CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Warning; This chapter contains the most graphic sex scene I have written so far. Please read at your own risk, or simply scroll past it.

Bulma made her way towards her bedroom, surprised to see a strange yellow light omitting from the ajar door. Slowly, she pushed the door open, gasping as she caught sight of the glowing figure that stood facing her glass doors that went out to her balcony, illuminating the room. Bulma walked inside and shut the door behind her quietly, trying not to startle her companion, before she walked over to him.

"Vegeta?"

He turned around at the sound of her voice, and Bulma couldn't help but gasp at the sight of his face. Never had she seen the Saiyan Prince look so... defeated. It worried her immensely, and although she was bursting with happiness that he was unharmed and had returned to her as promised, she couldn't help but wonder what had happened out on the battlefield that had transformed Vegeta into such a completely different man.

She also wondered why he was in his Super Saiyan transformation, his golden hair shining brightly as his teal eyes looked into her own blue ones. Bulma went to lift a hand up to touch his face, to check if he was real, but something held her back, and her hand dropped back to her side. "Vegeta." she repeated, not sure what to say even with the millions of questions that were beginning to appear in her mind.

Vegeta sighed, his resolve breaking. "I have returned...a...a failure." he told her simply, not wishing to dance around the issue. Everything he had worked towards, all the harsh and painful training he had endured had been for nothing, and now he only felt like a shadow of his former self, of the Vegeta who had made his way to the battlefield certain of victory.

Ever since meeting Kakarott he had been determined to surpass the lower-class Saiyan, but at every turn the imbecile managed to come out on top. No matter how hard Vegeta pushed himself or how strongly he wanted to defeat him, Kakarott would always be the victor. And now he was gone, in a self-sacrifice for the earth that Vegeta would never understand, and now he would never get his chance to challenge him.

Vegeta was so lost in his thoughts that he had not noticed as Bulma stood closer to him, lightly placing a hand on his shoulder, and she was surprised that he did not flinch away from the contact. "A failure?" she questioned him, trying to understand what had broken such a proud and stubborn man. This new side of Vegeta was beginning to scare her, and she was amazed at how vulnerable he seemed before her. Was it possible that this was the true Vegeta, hidden under a strong and arrogant shell?

"As much as I tried, I could not defeat Cell. I only managed to attack him once or twice, but hardly managed to do any damage to him. I was even beaten by the small versions of himself that he managed to create, and they were nowhere near as strong as him." His defeated eyes looked to the floor. "Kakarott sacrificed himself, and even that was not enough. And then for his son to be the victor, for that young boy to be more powerful than I could even imagine of becoming, what does that make of me?"

Bulma took two fingers to Vegeta's chin and tilted his head upwards until his eyes met hers. "You are not a failure." she told him sternly, and his eyes widened in surprise. "If it wasn't for you, none of us would be here by now. Trunks told me what you did, that you managed to give Cell the blow that allowed Gohan to get the upper hand and destroy him once and for all. I wouldn't see that as a failure."

Vegeta said nothing in reply, but stepped back from Bulma and turned back to face the doors, looking out to the lit city behind the compound walls. "You... you care for me." he spoke softly, using a tone that Bulma had never heard him use before. It wasn't a question either, more a realisation. Bulma's eyes turned from his back to the floor. "Yes." she whispered back, emotions coursing through her veins. It was the first time she had admitted the truth to him, the first time they had discussed any feelings shared between them.

"Why?"

Bulma's heart skipped a beat as her eyes turned to Vegeta's glowing back, taking in the many scars that were etched in his skin. Thoughts flashed across her mind, words and sentences forming quickly but she knew she could only tell him the truth. "I don't know." she replied honestly, glancing out the window. "But I do know that whenever I see you, my heart begins to beat uncontrollably, and I've since learnt that it isn't due to fear. When you left, I was a wreck, and not just from the pregnancy. I needed you, more than I have ever needed anyone. And that hasn't changed."

Vegeta turned around to face her, his teal eyes full of mixed emotions that Bulma tried desperately to read. "You realise that I could kill you instantly with a flick of my wrist." he rasped softly, his face menacingly looking at her, but Bulma merely shook her head at him. "But you won't." she whispered, placing a hand up to his cheek, feeling the roughness of his skin against her own. Vegeta did not pull away, but continued his gaze at her, watching her intently as she smiled sadly at him, before withdrawing her hand.

