-1Author's note: I know it took forever! Sorry but thanks for not complaining. We tried our hardest but many things went wrong. And now we both have exams this week so the chapter won't be out till next week. Again I'm sorry. And the moment I can I will reward you for your patience.
Chapter 21--Always a Woman
She can kill with a smile, She can wound with her eyes, She can ruin your faith with her casual lies, And she only reveals what she wants you to see, She hides like a child, But she's always a woman to me --Billy Joel
--
Bulma thanked everyone for the presents, trying to hold the small gifts in her arms as she carried them to the car being pushed out by Vegeta who, as per usual, was demanding her to leave at this moment. The sun was just setting below the mountain that surrounded Goku's house; Bulma took only a second to watch as she was once again shoved by her pushy husband.
"Would you stop!?" Bulma growled, only to receive a smug expression from the impatient Saiyan.
Bulma dropped all the gifts in the trunk of the flying vehicle, slamming it shut and going back for one more hug from her daughter, "Be a good girl for your aunt and uncle OK?"
"Yes, mommy. I want to go say bye to Daddy." Bra wiggled from her mother's grasp and ran over to her father, flinging herself against his leg. Vegeta's cheeks burned, glaring dangerously at anyone that dared to comment before resting a hand on her small head reluctantly.
Bulma turned to Goku and hugged him then Chi-Chi, "Thank you guys again for keeping them tonight. The nurse will be here in an hour to take care of Trunks. Whoever it is won't need a room to sleep, they'll just need something to eat every now and then."
"Why does he need one Bulma? Whatever happens I'm sure I can take care of it."
"I would agree Chi but," Bulma leaned in to her good friend's ear to whisper, "He needs help going to the bathroom. I don't think you're capable of that."
Chi-Chi visibly blushed as she pulled back, "Oh." She smacked Goku who was laughing hysterically.
"Anyway. I will be here as early as I can in the morning to get him."
"Woman!" Vegeta said, who was already in the car. He pounded on the horn just for fun.
"All right, Vegeta! Hold on!" Bulma spat back, glaring at him. His only response was to slam the car door. "Saiyans! I swear!" Bulma yelled stomping to her car, turning back with a smile and waving goodbye to all of her friends.
"Man, I had a great time!" Bulma announced while they drove back to their house. The sun was now half way below the horizon; multi-colors extended in the air and splashed against the clouds that specked the sky. "I can't believe we were there for seven hours! I am so tired." She sighed, peaking a glance over to her husband. She bit her lip. "Are you going to tell me what happened with Bra?" She watched him roll his eyes and grind his teeth together. "I know you don't want to talk about it but we have too. Did you have a flashback or something?"
"No."
"Then what happened? Talk to me."
Vegeta sighed, growling, turning from his mate not wanting to tell her the exact reason for his stupid reaction. But knowing she wasn't going to drop it and knowing that leaving the woman tonight was not an option, Vegeta depressingly answered. "I," He stalled to growl. "I was caught off guard."
Bulma cracked a smile. "You were 'caught off guard'?"
Vegeta's eyes squinted together becoming slits, glaring at her, daring her to say anything else, "Yes." He bit through clenched teeth.
"You mean, 'caught off guard' like in, unaware of your surroundings?" Her smile widened as he darkened his eyes, scowling, "You mean, you didn't know who was around you?"
Vegeta bit his cheek while his fingers dug into the skin of his arms, trying to control his rage enough to stay in the car instead of doing what he felt like doing, and that was jumping out of this vehicle right now and letting her rot. "Watch it, woman." He hissed.
Bulma could feel the anger pour from her husband. She smashed her lips together, trying to keep the laughter from escaping her rebellious throat.
The laughter however busted from her, first coming in slow chuckles then building up to full out laughter. For Vegeta, knowing where everything and everyone was at all times was an addiction of his. He always bragged about how Saiyans knew their surroundings and were never caught off guard unlike pathetic, weak humans were scared of their own shadow. His pride must have been really damaged at the moment, and her laughing, Bulma thought with a smile, must have been making the wound burn!
