Hey guys! Thank you so much for your comments on the last chapter! I'm having fun with this Vegeta! I hope you are too! Enjoy! ^^

Once again fighting her emotions and feeling utterly confused, Bulma was back downstairs and flipping through the T.V. channels as her mind wandered. It was about 10 P.M., Vegeta was still locked away in the ship, and she had run out of things to keep her busy. The Bluehead couldn't help but to replay everything that had happened between her and Vegeta since Cell's defeat- from him taking her out for a night flight and saying things she'd never expected to leave his mouth, to him showing obvious jealously towards Tadashi, and him even making her soup while she was sick.

Of course, she wouldn't even be sick if it hadn't been for him whisking her away and ignoring her protests when she complained that she was cold! But then, Bulma thought, 'He did give me his shirt when he realized I wasn't joking...' Caught in an anxious turmoil, she wanted to trust that his behavior was genuine. Yet she wasn't used to it. He seemed so oddly different - she could feel it. Ever since he had returned from a trip he took into space while she'd been pregnant, he seemed to be undergoing some type in internal shift. It was obvious that there had been some type of metamorphosis going on from within, and at times this had resulted in him being kinder than ever - at others he'd been colder than a winter storm. As much as some of his recent behaviors had flattered her, she was stuck focusing on a lot of the things that had gone wrong. There was a part of her that wanted to believe in him, to trust that he really had adjusted his priorities, but she was just so fearful of being hurt once again...

It was then that she heard the back door jerking, and she looked up. Vegeta was strolling into the house, his chest bare, as he used a cloth to dab sweat from his forehead. Bulma let out a gasp and quickly turned away. "Do you mind?" She hissed, hugging her knees and sporting a dangerous pout. She was staring at the coffee table in front of her, willing herself not to glance up. The last thing she wanted was to get a good look at the man a few meters away in his current state. She didn't need to see him like that - not with the conflict going on in her mind. Was he doing it on purpose? With Vegeta, it was hard to tell. Bulma was instantly reminded of a time when she'd been waiting to have a chat with Vegeta in his room, and he'd walked in completely naked! She'd been incredibly embarrassed back then, only to find out that he'd known she was there and simply didn't care when he'd dropped his towel.

'Great!' Bulma thought. She'd only been trying to avoid getting a look at his chest, and now she was having memories of his naked rear gyrating as he pulled boxers over it! This really was his fault! Whether he was doing it on purpose or not, he was driving her crazy. The flustered Bluehead finally looked up to see that he was now standing in the doorway to the kitchen, taking his time as he chugged a glass of water. She simply couldn't take it anymore. "Vegeta!" She choked, her throat raw from having coughed so many times throughout the day. "Do you mind?!"

"What is it now?" The saiyan was speaking in a tone that was too calm for her taste. It was as if he'd been expecting her reaction, and in that moment she knew it was true. He was flaunting himself at her, and he was doing it on purpose. Here she had been, struggling to decide if she was going give him another chance, and he'd walked in with the intent purpose of teasing her!

"I'm tired, I'm sick, and you're fucking with me!" She shot, throwing the T.V. remote down on the couch cushion beside her.

The saiyan cocked an eyebrow. "How is getting a drink of water fucking with you?" He'd appreciated seeing her in such thin material when she'd wore her robe earlier, but he was certainly enjoying his pay back.

This was it - he was trying to get her blurt something out about his appearance, and she didn't want to take that bait. Bulma could see there was amusement in his eyes, and it pissed her off. She didn't want to admit that he was getting to her head. She didn't want him to still have that type of power over her! She was going to act more dignified than that! It was then that Bulma stood up, threw her hands in the direction of the ship, and shouted "YOU COULD GET WATER IN THE SHIP, CAN'T YOU?! WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE IN HERE?!". She immediately broke into a coughing fit as her throat retaliated against her yells. Great, she'd lost control of her emotions. So much for acting dignified and not losing her temper...

Vegeta's eyes widened. "Jeez, woman!" He placed his glass on the kitchen counter and then made his way for her. "Calm down!"

"You walked in like that on purpose!" Bulma choked. "So don't tell me to calm down!" Earlier she'd been determined not to lose her cool in front of Vegeta, but she had lost all care for that. He just had a way of bringing this side out of her!

"And what do you care about how I look?" He smirked, stepping even closer to her as she sat back and watched.

"I..." She breathed, looking up from her seat as he began to tower over her with each step. Her eyes glanced over the taut muscles of his chest, and she could feel her cheeks starting to redden as her heart began to race.

Vegeta saw the look on her face, and a shrewd glint flashed across his eyes. "For someone who doesn't care, you sure seem invested." Bulma's mouth dropped open, and she turned away with a huff. The saiyan smirked and stepped even closer, bending down so he could be eye-level with her. "Woman. Why are you being so stubborn?" He leaned in, clasping her by the chin and turning her head to face him.

