Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or the characters

A special thanks to smalsa, Mistress-Zutara, Shizuka23, v-mangrl, KimiruMai, bval1, iluvveggie, hey-sasstiel, middlekertz, Eirdaru, and multiple guests including Red4Angel.

Now, I did not create any words for the Saiyan language. I looked up Japanese words and translations for phrases since I didn't want to attempt making up a language.

Vegeta woke up, again calm and at ease; yet he still felt tired and weak. He knew that he was in no condition to train. Shaking his head, he hid his face in his pillow thinking about how stupid he was for trying to train himself to death the day before. Vegeta knew full well what he was doing when he took Bulma as a mate. It was for her safety, but not his. He knew that once he felt her fear, hatred, and rejection of him, that the pain would be too great and he'd try something like that. It was just how Saiyans were, but only Saiyans who truly cared about their mates.

Speaking of, he turned his head against the pillow and stared at Bulma, still mesmerized. She forgave him. He never felt more relieved about anything in his life. She knew they were mates and she wasn't angry at him for it. Nappa must have explained it to her since he hadn't. Part of him was angry that she found out, because it ruined his plans of keeping her in the dark; but he was thankful, because Bulma came to help him, even though he didn't deserve it.

Again, Vegeta didn't notice blue eyes staring back at him. Bulma looked up at him, worry etched on her features. She took her hand and gently caressed his cheek. Their eyes met. It made Bulma a little nervous, but she knew she needed to start working on getting over her fears.

Vegeta wasn't thinking at the moment, and pulled Bulma in for a short kiss. He felt her tense again, but this time he stayed holding her until she relaxed. "Good morning," he whispered to his mate.

"Good morning," Bulma said, trying to focus on the fact that his kiss felt good instead of her own worries. "Please don't tell me you're going to train today." Vegeta shook his head and Bulma sighed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. You need to relax today and I need to go fix that machine so you don't get hurt."

Bulma was about to leave the bed, but Vegeta's hand stopped her. She looked down at him and his expression betrayed that of a small child afraid to lose something. "Don't leave, please." Bulma's heart nearly broke at the anxiety in his voice. Vegeta was strong, arrogant, rough around the edges, but never did he ever act like he had acted today and the day before. "Please."

"Vegeta, I have a job to do, remember?" Bulma pointed out. "I need to help you."

"You can help me by staying with me, right now," Vegeta replied, starting to feel the pain of rejection again.

"I can't…I…" Bulma felt it, not the pain, but she knew Vegeta was in pain. How come I didn't feel this yesterday when he was so sick? "I will."

Vegeta perked up a bit at that, as Bulma got back into the bed. He quickly put her arms around her, pulling her into him and nuzzling against her. She felt his tail wrapping around her as well. For a moment, she thought she'd be terrified, but she wasn't. She actually liked the closeness. This is the kind of thing she always pictured going through with a boyfriend, minus the aliens, tyrants, near death, rape, and permanent bonding.

"My yuubutsu," Vegeta muttered against her forehead. "Anata wa, watashi ni tarinai subete o oginatte kureru."

"What?" Bulma asked, trying to figure out what he was saying. Instead of getting an answer, she was met with Vegeta falling back to sleep. She just stared at him, perplexed. Then she heard someone come into the room and looked up to see Queen Kalina standing in the doorway.

"I never thought it was possible," she stated.

"Never thought what was possible?"

"My son is in love," she whispered happily. "Though, I wouldn't be surprised if he never said it."

"Do you know what he did say?"

The queen nodded. "Loosely translated, he said 'My beautiful woman above others, you complete me.' But it's much deeper than that. The connection, I mean. Words cannot truly describe the bond between two mates."

"What about you and the king?" Bulma asked, regretting it when the queen frowned. "I'm sorry."

Queen Kalina flashed her a sad smile. "It's alright, my child. It isn't killing either of us because we never truly bonded. It was an arranged mating. He never truly cared about me and, in all honesty, I was only doing my duty as a queen and mother. My children keep me going every day. But you two…you've bonded, and in such a short time." She sighed before frowning. "Nappa told me about what happened. I wish I had enough strength to rip my husband's head from his shoulders for hurting either of you like that." The queen patted Vegeta's head, and he turned over and curled up into Bulma. "He's a good boy, you know. He tries his hardest not to make others suffer. He learned from his grandfather. He would have never willingly…"

Bulma knew what she was trying to say and she knew that it was true. Vegeta didn't want to rape her, but it didn't change the fact that her only two times were both rapes. "I just can't go through it again."

