Never (Ch.2)

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball or any of its characters. This story is not meant to parallel any real-life people or events; the author apologizes if it does.

Vegeta arrived at the hospital and casually strolled through the entrance. "Woman, tell me which room Bulma Briefs is in." Offended at his rudeness, the nurse replied, "Room 127. And sir, please watch your manners." Vegeta snorted and turned towards the hall leading to the patient rooms. Reaching Room 127, he went in without knocking.

As the door opened, Vegeta first saw Mr. and Mrs. Briefs sitting on two chairs against the wall. They didn't look extremely upset; Dr. Briefs was pouring a cup of water and Mrs. Briefs had Baby Trunks asleep in her arms. ' I knew it. Stupid woman is just fine.' Dr. Briefs turned towards the door as Vegeta walked in. "Vegeta! Thank goodness you came. We weren't sure if you saw our note or not. Look Bulma! Vegeta's here to see you!" For the first time since Vegeta had entered the room, he glanced over at Bulma.

As he expected, Bulma looked perfectly normal except for a few scratches on her cheek. The same blue-green hair...same vibrant blue eyes...except there was a confused look in her eyes that Vegeta didn't quite understand. "Woman, why are you looking at me like that? Oh, I know. You missed me", Vegeta smirked. Bulma didn't answer him. Instead she turned to her parents and with a curious voice, asked, "Mom...Dad? Who is that guy? And Mom, whose baby are you holding?"

Bulma's mother laughed. "Honey, you silly. That's Vegeta! And I'm holding Trunks! Your whole family is here to seeif you're okay!" Bulma smiled. "Thanks, mom. I'm okay, really I am. I'm sorry for worrying you and Dad. Vegeta, it's nice to meet you. Are you a coworker of my father's?" Vegeta's left eyebrow rose. "Woman, stop speaking nonsense. Can we please go home now? I'm tired." Bulma's eyes flashed. "My name is Bulma, and who the hell is keeping you from going home! Mom, Dad – let's check out of the hospital. That asshole over there is getting impatient, plus I have work to do at home in the lab. Mom, go give the baby back to whoever his mom is. She should be missing him." Mrs. Briefs nervously giggled and said, "Bulma...you're kidding, right? Haha, it's good to see you have a sense of humor even after the accident! Right, hun?" She looked over at her husband, but Dr. Briefs remained silent, looking strangely at Bulma. "Bulma, are you sure you've never met Vegeta and Trunks before?" "Um...yes Dad...did I meet them at some corporation party that I forgot?", asked Bulma. Dr. Briefs closed his eyes for a second, opened them and said with a quiet voice, "Bulma, why don't you pack up these things? Vegeta, your mom, and I will go check out of hospital." "Sure thing, dad. I'll meet you in the lobby."

Outside, Dr. Briefs pulled his wife and Vegeta aside. "I think Bulma may have lost a certain part of her memory...but it might return after a while. I think it's best if we don't tell her about her real relationship with Vegeta and Trunks...she might work herself into a panic and break down. After all, she really doesn't remember having any previous contact with them." Vegeta frowned and said, "The woman will be fine. She'll probably remember everything tomorrow. She'd better remember. I need someone to cook and fix the gravity machine, and you, old man, are probably too weak to keep up with me." With that, Vegeta flew off into the night, headed back towards Capsule Corps.

In the car, Bulma noticed that her mother was still holding the baby. "Mom, what in the world are you doing with someone else's child! The mother is going to think her son is missing!" Mrs. Briefs glanced at her husband and replied, "Oh, um...his mother asked me to take care of him for a few days. She and her husband wanted to go on a long vacation." Bulma shook her head and let the matter drop.

When they arrived home, Bulma walked into the kitchen to see Vegeta sitting at the table. "What the HELL are you doing here! Who gave you the right to barge into my house without permission! WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM!", Bulma yelled. Vegeta merely looked at Bulma and calmly stated, "I live here. Now make me food." Bulma raged, "Are you INSANE! This is MY house. YOU, sir, are a STRANGER." Dr. Briefs came running into the kitchen to see what the screaming was about. Seeing the scene before him, he quickly said, "Oh Bulma dear, I forgot to mention...Vegeta is temporarily staying here as our guest. He does actually live here." Vegeta smirked. "I told you so, woman. Now make me food. I'm starving." Before Bulma could become any angrier, Mrs. Briefs walked in and said, "Vegeta, why don't you go upstairs to take a shower and I'll make you dinner. Food will be ready by the time you're done showering." "Fine", Vegeta replied and strolled towards the stairway. Behind him, Mrs. Briefs told her daughter, "Vegeta's really not that bad after you know him for a while. Try to be nice to him! Who knows...maybe you two will be a couple one day..."

With a snort of disgust, Bulma answered, "Me and that arrogant jerk? Never. I'd rather die before I dated him."

Halfway up the stairs, Vegeta heard Bulma's reply. Pausing in his steps, no one saw his eyes darken and his fists clench as he heard Bulma utter the word, "Never".