DISCLAIMER: I do not own nor am I associated with Dragonball Z or any of it's franchise. If I was, maybe I would not be as broke as I am. However, I do own this story, the Squalls, and King Tidus-take them and die!

LAST TIME ON 'RUNNING THROUGH THE HALLS':

"Yes, me." Bulma felt herself lose her balance in her desperation of getting away from this insane guy. A delicate hand instinctively reached out to grab something, but it found nothing but the tablecloth. Although her balance was restored, she caused several bottles of wine and punch to topple over and spill all over her dress. Gasps and whispers could be heard as the queen's head snapped up to meet the laughing gaze of her abuser.

Without another word, Bulma turned around and pushed her way through the crowds until she was free. Tearing open the door to the ballroom, she went sprinting down the halls of the ship, oblivious to wherever she was going. Tears streamed down her pale face as she blindly ran. Bulma was running past a darkened corner when an arm from the shadows reached out and captured her.

~*~*~*~*~

Chapter 10: A Cry in the Dark

A small shriek barely escaped Bulma's mouth before a hand was roughly clamped over it, smothering any other sound that might have hoped to escape. She felt her heart pounding in her ears and the blood drain from her face as her back was pressed tightly against a rock hard chest. Desperate, Bulma bit down on the hand over her mouth, feeling success streaming through her veins as the owner of the hand let out a stream of curses.

"Stupid wench," a voice hissed into her ear. "First you embarrass me by creating a scene and running out without so much as an explanation, now you would try to bite me?!"

Bulma felt as if the blood in her body froze as time seemed to stand still. 'That voice.' she thought as she wrenched her head around enough to stare into her capturer's eyes.

"Vegeta," she whimpered. All of the sudden, Bulma's teeth began to chatter and she was no longer able to hold herself up as her knees gave out. She would have fallen if Vegeta's strong arm had not been holding her up. Vegeta uncovered her mouth with his hand and shifted her so that he could still hold her up, since she was still unable to do so, but could also look at her face.

"Yes woman, it's me. Who else were you expecting?"

Bulma barely even heard the sarcasm in his voice as she looked into his eyes. Everything still had not yet settled down in her head. The dream, the action following it, the man from her dream, the arm in the dark.It all suddenly became too much for her as a sob escaped her and she buried her head in his chest, desperate to be free from the images that swam through her mind.

Confused at the way she clung to him and her sudden show of emotion, there was little that Vegeta could do besides hold her. He may be good at many things, but comforting someone was not one of his known attributes.

Just as he was about to question her actions throughout the evening, Vegeta froze.

An unknown ki seemed to be lurking near them. The owner of the ki must have sensed that Vegeta knew they were there, and went tearing in the opposite direction. Frowning, he picked up the still-sobbing Bulma and carried her to their room. Upon reaching the door, he kicked it open and carried her inside. Gently placing her on the bed, Vegeta turned to go; however, he found himself restrained. Looking back, he stared into Bulma's questioning eyes.

"Where are you going?" Bulma asked with as much control as possible. The quivering in her voice did not go unnoticed by her husband.

"Business," was his curt answer. A wave of remorse washed over Vegeta as he saw the anger and fear leap back into her eyes. "I shall return shortly. Lock the door when I leave and let no one in." Before Bulma could open her mouth to protest, he was gone. The click of the door finalized his leave and Bulma suddenly felt afraid again. She was alone. Alone again with her thoughts, feelings, and dream.

The dream..

Suddenly, Bulma bolted out of bed, ran to the door, and locked it as fast as she could. She turned and faced the room, a shiver running down her spine; the blackness of the room did not help to ease her fears or discomfort in the least. 'Lock the door and let no one in.' Vegeta's words echoed through her head. Did he know? Did he see the way the black-haired stranger stared and talked to her? Perhaps Vegeta saw him run into the halls? No, that was not possible; she had left far too quickly for that, and the man had still been standing by the refreshment table.

Exhausted and still terrified, Bulma collapsed once again onto the black silk sheets of the bed. She did not even bother to change, still wearing her wine-stained dress. She closed her eyes and let the blackness of sleep take over her.

~*~*~*~*~

And this was how Vegeta found her. Two hours later, he finally returned to his room. Frowning as he found the door unlocked, he made a mental note to talk to her in the morning about obeying orders. As he stepped in the room, Vegeta felt a chuckle rise in his throat as he stared at his wife.

She had fallen asleep still completely dressed. Although the dress had been ruined, it would still do her no good to sleep in it, except to have her itchy and scratchy when she awoke.

