Thank you so much to everyone who has continued to support this story, provided me with much appreciated suggestions, and feedback! I hope you enjoy this chapter! It was a lot of fun to write. ^^

The sound of something scratching at her window was growing louder. Bulma's first instinct was to scream, but she quickly remembered how difficult it had been to get Trunks to sleep. So, instead, she took in a sharp breath and closed her eyes. 'Right, this could be many things.' She told herself. 'It could be a tree... or an owl, maybe?' But, as the seconds passed and she grew more awake and aware of her surroundings, the Bluehead began to think more logically. There was no tree close enough to hit against her window like that. And the more she listened, the more it sounded like it was someone rather than something.

"That bastard!" Bulma breathed. She threw the covers off and jumped from her bed, not even bothering to click on the light. She was starting to make her way to the window, but before she had time the glass gave out. With one more scratch, the window shattered and glass shards flew into the room. Bulma let out a squeak and fell back to avoid getting hit by any of it. She landed on her bed, and looked up to watch as the figure of a very familiar man pulled himself into the room. Bulma immediately turned to click on the light, looking over her shoulder to shoot a scowl at Vegeta. The saiyan, who was completely unperturbed by broken glass, brushed a few loose shards off his arms as he grumbled under his breath.

Out in the hallway were the sounds of footsteps heading for her door. A turn of the knob was unsuccessful because it was locked, so Mr. Briefs called "Bulma? Are you alright in there?"

Bulma let out an exasperated groan. She rushed for the door and cracked it open to avoid having to yell back. "Yes Dad, I'm fine! I just dropped a glass of water!" She whispered, hoping that the baby hadn't stirred from his rest.

"Well, that was a loud glass of water!" Mr. Briefs replied. His daughter just shot him a grin and rolled her eyes. "You're exaggerating, Dad..."

A few moments later Mr. Briefs was gone, and Bulma turned around to eye Vegeta, her back against the door. "Are you crazy?!" She hissed. The saiyan was watching her sternly, and he crossed his arms to make sure she knew he was being serious. "I've come to speak with you."

"Really? It seems more like you came to break my window!" Bulma replied. "Look at this mess!"

Vegeta marched through the broken glass, which crunched under the feet as he moved. He grabbed the bewildered woman by the wrist and began to pull her back towards the window. "We will talk outside. I don't wish to have this conversation in a vicinity where your mother will find us." Bulma fought against him as he pulled her. "Are you crazy!?" She hissed for the second time that night. "I'm not walking through broken glass, it'll destroy my feet!"

The saiyan didn't bother to argue. She had a point - he'd forgotten of how weak humans could be! Without hesitation he turned, picked her up, and slung her over his shoulder as if she weighed no more than a piece of paper. Bulma, who wasn't a fan of being handled in such a way, instantly responded by fighting against him. The Saiyan could hardly care as she scratched and kicked - it didn't hurt him in the slightest. He, however, wasn't used to having her rear so close to his cheek, and this sensation wasn't quite as easy to ignore. Making his way across the room and pulling them both out through the window, he couldn't help but to grin as her ass slapped him in the face a few times with her struggle. "Calm down!" He finally grunted, stepping out from the window's ledge.

She felt the wind hitting her in the face as they flew through the air. Safe outside, where there was no threat of waking her family, Bulma yelled "Let go of me! Vegeta! I'm cold! Put me down!" The saiyan smirked as she kicked him in the rib - the impact felt like a mere jab. "Oh, are you sure you want me to let go of you? From all the way up here?" He joked, not bothering to lower them back to the safety of the ground. Bulma's eyes were still clenched shut as they continued soaring across the sky. In fact, they nearly felt like they were going to explode as the blood rushed to her head. "Where are you taking me?!" She demanded, to which he replied "I'm taking you to a place where we can speak in solitude!"

