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Bulma felt the warm sunlight on her body as it filtered through the window. She yawned and stretched at the same time, enjoying the warm feeling at the core of her soul. She stared dreamily out through the window, a knowing hand placed lightly on her stomach. She felt the bed stir next to her, and found Vegeta awake, staring at her. He racked her body over with a critical eye.

"Is something interesting you?" she whispered seductively.

He smirked sexily at her. "Maybe." He rotated his neck, getting out all the kinks, and then climbed out of bed. "You need to go." he said to her as he pulled on some clothes.

Her eyes scrunched up in confusion. "Go? Why and where?"

"Because I said so and away from here."

Bulma sat up on the bed, pulling the sheet up with her to cover her body. "Because I said so is not a good reason why." she said angrily.

He stared at her for a long moment. Bulma saw so many emotions go through his eyes, but she couldn't place one. He went to one of the wardrobes that stood against the wall, grabbed some clothes and then threw it at her. She caught it in one motion and stared at him uncomprehendingly. He picked up some gold tipped boots and carried them over to her. She stared at him more, still not understanding.

Vegeta's jaw clenched and he swallowed hard. "These are for my son. Give them to him when he grows up." he said, his voice soft, yet hard.

Bulma felt her world crumble again. "What?"

He took a deep breath. "You need to get away from here before you're found out. I can't have you hurt, not now that you're carrying my son."

Bulma ran a hand through her blue tresses. She was pregnant? He wanted her to leave now? What? Why? She looked up at him, her eyes a maze of pain and confusion. "I can't." she said after awhile. "I can't lose again."

He grabbed her roughly by the shoulders. "Woman, you can't win anything if you stay here. The only thing you'll win is death."

"Wha . . Why?" she asked, her head lolling back in confusion.

"Because of Freeza. Freeza is here."

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Bulma stared back morosely at her temporary home. Vegeta stood there, his face as hard as stone, and his emotions even harder. He hadn't kissed her goodbye and said he loved her; he only said to take care of his child. Bulma tore a gaze from him and stared ahead of her, into the great unknown. He told her to get away, to take her pod and go to some distant planet she couldn't even say. He'd programmed it to take her directly there. He warned her to say nothing of him because she would probably be killed outright: kill now, ask questions later. She was to get as far away from the ship as possible, get into her pod, and go.

Oh, Kami! Why did these things have to happen to her all the time? Just when life was getting to be something of worth, again she was left crushed and disappointed. She was getting tired of it. And Vegeta . . . he sounded like he was about to die. She couldn't believe anyone was stronger than her Vegeta. Her Vegeta.

Bulma could feel the tears start to pour down her face. He was her Vegeta

now . . . now and forever. She had to get away from his sake now, for their baby's sake. She gunned the engine to the air bike and flew faster. She was going so fast she didn't see what she hit before she was out and down for the count.

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Bulma opened her blood-filled eyes. She saw a man standing before her, a big blue man. His hair was tired back into a ponytail, and he wore a uniform similar to Vegeta's, except his had shoulder pads. Shoulder pads? She started to laugh softly.

"Is there something funny you'd like to share with me?" the man said, his face leering in front of hers.

"No." she said smartly.

He kicked her face.

Bulma saw stars but just smirked at him as she whiped the blood from her mouth. "Is that how you get your kicks? By beating women?"

"So much like Vegeta, Little One." she heard a silvery voice say from a far corner. She turned her gaze to that corner and stared cruelly. "Oh, if looks could kill I'd be dead a million times over and more." There was a whoosh of air as Freeza glided out into the light.

"You must be Freeza." she sneered.

"Oh, my reputation goes before me." Freeza said mockingly.

Bulma glared at him. "What do you want?"

"You know what I want. I want that little monkey you've been shacking up with. Where is he?" Freeza said sweetly.

"Like I'd tell you." she spat.

Freeza smiled at her sorrowfully. "We could do this the easy way, or we could do this the hard way."

"I won't tell you a thing." she sneered.

"Zarbon." Freeza said, nodding his head toward her.

Zarbon walked over to her and kicked her again, this time directly in her stomach. She doubled over in pain. The baby! She pulled her limbs close together, as she had done before, and screamed not a word as Zarbon beat her. It was like living her life all over again. She was hoping that part of her life was done already.

"Stop." Freeza said after a time passed.

Zarbon stopped obediently and stepped back. "My, Lord." he said bowing.

Freeza maneuvered himself closer to Bulma. "Now will you speak?"

