The Worlds Smartest

This Is The Enforcer Speaking,

On a small side note if anyone pics up on a slight character disparity (dead vs alive) I made an oppsie several (as in A LOT) of chapters ago and had someone alive who was supposed to be dead. I've corrected that chapter so this one could happen. I usually don't make those mistakes but this one slipped past me until this chapter. My apologies.

And to my constant readers I thank you for your reviews, your patience and your loyalty.

Now…On To The Story!

Belief

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

With one last painful retch Bulma flushed the toilet and sank back onto the floor. Over a month of this and still she prayed every morning would be the morning she woke up without the immediate need to puke her guts out.

By the time she'd finished being sick, cleaned up and reemerged Vegeta was already gone, as usual. She knew he was training, training to become the Super Saiyan of legend, to save them all from Frieza. According to her research the last recorded ascension had been a thousand years previously and things hadn't ended well for that particular Saiyan. Most didn't even believe in the legend anymore. But Vegeta believed. Her fear was that if he did make the transformation, he would be destroyed by it but as is it was, he might die in the pursuit.

Bulma look at the last suit Vegeta had taken off and tossed on the floor instead of down the shoot. It was more holes than fabric, covered in blood and scorch marks. No armor in site. He'd continued training without it. Normally tidy enough to make a drill sergeant proud she'd been noticing him slipping lately. He was exhausted and no amount of half-assed visits to the regin tank would fix what he did to himself on a daily basis. The male flat our refused to spend enough time healing.

The state of Vegeta's training had taken a critical turn. He continued abusing Kakarot, inciting the male to grow stronger and in turn push Vegeta beyond his limits. Their training sessions were violent and bloody. That coupled with the damage her own inventions could cause meant Vegeta's power was in fact growing by leaps and bounds.

Picking up the destroy suit Bulma tossed it down laundry shoot for someone else to deal with then slid on her armor and headed out to start her day with her own training.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

"Left side." Piccolo instructed as he swatted at her left flank. Bulma moved out of the way of the strike, quick, and fluid. "You're fast." He commented as they tumbled through the air.

Grinning Bulma fazed behind Piccolo and kicked him in the back, sending him careening into the side of the GR. "And strong." Bulma grinned at Piccolo as he peeled himself off the wall and shot back at her, a grin on his own face.

They spin through the air a flurry of strikes and blocks, each pressing the other to be better in their own right. Piccolo pushed her to refine her technique, she pressured him to be faster and trickier. It wasn't Vegeta but training with Piccolo was better than with any of the humans. Though she could and had trained with some of her guards Bulma found she preferred Piccolo. He felt like an old friend.

Despite the pace of their training Piccolo was ever careful about her condition. It was an unwritten rule between them that he wouldn't strike her abdomen or hurt her enough that, under normal stances, she'd need a regin tank. In return Bulma wouldn't take advantage of the pulled strike or slowed pace. It worked, it was fun but most importantly it made her better.

"Up here." Bulma taunted Piccolo as she distracted him before speeding above him and drilling him down into the ground. Rebounding he shot a ki blast at her. Bulma blocked the shot and suddenly Piccolo was behind her.

Grabbing her under the arms he went for the full nelson. "Watch your back." He said as he tightened his grip. Powering up Bulma thrust her elbows down hard to break his hold. As soon as she felt his grip home loose from the back of her head Bulma took control of his arms and threw him over her head. As he flew in front of her Bulma shot him with a blast of ki.

Bam, dead on target, Bulma thought as the ki blast slammed into him. They were fighting at less than half power and under fifty times gravity so ultimately the explosion of energy was more show than anything else for someone of Piccolos power level.

As the light cleared, she saw Piccolo doubled over laughing.

"Nice shot." He said, straightening. "Ready for a break?"

They were both panting heavily and she could use some water so at her nod Piccolo shut down the gravity generator.