Sighing, Vegeta walked over to her, slightly cringing when he noticed how her tiara dug into her head. He gently lifted her head to remove the crown from the tangle of her long blue tresses. Next, Vegeta attempted to roll Bulma over in order to get her out of the dress, but, disobeying him even while she dreamed, she simply rolled back over. An impatient growl escaped Vegeta as he grabbed the gown and tore it right down the middle; it was ruined anyways. Surprisingly, Bulma did little more than stir slightly. Vegeta then proceeded to remove her bra, shoes, and stockings. Upon seeing her bare breasts, Vegeta felt a quickening within his body, and quickly turned to grab her nightgown. He thought that his longing would die as he slipped the material over her, but the tight silk black nightgown did nothing except make her look even more delicious. Groaning in exasperation, Vegeta quickly stripped down himself and crawled under the covers next to her, careful not to touch her.

~*~*~*~*~

Bulma awoke with a start. Panic streaked through her veins for a moment or two until she realized where she was. Looking to the side, she noticed her stained dress lying in ruins by the bed. Confused, she looked down at her new attire before her eyes landed on her husband. 'When did he come back?' Bulma thought dryly, remembering how he just dumped her and left.

"Stupid ass," she muttered as she started to lie back down. Abruptly, a movement in the shadowed corner of the room caught her eye and she froze. Her blood seemed to run cold as the shadow stepped forward and the light from the moon highlighted their face.

"You!" Bulma choked out.

"For the second time tonight, yes, me," the shadow answered.

Bulma could not move nor think. It was he! How did he get into this room with Vegeta lying right next to her?!

"How did you get in here?" Bulma cursed herself mentally for being unable to keep the quivering fear out of her voice. Unfortunately, her stalker picked it up as well.

"Well, it's quite simple, you see. I simply just picked the lock.." The dark-haired stranger droned on as he started to stalk towards Bulma. Choking in fright, she backed up on the bed before running into something solid.

Vegeta.

"Vegeta!" she cried in a panic, desperate to wake him up. "Vegeta!" she shook him even harder, yet it had no effect on him.

The intruder laughed at her valid attempts.

"Looks like your little hubby doesn't care so much about you now, does he?" He laughed as he grabbed her foot and yanked her toward him. Shrieking, Bulma frantically grabbed onto her sleeping husband. She kicked her foot free from her attacker's hold and curled into a shaking ball against a completely still Vegeta. The dark man simply laughed even harder.

"You think that by hiding your face against your sleeping husband will protect you from me?! HA!! I am far stronger than you, don't think that you can evade me just by hiding from me!" With that, Bulma felt a strong arm wrap around her waist, pulling her from Vegeta.

"NO!" she shrieked as she clenched her eyes shut and hung onto Vegeta for dear life. Her soon-to-be kidnapper simply laughed even harder at her. Yet in the midst of her fear, Bulma could have sworn she heard a futile voice calling her name.

"Bulma..BULMA!."

~*~*~*~*~

It was Vegeta's turn to awaken with a start when he felt someone threaten to cut off the circulation of his body. Glancing down, he saw his little wife clutching to him as if her life depended on it. A scowl adorned his face once more as he opened his mouth to question her when he heard a cry emit from her lips.

"No! Get away..Vegeta!" Vegeta froze when he heard his name in a tortured cry. 'What the hell is going on?' As she curled into a trembling ball against his chest, he snapped out of his trance.

"Bulma." he began quietly as he tried to detach her from his chest.

"NO!" A heart-wrenching sob tore at Vegeta's heart as she clasped him even more.

"Woman!" Vegeta cried even louder, forcing Bulma onto her back as he loomed over her. "Onna! Wake up!" Her head continued to thrash from side to side and she pushed against him. Her eyes were halfway open, but she still wasn't completely there.

"Bulma!" Vegeta threaded his fingers through hers and held her hands on either side of her head in an attempt to save his eyes from being gouged out. Now he was starting to get worried; she wasn't responding to him at all.

"BULMA!" The last cry reached her as the glaze lifted from her eyes and she suddenly went very still. Her eyes darted around as she took in her surroundings. Slowly, bit by bit, everything began to register. She stared into her looming husband's eyes, which looked down at her with confusion.

"What in the hell was that all about?" Vegeta demanded in a low voice. Bulma could not help the sudden quivering of her body or the tears that threatened to escape her eyes any longer. Her hands pushed against Vegeta's which held her captive, which surprisingly let her free. For the second time that night, her arms snaked their way around his neck and she buried her face from the world.

Vegeta sighed in confusion and weariness. He wanted to know what was going on, but he would not push the matter tonight; not when she was so scared and exhausted. Gently, Vegeta rolled to her side and enveloped her into his arms. He kissed her forehead and soothingly rubbed her back as she continued to quietly let all of her fears out.

***Alright, I know that that chapter held no real significance, but it did bring Bulma and Vegeta closer. You'll find out the meaning of the dream later (probably the next chapter). Did you guys like? Thank you so much to those of you who reviewed!! I got past 100!! WOOHOO!!! I love you all!!***