Bulma sat at the table, pushing her food around on her plate. Dr. Briefs studied her for a moment, and then set down his fork.

"Bulma, honey, is there something wrong?"

"No daddy, I'm fine," she replied, not looking up at him.

"Bulma, you can't lie to me. I'm a scientist and you are showing obvious signs of distress. Little or no appetite, refusal to make eye contact to…"

"How long has Vegeta been in the gravity room?"

"What?"

"How long has he been training?"

"Um…a few days perhaps?"

"This is stupid." Bulma stood up and made her way to the counter grabbing a large Tupperware bowl from the top shelf and started to fill it with food. "If he's too proud to ask for help, then I'll just have to start 'conveniently' taking his meals to the Gravitron." After filling up the bowl completely, she walked outside, leaving the Briefs smiling and nodding.

~*~

Bulma entered her code and the gravity generator slowly tuned down, going slowly so that the sudden drop wouldn't send Vegeta flying into the ceiling or anything. The large steel door shot up when the gravity was completely off and stepped inside. Looking around, she set down the bowl and scratched her head, looking for Vegeta. She was about to call out for him when she spotted a large mass huddled in a corner, shaking uncontrollably. Bulma stopped for a moment; her breath caught in her throat, and walked over to Vegeta. He was sitting with his back to her, his arms around his knees, hugging his legs to his body. She listened to his erratic, heavy breathing for a moment and watched his sweaty back glisten as it shook. And she realized he was on the verge of tears. Bulma didn't think that she could handle seeing Vegeta cry. She hated it when a grown man cried, but she could handle it, but not with Vegeta. Vegeta couldn't cry, he wasn't supposed to. Bulma leaned down and placed her hand on his shoulder, jumping when his already tense muscles bunched up under her touch. She held her breath, thinking he'd hit her or order her out, but when he didn't, she thought she'd push her luck a little, and walked in front of him, never pulling her hand away from his shoulder. She crouched in front of him and looked into his eyes. Tears hadn't started to well up in them yet, but they were bloodshot and his face was pale. Immediately, Bulma started acting on instinct and she pushed his knees down and sat in his lap, putting her arms around him, rubbing his back, and murmuring to him. The next thing she knew she was shoved against the wall of the gravity chamber, Vegeta glaring down at her with a strange look in his eyes.