Exiting the machine, they walked out onto the extensive grounds of the castle. Bulma didn't need the extreme levels that the new training room that Vegeta used could reach so she'd set up her old GR out on the lawn for her own training. Vegeta pretty much lived in his anyways.

Settling down in the yard Bulma unscrewed the lid off her water and watched Piccolo do the same. She'd recently learned from him that he only needed water to survive.

"So, what word are we going to learn today?" Bulma asked. Piccolo had offered to teach her his language, something about not wanting to be the only one on the planet who knew it, and Bulma was excited to learn a new language.

Taking a long drink of his water Piccolo paused before looking at her with a smile and saying, "How about dragon?"

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

"Your Majesty, we have had small uprising amongst our biggest land owners. They are particularly resistance in allowing their slaves freedom. It is mostly due to the amount of labor necessary to manage the fields and farms where our crops and fibers are produced." Bulma rolled her eyes at the pronouncement. Of course, it was a story as old as freaking time and spanning the universe apparently.

"How have you been dealing with it?" She sat upon her throne, arms crossed, as she listened to the day's reports.

Zorn shifted his weight before answering. "Forcefully."

Frowning Bulma wondered at a better solution. "I want you to replace the slaves with prisoners. Anyone who breaks the law works the fields instead of fines or confinement. Work the details out amongst yourselves and send them to me for approval." Bulma delegated.

"That is a somewhat ruthless solution." Zorn commented as he typed away on his tablet. He glanced up at Bulma, noticing her narrowed gaze and continued. "I am not criticizing your Majesty merely observing. I rather like the solution." He went back to his typing.

Glaring Bulma went back to her thoughts. Once things settle down, they could work a long-term solution for the farmers, but it was going to inevitably mean raising prices on goods across the board so that they could afford to pay field hands while still maintaining a profit. It would need to be done slowly though. Replacing a small percentage of convicts with paid hands and raising prices a trickle at a time. Long term goals.

"Do we have any petitioners today?"

"No my Queen but you do have a meeting conference room A this afternoon with the Earthling Ministers to discuss the returning prisoners. You should be aware that they are being difficult They wish to deal with the King.

"And why is that?"

"We suspect it is because you are a woman." Zorn answered carefully.

Narrowing her eyes Bulma felt her rage boil. "Human scum." The words were out before she could stop them.

Her eyes widened and she snapped her mouth shut. Horrified. What had she just said? Standing Bulma flung her cape over her shoulder. The handful of advisors with her took half a step back and gave each other the side eye.

She didn't know where exactly she was headed as she stormed out of the throne room, but she felt more than saw her two primary guards Toma and Zuc trailing behind her as she went. It wasn't until she found herself in the elite's wing of the castle that Bulma knew where she was going.

Kakarot and his mate had been moved into the castle along with his parents shortly after they realize a war with Frieza was on the horizon. It added a layer of protection for her and kept Vegeta's favorite training partner close at hand.

Standing outside the door to their apartments Bulma frown. Why exactly was she there? Guilt? Probably. She couldn't believe what she'd said, and it made her want to try to reconnect with one of her own people. This one was the closest one to her. One problem. Chi Chi pretty much hated her. Not that she could blame the female. Woman. Whatever.

Convincing herself that maybe they could make up and all that jazz Bulma pressed the button for the doorbell. There was a beat before Chi Chi's voice came over the intercom asking who was there.

"It's me." Bulma said, trying to keep her voice soft and nonthreatening. The longer she stayed on Vegetasai the harder that was becoming.

Another pause. This one longer. Bulma was just beginning to wonder if the woman wasn't going to answer the door when it slid open to reveal a much healthier looking Chi Chi. She'd put some weight back on her and no longer looked sickly. Vegeta's talk with Kakarot must have worked because whether she liked it or not, she'd been accepting Kakarot's ki. Bulma could not only see it in the physical improvements but she could also sense the change in Chi Chi's energy now that she focused on it. Was that how she felt to others? Could they all sense Vegeta's ki blending in with hers?