Vegeta bared his fangs, turning away from the cackling fool. Let her laugh all she wants; it will only add to her punishment later when she's sleeping on the floor! Hell, men aren't the only ones that are made to sleep on the couch. He'll show her.
Bulma slowly calmed herself, whispering 'sorry' in her hysterical state. Although she felt bad about making fun of him, there weren't many times she was able to get her fill of revenge against him so she took joy in the moment.
Silence ensued after, with Bulma giggling to herself every few minutes, but she now did her best to quell it, considering the daggers that were being thrown in her direction.
Thankfully by the time they got home, Vegeta had either forgotten, forgiven, or was keeping his rage for later, but he walked into the house with her instead of going over to his GR like she had planned for him to do.
When he followed her into the kitchen, she glanced back with knitted brows, "Are you hungry?"
He ignored her, typing a code in at the bar's computer screen and a door pulled open next to the refrigerator.
"Vegeta that section is only for dry goods, how are you going to put papers in it?" She was quick to holler at him until he spread out the large roll and looked at her.
"What is it?" He replied with a smirk. Bulma eased over to it, her eyes scanning for only a moment. She landed roughly on a stool, her mouth agape and eyes wide in awe.
He watched with interest as her fingers danced over the designs. She was speechless, but that didn't necessarily mean it was a good thing.
Vegeta had to admit that finding a gift for the woman had been an awfully difficult mission. As mentioned before, Trunks had always taken care of it since he was ten years old and now that the boy was…incapacitated, he found himself without a clue as to what she would like. It was a bothersome week to say the least.
With her expression, though, he could say he did a good job.
"When…how…when…did you do this?"
"This week."
"This week?" Her eyes flew to him and she shook her head, "That's not possible. When did you find the time?"
He was frowning by now. Why wasn't she hugging him and kissing him and initiating sex like she was supposed to? He crossed his arms over his chest but tried not to pout. "I did it while I was in the GR."
"You…you didn't train?"
Vegeta tightened his muscles and directed his eyes elsewhere. Why was she being so damn nosy? He could do whatever the hell he liked in his GR; he didn't always have to be training. There was no way he was going to admit to her that since the incident with Trunks he stopped working out completely. He pretended to when she was near, and upon exiting, he would take a shower beforehand to make it appear as sweat. The last time he actually raised a hand in battle was earlier in the week to fight against Kakarot.
There was also no way to admit that he was afraid that his mind might trick him again. Who knows how badly he'll hurt someone else next time?
Vegeta growled suddenly, "Do you not want them?" He went to take them up but she quickly gripped the sides of it, keeping it down.
"I do, I do." Her eyes fastened over the papers, "I can't believe it only took you a week." She turned the page, her eyes reading each detail with care, "It's the whole human anatomy. You created an entire nervous system."
Thinking that he might have outdone himself, Vegeta awkwardly added, "It is possible that some of it might be incomplete."
"And a spinal column." She went on ignoring him, "All the organs, muscle regeneration…This is amazing." Bulma was never good with human health. The only thing she ever created and actually sold on Earth for the body was the RT and even that was something Vegeta had given her as payment to allow him to stay back when he was first visiting. She was more of a military developer then anything else and as she looked down at the carefully drawn photographs, her heart fluttered in anticipation. She flung from her stool, "I have to go get started."
Vegeta's eyes widened.
She hurriedly rolled up the papers; her eyes widened as she grabbed her cell phone and dashing to the elevator while dialing. Bulma pushed the button to the elevator before she suddenly remembered and turned back around, ran and kissed Vegeta on the cheek, "Thank you so much. I'll be back by ten, I promise." She ran into the metal box and disappeared.
Vegeta blinked.
Well that wasn't supposed to happen!
--
Needless to say the Saiyan Prince was furious.
After her abandonment he had occupied himself with TV, and when that got boring, which it quickly did, he sat down and played several rounds of Sudoku. When nine forty-five came around he prepared the bedroom, getting out all the 'toys' and rubbing oils they had. That was one good thing about Earth; they made sex even more interesting than it already was.
He recalled the first porn he ever saw. He had been flipping through the channels, casually, until he saw the big breasts on a screaming woman. The 'mute' button had been his first instinct and he watched it with intense interest.
