This was a solid chapter.
-So I hope you guys like it because I impressed myself hehe

When they both felt rested, Vegeta and Bulma managed to get up and prepare for some more training time in the GR. Vegeta thought it was great to be able to train with someone at last, but his woman wasn't anywhere near his strength or skill in fighting, so where it was nice to train with his mate, it only rapidly served as a test his patience and it kept him from fighting at full capacity.

"Again."

Vegeta stood in front of Bulma, intently focused on her form as she attacked invisible foes, punching and kicking with all her might, secretly wanting to impress her spouse by following his commands, but growing tired of no actual Saiyan contact.

"I want to actually hit you. Not air," Bulma huffed, sweat beading across her brow as she flexed her arm.

"You don't need to. I already know how strong you are and where you need to improve."

"You can sense that just by looking at me?" she asked incredulously.

"I can feel you. Your energy is strong. But it's not enough – not yet."

"Well – why not? Haven't I changed? What are you gauging from? Human or Saiyan standard?" Bulma questioned, feeling hungry and already looking forward to having dinner.

"For a Saiyan, you are right under where you need to be for a low-class warrior. You can give yourself a little credit. You were only human."

"Don't do that," she told him flatly.

"Do what?" he queried, confusion creasing his brow.

"Go easy on me. Don't sugar-coat this for me. I'm a weak Saiyan. But I need to be more than that and I'm super frustrated that it's taking so long to get anywhere! I need more push-ups? Sit-ups…protein – what am I missing?" she pushed, irritated with her lack of perceived progress.

Vegeta shook his head. There was that heat again – it was singing to him, all her simmering ire and discomfort. It was so strange – she was completely Saiyan now from head to toe. But she acted so…so human. Her instincts, her disposition…all remained perfectly human.

He hesitated before he spoke and what came out of his mouth next surprised him, "Why did you make this wish, Bulma? Now that you're Saiyan..." He trailed off, not wanting to finish his statement. He knew better than to ask this, but for some reason he said it and Bulma was quick to react, making fists at her sides. He crossed his arms in preparation for more of her anger to bombard his mind.

"Now that I'm Saiyan…what? I'm not human anymore? I'm not me anymore?" He stared at her, not sure of where he wanted to go with the conversation. It was more complicated than what she was expressing; he knew she needed to change something to make life for them easier, but not to fundamentally change the Bulma he knew and loved.

He locked eyes with her and dropped his arms from their crossing, "If I had it my way, I would rather have had you bound to me – risking you flaying alive – than change anything about what makes you Bulma. My woman." The heat in his gaze made her feel flush, but what he was saying struck a nerve.

Bulma allowed what she thought he was implying to hit her like a punch to the stomach.

"How dare you. How fucking dare you," she admonished, "So – I change a part of me and suddenly I'm someone new? I'm not special, or delicate…someone who needs to be watched and protected? Isn't that a good thing? Isn't that what you wanted me to be? Strong, more autonomous, not always up your ass for everything?!" Bulma was livid.

She was quickly working herself into a fury, resisting, but failing to not let her anger get the best of her.

Vegeta clenched his own fists and walked to stand before her.

"You were already perfect. You didn't need to change anything about yourself. Sure, I want you to be more durable, so in that regard, your transformation came to be a convenience. But you didn't need to do this for anyone but you. Don't say you did it for me - or anyone else but yourself. You did this purely out of your own necessity, and it is your responsibility to learn to deal with it. Do you understand?" he told her, hoping to clarify his feelings on her transition.

She lowered her head angrily.

He was right in front of now - he reached out to lift her face, cupping her cheeks in his palms and as she continued to look elsewhere, he let out a heavy sigh, "I want you to meditate until you can train without your emotions running away with you. You need to reign it in if you want to blend in with our people when we reach Vegetasei. If you get killed by someone for challenging them with no strength to back it up – I die along with you. You can't be selfishly thinking of your own desires to beat me, or any opponent for that matter. You need to fight to protect your mate now - this is your new mindset. That's why I've concluded I can no longer train you."

