AN: THANK YOU to everyone who reviewed and sent get well wishes. I am starting to finally feel better, and just in time for another update!

The kitchen felt stuffy as Bulma stood at the counter near the stove, stirring herself some porridge in a large green bowl. It had been somewhere between two and three weeks since she had become bedridden, and for the first time in days she was feeling well enough to even stand. The Bluehead wasn't sure why the nausea had completely evaded her today, but she didn't care to waste any time pondering over that. Not only was her stomach completely settled, but her migraine was totally gone, and even her bones felt well rested.

The house had been empty since she'd gotten up, and Bulma silently wondered what everyone had been up to as she fixed herself a meal. So many questions were forming as she stood alone, and the Bluehead was quickly realizing just how much she'd missed out on during the time she had spent as the sleeping beauty.

As if on cue, the front door made a loud creak as it swung open. Bulma stepped to the entry of the kitchen to see Gohan trudging into the foyer, looking tired and bothered and he clomped inside the house. He didn't seem to be expecting to see Bulma, for he jumped an entire meter when he looked up to see her standing in the kitchen way. "Wah-!"

"Gohan! It's okay!" Bulma shrieked, jumping along with him. "What's wron-"

"You scared me!" The boy was gasping now, but there was a wide smile on his cheeks, and he suddenly looked far less morose than he had a few seconds prior. "Miss Bulma! You're awake!"

"Of course I am!" She replied, but she was returning the boy's grin as he began to hop towards her. He was going right for her, and he didn't stop until his arms were wrapping around her waist. "I'm so glad to see you're okay!" He was saying, nuzzling his face into the cloth of her gown.

"I'm glad to see you, too..." She replied, and there was an astounding warmth that welled within to feel the boy hugging her so tightly. Bulma looked down at him, the heat rushing to her cheeks as she put her hands on his shoulders, and she wondered exactly how much time had passed that she'd been so sick…

Why, Gohan was acting as if he'd thought he might never see her again. Was that reaction really warranted?

And, as the question struck Bulma's mind, she felt like a fool for even wondering about that.

The answer was yes…

… Yes, he was absolutely right to be so concerned for her. He had already lost both of his own parents, hadn't he? It didn't matter if she had been sick for a month, or even just a day. In his short life Gohan already had enough experience to validate any type of disastrous worry that plagued his mind… Before she even knew it, Bulma found she was squeezing the boy back. She bent down as her pale arms wrapped around him. Holding him this time felt different than ever before, and she couldn't bring herself to stop the embrace. She just couldn't let loose until he made the first move to pull away.

"It's so good to see you!" He beamed, and then he ran around her for the kitchen. "I can't spend too long, though. I'm only supposed to have a quick snack before break time is over!"

She followed him, taking a slow look at the boy as he pulled open the refrigerator. Bulma blinked to refresh her focus, but she saw the same thing when her eyes settled on him again. New muscles were bulging from his youthful arms as he pulled a giant leg of some unknown animal from the fridge. His teeth were already clamped into the meat before the door was shut, and he turned to shoot Bulma a doofy grin that reminded her so much of Goku in that moment.

"What are you taking a break from?" She asked, trying to sound nonchalant as she stepped back to the bowl she had been stirring a few minutes ago. The truth was that she was becoming desperately curious as time went by, but she was doing her best not to act on it. She knew she could be overzealous at times, and the last thing Bulma wanted was to spiral herself into some kind of freakout on a quest for knowledge.

"Training!" Gohan replied, his lips smacking loudly as he chewed.

"Oh?"

"Yeah! Mister Vegeta's been even more tough than Mister Piccolo, but he says the time is coming. I think we're almost done! I hate all this stuff, so I'm excited to get it over with!"

"The... time? Is… coming?" Bulma's eyes went wide. Well, that sounded upsettingly ominous, didn't it? What was going on? What on Earth had they been scheming while she'd been asleep?!

"Ah, dangit!" Gohan hiccupped, his eyes moving towards the kitchen door. "Here he comes, now!"

Bulma turned just in time to hear the front door swinging open, and she didn't bother moving from her spot as she listened to a pair of heavy boots marching towards the kitchen. When Vegeta stepped into the room and saw Bulma, he nearly smirked, but she glared back.

"The TIME?" She inquired, putting a hand on her hip.

