This chapter is dedicated to the victims and heroes of the tragedy that occurred on September 11th. And to the people responsible: May God have mercy on your souls, because no one else will.

I apologize for not posting this chapter sooner. I been suffering from writer's block and a lack of time. And sorry to all of you lemon-lovers. I couldn't write a good lemon to save my life, so I just implied it. A special thanks to Vegeta_goddess and all reviewers, you guys are great! Please keep sending me your opinions and ideas. Now on to the story.

~Afterwards~
^_~


They were both completely nude lying next to each other on Bulma's bed under the sheets. Bulma's head was resting on Vegeta's chest and he had his arms around her.

"What did we just do?"

Vegeta ran his fingers through her soft blue hair. "Something that we should do more often."

"Bulma....I'm home!" A voice called from downstairs.

"Oh crap my moms home!"

Bulma jumped out of bed and threw a T-shirt on. Vegeta just laid there watching her.

"What are you doing?! You have to go!" Bulma screamed as she dragged him out of the bed. She picked up his clothes that had been strewn around the room and threw them at him.

"Put these back on!"

"Why do I have to go?"

"Because if my mom finds you here she'll freak!"

Vegeta barely had his pants on before Bulma shoved him out of the sliding glass door to her balcony. He stood there and stared at her through the glass as she closed the curtains and then rushed to clean up the room and get dressed at the same time.

"Earth women," he growled under his breath as he held up what was left of his shirt. It had been torn to ribbons from their *ahem* encounter.

Bulma's mother opened her daughter's bedroom door and found Bulma in nothing but a T-shirt and underwear. She had a pile of clothes in her arms and was out of breath.

"Bulma, are you alright?"

"Of course mom, I'm just...cleaning my room."

"Oh, but since when do you clean your room?"

"It just looked dirty, so I thought I'd tidy it up. That's all."

"Okay sweetheart, dinner will be ready in an hour or so. Have you seen Vegeta?"

"Vegeta? No, of course not, why would I have seen Vegeta?!" Bulma asked worriedly and in a panic.

"Calm down dear. He wasn't outside, so I thought maybe you knew where he was. Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah mom, I'm fine." Her response was a little less than convincing.

Bulma closed the door in her mother's face and breathed a sigh of relief. She turned to the balcony in a panic, hoping her mother had not seen Vegeta through the paper-thin curtains. But he was gone. She continued to dress herself and pick up the room. Then she sat on the edge of her bed and gently stroked the sheets. She couldn't help but smile as she thought about what took place there just a little while before.

"Who knew my prince charming was actually Vegeta? After all he's done to me, and all I've done to him, who knew?" She laid down on her pillow for a moment, gently touching the side of her neck where he had bitten her. "He made me feel so warm and safe, I had no idea that was going to happen. I didn't even know Vegeta had feelings. And if he really does feel something for me, what is it? Love, or lust? I know I've always had a strange feeling for him that I perceived as hate, I didn't know it was actually---love."

But how could this be? He was the high and mighty Prince of all Saiyans, and she was a lowly Earthling woman. Why would he have feelings for her? She did have a temper to match his, and was the only person to ever stand up to him. But he always seemed like he wanted to be left alone, and never let anyone close to him. Then it struck her.

"He's lonely. He's never had any friends, or even came within arms length of anyone else, except to fight. I guess that's the way a Prince of Vegeta-sei was raised. I wonder if he has ever received love or affection from anyone." A small tear of pity rolled down her cheek. "I feel sorry for him, he's been deprived of so much. He hides his emotions behind a mask of stone. I wonder if he'll ever show me if he truly cares for me. I wonder if he can."

Vegeta hadn't really left as Bulma had thought. He was a short distance away, hovering in the sky above as he watched her, thinking. He was ashamed of himself. He had lost control and given into lust, and with that, a whole new emotion presented itself to him that he had never felt before. And whatever it was, it made him feel weak and soft, but at the same time, good. He cursed this feeling, and that woman for giving it to him. But he couldn't help remembering the pleasure he had received from her. For the first time in his life he had felt content and totally at peace in the warmth radiating from their bodies as she lay wrapped up in his arms. He needed something to hold, something he could protect. That feeling rushed over him again as he realized he wasn't alone anymore. After all, she didn't resist. It was as if she had felt the same way that he had, and wanted it just as badly as him. Then he remembered something else.

"Did I just go Super Saiyan?"

