Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the plot situations I put them in. Everything else belongs to somebody else so give them the credit where credit is due. Thanks to all those who've been reading and hope you enjoy this latest chapter in this story of mine.

From Pain To A Purpose

When Bulma finally got home that night she was still in a pretty big daze. She'd been aware enough that she was pretty sure she'd gotten most of what the doctor had told her. If she hadn't she had all the stuff he'd written down before she and Gohan had left. Poor Gohan, he had to be so confused, Bulma thought as she started to walk up her front steps, sitting down on her porch rather then go inside right away. She'd give him some story about still being sick but she was pretty sure the sharp kid hadn't bought it. Damn it. How was one supposed to come up with a decent lie at a time like this anyway? Here she was, unmarried and about as dumped as a person could get by the father of her unborn child. At least she could afford to take care of both of them but what was Vegeta going to say? He didn't miss much, even when he was acting like she'd never existed in his jerk world. Well that and once baby grew a bit it would probably become glaringly obvious that she had a half Saiyan on her hands. Would he or she have a tail too, Bulma wondered, imagining the nurses and doctor's reaction to that little surprise. Stifling a chuckle Bulma had to smile for a moment before sinking back into her slightly depressive state. This was not how she'd pictured her life turning out. There was supposed to be a ring around her finger before she had a bun in the oven. This was supposed to be where there was a big party and everyone celebrated and she felt on top of the world. As it was her friends were all likely to keel over in shock and who knew what the father of the baby would do. He had a big thing against humans so how would having a half human son or daughter sit with him? Not well at all. How did she feel about having a half Saiyan baby for that matter, Bulma pondered, having to think about that one.

On the one hand having a son just like Vegeta would send her to an early grave if said son or Vegeta didn't send her there first. But if she was his mother then he couldn't turn out as badly as Vegeta, right? After all she'd love him and take care of him, never let all the terrible things that had happened to Vegeta happen to their son. There was no reason her son couldn't turn out to be just like Gohan. Plus a half Saiyan son would come in handy when she needed help with something or if she were in some sort of trouble. It wasn't like his daddy would be in any rush to save her now after all. Maybe a son or a daughter would even soften up Vegeta bit. Then again, maybe not, Bulma thought, imagining quite clearly in her mind just what Vegeta's response to all this was going to be. He was going to be so furious, maybe even take it out on her. She hadn't been afraid of him for a while now but this, well this was something that could push him in that direction. Of course she could use the argument that no matter how he looked at it any child of his, with anyone for the mother was still only going to be half Saiyan. Plus it was obvious just how powerful Gohan was getting every day. She even thought the boy was going to surpass Vegeta and Goku, not that she'd ever say so. That would send Vegeta into a snit to end all snits. Plus Vegeta would end up dead trying to kill off Gohan before the kid got any stronger. She wasn't sure if she could ever forgive him if he killed her godson, Dragonballs or not.

Oh how had she ended up like this, Bulma wondered, framing her face in her hands. Well obviously she knew how she'd ended up pregnant but what she didn't get was why, after all these years it had to be Vegeta. Why did he have to be the one to knock her up? There were plenty of other guys out there that were much better Daddy material. This is what happens when you introduce a Saiyan to edible body lotion, Bulma thought darkly, slumping forward slightly.

Trying to picture a little Vegeta she had the sudden image of one of her old Treasure Trolls. Vegeta's hair did sorta...Oh dear God! Bursting out into laughter Bulma forgot all her worries as she wrapped her arms around her waist, her whole body shaking with laughter as she pictured her former lover's hair. She'd never quite thought of it that way but now that she had...oh god but the next time she saw him there was no way she was going to be able to keep a straight face. It took her a good ten minutes to get herself completely under control but when she did she did it with a smile. She felt so much better now. Hugging her stomach she smiled. Whatever happened, she was going to love this baby more then any baby had ever been loved before. If his or her daddy didn't want to be involved well then she'd find someway to fill that gap or die trying.

Determined and in control now Bulma got to her feet, brushing her butt off before heading for the door, letting herself in. Stepping out of her shoes she headed inside and clutching the bag of stuff she'd bought at the pharmacy on the way back she tried to be as quiet as possible. She did not want to run into anyone while she had this stuff on her. No such luck. Stopping in her tracks when she came face to face with her mother Bulma prayed her mother wouldn't notice the bag logo.

"Sweetie?" Bulma's mother began with a frown, picking up a definite nervous vibe coming off her daughter. Bulma was hiding something, she thought, her eyes narrowing slightly as she studied her daughter. Eyes landing on the bag she zeroed in on the one thing Bulma had been trying to hide. "What did you need to buy at the pharmacy."

"They're vitamins." Bulma blurted out, this part being true at least. "Uhm...with all the weight I've lost I thought it was a good idea to pick some up..to get me back on track." There was some other stuff but most of it was vitamins for making her body as baby ready as possible.