The queen nodded in understanding. She wasn't going to tell Bulma this, nor her children, but both Vegeta and Tarble had been born from that situation. She loved her kids to death and wouldn't trade them for the world, but she hated her husband for touching her. She did not want Bulma to feel that way towards her son.

"Please, don't hate him," Queen Kalina pleaded. Bulma frowned at the fact that everyone kept saying that, but she continued to listen. "It obvious that he's fragile, more fragile than any of us knew. Yes, Saiyans can become suicidal when rejected by their mate, but it usually takes weeks before they start showing those tendencies. For Vegeta it took hours, which means…"

"Which means what?" Bulma inquired. She really wanted to know.

The queen looked away from her. It was hard for her to admit this to anyone, because she wanted better for her son, but Bulma needed to know. "It means his father finally pushed him too far, and my son feels like he has no reason to live. He's given up hope on his own life."

Bulma couldn't believe it. Vegeta was so strong, and yet he wanted to give up on everything. She was the only thing keeping him from the feeling of hopelessness. "I don't know what to say…"

"You don't have to say anything," the queen replied, "just please don't reject him. He needs you. I think he always has."

Bulma nodded and the queen took her leave. She looked at Vegeta's calm face, pondering what he was feeling. Bulma knew she was depressed from losing her family and home, but she never considered what Vegeta was going through. It must have been frustrating for him, not being able to fight his father. Maybe his pain came from never knowing if his mother and brother would be alive when he returned home. And now, his first time, being forced upon him in a way that made him nearly lose his mind. This poor guy, Bulma thought sadly.

Then she noticed Vegeta's face contort in pain. "Don't leave," he whispered. "I can't lose you."

"You won't," Bulma whispered, kissing his cheek. "I promise."

His tail tightened around her waist and his face calmed again. Bulma looked over him again. He didn't seem that frightening to her anymore, definitely not like the guy he pretended to be when they landed or the one he was forced to be the other night. She knew she had a lot to work through, but she could honestly say she was willing to work on it with him. "You complete me, too," she whispered in his ear.

Vegeta woke up an hour later and looked down to find Bulma snuggled up against his chest. Unbeknownst to him, Bulma felt him move and gently rubbed the tail he wrapped around her waist. She looked up when she heard him growl, but saw that his face was incredibly relaxed as his chest vibrated. She stopped for a minute, and he looked down at her with slightly opened eyes.

"Why are you growling?" Bulma asked.

Vegeta tried to cover his blushing face by looking away. "I wasn't."

Bulma's eyes widened when she realized that it wasn't a growl, but a purr. "Oh my God, that's adorable!" She said with a wide smile. Bulma momentarily forgot all their problems and moved to pet his tail again. Vegeta tried to fight purring again and yanked his tail off of her. He then smirked dangerously, but playfully at Bulma.

"W-What are you thinking?" she questioned nervously.

Vegeta's face became even more playful as he took his hand and stroked the center of her back down her spine. Bulma shivered at the sensation, and fell against him. "I wanted to return the favor," he told her. To Bulma's surprise, he already had knowledge of all her weak spots. Bulma flashed him a half-smile. "Would you like to go somewhere?"

Bulma tilted her head, confused by his question. "What do you mean? I'm still under the pretense of concubine. I have to stay here."

Vegeta shook his head. "Only my father can't know about you. Anyone else in the kingdom can know. No one would turn against us like that."

Bulma felt a little insulted, but knew there had to be a reason. Vegeta felt her emotions and reassured her. "My father has already ordered that I not mate with you. I told him I hadn't to make sure he didn't take you from me. He would…" Vegeta's expression grew dark as the rest of his statement went unspoken. "I hate that man…"

"I am right there with you," Bulma said in derision. After hearing the threat his father made with a clear head, Bulma understood. It was ridiculous that his father would threaten to take her if he didn't "use" her and then threaten to take her away if he mated with her. She softened slightly and spoke gently as she changed the subject. "I'd love to go somewhere with you, but where?"

Vegeta smirked. "You'll see."

He took her around the kingdom, secretly introducing her to his people. Bulma was shocked to see how everyone acted around him. It was much different from what she had seen in the king's throne room with the soldiers and guards. Many children would also go up to him, asking him to play with them. He respectfully declined, patting the heads of the small children. He flashed Bulma a half-smile, making her heart flutter. He's so good with children, and with all the people. She would have never expect this.

