck inside my stomach."

Vegeta looked at her quizzically. What the hell was she talking about, looking like she had a ball stuck in her belly? Deciding he was curious, he cleared his throat a bit.

"What are you talking about? What does a ball have to do with having a brat?"

"Are you serious Vegeta? Jeez, what did they teach you on Freiza's ship? Obviously it wasn't about the birds and the bees. I'm pregnant, hello! The brat, as you put it, is inside of me and as it grows bigger, which it will, so will my stomach until it decides it wants to come outside and play." God, how dense could you be? She always thought Vegeta was intelligent, but she couldn't believe that he had no clue about where babies came from. What did he think, they came down from the sky being dropped off by a giant stork?

"That is absurd Woman. I know how brats are created but I've never heard of anyone allowing it to continue to grow inside the womb. That's what incupods are for."

Now it was Bulma's turn to be confused. Incupods? It sounded like some sort of weird insect or something. "What in the world is an incupod?"

Grunting in frustration, Vegeta didn't really feel like making an explanation but if he didn't, Bulma would hound him until he wanted to punch her lights out. "On Planet Vegeta and all other advanced worlds, the growing fetus is removed from the mother and placed inside an artificial one. That way, the female can go back to fighting with her squad instead of being laid up by her condition."

"Well, Prince Charming, we don't have that sort of technology available here on Earth so it's going to be stuck inside me until I give birth. Besides, that sounds totally…creepy. What mother would want to give up the experience of being with their infant until it's born? How do you create a bond?"

"You don't. That's the point. Famial bonds are a weakness; one to be avoided especially coming from a warrior society. Why do you think we had no trouble sending off babies to weak planets like Earth to ready it for sale?"

Bulma was horrified, but it did make sense and she also was slightly pleased to get some much needed insight into part of the reason behind Vegeta insisting he wanted no part but a minimal one with her and their baby. He was still a warrior and if he admitted to having feelings for her, it could have devastating (at least to him) affects on his chosen profession.

"That's totally disturbing and I'm glad I'm not a Saiyan female if that's what used to happen. As it stands, I think you're completely wrong about family being a weakness. But I'm sure you already know that, seeing as I can't keep my thoughts shut out of your head and I have a big mouth." Deciding she wasn't going to change his mind about how he chose to interact with her and their child for the time being, Bulma decided it was time to leave. Trying to stand up, she was grateful when Vegeta, who had already stood up, offered her his hand. Grabbing a hold of it, he pulled her upright until they were standing almost nose to nose. Blushing slightly and feeling uncertain, Bulma took a step back and then waved her hand in front of her face.

"Ugh Vegeta, you smell awful. And you're all beat up. Maybe you should go the infirmary."

Looking at her sourly, he started to walk towards the entrance, waiting for her to catch up with him. Just seeing how much he found himself waiting for her and helping her was enough to make him shudder. It was like he was becoming considerate, something he'd never been before. Still, he couldn't really help it. He was drawn to her and it felt…it felt right somehow. What a pussy he was becoming.

"I'm fine Woman, so leave it." Opening the door, he heard his stomach growl. He had no idea what time it was but he felt that he was done training for the time being. Besides, a good, hot shower would be invigorating before a huge meal. And it would give him even more time alone to mull over his confused thoughts about Bulma and his apparently growing…family. Family. It was a strange word and a strange concept for him to grasp and he didn't think he really wanted to understand it. Still, for whatever reason, the Saiyan Gods where probably laughing at him, seeing how idiotic he had become to allow for such a thing to occur in the first place.

Walking outside of the Gravity Room and back into the house, the two of them went upstairs to their respective rooms, which felt a little strange considering their circumstances. Honestly, how many married couples who were going to have a child kept separate bedrooms? It was absurd when both Bulma and Vegeta stopped and thought about it, even though their thinking was on very different levels. Still, Vegeta didn't want to give Bulma the wrong impression and Bulma didn't think Vegeta was ready at this point to take their relationship to the next level since he was still insistent on thinking that he would leave someday and never come back. It wasn't a very comforting thought and Bulma was starting to understand why. When you started to care about someone, it was never easy to let go.