"Oh, well you could have just asked me, darling. I have plenty of vitamins." Bulma's mother pointed out, still slightly suspicious. After all why would Bulma be nervous about buying some vitamins? Unless the girl was just self conscious about losing so much weight, especially over Vegeta. While her daughter might prefer to think so she wasn't blind. She was well aware that something had been going on between Vegeta and Bulma, something that had ended up ending very, very, badly.

"Well I'm just going to stick this stuff in my room then have a small nap. I got a little dizzy while we were at the mall and I promised Gohan I would take a nap when I got back. Could you wake me up for supper though? I'm not skipping any more meals, ever." Bulma informed her mother, a determined look in her eye. She was eating for two now and her baby was counting on her to feed him lots of good things to help him grow. And what baby wanted, baby was going to get.

"Of course." Her mother replied, coming over to kiss her daughter's forehead, giving her a quick hug. "You go lay down and rest."

"Thanks, Mom." Giving her mother a grateful squeeze Bulma let go then with a slight wave headed up to her room. Storing all her stuff away in the medicine cabinet she returned to her bedroom and stretching out on her bed settled in for a quick cat nap. After all, she was going to need all her strength to face Vegeta tonight. That was not going to be fun.

Taking his seat at the dinner table Vegeta's frown deepened when he saw that once again Bulma wasn't there. She couldn't keep skipping meals like this or her weak body was going to give out, he thought, his eyes drifting to her empty seat. If she kept this up he was going to start force feeding the stupid idiot. It wasn't like her parents could stop him anyway. They were even worried and those two were usually off in their own little worlds half the time. Was she trying to punish him perhaps? Making herself sick so that he'd feel guilty for the way he'd spoken to her before? No, not even Bulma would stoop that low. She was tricky and conniving when she wanted something but she was too proud of her body to ruin it over him. She certainly wasn't trying to lure him back though. There was nothing appealing about her current figure and he missed her generous curves. The way she was headed he was going to be seeing her ribs soon.

"Have a good day of training, Vegeta?" Mr. Briefs asked as he took his seat at the head of the table.

Not one for small talk Vegeta considered ignoring the man but found he missed talking to another person. Normally he'd have spent at least part of the day bitching with Bulma but since the day in the training room they had yet to exchange more then a handful of sentences. He'd never thought the day would come when he missed interacting with another human being but he missed Bulma like a never healing wound. Damn her and damn him. Damn them both. "Fine." He finally said, turning his head to look at the old man. Thankfully Bulma had gotten her looks from her mother's side of the family. "Where are they?" He added, motioning towards Mrs. Briefs and Bulma's chairs.

"Oh, they'll be down any minute. Apparently Bulma was feeling a little off again this afternoon so she promised Gohan she'd take a nap when they got back from shopping." Mr. Briefs explained, frowning slightly before brightening a little. "But Bulma insisted that she be woken up for dinner which is good. I've been a bit worried what with all the meals she's been skipping recently. One of her fad diets no doubt. I keep telling her she's perfect as she is but women never believe you when you tell them that."

Grunting in response Vegeta easily hid his relief. So she was coming to dinner, that was good. Turning his attention to the food on the table Vegeta felt his appetite stirring now that he knew she'd be there and eating for a change. Or at least she better not pull any more of that shuffling her food around on her place trick. She was going to eat on her own or he was going to make her. Looking up when he sensed her presence he watched her take her seat, looking as thin as usual only there was a light in her eyes he hadn't seen in a while. She was almost..glowing? Vegeta wondered, trying to put his finger on it. There was definitely something different about her though. Eyes narrowing slightly he flinched slightly when she caught him staring, returning her gaze with more spirit then she'd shown in the entire month and a half.

Holding his gaze defiantly Bulma was pleased when he was the first to look away. Having won the battle, however small, she turned her eyes to the table, scanning the menu for the evening. She wasn't hungry but she was going to fill her plate and she was going to eat all of it. Taking some of everything handed to her Bulma began eating with a determined focus.

"You certainly have an appetite tonight, Baby." Bulma's mother said in delight, beaming at her daughter like Bulma had just won a Nobel Prize. It was so good to see her baby eating again. Especially on her own without anyone nagging her into it.

"Just making up for lost intake." Was Bulma's summary as she forced herself to keep at it until her plate was clean. Sitting back she felt mildly sick to her stomach but she was determined that it was all going to stay down. That and throwing up would just ruin her mood right now. It was really difficult to stay positive while Vegeta was in the room.