"What – then who will train me?" she asked, looking into his eyes, shocked at his statement and now worried he might be changing his mind about her and having her fight, making something inside of her grow anxious and desperate.

"It pains me to say this, but…I need Kakarot to train you, at least for now. Our bond changed a lot of things, but your transformation changed everything. You physically can't fight against me - you're too green to separate your feelings for me from your task to train, and even though it wounds my pride – it will help you be a better fighter. I've given you a firm foundation – use it to kick his ass for me."

She felt such despair in that moment that she could have shot beams of Ki from her own hands if she only knew how. She felt like dropping to the ground and pounding it in with her fists but chose to glare at him instead.

"What now then?" she asked through gritted teeth and pulling his hands from her face, still feeling as though he had given up on her.

He felt it all through the bond, so he was able to interpret her reaction.

"I will never give up on you, Bulma. I – I'm proud of you. Very proud. In fact, I'm so proud of you, that I will teach you this last thing before I begrudgingly turn your training over to the clown. You will learn to use my attack – Galick Gun. I will not have you learn that depraved turtle man's Kamehameha wave and if I catch you using that attack you will answer to me and the punishment will be severe. Now watch my movements and imitate my stance."

Vegeta had decided this is how it needed to be for now. He needed to train on his level again, and she needed to train without her emotions getting in the way. Kakarot was an idiot – no doubt. But the Saiyan could fight, and that was all that mattered.

At dinner that night, the table was quiet until Chaps broke the silence.

"I learned who tipped the media off from the other day, Bulma. After I made an announcement, they came forward. I dealt them their punishment and news about your upcoming ceremony and a date, as I explained you had already quietly been married and kept it from the public. I stated it was for privacy's sake. So hopefully, with the ceremony news now being circulated through the company, gossip will run its course for us and thus, no more drama," he reported. This felt like good news to him, so he continued to eat his rice and curry with contentedness.

"You hear that, Vegeta? We're so in love, we jumped the gun and now that the public thinks we had a shotgun wedding, I think it's fair to say I'm no longer the media's harlot!" Bulma said, though her tone was amused, her face was not.

Vegeta ignored her purposefully, as he knew she wasn't being serious, and continued shoveling chicken into his mouth and not caring about the subject of conversation.

Chaps felt the opposite, grin instantly dropping from his face, " Hey, don't take shots at me. This is your best bet. Take solace in knowing the next time you will have to be present for the public now is at your wedding ceremony, not out of nowhere when you want to work in the GR."

Bulma rolled her eyes, "Fine, You're right. Thanks."

Bulma's appetite wouldn't let her stop to argue with him further, though she normally would have. Lately, her hunger had steadily becoming insatiable. Her growing child was taking every bit of nutrients she could supply for him, so she had no choice but to keep up or end up starving. This thought had her remembering something very important about weddings: the dress.

Bulma threw her fork and knife down on the table, "Oh my god…guys - my dress! My wedding dress. Oh, I hate this – I'm pregnant, I'm not gonna fit right in my dress, I'm gonna walk down the aisle and you might as well put a feeding trough next to the altar because I'm gonna look like a damn cow! Oh no…" Bulma looked up to the ceiling to keep herself from crying.

Vegeta on the other hand had to keep the twisted smile from creeping up across his face. That woman could have vanity so powerful at times it could put even the haughtiest princess to shame. It simultaneously aggravated and amused the Saiyan prince as he feigned complete focus on his meal, not wanting to be sucked into the latest problem. Bulma's life currently sustained an orbit of instability around her on any given day, and when he could avoid being pulled into the nonsense, he did so with enthusiasm.

Panchy finally felt useful in the conversation as she got up and stood next to her daughter, pulling her into her arms to comfort the newest assault on Bulma's young adult insecurities, "Honey, you are going to look beautiful. Vegeta loves you – you're going to take his breath away when he sees you! Isn't that right, Vegeta dear?"