"What do you want?" Chi Chi snapped.

Well that was friendly. "To talk."

Chi Chi's eyes shifted between Bulma and her guards before she oh so slowly stepped back, gesturing for Bulma to enter. But Bulma knew better than to walk in first. Her guards would have a fit. So she stood by as the two males went in first to do a quick sweep of the apartments.

Once she got the all clear Bulma followed Chi Chi through her quarters and into the kitchen. The rooms were obsessively neat. Clean nearly to a flaw. Clearly Chi Chi needed something better to do than sit at home and clean. But what?

Settling down at the kitchen table Bulma watch as Kakarot's mate put a kettle on the stove.

"I'll make you some tea. I would make you chamomile but they don't have that here so I've found the closest thing I could to it." Chi Chi rambled as she pulled out a tea set. Bulma didn't know where she'd gotten it but could guess that Kakarot had acquired it from somewhere at her request.

They sat in silence until the tea was ready and Chi Chi poured her a cup. Not wanting to be rude Bulma picked up the little cup to give the tea a sniff only to have the glass explode in her hands. Eyes wide Bulma sat in shock as boiling hot water dripped harmlessly off of gloves and uniform onto Chi Chi's spotless kitchen table and floor.

"Oh damn. I'm sorry." Bulma said as her mind came back on line and she jumped up to help clean up the broken shards of china. Chi Chi tried waving her off but Bulma ignored her. "I don't know what happened."

"Well I do." Chi Chi huffed as she mopped up the floor while Bulma wiped up the mess on the table. "You're not normal anymore Bulma. When's the last time you used anything that wasn't made for a Saiyan?"

Shrugging Bulma shook her head. She honestly didn't know.

"I'm not the only human who can use ki." Bulma said as she wrung out the washcloth in the sink.

Chi Chi let out a snide laugh. "You're human only in name. You're stronger than all the other Earthlings or so everyone says and I saw how you murdered Goku's brother. You're strong like they are, and you don't even notice because you're always surrounded by them."

"Hey, you're strong too Chi Chi or you wouldn't be able to survive here."

"Nice of you to remember how so many of "your people" died not too long ago." Chi Chi mopped the floor with undo aggression. "And yeah I'm strong, I used to be a fighter. My dad trained me, but I've never been able to fly like you or some of the others. But that's besides the matter. You are five times stronger than you were when we met on that ship." She cut her eyes up sharply at Bulma. "Why is that?"

Bulma looked down at her hands. She knew she was stronger, a lot stronger, but she trained ruthlessly with Vegeta and now Piccolo. She trained under intense gravity and she was bound to the strongest Saiyan alive. On top of the bond he shared his energy with her directly daily. The why was pretty obvious. Clearly being surround by only the strongest beings on the planet had given Bulma a skewed perception strength.

Chi Chi did have one good question though. Why were some humans stronger than others? Why were only a select few able to tap into their ki and use it?

"I was taught by a human master how to use my ki originally." Bulma said. "He always said it was a gift you were born with or not. If you had it, he could cultivate it, if you didn't then you were out of luck. I don't know the why of it though."

Bulma gave up on helping as Chi Chi just went back over her work, scrubbing angerly at the table, and leaned against the counter, arms crossed.

"Who was this master of yours anyway?" Chi Chi asked.

Laughing at the memory of the old man Bulma answered with a smile. "His name was Roshi. He was kind of a pervert to be honest. Spent a lot of his spare time watching women's aerobics videos but he could use ki and he could tell when someone else had the talent. So he spent his time teaching myself and Yamcha how to use ki. We helped him teach regular martial arts classes too. He trained me well, even taught me how to use a sword."

Chi Chi frowned. "I know that name. He used to compete in the worlds martial arts tournaments, way back before our time, he was a champion."

