Disclaimer: I do not own anything belonging to the Dragon Ball universes that privilege rests with Akira Toriyama.

AN: Here it is! The long-awaited chapter! ... Where Vegeta and Bulma finally...sit down and talk. Hahaha still gonna be a bit before the lemon!

This chapter and the last were originally going to be the same one but as it grew I realized I was at nearly 9,000 words so I found a way to break it up. The scene below deserves its own chapter. So enjoy the double chapter day!

Vegeta flashed a smile to his son to express his pride in the boy and watched as Bulma carried him up the stairs. He sat there as her parents talked and moved around him. Was this really the life he wanted? A life he could be at ease in, enjoy lazy evenings. Where he could watch his son grow alongside the woman? Suddenly feeling very vulnerable he got up and went outside where he hopped up onto the roof and watched the sky darken.

Returning downstairs Bulma was disappointed to see Vegeta was gone again. Checking the clock in the kitchen as she went to get the half bottle of wine left after dinner the mother realized it wasn't very late. She would give him some time before she went looking for him. He'd always been good at finding her when she was alone. Now she was nervous she had expected him to be there still lounging on the end of the couch nearest to the door.

Pausing mid-pour she looked at the back of the couch and noticed for the first time that it was the closest to all of the doors. Thinking on it, that was the only place she could ever remember him sitting in-other than the seat with his back to the kitchen so he could see all the doors. He was always in a position to defend and protect her and her family, and she had accused him of disrespecting them. When in fact, for who Vegeta was, the way he was around her parents was him showing respect. Bulma finished pouring her glass of wine, she had grabbed another glass and took the bottle into the living room.

Sitting on the opposite end of the couch from what she was beginning to consider Vegeta's spot. Setting the glasses on the table she sat back and hoped she wasn't getting her hopes up that Vegeta was going to show up.

He could feel her sitting in the living room waiting, for him. They were supposed to play her question game tonight, and he had told his son he would ask her about the women over the weekend. The prince had to admit he was curious why those women had been around and to what end had they interacted with him? Giving in to his desire to learn more about the brilliant beauty he jumped down and silently slipped in the back door.

Approaching on silent feet he admired the view he had of her breast down her shirt where she was leaning into the back of the couch. Stopping in the doorway he allowed his eyes to wonder the perfect figure of beauty before him. Who would've ever guessed he would see something as beautiful, or anything as perfect. Yet there she was in all of her ripened glory. Clearing his throat he struggled to contain his smirk.

Startled by the sudden sound she sat up quickly and looked to where Vegeta stood leaning against the doorway to the kitchen. "You came?" Bulma bit her lip to hold back the tears that were threatening to build in her eyes.

"We had a plan did we not?" He said coldly as he pushed off the wall and slowly walked around the end on the couch.

"Yeah, but after our fight last night," Bulma didn't want to bring up their fight that ended with his confession. "I wasn't sure if you would show tonight."

Not sure what to say he took his previously occupied position on the sofa.

"Well, I suppose I should explain the rules first huh?" Bulma said suddenly feeling nervous. Pouring Vegeta a glass of wine to give her something to do with her hands Bulma offered it to him. "First off would you like to set a questions limit, or a time limit?" needing to do something with her hands Bulma grabbed the bottle of wine and the second glass and poured one for Vegeta. She handed it to him and saw his raise and lower of his shoulder. "Okay, let's go with twenty questions, not exceeding two hours for tonight. I do have to get up and go to work in the morning."

Vegeta grunted in agreement as he sipped his wine and leaned back into the corner of the couch. "What do you do at this work all day anyway?" he asked.

"I wasn't finished explaining the rules," Bulma scolded. "We each take turns asking our questions and no answering questions with questions,"

"And if I do?" Vegeta asked and looked at her from the corner of his eye.

"Then…you have to down your drink!" she said excitedly because he had a habit of answering questions with his own question and she wondered if she could get him drunk enough for him to let down his walls a bit.

Vegeta turned to face her more when the mischief danced in her sapphire eyes. He hid the smirk that pulled up the corner of his mouth by frowning on the side closest to her and raised one eyebrow while furrowing the other. He knew what she was thinking, and with how weak wine was his metabolism would make it difficult to get him intoxicated. "All right Woman, answer my question now."