Bulma had of course come home at that particular moment, and though he should have been embarrassed, he hadn't been. He instead asked many questions. Mind you, this was three months after he decided to stay at Bulma's house so he knew nothing about the human body. And she had actually sat down and explained things to him. That had been one, and probably their only one conversation until years later.
Vegeta personally didn't like porn. It was too gross and vile to even be considered, so when Bulma had found that out she opted for something called anime porn. He had laughed the first time considering it was cartoons having crazy sex, but if Bulma liked it, he could deal with it. Vegeta put in the disc "Hardcore Hospital" since that was the only one he could really put up with.
Noticing that it was getting close to ten, Vegeta hurried into his silk boxers and slipped on his wedding band.
Male jewelry; how pathetic. He only wore the ring on three occasions: birthdays, anniversaries, and when he was in trouble.
Not wanting to seem as if he had just been sitting there waiting for her for the past two hours, Vegeta lay down on the bed and flipped the TV on. He was instantly greeted by a picture of his mate. He turned up the volume to listen.
"Today, The Brilliant and Beautiful Bulma Briefs turns thirty-eight. In those short years of life since the age of ten, Mrs. Briefs has constantly brought new ideas to the world of invention and fashion. At the age of twenty-three she took over the company, becoming the President of Capsule Corporation, and impressed even the most ingenious scientists of them all. She celebrates this special day with her two children, Trunks and Bra Briefs, along with her husband, Vegeta."
Vegeta scoffed at this. She certainly wasn't spending the damn evening with him, that's for damned sure! He glanced at the clock. 10:05.
The phone rang. Upon the TV screen caller ID popped up. Awkwardly, he picked up the cordless and pressed 'on', "What?"
Bulma's secretary's voice stumbled through, "Mrs. Briefs…wan-wanted me to-to tell you th-that--"
"Tell her to get her ass home before I come down there and rip you all apart." He threw the phone and watched it break apart against the wall.
Ten minutes later he heard her cursing her way down the hallway. She slammed the bedroom door glaring at him. "What!?"
So she wants to fight does she? "What the fuck do you think!? You are supposed to be gravelling at my feet!"
"Oh, don't fucking flatter yourself! I can't believe you threatened my secretary like that! It's bad enough I have to pay for you to go to a therapist. The moment she wakes up she's going to need one too!"
"If you would have waited until tomorrow, it wouldn't have fucking happened!"
"You can't expect me to just wait when you give me something like that!"
"Then I'll take it back!"
"The hell you will! That was the best gift I've ever gotten! You're finally proving yourself to be worth something! Why'd it take you fifteen years to give me something like that!?"
"Because the boy can't move!"
Bulma stiffened, her mouth opened to fill with words to retort with but they were clogged in her throat.
Vegeta glared at her, huffing, daring her to yell something back. He couldn't believe her. He finally does something that could be considered 'thoughtful' and she's here screaming at him. He will NEVER understand her! It was ridiculous. Human women were absolutely insane. Saiyans weren't nearly so complicated.
He hadn't expected her to calm so much though. He wondered what she was thinking now that she looked at him like that.
Bulma dropped her head; her hair falling in front of her face and her hands rested now on her hips.
That made him a bit nervous. Had what he said angered her more than the playful game that they had going on?
"I get it." She whispered softly, and Vegeta knit his brows in confusion. Bulma's head lifted slightly, her eyes now visible as well as her small smile. Vegeta relaxed upon that and watched as she took a few steps toward him to rest her forehead down upon his chest. He made no move, unsure what it was exactly that caused her to become so quiet so quickly. He needed to remember it so he could use it in their next fight.
"When was the last time you trained?"
"This morning." He lied quickly.
"Since Trunks' accident, huh? That's why you've come out unharmed. Thought you weren't practicing like normal but I didn't think you stopped altogether."
How had she figured it out? What gave it away? Vegeta quickly recalled what he said last and still he didn't see any connection. Her arms wrapped around his waist but he made no move to hold her. He was still technically angry at her; however he felt his own rage quickly slipping which he hated. He fisted his hands to keep his betraying arms still.
"You have to forgive yourself." He ripped away from her, heading for the door. "You have to stop running from this."