"Yeah. He was. He's dead now." Bulma found herself shooed back into her seat at the table as Chi Chi went back to making her another cup of tea. "Raditz killed everyone around me or connected to me."

"Well, you killed him back didn't you." Chi Chi managed to make it sound like an insult as she sat another mug in front of Bulma. This one the now familiar Saiyan made type. "I'm not going to watch you destroy all my nice china. It's been hard enough teaching Goku how to use them without crushing everything."

She turned her back on Bulma to pour her own tea. Bulma picked up the mug and sniffed the tea. It didn't smell too bad but just before she took a sip, she felt Toma flare his ki slightly. A signal to get her attention, she wore her scouter only for show preferring to feel out people. Pausing she shifted her eyes over to the male, one eyebrow raised. He gave her a look that said she knew better. Of course, she wasn't supposed to drink or eat anything not prepared by a trusted person.

Bulma didn't want to offend Chi Chi but if she got poisoned or even just sick she couldn't just go into a regin tank to fix it without killing her unborn child. Seeming to understand her problem Zuc reached out, quick as lightening and drained half the cup in one gulp. His eyes bugged out but he quickly forced his face back to neutral just as Chi Chi turned back around.

The woman looked down at the half empty cup of tea and raised an eyebrow. "You must have been thirsty. How do you like it?"

"Ah, yes, thirsty. It was great." She pasted a small smile on her face.

Eyes wide Chi Chi sat down at the table across from Bulma. "So why exactly are you here?"

"Are you planning to go back to Earth?" Bulma asked, she had a nagging suspicion that something was up and had been meaning to talk to Kakarot about it but she was there so Chi Chi would do.

Blinking Chi Chi looked down at her own cup of tea. Served in one of the fine white cups like Bulma had destroyed. She shrugged before answering. "Goku has agreed to go back with me. I think he would like it there. He is much gentler than the rest of you brutes." Her eyes went to Bulma's two guards.

Narrowing her eyes Bulma forced her tone to stay neutral as she spoke her next words carefully.

"Kakarot cannot leave until the safety of this planet is secure. Kakarot is our strongest elite and the primary training partner of King Vegeta. Once Frieza is defeated and the safety of our people is secured he can do what he wants. Until then he will not be released from service."

"How dare you-" Chi Chi began but Bulma cut her off, having none of it.

"I dare as his Queen but you should think about this, if Frieza destroys this planet how long do you think it will be before he comes after you and the only Saiyan's left alive? Half-breed or not, we have intel that Frieza wants to wipe out the entire race."

Chi Chi audibly squawked and stood. "You can't think Frieza could possibly care about my son. Besides I'm going to raise him to be just like any other human. He will be a scholar. Not a warrior. He will never learn to fight so he will never be of interest to that monster and I don't care if he destroys this planet. As long as Goku and my family are safe."

"If you think for one second that Kakarot's brat won't be ridiculously powerful and need training to control that power then you are seriously not paying attention."

Bulma stood and while Chi Chi was physically taller than her Bulma still seemed to loom over her. Her own ki beginning to crackle around her. She found that her pregnancy made it more difficult to control her energy. "Kakarot is not the weakling you seem to think he is, he maybe be a fucking idiot be he is also a powerful warrior. You need to wake up!" Her ki pulsed around her with the last word blowing Chi Chi's table and chairs aside.

Taking deep breaths Bulma did her best to reign in her temper. The thought of this woman taking Kakarot's son and not allowing him to be trained was pure crazy. She was going to ruin the kid. She knew in that moment that Chi Chi could not be allowed to leave the planet. Her kid would be a ticking time bomb.

"Your travel privileges are revoked." Bulma heard the words leaving her mouth but couldn't quite believe she was saying them. Here she'd come to make up with Chi Chi and she was actually making things worse.

"What?" Chi Chi screamed.

