Author's Note: I'm back! And it's only been 61 days since the last chapter, so small improvement in pace, especially considering the following chapter is also written.

Thank you to Froglady15 for beta-reading this chapter and the next - she had to go over them three times because of all the changes I made!

Last time on Never Ever Land: Bulma and Vegeta boned a lot, and Raditz broke up with Anemone as they were not meant to be. It was a growth moment for Raditz - he's never actually been together with anyone long enough to break up before, and he's discovered a lot about himself. Anemone will stay behind on Baccanelli building a better life with her wife Galithiana, however, a girl's gotta make a buck...

On the first day of the shipjacking operation, the boys were unsuccessful in finding a quality ship with a crew that was susceptible to their entrapment strategy.

On the second day, when they returned, Vegeta informed Bulma that another late model cruiser was parked on the dark side of the moon of one of the uninhabitable planets in the solar system. The owners of the cruiser were in hypersleep, packed into their own escape pods, pre-programed to take them all the way to Rosa Mundi at the centre of the Galaxy before delivering them to safety. All had gone as planned, and there were no major injuries sustained by either party. This was a relief for Bulma to hear, and she felt content that the strategy Vegeta had picked was the right one.

The third day was not as fruitful, and the band returned somewhat disgruntled by so much time chasing prey that was either too kind or too clever to fall into their trap.

Each day the shipjackers returned in time for dinner, and each night Vegeta would sleepover in Bulma's house. Despite his attempts to slip over discreetly, the others were not fooled. Raditz openly joked about Vegeta's "night time strolls," telling him to be sure to be back by morning. Vegeta told Bulma that Puar had at first thought he was going to the oasis to sleep, and ditching her, which hurt her feelings. Then she had figured it out and dramatically "accused" him of staying in Bulma's house.

'What did you say to that?' Bulma asked him, waiting her turn at the bathroom sink to do her teeth.

Vegeta rinsed a final time before answering. 'That it was none of her business.'

No-one broached the subject with Bulma until Krillin, her reluctant, bored bodyguard, decided that while she welded fittings to her particle accelerator was the best time to probe her.

'So, you and Vegeta are a solid thing, now?'

Bulma was glad she had a welding mask on; Krillin couldn't see her blush. 'Yup.'

'This a long-term thing?'

'I don't think anyone is making long term plans just now, Krillin.'

'I guess.'

She flipped the mask up to examine the weld.

'But do you think he'll come back to Earth with us when this is all over?' Krillin asked.

Bulma flinched and pulled the mask down again. She would love to know the answer to that one herself. 'I don't know. Why don't you ask him?'

'Yeah, right.'

'What are the others saying?'

'About what?'

'You know. About Vegeta and me…'

'Playing house?' Krillin scoffed. 'No ones saying anything. I think we'd honestly all rather not think about it.'

Her cheeks flamed behind the safety of the mask. Not being talked about was, in a way, more mortifying than being the main topic of gossip. She rushed to change the subject.

'So what is the gossip, then? What's going on with Raditz? He's in a right snit, lately.'

'Oh,' Krillin groaned, displaying little enthusiasm for this new topic either. 'Did you know he had a girlfriend?'

Bulma had a moment of surprise before remembering.

'Oh, yeah, Vegeta mentioned something about Raditz seeing someone in Sweet Stuff. And he said that you were covering for Raditz all along!'

'Yeah, well, I didn't want to be fighting with Raditz all the time about it, and I guess it did no harm that I could see. Anyway, they had to break up because we're leaving. She didn't want to come with us.'

'Oh.'

'He's pretty bummed about it, and seeing you and Vegeta be happy is kinda salt in the wound.'

'You mean to say he was serious about her?'

'I think so. He really went out on a limb to help her when she lost some money betting on him in our last match. So, yeah.'

'Huh.'

So is it all junk about Saiyan's not being able to love? She had wondered so. She had hoped so. All the evidence was pointing that way. She had a hard time imagining that what was between her and Vegeta wasn't love.

Each morning she made them breakfast in her little kitchen, using up her dwindling supplies of coffee, bread, jam, and cereal to create an illusion of Earth life that made her heart ache with happiness and homesickness. Vegeta, sitting at the dining table examining a tablet showing ship manifestos, sipping coffee while she buttered toast - she was reminded of her own parents.

The fourth day of ship hunting was also unsuccessful. Puar, Goku and Brolly had vetoed all candidates based on the presence of children on board, and Vegeta and Raditz had acquiesced.

Bulma's days were more successful - she had the particle accelerator up and running, and had begun to create the entangled particles she needed for her experiments. Between bedtime and breakfast she performed experiments of a different nature on Vegeta, and he on her; satisfying their curiosities, discovering what pleased each other and themselves. Bulma felt that her entangled particle navigational system held promise, but was unable to put in the deep concentration she needed to advance in the research when her mind kept turning to the things she had learned between the sheets in the night. She grinned to herself as she worked. She now knew that having her toes sucked drove her wild but grossed Vegeta out. She had investigated what lay between a man's balls and anus (not much), found that doggy style didn't do a lot for her, now knew what it felt like to have her eyelids licked, and watched Vegeta's face at the moment of his orgasm, eyes rolling - hilarious if she took her mind out of the moment.

'Yuck,' said Krillin.

'What?' she asked.

'Just imagining what was putting that dopey smile on your face.'

On the fifth day, Puar and the boys wore sullen faces as they flew across the ravine from the freighter to the campfire where Krillin was doing his part by roasting another of the local wildlife.

'No luck again?' she asked, worry piercing her cloud of happiness for once.

'Define luck,' Raditz said.

'We have another ship,' said Vegeta.

'Then why do you all look so sour?'

Puar dropped heavily onto the log next to her.

'The ship was damaged in the taking,' Vegeta replied, taking a seat on the other log and folding his arms, giving Brolly an icy glare.

Brolly didn't seem to notice, too busy staring blankly at the ground, his shoulders hunched.

'What happened?' Bulma prompted them.

'One of the people on the ship had a laser cannon thingee,' Goku told her, taking a seat on Bulma's other side. He alone seemed to be in a fairly neutral mood. 'He managed to get around Raditz and Vegeta and me, and was heading back through the airlock to our ship and started shooting at Brolly who was guarding the airlock link.'

