DBZ-fan-JESS- Bulma will not be in the wedding with Vegeta. June had agreed to take her place so Vegeta doesn't have to be stuck with Alessa. I really hop you like this chapter. I can't wait to put up the next one. Everyone's going to be so surprised! I promise you! Thanks for reviewing!

Garowyn- Yeah. I made a couple stupid mistakes. I forgot to proofread again. Sorry! Thanks, though. Oh, yeah. Veg-head definitely has feelings for Bulma, but he was really trying to move on. Ah, and Yamcha! He's extremely misguided right now, and the only thing I'm going to clue anyone in on, is that it's only going to drive him down an even harder road. You'll see in about 2 more chapters. Thanks!

PrettyStupidGurl- Thanks for the review!

KarineD- Oh good! You like Kaya. I hope everyone likes her. If so, I might have her come back. I think she's just the levelheaded, honest, kindhearted person that everyone can like. Glad I didn't make you wait long, though I got a little caught up in life again thus delaying this chapter. Sorry! Enjoy, and thanks!

SilverWing145- Aw! I'm really sorry I've dragged this out for so long. Soon, very soon! Another chapter or two, but don't mistake Akira and Arthos. There is such a thing as moving too fast... Thanks!

Fujutsu- Thanks for being honest. Sorry you didn't like it that much. There's a very precious Bulma and Vegeta moment at the very end of this chapter dedicated to you! Soon, I promise. Yamcha and Bulma will be over, and Vegeta can swoop in. ;-)

Kataan- Yeah! Two votes for Kaya to stick around for a bit. Yeah, I don't know who I feel the worst for. Bulma or Vegeta? Akira did look very nice, too! Thanks for noticing. I'm really glad you liked Akira and Arthos. Thanks! I hope you liked that tiny Krillin and Marron part. I know it was bit too small though. Thanks for reviewing!

Beeswax- Thanks for the review! Yamcha will actually tell her! I swear it! He's seriously going to tell her what he did, and you're all going to be surprised! Mu hahahahaha

Sensation0023- It'll be better soon! Yamcha will be out of the picture, and everyone will be happy! Thanks for the review!

Mustang07- Thank you for reviewing! Wait until you see how this one ends!

The WarriorFormerlyKnownAsPrince- Hey! Thanks so much for the review! ;-) I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's got some interesting moments, I think! Enjoy!

Coachzgrl19- Aw! Thank you a bunches! Enjoy!

Shiami- Firstly, I want to thanks for the offer of an outlet. Much appreciated, and likewise! I'm always open to trying to help someone out. Thank you for the review, and it's cool if you couldn't review before. I understand. Life hasn't exactly been cool to me lately either. (hugs) Thanks again!

Pink Panther- Thanks! Krillin, huh? Well, I got him in briefly, very briefly. I'm going to try to get him into the next chapter. I don't want to get too in-depth with the relationship of him and Marron.

Gothic Bulma- Thanks for reviewing!

Dark Hope Assassin- Oh no! I guess I'll clear it up for you, since it's obvious that, this being and Bulma and Vegeta fic, that they're going to end up together. "You stole the Rain" are part of lyrics, and I can't for the life of me remember which band it comes from. I think it was either Caliban, Cave In, GlassJaw… I don't know. Not that important. This is harder to explain than I thought it'd be. Haha… Okay. Imagine Bulma smiling up at Vegeta after they finally got together and her say "You stole the rain." He made her happy again. He helped her through her pain. Does that make sense? I hope so. Thanks for the review!

Tinuviel- Thank you very much for reviewing!

Lenk- Hiya! Thanks for reviewing! Soon. Thing will get better very soon! ;-)

Super Sayion Vegeta Bulme- Hi! Thanks for reviewing! Enjoy!

Chapter 15: Keeping a Promise

(Monday morning)

The professor sat at his desk and waited patiently as all the students stood in line to hand in their final exam work: a five-page paper on the social problem of the student's choice, three separate essay questions, and a multiple choice take home form he'd passed out last week. Bulma gave the teacher a weak smile as she placed her papers on the top of the piles, and then turned to retrieve her book bag. She had been one of the last people in line.

"Ms. Briefs."