Ignoring her, the saiyan turned to Gohan, who had started furiously gnawing at his leg of meat. "You're taking forever, boy! I only permitted you a momentary break for a snack - not an entire meal! What's keeping you?!"

"I've been keeping him!" Bulma interjected. "Vegeta, what's this I hear about your training? What's going on?"

"Nothing you need concern yourself about." He growled. He had initially looked happy to see her, but suddenly it seemed as if he was purposely trying to avoid eye contact with the Bluehead, and it was starting to piss her off…

"Okay! I'm ready!" Gohan announced, throwing the leftover bone in the trash and wiping his palms on his shirt. "I'll go get warmed up again."

The child ran from the room, though it seemed that he was moving more out of obligation than enthusiasm. Vegeta was quick to turn on his heel and follow. Bulma dropped her spoon back in her bowl and went running after. She knew Vegeta had the capability to move so fast that she wouldn't even be able to see him go if he wanted to, and the fact that she was able to catch up to him made her think he didn't mind the disruption. The Bluehead grabbed the saiyan by the back of the shirt and tugged, nearly colliding with his back as he skidded to a stop.

"Tell me!" She panted when he turned to look at her over his shoulder. "Gohan said THE TIME is coming. What are you planning, Vegeta? You'd better not say what I think you're going to!"

"Right." He glared. "I know, and that is why I won't say. You will blow things out of proportion, and I don't have time to deal with it."

He moved out of her grip, and Bulma staggered after. "Vegeta!" She called desperately, trying to think of something she could say. She just wanted him to stop. She just wanted to find a way to keep him long enough to try and figure out what he was planning to do. She wanted to think of anything to say to keep him with her. "Wh-Hey! Who- How… How long was I out for?!"

This did it.

He stopped again, this time turning his entire body to get a look at her. Gohan had long ago disappeared outside, so it was just the two of them alone as Bulma and Vegeta stared at one another. She was still feeling winded from chasing after him, with pregnancy having a lovely way of rendering her chronically breathless. But she spoke again, fighting back the huffs of her lungs. "I've been sick, and we all know I've been in bed. How long was I out for?"

"Almost three weeks."

"And... how did I not starve?" This was something she hadn't even thought of until now, but she knew her question made a good point. She was pregnant, which meant she needed to eat more than normal in the first place. But she hadn't been able to keep hardly anything down in nearly a month. How had she and the baby managed to survive that?

"Well," Vegeta muttered, furrowing his eyebrows as if she'd said something offensive. "It certainly wasn't by means of yourself. Someone had to handle those affairs while you were down..."

"What?" Bulma's eyes widened again. "Vegeta, wh-?"

"Enough of this!" He spat, turning again.

"Wait!" She tried again. "Vegeta, tell me right now! How long do we have until our time runs out?!"

Once again, her question of choice had worked. He didn't bother even looking at her, though, but his posture straightened when her heard her words. The saiyan didn't respond, merely standing in still silence as Bulma gasped behind him. She tried again. "How long do we have until Frieza comes after you, Vegeta? I was down for three weeks, and I don't even know how long we've been at this anymore. How long do we have?"

"No more than 21 days." He growled. "And it is not guaranteed he will arrive at that exact time. That will simply be the day he becomes aware that I have abandoned mission, and he will start his manhunt for me. How long it will take for him to find me, that is to be uncertain. I've grown quite good as disguising my ki."

"But... you said when we first started all of this... You said we need to act as if the three month mark will be the day arrives. We need to get the dragon balls by then! We need to assume for the worst."

"We have time." He growled.

"No, Vegeta. You need to stop whatever it is that you're doing. We only need two more balls, it's idiotic to throw all that away for-"

"WE HAVE TIME, WOMAN!" He barked. The word idiot had done it, and his temper had been fused. He whipped around and glowered at her. "We will GET the damned balls, but before then I have certain affairs to take care of! I might need them as insurance against Frieza, sure, but I'll be damned if I stoop to that desperation over two slabs of human shaped metal! I WILL BEAT THE ANDROIDS, which will only make me even stronger! THAT will help prepare me for my battle with Frieza! Do you understand?!"

"I don't!" She barked back. "I already told you! Defeating those things is next to impossible! It doesn't have anything to do with YOU! Why are you being so pigheaded about this?!"

Vegeta began to yell back, but Bulma didn't even bother to listen to what he had to say. She was suddenly feeling dizzy, and instantly she knew it was from all the oxygen she'd been exerting with her yells.

