If the thought of his home being invaded wasn't enough to put a bad taste in Vegeta's mouth, the peaceful quiet leading up to the visit certainly did it. With Trunks fast asleep after his bath, Chi-Chi and her baby asleep in their room, and Gohan locked away as he studied, the house was blissfully silent and only seemed to emphasize how loud things would soon be. It was only be a matter of time before the guests arrived and everything went to chaos.

Vegeta stood in the hallway, with his back reclined against the wall. He was waiting patiently for his woman to step out of Trunks' room after setting the child down for his nap. When her figure appeared in the hall and the two locked eyes, she smiled.

The saiyan pushed himself from the wall and began to walk towards her. "Wo-" Vegeta paused. He had known her for about four years by now. And, while he'd always known that her name was Bulma, he'd always called her Woman. What had started as a way of teasing had quickly become the way he addressed her. And now, after calling her his woman for so long, it felt more natural on his tongue than using her real name. But he was trying. Because that was what she wanted. This wouldn't be the first time that he corrected himself mid-word, and he was sure it wouldn't be the last... "Bulma. Come with me." He said, gesturing his head towards their bedroom. "There is something we need to discuss."

She did not say anything back, but she gave him a nod and followed the saiyan into the room they shared. Ever since the Bluehead had started helping Chi-Chi, things had been relentlessly busy. The alone time she spent with Vegeta had been short and sporadic. It was typical that they didn't have much privacy together until late at night before going to sleep, or early in the morning before getting out of bed. She understood that it was rare to get a word with him at any other time in the day, and so she did not feel suspicious or curious that he was requesting one now.

Alone in their room, after the saiyan had shut the door, he turned and gave her a stern look. She returned the gaze, eyes locked with his, as she waited to hear what this was about.

Slowly, and almost hesitantly, Vegeta took a small step towards her.

Then, after a few seconds, he took another.

Finally, after what felt like minutes or quiet eying and wordless communication, he was wrapping his large arms around her waist and steering her towards the bed.

Bulma didn't object, and was instead rather pleased when she felt her body sinking into the mattress, the saiyan crawling on top of her. "You have no idea how tired I am." She breathed, her eyelids instantaneously heavy. "I really don't know if I can manage a quickie right now."

"Quickie?" Vegeta furrowed his eyebrows. "What is a…? Oh. You must be speaking about rushed pleasure. No, that wasn't my objective in this encounter." With that he brushed a loose strand of blue hair out of Bulma's eyes, taking note of just how exhausted she looked. His woman hadn't been exaggerating about her fatigue.

"Do you think I have time to take a nap before they get here?" Bulma asked, closing her eyes.

"I'd say so. The closest one is still about 40 minutes away, at their current rate."

"Good..."

She seemed as if she was already falling asleep, and Vegeta was inclined to let her. But he wanted one thing first, so he gave her a slight nudge to keep her awake. "Bulma. First, I need you to tell me something."

"Hm...?" She opened her eyes.

"Are you comfortable with what is going to happen today?" Vegeta asked, staring into the Bluehead's eyes for any sign of adverse reaction. Bulma watched him back. "It's always great to see everybody." She breathed. "But, honestly, I'm just so tired. I know Chi-Chi's going to leave with her father after all of this, but I just wish it would all be over so I can get some decent rest."

"I concur." He sighed, closing his eyes and shaking his head. "Our time will soon come, Woman. But I want to know your exact comfort level with the people who are going to be here." He moved his hand down to her shoulder, his fingers running across the arch of her neck as he went. "Is there anybody you don't want to face?"

Bulma closed her eyes at the feel of Vegeta's hands, smiling softly. With everything that had been going on, these close encounters between them were cherished. "I'm fine with seeing everyone." She replied, placing her hand over Vegeta's.

"Even him?" The saiyan hissed.

"Yes." The Bluehead said, opening her eyes. "Even Yamcha."