She turned back to the teacher. "Yes?"

"I was looking over my class lists for next semester, and it struck me odd that you didn't sign back up for any Sociology classes," he told her. "Now, I know you're an engineering major and all, but you've really done an amazing job in this class. You always come up with sound arguments, and you show a deep interest in the subject matter. Not many kids put this much effort into a class they're just taking to get a requirement out of the way."

Bulma glanced at the floor. She loved the subject, and she wanted to keep going. She was thinking of picking it up as a minor subject, but then she couldn't handle seeing Vegeta every day, so she didn't bother signing back up for any Sociology classes.

"I'm sorry. I did enjoy your class a lot, but I really put to much time into this class. I really need to focus my priorities," she lied. "I was slipping in my field classes."

He chuckled. "I know exactly what you mean. I did the same thing, but then I switched my major." They were alone now; most of the kids had decided to drop off their papers first thing so they could go straight to lunch. "I'm not trying to pressure you into a change or anything. I'm just sad to see a good student go," he went on sincerely.

Just as she was about to reply, Vegeta walked into the room. The professor looked up and grinned. "Ah, Mr. Ouji! A little late I see," he commented.

"I just got back from LA," Vegeta said, handing him his exam papers. "Sorry."

"Don't be! I'm looking forward to reading these. I see you're taking one of my classes next semester."

Vegeta nodded, glancing sideways at Bulma. "Sociological Theory," he confirmed, returning his gaze back to their teacher.

Bulma sighed miserably. The way he said it gave her the impression that he didn't really want her to know what he was taking.

"Well, I look forward to seeing you next term. I'm sure you'll get another A," he stated, holding up Vegeta's papers in reference. "Have a good Christmas, you two."

"Thanks," Bulma and Vegeta said at the same time.

"Merry Christmas, Dr. Jarrett," Bulma finished politely.

The two of them walked out into the hall together and stood awkwardly in silence for a while. Bulma looked up as a small group passed by them, and waited nervously for the hall to clear before she tried to speak.

"I'm sorry for any trouble I've caused you since you met me," she quickly told him. "I ran into Kaya at the mall yesterday, and she told me about how your date ended. I didn't mean to piss you off."

Vegeta closed his eyes and leaned back against the wall, sighing. "Save it."

Bulma looked him straight in the eye. "Don't take this out on Eighteen. She was really upset all weekend."

"It doesn't matter to me," he shot back harshly. "I'm finished with you, and from the way of things, I guess that means I have to be finished with her as well." He pushed himself away from the wall. "Don't bother me anymore, Bulma. I mean it," he warned her before walking off.

Tears trailed freely down her pale cheeks, and she choked back a sob, covering her mouth with her hand. Why was he being so cruel to her? To June? She thought that he had had some feelings for her, but maybe she was wrong? But hadn't he kind of admitted to it a few weeks ago after Thanksgiving? The blue haired girl sunk to her knees and covered her face with her hands as she cried; thankfully no one was around to witness her emotional breakdown.

(Change scene, Philadelphia)

He laughed and held his arms out in front of him; trying to make sure he didn't bump into anything. Behind him, his fiancé giggled and peeked over his shoulder, making sure to keep her hands firmly planted over his eyes.

"Almost there," Marron whispered in his ear.

Krillin laughed. "I hope so. I've stubbed my toe three times already. Once more, and I may have to go to the emergency room," he joked.

"Oh, shut up," she laughed. She guided him to stand in front of the table and smiled brightly. "Okay. Here we go." She uncovered his eyes.

"Congratulations!"

Krillin laughed as all his friends and family were gathered in their dining room. He turned to Marron and pulled her close. "Thanks, babe." The entire group awed as he kissed her passionately. All he could think was that he was on top of the world! He had a fantastic, beautiful woman by his side and, he had a great job in which he was just promoted after all his hard work. His life was perfect.

(Change scene)

Bulma entered her dorm room and let the door slam shut behind her. She didn't care that there was a 24-hour silence rule in effect all week due to finals. June looked up from her laptop and frowned.

"What's wrong?"

"I ran into Vegeta when we were handing in our exams. He doesn't want anything to do with either one of us," she replied sadly, plopping down on her bed and lifting a hand to her throbbing temples. God, her head hurt!