Even as the saiyan was barking his rebuttal, Bulma turned and made a line for the couch. There was an uncoordinated bounce in her steps that caught the saiyan's eye, and Vegeta had completely ceased with his shouting by the time Bulma had dropped into the cushions. "What's wrong?" He asked. His voice was still firm, but now there was a concern in his tone instead of anger, and it seemed he had completely forgotten that they'd just been fighting.

"I'm just dizzy." Bulma sighed, closing her eyes and letting her head drop back. She was fanning herself as she panted to catch her breath, feeling as if the world was spinning around her. "I shouldn't be raising my voice like this. I'm not well, but you always get the best of me."

"This is why I told you I didn't want to discuss things..." He growled, but a moment later she felt his hand taking her own. She opened her eyes and looked to see that he had fallen into a kneeling position by her side of the couch, glaring down at her hand as if he was about to start yelling at it.

"But we have to talk about this though..." She scowled. She wanted to pull her hand out of his grip just to emphasize her point, but his palm felt so warm on her skin, and she couldn't bring herself to tear away. Still, Bulma couldn't just forget about all of this... She turned her hand over so that her palm was against his own. "You're involving Gohan with this. He's just a kid… It's not right."

"He's a lot more sloppy than I was at his age, I'll give him that… but he is still worthy." Vegeta's voice was still firm, yet he was speaking so quietly as he pressed his hand even deeper against her own. His palm was growing even more warm, but it wasn't uncomfortable. If anything, it almost felt like a blanket was starting to swaddle her skin. The sensation of sitting in a spinning room was starting to dull, and her breaths were slowing to a more structured pace.

"Vegeta. He is just a kid." Bulma tried again, but she was giving up on getting him to listen. Not only was he as stubborn as a bolder, but somehow the anger was subsiding along with her dizziness… In fact, she was starting to feel rather calm…

"He is useful." Vegeta continued, as if that simple sentence settled things. And then he stood, letting go of the Bluehead, and the warm sensation quickly disappeared altogether. Bulma's hand almost felt cold after leaving his own, and she looked down at it with disbelief. Had Vegeta's skin always been that soothingly warm? Could it be that she was only now just noticing?

"I can't just be okay with that." She said dumbly, looking up at the saiyan with a blank expression. He was frowning down at her, but he didn't appear to be angry any more. There was a softness in her eyes. "I can't let you neglect everything. I know you want to seek vengeance on those androids, Vegeta, but we can't just lose sight of what we've already started..."

"I'm not going to lose sight…" He said, and the irritation was returning to his voice now. "I am taking care of a couple of pests that have been getting their way for far too long. And then we will continue. And I would like to see you try to stop me, Woman."

"I will." She hissed back, narrowing her eyes.

"You can't even yell without nearly passing out, and it's the child inside you that's causing it. You won't be able to even attempt a rebellion for months. Bluffing will not work with me."

And then he bent down over her, an action that she hadn't foreseen. Suddenly he was kneeling again, but he was now hovering over her entire body rather than just the arm of the couch. His forehead was nearly pressing against her own as he looked down at her, and she was sinking deeper into the cushions as he grew even closer to her skin. "Do you not trust me to be successful?" He whispered, and it came out as a breathy mutter as he leaned even closer to her face. "Why do you keep doubting my strength?"

"I don't!" She said, and it sounded like a sad groan. Her arms were reaching up to wrap around his neck. "You're the toughest person I've ever met… But I do understand the risks, and I don't think they're necessary to take..."

"If you acknowledge my strength, then trust me on this. I have taken note from our last run-in, and I've been forming a plan..."

He just smelled so good…

… Bulma squeezed his neck even tighter, pulling him in so she could lay a kiss on his lips. He returned the gesture, allowing his body to finally sink into her own as he held himself up with his arms at both of her sides. She could feel her eyes watering as his tongue slid across her own, knowing that the warmth of his embrace was only going to be momentary.

She didn't want him to leave.

She didn't want him to go, train for some stupid cause, and get himself killed in the process. Bulma wanted him to stay right here, with her, in her arms…

He had been forcing her mouth open with his own, and she took this as an opportunity to bite down on his lower lip. It was a slow but assured gesture to express her grievances.

He seemed to like this, because he groaned against her mouth. Putting a hand to the back of her head, he pressed himself even closer against her lips, and she sank her teeth down even deeper.

