Chapter 16 - Fallen
Vegeta spent the next several days making up for lost time both with training and with Bulma. Things were finally falling into place. She was becoming more and more her old self, especially with all attentions turned to the upcoming party. Unfortunately Vegeta was still losing sleep but now it was not for nightmares but for trying to decide how to go about this whole marriage thing. If he did ask the Woman to marry him it would be for the sake of Earth customs only. According to Saiyan tradition she was his mate because he said so and no mortal being need ordain it. Sure there was a formal ceremony on Vegetasai with priests and what not, but only because it was royal affair dealing with heirs and lines of succession. So time slipped away until the night before Trunks' birthday.
Vegeta ended his training early and snuck into their apartment to shower. Bulma came up to change Trunks into some clean clothes and let him play for a while before heading down to dinner. Vegeta left the shower and went to the closet. He pulled out a pair of black jeans and a white button up shirt. He dressed quickly and quietly. He went to his armor and pulled the ring box out and stuck it in his pocket. Bulma walked in as he was closing the closet doors and Vegeta straightened.
"Woman, give the brat to your mother to watch." He commanded. "We have business to tend to." He gave her an unusual smirk and walked away.
Bulma thought about it for a moment. Vegeta never asked her to get her mother to baby sit. When Bulma spoke with Bunny she was more than happy to watch Trunks for the night. Bulma felt giddy as she returned to their apartment. Vegeta was up to something and her curiosity demanded that she find out what. As she closed the doors Vegeta came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her possessively. He seemed to purr as he spoke, "Shower and dress warmly, we will be flying." Bulma was barely able to nod her head yes before Vegeta walked away, once again leaving her breathless with a mere touch. She shook her head and went to the shower.
Vegeta proceeded down stairs to the kitchen. Bunny was feeding Trunks and Dr. Briefs had yet to return from the office. "You will make me one of those baskets with food." Vegeta demanded. Bunny smiled knowingly and went to work.
Once several were loaded she encapsulated them and handed them to Vegeta with a grin. She winked at him, "About time you ask that daughter of mine to marry you." Vegeta just groaned as he walked away, absent mindedly patting Trunks on the head as he passed by him. He returned to the apartment and waited on the balcony for Bulma to emerge from dressing.
Vegeta was about to back out of this arrangement when the door clicked softly open and she stepped out. The apartment had gotten dark as Vegeta never did turn on lights, his night vision was near as perfect as his day. He turned and gazed upon her. My blue angle, he thought. For a moment he imagined that weakling snaking his arm around her. He shook his head and steeled his nerves. There is no way I will allow another man to ever touch her. Without waiting for her eyes to adjust to the darkness he walked up, caught her unaware, and literally swept her off her feet and into the night sky.
When Bulma could discern that they were headed in a particular direction she finally asked, "Where are we going?" her excitement hardly containable.
Vegeta tightened his grip on her as he held her to his chest. "You talk too much, Onna!" Vegeta declared. Bulma thought she could hear the hint of nervousness in his voice and decided not to press the question further. She would find out what he had to show her when they got there. In the five years they had been together he had never taken the initiative to take her out anywhere and she was not going to risk ruining the moment now.
She held on to him and noticed he smelled of cologne, specifically the exspensive cologne she got him for Christmas the first year he was on Earth. He never wore cologne and thought he threw it away. She strained to see where they were going but it was no use. It was far too dark to see. She felt their speed decrease and the ground come into view. As they landed her surroundings started to take form. They were in the mountains with dense foliage. Her feet touched the ground and Vegeta hesitated a moment before releasing his hold on her.
He walked a short distance before coming to the opening of a cave. He turned to see Bulma still standing where they had landed. The thought occurred to him she could not see where to walk. He returned and took her by the hand. She stayed quiet, allowing him to lead her where he wanted to go, to be in charge. Vegeta was grateful for her silence.
He stopped at the opening of the cave and turned to look at her. "Once you asked where I disappear to when I need to be alone. . ." He pulled back the curtain that blocked the entrance. They stepped inside before Vegeta let go of her hand. He walked to the center of the cave and started a fire from the logs he knew was there. Bulma walked near the fire to warm herself, now chilled with the absence of Vegeta's body heat.
Vegeta sat near the fire as Bulma began to walk around taking in her surroundings. So, this was Vegeta's Hideout, she thought with a smile. The importance of his sharing this with her was not lost on her. She was saddened at the thought that he had amassed enough to survive here for quite some time. This was his escape plan. There was even furniture and tools here. He had a pile of capsules lying in a bowl on a table.
Vegeta grew impatient and was not ready for her to snoop into all of his secrets yet. He especially didn't want her to open capsules, one of which held his damaged armor and another held his broken spaceship, both mementos of his past failures. He took her by the hand and brought her back to the fire and handed her the capsules her mother had prepared.
"You should eat something" he teased as he sat next to her.
Bulma clicked the capsules to reveal a banquet packed into baskets. Vegeta leaned over and grabbed the wine as Bulma began serving the food, lightly brushing her back as he did. He poured her a glass and handed it to her.
She sat near him and nibbled on a biscuit. She inched in closer to him to feel his warmth at her back. "You did all of this?" She asked in amazement.