Bulma rolled her eyes, "Well, I am the vice president and CEO of capsule corporation. I spend most of my days in boring meetings dealing with old men who have backward ideas about the way the world works, and have no idea about anything in the universe beyond our own planet. I approve new projects, I oversee tests on new tech, I meet with lawyers, I interview prospective investors, higher-ranking officials within the company, and on occasion, I get to work on some of my own projects." Bulma paused thinking about her current project and whether or not Vegeta would be interested in helping with the tests once the prototype was ready.

"Vice president," Vegeta questioned. "What is that, is it like second in charge?" Bulma nodded, taking a sip of her wine. "If you are the second in charge, why must you spend so much time there?"

"Hey that's two more questions, and it was supposed to be my turn," Bulma pouted prettily and batted her lashes at Vegeta, teasing him for breaking the rules.

Vegeta growled in annoyance.

"All right, I'll give you a pass on the VP question because you needed clarification," Bulma beamed at him mischief dancing in her eyes. "And I'll answer the other one, but that only means that you'll have to answer two of mine when it's my turn next," she added as her smile turned a touch wicked.

Grunting his acceptance, Vegeta wondered how much he was going to regret allowing her to ask questions. Figuring it would only bring them close he let his apprehension go and allowed Bulma to elaborate.

"I have to put in so much time there right now because I am preparing to take over from my father as President and CEO of the company," Bulma said. "Once that happens I'll have to spend even more time there," she explained. "Okay, my turn," she said, her smile returning briefly before returning into seriousness.

"Where do you go when you leave here? Like you did today," Bulma asked biting her lip.

"I go to train," Vegeta said, but Bulma's silence told him she would not accept that answer.

"That's what you do, not where you go," she said flatly and narrowed her eyes at him, simple responses were not going to be enough.

Growling Vegeta rolled his eyes as he looked away for a second, she didn't deserve his attitude he was just annoyed at his own slip up last night when he had yelled in her face that he wanted her and that was why he was uncomfortable. "I go to many places. I have been to the trench, the deep one to the south, where the giants live. The frozen coast of the southern islands. The top of the tallest mountains, secluded river valleys, and dense forests where no human has ever been." Vegeta cut his eyes to the side and asked, "Was that sufficient enough?"

"It was, and I'll let your sardonic question slide," she said smiling, but on the inside, she was a little jealous that he had been all over the planet. "Where do you like to go the most?"

"The ocean. It's quiet, like space and there are some very powerful beasts down there," Vegeta said glad she was asking normal conversation questions and not prying into his past. Although he knew those questions were bound to come.

"Ask your next question."

He caught the scent of her jealousy. He wanted to ask her about it but he had a question to ask for their son and he needed to do it before he forgot. "Why were all those women here this weekend?"

"Oh," Bulma hadn't expected this to be his first question about her friends. This was something he could've asked her at any time. It was free knowledge in the house. Thinking back to the other night she hadn't told him why Candi and the girls came over. He had gotten upset with her rudeness and stormed off. In fact, over the past two weeks, she had been being pretty cruel to him. Meanwhile, Vegeta, the prince of an alien race, universally feared soldier, was sitting on the couch with her. Sticking to his word with her. Only ever with her. Guiltily she explained something she had blatantly ignored, "They are old comrades from college-university, a place of education in science-"

"I am well aware of what a university is Bulma," Vegeta said, straining toward her with his neck and his eyes half shuttered. The effects of the alcohol were fast, and he decided to take smaller slips from now on.

Bulma suddenly found her throat dry. Taking a sip of her wine she tried to remember what they were talking about. Taking a calming breath she recalled he had interrupted her, tho it was between words. That thought caused a smile to tease at the corners of her mouth as she spoke. "When we had graduated we all went to the Mediterainien, the sea that looks like a seahorse from the sky, far to the west from here," she added when Vegeta's brows furrowed. "Anyway, we spent a month of our lives there. Enjoying our last summer of independence and all of our acceptance into Graduate school. We all chose different paths and so we made a pact that we would always stay connected. It was easy because we broke into two groups, Candi and I attend the same school, and Danna and Lizz went to the Central Judicial Institute. When one of us would start to drift away there was always one of us with them to keep them focused and steady. This weekend was our tenth anniversary of that trip and the day we made that pact, so we were celebrating and catching up."