'Oh.' She looked a little closer at Brolly. His clothes were scorched through in places. 'Ouch. Are you okay?'

Brolly nodded, but Vegeta tsk-ed. Bulma thought he looked like he was going to explode with suppressed anger.

'I-I'm fine,' Brolly said, meeting her gaze for the first time in days. Just a glance and away again. 'But they made a hole in the airlock link tunnel. The decompression made everything much...messier.'

Vegeta spoke again. 'And dropped the value of the ship.'

Puar murmured next to her. 'I thought we were going to run out of air and die! Brolly and Vegeta had a big argument about it in space while it was leaking, which made it extra-awesome.'

'Were the passengers all right?' Bulma asked, afraid of the answer.

Raditz answered her. 'We sent them away in their shuttle, though it's not certain if the hero with the laser cannon will survive.'

'What happened to him?'

Brolly raised his hand to his mouth, half-hiding behind it as he said, 'He got sucked partway through the hole in the airlock seal.' He shuddered, and so did Bulma. Casualties were exactly what she hadn't wanted. Oh, jeez, why had she asked? She looked at Goku about to ask him how he felt about it, whether the crew they had targeted was good or bad or somewhere in between, and then decided she didn't want to know.

'It was his own fault,' Brolly said.

'It was. And yet, if he hadn't fired, not only would he be alive, but the ship wouldn't have a hole in it,' Vegeta said, his voice pitched like a growl.

'How could I prevent that? I didn't know there was going to be a crazy shooter!'

'Are you not a Saiyan, who trained everyday for weeks with the rest of us? Anyone of us could have taken the weapon before he had finished raising it to fire! And you are hardly the slowest of us! You were there precisely to ensure something like that didn't happen!'

The crowd around the campfire took in a collective breath and held it as they waited to see if either Brolly or Vegeta would blow up.

Brolly blushed furious red. 'I didn't know what it was! I've never seen a laser cannon up close before!'

Vegeta's eyes were gleaming with the reflected light of the campfire as he glared at Brolly.

'Loosen up, Vegeta!' Goku said, breaking the tension somewhat. 'Everyone has to learn! Everyone makes mistakes! Even you, sometimes.'

Vegeta switched his gaze from Brolly to focus on Goku instead. Bulma saw Brolly deflate the moment Vegeta looked away, his shoulders hunching and his hair falling forwards in front of his eyes.

'If I were to make a mistake, Kakarott, I am sure it would be something of a less simple nature than failing to disarm a shooter!'

Goku looked puzzled. 'Do you mean you'd make a worse mistake than Brolly?'

'No! I mean...you know what I mean, idiot!'

'Do I?'

While Goku and Vegeta bickered, Brolly slunk out of the circle of firelight, going to sit alone in the dark somewhere. Bulma felt relieved, and also a little sorry for him. Vegeta needed to watch his tongue and his temper better; no one knew where Brolly's breaking point was, and it sounded like Vegeta was just being plain unfair.

Bulma ate her dinner feeling guilty. She had offloaded all thought and responsibility for the execution of the shipjackings to everyone else, and it was clear that they were having a less than swell time.

'Are you okay?' she whispered to Puar.

'Yes, I suppose,' the cat replied.

'They're not making you do anything you don't want to do are they?'

Puar gave her a look that clearly said, 'Are you serious?' Guilt bit Bulma harder. Puar was not nearly as sweet and naive as she had been on Earth.

'I don't want to be up there tricking people and trying to work out if they are greedy enough to fall for my act. But I guess it's what I have to do to get all the people of Earth back.'

'Yes. True.'

When the sixth day also brought no ship, Bulma began to worry about how long this was going to take them.

'I'd be more comfortable with three ships to sell,' Vegeta told her as they lay in bed discussing their options. 'The second ship is no beauty, and has the damaged airlock link; a bit of a dead giveaway that it was stolen. I don't think we could get enough money just from the two of them. But the hunting is not as good as I hoped, especially with all these "family" groups visiting the planet. I'm starting to wonder if we should move on, sell these two and find a third either on the way to the tradingpost planet or nearby.'

'Makes sense.'

'I'll give it one more day in this solar system. We'll move on the next day, with or without a third ship.'

'How are we going to pilot that many?'

'We have you, me and Raditz who can pilot. And if you believe him, Brolly,' his lip curled, 'who says that Nappa was teaching him how. But we can always tether the navigation of one ship to another, if the systems are compatible.'

On the seventh day, Bulma did a few more tests, then dismantled and packed up the particle accelerator before dinner. She and Krillin made a pile of personal belongings and useful items that still remained on the cruiser and laid them out near the campfire, ready for people to claim them and transfer them to the freighter. She laid Nappa's few things - his books, his boots - apart from the others, unsure what to do with them. Even touching his things had made her skin crawl. His clothes were all still in the frozen bedroom, which she had no intention of stepping foot in.

'What about Tarble?' Krillin asked, his eyes wide as they passed the door to the bedroom again on the way to empty the linen cupboard. She supposed he didn't like the idea of doing it himself any more than Bulma did.

'Someone will have to move him onto the freighter in the morning.'

'And the wormhole generator?'

'Oh!' She had almost forgotten her experimental rig still wired and attached to the cruiser. 'It's getting dark already. I guess I'll have to dismantle it in the morning.' And she was sure there would be grumbles, as it would take her a couple of hours to do so.

'Brand new, huh?' Raditz said, standing in the middle of a large, but narrow living area that ran the width of the circular cruiser. The furniture was immaculate and very stylish. Even Vegeta was impressed; so much so he was beginning to wonder if they could sell the other two recently stolen ships and the clunky, filthy freighter and keep this one. This would fetch a higher price, but it was just so pleasant. Four bedrooms, all with ensuites, and a much larger kitchen and food storage.

Puar stood between them, still in the guise of a small human child, dimples, frilly dress and all.

'The pilot said he was delivering it to Baccanelli for the new owner,' she said. 'I wonder if he was the first person to ever use it?'

'That's probably why this was such an easy take,' Raditz speculated. 'A pilot making a delivery isn't going to stick his neck out for a ship that isn't even his.'