He moved his palm up to cup her face now, leaning in as he continued to stare into those blue gem-like eyes. "You are certain?"

"Yes, Vegeta. He's an idiot – but he isn't dangerous."

"Yes, you've said that... but still. I must know before they get here if you are absolutely comfortable with this. I won't have you exposing yourself to anyone that makes you feel ill."

"I promise." Bulma sighed. It seemed that she was starting to speak in auto-pilot mode, her mind already distracted by hazy visions of dreams as she honestly answered everything Vegeta said. "He is harmless. He may be a doofus, but he's fine. I'm fine."

"You may vouch for him, but just know that if he says something inappropriate, it won't be tolerated." The saiyan raised an eyebrow as his woman closed her eyes once again.

"Hm..." Bulma said back, turning her head slightly. It was clear that she was going to be out for a while. Vegeta smirked, watching her face as his features softened, and she began to silently doze. Now the entire house was asleep, except for him. And, while he wasn't exactly sure of what to expect once the guests arrived, he was all too aware that he needed to enjoy this silence while it lasted.

.

"Hello Bulma!" The ox-king said when a groggy Bluehead answered the door. Vegeta had woken her with only 10 minutes notice, telling her that someone he didn't recognize was approaching. She'd hardly even had time to get her hair brushed before the doorbell rang, resulting in angry yells coming from Trunks' room, and high pitched wails that erupted from Chi-Chi's baby.

"Hello." Bulma said back, trying to raise her voice enough that it was heard over the screaming infant in the background.

"Oh, is that the new one?!" The ox-king replied, barging in through the door without another thought. Bulma has to jump to steer out of his way, the giant ogre of a man nearly knocking the door off its hinges as he went.

Vegeta, who had been standing in the background and watching the exchange, let out an audible growl at seeing his woman nearly getting trampled.

"Oh, Vegeta!" Bulma breathed, straightening her shirt as she recomposed herself. She turned so that she could introduce the Ox-King to the saiyan, but he had already disappeared deeper into the house without paying the two any more notice.

Vegeta's eyes did not leave Bulma's, as they listened to the ox-king's heavy footstomps following the sounds of the baby's cries. Soon enough, he had disappeared into Chi-Chi's room. Finally, when they heard the Ox-King erupt into a delighted greeting with his daughter, Vegeta cleared his throat. "What was that!?"

"Oh, that was just... Chi-Chi's dad." The Bluehead cringed as she heard the people in the other room squealing together.

"I thought you said everyone would be fine." The saiyan scowled.

"He is fine! The ox-king is huge, but he's more gentle than -"

"He nearly ran you over!" Vegeta growled. "In our own home!"

"Oh, it's alright!" Bulma, who was still catching her breath, shrugged. "He's just very excitable. He didn't mean anything by it."

"Hm." The saiyan shook his head. He began to mutter something about the audacity of humans and their disrespectful attitudes, but before he had a chance to finish his point there was another knock at the door.

"Hey, Vegeta?" Bulma smiled. "I left some food in the 'fridge for you."

"Good to know." Vegeta grunted, his feet not budging from the tile he stood on.

"Why don't you go eat?" The Bluehead continued, trying to keep her voice chipper despite how overwhelmed she was quickly becoming.

"Not yet." He growled.

"Please!" Bulma finally barked. "Vegeta – please! I mean it, I'm fine. Go eat. I'll greet our guests. I'll call for you if anything happens."

"I don't trust any of them." He grumbled as he obviously struggled between staying or going. The idea of eating really was a pleasant thought, but he didn't want to leave his Woman alone. Yet, he could tell she wanted him to go… Finally he sighed, shaking his head and heading for the dining room. "I'm only doing this because of your insistence." He muttered as he left.

"Love you!" Bulma called tiredly, and Vegeta responded by grunting something incoherent before the knocking at the door repeated.