Letting out a loud groan, the Bluehead finally ceased her thrashing. "Would you at least hurry it up, then!?" She trusted Vegeta enough to know that he wasn't planning anything malice, but she hated how powerless she felt in the situation. It was pissing her off - she'd have to be sure to make it known when they landed.

Their flight really didn't take too long. It was only a few minutes later than Vegeta finally descended back onto the Earth, gently setting Bulma back on her feet. She felt a bit dizzy as she caught her balance, wobbling as the blood finally drained from her head. "Great!" She moaned, looking around to study her surroundings. "I have no shoes, and now my feet will get dirty!" The two were standing in what she could see as an empty field of grass, with not a building or even a tree in sight. The moon was the only source of light, illuminating enough for Bulma to be able to see a little bit around her.

"Must you find a fault with everything, Woman?" Vegeta grunted, raising his eyebrows as he looked his woman over.

"You're one to talk!" She snapped, turning back to the saiyan to shoot him a glare. "Why'd you bring me here?! We could have just gone into the ship, y'know!"

"Enough with your complaining!" Vegeta retorted. "I already told you that I wish to speak with you in solitude, and the ship is too close to that blonde woman for my comfort right now!"

"Really? Oh, but Mom said you guys had the best time today!"

"Don't speak of that, woman!" Vegeta shivered. "Your mother was exceptionally weepy today..."

"What?" The Bluehead raised her eyebrows, dropping her offensive demeanor. "Was she? Well, this morning she was talking about how lonely she was going to feel now that I'm going back to work..." She put a finger to her chin as she thought. "Poor Mom, I hope she didn't feel too alone!"

Vegeta had a flashback to Mrs. Brief's threatening to cry when he'd attempted to leave her in the kitchen. 'Great.' He thought. 'The blonde one used me to avoid sinking in the sorrows of her own seclusion.' Fighting back a gag, he shook his head. "That is beside the point! When you kicked me out today you made the promise that we would talk, and I intend to make sure you fulfill it."

"Right, well you should have come back sooner!" Bulma crossed her arms. "I didn't mean for you to drag me out of bed like this! I have work tomorrow!"

Did the woman not think? Vegeta rolled his eyes. He'd already told her more than once that he wanted to avoid Mrs. Briefs. Did he really need to explain why he'd waited so long before returning to the house?

"You have some nerve, anyway!" She continued, standing up as straight as she could manage. "I thought you were planning to leave Earth after you fought the Androids! Why are you still harassing me!?"

"Woman..." He said, but she ignored him.

"We made an agreement, and I've actually been sticking to it!"

Vegeta placed his palms on her shoulders, gripping them firmly in an attempt to silence her tirade. She ignored him yet again.

"I've got too much shit on my plate for me to have to deal with you on top of it!"

"Woman..." Vegeta repeated, grabbing Bulma's chin and holding it firmly. This finally got her attention. A spark ran through her body, her eyes widening. She paused with her rant, her breath catching in her throat as she looked at him in anticipation. The saiyan was staring into her eyes, reveling in the silence as they watched one another. She wasn't pushing him away. She wasn't even yelling or objecting in the slightest, so Vegeta took this as the permission he needed to proceed. Without saying anything else, he leaned closer towards her soft face.

It all seemed as if it were in slow motion.

The way Vegeta closed his eyes as he drew nearer. The manner in which he tilted his head slightly to a side as he prepared for the impending caress of skin. Bulma suddenly felt both eager and horrified, her mind struggling to find the appropriate way to react...

...When his lips brushed against hers, she felt another spark running through her body, traveling down her back like goosebumps as pulled her close. He didn't wrap his arms around her - he merely grabbed her by the cloth of her shirt and pulled her body into his. The sensation was so familiar, and there was a repressed habit telling Bulma to deepen the kiss and take it further. Yet there was another part of her that told her to stand her ground, making her want to shove him away and yell about his actions. Unable to determine what exactly to do, the Bluehead stood still, her lips receiving the kiss with no reaction. Vegeta took it as a good sign that she didn't retaliate with the palm of her hand. But he also noted her lack of encouragement, and after a few moments he let go of her and stepped back to look in her eyes.