"You will only be given clearance to leave in the event of a mass emergency evacuation. Otherwise, get comfortable." Bulma turned to leave when there was a ruckus behind her. Whipping around she saw that Toma had grabbed Chi Chi's arm to prevent her from throwing the kettle at her. "Let her go." Bulma said softly. At her words the male released Chi Chi with the low warning not to try that again. Bulma walked out without looking back. She needed to get to the lab before her meeting with the ministers.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

"More." Bulma commanded.

She watched as both Vegeta and Kakarot threw power at the test shield. Eyes roving over the digital readout in front of her she knew it was only going to be a matter of time before-

The generators exploded shooting shrapnel in all directions. Vegeta and Kakarot threw their arms up as the energy stored inside of the machine released violently.

For her part Bulma remained unflinching. Which was easy to do from her lab.

Switching off the live feed from the testing zone she went back to her calculations.

"You didn't think to warn us?" Vegeta grouched as he walked into the lab a few moments later with Kakarot in tow.

Not looking up Bulma shrugged. She heard Vegeta humph and walk over to her lab table. When she heard him rummaging around she looked up. "Drop it. They're not ready."

Vegeta lifted an eyebrow at her but slowly sat the half-finished bot back down on her workstation. "What exactly was the point of that little exercise?" He asked.

Bulma had to admit he did look a bit wind-blown and scruffy from the explosion. Her eyes shifted to Kakarot who was trying to edge out of the lab.

"Hold it Kakarot." She said. "I need to talk to you before you go."

"But I'm starving." He whined. Bulma ignored him and addressed Vegeta.

"The generators can only recycle so much power back into the shields. Once they reach max capacity they will explode."

"I wonder what's for lunch?" Kakarot mumbled.

"The more we have around the planet the more of the load they share but as units fail the other units will pick up the slack and the rate of failure will increase rapidly with each generator lost."

"My stomach is eating itself." More whining.

"There is no way to predict how quickly Frieza can get the job done but I can say that a sustained attack by our own people could drop the shields in as little three days. I was hoping for more."

"Pleaaaase let me go eat or I'm gonna dieeee."

"It is enough. We only need a few hours. Either I destroy Frieza or he will destroy this planet." Vegeta's words raised the hair on her arms.

"Listen you can hear my stomach growling."

"Now will you please talk to Kakarot so he will stop. Fucking. Whining!" Vegeta yelled the last part as he glared at the idiot.

Kakarot snapped his jaws shut.

Bulma rubbed the bridge of her nose. She'd rather be back in the GR getting her ass kicked.

"Kakarot do you want to move to Earth?" She watched him closely as she asked. He frowned at her. Seemingly confused be her question.

"No. I mean there's no one there who can give me a challenging fight." He frowned, thought about it and then continued, "Chi Chi did ask if it would be okay to visit. She said I would enjoy her planet and that our son should get to see both halves of his heritage."

Bulma rolled her eyes. "I just bet she did."

"What's that supposed to me?" Kakarot sounded upset. Which was odd. He very rarely got upset.

"I believe that it is your mates' intention to get you to Earth and then trap you there."

"She is too weak to force Kakarot to do anything." Vegeta interjected. For his part he didn't seem surprised by Bulma's big reveal.

"Sure. So you're prepared to knock out your mate and rekidnap her to bring her back here?" Bulma asked Kakarot.

"Well I-" Kakarot began as he shook his head.

"Because I can almost guarantee she will refuse to come back and refuse to let you take your son away from her once he's born. Do you know she plans to raise him as human? Chi Chi told me she was going to make sure he never learned to fight. That means he would never learn to control his power. Do you know what that would end in?"

"A fucking disaster." Vegeta answered for him.

"Exactly. Your kid would be one temper tantrum from killing people and Earth has a moon. It's full twice as often Vegetasai's. What happens when he turns into his Great Ape form and destroys an entire city? With no training that form is impossible to control, and we all know it."

"Unless of course the banshee figures out to cut off his tail." Vegeta growled.

Kakarot looked more upset by the second. His features had an unusually dark aura about them.