The pilot had been easily talked into an escape pod preprogrammed to take him all the way to Rosa Mundi. There had been no damage, no drama. Puar had employed the tactic established by Tarble, claiming a sick father and a shipment of precious gemstones, looking for assistance. Good hearted people offered to guide the ship into Baccanelli via tethered navigation, or to contact the Baccenelli spaceport authority on her behalf. Those with less pure intentions would offer to board the freighter. It was a great self-selection tool.

Kakarott and Brolly stepped through from the airlock.

'Is it over already?' Kakarott asked.

'Yes, we'll head back to the moon now,' Vegeta said.

Raditz started towards the staircase that curved up to the top deck that housed the flight deck and a bar.

'I'm piloting this one,' Vegeta said, speeding past him.

'But Vegeta! I want to try it!'

'Maybe you'll get a chance later,' he said, grinning.

The flight deck on the Crytonian cruiser was nice enough, but it looked small and simple compared to this one. He sank down into the deep cushioning of the leather pilot's seat and felt like he was sitting on a cloud. Puar settled on the wide armrest, back in her cat form.

'You're riding with me?'

She nodded.

He touched his transponder. Bulma had installed a receiver and a version of her comms program onto the freighter's ship computer so that they could still use it to talk to each other even when Bulma and her laptop were millions of kilometres out of range.

'Everyone back on board the freighter?'

He waited until he got affirmatives from all three Saiyans before starting the uncoupling procedure. The ship's computer was intuitive and easy to use. The controls were initially confusing due to their styling, but he quickly figured out what was what, and the cruiser zipped nimbly away from the freighter.

'I could take this thing right around the solar system before they make it back to the moon,' Vegeta said. He didn't, but he did detour to the largest planet in the system, which sported wide rings of greenish rock. He flew the ship along the underside of the ring, just to look at it, close enough to see some detail of individual rocks. The sun caught on the crystalline faces, causing them to flash and sparkle with rainbow colours as they passed.

'Wow, pretty!' Puar said, staring bug-eyed up through the dome of the deck.

Vegeta grinned at the cat's naïve enjoyment. 'I've seen many wonders during my space travels. This doesn't even rate in the top-twenty.'

'It's in my top-twenty. I'm sure Bulma would like it, too.'

Vegeta thought about that, staring back up at the green sparkles. 'Maybe we could detour this way on our way out of this system.'

Puar said nothing, but after a few moments Vegeta sensed she was staring at him.

'What?' he demanded, frowning at the cat.

'Vegeta,' she said, 'are you going to marry Bulma?'

'Marry her?' he yelped. Then he burst out laughing. 'Don't be ridiculous!'

'But you're living with her,' Puar protested. 'That's how it works.'

'What are you talking about, you soft-headed feline? We all live together right now.'

'But you sleep with her in her bed though, don't you?' The cat cringed, and Vegeta wasn't sure if it was because she was scared of him or if she was just embarrassed to be talking about this.

'So what if I am?'

'Are you having S-E-X?'

'What is es-ee-ex?'

'I was spelling it out!'

'Spelling what out?'

'S-E-X. You know… Sex,' she finally whispered.

Vegeta rolled his eyes. 'I can't spell using your arcane Earth script, remember?'

'Oh. But if that's what you're doing, you're probably going to get married, right?'

'Puar, I am not following your insane logic. Explain yourself.'

'On Earth, normally you get married, then have...sex and then have babies. Sometimes people are a bit naughty and they can't wait that long, so they do things the other way around. Only bad people have sex and don't get married.'

'Pfft. I didn't get the impression Earth was so puritanical.'

'You mean you're not going to marry Bulma?' The cat actually looked shocked.

'I am a Saiyan! I don't marry.'

'But you're her boyfriend now!'

'I wouldn't even say that much!'

Puar gasped. 'But you're having sex! What if you end up having a baby? What will Bulma do?'

The thought of a baby was unnerving, but he laughed again. 'We are not even the same species, Puar! There will never be a baby, which is good, as I don't want to be a father.'

Puar was aghast. 'Does Bulma know this?'

He was about to tell her yes, but did she? 'We have never discussed it, but she couldn't possibly expect that I would marry her, or gods-forbid, impregnate her!'

'Why not? That's what happens on Earth!'

'And I am not from Earth! She'd be a fool to assume anything of the sort.' No sooner had the words left his lips than he was assailed by doubt. They hadn't talked about such things - nothing beyond their expectations of loyalty and fidelity and Vegeta's rejection of a label for what they had. But did she assume more was in the works? Some inane Earthling homemaking, with promises of forever? Of family? Of love?

'I can't believe you won't marry her,' Puar said, crossing her paws in front of her and glaring at him. 'What are you even doing with her, then?'

What indeed?

He was less sure than ever what his future would look like. Would he get his immortality and defeat Frieza? Could he yet still be King of the Galaxy? Would he also have to defeat Brolly to do so? He tried to work out how Bulma would fit into these scenarios. He didn't want to be without her, but neither could he imagine her by his side while he took over Frieza's empire. She couldn't even stomach the thought of casualties from stealing a few ships - he couldn't imagine she would be okay with the amount of bloodshed it would take to wrestle and maintain control of the Galaxy. And afterwards he would be the immortal ruler of every soul in the galaxy, and she would still be a woman from a backwater planet with no reputation or name for herself; pretty and clever, but nothing remarkable in the eyes of anyone besides himself. She would not be the consort expected of the King of the Galaxy.

A heavy weight settled on his heart. Whatever Bulma made him feel now, and whatever she expected, he realised there was an expiry date on their relationship. It ended with Frieza and their alliance.

The others returned earlier than previous days. Bulma and Krillin watched the freighter land in the desert on the other side of the ravine from the campfire. Raditz and Vegeta had given up trying to land it on the ledge when they were using it everyday. It seemed that the time of secrecy and subterfuge was over.

Krillin turned back to the carcass on the spit and threw a handful of salt into the body cavity.

'This is one thing I won't miss when we're in space again,' he said. 'All this badly cooked mystery meat. I'm so sick of it, I'd gladly eat a Grenouillean frozen dinner instead!'

Bulma slapped her hand to her forehead. 'That's what we should have done today! Go into metrophilia and buy more packaged and frozen food for the journey!'

'Add it to the list for tomorrow. You know what else we haven't done yet?'

'What?'

'Moved the regen tank to the other ship.'

'Gah! We're not going to get out of here before mid afternoon at this rate!'