Vegeta only grunted uneasily and stuck to eating his food, not wanting anything to do with this conversation either, especially since he decided they had officially left the realm of logic in his mind.

Bulma, shut up and eat your dinner. Stop being foolish, was all he offered to her through their bond.

Bulma managed to calm her hysterics at that, hugging her mom and promising to set aside time with her to pick out dresses that week and plan for the ceremony.

As the following day dragged on, so did Bulma's new training and work regimen. After she woke up that morning, she left Vegeta's side to make her way downstairs to the GR for quiet meditation. She needed to make sure she was in there before Vegeta so that they didn't cross over each other's time. Bulma used her training session to strengthen her mind to focus more on her body and calm her emotions, using her breath and Vegeta's meditation techniques to ensure she was successful when she began her training with Goku. Then she went to the kitchen to eat breakfast hours later, where Vegeta would drill her on Saiyan mindset and freshen her memory on their language, having a full conversation with her in his native tongue.

She then moved into the lab, where she worked on a couple new projects her father told her the company needed assistance with, along with giving her some new information about what her sister, Tights, learned from the Galactic Patrol. By this time she was mentally and physically wiped out, but still she persisted, not wanting to risk losing the precious time she still had before the wedding to prepare for what lay ahead for her and the other Saiyans.

"Your sister told me she received a message from Jaco," Chaps informed his daughter as she soldered another delicate wire onto a circuit board. They were currently working on enhancements for an AI system that would advance cybernetic capabilities in their drones and anticipate attacks from assailants on the front lines of the current Argosian war. It was proving to be a real bitch for Bulma, though, as planning her wedding and stressing over the training she would be receiving from Goku was weighing heavily on her shoulders.

Bulma wiped her sweaty brow with a cloth when she finished her task, satisfied with her portion of the work, "What did he have to say about Vegetasei?" she asked, sitting back in her chair.

Chaps stopped his work and recalled the conversation with his eldest daughter from earlier that day.

"The knowledge that Vegetasei has rejoined the galaxy is greatly disturbing for them to hear, since the Saiyans are such a dangerous and hostile race. He told her that he is already busy around the galaxy, patrolling a situation on the Unia-Omega Belt, and the rest of his unit has their hands full as well. Vegetasei was allegedly a level 10 planet on the Galactic Invasive and Planetary Threats Scale, or GIPTS for short. He briefly stated that we would need to provide our own unit of patrolman to investigate the planet, since all that's left to patrol are recruits and none of them are prepared for a level 10 GIPTS planet." Chaps paused to take a swig of his water before continuing to brief his daughter on the rest of the message.

"Wow, that is a great deal of important information…" Bulma frowned, realizing that another intricate plan was going to need to be enacted before they could even touch down on the planet. The list was growing, along with Bulma's stress level.

"Jaco told Tights we would need our own skilled patrolman to gather the intel that the Galactic Patrol needed to determine if their planet is worthy of reinstating. The planet needs to comply or it be destroyed. So Vegeta needs to consider this when you both choose who is going to gather this intel, because the fate of his planet once again hangs in the delicate balance, for the continuum of peace of our universe."

Bulma's eyes were as wide as saucers at her father's grave message, "Oh my gosh – that is serious. Good thing Vegeta is almost done with his training," she said, checking her watch.

"One more, very unsettling message you're going to be responsible for telling him when you do see your husband, because quite frankly, I value my life," Chaps added.

Bulma gave her father her undivided attention, communicating non-verbally for him to continue.

"Jaco said when they surveyed the planet, there were several large ships stationed on the planet. The insignias on the ships led Jaco's unit to the inevitable conclusion - that the Colds were present."

Bulma felt her heart constrict, making it momentarily hard to breathe, "This means…oh my kai-"

"Yes - the evil tyrant Frieza is once again alive and occupying Vegetasei."

Bulma's hands went to her mouth, stricken with panic at the very mention of that demon's name. She immediately leapt from her chair and went to tell Vegeta the disturbing news.

