"C'mon guys, let's give Dende some room. She's really out cold huh...poor thing. I still don't understand how she got herself on the battlefield all of a sudden. She looks pretty banged up." Gohan said whilst gesturing the Namekians to take a step back.

Vegeta watched on from a distance. Leaning against a tree, arms crossed, scowl on his face. The woman was lying in the grass. Her blue curls spread out on the grass. Lips slightly parted. She looked quite peaceful, he noticed. Free of the memories that would no doubt haunt her in the future. He felt tempted to tell them why Bulma had been there, on the battlefield and how he had found her. But he guessed the woman would not like him doing so. He suspected she would not speak a word about it to anyone.

Dende worked his magic and suddenly Bulma jolted upright, eyes wide with shock and confusion. She looked around, seeing a bunch of green faces. Gohan was grinning at her.

"Welcome back Bulma! Don't worry, your completely healed." Hesaid.

She gave a small smile and nodded. She stood up, dusting herself off. Piccolo and Gohanbrought her up to speed on everything and several Namekians started exchanging pleasantries. A forced smile on her face.

Vegeta could tell she was putting on a brave face. How was it that he could see this, but her so called friends could not. They were completely oblivious to her current state of mind. He saw her body go rigid. Then her hand making its way to the back of her neck. Checking to see whether it all really happened, he figured. The moment she felt the chip she closed her eyes tightly. When they opened, her eyes searched for something. He saw her mouthing his name to herself. She was looking for him. When the crowd of Namekians started moving, her eyes found his gaze. She seemed to let out a breath she had been holding. She looked, relieved?

He watched on as the Namekians said their goodbyes to the grand elder and discussed how to use the dragonballs to bring back everyone they lost. Vegeta couldn't care less of course but he was determent to speak to Kakarot about his transformation. He wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes. After he had awakened from the dead, dug himself out of his grave, he saw a battered Frieza and a transformed Kakarot. A super Saiyan. For a slight moment he had marveled at the fact that he had been right. The legends were true after all, just like he had always believed. And Frieza would meet his end by the hands of a Saiyan. But now all he felt was a raw kind of grief, as he wasn't the one to do it. It should have been him. "Damn you Kakarot." He muttered to himself. It was strange, because for so many years, his desire to beat Frieza, to make him pay for what he did to the Saiyan race, fueled the fire within him. He would think of the different ways he would make him suffer. Make him feel the pain and fear that he had felt when he was just a kid. And now, knowing that would never happen, left him feeling strangely empty. Lost.

Then the woman stood in front of him, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"So, what do you think?" She asked.

"Of what?"

"You want to stay at Capsule Corp as well? With me?"

No answer.

"I'm guessing you'll want to talk to Goku when we wish him back to life? 130 days till we can use the Dragonballs again."

"What the hell is a capsule corp?"

Bulma smiled. "My company. It's a huge compound, you'll have plenty of room to yourself."

He mulled it over. His only objective now was to become a Super Saiyan and challenge Kakarot. So, it was logical for him to stay on Earth. He supposed he might as well take the woman's offer. He could always leave if it was not to his liking. He gave a slight nod. Bulma seemed happy he agreed. Her eyes a little brighter than before. Something wasn't right about this woman. Inviting a murderer into her home? In fact, he had killed her boyfriend, as she called him. Yet he had never smelled any fear on her when she was around him. His own doing probably, as he had actually helped her after he found her in that cage. What had compelled him to do that, anyway? He decided he'd better keep his distance from her for the next 130 days.

An older man had landed a massive plane to take all the Namekians to this capsule corporation. Vegeta followed behind.