She looked around the ledge and the ravine, wondering if she would miss it. It was layered with all sorts of memories, good and bad. She would miss the waterhole, her quiet solo bathing sessions, as well as her encounters with Vegeta. The ledge and cliff itself was nothing special, and the sprinkling of green plants that had grown and bloomed in the wake of the rainstorms had now crisped to grey-green in a week of desert heat and sun, the petals dropped from the flowers. Her little house had started to feel like a home to her now. Would she and Vegeta continue to share a bed on the freighter? Damn, she would have to share a bathroom with the boys again!

Said boys flew across the ravine and landed at the campfire. Going by the expressions on Goku and Raditz's faces, the mission was a success. Vegeta, Puar and Brolly's told a different story. Not that Brolly's face could be used as a barometer of anything these days. He was stuck in a permanent mope.

'How'd it go?' she asked.

'We have another ship,' said Vegeta, walking around the campfire to examine the bits and bobs laid out there. 'A very good ship. It will get a good price, though it's tempting to hang on to it and sell the freighter instead. What's going on here?'

'It's the last of the stuff from the cruiser. We searched the cupboards and storage areas. Guys, come claim your stuff!'

The others crowded around, picking through the gear.

'What's this?' Goku asked, holding up a ball of wool attached to a woolen tube.

'Tarble's finger-knitting,' said Vegeta, taking it from him.

'I'm quite interested in whose this is,' Bulma said, picking up a red velvet jewellery box and keeping an eye on Vegeta. He obviously recognised it. 'I thought it might be Princess Cee-Cee's at first, but it was in the flight deck storage, and it has a receipt in it from the department store on Grenouillea Two.'

Vegeta pressed his lips together, then reached for the box. 'It's mine.'

Bulma opened it to display the contents to the others before he could take it. The red gem-crusted symbol for Woman stood out on its white satin bed, gold chain hanging.

'Oh!' said Raditz. 'Try it on, Vegeta, give us a twirl!'

'Shut up, moron,' Vegeta grumbled, taking the box. 'It's not for me to wear, obviously.'

'Is it for Bulma?' Goku asked. Precisely what Bulma had wondered when she found it.

Vegeta shoved the box into the pocket of his hoodie. 'It was just a way for me to convert the bank credit into real credits.' Bulma's delight faded. Of course it had been.

'Why didn't you give it to me to sell when we sold the other jewellery?' Puar asked.

'I merely forgot about it.'

'Should I sell it now, before we leave?'

'Not worth it. It's small-change compared to the ship we took today.'

The box made a reappearance in Bulma's bedroom later that evening. He took it out and stared at the jewel in the box as Bulma changed into her nightclothes.

'Stop,' he said, before she pulled the nightdress over her head.

She smiled, happy to engage in whatever activity started with her standing naked before him.

He took the necklace from the box. 'Do you want it?'

'Sure. If it's going to waste.'

She lifted her hair, and he stood to clasp it at the back of her neck. Bulma looked down at the blood-red thing laying against her breastbone just above the pale curves of her breasts. She dropped her aqua-blue tresses, and they fell down, framing it. It was a striking colour contrast.

Vegeta returned to the bed, sitting on the edge of it, staring at the jewel.

'Does it suit me?'

'Yes.' He reached up and touched it, then trailed his fingers down over one breast.

'Did you really forget about selling this?'

He didn't answer, just wrapped his arms around her and pulled her towards him.

She woke in the morning, the sharp edge of the pendant digging into her shoulder. She had forgotten to take it off after their play last night. She pulled it up to examine it. The Wu symbol, and shorthand for Woman, according to the symbols on changing rooms and bathrooms around Grenouilea and Baccanelli. He called her by that annoying noun enough. Had he bought this on Grenouillea for her? Back then the possibility of them being a couple had only just occurred to her - had it occurred to him all the way back then, too? They had sold the costume jewellery that matched her gala dress, and the alexandrite ring he'd picked for her. This one he hadn't even shown her. What did that mean?

She got out of bed as Vegeta was only just yawning, and showered. Then she put the necklace back on with her dress. She decided she would wear it from now on, this strange gift that was not a gift. When Vegeta exited the bathroom and found her burning toast in the kitchen area his eyes immediately snagged on the pendant, but he said nothing, just took his accustomed seat at the dining table and picked up the tablet to read the local news.

'Coffee's ready,' she said, bringing him a cup.

'Thank you,' he said absently as he picked it up.

She buttered the freshly popped toast and spread it with marmalade - Vegeta's favourite, just like her dad's. Grabbing her own plate of peanut buttered toast, she took both plates to the table and slid into the booth opposite Vegeta.

'Do you think this is what our life will be like as an old, married couple?' she asked, grinning at the idea.

Vegeta dropped the tablet with a clatter, his eyes locking on hers.

'What?' she asked, startled. 'Has something happened? Did you feel some weird chi thing?'

'No,' he said. His gaze was so intense and almost horrified, her stomach tightened in fear.

'What is it?'

'What did you mean by what you said?'

She replayed her words and blushed. 'I only meant...that the two of us eating breakfast together every morning before going off to work reminds me of my parents. Not that we would be married or anything. I mean...' But she didn't want to rule that possibility out. 'Well, it's a bit early to be thinking about that kind of thing…' Her voice trailed away. Vegeta didn't move, his expression no softer, and she saw he was breathing harder. Her own heart started to pound; she could feel her face radiating heat.

'I am not going to marry you,' he said.

She absorbed the blow before responding, trying to sound amused rather than hurt. 'I never suggested you would!'

His look softened into something a bit more like pity. They both knew she had already given too much away.

'What is it that you imagine is going on between us?' he asked.

She said nothing. She had no idea what to say to that.

'Do you imagine that we have a future in some tame, Earthling scene of domestic complacency together?'

Bulma fought against the rising sting of tears. 'Vegeta, this is a scene of Earthling domesticity, until the moment we walk out onto an alien planet! That is all I meant!'

'It's make believe. A fantasy.'

'I know! You don't need to tell me that!'

'When Frieza is dead, I won't be returning to Earth with you.' He dropped his gaze to the table and picked up the tablet again. 'Our futures diverge from that point.'

She watched him staring at the table, barely keeping a lid on the sorrow and anger his words inspired. How had she let herself get all soft-hearted like this? What he said should have been perfectly expected! That's what she had expected until recently. She had no reason to hope he had changed his ambitions except her own wishful thinking. Oh, but it stung!