This was ridiculous. She was going on about nothing. He didn't need to forgive himself because there was nothing to forgive. It was a slip of the hand, that's all. Trunks knew he hadn't meant to do it. Trunks understood. That's all that mattered.
"Vegeta." His hand was on the open door, ready to slam it behind him. "Stay." She whispered softly.
"Will you shut up and do as I say?"
She giggled, the tense moment falling nearly instantly. "I guess I owe you."
Vegeta shut the door, staying in the room. He turned with a smirk before going to the closet. Her eyes were on him, interested in what he was pulling out. A large box was held in his hands and threw it to her. Her brows knit awkwardly catching it. "Put that on." He pushed her into the bathroom and slammed the door.
Bulma gawked at the wall that now separated them. Shrugging her shoulders she snapped on the water to the shower then undressed. Stepping in the hot liquid she sighed pleasantly, but her eyes opened forlornly.
He was still completely destroyed.
Bulma knew fixing Vegeta was going to be a long and difficult road, but now that the process had begun, she couldn't wait for it to finish. She shook her head, hating herself for taking fourteen years to realize just how broken he was. If she would have figured it out in the beginning, who knew what life they would have now? Vegeta could have been happy in present time if she had fixed him right when she met him. Now her children were paying for her naïve stupidity.
Bulma sighed but straightened her spine. She allowed all the problems to roll off her back, forcing fake happiness to fill her. She wanted to make love with him tonight, to ease the pain that's been bothering him and make right everything that's gone so wrong this past week. Bulma glanced to the box again and a flirtatious smile stretched across her face and chills ran up her spine while she stared at it. She wondered what could possibly be inside.
One thing about Vegeta that Bulma would never tire of was obviously the sex. She may be old and they may have coupled more times than Zeus himself but damn it was never boring. He always came up with weird positions, sometimes scaring Bulma on how anyone could ever get into the position he described, or tried to anyway. He usually just took control and put her in the pose he wanted, causing Bulma to get a little worried on how she was going to ever stand or sit again.
Yamcha, her first lover, had been so awful compared to Vegeta. Don't get her wrong, Yamcha was amazing at the time, since he was the only one she had ever experienced. He had a nice body, a great personality, but compared to Vegeta a little small in the most important features between his legs.
She could admit that cheating on him with Vegeta was not the smartest thing to do. He had taken it pretty hard, if you think calling her a slut and then denying any conversation with her for two months was taking it hard. Bulma knew she should have been more mature in dealing with their failing relationship but the obvious attraction she felt for the mysterious Saiyan was so hard to deny when faced with. Yamcha and she had a fight for hours before and she needed to escape. And what better way than with an eye candy like Vegeta?
How was she to know that the night they finally took part in something they both wanted that Bulma would realize she was in love with the egotistical maniac? Afterwards, waking up alone, and finding out that Vegeta had left the planet had certainly torn her apart. She didn't cry. No, she just screamed to all the heavens and hells to Chi-Chi about how she would kill the son-of-a-bitch once he returned.
Bulma knew she couldn't keep it from Yamcha, and out of respect for him, told him what happened. He stopped talking to her for two months before finally showing up at her doorstep with the words 'we need to talk'. For a few hours Bulma explained why she did it to her, by then, ex-boyfriend until he finally accepted it but was still angry.
From there on the two worked hard to gain each other's friendships back until a month later, when it was getting plainly obvious that something was causing Bulma to be sick. A bombshell dropped down on them when the words, 'You're pregnant', was released from the doctor's lips. And once again, Yamcha left returning a few days later quite enraged and ashamed. It was then he admitted to her that he had plans to marry her and have her carry his child instead of his enemy.
Bulma had been no less than shocked at that admission considering how non-serious Yamcha had been about their relationship, which resulted in Bulma cheating on him. But despite his anger, he stayed by her side and helped take care of her through the painful experience that was pregnancy.
When Vegeta had come back and then once again left, Bulma was too furious to really go about things rationally. And from there on fights were constant in the Briefs household.
Bulma sighed as she moved out of the shower, quickly drying herself off and hurrying with a smile to open the present that she was given with eager anticipation. But her grin faltered as she pulled out the blood red, what she concluded were garments after turning them this way and that. "Vegeta!" Bulma yelled out from behind the bathroom door.