AAAAAA

Night had fallen over Capsule Corp. It was quiet. Vegeta felt he could come out of his room now, without running into anyone. He had taken the time to shower as he was very dirty. Digging out of a grave would do that to a person. The woman wasn't exaggerating about the size of this place. It really was huge. Vegeta was appointed a big bedroom with its own bathroom. Simply decorated, no fuss. It was more than sufficient for Vegeta. Downstairs a small living room and kitchen which he would be "sharing" with Bulma, as she put it. A hallway connected the house to another one, where an older man and woman lived. He wandered outside to see more of the place. There was the massive dome where the Namekians stayed. And a separate lab. He was surprised to see the sliding doors open when he wanted to look through the glass. Then he could make out Bulma's energy from inside. He was shocked the building was even bigger than it would appear on the outside. For the most part it was underground. Bulma was sitting at a desk, wearing a labcoat, absorbed in whatever work she was doing. Vegeta was more than impressed. She wasn't kidding back on Namek, when she said she could fly Frieza's spaceship. To think that Frieza kept her in a cage because of her looks. She could have been of much more use to him. He was hoping to make most out of the 130 days he had to wait for Kakarots survival. He needed to keep training. He thought he would just find some godforsaken wasteland but seeing all this left him hoping for something better.

He heard Bulma letting out a sigh of frustration. "Fuck! Stupid math doesn't add up." She stood up and turned around. When she looked his way, she gasped and fell to the floor.

"Relax woman, it's me."

"Are you insane! Sneaking up on me like that! You gave me a fucking heartattack."

"I was not "sneaking up" on you. It's not my fault you're oblivious to your surroundings."

Bulma turned off the light at her desk and hung her lab coat on the chair, still quietly swearing to herself. She was wearing a black pencil skirt and a grey tanktop. She walked towards Vegeta. Her blue eyes sparkled, even in the dark. But she looked very tired.

She stopped in front of him, a rather smug smile on her face. "Pretty impressive huh?"

He smirked but said nothing.

"I'm starving, c'mon." She walked out ahead of him towards the house. Vegeta followed, allowing himself one look at her swaying hips. Her outfit made it nearly impossible not to notice her curves.

When Bulma stepped inside the house, she made a beeline for the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of wine. "Want some?"

Vegeta nodded and Bulma handed him a glass. He watched her taking a few big gulps before looking for something to eat. It wasn't hard to see that she was not well. Physically fine of course, after being healed by Dende. But mentally, was a whole different story. She seemed unsteady, erratic even. Vegeta was unsure of what to do about her. He did not want to help her, as she might mistake him for someone who cared. Also, he had agreed with himself to stay away from her. She was entirely too interesting and too comfortable around him. But he did need her to build something for his training. He picked up on the fact that Kakarot had trained in some kind of gravity room and he wanted a piece of that action.

Bulma was making a massive omelet and working on sandwiches. The smell made Vegeta's mouth water. He was very hungry all of a sudden. When Bulma tossed her hair over her shoulder and exposed her neck, Vegeta noticed a fresh cut that had been stitched up. No doubt she had the chip taken out. He sat down as Bulma set the table. Then she sat across from him, pouring herself more wine. Her 3rd glass. He was still working on his first.

"Slow down woman."

She gave him a death stare that made Vegeta smirk. She took a few gulps to make a point.

"Vegeta, don't tell anyone about...you know. I don't want anybody to know."

"Why not?"

She raised her eyebrows, as if to say, isn't it obvious. "Well, it's...I feel so... ashamed."

"Ashamed? You have nothing to be ashamed about. You should be proud." Bulma gave him a puzzled look.

"You faced Frieza and you made it out alive. He didn't break you."

"Didn't he? I feel pretty broken."

"It'll pass." He said matter of factly, before taking a bite of his sandwich.

"Maybe, but don't tell anyone, ok?"

"I won't."

She gave him a small nod. Vegeta noticed her eyelids were drooping and she was clearly fighting her fatigue. Something he recognized from his own life. Avoiding sleep to avoid the dreams. Of course he was a Saiyan, and could function on very little sleep if need be.

"You can't stay awake forever, woman."

She sighed. "I can try." She ran a hand through her blue curls.