'You ass!' she hissed, getting up from the table and stomping back to the bedroom. She slammed the door, then fell onto the bed, hiding her face in a rumpled pillow to muffle her crying.

Her dramatic explosion of emotion paid off two minutes later, when she heard the bedroom open.

'Woman?'

'Asshole,' she spoke into the pillow.

The mattress sank as he took a seat on the edge of it. A long pause ensued.

'I didn't mean to hurt you,' he said eventually.

But you did.

'You mocked me,' she said, turning so she faced the wall, not him. 'I know it's all just pretend, Vegeta! I know we don't have wedding bells and family holidays in our future! I never expected anything like that with you. But you didn't need to make a big thing of spelling it out'

'I wasn't mocking. I just thought I should clear up any...misconception. Puar told me that as an Earthling, you might expect marriage and children and such.'

'And you believed her? Puar is a child. She believes love is a fairytale.'

'Love?'

Bulma kicked the duvet in frustration and humiliation. 'Don't start! She sees love because that's what she believes in!'

And now she wanted to howl with tears at her own stupidity, because she did too. What point was there in believing Vegeta could love her if they were ultimately doomed anyhow? She pulled the pillow over her face again.

'You do have your Earthling expectations,' he noted quietly.

She didn't argue this time, because he was right.

Vegeta's hand slid up her back, slowly, unsure. Then he pulled the pillow away. She fought to hang onto it and let go when she heard the sound of popping stitches. Vegeta loomed over her on all fours and she glared at him, knowing her face was red and wet. She didn't know how to read the expression on his face. Cautious? Sad? Pitying?

'I don't have expectations,' she said. 'I just… I know it seems like we have no future, but I didn't get together with you with the intention of breaking up with you one day. Did you?' She meant it to sound angry, but even to her ears it sounded pathetic and pleading.

He lowered himself to her, wrapping his arms around her back, speaking into her ear, low and heavy. 'Perhaps you were right when you feared I would say this was a mistake. Maybe it was, because we should have always known we were on the road to nowhere.'

That was not what she wanted to hear.

'Then what is the point? If there's no way we could be together in the end, we may as well break up now!'

He squeezed her tighter, rolling her to face him, side by side on the bed.

'Not yet.'

How could he contemplate parting ways so calmly? Maybe if she was wise she'd accept they were ultimately doomed, too, but her heart rebelled against it. It just made it want to smash itself against his harder, until they were the a thousand intermingled shards, unable to be picked apart ever again.

She lunged for him, kissing him hard, urging him to feel the way she did; harder and deeper and more reckless in her abandonment to their joining. Vegeta flinched, then moaned, caving into her forcefulness. But the arms that wrapped around her didn't hold her as tight as she wanted.

He pulled back, gasping for breath.

'We don't know that we'll have to break up!' she told him.

'We will,' he said, and the fatalism of it tore at her. He didn't seem any happier about it than she did, so why did he insist on it?

She kissed him again, digging her hands into his hair. She would consume him with her passion, and when he was ash, he'd stay with her forever, on Earth or not!

He let her push him onto his back. She goaded him with her kiss, sucking on his lip and tongue until he was kissing her as deeply and crushingly as she needed him to. His hands raked down her sides and pressed her hips into his. She wrapped her limbs around him, trying to pull him into her; to mash their differences to nothing between their skins; to force them into one body. Was that too much to ask?

'Bulma,' he groaned, rough with pleading, and the sound rasped through her body. It made her want to tear him from his self-control. She buried her face in his neck, kissing and sucking on his skin roughly, knowing it drove him wild, and when that wasn't enough, she bit him. He cried out, arching his body up into her.

Uh-oh, that was too far.

She raised her head to apologise, but Vegeta hauled her up his body, kissing greedily down her neck, hands palming her breasts until his mouth met the bodice of her sundress. Tugging the strap of her dress and bra down, he latched onto her, and she heard the pop of cotton snapping, the sting of her dress being torn mixing with his lips and tongue on her. She felt herself pawed, licked, suckled. His hand reached under her to pull aside her underwear, stroking and kneading her until her thighs trembled. Something had come unglued in her brain - the sanity, the voice that always remained, was silent in the roaring of pure, frantic sensation and emotion.

Vegeta arched again, raising himself enough to shove his pants down one-handed, and she pushed herself back onto him, to feel that length of him in her. He pressed her down hard, seeking every fraction of an inch of contact, and she yelped, barely taking it. He rolled them over, careless with his weight, pinning her as he plunged in again and again.

'Hi, Bulma!'

Vegeta's mouth was on her neck, teeth grazing her throat.

'Bulma?'

His hands held her hips captive as he thrust into her.

'Bulma!'

She swiftly plucked the earpiece from her ear, not caring about anything happening on comms.

'Bulma? You there? C'mon, pick up, please!'

What?

The voice - that voice! - and turn of phrase was like a stick between the spokes of her arousal. And it wasn't on comms! She blinked, her eyes flicking to the door. No one was there.

'Bulma? Can you hear me?'

She screeched, pushing hard on Vegeta's shoulders to get him to stop.

'Who's there?' she shouted. Vegeta finally desisted, looking up around in confusion.

'What?'

'I heard someone in the house!' she said.

He looked towards the door, too. 'There's no one there. They're all in the cruiser still.'

'Then who spoke?'

'I did,' was the cheerful and familiar reply, and it sounded like it was right there, between her ears, in her head. 'Can you believe it? It's me, Yamcha!'

The blood rushed from Bulma's brain, and she felt suddenly ill. 'Oh, my fucking god,' she whispered.

'What's wrong?' Vegeta asked, trying to peer into her face at the same time as the voice spoke, drowning him out.

'I'm not God, but I can put him on if you like!'

'I'm going insane,' she whimpered. 'Help me, Vegeta!'

'You're not going insane,' said the voice of her dead ex-boyfriend. 'I'm contacting you from the Otherworld, the Next World. I'm at King Kai's planet, though you wouldn't've heard of that. Isn't that unreal? I'm dead, and I'm talking to you!'

'This isn't happening!'

She pushed Vegeta off her and rolled off the bed, staggering. Vegeta followed her, saying things, but she missed them as Yamcha spoke again.