Now, instead of Ox-King, it was none other than Krillin at the door. "Hey, Bulma." He said shyly, feeling awkward as he carefully stepped inside. He was fully aware that he was walking into a building that Vegeta resided in, and he had heard the couple's exchange of words before she'd opened the door. "Long time no see."

"Hey, Krillin! How are you?" Bulma smiled, waving her hands to gesture where Chi-Chi could be found. "Where is everyone else?"

"Well," Krillin licked his lips dryly, still feeling uncomfortable as he stepped deeper into the house and looked around to see where Vegeta was. "Yamcha went to get Master Roshi so they could come together. I spoke to Tien earlier, and he asked me to pass his regards, but he isn't coming."

"I see." She nodded. "Well, I can't say I blame him. It is a pretty long trip, after all. Honestly, I'm surprised that even Master Roshi wants to travel."

"Oh, he seemed pretty excited to catch up with everyone." Krillin replied. "He seemed really excited to see you, too, Bulma!"

"He did?" The Bluehead's eyes lit up. "Aww! What a sweet little man he is!"

"Right." Krillin said sarcastically, fighting the urge to shake his head. "Anyways, I guess I'll go say hi to Chi-Chi and the new twerp!"

.

Vegeta didn't realize until he began eating just how hungry he'd been. It was good of the Woman to suggest he stuff his face, for it distracted him from the angst he was struggling with at the prospect of everyone showing up. And, as he gulped down his fourth plate of food, he hardly cared at all about the violation of his sacred home.

When he heard someone else at the door, though, his focus on the meal had completely deteriorated. He recognized Yamcha's excruciating voice before he'd even thought to identify his ki, the saiyan growling as he listened to the Z-Fighter greeting Bulma.

He could hear Yamcha and Master Roshi babbling in the foyer, and Vegeta pushed himself up from the table with a grunt. His encounters with Master Roshi hadn't been anything for the saiyan to pay mind to, but he'd heard a few stories from Bulma's past to put him on edge. Apparently Master Roshi was someone that she considered to be "like family", and yet the man was no stranger to crossing inappropriate boundaries with the Bluehead…

"I promise, I'm doing well!" Bulma was saying when Vegeta walked into the foyer. He stared as the Bluehead took a step back towards the doorway into the house. She turned, and when her eyes settled on the saiyan as he stood before her, she smiled.

His eyes, piercing her own, seemed to return the gesture without his facial expression changing.

The encounter was awkward, with Vegeta glaring silently as Master Roshi attempted to exchange pleasantries with him. Yamcha didn't even bother with such an act, returning the scowl that the saiyan was sporting as he brushed past. The saiyan turned as he watched the three advance into the house, Bulma cheerfully offering small talk as she lead them towards Chi-Chi's room. The two men disappeared inside, with the Bluehead lingering in the hall and shutting the door behind them. She didn't think she needed to join in with them as they met Goku's last born son, having already seen the baby multiple times that day.

She turned to glance down the hall towards the saiyan, who was already making his way towards her as she pressed her back against the door. When they were standing just a few breaths apart, he gave her a nod, and they both began to move towards the den.

"What were you saying to that man before I walked over?" He asked, trying to keep his voice sounding nonchalant.

"Nothing important." Bulma scowled. "He was asking how I was doing. As if I'm the one who just gave birth."

"He's an idiot." The saiyan rolled his eyes.

"At least he wasn't being rude." The Bluehead grinned.

With nothing more to say while the house was still filled with guests, the couple each took a seat beside each other on the couch. Bulma was resting against Vegeta's form as they waited for everyone to step out of Chi-Chi's room. The saiyan was calmly dragging a hand across her back, tracing up and down as she snuggled into his side. It seemed that she was almost falling asleep on him, for she was incredibly still and her weight was becoming more limp with each passing moment.

It was true, the Bluehead found his hand to be rather soothing. Perhaps she really might have fallen asleep - if he hadn't suddenly retracted his touch and sat up straighter. Bulma looked up to see hear that Chi-Chi's doorknob was starting the jiggle, so she scooted away from Vegeta and used the palm of her hand to smooth down the wrinkles in her shirt.