After a moment of silence, Vegeta decided it was time to get to business. "This gravity room Kakarot was training in. You built it, I presume?"

A look of pride. "Duh."

"Make me one."

"I don't think that's a good idea, Vegeta."

"Why the hell not?"

"What would you do with your new found strength?"

She had him there.

"My rivalry with Kakarot has nothing to do with you."

Bulma shrugged. "Maybe not. But Goku and I go way back. I would be horrified to have helped you kill him."

Fuck. He couldn't argue with her reasoning. If she were literally anybody else, he would just threaten her with her life. Force her. But she defied Frieza, so she would definitely not yield to him.

"Tell me you won't kill him, and I'll make you a gravity room."

Vegeta was a man of his word. He would not lie.

"Fine, suit yourself." She said. "Goodnight."

AAAAA

Two weeks passed since Vegeta came to stay at CC. He went back to plan A. Train in a remote location. But his frustration hadn't subsided for one moment. After his fight with Kakarot and the battles on Namek, fighting some imaginary opponent just didn't cut it anymore.

As he expected, Bulma had been plagued with nightmares. Vivid nightmares that left her screaming in her sleep. He had actually woken her up a few times by knocking on the door, telling her to shut up. The screaming drove him mad. Not just because it kept him from sleeping, but it reminded him of a time when he was the one to scream. Other than that, Vegeta kept his distance from the woman.

He was still determent to find a better way to train. He had actually been thinking about the possibility that someone else may be capable of building a GR for him. The woman was a genius, but surely she was not the only one, considering all the inventions he saw at the lab. He noticed the old man was at the lab often. He had him pegged for an idiot at first. With his big moustache, stupid cat and ridiculous name. "Daddy" as the woman called him. But if he was working with Bulma so much, there must be more to him than meets the eye.

One night, when he came back from training, he ran into Bulma in the kitchen. He hadn't seen her for a while and was shocked at how poorly she looked. She looked thin and frail. Probably hadn't had even one hour of decent sleep since they returned to Earth.

"Fuck woman, you look terrible."

"Thanks."

Maybe Vegeta was mistaken when he said she'd be fine. Although it really hadn't been that long since her ordeal.

"You need to get your shit together."

No response. She was wearing grey sweats and a large white tshirt. She poured herself a drink and sat down on the couch, turning the tv on.

Vegeta sighed, running a hand through his hair. Then he made his way to the television and blocked Bulma's view. She gave him a dirty look. "Move." She said in a low voice.

"Vegeta, I just want to watch a bit of television to...keep my mind off my nightmares. "

He then put his hand to the screen and fired a very small burst of energy through the television, breaking it forever.

"What the hell!? Why would you do that!?" She stood up, facing him.

"Checking if you'd get angry."

"Of course I'm angry! You broke my television!"

"Good."

Her spark wasn't completely gone it seemed. Then he grabbed her by the arms to emphasize his words. "Listen to me woman, I will say this only once. Get your shit together, or it will consume you. Then Frieza wins. I do not care what happens to you, but I will not have that filthy creature have one more victory."

It was like a fire was ignited inside her, because he could swear, he saw flames erupt behind her deep, blue eyes. This pleased him.

She gave a stern nod. Vegeta then turned to leave but was stopped by her hand on his arm. "How do I get rid of the nightmares?"

"Passing out drunk not doing the trick?"

"Sometimes, for a little bit..."

He shrugged. "Physically pushing yourself till you collapse might work."

"Well, guess I'll be trying that tomorrow." She walked over to the liquor cabinet and poured herself another drink and one for Vegeta as well. He took it but was hesitant to stay. He could tell she wanted him to. Which was exactly why he shouldn't. She patted the couch, gesturing him to sit down.

"That old man living in the other house, does he work for you?"

"You mean my dad?"

"What's a dad?"

She seemed amused. "My father."

"That old man is your father?"

"Yes."

"The idiot with the moustache and that stupid cat on his shoulder is your father?"

