The wish was that their three friends would be brought back as soon as Frieza was destroyed. Bulma went home and told Vegeta, who was shocked to hear about his mate’s activities, as well as the existence of such a thing as the dragon balls.

"We don’t even know if it’ll be Frieza that shows up, he’ll probably only send some of his goons. Besides you don’t know what you’re talking about. Kill Frieza!? Ha! Not likely. You should not have wasted you wish on something as stupid as the lives of three weaklings that couldn’t even stand up to that baka, Nappa."

Bulma stared him down. "What? Let me guess. You wanted to wish for immortality. Am I right?" The look on Vegeta’s face told her she was.

"Why would you want to live forever? It’d be more of a curse then a gift. Only a coward would want such a thing." She was really angry with him. She forgot sometimes what a cold, heartless prick he was supposed to be. "I believe we can beet Frieza, or whatever idiots he sends our way. With two Super Saiyans…"

Vegeta was angry as well. "Soon to be three, as soon as I don’t have to spend so much time training you."

Bulma felt like she’d been slapped. "No body’s forcing you to train me! As I remember, it was your idea, and if you don’t want to any more then I say, ‘What’s stopping you from stopping?’ Just go off and do your own thing. I don’t need you!"

Vegeta looked about to explode. I instead he was deadly silent. "If that’s the way you want it, fine. I’m gone." He took off a second latter after Bulma nodded her head.

Both were angry and hurt, but it was only their pride that was damaged. Both made the resolve to wait for the other’s apology.

That didn’t last long. Bulma had to use heavy drugs to get any sleep, but even then her dreams were haunted. Vegeta couldn’t concentrate on training for more then a few minutes before he felt Bulma’s emotions, or thought of her, or remembered something about the time they spent together. Progress on both ends came to a standstill.

Vegeta was striving for the goal that had eluded his so far, Super Saiyan, but he knew that it was still far beyond him. He wasn’t even close. Bulma turned back to her work, to get her mind off the man that haunted her every thought and dream. She managed to complete a major project in a short amount of time, but then she realized that she had made it for him to use, to reach is goal.

She got the idea from something Goku once mentioned. That King Kai had used increased gravity to build his strength. Bulma had figured that Vegeta could use the same kind of training, so she invented the Gravity Chamber for him to use. When he came home. If he came home.

It was almost four months later that Vegeta showed up. He looked beaten and haggard. His clothes were torn and he had cuts and bruises all over. Bulma didn’t know how he could have caused to much damage to himself, but she had felt almost all of them and knew that they had mostly happened over the last few days. He’d been fed up with his inability to survive on his own. He just couldn’t live with her and he had finally given in to it and stumbled in late one night, exactly nine months after their first battle.

She’d been in bed when he’d knocked on the door and then staggered into the room with our waiting for her reply.

She’d felt the tears well up in her eyes as she flew to the end of the bed and threw her arms around his stomach. "Vegeta! Your home!" She cried against him as he placed a hand on her head and tried the best he knew how to comfort her. She looked up at him. "Don’t you ever leave me again or I’ll hunt you down and…" She broke into sobs and squeezed him again.

‘-You’ll what, little one?-’ He was curious.

She answered with the vision of her beating him into the ground and then covering his body with kisses.

‘-Tempting…-’ He smirked.

"Oh, Vegeta! This is no time to tease." She sobbed some more. He lifted her head after a minute and looked into her eyes.

"I don’t think I could leave again, even if I wanted to. You’ve cast a spell on me, Bulma. One I don’t think there’s a cure for. I’m not sure I want cured anyway."

He’d used her name! She was so happy. He was home! He lifted her chin and kissed her.

He almost lost his balance and fell as vertigo overcame him. Bulma noticed right away and parted their lips. "Your hurt, and exhausted. You need sleep. Come… let me help you." She undressed him and helped him into bed. The whole time he was trying to convince her that he didn’t need help, but he let her help him anyway. He really was too weak to argue.