Bulma's heart was pounding. She could feel a jolt of electricity running through her skin from his touch, but she was still cross. "Do you really want to know?" She breathed, not bothering to pull away from his grasp as her eyebrows narrowed.

"If I didn't want to know, I wouldn't have asked."

Cocky jerk, Bulma pulled away and scooted to the other end of the couch. He'd been too close just then - dangerously close, and she was desperate to create some distance between the two. "If you care so much about Trunks and I, then why didn't you bother protecting us when my plane exploded?" She crossed her arms and waited, shooting him a look that said 'There, explain THAT!'

It was now Vegeta's turn to react. He stood, walked to the other couch in the room, and took a seat directly across from Bulma. "We spoke before the battle with the Androids, and I told you not to come."

"And I told you that I wanted everyone to meet Trunks!" She retorted, not one to take orders from anybody. "And we'd broken up by the time the Androids appeared - why should I have listened to what you told me to do?!"

"I told you it'd be in your best interest not to show up. But you did anyway, didn't you?" The Saiyan ignored her response as he continued on with his point. "You made your own decision to put yourself and the boy in danger. I wasn't the one who did that. Didn't I say that I had done my part in warning you. I did tell you that I would not consolidate the battle in order to save you from your own reckless behavior, did I not?"

The Bluehead pouted at this. What he said was true - she had been warned. But still, it didn't sit right with her that he could so easily turn the other cheek when reality set in and she had really been in danger. What if Future Trunks hadn't saved her? Vegeta would have so easily allowed her and Trunks to just die, simply because he'd warned her? His logic just wasn't working to soothe her woes...

Perhaps Vegeta could see this on her face, because his tone softened. "You had all of your friends around to save you." He slowly began lean forward out of his seat, gripping the cushion below him as he did so. "Know that I had no doubts about your safety." His voice came out so uncharacteristically genuine that it made her breath catch in her chest - which resulted in a minor coughing fit as the rough of her throat retaliated against this action. Vegeta raised his eyebrows, unsure if she were actually coughing, or if she were stifling a laugh. "I'm being serious!" His voice rising as he grew frustrated. He felt as if he'd tried nearly everything. He'd attempted to speak with her several times, in different ways, and he always ended up with the same result. She was always finding a way to deflect him.

"I'm being serious, too!" Bulma replied. She let out one last cough and straightened her posture. "Look, Vegeta. We can't just go back to how things used to be - not just like that!" She stood then, wishing to remove herself from the situation. "It's just not that simple..."

The saiyan followed her lead and rose to his feet as well. His frustrations were continuing to build as he watched her start to walk away yet again. This was how all of his attempts with her seemed to end, and he wasn't ready for it to happen once more. "What else do you want, Woman!?" He snapped. "I've tried having conversations with you. What more do you ask of me?!"

Bulma's shoulders rose as he yelled, and she turned in surprise. This was the most upset she'd seen him behave towards her since their breakup. This felt like the Vegeta she'd come to expect and know so well. She fell into a familiar defense, not one to take being yelled at lightly. "What do you mean?! I've already told you that I can't trust your words at face value!" She lifted a finger and pointed it at him. "You're the one who treated me like crap for so long! You're the one who would make promises and then break them! How dare you expect me to just keep taking that from you!"

"I never said that I expected you to put up with that, Woman!" Vegeta barked. If anything, he found that he respected her even more for not taking his behavior so submissively. Couldn't she tell?! "I have attempted to make things better between us!"

"Too bad!" Bulma yelled back, her throat scratching with her voice. "I can't just trust what you say to me so easily! I spent too long doing that, and look where it go me! You were the one who broke that trust for me! You can say whatever you want, but this is all just too little, and way too late!"

What was he supposed to do? Vegeta's eyes widened, his hands balling into fists. Ît felt as if she'd told him that he didn't have any chance at all to ever make amends, and he watched as Bulma turned away once more. When she got to the foot of the stairs she placed her hand on its rail, glancing over her shoulder. She could see the look on his face, and it made her own stomach drop. She'd never seen him with an expression such as the one he wore then, and it nearly brought her to tears. She began to regret how harsh she'd been with her words. "I'm... I'm sorry..." She muttered, her voice nearly shaking. "I'm sorry, but that's just the truth..." Her voice now nearly a whisper. "You can still stay here if you have nowhere else to go. Your old room is just as you left it. I'll let you live under this roof - but that's it."

And with that, as the saiyan watched, his woman made her way upstairs.

I've been trying to make my chapters a little bit longer, and I feel like this one is a bit on the short side. Sorry about that! I wanted to update, and I also felt that this was a good place to end things. I hope you had fun with this! A new update should be coming up before too long! ^^