"What!?" Came his angered reply.
"What the hell is this!?"
"Just shut up and put it on, Onna!"
"'Put it on'!? It's string all bundled together!"
Vegeta chuckled but made no room to reply. It was something that she would have to figure out all on her own. Hell, he didn't even know how it would go. He just saw it on that computer thing; it was on a female model and he thought it would look extremely good on his own woman so he quickly ordered it.
Never had he bought something like that for her but he knew it was a husband thing to do after seeing it on that show Roseanne. The woman seemed to love that show and watched it constantly no matter how old the show was. He would admit even he laughed at some of the things that went on.
In the beginning of his stay on this planet, all TV shows were pointless to him since he didn't understand any of the jokes the woman would laugh at. But since becoming mates with the human he was allowed to ask questions as to why she laughed without feeling entirely stupid.
After seeing the episode about lingerie, Vegeta made sure never to step foot into one of those stores, so instead the internet seemed the best option. And hopefully all of his planning would award him.
Vegeta stood impatiently in front of the door. He glanced back at the clock finding that she had been behind closed doors for the last fifteen minutes. "Onna!" He hollered, tired of waiting.
"I'm not coming!"
Vegeta smirked but shook his head to get rid of his dirty thoughts, "Get out here at once!" He ordered.
"No!"
He frowned, "Well, why not?" He hadn't meant to sound offended for he surely wasn't. Vegeta stepped closer to the door.
"How could you buy me this…thing!?"
"Do you want me to answer that?" He questioned with humor before once against scowling, "Open the door, woman."
"No! I am not coming out wearing strings!"
"Onna, you know I can easily break the lock."
"Don't you do it!" She threatened.
The tone of her voice made his hand drop from the knob. She would shriek and holler and then sleep somewhere else other then with him and that he couldn't have. "What is wrong, Onna?" He angrily asked trying to calm himself. Here he was thinking that the evening just might go as planned and she goes and fucks it up…again!
"Vegeta…" She pouted. Bulma stared at herself in the mirror, not having the will to look further than her teary face, "I'm too old for this."
Vegeta heard the whisper of admittance and nearly fell over. He rolled his eyes. Humans and their defects! There was always something the matter with them no matter how perfect they were.
"You are not." He growled gently, trying not to sound too mean, but at the moment (,) no patience were held in Vegeta to be 'nice'.
"Yes I am."
"Are you tearing?!" Vegeta yelled, shocked by the sniffling he heard from beyond the door.
"No…"
"Woman, get out here this instant!" He stomped his foot in finality.
"You're going to laugh."
Vegeta chuckled gently, backing away from the doorway, "I can assure you I won't."
"Fine." She replied with weak anger.
Vegeta stood next to the bed, arms crossed over his bare chest waiting for his weeping mate to exit from the bathroom where she had spent a half an hour in. If she took one minute longer, he swore to all of hell that he would blast that door down; consequences be damned!
He nearly sighed in relief when the lock clicked and the door finally opened.
Bulma timidly held her head down, too afraid to look on her lover's face when he saw her in such a piece of clothe that covered nothing. She hadn't even seen the point of it. But wearing something like this instead of coming out completely naked was so far worse because it reminded her of exactly how old she was going to be. She had two children; women her age with a family didn't wear clothes like this! It wasn't right.
Stepping from the cover of the door, Bulma stalled in front of it, staring at the ground and waiting for whatever insults were sure to come her way.
Vegeta faltered his smug expression as he got view of the true aspects of his mate.
Seriously, Vegeta knew how gorgeous his wife was. He knew every curve, every swerve and every dip that created her perfect form. Never once in the years that he had met her had he ever thought someone more beautiful. Even when she tried so desperately hard to get him to realize she wasn't what she use to be, Vegeta still saw what he had seen the first time he touched her. Nothing for him changed even if her thoughts about herself had.