Suddenly she pulled away, taking in a gasp of air as she did so. Vegeta was lipping her jawline as she caught her breath, a low growl brewing from the back of his throat. "It has been such a long time since we've had fun together..." His fingertips were pressing into her shoulder now, massaging into the muscle. "I've been craving you for quite some time, Bulma..."

"Promise me you're not going to get yourself killed." The Bluehead replied, her words coming out as a moan as he nipped the skin beside her ear. "Promise me that Gohan isn't going to get killed. Promise me you'll-"

"If I didn't have a brain and a severe intolerance for bullshit, I would have been top commander of the Ginyu Force a long time ago. The single most powerful army that currently lives..." Vegeta breathed, his hand sneaking back around to Bulma's front. His words didn't mean much to the Bluehead, who knew of the Ginyu Force, but not very much.

…Yet somehow it was still soothing to hear, all the same.

"Any injury I take only results in me growing even stronger once I heal. It is in the saiyan's DNA. That Android might have pushed me to the brink of at one time, but they don't yet realize I come back twice as strong after every encounter. Your gravity machine is quite useful, too... There is no doubt that I will succeed…"

He was palming her left breast now, and she knew he could feel her heartbeat with how fast it was racing. Her hands shot to his wrist, her nails digging into his skin as he worked, and she let out another moan at the sensation. It really had been a long time since they'd done this...

… Too long…

But, just as Bulma was about to lean forward to lay another kiss on his lips, his hand was suddenly gone.

Actually, Vegeta's entire body was gone.

He had abruptly stood up and backed several steps away. "I've got business to take care of. The others are waiting for me. We can't do this now, or one of them will just walk in on us." He grumbled, by means of explanation. He appeared to be rather flustered, running a hand through his hair. "Ah – I want this – But I can't – not when… We can't continue with this petting, Woman. I have to go. The last thing I need is to have to show back up with some ridiculous story about why my pants look like a compass needle that is pointing north."

"Well, it's too late for that..." Bulma teased. She laughed at the look on his face, but she really did want to help. And so she tried to think of something to say that might piss him off enough to make him forget about what they'd just been doing.

Then, with a grin, she glared at him. "Vegeta, you won't be fighting those Androids. I can't sit by and watch you do anything stupid! I won't let you! I'll get my way in the end, even if it means using force, BITCH!"

Knowing his attitude, she'd expected him to fall back into a rebuttal that would be very typical of the esteemed saiyan prince. He'd forget what they'd just been doing, and he'd storm out with a vengeance after yelling something twisted back. What she saw, instead, was that his certain needle became even more prominent before he turned to hide his shame. "Damn you." He growled. "Now I'm going to have to stand in the cold shower for 5 minutes."

"REALLY?" Bulma had to cough in order to stifle her laugh. "Wait, does it really get you off when I call you a-"

But the saiyan was already slamming the bathroom door, leaving Bulma alone in the living room. All she could do was sit there, using her hand to fan herself off as she stifled another laugh…

.

.

.

"You've been doing terrible today…" Piccolo was muttering. Gohan had just returned from his break in the house and was now throwing punches at his mentor, but it was embarrassing. Piccolo usually had more of a hard time avoiding his blows, but so far today he'd had no issues at all.

The kid had come far, especially after starting an even stricter training regime under Vegeta's urgent lead. Extended exposure to heightened gravity had also worked wonders on the boy, who had quickly become a challenge for even Piccolo to contain.

But today Gohan had been sloppy, moving in slow motion with everything he did. Piccolo hadn't had any trouble catching his fists, dodging his blasts, or jumping to avoid his kicks. It had been this way since they had started in the morning, and so he and Vegeta had finally agreed in giving the boy an unusual midday break. But he was doing no better upon his return, and Piccolo was losing his patience for it.

"Your mind is obviously somewhere else." He growled, catching another one of Gohan's weak attempts at a hit. To give a point, he backhanded the boy on the side of the head. It wasn't excessively hard, but Gohan gasped from it all the same. Then, with no more accuracy than before, he continued with his half-assed attempts at landing a punch.

"Listen to what I say!" Piccolo snapped. "If you aren't going to even pay attention to my criticisms, then you might as well stop trying!"