"Hey! That's my dad you're talking about! And he is a genius!"

"Huh...I would not have guessed that."

"Hahaha, I cannot believe you didn't know that! Of course I refer to him as daddy, not father. Suppose that is not a word in your language."

"I thought that was his name."

" Hahahaha!"

"Does that mean that woman is your mother?"

"Yup."

"You look nothing like them. I actually thought maybe you were only part human."

"What! Why?"

"Forget it."

"No way, tell me!"

Vegeta sighed. "You look different. Your energy feels different."

"Really? I never heard the other guys about my energy. I do look a little weird I suppose, not sure what happened there. I was actually teased as a kid because of my hair and eye color. I hated it back then, but now I kinda like it." She played with a lock of hair.

Vegeta himself was actually thinking about running his hands through her beautiful hair. Damn woman was distracting him. He did get the information he needed. Apparently, the old man was a genius, according to his daughter. He would have to pay him a visit soon.

"I'm going to bed, I suggest you do the same woman." He got up and went upstairs.

"Not drunk enough yet." She said quietly to herself whilst taking another sip of her drink.

AAAAA

A couple of days later Vegeta was down in the lab, watching the old man work on his gravity room. He had told him he needed a GR to train in and to his surprise the man had agreed to help him. He didn't even need to threaten him or his family.

But he moved around sluggishly and worked at a slow pace. This way, Kakarot would be revived before he even got one day of decent training done. Fuck. Why could nothing ever go his way. Maybe scaring the living daylights out of him would help, but this man was not in great health as far as Vegeta could tell. So, he doubted it would actually spur him on.

The old man looked up from his work to look at Vegeta. Then he walked over to him. "Listen young man, it's not hard to see that I'm in way over my head on this project. Normally I would ask my daughter for help, but it would seem she is not feeling like herself lately. You wouldn't know anything about that?"

"What are you saying?"

"Have you done anything untoward to my daughter?"

"No."

"Ever since you moved in, she's been very...depressed, I would say."

"I have nothing to do with that, old man."

"Then what is wrong with her?"

"Ask her yourself."

"Already have. She won't tell me. Says she's fine."

"Well, there you go."

"She's clearly not fine! Now you tell me what you know, Vegeta."

"Don't order me around old man." Vegeta said in a low, calm growl. The smell of fear suddenly in the air. Good, finally someone who truly feared him.

Then Bulma showed up in the lab. She had been working out in the gym that was located on the top floor of the building. A towel around her neck, black gym shorts and tank top. Vegeta did a double take. A messy ponytail in her hair, loose strands of hair sticking to her sweaty face. The sight of her awakened something inside Vegeta that had been buried deep. Something trivial, which had no place in his life. She looked pissed. He knew why.

"Seriously? I refuse to build you a GR and you force my dad?"

Bulma looked daggers at him. It only made him want her more.

"It's quite alright Bulma, I do not mind helping Vegeta. He is our guest after all. But of course, that would change if he has been anything but a gentleman towards you, my dear."

"What do you mean, dad?"

"He thinks I'm the reason you're ..." Vegeta paused.

"Oh, no dad, he's got nothing to do with that. And really, I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me." She glanced at Vegeta. Telling him to keep his mouth shut.

Dr. Briefs gave Vegeta a nod. "Alright then. Looks like I will continue on this GR after all. Will you help me, Bulma?"

"Fine."

She was mad. He could tell.

"Just let me freshen up, I'll be right back to help you daddy."

She walked past Vegeta, giving him a look that told him to follow her. He couldn't help but smirk. She seemed a lot feistier than the last time they spoke. A good sign, he figured.

When they got to the house, Bulma wasted no time to tell him why she was mad. "My dad is not in the best shape Vegeta! It's not good for him to work too hard. He mostly does calculations and computer work these days. No way he can physically do such work anymore!" She grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, taking a few big gulps. Vegeta saw the beads of sweat glisten on her skin. One trailing down in between her breast, disappearing behind the fabric of her shirt.