"Did you listen to anything I just said?" She scowled, wiping at her mouth for effect.

The saiyan frowned. He'd foreseen that she would be difficult, but he was still finding it a challenge to decide how to convince her. He thought the kiss might have at least calmed her down enough to be more reasonable. "Do not make me spell it out, Woman."

"You've been a real jerk to me." She replied, rubbing at her arms. She was only dressed in her sleeping clothes, and the chilly night air was starting to get to her.

"I'm trying to make it up to you," He groaned. Vegeta wasn't good at expressing himself - he hated having to admit to such things, and she was really pushing him at his limits. "Isn't it obvious with how I've stayed?"

"How can I trust anything that you say or do?" Bulma retorted. "How many times have you told me one thing and then done something else?"

The saiyan didn't blame her for it. He'd expected this, and in a way it actually made him respect her even more. He'd said quite a number of nasty things to her over the years that they'd known each other, and it'd reached its peak only recently. After Trunks was born, she seemed to merge into a softer form of herself. He'd noticed it from the way she interacted with everything around her. But in this moment it seemed as if she were returning to the Bulma that he'd come to know when he'd first been invited to stay at the Briefs residence. There was a stubborn fire in her eyes that refused to fade out, and he knew it was futile to continue when she was this riled up.

As he looked her over, he could see her slowly starting to tremble. She was still rubbing her arms softly, attempting to soothe how chilly the wind was making her. Her teeth were beginning to chatter, though it was obvious that she was trying her best to hide it. "Are you cold?" Vegeta asked, raising an eyebrow. He hadn't really considered that she wasn't dressed to be outdoors when he'd taken her away from her room.

Bulma shook her head. "I'm fine." She lied. Vegeta smirked, not saying anything in response. He stepped further back from Bulma, his fingers clasping his own shirt as he pulled it off over his head.

"Here." He grunted, thrusting the fabric into her hands. "What?" She asked, trying not to eye his bare chest as he stood in front of her. He seemed so relaxed, so undisturbed by the night air. It was as if nothing unusual were taking place! Another gush of wind blew in, causing her hair to fly out behind her as she fought back the urge to shiver. "Put it on." Vegeta ordered, crossing his arms.

"I don't want this?" Bulma replied. "I didn't ask you for this!"

"Woman, I need that cloth less than you do. While I recognize how cold it is right now, it doesn't bother me. It was years ago that I became acquainted with freezing temperatures. I've traveled to planets completely covered in ice - this is nothing. Now, are you going to put it on or not?"

She quickly obliged, her cheeks blushing as she pulled the shirt over her torso and slipped her arms into its long sleeves. With a sigh of relief, the Bluehead ran a hand through her hair and looked to her feet. The shirt wasn't exactly made with thick material, but at least it was something. The added layer of clothing was enough to do wonders in alleviating her shivers.

"Is that better?" The saiyan asked, slightly annoyed with the fight she'd put up. Bulma nodded quietly, taking in the scent that wafted off the cloth. Pine trees. She was surrounded by it, and as the odor went to her brain she was instantly reminded of the early days of her and Vegeta's relationship - how new and safe it felt when he'd first wrapped his arms around and held her close. There was a battle in her mind as she struggled between wanting to give into his advances, and wanting to stay true to her own stance. She'd told herself that she and Trunks were better off without Vegeta. She'd promised herself that she'd do everything she could to make things right for her son, and she couldn't give that up simply because her emotions were tempting her...

"I guess we should go back." Vegeta said, disrupting the Bluehead's thoughts. He turned around and looked over his shoulder, gesturing at it. Having been preoccupied with her own thoughts, Bulma didn't quite register what the Saiyan was wanting her to do, and she made it known with the face she gave him. Vegeta smirked. "We can do this the hard way and I can sling you over my back again, if you'd like."