Bulma pushed herself up from the floor and stood on her legs as best as she could. She stared at him defiantly. "Go to hell." she said and then spat in his face.

Freeza snarled at her and hit her hard across the head with his tail. She was immediately sent into darkness once again.

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Bulma woke later, drenched in cold water.

"Wake up!" a voice ordered.

Bulma sat up, her head throbbing. She rolled her neck from side to side, and rubbed it with her right hand. She looked up and saw Zarbon towering above her.

"Get up." he ordered.

"Why?" she snapped at him.

"Because today it the day you die." He grabbed her roughly by the arm and pulled her up from the floor. He would have dragged her down the hallway if she hadn't found her legs.

She followed him down the hallway. She was ready to die before she'd ever tell them a thing about Vegeta. And then she had a vision of Vegeta: she could see his face as he told her to go and save herself and their son. Their son. She could feel tears start to build in her eyes. The baby would die with her.

Zarbon shoved her forward, forcing her to kneel on the floor. She looked up and found that she was outside the ship. She saw some nails and wood, and she saw several of the people who had called her Queen, and several more who had considered her the enemy staring at her through sad eyes. They seemed to sympathize with her.

Freeza glided before her, casting a monstrous shadow over her. "You have a choice again. You can either tell me where your little monkey is, or I crucify you."

Crucify? She snorted. "Couldn't come up with something more creative than taking one of my planets form of execution?"

"I just thought that it would be fitting. When he comes here the first thing he'll see is you hanging on a cross, a sacrifice for him." Freeza said, fake tears trailing down his face.

"Well, you know my answer."

Freeza nodded. Zarbon grabbed her and pinned her down one of the wooden crossbeams. "Oh, did I forget to mention we'll be crucifying some of the locals too." Freeza motioned to some more of his henchmen who grabbed some women from the crowd.

"No!" Bulma said struggling. "This is between you and me! Leave them out of this!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Just tell me where the monkey is." Freeza said. He motioned for everyone to stop.

Bulma breathed a hard breath. She couldn't let anyone else get hurt because of her stubbornness. "Vegeta is at a house at the 38th parallel."

Freeza smiled at her. "Thank you." He turned to his henchmen. "Continue."

Bulma's eyes went wide. "You said you wouldn't hurt them if I told you."

"Actually, I said nothing of the sort. Have a nice day." Freeza glided away from her and into the ship.

Zarbon lashed her hands to the crossbeams. She struggled in vain against them. She could already hear the pounding of the nails into the other victims hands and feet, and their screams of agony. Oh Kami. She had betrayed him to that bastard.

"Maybe now I will hear you scream." Zarbon said to her as he positioned the nail, wood, and hammer above her hand.

Bulma smirked at him. "Not in this lifetime."

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Bulma pulled herself up as best as she could, trying to get a much needed breath of air. The moans of one of the other two victims had stopped already: she was dead. The other one continued on, louder than she was before. She seemed to be trying to make up for her dead partner. Bulma hadn't let a moan or scream escape her lips, and she never would. She wouldn't give them the satisfaction. She knew by now that the baby had to be dead; she barely had enough oxygen for herself. Their baby . . . their son. She could feel tears trailing down her face in sorrow.

"Finally she cries." Zarbon said smugly.

Bulma glared at him. "For my child who never made it."

Bulma saw Zarbon flinch. She laughed shortly. "Didn't know I was with child, did you? Don't flinch because you still would have followed Freeza blindly even if you had known."

Zarbon remained silent.

Bulma could feel rain start to fall on her torn and bloodied body. She knew her time was almost up. She wished she could see Vegeta one last time before she went on to the Great Snake Way. She looked up into the heavens. She took a deep breath. "Vegeta!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

Suddenly she was falling to the ground. She felt strong arms catch her. She looked up and saw the face of her savior, Vegeta. She smiled weakly at him.

"Vegeta . . . ." she whispered, lightly touching his face.

The rain poured down on them even harder, as if the planet was crying for them. "Woman."

Bulma smirked and laughed. "I do have a name, you know. It's Bulma, Vegetable Head." She started to cough.

"Bulma, I told you to go." he said softly to her.

She smirked again. "I was on my way, but, you know me, things always get screwed up. Story of my life." She coughed again, blood coming from her mouth.

She smile at him again, her breathing becoming labored. "I'm sorry. I failed, both you and Vegetasei."

Vegeta started at her, his face softening.

"I love you, Vegeta."

"I love you too, Bulma." he said as she breathed her last breath.

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