'No, babe, calm down, you're not going crazy! Tell her King Kai.'

A completely unknown, nasal sounding voice cut in. 'You're not going crazy, Bulma.'

Where were her sneakers?

'See? That guy is Kami's boss if you can believe it!'

'No!' She yanked her clothes back in place, though one of her dress straps was broken. 'Yamcha, how could you be talking to me from the afterlife?'

'Yamcha?' Vegeta roared. She looked at him, her face screwed up. She couldn't deal with a jealous tantrum right now, whether she was going crazy or not. She ran to the door of her house, ramming her feet into her sneakers on the way, and ran out, across the ledge to the path up the cliff, Vegeta in pursuit, shouting her name.

'Well, you see, King Kai is a god, right? He can see and hear everything he puts his mind to in his galaxy - that's the North Galaxy. Did you know we lived in the North Galaxy? Anyway, he can also talk to some people, but it's way easier if it's someone he has a connection to. Like, he can talk to Kami really easy. Do you remember how Kami talked to Goku and told you to go to Planet Namek? It's like that. But King Kai doesn't know any of you guys, so it's really hard to get through. I know you though! So I guess, we're using my connection to you to hook up a line of communication. Now that I've gotten through, he can talk to you direct, is that right?'

'That is correct,' said the nasal voice.

That cannot be the god of the galaxy! she thought as she ran up the path. Then again, if I was going nuts, wouldn't I imagine the god of the galaxy to have a more commanding voice?

'I heard that,' said the so-called King Kai.

'S-sorry,' she stammered, almost tripping over her feet on the rocky path.

'Anyway,' said Yamcha, cutting in again. 'Bulma, listen up, because the plan has changed.'

She listened as she ran. When she charged up the rampway into the cruiser, Puar and the boys looked up in surprise from their bowls and plates.

'This is going to sound insane,' she announced. 'And maybe I am insane, but Yamcha and the God of the Northern Galaxy are talking to me in my head and they say we have got to leave for Earth right now!'

It took an hour of back and forth, disbelief, arguments, and Bulma having apparently one-sided conversations before tediously repeating King Kai and Yamcha's words for the others before they had fully made sense of it.

Goku and Puar were the first to believe she wasn't just do-lally, and Puar mobbed her, desperate to exchange words with her Yamcha. In a way, that was what helped Bulma believe that she wasn't just losing her mind. Krillin came around slower. Brolly and Raditz looked skeptical and worried. Vegeta sat on the arm of the sofa with his back to them all. She could spare only a moment of dread wondering what was going through his mind.

Yamcha told her an incredible tale - of being granted a body in the Otherworld, and travelling a million kilometre road to be trained by this King Kai character. He sounded so happy, and she was overcome with nostalgia and fondness to hear his voice. It made her happy at the same time she wanted to wither in embarrassment for them both.

'Chichi is with him,' she relayed, 'and some guy called Yajirobe, and two Crane School students - does that mean anything to you?'

Krillin and Goku shook their heads.

'Chichi is one of the Earth's strongest fighters?' Goku asked. 'Cool!'

'He says they only just got to this place, and they're going to train for a while before heading back to the gateway to Earth. But Kami has already been wished back to life!'

'How?' the other Earthlings asked in unison.

'The Nameks remembered our wish and made it for us after we left!'

'All right!' Krillin yelled.

'Yes, Nail and Guru!' Goku whooped.

'I know! This is amazing, right?'

'So we can go straight home?' Puar asked.

'Yes, exactly! And King Kai says we should go there right now! With Kami alive again, and the dragonballs are restored and ready to wish the rest of Earth's people back to life, but the planet is crawling with PTO soldiers and staff still, making it ready for sale. Kami and his servant guy, Popo, are constantly on the move, and if they wish people back to life now...probably most of them will be killed all over again.'

'So we go back and clear the PTO scum up first?' Goku said. 'We can do that!'

Bulma zoned out again as Yamcha spoke in her head. 'Kinda sucks that we'll be doing all this training for nothing if you get back before us, but it makes sense. I mean, even once we get good enough to clean the planet up ourselves, we can't do it instantly, and we'd be returning to life at the same time as everyone else. Some people would die again for sure.'

'Yes, this way is much better,' Bulma agreed. 'And you should see Goku and Krillin in action these days! They are lightyears ahead of where they used to be! I had no idea what was possible.'

'Yeah, for real. Bulma, I can fly now, can you believe it?'

'Fly?' She frowned. That was so four months ago.

'Let's wrap this up,' King Kai interrupted. 'These long distance calls are a drag. Miss Briefs, get your crew back to Earth, asap.'

'We will, but we've been having problems making the trip back to the other side of the galaxy short enough,' she told him. 'We can't use the Centennial Wormhole.'

'Well, do whatever you can. If you didn't use any wormhole, if you left now you'd be there before the time runs out to make the wish, but we just don't know if Kami will be able to survive that long.'

'Okay.'

She told this last to the others. Vegeta huffed loudly in disbelief or disagreement or just plain distemper, she wasn't sure. She tried not to look at him or think about him in case some sense of what she had been doing when Yamcha called leaked through to him. King Kai at least seemed to be able to read her thoughts, or at least some thoughts.

'I can only hear clearly expressed thoughts,' he told her, making her jump guiltily.

Like now?'

'Like now.'

Can Yamcha?

'No. And I got him off the line for now.'

Thank god!

'You're welcome.'

So he doesn't know what I was doing when he contacted me?

'No. Guess I should have checked to see if it was a convenient moment first...Bit of a blunder on my part, but your mental guard was quite low at the time - it seemed like a good opportunity on paper.'

Are you going to tell him?

'Good grief, no! I'm still training him for the next few months, and I could do without more teenage drama here! My planet only has a twenty-five metre diameter; I can't get away from it!'

She slumped in relief. Phew.

'None of my business anyway. But if you've got a guilty heart, you know what to do when you're all back on Earth. All right then, I'm going to get off the line; this has been exhausting.'

Yamcha suddenly burst back into her mind.

'Chichi's going to kill me if I don't say hi to Goku for her before I sign off!'

Bulma repeated this message to Goku, who looked puzzled.

'Hi back, I guess!'

'Did you get that, Yamcha?' she asked.