He thought back to their first kiss just outside her room. The power he felt surge through him was undescribable It may have been as great as Kakarott's, if not greater. But how could this be? He didn't need a woman to help him ascend to the next level. Besides, he couldn't tell Kakarott and all of his pathetic friends that he had becom a Super Saiyan while messing around with her. It was disgraceful and embarrassing, and it had to end. He had gotten what he wanted. The craving was gone, he had fulfilled his desires. He could not be tied down by a woman. He is a Prince, nothing and no one got in his way. He had always been alone, with no one to worry about, and no one to care about him. Why should this all change now?

"Why am I spending so much time trying to persuade myself. All this thinking is giving me a nauseating headache. I've been with many whores before, what makes this one so different? She's just a loud-mouthed, short tempered, aggravating, sexy...." He paused, then growled out loud in annoyance. "I'm losing my mind! I need to spar." He rubbed his temples in a massaging motion as he shot off for Goku's house.

****

Goku didn't know what was happening when he was suddenly dragged from his house and into an open clearing. All he could comprehend was Chi Chi's loud cursing slowly fading away in the background.

"What's the matter Vegeta?" Goku asked as he rose to his feet.

"I wish to spar." Vegeta answered arrogantly.

"Okay, Chi Chi has Gohan studying, so I don't have anyone to spar with anyway."

Vegeta grunted in disgust at the thought of a child of Saiyan descent having his nose stuck in a book.

"Why do you let your mate order you around Kakarott?"

"Well," Goku thought for a moment, "because I love her." He said matter-of-factly.

"Hmph," Vegeta smirked. "Love is an imaginary thing that fools like you use as an excuse for their weaknesses. It is only a dream, a fantasy, a blindfold from reality."

Goku just laughed and shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe Vegeta, but a little break from reality never hurt anybody. It might even do you some good. Besides, love isn't a weakness, it's a power."

As Goku powered up, preparing for their fight, Vegeta pondered over his rival's almost wise response. But soon shook the thought completely from his mind. He had come to fight, not contemplate the universe with a dull-witted idiot. Then he powered up too.

Goku did not go Super Saiyan at first because he thought it would be unfair for Vegeta. But Vegeta insisted he hold nothing back from him, so Goku reluctantly obliged. With blonde hair and turqoise eyes he attacked the Saiyan Prince with a fairly large ki ball. Vegeta quickly dodged the blast, but it still grazed his arm. He retaliated with his own ki ball that merely disintigrated against Goku's chest, leaving a small, insignificant burn mark.

"That tickles." Goku smiled and scratched the spot.

This only infuriated Vegeta who rushed in to punch Goku in the stomach. Using as much force as he could, he thrust his fist against Goku's body, just under the rib cage. To his surprise, Goku barely flinched. A huge grin spread across Goku's face as he returned the favor square on Vegeta's jaw and sent him flying back twenty yards into the dust.

"Are you sure you don't want me to power down a little Vegeta?"

Vegeta staggered to his feet. "Just shut up and fight Kakarott!" He ordered as he whiped the blood from his split lip.

'I can feel the power inside me. Why can't I tap into it? I must defeat Kakarott!'

Vegeta flew into the air, and Goku followed him. They were soon in hand-to-hand combat, kicking and punching each other. Both landed a few blows that made contact, but most of them were in Goku's favor. One final blow sent Vegeta flying into the ground with a bone-breaking crash. Goku floated down and landed beside his battered opponent.

"I think that's enough for today Vegeta." He offered his hand to assist Vegeta to his feet, but it was refused.

"Fine Kakarott! If you feel too weak to go on." Vegeta said sarcastically, rising to his unstable feet.

"Do you need help getting back to Capsule Corp.?

"I don't need your help Kakarott, I'm fine!"

"Well, goodbye Vegeta." Vegeta only grunted his acknowledgment as Goku left to return home.

****

Bulma set the table as her mother carried in the delicious food she had prepared. Dr. Briefs joined them as they sat down to say grace before eating their meal. He had barely said "amen" when the front door swung open and then slammed shut. Vegeta stomped into the dining room, dirty and battered like he always had, and sat down at the table opposite Bulma. He never even slightly glanced at her as he piled his plate high with food and began to devour it. This puzzled Bulma. He was acting as if nothing had changed.

'What's the matter with him?' She thought to herself.

She extended her leg under the table and gently ran her foot up the side of his leg. But he didn't even flinch, there was no reaction at all! She began to worry. She slid her foot up higher and brushed the inside of his thigh. Still nothing! She quickly recoiled her leg as her thoughts from earlier flooded into her mind.