June stared at her in shock. "He said that to you?" An angry expression crossed her face, and she stood up. "Why that son of a bitch," she shouted. She picked up her cellphone and pressed the number five button. It automatically dialed a number, but it never rang.

Bulma noticed the strange look on her friend's face. "What is it?" She demanded. Something was obviously very wrong.

"He," June started, swallowing hard. "He disconnected his phone service. He actually went out and changed cellphone servers to avoid us."

The two girls sat dumbly staring at each other for about five minutes.

(Change scene, Lily Lake, Tuesday afternoon)

Chichi held the phone to her ear and frowned. She wanted more than anything to jump on a plane and fly across the country to comfort her hysterical sister, but she just couldn't. Besides, Bulma would be coming home on Saturday night with Yamcha. The couple was flying back for Christmas break this weekend after spending some time with June.

"Calm down, B," Chichi cooed into the phone. "It's going to be alright."

"No it's not! Vegeta hates me, and for no good reason at all," she responded angrily.

It was pretty obvious to Chichi that Vegeta had quite a good reason to be upset and distance himself from her sister, but she didn't want to make Bulma mad or put her down. She was in a fragile mental state right now.

"Whatever his reasons are, they must make sense to him," she told her. "He might just need some time to figure things out. Maybe not talking to you or having to see you at all over this next month will help him realize that."

"Maybe," Bulma agreed miserably from the other end.

Chichi smiled slightly. "Want me to tell you something to make you feel better?"

Bulma immediately stopped sniffling. "What?"

"Radditz and Ausrin are going to have a baby."

"What! Oh my god," Bulma shouted into the phone. "Are you serious?"

"I sure am! She just found out this morning."

"Well, I feel like an ass," Bulma grumbled. "That's who must have called me a few hours ago, but I was too angry to pick up the phone."

"Then, you'd better go call her."

"I will. Thanks for listening to me rant, Chi."

"What are sisters for?"

Bulma laughed. "Love you."

"Likewise."

They both hung up at the same time. Chichi sighed and placed the portable on the counter just as Gohan rushed in from the back yard. She smiled at him.

"I actually caught the football!" The little boy told her, proud of himself.

"You did, huh?" She ruffled his shaggy black hair. "Wait until your father finds out tonight when he gets home from work."

Gohan beamed up at her. "Uncle Vegeta wants to take me out for ice cream to celebrate. Can we go?" He pleaded, giving her the most heartbreakingly cute look.

Chichi looked up and grinned at the young man leaning against the doorframe. "Go get your heavy coat. It's freezing outside," she told her son.

"Yippee!"

Vegeta watched the boy run through the house and up the stairs. He returned his attention back to Chichi. "Are you sure this okay?"

"What?"

"My staying here," he reminded her. "I'm sure Bulma's not going to like it when she finds out." He hesitated. "I just can't go home right now," he explained. "And I made the kid a promise."

She nodded. "It's perfectly fine, Vegeta, as long as you don't mind sleeping in Gohan's room."

He simply nodded and picked up the keys to the car he rented at the airport. "That was her on the phone just now, wasn't it?"

Chichi sighed. "Yeah. She's pretty upset over what you said to her." She sat down at the kitchen table and motioned for him to have a seat as well.

"She made her decision, and she chose to stay with him," he started harshly, but caught himself. It wasn't in his best interests to get pissed and take it out on Chichi. She'd offered him a place to crash for the week after all. He sighed. "You know everything that's happened," he went on.

"Yes. She's told me everything. Things could still work out for you, though. It might be a good idea to not cut each other out of your lives for good. You might need each other."

Gohan walked into the room completely decked out in his winter attire. "I'm ready," he mumbled happily from beneath the thick scarf wrapped around his neck and covering mouth.

(Change scene, Friday)

Yamcha helped Bulma carrying her luggage up to the Brief's front porch and waited for her to unlock the door. It was late afternoon, and Bulma was surprised that no one was home. True, they had left a day earlier than expected, but she had called and left a message on her mother's answering machine this morning. Surely, they would have gotten it by now!

