Never (Ch. 8)

Bulma let out a shocked gasp and yelp before collapsing onto Goku. Horror struck through Vegeta, cold as ice and sharp as a dagger. Goku roared at Vegeta, "You blockhead! What are you trying to do, kill her!" He gently laid Bulma down on the ground, then hurriedly searched for a pulse. Looking up at Vegeta, he stated, "You're lucky she's still breathing...but she'll still need to be taken care of." Coming out of the daze, Vegeta stalked over to where his wife lay. "I don't need you to state the obvious, Kakarrot. I can and will take care of my wife. That blast was meant for you, by the way." Picking Bulma up into his arms, Vegeta straightened then shot up into the sky. As he took off towards Capsule Corps, Goku sighed and quietly said under his breath, "Take good care of her, Vegeta. Lord knows she deserves it." Then, to Gohan, he weakly smiled and shrugged. "Let's go home."

Back at Capsule Corps, Vegeta laid his wife down on their bed, taking care not to hurt her anymore. When he'd walked in the front door, Bulma's parents had come rushing over, concerned about their daughter's well being. However, one hard look from Vegeta had kept them at arm's distance, and there was nothing they could do except trust Vegeta when he'd said, "She'll be fine. I'll make sure of it." Now, standing over his wife's limp body, Vegeta felt a surge of remorse. How could he have been so careless? Stupid too...for even thinking of firing a blast. Shaking his head, Vegeta focused on his wife. Regret could come later after Bulma was in a better condition. Digging through the room for a senzu bean, he finally found one hidden in a drawer underneath numerous clothes piles. After he forced Bulma to swallow it, he walked to the bathroom and wetted a cloth with warm water. Laying the cloth on Bulma's forehead, Vegeta stared at his wife for a moment. Even in her sleep, she was gorgeous. Letting out another sigh, he sunk down and sat against the wall near the bed, waiting for Bulma to recover.

Couple hours later, Bulma shifted in bed and became aware of the comfort and warmness surrounding her. Her big blue eyes slowly opened and looked around before coming to focus on the man sitting against the wall. With a tiny smile, Bulma opened her mouth and let out a soft, "Hey." Vegeta's head snapped up and black eyes met blue ones. Bulma made a move to get out of bed but was instantly stopped by Vegeta. Gruffly, he said, "You shouldn't move. You're probably still weak from that blast I gave you..." A flash of guilt appeared in Vegeta's eyes before he looked away. Bulma sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "Vegeta, it's okay. I know it wasn't on purpose...even I know you don't hate me THAT much." She managed to let out a weak chuckle. When Vegeta made no reply, Bulma spoke again. "Vegeta...I had a dream. I saw me...playing with Trunks, holding him, feeding him...you were there too. Even though it was a dream, I felt such a strong sense of love and happiness...how is our son anyway?" Vegeta's heart skipped a beat. His eyes searched his wife's face, trying to find a clue. "Woman, has your memory returned? Do you remember everything that happened?"

With a short pause, Bulma shook her head. "No...Vegeta, I don't. Things are still blurry in my mind, but you know what Vegeta? Earlier today...at Yamcha's, I decided that I don't care anymore whether or not I remember the past. What matters to me now is whether or not I can build a happy future. I know you care a lot about me, even though you don't show it...and as for me, I feel a strong attraction to you too. I don't doubt that soon, I'll be able to love you. As for Trunks...I think that my dream may have been my subconscious confirming my maternal instinct. Besides, I can see the resemblance he has of you and me." Bulma had walked over to Vegeta and was now standing in front of him. Placing her hands on his shoulders, she looked up into his eyes. "I'm sorry I can't remember what happened between us...but I'm not sorry that I get a chance to fall in love with you all over again." With a dazzling smile, she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged her husband.

Vegeta, on the other hand, was truly shocked. Not only did Bulma not blame him for the blast, but she was also willing to try and return to how things were before the accident. Vegeta closed his eyes. He would never say it out loud, but he knew he was damn lucky to have a wife like Bulma. Slowly, only with the slightest hesitation present, he wrapped his arms around his wife and hugged her back.

A minute later, the door burst open. Gohan flounced in, unaware that he was interrupting a rare tender moment between Vegeta and Bulma. "Vegeta! Is Bulma okay now? Dad sent me over to check up on her-" His words died as he saw the two locked in a tight hug. Vegeta pulled away quickly, blushing red in the cheeks. He glared at the boy and let out a roar, "OUT!" Gohan jumped. "Already there!" With that, he turned and ran as fast as his little feet could carry him.

Bulma laughed. "No need to be so harsh, Vegeta. Now turn your face to the left." Vegeta blinked. "What?" Bulma smirked. "Hello? You fired a blast at me! Sure, I forgive you and all...but you didn't think I was gonna let you off that easy, did you?" Vegeta frowned. "Woman, you're being silly." Bulma crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. Vegeta sighed. "Fine..." Turning his head, Vegeta rolled his eyes. A second passed...two seconds...Vegeta began to get just a tad annoyed. "Would you hurr-" SLAP. Bulma's palm came down fast and hard, slapping Vegeta's face with a satisfactory crack. Vegeta whirled to look at Bulma. "You actually slapped me!" Bulma sweetly smiled and said in a sugary voice, "Of course I did, dearest. Now if you'll excuse me, I want to go check up on Trunks." With that, she walked out the door.

Vegeta stood there, momentarily stunned. Shaking his head, he let out a loud but relieved sigh. Life with Bulma was, and always would be, an adventure.

The End...or do you guys want an epilogue?