Chapter 27:  To Be So Unexpected...

Their path to the ship was short, although it did not make the essence of traveling any easier.  Bulma couldn't help but be suspicious about the Yangh's sudden change of mind, in turn setting her nerves on edge.  After all, did not these people want a child borne of herself and Vegeta?  Dizzily, Bulma once again dropped her hand to her stomach, gasping as she finally noticed the inexplicable girth.

She stopped dead in her steps, staring down in disbelief.  But...but she'd only just looked at it no more than ten minutes ago...how could such a thing happen in that short of time?  It was like she'd finished a first trimester in a matter of moments!

"Mistress?" called Torpae, glancing behind herself to the stunned human.

Bulma's eyes rose up sharply, bright in bewilderment.

"Are you alright, Madame Bulma?" asked the other woman, her face drawn in worry.

'Maybe she doesn't know?' the Earthling reasoned in her head.  'Perhaps she thinks that Vegeta and I's coupling was a failure...that nothing is to result.  Is that why she's so eager to escort me off the planet, because I have no use now?'

It made a vague sort of sense, and Bulma was wan to argue with the decisions of fate.  Such being the case, she hastened her pace and came up to the Yangh bitch's side, plastering a faint smile upon her lips.

"I'm fine...I'm just a little overwhelmed by everything," she lied, sighing dramatically to add a believable edge to her words.

It was to her immense relief that Torpae gave her a sympathetic look.  "I understand completely, Mistress.  But if we do not hurry, the High Council will catch you again."

Her words served only to add further confusion to Bulma's mind.  Who was this council?  What interest did they have in her whereabouts?  AND WHY THE HELL WAS TORPAE HELPING HER OUT?!

"Y-Yes...I long to go home," the blue-haired woman answered, gathering some loose material within her arms and holding it up.  She used a pretense of trying to avoid tripping, though in all facts she was nervous about how long her thickened condition would remain unnoticed by her companion.  Thankfully, Torpae did not point out that the lady's gown was torn off just above the knees.

She did not breathe a sigh of relief, however, until the ship came into view, her eyes never beholding anything more welcoming.

Save a pair of dark obsidian pools devouring you... the unbidden thought prodded, casting the Earthling's face into shadow once more.

"Vegeta..."

* * * * *

"Who the hell are you to tell me what I can and cannot do?!" demanded the infuriated Saiyan, raising his hand and slamming a fist down into the marble table.  'Into' was the appropriate word, seeing as how his clenched palm effectively broke the surface area and slipped down into a crater wrought by its violence.

The graying giant shook his head helplessly, scowling at the ruin the bastard had caused his exquisite furniture.  Desks this large did not come by easily...or cheaply.  Worst of all, the repairs always had to come out of his salary.  A low growl escaped the employee's throat, though he covered the better part of the noise with a suspicious cough.

"I've told you, my orders are to keep you both from HFIL and the Eternity realm," repeated the stand-in clerk finally, thumbing through a ridiculously large pile of paperwork situated before him.  He held out one slip for the prince to read.  "See?  It says so right here..."

Vegeta snatched the sheaf from his hand, his face contorting into a dangerous fury as he read over the petition.

"So what the fuck am I supposed do?" growled the man, his hands crushing the delicate command.  "I'm fucking DEAD, you baka!  My mate and brat are prattling around on some god-forsaken planet at the edge of the universe!  I gave up my fucking life for a noble cause and now I gotta sit in a god-damned waiting room for the rest of my after-life?!"

"You weren't supposed to die!" roared the giant, leaning over and glaring equally-menacing daggers at the insolent Saiyan.  "Someone interfered with the pre-destined length of your life's cycle!  Someone convinced your subconscious that you were dead, when in fact you're just sleeping, you prick!  Do you get it now?!  Your spirit is only here because it's confused; it thinks it should move on when such is not the case!  I suppose you could even go so far as to say that you're in a dream-death..."

Vegeta blinked, confusion temporarily masking the rage that etched over his features.  "So then, I'm still alive?"  Could he dare hope such a thing?  That he might indeed simply be asleep...that he might again see Bulma...hold his son...

"Bravo, Einstein," intoned the being sarcastically, interrupting the prince's line of thought and settling back down behind his desk, propping his feet up with ankles crossed.  "I don't know how the hell we're gonna fix this problem, however.  We can't just send your spirit back down there and slip it in through your ear; it's much more difficult than that.  Just as someone had to convince you of your death, someone has to convince you that you still live..."

The prince was still taken aback by this news, though he hid his growing confusion well as the baka before him droned on and on about the mechanics involved in 'waking' him back up.  New considerations quickly developed within his brain, darkly suspicious ones as he considered the secretary's words.  Who the hell would go to such lengths to see him dead?  And who could even have that kind of power?

Suddenly, the answer dawned upon him and he grit his teeth angrily.  Of fucking course...that little bitch!  His fists clenched tightly at his sides, the nails biting through the elastic gloves and into his skin.

"Sariah..." he hissed.  Angel my ass...

* * * * *

Bulma stood before the craft with an uncertain glaze coating her eyes.  She was a certified genius, true...but that did not necessarily mean she could fly this...contraption.

Despite her earlier perceptions of the craft, it was definitely not an impressive piece of work; being a squat, cylindrical shape that looked more like a squashed tin-can than any vehicle properly suited for space travel.  The thing didn't even have discernable landing gear from what her eyes could see.  Sighing, Bulma continued her half-hearted examination.

An antenna?  What the hell was an antenna doing on this hunk of junk?  What was it...a '79 Datsun?