"Where could they be?" She pushed the door open and walked into the dark house. "They can't be in bed already. Mom? Dad? I'm home." She flicked the lights on, and Yamcha followed her into the house.

"Maybe they went out for dinner," he reasoned.

Bulma walked into the kitchen, turning the lights on as she opened the door. There was absolutely no one home. She noticed a not on the table. It was her mother's handwriting. She picked it up and read it aloud.

"Hun, I went last minute Christmas shopping with Chichi, Ausrin, and Lynya. Goku and Radditz want you to stop by their office. I dropped the boys off at Chichi's house. They're in good hands. Love, Bunny." Bulma frowned, putting the note back on the table.

Yamcha smiled. "Well, you've got the place to yourself for a bit."

She laughed. She never had the house to herself growing up. It would be nice for a change. "I'll meet you for lunch tomorrow, okay?" She asked him, giving him a hug and kiss on the cheek.

"Sounds good to me," he replied, kissing her gently on the lips. "Call me if you need me."

She nodded and walked him to the front door. As she watched him pull out of the driveway, she wrapped her arms around her upper body tightly and shivered. She didn't want be alone right now. She could've asked Yamcha to stay with her until someone came home, but she knew his parents were probably anxious to see him. Suddenly, an idea popped into her head, and she went into the living room and dug into her bags, pulling out some clothes and some other necessities and shoved them into her backpack. She ran into the kitchen and scribbled a note down and grabbed the keys to her old car. She hoped there was gas in it!

(Change scene)

Vegeta rolled his eyes as he hung up his cellphone. His mother had just spent the last twenty minutes bitching him out because he let it slip that he had spent the entire week in Pennsylvania instead of going home. What'd she expect him to do? Go back and hang out at their house in LA with his cousin Brolly and his whorish ex-fiancé under the same roof and act like nothing had happened! She was insane! He put the cellphone down on the coffee table in front of him and glared at it. It was only a matter of minutes before his father called him back and started in on round two!

Sighing, he lounged back into the comfy couch cushions and closed his eyes. At least Mara and Arro weren't mad at him for not coming home. He'd told them that past weekend that he'd see them in Italy for Christmas, as was tradition in their family, and promised that he would not skip out on their wedding like everyone thought he was going to. 'Morons,' he thought irritably.

"Uncle Vegeta?"

He opened his eyes and spotted Gohan standing beside him, rubbing his eyes with his tiny little fists. Vegeta sat up straight. Bulma's family had a ton of shopping to do for Christmas, so Vegeta had offered to watch the kids for them as a sort of thank-you for letting him stay. Chichi had been ecstatic when he offered, but made it known that he didn't have to feel obligated to. He'd assured her that he wanted to It wasn't like there was anything else to do in this town!

"What's wrong, brat?"

"I'm thirsty. Can I have some water?"

Vegeta stood up and ushered the kid into the kitchen. It was going for nine-thirty, and Goku and Chichi were still out. He didn't mind though. He imagined they probably needed some time way from the kids. He lifted Gohan up and sat him on the high stool at the counter.

"You're going right to bed after this," he muttered.

"Do I have to? Tomorrow's a Saturday! I don't have school," he reminded Vegeta, as if Vegeta hadn't ever been to school and didn't know how the whole system worked.

"You really want me to get yelled at by your mother, kid?" The sound of a car pulling into the driveway caught his attention. "Sounds like they're back finally."

Gohan jumped down from the stool. "Mommy!" He rushed out into the other room to meet his mother as she walked into the house.

Vegeta grabbed a coke out of the fridge and opened it. He was right in the middle of a huge gulp, when he heard Gohan yell out. "Aunt Bulma!" The soda instantly came back up, burning his throat and almost came out his nose. He spat into the sink and gasped for air.

"Fuck," he whispered. She wasn't supposed to come back until tomorrow? What the hell happened? He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and stood up straight. "What am I going to say?" He whispered to himself furiously. This was not good. He was supposed to leave for New York City tomorrow afternoon. He'd planned everything all out with Chichi and Goku and his friends in NYC that he was going to visit for the next week.

Gohan pulled Bulma into the kitchen by her hand. "Come on! You'll never guess whose here." He told her. "He taught me how to catch the football finally. Daddy was really happy!"