It was then that Bulma realized what he'd been gesturing, and she gasped. There was no way she'd let him handle her so uncomfortably again! She ran, jumping on his back and wrapping her arms over his shoulders. "You ready?" He asked. She was sinking into him, her cheek pressed against his shoulder blade. Her face nodded against his skin in response to his question, having been rendered completely mute by the conflict that was taking place in her mind. It was with this that the saiyan placed a hand over her arm, as if to confirm she was holding on. Then, a brief second later, they were taking off into the sky.

She kept her face pressed against him during the majority of the flight back. The shirt had helped with the cold when she'd first put it on, but the wind chill was starting to make her freeze all over again. Vegeta noted how it felt to have her nuzzling against his skin as he flew, and his mind was racing. He knew that he wanted to tell her how he felt, but how could he convey this to her when he wasn't exactly sure how to put it into words? He was flying slower than normal to prolong the trip, unsure of how to address things with her and not yet ready to lose his chance. When they were getting near the proximity of the house, Vegeta finally said "the boy who came from the future was raised well."

Bulma lifted her cheek from Vegeta's shoulder and opened her eyes to look at the back of his head. Had he really just said that? Future Trunks had been on her mind on and off since his departure, but she hadn't expected him to really care. She'd heard the story about how Vegeta reacted when Cell attacked Trunks, but the saiyan never spoke of it or indicated that it was on his mind in the slightest. He was so arrogant, and she just assumed that he'd forgotten about the incident, returning to his routine thought process that seemed to only revolve around himself.

Finally, after moments of consideration, the Bluehead replied. "He was raised without a father, you know."

"I know. And his mother raised him exceptionally well." Vegeta glanced over his shoulder at her. Once again, despite the cold, Bulma could feel heat rising at her cheeks. Was this some strange form of a compliment that he'd just given her? Her Trunks was still a baby... Being told that she'd done a good job with something that hadn't actually occurred yet was not exactly a normal thing, and she certainly hadn't been expecting it. Especially not from him!

"Yes. Yes, he was..." Bulma breathed, laying her head back down to rest against Vegeta's back. "You know, he really is a great man - even if he doesn't have a tail." She simply couldn't help throwing it out there, and Vegeta received her verbal jab with a grunt.

The two didn't exchange any more words for the rest of the flight home.

Back at the Brief's residence, Vegeta kept her on his back as he walked through the pile of broken glass that was still in Bulma's floor. He placed her down next to her bed with a sigh.

Bulma instantly pulled Vegeta's shirt off and handed it back to him, though she was secretly sad to part with its scent. The saiyan accepted it without a word, nodding in her direction. Without putting it on he turned, stepping back through the glass and stopping at the window frame. With his back still to her, he cleared his throat. "I am not going to stoop low enough to stalk you, Woman. If you do not want me staying here, then I will respect your will."

Somehow, Bulma was feeling offended by his sudden announcement. 'Well, how typical!' She thought, her eyebrows furrowed. 'I knew he wouldn't stay!' She glared at his back, and even as she considered his words she couldn't help but wonder why she even cared.

"Know this, though." Vegeta continued. "I will not reside here, but you will see me again. I intend to fulfill my duties."

Oh, of course. The man who was afraid of commitment was making sure to keep some loopholes open! Bulma crossed her arms. "What duties?"

"Ultimately, you and the boy are of kin to me. If you do not want me around long term, then so be it. But you will need someone to protect you in the event of conflict. I don't know where the one from the future learned how to fight, but the infant will need to be trained as he grows."

Yet another confusing statement. Bulma found herself feeling less defensive, taking in the words he'd spoken with shock. He was concerned for her well-being?

She couldn't think of a way to reply, falling back on her bed and continuing to stare at Vegeta's backside. His hands were balled into fists, his posture stiff, and his head held high. He did not turn around to look at her again - he simply said "That is all, Woman."

Then, as Bulma's heart pounded, she watched as he disappeared once more into the night sky.