"Are you listening to me?"

"If you're worried about your father then just help him with the work."

"And if I don't? You tell him about Frieza? That's low Vegeta. Even for you."

This upset him. "I told you I would not tell anyone. I keep my word, woman."

She stared at him with bold, daring eyes. "I still feel like I don't have a choice, and I hate that! I don't want to help you, but I can't let my dad do it by himself."

"I'm not forcing you to do anything. It's not my fault you feel some moral obligation towards your father."

She let out a sigh of frustration before stomping up the stairs. Giving Vegeta a nice view of her backside.

AAAAA

Bulma had actually been feeling more like herself when she started to work on the GR a few weeks ago. Turns out what she needed was a project and a way to make herself feel useful. Sleep still was a big problem though. Every night she would have the most horrific nightmares. And because she had been drugged many times during her captivity, she did not know whether the nightmares were just that, or if they were memories as well. She supposed maybe she should be thankful that she had been so out of it for the most part. That way she would not have to remember every horrendous little detail. But the dreams were so awful, she feared they had really happened to her. She stood in front of the mirror, in her dark blue pajama shorts and tank top. Watching herself, her body. Visions of her dreams flashing through her mind. A disgusting white hand with long, sharp nails touching her skin. A tail wrapped around her legs. She suddenly felt nauseous.

Then her mind wandered to Yamcha. Still dead. She felt guilty, because in all fairness, she hadn't missed him all that much. She should be counting the days till they could wish him back, but she didn't. Actually, she was nervous about having him back in her life. She was not the same woman she used to be. She hated coming to terms with that, because it meant that despite all her efforts, it would always be a part of her. Somehow that filthy, disgusting thing had made a dent in her, a small scratch, that only she could see.

At some point, Yamcha of course would want to get physical with her. And the thought of anyone touching her sent shivers down her spine right now. She could only hope to be feeling better by the time her boyfriend was back amongst the living.

She ran a brush through her hair and went down the stairs. Her stomach was growling so she looked around for something to eat. Nothing. "Dammit Vegeta, leave something for me, would you?" She grabbed the phone and ordered a bunch of pizzas.

She made herself some ice tea. It was a really hot day. Her bare feet felt nice against the cool hardwood floor. The sun was just starting to set. It was a lovely evening. But she felt lately, she couldn't really enjoy things like she used to. Also, she had no desire to go out anymore.

When she made herself comfortable on the couch with a magazine, Vegeta walked in. He was dirty from training in the wilderness, clothes torn, dried blood. But he looked so strong, and Bulma actually found him very handsome. Of course, the fact that he was a murderer and a selfish asshole kind of overshadowed the fact that he was goodlooking.

"Why aren't you working on my GR?"

She rolled her eyes. "Nothing here is yours Vegeta. And I worked my ass off all day in this heat."

"All this waiting around is infuriating. How much longer till that damn thing will be finished?"

"Be patient Vegeta. We'll get it done." She said in a calm voice. She heard him stomp up the stairs, no doubt to take a shower. It was all he came here for. To either shower or eat. And sleep. He only needed a few hours though. She wished she could do with just a few hours of sleep. She yawned, the heat made her sleepier. She browsed through the magazine and was suddenly horrified as she saw pictures of herself with an article next to it. A "before picture" of roughly a year ago when she did a onetime photoshoot for a science magazine. And an "after" picture, clearly taken by paparazzi outside the gate of her property. She looked glamorous and gorgeous in the first, frail and defeated in the second. It was taken when she was at her worst, before Vegeta gave her the kick in the pants she needed to "get her shit together" as he put it. She still had a long way to go, but she had been taken much better care of herself since that night. "Fucking bastards." She muttered to herself.

When Vegeta was leaving his room, after a much needed shower, he was greeted with the smell of food. His stomach started talking immediately. It had been at least 24 hours since he raided the fridge.