"Why were you jealous before, and why are you guilty now?" Vegeta asked in the pause of the conversation.

Taken completely by surprise Bulma felt her face redden and her tongue turn to stone.

"Ask your question woman. Then, after I answer you can answer mine," He smiled at her then took another sip of his wine.

"That's not far that you can practically read my emotions," Bulma protested pouting. Slowly her curiosity took as she sipped at her glass. "You are smelling this right? What does that smell like?"

Smirking Vegeta didn't mention that she had asked two, technically he had as well. "Jealousy has sour notes of burnt flesh. The guilt was stronger and smelled like rotting fruit," scenting the air he continued, "from you is has a sickeningly sweet scent to it and the musty tones of dead flowers."

"I could've gone without that imagery. Also ew," Bulma made a face. "I smelled like that?"

"Answer my questions first Bulma."

The sound of her name in his timbre always made her feel weak. Smiling shyly at him she did as he said, "I don't need that question answered. I felt guilty because I hadn't told you about the girls coming here and for what they did. Candi and Danna specifically. And I felt jealous because I haven't been traveling in years and I miss the thrill of traveling around. I feel like I had dipped my toes into space travel then I became pregnant and had to put all of that on hold. What was your favorite planet you've been to that wasn't your home?"

Here it was starting, she was sneaky, but he didn't mind this query. He took another sip as he thought about the most intense planet he'd been on. "Chimaera, a planet I destroyed in my youth. It was a living world. All of the plants were deadly and toxic, the heart of the planet was a massive twist of roots around a core that was more like a brain. It went through phases of dormancy where winter's lasted 181 days of complete darkness and the day was the summer of the same length. It was uninhabitable so we were ordered to destroy it. I would love to see more of your solar system. Have you been to it?"

"No, Namek was the first planet I have been to," Bulma admitted and sipped her wine. "Other than earth. How many planets have you been to?"

"Hahaha," Vegeta burst with laughter, "There is no way I could count them all. I have lived on three so far, conquered thousands, and destroyed hundreds. I'm certain there was an official record but they always downplayed the volume of decimated worlds." watching her nervously sip her wine as the information he gave her sank in he choose to shift the direction of the conversation, "Would you like to travel again?"

"I would love to! With trunks so small" "do you think you'll go back into space?"

"Not anytime soon, certainly not to travel for leisure. My life is here." "where would you go if you could travel?"

"I would like to explore the solar system and the galaxy if I could. Find another alien race, make contact, peacefully." "How old were you when you left your home planet?"

"Vegeta, and I didn't leave I was taken as a hostage at seven." When did you start traveling?"

"At sixteen. When did you become a soldier?"

"I was fourteen when I found myself on a battlefield, did you travel with someone or alone?" he didn't really like the idea of her being alone and defenseless in the world.

"Alone at first then I met Goku. After that, we met Oolong and then Yamcha and Puar then we all traveled together," "Were you ever alone, or were you always with Nappa?"

When I became a soldier I was with Nappa and Raditz, until I sent Raditz on his solo mission to earth and Kakarot and piccolo killed him. Were you on a journey?"

Yes, we were searching for the dragon balls. I was testing out the radar I had invented and I wanted to see if the legend was true. What about before them, where were you for those seven years from seven to fourteen?"

"I lived in Freiza's fortress, I had a room but I usually lived in a cage beside Frieza's thrown. Nappa was separated from me most of the time, he wouldn't have allowed the conditions I was living in." "what were you going to wish for with the dragon balls?"

"I wanted to meet a handsome prince, fall in love, and get married, but Goku wanted to wish his grandpa back to life." "Did he torture you?

"Yes in many ways. Mostly, he starved me. It is the reason I am so slight in stature, at least that was Nappa's reasoning." "you were going to allow Kakarot to make his wish weren't you?"

"Of course, the way I saw it this orphan boy needed his grandpa back and I had the radar so I could always try again. Besides, I was sixteen I didn't need to get married just yet. Then Yamcha came into the picture and that plan was forgotten," Bulma blushed because sitting across from her was a handsome prince that she knew loved her in his way. "So, Freiza really did keep you like an animal didn't he?"