Vegeta finished his glass and sat it down, leaning on his right arm on the blanket. With his left arm he drew small circles on her arm with his thumb. She leaned into his chest, pressing her back into him. His hand slid up her arm and held her on her neck, pulling her closer. She turned to face him and he loosened his grip long enough for her to turn before putting his hand behind her head and pulling her in closer for a kiss. He grinned as she melted to his touch.
When they came up for air she was lying next to him on the blanket, the wine and food forgotten. She looked up at him. This is why she could never be with anyone else. No one else made her feel like this. Vegeta closed his eyes as he released his hold on her. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the tiny box her father had given him and gave it to her. She opened the black velvet box to reveal the ring.
Bulma's hands flew to her mouth, "Oh Kami!" she exclaimed, eyes wide.
Vegeta took in a deep breath and released it slowly. "This is all I have left of my kingdom. This is all I own and I am therefore unworthy but I. . .I. . .I will not allow anyone to take you from me. No other man shall ever touch you. Bulma. . .I. . ." Vegeta was for a loss of words. He wished he had brought the instructions with him on how this was to be done. "On Vegetasai we would be mates, until we part by death if you will have me. But I will honor you and do this Earth marriage thing if you so desire." Vegeta watched as tears slipped from Bulma's eyes, afraid he had done something wrong. He wiped her tears "Have I done something to make you cry, Onna?" he asked.
Bulma pushed her face into his hand and smiled, "No, Vegeta, you have not made me sad." Vegeta looked at her with confusion. "I am crying because I am so happy!" She explained. "Yes, I will marry you!" She told him as she placed the ring on her finger and lunged at him. He fell to his back as they embraced.
They kissed for a moment before he pulled back. "I will do your Earth custom if you will do mine" he propositioned her.
She smiled and nodded her head, "Of course!"
Vegeta sat up and Bulma followed suit. Vegeta sat crossed-legged and pulled Bulma to sit on his lap as he began kissing her. He trailed kissed down her jaw and to her neck before coming to a stop at her collar. "This may hurt, Onna, but only for a moment" he breathed into her neck.
"Okay" she breathlessly replied.
Without further warning he began to suck at the crook of her neck before biting down, stopping when he tasted blood. He licked at the bite until the bleeding stopped. "Now we are mates according to my traditions" he told her. They spent the next several hours consummating their marriage.
When Bulma woke the next morning she had no memory of leaving the cave and getting home. The bed was empty next to her and cold, indicating Vegeta had been up for some time. She looked at her left hand and smiled broadly at the diamond ring that sat there, a constant reminder of Vegeta's love for her. He may never say the words but his actions would always speak louder.
The morning was spent getting ready for company. By the time the first guests had arrived Bulma was pleasantly surprised that Vegeta had left the GR, showered and was now hiding in their apartment. Which was exactly where he had intended to stay. He knew there would be a big fuss relating to certain ring and therefore wanted to be nowhere near the humans, today more than normal. That was the plan anyway until a particular ki hit his radar and made his blood boil. Of course he would be here. The Woman's ditz of a mother had made the party arrangements and invited all of Bulma's friends.
Vegeta made his way down to the party staying distant and unimposing. He worked his way through the crowd and into the backyard. There under a tree were Yamcha and Bulma. He was talking, rather energetically to Bulma who looked rather annoyed. He smirked. He knew he was the topic of conversation once again.
As he got close enough he could hear, "You can't be serious, B? You going to marry him?!" Vegeta grinned to himself as Bulma happily nodded yes. "But you haven't set a date yet, so there's still time. Marry me instead. I can take care of you!" he pleaded.
Bulma's eyes shifted slightly. She spotted me! She's getting better at this. Vegeta thought as he phased in next to Bulma. Yamcha jumped slightly at the intrusion. Bulma leaned in, expecting his presence. In an uncharacteristic move Vegeta put his arm around Bulma's shoulder possessively, "Do you need me to take out the trash?" Vegeta asked with a smirk.
Bulma looked up at him and smiled before saying, "No I think he was just leaving."
Vegeta's eyes glimmered with mischief as he grabbed the end of her scarf and phased out, taking the scarf with him, revealing the bite mark on her neck. He watched from the balcony for the chaos to ensue.
Yamcha's eyes widened in disbelief. "Did he bite you?" he asked.
"It's his way" Bulma stated calmly.
"I'm surprised he didn't pee on you." Yamcha said in a rather nasty tone he added, "I thought that was how animals marked their territory."
Bulma's face contorted with rage. "That's it! I've had about enough of you attitude. Vegeta and I are married! Until you can come to terms with that I think it would be better if you didn't come around for a while." Bulma looked him square in the eyes and smirked, adding "Besides, I'm not sure how long I can keep him on his leash!"
Yamcha took the hint and left. He was bested and Bulma was officially out of his reach. The rest of the party went off without a hitch. Vegeta stayed in the apartment until all of the company had left before coming down to get something to eat. He lay in the grass looking up at the stars when he felt a weight lay on his chest. He looked down to see Trunks laying on him, falling asleep. He placed his hand on the boy's head, "Sleep well, son."
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