"I also suspect she wants to try to get you to leave before Frieza arrives." Bulma leaned back in her chair, eyeing Kakarot's changing facial expression. "So, what do you have to say?"

He put his hands on his hips as he paced around. You could almost see the wheels turning in his head. Finally he stopped and looked up at them both.

"I would never run from a battle, especially not this one, I had only thought visit Earth sometime after we kill Frieza." Kakarot had gone into serious mode. It was almost disturbing to watch the switch flip. As if his mind could only handle one personality at a time. "As long as I live my son will be trained. No matter how unhappy it makes my mate."

Bulma nodded at his words. "That's good to hear Kakarot. You should be made aware that I have revoked her traveling rights. At some point we may readdress this but for now I've made the decision for you both. Be warned your mate is probably not going to be happy when you go home."

"My mate…she is not adjusting so well to life here or to the differences in our species. I was hoping a trip to her home at some point would cheer her up but I don't think I'd be willing to hurt her to bring or my son back here. I think you're right. I'd end up trapped on Earth."

"Exactly." Bulma nodded. "So, any questions?"

That weird switch flipped again. His whole face changed from darkly serious to his normal sate of cheerful over animation. Scratching the back of his hand he opened his mouth to speak.

"So, can I-"

"Go fucking eat!" Vegeta snapped and just like that Kakarot was gone fast as a blink.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

How had her life gone so far off the rails? Bulma pushed at the bubbles surrounding her. The only unsurprising part of the day had been the meeting with the Earths Ministers between her visit with Chi Chi and her conversation with Kakarot. They'd been rude at first but after a bit of coxing they seemed to believe that the Saiyan Empire really did want to make reparations. The goal was a true alliance.

They'd been more than happy to have the Saiyan's as protectors rather than jailors. After all, that was going to be the Saiyan's new role within the universe. In exchange for goods, alliances, or money the Saiyan army could be hired to protect a planet rather than destroy it. Seemed like an improvement.

This was all so crazy. Who the hell was she? Who was she becoming? Fuck all if she knew. What she did know was that they were all about to die if Vegeta didn't save them.

There was a very real possibility that Vegeta was going to die. She suspected Frieza's true power level was a lot higher than his known levels. Biting back tears Bulma refused to cry over an unknown. They would win, Vegeta would win, she had to believe it because to believe otherwise…she shook her head at her own thoughts.

"Woman."

Bulma yelped, starting at Vegeta's voice, and splashing water over the edge of the tub. His uniform was a wreck, chunks missing, suit torn, even several fingertips were missing from his gloves, but he looked good otherwise. He must have done some time in a tank. She felt his emotions swirling around inside her. Anger, frustration and just a hint of desperation.

"Want to join me?" Bulma tried sounding enticed but mostly she was tired.

Vegeta chuffed and crossed his arms.

"You are exhausted, and I need a shower." He stared at her as he spoke as though willing away the bubble surrounding her. "You look ridiculous. Bubbles?" He teased.

Bulma rolled her eyes at him. "Fine. Go take your shower. Prince of all assholes."

"That is King now woman." He shot back but proceeded to turn on the shower and strip. Bulma wouldn't deny she enjoyed watching him take is clothes off. His compact, yet heavily muscled, body always made her want to jump him, but he was right, exhaustion ate at her. That didn't stop her eyes from following his every move, particularly the ripple of his muscles as he pulled the top half of his suit off over his head.

Vegeta glanced back over his shoulder and smirked knowingly at her before oh so slowly peeling off his pants. She loved to watch him strip and he knew it.

"Why don't you come a little closer?" Bulma teased.

Smirking his trademark smirk Vegeta sauntered up to the edge of the tub.

"Wondering what I got under here?" She played with some of the bubbles.

Growling Vegeta leaned over the edge of the tub, reaching out he made to brush the bubbles aside. "I know exactly what's under here."