"There's more to you than you care to show, Vegeta, even if you're not fully aware of it yourself. I've seen glimpses of another side, a side of you that you continually suppress, even though I have no idea why." Bulma told Vegeta, moving closer to him, feeling his hot breath fan her face as the intense golden energy that surrounded him made her skin tingle. "I thought you were a genius." Vegeta managed to reply, clearing his throat as he also moved closer to her, their bodies almost touching. Bulma smirked at him. "That is true, but it doesn't help me figure out what's going on in that thick skull of yours."

Suddenly Vegeta moved in closer again, this time pushing Bulma up against the wall behind herself, his lips pressing harder on her own with passion and a slight hint of neediness, and it reminded her of the first time they had been intimate. Abruptly she broke off the kiss and gently pushed him away from her, and the rejection was clear on his face, mixed with hurt. Bulma sighed. She knew that it had been a mean move on her part, but there was something she wanted to clear up first before anything was going to happen between them.

"I need to know." she began, looking at him intensely, "I need to know what it is that you want from me. Because I'm not just some woman you can get your pleasure from when you desire it. If this is ever just going to be sex, than I'm sorry, but I can't do it. I'm a one-man girl, and I'm not just going to keep hanging around for you when you get horny. I need something more, and if you're not willing to give me that, then feel free to leave."

"Either you want sex, or you want me."

Vegeta made no movement, nor said anything in response. Instead he just continued to watch her, with those bright teal eyes that made Bulma feel slightly uneasy. She sighed, and her heart dropped, sobs beginning to reside in the back of her throat, tears threatening to burn in her eyes. At least it had been worth a try, a chance to let Vegeta know just where she stood with him, but it was becoming obvious that he did not see her in the same way.

She made a movement to turn away from him and leave the room, but a hand suddenly grabbed her waist, and before she could do anything Vegeta pulled her closer to him.

"I...I want you."

Bulma couldn't believe her ears as her heart began to rejoice. She looked at Vegeta, who was leaning in again to pick up from where they had left off. But Bulma stopped him once more, placing two fingers on his lips and halting his movement. "This means that we are together. In a relationship. And you can't go and find pleasure with anyone else but me." she explained, and Vegeta rolled his eyes at her. "I have enough trouble dealing with one woman, why on earth would you think I willingly handle another?"

Bulma grinned, knowing that his remark roughly translated to 'yes'. She moved her fingers from Vegeta's lips and instead replaced them with her own lips, wrapping her arms around his neck in a desperate act to pull herself closer to him. As she did so, she was suddenly aware of just how bad he wanted her at that moment, the Saiyan armour he was wearing making no effort to hide that fact. She blushed slightly, before pulling away once more and pulling up her maroon top, revealing a the old white bra that Vegeta recalled seeing earlier that day, but he made no comment that would betray this knowledge.

Following her lead, Vegeta began to undress himself in an amazing speed, in an obvious effort to get naked as quickly as possible. By the time all of his clothing was off, Bulma was just finished pulling off her jeans, to reveal the matching underwear, blushing in embarrassment as she did so. If she had known this was going to happen, she would have most definitely worn more appealing lingerie. Vegeta however did not seem to care in the slightest, as he groaned, approaching her and swiftly unclasping her bra, letting it fall to the ground before pulling off her underwear as well, Bulma allowing him to undress her, her cheeks crimson as she noted his eagerness, it was evenly matched with her own.

Now both naked, Vegeta approached Bulma again, pressing himself up against her, skin on skin. Bulma marvelled at the many new cuts and bruises that adorned his skin, before wrapping her arms around Vegeta's neck again, lifting herself up and wrapping her legs around his waist, cradling her head in the crook of his neck, kissing the skin there softly. She had been waiting so long for this, to hold him in her arms once again, to have his lips roaming her bare skin.

Vegeta moved over to the bed, placing Bulma gently down on it, where she unwrapped her legs and arms from around his torso, moving up on the bed to find the most comfortable position. Vegeta joined her seconds later, appearing on her left side before rolling on top of her, propping himself up on his elbows as not to crush her with his incredible muscled body. His lips brushed her cheek, moving down her neck and then coming to rest at her breasts, giving each erect nipple a light nip before continuing to go down her body.