After everyone was done eating Bulma helped her mother with the dishes then decided to go for a walk. The night air would do her good and she wasn't tired at all thanks to her nap. Grabbing her coat Bulma headed out, wandering around the grounds with no destination in mind. It felt good just to be moving and thinking positive for once. God but she'd let Vegeta just suck the life right out of her, hadn't she? It was rather ironic since a life was what she'd been encouraging him to get since she'd known him. Hands in her pockets Bulma stopped and staring up at the sky wondered just what was going to happen now. She knew she had to tell Vegeta, there was just no getting around it. How long she waited to tell him was the question. He wouldn't know anything about human pregnancy so it wasn't like he would know how far to count back to figure out when this baby was conceived. If she went out with someone now she could lie to him for a while and say it was someone else's. Of course Vegeta might try to kill said innocent guy so that probably wasn't the best idea. Speaking of dates...would the fact that she was having a Saiyan baby affect how long she was pregnant. She couldn't even remember how things had been with Chi Chi but she'd find some excuse to ask the younger woman about it.

Sensing his presence before she saw him Bulma's eyes turned to a nearby tree where she could just make him out in the shadows, sitting on a limb of one of their trees. He was also watching her. "Star gazing?" Bulma asked, pulling her hands out of her pockets as she crossed her arms in front of her in an instinctively protective move.

Surprised she was talking to him Vegeta raised an eyebrow, his attention on her as it had been since she'd wandered into his line of vision. "Yes." He replied, waiting to see if she'd stay or go.

"It's a pretty good night for it." Bulma said softly, more to herself then him though his sensitive ears picked it up. "I'll leave you to it."

"You need to keep eating the way you did tonight."

"What?" Bulma said dumbly, staring at Vegeta in surprise. Of all the things that could have come out of his mouth that definitely had not been on her list. Why would he care about her eating habits? He didn't care about her period.

"You're too thin. You're weak enough without making it worse by not eating." Vegeta said bluntly, figuring that since he'd opened his mouth he might as well make it clear that she was going to have to continue eating on a regular basis.

Mouth open in shock Bulma didn't know what to think. He'd not only noticed her eating habits but he was actually bringing them up for discussion? She'd kept up with his repairs so it wasn't like she wasn't getting his stuff done. So why would he care about what she was doing to her body. It wasn't a sex appeal thing, he'd made it clear he was more likely to marry Krillin then try to get her naked again. So what was it? Why was he saying, commanding even, that she eat more? He couldn't possibly know about the baby so he had to be..worried about her?

Taking her silence as a rebellion against following orders Vegeta hopped down from the tree and strolled over to her, a deep frown on his face. "And that wasn't a suggestion, Onna." Vegeta added, just to make himself perfectly clear on this. "I'm telling you. You'll eat more or else."

"Vegeta...why do you care what I eat?" Bulma asked quietly, letting the calling her woman and the whole command thing go for the moment. Right now she wanted to know why he was saying these things.

Damn. He couldn't think of a good excuse other then the obvious. He didn't want her to make herself sick. Even if she wasn't starving herself she was still likely doing damage to her body, possibly damage that couldn't be repaired even if Bulma snapped out of this whole not eating thing. Watching her watch him intently Vegeta forced himself not to say something mean or nasty to get out of this. After all if he did that she might not eat just to spite him or something equally bad. "I simply don't like the way you look right now." Vegeta offered up as an excuse, not sure if it would work. He really didn't expect it to either.

"But you don't like me period."

"I don't recall saying that." Vegeta pointed out, wincing as soon as the words were out of his mouth. That was too close to saying he did like her and he'd sooner cut off his own tongue then admit that. Not that it was true, he assured himself. But if it was he still would never say such a thing. Least of all to her.

"But it's true, isn't it?" Bulma pressed, stepping closer to him. "You don't like me, Vegeta. Right?"

"Have I mentioned lately that I've seen corpses that look healthier then you have lately?" Vegeta shot back, trying to sidestep the trap she was trying to spring. Oh no, no way in hell. They were not going there if he had anything to say about it. What was it with human females and talking about their feelings anyway? It was creepy.

"If you tell me the honest truth I promise I'll eat right from now on." She would do it anyway but he didn't know that. Nothing like a bit of emotional blackmail to get what you wanted. That was if he cared enough about her to give in.

Glaring at her fiercely Vegeta envisioned strangling her with his bare hands, a familiar image that he had down pack after years of wanting to do it. The damn exasperating woman.

"It's up to you. If you really want me eating more that is." Bulma added as a final nudge. The rest was up to Vegeta.

"I don't dislike you."

Well he'd sounded like a grumpy bear rudely woken up from hibernation but he had answered her. Truthfully too. More confused then satisfied Bulma didn't know what to think. Asking him if he liked her wouldn't get her anywhere. Even if she did he could lie straight to her face without her being the wiser. "Good to know." Bulma said instead, giving him a slight smile. "Now if you'll excuse me; I'm going to head inside. See you at breakfast tomorrow."