He stopped at the top of the stairs. The woman was standing in the doorway, speaking with a man that carried several pizzaboxes. It only took Vegeta one glance at the man to see that he was eyeing Bulma up and down.

"Wow, can't believe I'm delivering pizzas at your door! Bulma Briefs. You're really famous. And I hope you don't mind me saying, but you are very beautiful. Can I take a picture with you?"

"Uh, no sorry I'd rather not. I'll sign something if you like."

"Oh c'mon, no one will believe me with just an autograph."

"How much do I owe you?"

"Do I get a picture or not?"

"I said no." Bulma said, annoyed.

The guy's face changed. "Bitch."

In a split second, Vegeta was next to Bulma. He grabbed the man by the throat and lifted him in the air. "What did you say?"

Pure terror was clear in his eyes. "No please, I'm sorry!"

Vegeta moved his eyes from the man to Bulma, who looked pleased he was being put in his place. "I didn't hear you." She said.

"I'm sorry miss Bulma! Please, let me go." His voice hoarse from the pressure on his throat.

"Get your ass from my property! And we won't be paying for these." She gave Vegeta a nod, indicating to let him go. The guy dropped to the ground and crawled away crying.

Bulma gave Vegeta a grin. "Was that fun for you? Cause it was great for me." She said. He just smirked.

"Let's eat these in front of the tv. My new tv."

They sat and ate in silence, watching some crime documentary. Then Vegeta's attention was drawn to the magazine on the coffee table. He leaned over and grabbed it, when Bulma launched herself at him to try and take it from his hand. "No, don't read that!"

Vegeta easily kept Bulma at a distance with one arm while keeping the magazine in the other. "What happened to Bulma Briefs?" He read. At that point Bulma gave up and started stuffing her face with pizza.

Vegeta saw a picture of Bulma in a sexy black dress and high heels. The word goddess came to mind. And a picture that must have been taken a weeks ago, where she looked tired and depressed.

"What the hell is this shit? Why are they writing about you?"

Bulma sighed and shrugged. "I'm kind of famous. I run the most powerful company on Earth with my dad, I am one of the richest people in the world, and I'm a woman. For some reason, people want to know about me."

Vegeta nodded. He still did not really understand why people would be interested in someone else's life. But he did realize just now that she was a big deal on this planet.

"I can't believe how awful I looked."

"You're doing better now."

"I guess. I'm taking better care of myself but...sleeping...I can't help it. The nightmares keep coming. I'm starting to think they're memories, not just dreams. It freaks me out."

Vegeta shook his head. "They're not memories. For me they never were. They are based on real events, but what you're dreaming is not what really happened to you."Bulma gave him a small smile.

Vegeta berated himself for saying this. He had no way of knowing if it would be the same for her as it had been for him. But he just wanted to make her feel better. He told himself it was because the better she felt, the faster she would work on the GR. But an unfamiliar feeling in the pit of his stomach told him otherwise. He felt bad for her. He watched her for a little while as she watched tv. He thought back to namek, when he first saw her. For some reason he had been wanting to...help her from the start.

Also, he had been very attracted to her. His eyes had roamed her body many times. Images of what he wanted to do to her flashing through his mind. He had even dreamt about her on several occasions. This however did not alarm him so much, as it was just a chemical response. It had been a very, very long time since he had been with a female. It was not something that was important to him. He had a rough life, filled with pain and suffering. No time for screwing around. Besides, he had never taken any pleasure in forcing a female to have sex. And honestly, not many had been even the least bit of appealing to him. This woman however, this human, was a whole other story. He watched her breast go up and down with her breathing. Her bright, azure blue eyes fixated on the screen. He longed to run his hands up her legs, that were right within his reach, on the couch. But he never would. First of all, she probably would not want him, second of all, the attraction combined with these tendencies to take care of her made it all too dangerous. He decided then and there that he would keep his distance from her. He had more important things to think about. Becoming a Super Saiyan and defeating Kakarot in one on one battle.