"Prince Vegeta," one of the men said. Bulma did a double-take when she saw that the man looked like Kakarot. "I have not been working for the last week. How do your mother and brother fair?"

The prince's expression grew serious. "They are both fine, Bardock; however, I fear my father is getting more violent and I worry for their safety."

"I'll be back in the palace soon enough, my prince. My mate has just been ill."

Vegeta nodded in understanding. "Kakarot informed me. I hope she is well."

"Thank you, my prince. It means a lot."

Vegeta nodded and walked back over to Bulma who looked perplexed. "Kakarot's father. He is a doctor for the palace, but he hasn't been there this week. Kakarot's mother is sick."

"Is it serious?" Bulma asked. Vegeta face darkened.

"Come, we must return before father suspects something."

Bulma didn't argue with him. She knew better than to argue. She had just been grateful that he brought her to meet his people, her people now, she figured.

When they arrived at the palace, Vegeta flew up to his balcony and set her down. Queen Kalina was in the room, waiting for them nervously.

"Mother, what's wrong?" Vegeta asked.

"Vegeta, he found out," the queen replied guiltily.

"Found out what?" Vegeta asked, hoping that she wasn't talking about the fact that Bulma was his mate.

Before Queen Kalina could answer, the king slammed the door open and glared at his son and his "concubine."

"When were you going to tell me she's a scientific genius?"

Both Bulma and Vegeta paled. How did he know? both asked themselves.

"What are you talking about?" Vegeta growled.

The king threw down a small folder of blueprints, thankfully only minute devices that had more to deal with the planet's defense rather than the gravity machine.

"How was I to know she was?" Vegeta lied. "She doesn't say anything."

The king threw the folder down in front of Vegeta's feet and Vegeta picked it up, not taking his eyes off his father. He opened the folder and was impressed by the different shield systems Bulma was working on. He looked over to her with genuine shock. He hadn't expected her to want to help protect the planet, at least not before today. He figured she was just trying to help him stop his father and that was it. And she had worked on everything so quickly.

"Very impressive," Vegeta stated. He turned back to his father. "But that still doesn't change her position. I alone will decide what to do with her inventions and talents."

The king glared at Vegeta and reached for his little device. Both Vegeta and the queen's eyes widened. They knew they'd be able to handle it, but they didn't know what it would do to Bulma.

"Please, my king, let's not be rash," Queen Kalina said to her mate. "I'm sure Vegeta just doesn't want to lose his…possession. I'm sure he will make the right decision based on what is best for the planet and our people."

The king pulled his hand away from his cloak and looked down at his mate with a smirk. "I believe you're right, but…" He looked over to Vegeta and Bulma with a menacing fire in his eyes. "If you make the wrong decision, the woman will be punished."

Vegeta growled as his father left the room with his unwilling mother. She glanced back at her son and his mate with sadness and fear in her eyes. When the door shut, Bulma freaked out.

"What was that about?" she asked in alarm.

Vegeta sighed and shook his head. "I have no idea how he got that, but he did. We need to be careful. If he is around you too much, he will be able to tell that I mated with you. Saiyan males sense these things, which is why I did it. I…didn't want anyone else to harm you."

"Vegeta…"

"I also didn't want my father coming after you like this. He wants you to follow through with these inventions I'm sure. You would be working under his command, but I told him I would make the decisions, so he shouldn't come near you. But we all know he doesn't care about what he should or shouldn't do."

Bulma frowned and then thought about the queen's reaction to leaving with her mate. "Vegeta, why did your mom seem so scared in leaving?"

Vegeta tensed, which he seemed to do often. Within next minute, he punched part of the wall and broke it. Bulma jumped back, nervous of his random burst of anger, which caused her to think that she had done something wrong. Vegeta sensed her hesitation and turned to her with an apologetic expression. He pulled her to him, keeping a strong grip on her as he attempted to rein in his anger. "Because he's a bastard, planning to do to her what I promised never to do to you again."

Bulma couldn't hide her shock. She knew that the queen had a bad relationship with her husband, but she never expected this. Saiyans had such good hearing too. Did that mean Vegeta and Tarble had to be exposed to that? She really hoped not, especially Tarble since he was only ten. "It's wrong," she said, forcing herself not to cry. Vegeta only nodded in response, holding onto his mate tightly, trying to ignore the sound of his mother crying from the other side of the palace.