"The runt looks like his pop!" Yamcha was announcing as he made his way towards the den.

Upon hearing his voice, Vegeta was already eliciting a low growl from the back of his throat before the Z-Fighter had even shown his face. And as he came strutting into the room, babbling about babies and smelly diapers, he quickly stopped in his path when his eyes fell on the two. Looking from Bulma to Vegeta, Yamcha's adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed down a lump.

With Yamcha's carefree voice no longer filling the room, a silence had fallen instead. Bulma shifted in her seat, growing uncomfortable with the awkward tension that was searing through the air.

"B." Yamcha said.

"Her name is Bulma." Vegeta growled before she had a chance to reply.

"I always call her B!" The Z Fighter snapped.

The Bluehead rolled her eyes.

From the other room, the sounds of Master Roshi and Krillin's voices were growing louder, as if they would come walking out at any moment. Yamcha took this as initiative to try again. "Hey, B." He said, moving closer to her. "Do you mind stepping outside with me for a sec? There's something I wanna talk to you about."

"You're joking!" Vegeta hissed. "You? Taking my woman to private quarters for a chat? You have the nerve to ask such a thing right in front of me?!"

"As if I would wanna say anything to her in front of you!" Yamcha retorted, looking to the Bluehead for support. She seemed to be in agreement with the saiyan, for her face was screwed into an unpleasant expression. "I don't see what you would need to talk to me about that would need privacy."

"Come on!" Yamcha replied, feeling like a cornered animal now. "I'm not planning anything weird! As if I would even want anything like that with you, anyway!"

"You are so-" The saiyan began, but he was cut off.

"Hey!" Bulma jumped from the couch. "I'm a prize compared to all of the hussies you messed around with behind my back! How dare you say that to me, you! You!"

"You idiot!" Vegeta finished.

Yamcha let out a deep sigh, turning away as he pinched the bridge of his nose. It had only been a few seconds, and already this was all going so terribly wrong. "I didn't mean it like that..." He muttered. "Look, I wanted to ask you something, and I was trying to be nice about it. Krillin and Roshi are going to be out here any minute. Now would you please step outside with me so I can talk to you about something?"

Letting out a sigh, Bulma shrugged. "Okay, okay. But let's make it quick."

Feeling vexed, Vegeta watched the two step towards the back door. There was no way in hell that he would leave her alone with that fiend - not under his watch. Yamcha was an idiot, and he wasn't physically capable of very much. But Vegeta had been witness to the aftermath of his and Bulma's private conversations enough to know that they always seemed to end with her in tears. The saiyan didn't know what it was that the Z Fighter would do to her to always put her in such a state, but as far as he was concerned those days were no more. On edge, Vegeta quickly jumped to his feet and trailed behind the two, slipping into the backyard just a few seconds after they had disappeared.

"I don't want to talk about it." Bulma was saying when the saiyan stepped outside. She had her back against the side of the house, running a hand through her hair as Yamcha stood in front of her. The Z Fighter turned to see Vegeta and scowled.

"He's just asking me about the magazine articles." Bulma announced with irritation, rolling her eyes as she looked up at her mate.

"As if that's any of his business." Vegeta growled back.

"Yeah, go ahead and talk about me as if I'm not standing right here." Yamcha scoffed. "I know something's up. I saw the pictures of her face. And I don't know why the media suddenly became "Team Vegeta" just because he kissed you in front of the cameras, but I'm not buying it."

"That was a private matter!" Vegeta snarled, his neck growing hot to be reminded that he'd done such a thing in his drunken state. He'd almost forgotten about how foolish he'd acted when he and his woman had gone into the city!

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm also Team Vegeta!" Bulma huffed, putting a hand on her hip. "And I don't think any of this if your business!"

"It is when you're my ex, and I'm just trying to show concern for your well-being!" Yamcha replied.