'Maybe I was wrong, and he doesn't have any feelings for me. Maybe it was just out of lust.' She blinked back hot tears as she rose from the table and excused herself. She exited the room slowly, so as not to betray her true emotions. But as soon as she came to the bottom of the stairs, she ran as fast as she could to her room where she threw herself on her bed and buried her face in her pillow.

****

Vegeta burst through the door, slamming it as he entered, then preceded to the dining room. He would behave like he always had. He would ignore her and her family as usual and mind his own business. Sitting down at the table just as they finished praying, he filled his plate and began eating. He refused to make eye contact with or speak to anyone.

Then he felt it.

A foot gently glided up and down the side of his calf. He knew it was her, the touch of her soft skin nearly made him shudder, but he ignored it. It was like electricity shooting through him, making his whole body tingle. The only way he managed to keep a straight face and remain unphased was from his years of practice. Then it stopped. For a brief second she paused her movement. But just as he started to relax-thinking her seductive torture was over-she quickly slid her foot between his thighs.

'Oh, CRAP!!!' He screamed in his head, just barely managing to ignore her. "What is she trying to do to me? She's slick. Trying to catch me off guard and make me slip. But I won't give in.......ooooooh, that feels soooo good........NO! She can't break me!' He continued eating his dinner and never even glanced up from his plate. Bulma's foot soon gave up and returned to its original location under the table. A half a minute later she excused herself from the table and left the room.

****

"I'll show him! I'm not just some play thing that he can use whenever he damn feels like it! He'll be sorry he ever messed with Bulma Briefs."

She picked up the phone beside her bed and dialed the number to Yamcha's house. She was going to make Vegeta realize what he had passed up.

"Hello, Yamcha? I feel like going out tonight, can you come over and pick me up?......Okay, be here in a half hour, I'll be wearing that dress you like......Bye.

She hung up the phone. An evil grin came to her lips when she tried to picture Vegeta's face when Yamcha came to take her out. She stood up and strolled over to her closet where she pulled out the dress she would wear. Once she put it on, she stepped over to her mirror to admire herself.

"Wait til Vegeta gets an eye full of me."

The silver sequined dress was made of a breezy material that seemed to float with every movement. When the light from her lamp shown on her, the dress sparkled like a million tiny stars. It looked as if it were made from the mold of her body, fitting every curve nicely. She curled her hair into large, broad curls that looked like the waves of the ocean, due to her aqua colored hair.

About five minutes later, Bulma heard the doorbell ring and she hurried downstairs. She was greeted by her mother, Yamcha, and a huge bouquet of roses.

"Yamcha, they're beautiful, you shouldn't have. Where did you get them on such short notice?" She took the flowers and inhaled their aroma.

Yamcha shrugged his shoulders. "I have connections, and nothing is too good for you. By the way, you're looking radiant tonight." Bulma smiled and took the roses to a nearby vase in clear view of the living room, where Vegeta just so happened to be (^_~). Vegeta casually glanced in her direction to see who was at the door. When his eyes fell on Bulma's attire the breath quickly left his lungs. Bulma felt his eyes upon her and jerked her head towards him. She narrowed her deep blue eyes into a freezing glare.

"What are you staring at?" She hissed disgustedly.

Vegeta looked her up and down before he answered, "Absolutely nothing. Is your pimp taking you to work?"

Bulma let out a low growl before she turned and walked back to the front door, purposfully swaying her hips.

"Ready to go?" Yamcha asked.

"Yeah," she replied, smiling.

Mrs. Briefs stood in the doorway and waved to them as Bulma and Yamcha got into his hover car and drove off.

*****

The car stopped infront of a large building covered in blinking neon lights. A valet attendant came and opened the passenger side door for Bulma, then Yamcha came around and handed him the keys. Bulma wrapped her arms around Yamcha's right arm as the couple entered the club.

The large room was full of people who were happily talking to one another. There was a bar off to one side where many large men were drunk and laughing loudly. The club restaurant was in the front and the large dance floor was in the middle of the room where a crowd of people was dancing to loud music. Bulma and Yamcha walked to the restaurant where a waitor led them to a table. Yamcha pulled out a chair for Bulma to sit in.

"Thank you." She said smiling, almost blushing.

After eating a delicious meal Yamcha got up from the table.

"Excuse me honey, I have to use the little boys' room. I'll be right back."

"Alright, don't take too long," she said.

Yamcha walked through the crowd of people and soon disappeared from sight. Bulma sat at the table and watched, as if in a transe, the happy people on the dance floor swaying to a slow love song. She was focusing so much on the people dancing that she didn't notice the large figure approaching her.

"Care to dance?" asked a gruff voice.

