The mall at Christmastime was always crowded, and that afternoon was no different. Nevertheless, Bulma walked into Bloomingdale's confidently, dragging a grumbling Vegeta behind her.

"Shut up!" Bulma quietly snapped at him. "You're embarrassing me. Besides, this is entirely your fault."

"MY fault? I believe it was YOUR bloody machine that broke down!"

"Well, who's been using that 'bloody machine'?" Vegeta chose to continue mumbling instead of answering the question. Suddenly, something caught Bulma's eye. "Ooh, look at THIS dress!" She dashed over to the nearest rack and picked up a simple black evening gown with a twist near the top. "It's Vera Wang!" Vegeta eyed it warily.

"I don't know… it looks ugly."

Bulma giggled. "I have to try it on to see how it really looks." Vegeta frowned even deeper.

"How long will THAT take?" Lucky for him, Bulma didn't hear that comment because she had found another black dress, this time with an asymmetrical neck line.

"Here Vegeta, hold these." Vegeta suddenly found himself carrying a pile of dresses. Satisfied, Bulma started to guide him to the fitting room but right before she entered, she paused. Vegeta did the same.

"What's wrong, woman?" he hissed. Instead of replying, Bulma motioned for him to follow quietly. Curiosity got the better of Vegeta, and soon they were both hiding behind a rack of dresses. He repeated his question.

"I think I saw Yamcha. I want to see what he's up to." Vegeta rolled his eyes while Bulma parted the dresses. She gasped and hurriedly pushed the fabric back together.

"What's wrong NOW?" Vegeta moaned. Bulma, now very pale, either didn't hear or didn't want to answer. She unsteadily rose to her feet, but soon was back in command.

"Come with me. I have an idea." Vegeta moaned again, but followed her with the plethora of dresses. Eventually, he found himself on tile; Bulma was crossing over into a different department. Vegeta looked at the sign above.

"Lin… linger…?" he tried to read as they pressed on.

"It's lingerie." She motioned for him to stop. Now Yamcha was in view, his back turned toward them, facing a blonde-haired girl in a tight yellow miniskirt and a blue tube top. She was rifling through some very showy bras and was holding one up every so often for Yamcha to see. Determinedly Bulma marched up right behind him.

"Oh what a PLEASANT surprise," she said loudly. Yamcha went rigid and slowly turned around to stare at Bulma. She glared up at him while the blonde tugged on his sleeve.

"Bulma," Yamcha said nervously, "what are you doing here?"

"Do you KNOW her?" the blonde asked, clearly confused.

"Of course he does. I'm his GIRLFRIEND." She then glanced at Yamcha before adding, "Or WAS."

"Aw, but Bulma, you don't understand, Stacy—uh, this girl works here. She was helping me pick out something for you."

"Oh, really?" Bulma snapped back. "Since when did Bloomingdale's employees wear spandex?" Yamcha opened his mouth to reply, but Stacy unintentionally cut in.

"Wait a minute," Stacy asked, "who's that?" She pointed at Vegeta, who had been lounging on a nylon rack, waiting for Bulma to finish. When he looked up, he found all eyes on him. Bulma smiled at Vegeta and winked.

"Since my BOYFRIEND seems to like dating SLUTS, I decided to get a new one. Yamcha, you know Vegeta." The look on Yamcha's face was almost comical.

"Bulma, how…how could you DO this to me?" Bulma laughed at his weak reasoning.

"I figured since you've cheated on me SO many times, I'd try it out for myself." She walked over to Vegeta and affectionately draped her arms around his neck. Before Vegeta could react, she whispered so only he could hear, "Play along, or else." Knowing that his training room depended on the outcome of this trip, Vegeta wrapped his arm around Bulma's waist and pulled her closer, smirking.

Yamcha turned red. "I thought we were going to La Vie tonight."

"I was going to call you about that, but I was just so busy…." Bulma left the sentence unfinished and grinned mischievously at Vegeta.

"La Vie?" Stacy piped up. "Baby, you told me WE were going tonight." She tugged on Yamcha's sleeve, but failed to get his attention. He was staring at his girlfriend, who was cuddling with the man that once killed him.

"But…," Yamcha started. Then he narrowed his eyes. "Impossible." Careful to hide any contrary emotions, Bulma pressed herself even closer to Vegeta.

"How so?"

"It doesn't sound right to me." Bulma's mind ferociously tried to think of a good explanation.

"Well, maybe you should get your hearing checked," Vegeta sneered. Bulma was surprised to hear him speak up. "I don't know why she even dated you in the first place." Yamcha turned to Bulma.

"So it's true?" Yamcha asked. "Then prove it."

This was the last thing that she expected him to say. It must have been panic that possessed her, because only a panicked person would do what Bulma did: without hesitation, she grabbed Vegeta's face and fervently pressed her lips to his.

When Bulma finally surfaced for air, Yamcha grabbed Stacy's hand. "We're leaving!" he called over his shoulder. Bulma didn't notice. She and Vegeta were both breathing hard, drained after the uncomfortable kiss. The outraged Saiyan suddenly stood up, letting the dresses drop to the floor.

"What the HELL was THAT for?" he whispered loudly, in case Bulma was in the arguing mood.

She was.

"Hey, I was just trying to play the part. You know, this wouldn't have happened if SOMEONE didn't BLOW UP my bathroom!" she whispered back, grabbing all the dresses lying on the floor.

"Do you mean to tell me that you STILL want to go on your date after he made a mockery out of you?" Bulma stiffened, stood up, and looked Vegeta right in the eye.

"I HATE being alone." Without another word, she walked away.