"HE'S WHAT?" the Saiyan prince bellowed, angrily punching a drone to the ground. When he lifted his fist, the drone was broken into several small bits – decimating a nearly indestructible piece of equipment.

Bulma, already anticipating this kind of reaction, was several feet away from him as he went on a rampage, nearly shouting energy through the ceiling of the chamber.

Bulma had to quickly send the drones away, otherwise more of them would fall victim to the powerful Saiyan's rampage. "Initiate away sequence!" she yelled, and the drones responded obediently, taking off and flying into several dozen metal hatches embedded in the room's walls.

When Bulma sensed a pause in her husband's furious response, she wasted no time in getting over to where he was currently sprawled out across the tiled floor, picking his upper half up from the ground and holding him, no words uttered from her lips to offer consolation.

They both sat on the ground for several minutes, lost in contemplation.

After his initial response, Bulma felt his fear and apprehension. Then his despair, which settled on a burning rage she had never felt in him before. He didn't move, only allowed for her to continue to embrace him silently as he glared at the walls.

His pain was next - that was the worst part for her since she couldn't place what caused it. The bond had its limitations and couldn't show her that far into his subconscious, and even though it gave her glimpses, they were nothing more than flashes.

The only image she got was one of a purple and white face with a twisted smile, and that sight alone was enough to frighten and cause her to go pale because she understood that it was him. Frieza looked like a nightmare, and she realized that after all this time, they were going to have to face him again.

It's okay, Vegeta. He jumped at her words, but she continued, turning his face gently to get him look into her eyes. You are much stronger now than you were back on Namek. You're different.

There was so much anguish in his expression despite what she was telling him that Bulma's heart broke.

He closed his eyes,I'm praying it will be enough – I fear it isn't and he'll- he stopped, unable to finish his thought.

-And he'll destroy your planet again, she finished for him when he looked away bitterlyWell I say he won't. Listen, we'll get through our ceremony, honeymoon on the ship and head straight for Vegetasei. No delays – we'll save your planet, my beloved Prince Vegeta. And this time, you're not going to be alone, you'll have more help than you'll know what to do with, she finished, sending him as much reassurance as she could manage.

He looked back at her and he saw the determined grin that had spread across her lips. There was that human emotion again, something he realized in moments like this were decidedly endearing. She felt so confident in his abilities that she was smiling at him despite her fears and he couldn't help but cross the gap between them and pull her in for a searing kiss.

"I'm so glad you didn't meet me back then," he confessed, mummering into her skin as he kissed along her jawline.

"I'm sure you would have probably killed me – I have a pretty big mouth," she replied, smiling wryly as he continued his assault.

"But it can be so sweet," he said as he made his way back up to claim her lips. He paused and held her eye contact, "We might die, Bulma. I don't want to endanger us by giving you a false sense of security. "

"I know…we probably won't though," she countered, stroking his cheek.

He grabbed her hand, keeping it on his face as he stared intensely into her eyes. Bulma felt the power of his gaze and shuddered.

"I'm serious, we might not make it out alive, and our son-"

"Shh," she silenced him with a kiss, "No more. We will be fine. Just trust yourself. This – us being together proves that the unimaginable can happen, right?" she finished by placing his hand on her belly and offering him a warm smile despite their exchange of troubled thoughts.

"Well, yes, I suppose-"

She kissed him again, "Everything is being set right – right now, before your very eyes. We were so wrong for each other. But now, it's never been more perfect. So embrace that with me and try to think positively. Until things actually start happening – no more doom and gloom. Alright? If I can do that with everything on my plate right now, then I need you to do it too. I need you," she finished, resting her forehead on his.

Vegeta sighed heavily, and then pulled her close to him, "Sure. We'll see what transpires. Thank you… for being here for me," he added the last sentence with noticeable effort.

She smiled again and they relished in their moment for as long as they could before responsibility beckoned them once again.