"Get away from her." Vegeta stepped in. "She already told you no. Stop pressing."

"Hey, man! Back off!" Yamcha yelled back. "If she tells me you did anything to harm her, I swear-!"

Bulma sighed as Vegeta yelled something back at the Z-FIghter. "Guys, we have guests inside." She said, but her words went unnoticed as the shouting match rapidly escalated. The two men were now at each others' throats, yelling threats and insults as quickly as their lips would let them. "Guys…" She tried again, but her words were still being ignored.

A vein was starting to protrude from Vegeta's forhead now, his eyes starting to twitch as both men continued to scream.

"GUYS!" Bulma yelled. The two men in front of her froze, turning to the Bluehead as she threw her hands up in the air. "You wanna know what happened to me!? You really want to know!?"

"Woman," Vegeta began. "Don't-"

"I was attacked, okay?! I was trying to get business done in the city, and it got late! Some horrible man attacked me and Trunks! He tried to kidnap me! He hurt me! He tried to beat me up! He told me he was going to take me to his home and rape me, hold me hostage, demand money, and then sell me on the black market even after my family gave him what he asked! I tried to defend myself, but I couldn't do it without Trunks getting hurt! Okay?!" She took in a deep breath, her pale cheeks turning red as her heart began to pound. "Vegeta's the one who came for me! He's the one that rescued me and Trunks! I'm tired of listening to you accuse him of this! He would never do anything to me! You don't know ANYTHING! So just shut up! SHUT UP!"

"What?" Yamcha blinked, too stunned to even breathe. "Oh my gosh... Bulma..."

Vegeta didn't even grant the Z-Fighter with the time he was needed to process everything that the Bluehead had just said. He launched at Yamcha, landing a firm fist in the side of his jaw. "You swine!" He barked, shooting another fist into the other side of the scarface's head before elbowing him in the gut. "She told you she didn't want to say what happened, but you just wouldn't drop it!"

It was so fast that it was over by the time Bulma recognized what had happened. By the time she realized that Vegeta had just punched out her ex-boyfriend, the saiyan was already standing protectively by her side, his arms folded across his chest. Yamcha was nearly doubled over as he furiously rubbed the forming bruises on his face. "Hey!" He was gasping. "How - how was I supposed to know?!"

"Oh, I can't believe I even told you!" Bulma hissed, tears welling in her eyes. "My - my parents don't even know the story in true detail! You!" She snapped. "You! You...! Ugh, I CAN'T STAND YOU!" She turned and stormed into the house before she had the chance to burst into tears, leaving the two men standing alone as they watched each other.

His arms still crossed, the saiyan glared at the man in front of him as he listened to Bulma's hurried footsteps rushing for the stairs. "I ought to beat you half to death." He growled. "I knew your presence would only cause trouble, and now she is reliving everything because of your prying."

"I wouldn't have asked if I had known!" Yamcha snapped, but his angry demeanor was softening. He suddenly was feeling like a jerk. She really hadn't wanted to tell him, and what had happened was just too much to comprehend. He'd never imagined, in all of his years, that he would hear of such a thing happening to Bulma… "Geez, that's terrible! But... what happened? Why was everyone saying you did it?"

Vegeta rolled his eyes, but he couldn't bring himself to hold back on answering. The scarface already knew the worst of what had occurred, and the saiyan had kept quiet about the beta male for long enough. The situation with Tadashi had been bottled in for so long that it exhilarating to finally let it all out. And, as he ranted so angrily that his mouth was nearly foaming, the saiyan was at least glad to see Yamcha's face twisting with his own rage.

"What a little twerp!" The Z Fighter exclaimed after Vegeta finished his spiel. "Bulma - she's too caring, man! It does sound just like her to turn a blind eye to that little punk. If there's anything I know about that girl, it's that she's too trusting."

"You don't say..." The saiyan grumbled.