It was a rhetorical comment, but Gohan seemed to agree. In the blink of an eye he had stopped with his routine, had completely dropped his offensive posture, and fallen back on his rear. "Ah!" He groaned. "I can't do this!"

"What do you mean?" Piccolo wiped his hands on his clothes, shaking his head as he calmly stepped back. "You've been doing it. Why are you acting like this all of the sudden, kid?"

"Because it's hard!" Gohan was yelling now. For weeks he had been working at this. Ever since his mother died, his life had consisted of nothing but training.

He really loved, Mr. Piccolo, he really did. He loved when his mentor would offer encouragement, nod his approval, or even pat him on the shoulder. But when he wasn't receiving any of that, Vegeta and Mr. Piccolo both participated in an act that could only be described as being a "hard ass". The cycle of tough love and motivational insults that came from both of his mentors was all finally starting to boil over, and the monotony of endless training was making him feel weak.

"I'm getting tired of it!" The boy shouted. "I'm tired of having to train all the time!"

"Well get used to it, kid, because you'll be doing this for the rest of your life." Piccolo shot back, but some of the aggression was leaving his voice. "You'll be able to ease up when we defeat the Androids. It would be foolish not to maintain what you've learned and give up afterwards, but there'll be a lot more time for leisure after that."

"Why can't we just fight them now, then?" Gohan balled his hands into fists. "You know I don't wanna do this! But if I have to then I just wanna get it over with!"

"You're getting better by the day, but I haven't had direct contact with the Androids like Vegeta has." Piccolo replied calmly. "We aren't going to attack until he tells us it's appropriate. And until then we're going to keep preparing, like we have been."

"Why haven't you fought them, though?!". Gohan had been feeling bored and defeated all day, but it wasn't just that anymore. Now there was so much more inside than just the despondence that came with an old and overwhelming routine.

Now he was also feeling cornered, trapped, and even a bit hurt…

Wasn't it hypocritical of Mr. Piccolo to put so much pressure on him, especially when the man hadn't even faced the Androids himself? Who was he to be so authoritative over what Gohan did? Who was he to tell him that his punches were weak, and that he was doing a terrible job, and that he needed to stop kidding around when Gohan was already trying his best? After everything they'd done until this point, in the end Piccolo wasn't even planning to fight alongside him!

Why, Piccolo didn't even care about him at all – did he? Piccolo was just going to send Gohan out there to handle all of this on his own, while he safely watched from the sidelines - and how was any of that justified or fair?! If he really cared, then he'd want to fight alongside him, to have his back and protect him in case anything unexpected happened… But that didn't seem to be on his mentor's mind at all…

"Gohan, don't start." Piccolo was saying now.

"NO!" Gohan spat. It was too late for a warning – too late to be told not to get upset. The boy was already seething, his face red and puffy as the anger took him over. "I'm sick and tired of you guys telling me what to do all the time! It's easy for you to act so big, but you're not even going to be there when it all happens! You've just been using me! This is all just a joke to you! You don't care about me at all, Mr. Piccolo! Not you, and not Mr. Vegeta, either!"

And then he turned and belted from the room.

Piccolo tried to catch him, and it was the first time that day he'd had any trouble with the kid. Gohan flew away from him at an immeasurable speed, slamming the door to the gravity room as he did so. Even as Piccolo called after, he kept going. Gohan's feet hit the grass in a run, and he was heading for the house. Heading through the living room, heading to the only person he felt had left to turn to...

AN:

I wanted to also mention something I was thinking about. After skimming through this story to try and remind myself of a few things, I've realized there's been a rather minimal amount of VegeBul lemon. Now, one of the reasons this story was originally rated M was due to some of the scenes that depict death. That being said, I definitely intended to include love scenes between Vegeta and Bulma. I've just been focusing a lot on moving the plot along, though, and I realize I've been neglectful with that. I just wanted to let you know, in case you've been waiting and hoping for more lemon, that there is plenty on the way.

In fact, it may be coming sooner than you think.

I have a decent amount of material already typed up that I still need to go through and edit. So I cannot say for sure WHEN it is coming, but there is definitely some steam in the works.

I always have a hard time deciding how to balance the lemon chapters - how many would be too little, how many would not be enough? I don't want to disappoint or neglect that side of VegeBul, though, so a goal is to try to get better about that. ;)

Thanks for reading and reviewing, as always! The batch of feedback that came from my last update really helped take my mind off being sick. :)