"Yes he did, he called me his 'dancing monkey' and I was used for entertainment," Vegeta was losing his patience with the direction this was going and decided he would waste a question to let her know. "Would you please change your line of inquiry?"

"I'm sorry," Bulma brought a hand to her face feeling terrible that she was pushing him too hard through these questions about his past. She felt like she could learn all there was and still have more questions about it, but the information he had given her so far was enough to go on for now.

"You do not need to apologize, Woman, I…" Vegeta looked away again, " we only have a few questions left and I do not wish to end the night talking about such a depressing topic."

"Oh," Bulma smiled at him, that was a good point and showed he had been enjoying this at least a little. "How many do we have left?"

"If we are counting those last two, five each," Vegeta felt the smirk pull at the corner of his lip.

"Well then let's not count them," she said coyly and leaned towards him. "It's your question now."

Unable to hold back the smirk Vegeta let out a small chuckle with it. "Did you ever plan to marry the weakling?"

"Oh so now you wanna dig in my personal past. I see how it is," Bulma teased, not at all offended. "Yes, I did, back in college, then after Namek, I had hoped he would ask me again but he never did. Did you ever have someone you were to marry?"

"Like a betrothed? No," Vegeta shook his head, "that is not how matings worked on Vegeta. You said again. Did he ask you to marry him before?" he felt the jealousy burn in his gut but kept his face passive.

"Yeah, he asked me when I turned eighteen but I wasn't ready, I needed to finish my education. Then he asked me again after college but it didn't feel right, everything about it was so cliche I rejected him again." Bulma couldn't help but fantasize how Vegeta might propose marriage to her, but he had said 'matings'. "Do Saiyans even get married?"

"Only high ranking ones, I myself would've married my chosen mate when I became of age." Instead, he had been robbed of that life. Looking at the blue-haired beauty across from him he wondered if she would ever consider him? Quickly putting the thought away he asked his next question. "Do all humans seek marriage?"

"Most do, some are satisfied with their solitary lives, others just want love. Do all Saiyans choose their mates?"

"Yes, they did it was something that simply could not be denied," her question made him wonder if perhaps some humans were forced into marriage, and decided he would ask as much. "Are some Earthlings forced to marry?"

"Some are forced into arranged marriages, others are sometimes sold to be brides. Often as children." Bulma admitted it was something the earth was fighting to stop for that last century.

"You sell female children to be married off!?" Vegeta didn't realize that this planet was that twisted that it would be capable of doing the things he had learned about under Frieza.

"We don't," Bulma clarified. "Some of the outlying countries do, the more remote areas that aren't as civilized as us. You didn't have slaves on your planet?"

"No, that was a dishonorable way to live, we just made them join the armies or we killed them. And no child was ever forced into arrangments like that unless if they committed a grievous crime," the notion of forcing someone to live a life that way was against everything the Saiyan race stood for.

"Wow," Bulma was stunned. The Saiyan culture seemed to be a contradiction of all the great warrior races that she had learned about. "I would've thought for sure you had slaves, that's really…utopian of your people."

Vegeta wasn't sure how to feel about that comment, it bordered on being a complement "Do you know anyone forced into a marriage?"

"Well, actually we both know the same person. He wasn't so much forced as he just didn't know what was going on or even what marriage was," Bulma paused and looked at Vegeta expectantly.

"Was it Kakarot!?" Vegeta was certain that idiot didn't have the wherewithal to know how to court a female, and it made sense that Chi-Chi would've made all the moves and forced the imbecile to marry her.

"Yes," Bulma giggled she knew he would be able to guess.

"That explains why his son is so strong," Vegeta said thoughtfully.

"What do you mean?" Bulma questioned.

"Saiyan's are drawn to strong women. The weaker or lower-ranking a family is made stronger by the female mate. A strong female can raise the status of the family. By mating with a woman like Chi-Chi, Kakarot was able to increase his son's ranking. Gohan would be an equivalent of a second-class Saiyan. Only strong women give birth to great warriors." He wondered how old Trunks from the future was when he became a Super Saiyan and wondered if the boy upstairs would be older or younger when he made the transformation.