And now that she stood there, Vegeta could proudly say only to himself, she was his. Vegeta let his eyes start the road of her body at the top. A strap was wrapped around her neck, her chest open to the air. Her breasts were wrapped by a thin strip only the width of her nipple, binding the tight plump against her body, pushing the precious meat back. Her flat stomach was naked down to her hips where a small cloth hung over the apex of her legs. A ribbon swirled down her legs 'til they fastened at the knee.
Vegeta swallowed hard before choking out, "Turn around."
With reluctance, Bulma obeyed still with a bowed head.
Vegeta stumbled with control as her back had a cross going down attaching to a string on her hip line, holding her lower portion in place and a small thin strap that disappeared between her plump buttocks. "Bulma…" He whispered, so astounded by her form.
Bulma turned at the sound of her name off his lips. Her anxiety caused her whole body to shake where it stood as she let her husband take in what he had agreed to have for the rest of their lives. She felt so vulnerable wearing it but hadn't wanted to really argue with him since he did go out of his way to get her this. It was obvious he wanted to see her in it.
But it brought a painful thought to Bulma's mind. What if he only bought this because he was getting bored with just looking at her? Maybe he wanted a little more adventure in the bedroom. The things he did might have been enough to satisfy her but did it for him and his Saiyan appetite?
Not one to cower, Bulma took a deep, calming breath, slowly lifting her eyes up to her husband, relaxing at the sight of his boxer clad form. He was so muscled everywhere, it always drove her thoughts wild. So damn sexy. Never would he have to worry about wilting like a human does. Saiyans just don't. They stayed the same way for the rest of their lives; never do their bodies deteriorate.
When she reached his face, Bulma could have died with overwhelmed relief at the smirk that lay on his gorgeous features. He looked pleased. He actually looked pleased with what he saw. Bulma smiled weakly still with squinted, worried eyes.
Taking a quick glance down at herself, "I didn't think I would need the boots." She admitted before taking a few shy steps towards her husband, "W…What do you think? Should I change? I'll go change." She was quick to go but was halted by Vegeta's hand gripping her arm and his chuckling.
"Calm your nerves woman. You are shaking." He stated while pulling her to stand in front of him.
"I'm too old for this, Vegeta." She pleaded with her eyes to let her go change.
"Nonsense." He scoffed.
"So…then…you like it?"
"I bought it didn't I?" He answered smugly, but the doubt never left her eyes. Well, he would just have to prove her wrong. Vegeta stepped closer to her, the hand that held her arm moved up to her chin, tilting it up so she would look at him. "If you don't want to believe it, Onna, then I would advise you not to look down." He smirked as her cheeks burned, her eyes swallowed by the dark hue color, heightening the depth of them. Vegeta rose (raised) his large hand to gently wiped the water from her cheek, squinting his eyes in confusion, "What are these for?"
Bulma turned her head away, slightly ashamed at the tears that fell. "I was afraid you wouldn't…" She sighed, taking in a shaking breath before she bluntly stated, "I was afraid you would take one look at me and realize your mistake." Pulling away to plop on the silk sheets depressingly. Bulma nervously picked at the strips on her thigh. "I am human, Vegeta. You're going to be perfect while I'm going to waste away."
"And you are just now realizing this?" He answered snobbishly, only to notice that his joke did more harm than good. Vegeta rolled his eyes. Why did he have to deal with this tonight!? Why couldn't she have self-doubts tomorrow while he was in the GR? "Could you do this tomorrow, woman?" Vegeta asked, almost pleadingly.
Bulma looked up at him, anger burning within her blue orbs, squinting with such animosity before it suddenly lightened as she smiled, "I'm sorry. Here I am wallowing in self-pity after spending the whole day at Goku's then you giving me that wonderful gift."
Vegeta smirked, stepping in front of her sitting form, leaning down, causing her to lay back as he crawled over her. "Apology not accepted." He nipped her nose, his eyes glancing down to her heaving chest as she numbly stared up at him from her passive position.
"OH?" She whispered, voice shaking as she felt his knees compress the bed with her body between them. "What can I do…to…" Her trembling lips were caught with his as he nibbled on them before boldly smashing his lips against hers, becoming a deep, passionate kiss, tongues diving in each one's wide mouths.
Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Not much happened I know but it shows the lighter side before things get bad again. And of course they will get bad again.