'I did. Bye, Babe! I miss you and Puar so much! I love you!'

'I- I- Bye, Yamcha! I'll see you soon!'

'He's going?' wailed Puar. 'Wait! Can't we talk more?'

'King Kai said he needs to go,' Bulma explained.

'Aren't you going to tell Yamcha you're not his girlfriend anymore?'

Bulma looked daggers at Puar.

'No, thanks!' said King Kai. 'Peace out.'

'Sorry, he's gone, Puar,' Bulma told her. The cat looked like she didn't believe her. It didn't matter. Much bigger things were afoot.

Her head was her own again, and she stared at the floor for a few moments, collecting her thoughts.

It's pretty straightforward what we need to do, she decided. It makes sense. But for some reason she dreaded the conversation that was about to happen.

She raised her head. Goku and Krillin looked full of excitement and anticipation. Puar was disgruntled, but not overly so. Raditz and Brolly both looked uneasy. Raditz threw a quick glance over his shoulder at Vegeta, who still sat with his back to them, an invisible aura of dark emotion vibrating off him. Her stomach dropped.

'I guess we should get on with packing up,' she said. 'If we're going to get away today.'

'And where are we going?' Brolly asked.

'Back to Earth.'

Vegeta snapped to standing, whirling on the spot.

'We are not! We are going to Planet Namek, as in the original agreement!'

Bulma sucked in a breath; Vegeta's eyes sparkled like black ice, his face was pulled tight in a snarl.

'We will,' she said calmly. 'After we visit Earth first.'

'No! That is not the agreement!'

'The agreement! Are we really tangled up on a piece of paper? I thought we were past that. I thought we were genuinely working together!'

'So did I,' he said. 'But it seems like you Earthlings need a reminder what you agreed to in the treaty of Alliance. It does not evaporate just because you have a new priority.'

She tried a pleading tone. 'Vegeta, don't be a jerk! What difference does it make which planet we go to first? Other than the fact that if we got to Earth first, we save a lot more of the people of Earth?'

'Wait, what was even in the agreement?' Goku asked. 'Wasn't it to help each other?'

'It was that the Earthlings would help the Saiyans get to Planet Namek in exchange for one wish, and to help me prepare to defeat Frieza.'

'Maybe we don't need to go to Planet Namek at all, then,' said Brolly. The room stilled again, the way it always did now when Brolly stated an opinion, waiting to see if someone would explode.

Vegeta did.

'YES WE DO!'

Brolly flinched, as did Bulma and everyone else. Vegeta's face flushed red, and he practically stood on his tiptoes, fists clenched, making his point.

'Have you all forgotten the threat Frieza poses to everything in the galaxy, including your poxy planet? So what if some millions die if it means Frieza is immortal and remains so forever because he finds Planet Namek first and destroys it?'

Cold prickles spread across Bulma's skin - she knew in a way he was right, but there was no way she was going to let Kami and the people of Earth fend for themselves! Why did he have to fight her on this? Couldn't he see that she couldn't compromise? 'It's a risk we have to take-'

'It is not a risk I will take!'

'I am not letting who-knows how many people die all over again, forever this time, can't you see that?'

'The whole planet can die forever for good, for all I care! It's you that doesn't see what you are risking! If you cared so much about lives of strangers, think about the countless billions and trillions Frieza will be able to subjugate and murder if he remains immortal!'

'It's not just strangers! It's all our friends and family you're asking us to risk!'

'It's Yamcha!' said Puar.

'And Master Roshi and Launch and Oolong!' Krillin added.

Vegeta looked like he might strangle the cat, and then he turned his vicious sneer on Bulma.

'Well, your boyfriend must be very precious to you if you place his life above the rest of the Galaxy.'

Goku made a sound of disquiet.

'Don't pretend you're so noble all of a sudden,' Bulma said, ignoring Goku. 'Are you telling me you care so much about the fate of the Galaxy after everything you've done?'

Vegeta seethed. His scowl was so hot it burned her. The air in the ship seemed to rise several degrees, and she could swear that her hair was starting to spread out in a crackling, static-loaded frizz.

'You're fucking right, I don't care,' he hissed. 'I care that Frieza can die, and does die - by my hand! That's what all of this is about! That has always been what I am in this agreement for!'

'It's also about saving the people of Earth!' Krillin said. 'Doesn't the agreement say that we're not allowed to get in the way of each other's goals?'

With a growl, Vegeta launched himself over the sofa and flew directly out of the rampway.

'Oh, jeez,' Krillin muttered. 'This is a disaster.'

'Vegeta's right, you know,' Raditz said, crossing his arms and looking down at the rest of them sternly.

Bulma felt like crying. Where the fuck had Vegeta just gone to?

'There's got to be a way to get through to him.'

'We don't need to get through to him,' Krillin said. 'We just need to go. He can go to Namek without us if he wants.'

'Just split up?'

'We can't leave Vegeta!' said Puar. 'He needs our help, too!'

Krillin looked at Puar like she was stupid. 'Make your mind up! Do you want to help Yamcha or Vegeta?'

'I want to help both!'

'Well, you can't! Not at the same time! And Vegeta just said he doesn't care about anyone in the Galaxy except himself!'

Puar got right in Krillin's face, crossing her arms. 'Do you really believe he meant that? That was just a tough guy act.'

Raditz scoffed.

'I think Vegeta has a point,' said Goku.

Bulma and Krillin rounded on him in shock.

'How can you say that?' Bulma demanded.

'Vegeta might be telling the truth when he says he doesn't care about all the rest of the Galaxy. But we should. Just because it's our friends that might die this time doesn't mean we should risk everyone else. Right?'

Bulma gawped at him. 'You can't be serious! Goku!'

'Don't you care about them?'

'Of course, but…' But what? Not that much?

With a blast of hot air and whipped up sand, Vegeta flew back into the ship, brandishing a tatty, folded piece of paper. He unfolded it and read:

'The Saiyans have agreed to protect the Earthlings and grant them safe passage to Planet Namek, guaranteeing them one wish from the Namekian dragon in return for this service.

'The Earthlings have agreed to guide the Saiyans to Planet Namek by any means necessary, that Prince Vegeta may utilise one wish to remove the immortality granted to Lord Frieza, and one wish to secure his own wish for immortality. The Earthlings also agree to remove from Prince Vegeta one tracking device planted by Lord Frieza at a previous time, and to assist the Saiyans and Prince Vegeta by all means possible in his preparation to defeat said Lord Frieza, until such time as this is accomplished.