Bulma felt the heat rush from her body up to her cheeks as she watched Vegeta move lower and lower, noting just how close each of his soft kisses were getting to her portal, which was gaining more moisture by the second. This intimacy was much different than before, she could see that Vegeta wanted her, and badly, and yet he was taking his time with her, and seemed determined to please her as best he could. Something had certainly changed between them, and Bulma noted that it was definitely for the better.

Suddenly the sensation of Vegeta's tongue lapping softly at her nub, and she arched her back in ecstasy, her hands reaching down to tangle in Vegeta's spikes, coaxing him as he continued to devour her womanhood, making her moan loudly and deeply, and she was instantly grateful that her room had an effective sound barrier. The last thing she needed was for either version of Trunks to become aware of her activities that night.

With another flick of his tongue, that was all it took for Bulma as she bucked hard against his face, her climax more intense than she had bargained for. Vegeta continued, but Bulma had other ideas. She pulled herself away from him, indicating with one finger that he return to her level. Smirking, Vegeta complied, moving up between her legs until their mouths met once more, and Bulma could taste herself on his lips, and was well aware of something quite hard poking into her thigh.

Vegeta made a move to finally enter her, but Bulma stopped him, and the look on Vegeta's face terrified her for an instant, he looked rather pissed off. She leant over to her bedside table, pulling open the drawer and pulling out a small square packet, closing the drawer and then handing it to Vegeta. "Put this on." she told him, as he moved off her and sat up. "What on earth have you just handed me, woman?" Vegeta demanded to know, ripping open the small packet and taking out the soft flimsy object.

"You'd better get used to those, Vegeta, if you want to continually be intimate with me. Because my birth control doesn't seem to work on it's own and I refuse to have another child right now." Bulma informed him, and Vegeta merely grunted in response, but seemed to understand what she was saying to him. Sighing, Bulma reached over and took it out of his hands, realising that he would have no idea how to put it on.

"Now watch carefully, because this is something you can do yourself from now on." she warned Vegeta, as she placed the strange object on the tip of his manhood and rolled it down, until he was completely covered by the contraption. Vegeta looked up at Bulma, the list clear in his eyes, the impatience showing on his face. "So can we continue now?" he asked her, as she laid back down on the bed, pulling him down with her. "Yes, but don't think I've forgotten about you referring to me as 'woman' again just now. If you're going to be with me, you have to call me by my name. And I know that you know it, so don't try to pretend that you don't."

Vegeta responded by resuming his previous position, this time succeeding in pushing himself gently into her, kissing her neck as he did so. "Bulma." he rasped, and the sound of him speaking her name made Bulma shiver, as her fingers ran up and down his scarred back as he proceeded to thrust, long and hard at first, before gathering speed. "Vegeta." Bulma moaned his name into his golden hair, giving him encouragement, his breathing become ragged with her own, before she let out a long moan of pleasure, signalling her climax and then triggering his own.

Panting as he came, Vegeta's thrusting slowed down, until he was completely done. Bulma lay flat on her back, trying to regain her breathing, her chest rising and falling in rhythm as Vegeta pulled himself out of her, before collapsing onto the bed next to her, and with a deep breath he detransformed, his eyes and hair returning to their natural dark colour, the room being plunged into darkness. Instantly Bulma reached over to her bedside table and flicked on the lamp, returning light to the room, before she turned to her lover, cuddling his arms and pulling herself towards him, placing one hand on his chest, feeling the intense beating of his heart.

What had just happened between them had been more overwhelming than ever before. The other times they had been intimate had just been plain, passionate sex, but that seemed to be all there was to it. Just now had been completely different, they had this time made love instead, communicating with each other on an entirely new level that was a lesson for them both. She also had a sneaking suspicion that Vegeta being in his Super Saiyan transformation had something to do with it as well, and she noted how careful he must have been not to lose his control of strength slip for even a fraction of a second.

Vegeta sat up, and Bulma removed herself from him, opting to remain laying down on the bed. Vegeta stood up off the bed and proceeded to remove the protection from his manhood, throwing in the small bin that Bulma kept beside her dresser. He then walked over to her wardrobe and grabbed out one of her bath-robes, choosing a navy blue one and throwing it over himself. Bulma sat up, beginning to get worried. "You're not leaving me now, are you?" she asked him, wondering of maybe Vegeta had done the cruellest thing she could think of and just manipulated her into having sex with him. But something told her that this could not possibly be the case.