"Datsuns are an improvement over this piece of crap," muttered the woman, still clutching the folds of her ruined gown as she traveled around the beast.

There weren't even any windows in the god-damned thing!  How the hell was she supposed to plot a course if she couldn't even sight the constellations?  So, there were no windows, no landing tools, and no jets or other visible source of propulsion...great.  But it had an antenna, she mused candidly.

"Maybe I'll get some AM channels?" she joked, trying to elicit a laugh from her own self.  It was no use, of course.  After all, what was the point of laughter when a girl found herself alone and inexplicably propelled through an unwanted pregnancy?

"Or is it just what I always wanted?" Bulma pondered, rubbing her slightly-protruding belly wistfully.   "...A child by a man that I love dearly, something to remember him by even after he himself is gone..."

Of their own volition, her oceanic pools swept over to the pallid face of the Saiyan.  His body lay next to Torpae's heels as the Yangh fiddled with opening the stubborn doorway into the ship.  He looked so cold and empty lying there like that...almost as though he was frozen in time.  And yet, he was still as breathtakingly gorgeous as he had been the night of their union...all pride, beauty and intimidation, even in death.

"Like Sleeping Beauty..." the woman murmured, moving closer to his prone form.

A kiss had saved the princess from her eternal slumber...was it truly folly to dream such could be the case in reality?  But as Bulma lowered her face closer to his, her eyes intent upon the chiseled details of his eyes, cheekbones and lips, she heard a barking laugh from her companion.  The human withdrew quickly, a light blush staining her cheeks as she considered what she had almost done.

"Yes!  Never say that Torpae lacks skill!" crooned the canine, winking cheerfully at Bulma.

The Earthling's visage paled slightly as her pools once more cast down upon the fallen prince.  "Do you think you could just get us inside and let us be on our way, Torpae?  I really want to get home...I miss my family and friends."

The Yangh nodded her understanding; tapping a few keys and watching the door slide open with smug satisfaction after her successful hacking.  Quickly, Bulma grabbed one end of the gurney holding Vegeta's body and began pulling him inside the darkened vessel.  Torpae picked up the other side and helped her lady, unconcerned as the door snapped shut behind them.  Bulma, however, was perplexed.

"A-...aren't you going to get off?" she asked, trying to sound politely curious.

The canine slid her paw along the slick silver walls of the cylinder, depressing a small switch and grinning as the lights flickered on inside, chasing away the shadows.  Her face fell, however, as the woman before her relayed a desire for her departure.

"Well...I was kind of hoping you might allow me to escort you back to Earth, Mistress," she confessed sheepishly, holding her palms to her cheeks as though to conceal a blush.  "I mean, it is not safe for you to travel alone, especially if you are not familiar with the mechanics of another species' craft.  Do you not think it would be wise to have my assistance?  The journey is not so long, though a mistaken calculation can wreck havoc upon your travel time..."

Bulma listened patiently to the explanation, recognizing the wisdom of the alien's words.  She didn't know the inner-workings of this ship in the slightest, and so it would certainly be wiser to have a companion that did.

"I apologize, Torpae...your company would be greatly appreciated," she amended, inclining her head modestly.

The Yangh beamed out her appreciation, quickly turning to a control panel crowded with symbols and buttons Bulma had no chance of ever figuring out.  The human sank down next to her fallen Saiyan, lightly stroking his icy brow as she listened to Torpae's soft humming.  It wasn't until a few moments later, when she felt the tell-tale lurching of a take-off, that she realized the humming had been the engines and not the canine.

* * * * *

"You cannot honestly think we believe that crock, Yamcha," groaned Oolong, shaking his floppy pink ears in disgust.

"You can and you will...I'll prove it!" proclaimed the scarred warrior, striking an impressive pose among the companions gathered.  He raised a fist and pumped it into the heavens, his fingers clutched tightly over a pair of lacy lady's panties.

Goku scratched his head, blinking like a child and furrowing his brow, trying to make sense of his friend's words.  "So you think she ran away-...why again?" he queried innocently, taken aback at Yamcha's face being shoved directly into his own.

"Because I caught them together in bed," he hissed conspiratorially, shocking everyone anew with his words.  "She was shamed beyond expression, and so she fled, of course!  I even found these hidden in Veggie-head's pillow-case!  You see?  He's a horny lech!"

"You're an imbecile if you honestly think we'd consider Bulma capable of something so low," chided ChiChi, glowering at the baseball player as she defended her friend.  "You're the one with fidelity problems, not Bulma."

"Yeah, and exactly why would Vegeta consent to something like that?" chimed in Krillin.  "We all know that the two can't stand in the same room for longer than five minutes without sparks shooting out of their eyes!"

Yamcha shrugged as though the situation were forever out of control, offering up a meager response, "Opposites attract?"

"Give me a flipping break!" squealed ChiChi indignantly.

Goku remained silent as the rest of the group delved into the quarrel, a knowing grin donning his soft-hearted features.  Though, since he was Goku, no one thought anything of this situation-inappropriate expression.

"Little different than I would have planned it..." he murmured to himself, scratching his chin in thought.  "But still...there are too many places on Earth for them to run from one another.  So, I suppose some divine intervention should have been expected..."

* * * * *

A/N:  *giggles insanely* I still can't believe some of you actually thought that Ch. 26 was the end of DCT!  *shakes her head adamantly*  I can't just let my precious little one trail off into oblivion like that, shame for thinking I would! :-P  Nah...I have some more twists and plot-ends to tie up before I sever this umbilical cord permanently.  *stifles laughter*  The end...pfft!  Have ya'll no faith whatsoever?  Look for the next chapter in a week or so *nods*  Ja'ne!