Bulma looked up, startled. She saw a very large man, obviously drunk, standing beside her table.

"No thank you, I'm here on a date." She tried to smile and sound polite.

"Come on baby, just a quick little dance."

"That's ok, maybe later."

Bulma stood up and smiled to the man as she tried to calmly walk away. But before she could get very far he grabbed her arm.

"You're gonna dance with me!" he oredered as he spun her around and roughly grabbed her other arm.

Bulma struggled, "Let me go!" She looked around frantically for help.

Suddenly she caught a glimps of Yamcha through the crowd. He was sitting at the bar talking to some blonde bombshell! Bulma was enraged and tried to call for help, but no one could hear her over the loud music that had started to play.

*****

Vegeta had begun to bore from watching TV. He was getting clausterphobia from being inside the house for so long and wanted to do something. But he had already changed out of his armor and didn't feel like putting it back on to train. So he thought a fly in the night air would be nice.

He wasn't flying anywhere in particular and soon found himdelf hovering over Satan City. A certain building caught his eye below him. It was flashing with bright colored lights and his sensitive Saiyan ears picked up loud music coming from inside.

"A party. This might be fun." Vegeta smirked as he flew to the entrance of the club.

The attendant at the door stood dumbfounded at the sight of a man hovering in mid air and landing in front of him. Vegeta just shoved the poor man aside and entered the building. He looked over the crowd of people and spotted what he was looking for.

As he made his way for the bar a beautiful woman with raven hair threw herself at him and asked if he wanted to dance. Vegeta casually cast her aside, she in turn threw a few choice words at him before she picked out another guy.

Vegeta made room for himself at the bar by throwing a few weaklings out of his way. He slammed his fists on the counter and demanded he be served.

"Yes sir, what can I get you?" the bartender asked.

"Taquilla Sunrise. And hurry it up!"

The bartender quickly poured the drink and set it in front of Vegeta. He downed the liquid in one gulp and turned to glance at the other people at the bar. He chuckled to himself when he saw Yamcha a few feet down the bar with a blonde slut sitting on his lap.

"What a coincidence. The woman and her weakling boyfriend are here as well. And what a surprise, he's cheating on her already."

Vegeta started to laugh again when his ears picked up something. It was a woman calling for help. But the voice sounded familiar to him.

"What has that woman got herself into now?" he asked himself, annoyed.

Her calls became more insistant now, and Vegeta sensed sincere fear in her voice. He growled and mentally hit himself for becoming so soft.

*****

"Let me go! HELP!" Bulma struggled to get out of the man's grasp but was not strong enough.

"Ahhh come on, just one little dance babe." The big man was amused at her attempt to break free and started to laugh.

"I said NO! Now for the last time LET ME GO!"

Bulma's arms were beginning to hurt because the man was holding her too hard and she was exhausted. She tried to make one last attempt to break his grasp. Suddenly the pressure on her arms was lifted and she fell to the ground. When she looked up, the man was gone, there was a loud crash, and women were screaming in the distance.

She was too tired from her struggle to stand up right away. She just sat on the ground in bewilderment, wondering what had just happened. Then someone grabbed her from behind and stood her up. She turned around, only to find herself face to face with the arrogant Saiyan Prince.

"YOU!" Bulma pushed him away from her.

But when he let go she began to sway and nearly fell again. Vegeta caught her and pick her up in his arms.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, disgusted at the thought of him touching her again.

"Shut up woman. You're lucky I am here." Vegeta said as he made his way through the crowd of onlookers.

Vegeta didn't like the people staring at him so he went for the nearest exit, which just so happened to be the one he had just made with the other man's body. He carried Bulma through the large opening in the wall and had to step over the motionless body of the large man. Bulma looked in shock at the size of the hole in the wall and crumpled body that lay on the ground.

'Vegeta saved me.' She thought. 'But why?'

Vegeta took to the sky in flight. Bulma tightened her grip around Vegeta's neck and buried her face in his chest. She didn't open her eyes again until she felt Vegeta set her down on the balcony to her room.

By this time she was able to stand a little. Neither of them said a word as she opened the sliding glass door to her room and entered. Vegeta turned and was about to leave when she stopped him.

"Vegeta?" she asked.

He only stopped and grunted over his shoulder.

"Thank you....for helping me," she said softly. Vegeta turned his head and looked at her with uncertainty.

"You're welcome," he mumbled under his breath as he quickly flew from the balcony.

Bulma smiled as she watched him leave, then she shut the door.


*Well what did you think? Like? Hate? Please review, I'd love some suggestions.*