Without saying a word to her, Vegeta opened up his bedroom door and walked inside, closing it behind him as soon has his body had cleared the door. Bulma felt herself slump a little bit. This was bordering on impossible. How was she going to carry on when for all intents and purposes he kept insisting on separating himself from her as much as possible? Yet he had to be internally struggling to keep himself away from her on an emotional level. Maybe it was because she was human and she was more or less in touch with her emotions, but this stupid bond, even from the very beginning, had made it almost close to impossible for her to keep from developing feelings for him, even when he made a minimal effort to act like he cared. She had a hard time believing that it was easy for Vegeta to remain as aloof as he tried to act. It wasn't much of a consolation, but it was there. And seeing as he hadn't out right rejected her claim about the baby and he hadn't run away, that was sign in the right direction. At least she hoped it was.

Opening up her own room, she walked over to a chair and slouched into it. This day had been a roller coaster so far. In fact, the last few days, no make that months, and been nothing but a rocky ride. Touching her belly again, she relaxed and thought about the positives associated with her condition. She would finally get to go baby shopping for herself. And she'd have to decorate a nursery. Wouldn't it be fun if Vegeta…She let her thoughts trail off. It would be funny to see him actually doing something out of character like painting the nursery or building a rocking horse or any other stereotypical thing you saw new fathers to be doing on television. But it was just a silly idea in the back of her head. Even if he chose to stay with her over the years, hopefully without having to kill Goku, and he mellowed out, she highly doubted he would ever behave in such a manner. It would be too human of him to do so. She understood that, so it didn't really bother her. But would it kill him to just once allow himself to express his true thoughts about her? If Goku could, then why couldn't Vegeta? They were both Saiyans, even if Goku and Vegeta had been raised completely differently with different expectations. It wasn't like she expected him to shout out his undying love for her because she didn't even know if she loved him in return. She felt different about him than she had about Yamcha, but they were two completely different men with two completely different personalities. Yamcha was easy going and affectionate, but not very loyal, whereas Vegeta was dark and cynical, but much more committed. Even if he left her, she had a hard time believing he would take somebody else up as her replacement. He would live the rest of his life alone.

"What a depressing thought. I can't believe that that's what he truly wants. I know he's lonely. That's what drew me to him in the first place besides the fact he's the only person I can't out argue on a regular basis. And if he can connect to me in some fashion, that must mean that he doesn't really like being all alone, wrapped up in his own thoughts." With that, she leaned her head back in her chair, trying to use her bond to peek into Vegeta's thoughts to no avail. It was like there was a steel wall separating his mind from hers. Letting out a deep breath, she ran her fingers through her hair as she stood up. Deciding it would be a good idea to go back to the lab and start work on assembling more attack bots for Vegeta, she made her way to into the hallway. Pausing at Vegeta's doorway, she didn't know what possessed her to do it, but she found herself taking out a pad of paper and pen she kept on her person most of the time. Using the door as a prop, she wrote him a simple little note, folding it in half and wedging it between the door and the wall, making sure he would notice it. With that, she made her way to the lab, blushing slightly at her nerve for doing such a ridiculous thing. Knowing Vegeta, he'd just burn the thing without reading it anyway.

The thing was, she couldn't have been farther from the truth. About twenty minutes later, Vegeta had finished his shower and was on his way to his door after he had finished treating his injuries and had put on some fresh training gear. Upon opening the door, he saw a piece of paper flutter to the floor in front of him which had been cleverly placed where he wouldn't avoid seeing it when he left his room. Bending over, he picked it up and slowly unfolded it, having a sneaking suspicion it was from Bulma. Opening it up all the way, he quickly read it, surprised at what it said. It read:

I care about you and you don't have to be alone.

Looking at her hurried hand writing, Vegeta felt an unfamiliar warmth creep into his body. He didn't understand why such simple note could affect his mood but if he could have put a finger on what he was feeling at the moment, he would have said it was happiness. Still, he told himself it was just a stupid note written by a sentimental female. However, the warmth didn't leave his system. Carefully folding the note back up, he placed it in one of his pockets. Stepping thoughtfully into the hallway, he made his way downstairs to the kitchen to forage for some more food, not realizing that as he was walking, his customary scowl had been replaced for the briefest of moments by a very slight and almost mistakable smile.

Well, obviously things didn't go too badly for our favorite couple. But the fun is yet to come when Vegeta has to deal with Bulma and her raging hormones. How will they affect him and his training and when will he finally admit to himself and Bulma about how much she is starting to mean to him? Find out next time! As always, Please R&R!