Vegeta tied up the robe before turning to her. "I am in need of a shower." he informed her bluntly, heading towards the door and opening it, causing Bulma to yelp out in embarrassment and attempt to cover her nakedness up. He turned back to her. "Feel free to join me, if you wish." And with that Vegeta left.

Bulma practically jumped off the bed, grabbing another robe and quickly dressing herself in it. She knew an invitation when she heard one, and this seemed too good an opportunity to pass up, and it meant that she would be able to spend more time with the Saiyan Prince.

Quietly she left her bedroom, shutting the door behind her, before making her way over to the bathroom, praying silently that Vegeta had left the door unlocked. Pressing the door button, she let out a sigh of relief as the door slid open, and quickly slipped inside, closing the door again with another press of the button and locking it so that they could not be disturbed.

There was steam everywhere in the room, and as Bulma dropped the robe onto the floor, she tried to make out Vegeta's frame in the shower. As she opened the shower door, she finally caught sight of him, his dark hair now cascading wetly down his back, ending just above the round scar that she knew was once his Saiyan tail. She walked up behind him, wrapping her arms around his torso as the water torrented down on her.

Vegeta turned around to face Bulma, holding her face in his hands as he kissed her softly. Bulma revelled in this new side of Vegeta, this soft, caring, affectionate man that had been hiding for years. She was glad that she had been able to bring it out of him, it made her feelings towards him even stronger as the moments went by. She was also aware that this side of him would only ever be revealed to her, and would have to be prepared for Vegeta to resume his normal arrogance when they were in the presence of others.

But something still plagued her mind, and as Vegeta turned away from her to reach for the shampoo, she took the opportunity to let her thoughts be known. "Vegeta, does this... does this mean that you're staying?" she inquired softly, hoping that his answer would be the one she desired to hear. Vegeta turned back to face her, a look of sheer confusion on his face. "What?"

Bulma cleared her throat nervously, trying her hardest not to remember the worst night of her life, but knowing that she needed to. "The night that you returned from space, you told me what your plans were. To destroy the androids, defeat Goku and then annihilate the Earth. And since the androids are gone, and Goku is dead, what are your plans now?"

Vegeta furrowed his eyebrows together, attempting to analyse her question. What she said was true, they had indeed been his plans all those months ago, but things had changed drastically in the time since.

"I have begun to find the Earth tolerable. And if I were to destroy it, I would have nowhere to go." he informed her plainly, and she just looked at him. "And you are here. As well as my son. And I have no intention of making either of you homeless." Bulma grinned at his words, knowing that he was teasing her lightly with the last sentence. "Well, I guess we could keep you around, if you promise to behave." she stuck her tongue out at him, and he merely smirked in reply before squirting the shampoo into his hair, Bulma taking the bottle from him and following his lead.

Half an hour later they emerged from the bathroom, both clad in the robes once more, and quickly dashed back to her bedroom, locking the door behind them. Bulma pulled off her robe and shivered, her damp hair was making her feel even colder with the cool night air. Vegeta took off his own robe and pulled her close to him, and suddenly she could feel an incredible warmth emitting from his body, and before she could say anything, she realised that her hair was now completely dry along with his own.

Reaching over to her dresser, she pulled out a pair of navy boxers and threw them over to Vegeta, who caught them easily in one hand. Without question, he pulled them on, pleased that they were a good fit before he moved into the bed, watching Bulma with intense interest as she quickly slipped a pair of matching pink undergarments, before covering them up with an old shirt that was quite large on her small frame.

Bulma quickly joined him in the bed, unable to believe her own luck that not only had Vegeta admitted his affection towards her and agreed to be in a relationship with her, but was now planning to sleep in the same bed as her. She quickly flicked off the lamp, rendering the room in darkness before moving up towards Vegeta and placing her head on his chest as he wrapped his arm around her.

"Goodnight, Vegeta."

A grunt was her reply.

Author's Note; Please, please forgive this horrible chapter. Writing sex scenes make me feel so awkward. And yet my story seems to continually demand them. Stupid brain, constantly sabotaging me!! -_-