'Prince Vegeta will remain Captain of this or any other vessel we procure. Prince Vegeta will also remain as overseer of all disciplinary action deemed necessary.

'Both parties agree not to interfere with the aims of the other, nor to subvert, deny or prevent their wishes becoming reality through any action or inaction. Further, both parties agree not to enter any into action that may damage the cohesion of the allegiance. What constitutes a breach of this term will be determined by Prince Vegeta and Bulma of Earth, and appropriate disciplinary action taken.

'Should the primary signatories of this contract instigate a breach of the above term then the contract shall be considered null and void.'

He lowered the paper and then stared at each of the Earthlings in turn. Bulma's heart sank. It mentioned nothing specifically about saving the lives of Earthlings. The agreement was not going to help the Earthling's case at all.

His voice was low and rough as he spoke, on the verge of trembling with emotion. 'If you Earthlings no longer want passage to Planet Namek, or the wish, so be it. But if you choose to go to Earth without first assisting to remove Frieza's immortality, I will consider that a breaking of the treaty terms.'

'That just nullifies it,' Bulma pointed out quietly.

Vegeta looked her dead in the eye. 'And if that happens, you are no longer granted the protection of, nor from, the Saiyans.'

The seven stood around for a long moment, looking among each other for clues to what should happen next. Bulma could feel each breath catching in her throat, threatening to become sobs if she wasn't careful. Vegeta looked both angry and defiant, but she suspected the defiance was merely a wall in front of his fear. She wanted to run to him to comfort him at the same time that she wanted to shake him and scream at him until he did what she wanted.

Krillin broke the silence. 'Then, I guess we just tear the Treaty up. And go our separate ways.'

'We're not throwing it out, just like that!' Bulma said.

'We need to stick together!' said Puar.

'We have more than one ship, guys,' Krillin pointed out. 'We don't need to stick together.'

'Puar is right,' Bulma said. 'If we use two ships we won't have the money to get either of them through a wormhole! If we stick together and go to Earth first, then Namek, we can buy passage, save time, and have a better chance of doing both.'

'And we might need the Saiyans help on Earth against the PTO!' Puar said.

'I think Goku and I could handle those guys by ourselves now, right, Goku?'

Goku's expression remained clouded. 'If we split up, Krillin, I think I should go with Vegeta to Planet Namek.'

'WHAT?'

'I think Kami would agree with me. I don't think Kami and King Kai know that Frieza is immortal. And we know that Frieza is near Planet Namek, looking for the dragonballs. I think if they knew that, they'd want us to go there first.' He gave Bulma and Puar a penetrating look, no hint of his usual light-heartedness visible. 'I think it might be best if you came to Namek, too. We will probably need everyone's help if Frieza is already there. We should stick together and go to Namek first.'

Any guilt Bulma might have felt about abandoning the Galaxy was totally submerged in her fear that her parents and friends would die forever. 'He could be a hundred years off finding Planet Namek for all we know!'

'We also don't know if he's almost found it.'

'You're not making things any simpler, Goku!'

'It seems simple to me.'

'The PTO has the most sophisticated space exploration tools in the galaxy,' Vegeta pointed out. 'And millions of personnel to draw on. Finding a single planet would be much easier for them than for us if we didn't have the radar."

Bulma caught Brolly's drawn expression. He would side with her, surely? She decided to gamble.

'I think we should vote on it,' she told the group.

'Vote?' Vegeta barked. 'Ridiculous. Saiyan's don't vote! They follow their leader's decisions.'

His words had everyone else sucking in a breath, looking back and forth between Brolly and Vegeta. Vegeta turned white, realising what he'd just said. Bulma felt terrible for him, but he had to go and bring up the issue of leadership. She tried not to, but her eyes were drawn like magnets toward Brolly. When they locked eyes he seemed to grow, his expression lightening from anxiety to hope.

'Then I think we should try a vote, like Bulma says.'

Vegeta stepped back, turning his face away. In his hand the treaty burst into flames and the blackened ash fell unheeded to the carpet. She dropped her eyes, almost wishing Vegeta hadn't just done that to himself, even if it did help her cause.

'A vote then,' said Puar. 'Raise your hand if you think we should go to Namek first.'

Goku and Raditz raised their arms. Vegeta didn't, seemingly frozen, but Puar counted him anyway.

'Three for Namek. Now raise your arms if you think we should go to Earth first.'

Bulma, Krillin and Puar raised their arms.

'That's three, but what about you, Brolly?' Puar asked.

Brolly looked around the rest of the crew. 'I don't know.'

He didn't know?

Brolly looked at Bulma helplessly. 'I know you want to go there first, but I don't know if it's the right thing. I need to think about it.'

'Why did you say we should vote, then?' Puar asked.

'Because I thought it would help me decide if I saw what other people thought.'

'Tch!' Vegeta exclaimed, still facing rigidly away from the rest of them. 'What about Tarble? Does he get a vote? Do you think he would want to go to Earth first?'

Brolly frowned, apparently thinking it over.

'We can split up, we can split up,' Krillin said, reaching out to Brolly with beseeching hands. 'Take two ships to two planets at the same time, and then everyone gets what they want. Honestly, it's the best way, I'm sure!'

Brolly nodded. 'Yes, Vegeta could take Tarble to Planet Namek while the rest of us help the Earth. He and Tarble are the only ones that get anything out of going to Namek anyway.'

This was too much for Vegeta. He strode to the door in fast, stiff movements, chi crackling over his skin as it leaked from him.

Puar, darted after him, but too slow. 'Vegeta!'

Bulma pressed her hands to her mouth, holding in sobs. Everything that had seemed so sweet and settled between her and Vegeta when she woke up this morning was now utterly trashed. And she was no longer sure she was a good person when Goku went against her in a moral decision.

'Which ship should we take?' Krillin asked her.

She shook her head. This wasn't what she wanted!

'We don't even know if we're splitting up, yet!'

Author's Note: Next chapter will be going up in approximately one week, and then you're all back on a starvation diet again! Sorry, I got real life stuff to concentrate on for a while.

In the mean time, feel free to scream at me in the review box.

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