"Do you think Trunks will be stronger?" Bulma asked.

"I'm certain he will achieve his ascension long before I did," he felt as though she was reading his mind and he felt the urge to reach out for her, but he refrained. "His future is his own, he is not bound by duty to a planet or race of beings. He can decide to stop training if he chooses to, or continue and try to surpass me. I do not intend to stop, ever," Vegeta set his empty cup on the table and looked at Bulma. "Well, I think that concludes our game."

"Thanks again," Bulma smiled sadly at him. "For playing along and for meeting me here tonight."

This was it, if he didn't say something this time he really would never get her back, "It was not right of me to act as though I did not care," Vegeta locked eyes with her moist blue depths and added, "That I do not care."

Stunned by his sudden and unexpected round-a-bout apology, she knew he had worded it that way to encompass everything from his leaving her pregnant to the fiasco with Danna. Bulma could only look at the man across the couch from her. The pink smattering on his cheeks showed he was uncomfortable with the situation, and while she had hoped to keep it going and maybe talk about Trunks and his training now that he was walking. Bulma couldn't hide the fact that this was something she had been secretly hoping for since he returned. Scooting closer to Vegeta, she placed her fingers on his shoulder to encourage him to look back at her.

"I'm sorry too," his head spun on her so fast and his eyes were so wide that she had to stifle a giggle behind her hand. "I never should've said those things about your home or your people, or you. After all, my son is a part of that legacy, he's its future really. I should show it more respect, I should show you more respect, and… and I want you to know that you will always have a place here Vegeta. I want you to know that this can be your home if you want it to be."

He looked away when she said the word home. It was crazy that those few genuine and heartfelt words had washed away all the negative feelings that had been building in him over the past few months. Now he was beginning to feel safe with her again, he was beginning to feel at home. He turned away from her even more, the feelings welling up inside him made him want to pounce on her and pin her to the couch and satiate the instincts that drove him to touch her, to claim her. When the purr began to build in his chest he knew he needed to put distance between them.

Standing abruptly he walked to the door where he paused and looking back over his shoulder he caught her eye and said, "Thank you," before leaving the room and climbing the stairs to sequester himself in his sleeping quarters and attempt to reign in his howling instincts. Little did he know, Bulma wouldn't have rejected him this time.

Bulma felt slighted, she had given him so many words and yet he had barely spoken two sentences to her. It's not like Vegeta was a man of words anyway. He would rather show his feelings than express them vocally. She had felt his purr begin to vibrate through the couch and had hoped he'd make a move, but he didn't. In fact, he hadn't touched her since, other than by the pool yesterday since that night she told him to never touch her again. He never touched her even in passing, and even though she had openly touched him multiple times since their first discussion about Trunks' training, he'd never even called her out on touching him when he was not permitted the same thing with her.

Jumping up off the couch Bulma stared at the place Vegeta had been standing only seconds ago. Her mind racing with the implications of her denial of his touch. With everything she knew about him, she couldn't believe she hadn't pieced it all together before. Her refusal of his touch was denying him something he desperately needed. No wonder he felt so distant and shied away from her gentle touches to his shoulder or arm. She was torturing him by not allowing him to return the contact.

She was a hypocritical ass, for all her genius Bulma was an idiot for denying him this and herself what she truly wanted. From her reaction to Danna's behavior towards him it was obvious she still wanted Vegeta, and when she was honest with herself she still loved him, she would always love him. He respected her, respected her parents, obviously loved their son, and Trunks worshipped Vegeta, was it possible he loved her? He obviously had no inclination to pursue any other women, and if his purr was any indication, she would assume he did love her. Deciding she had let the moment slip past her she was determined to not let it go for good and followed after him.

Upstairs, Bulma marched up to Vegeta's door and knocked on it twice. Before her hand could connect with the hard surface a third time the door flew open revealing a surprise, and she thought, scared, looking Sayian. Sighing, she gave in and threw her arms around his neck and hugged him with all her might.

Notes: I want the Saiyan race to see themselves as superior but honorable in their supremacy. Whereas in many of the great warrior races on earth women had equality and held status, I wanted the same for the Saiyans.