Bulma gave him a funny look. "Who are you talking about, sweetie?" She looked up as they came into the kitchen, and almost had a shock induced heart attack. "Vegeta?"

Gohan smiled happily. "Yep! He kept his promise. He said he was going to come back for Christmas." He suddenly pouted. "But he's leaving for New York tomorrow."

Vegeta looked down at Gohan as he lifted a small cup of water off the counter. "Here's your water, kid. Now will you get in bed before your mother gets home and catches you up?"

"But Aunt Bulma's here, and I haven't seen her in weeks." He made it sound like those weeks had really been years and years and years, but Vegeta wasn't buying it.

Bulma finally found her voice again. "Gohan, it's time for bed. Go on. I'll see you first thing in the morning," she promised.

He hung his head, but nodded. "Goodnight," he told them as he walked up the stairs.

The estranged couple waited until the boy was safely upstairs before they even looked at each other. Bulma didn't know what to think. She was still very upset about what he'd said to her Monday morning, and she couldn't even fathom why he was here. Vegeta picked up his coke can, but then placed it back down on the counter, thinking better of it. His throat was still burning.

"What are you doing here?"

"Weren't you listening to a word the kid said," Vegeta taunted. He was in no mood to deal with her right now. He'd been having a decent week staying here. " I should have known this would blow up in my face," he muttered darkly.

"Like you really cared whether or not you kept your word to Gohan," she shot back angrily. How dare he rub it in her face that he'd rather pal around with her little nephew than her! "I want the truth, Vegeta."

"You know I just got that baby to sleep soundly an hour ago. You better hope he doesn't wake up."

"Vegeta!"

"Calm down, woman. It's got nothing to do with you. I just didn't feel like going home," he half-lied. "And whether you want to believe it or not, I did give a shit about breaking a promise to the kid. Your sister was nice enough to let me crash here, and don't worry. You won't have to deal with me. I'm leaving tomorrow," he told her, brushing past her to go into the living room. He really didn't want to wake that baby up. Goten was super fussy!

Bulma followed him into the living room. "Why would you stay here all week? This is my family. Damnit, Vegeta! Now, Gohan's going to be really be attached to you," she enlightened him. "God only knows," she went on. "It's only a matter of time before you break his little heart and tell him that you can't see him anymore because he's connected to me."

A slap in the face would have been more welcomed than that little tidbit of information, but Vegeta didn't let it show that he was fazed in the least. There was no way he was going to let her get to him. He sighed. "Where are you staying tonight?"

She gave him a confused look. "Here."

He nodded and walked over to the computer room where Chichi had let him stash all his things. He started shoving things into his bags that had accidentally fallen onto the floor. Bulma frowned.

"What are you doing?"

He zipped the larger bag up. "To your parents' house, or Radditz'," he answered. "Fuck! I don't know, but I can't stay under the same roof as you."

That hurt. Bulma tried to hold back the tears. "Why? You were my best friend," she whispered brokenly.

Vegeta looked away from her. He couldn't take seeing her cry, knowing he was the cause of it. "I have to go," he repeated. "It's not a good idea to stay here."

"No. Stay. I'll go back to my parent's house," she told him.

He shook his head. "You're too emotional to drive," he told her, gracing her with a tiny smirk without even noticing it. He brushed her hair back behind her left ear. "I know you," he whispered, capturing her gaze for a brief moment, before walking out of the room.

A few seconds later, Bulma heard the front door open and close, and just like that, Vegeta was gone yet again. Goten started to cry from upstairs.

(End Chapter)

Okay! I hope that was decent. I'm sure ya'll let me know, right! ;-) That last past was so sweet, yet I think I broke my own heart writing that…Sheesh, I'm sorry…It just sounded right.

NEXT TIME: We'll attend Mara and Arro's wedding in Italy. Bulma'll do something that surprises all of us, and Yamcha will do something that might not surprise any of us… I'll try to visit with June, Jayson, Akira, Arthos, Marron, and Krillin too. I mean to in this chapter, but there was obviously some Bulma and Vegeta stuff I needed to fit in!

Don't forget to review, please!

PANDORA ;-)