Before he could stop her Bulma grabbed Vegeta's arm and pulled. Hard. Wide eyed Vegeta tumbled into the bath water. The Saiyan King came up spluttering, covered in bubbles and looking more like a drowning cat than anything else.

Bulma couldn't stop the laughter that burst from her lips.

"Silence woman." Vegeta snarled but his words lack malice. Standing over her he brushed bubbles off of himself. "Finish up and get to bed." He used his, "I am King you will obey" voice on her as he extracted himself from the bath tub.

Rolling her eyes at him Bulma sunk back into her bubble bath. Ignoring the command. The nearness of Vegeta's ki soothed her and lulled her into sleep.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Blood, there was blood everywhere, on her, around her, in her mouth. She screamed but no sound came out, it couldn't, you needed air to scream and she didn't have any. She couldn't breathe, couldn't make her chest rise and fall as crushing pain squeezed her from all sides. She fought, struggling to pull herself free but couldn't budge the unseen force surround her. No, no, no, no. She was dying, and it hurt, it hurt to be crushed, it hurt not to breathe and still she fought with futile effort to live.

"Bulma." She heard a voice from a distance, but they were too far away, much too far away to help her. "Bulma. You are safe." That voice again. Lying to her. She wasn't safe, she was trapped, she was dying, her ribs cracking, the crushing weight pressing down harder.

The voice continued repeating itself. Saying her name over and over. It grew closer with each passing until the fog began to clear. "You are safe. You are in our bed. I am here." Slowly she came back into her body. Into the here and now. Heart hammering in her chest Bulma's eyes focused on Vegeta. He knelt beside her on the bed hovering close but not touching her, his tail swayed nervously behind him. A gesture she rarely saw and something about it calmed her.

She was shaking and could but sweat beaded along her skin despite her chill.

No one was trying to kill her, no one was crushing her, and her lungs weren't filling with blood. She was safe with Vegeta. The thoughts brought a sense of relief, but she still shook as she untangled herself from the covers. Somehow, she'd gotten them wrapped tightly around her in her sleep.

Vegeta reached out to her, slow enough she could have told him to stop if she wanted and drew her into his arms. He held pulled her into his lap. She shook, willing her heart to stop racing, willing the feeling of dying to leave her but it lingered. Fading slowly.

"I'm sorry." Bulma whispered. Vegeta hushed her and shook his head.

"Do not be ridiculous." He brushed her hair away from her face. She closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation.

"I'm afraid." She admitted.

"They are only memories, nightmares." He was trying to comfort her.

Bulma shook her head. "I'm afraid of you dying." She clarified.

He paused in his petting. "Look at me." Again, with the commanding voice but this time Bulma obeyed. Looking up she met those dark eyes. They reflected the dim blue light coming from the nightlight in the far corner of the room.

"Do you trust me?" His eyes locked on hers.

"With our lives." Bulma answered, hand going to her belly. To the bit of them growing there.

"I will not die. I will become the legendary and I will destroy Frieza. It is my destiny. My birthright. I will protect you and our people. Do you believe in me?" He spoke with such confidence, such self-assured arrogance, that Bulma found she could only give him one answer.

"Yes." The word was spoke easily, honestly, but quietly.

They settled back into bed once Bulma's racing heart slowed. Her whole body screamed for sleep. Vegeta covered them both before pulling her in against him. His warmth radiated through her but despite everything he said Bulma couldn't shake the sense of impending doom that followed her in to sleep because she did believe in Vegeta, but she also believed in absolute evil and irony of the universe.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

A/N: Soooo I'm not SUUUPER happy with this chapter. My characters, particularly Bulma, go through a lot of evolution and that's what I was trying to show in this chapter. I debated her and Chi Chi making up and being friends this chapter vs not and chose to write organically. To just let whatever was going to happen, happen and this is what we got. Hopefully yall found it entertaining. Well, until next time…excelsior

(I miss Stan)