"Man, I still can't believe that guy in the alley got her so bad. She's so smart but she's still pretty naive... But that girl can pack a punch when she has to! Hey – I bet she probably would've knocked Tadashi out if he'd ever put a finger on her! I kind of wish he had – she would've destroyed him! He deserves it for going to the press!"

"Hmm." Vegeta grumbled, trying not to smirk at the thought of Bulma kicking some ass. Truth be told, in the past the woman had slapped him a couple of times during the worst of their fights, but he hadn't really seen much of her physically combative side other than that. Especially not as an observer… Not when he was getting to watch.

Evidently Yamcha had. Vegeta was both intrigued to know what he'd seen, and envious that he'd been the one to witness it. In that moment, despite his hostile temper, the saiyan suddenly desired nothing more than to sit back on his living room couch and watch his woman engaging in beating someone to a bloody pulp as they begged for mercy against her wrath...

'Wow', Vegeta thought, picturing the Bluehead landing a strategic knee into someone's ribs as they yelped in pain… He hadn't realized that Bulma could get any more attractive in his mind, but suddenly his fantasies were running wild.

"Well, what'd you do to the kid?" Yamcha asked, snapping the saiyan from his idealistic thoughts. Vegeta's eyes widened, willing the images from his head. He was absolutely horrified to realize that his pants had started to feel a bit tighter as he'd gotten lost in his fantasy, but he made sure not to let his body language show that anything was out of the ordinary. "I didn't do anything to him!" He growled through gritted teeth, counting backwards from 20 in his head as he waited for his lust to dim. "She had her father terminate the boy's employment, and then she wouldn't let me do anything more! It's ludicrous!"

"Yeah, that also sounds like her..." Yamcha groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose again. "This is ridiculous. She was already going through hard times, and he made it way worse by putting it in the spotlight. I mean, you're mad at me for asking her what happened, but I wouldn't have even known anything was up if that kid hadn't gone squealing to the press!"

"I concur." Vegeta grunted, furrowing his brows.

"Well, I don't care what Bulma wants. I say you and I go teach that kid a lesson!" Yamcha exclaimed, cracking his knuckles eagerly.

The heat in his lower body had started to dissolve, but Vegeta suddenly felt his heart starting to pound in another way. He shot the scar-face a mischievous grin, chuckling from the back of his throat. "I never thought you would propose something that would make so much sense..."

"Don't insult me, man. So, you're in?"

"Of course I am! And I've been thinking about paying the beta male a visit, anyway. I don't need your assistance."

"Look, I know you don't think it's my business and all, but Bulma is a great girl. She didn't deserve this. I want to get some revenge, too!"

The saiyan paused, staring at the serious expression on the Z-Fighter's face as they watched each other. This man was pathetic! He was one of the most irritating creatures the saiyan had ever come across, and yet he couldn't help but feel some sense of respect in knowing that Yamcha wanted to seek retribution in Bulma's honor. And, truth be told, he had handled getting knocked in the face pretty well. "Oh! Alright!" Vegeta finally snapped. "We shall go – but stay out of my way, or I'll destroy you before I get to that beta male. We must head out soon – we need to take advance of the fact that Bulma is still distracted by our visitors." The saiyan grabbed the doorknob, holding it open for Yamcha to walk through. "But first, I want to shower."

"Shower?" The scarface's eyes widened. "Seriously!? Now!? You didn't do that before everyone showed up?"

"Does it look like I had time?" Vegeta growled. That was all he would say. Yamcha didn't need to know that the prince of the saiyans would need to take a cold shower after picturing his woman the way he had been a few minutes earlier...

Hope you enjoyed this one!

Also, thanks to everyone who went and read my AU, Finding Immortal, after I pointed it out in my last update. I have a huge chapter drafted for that story, which I might end up splitting into two. It involves sea monster! Mwahaha!

I've been having fun with both of these stories, and being able to jump back and forth between plots has actually helped me a lot creatively. Your feedback keeps me going, too. Thank you! :)