When they were in bed she pulled him to her and he lay over her with his head on her chest. It was the first real night’s sleep either of them had had in quite a while.

When Vegeta first realized he was conscious was when he recognized that he was listening to Bulma’s thoughts. At first he only caught small pieces, but as he concentrated more it was like listening to someone talk to them self.

‘Different… since he arrived… last year… Trunks… Goku… Vegeta has changed… my life. Instead of sitting around worrying about the guys, I’m training with them. I actually feel like I’m doing something useful… I never had a man I could really care about before. Yamcha was the closest thing I’ve had to a boyfriend, but he was never what I wanted. Vegeta is what I wanted… It’s lucky I got stuck with someone I could love. At the same time, he’s turned my world upside down… I’ve been a wreck the last few months because he was gone. I never wanted to be the type to pine after a guy, but it wasn’t just the bond that made me hurt. Something deeper, something purely me wanted him back just as much as the bond did… I don’t even remember what we were fighting about, something stupid I’m sure. I’m sorry, Vegeta, for what ever it was… I know this probably won’t be the last time we fight, we’re like water and vinegar sometimes, you and me, but at the same time… I couldn’t live with out you… I know everyone else just sees the evil, world dominating side of you, but I know you better then anyone and I’ve seen the good in you. I know how noble and honorable and… and good you really are. Your proud, and you hide it well, but if you could just get over your thick-headed stubborn pride I know you could be a truly powerful warrior… a really great man, not just strong on some points… Like sex… you are so great in bed… I’ve never experienced anyone else, but they couldn’t be better then you. I’d die. My body would short out…’ She had been looking over him, thinking he was asleep. She smiled as she thought of the times they had spent… getting to know each other.

Vegeta was confused, to say the least, about what Bulma was thinking. Some of it made him happy, some of it made him sad, and some of it made him angry, but mostly he was just confused. He began to move, to let her know he was waking up. He opened his eyes and looked into her smiling blue pools of love. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled her body flat against his. She kissed him sweetly on the nose and then the mouth, smiling the whole time.

Vegeta began to think that he should be sickened by the whole display, and a year ago he would have been, but now… he didn’t seem to mind so much… He suddenly sat up in bed with a jolt, knocking Bulma aside.

"What is it, Vegeta?" Bulma sat up next to him and searched his face. That’s when she felt it. From a distance she could feel the approaching power. It was unbelievably strong, and evil. "Is it him, Vegeta? Is that Frieza?" She asked, terror evident in her voice.

"That’s him." Vegeta got out of bed and dressed himself. "Hurry and get dressed. He’ll be here soon, and he’s not alone." He went out and down stairs. Bulma jumped out of bed and followed him.

"Wait!" She found him in the kitchen. "Don’t leave with out me."

Vegeta turned to her and sighed exasperatedly. "I won’t forget you, woman, now go get ready. I must eat to build up my strength. Hurry." He opened the refrigerator and Bulma went back to her room.

She showered and dressed in under five minutes and then met Vegeta downstairs. She grabbed her bag and some quick food and ate as they flew to where they felt Frieza would land. Shortly before they arrived Bulma began to feel the other powers Vegeta had spoken of. They were not as strong, or as terrible, but they were still bad news.

Hardly a surprise, Goku, Trunks, Piccolo, Gohan and Krillin were there ahead of them. Bulma hadn’t seen them since they had hunted Dragon balls, but by the looks of it they had been training hard. ‘I wonder if it’s enough…’ She thought as she touched down. She tucked her bag underneath an out cropping of rock nearby and joined the others silently.

"-We’ll soon find out.-’ Vegeta answered her question. ‘Not enough time!’ He blocked form her. ‘Wasted all those months. I still haven’t ascended to my destiny!’

They didn’t have long to wait before the ship landed a few dozed yards away from where they Z-senshi were poised. The air blasted past them as the large metallic orb stopped it’s decent and put down it’s landing gear. They all dug in and faced the sudden storm with gritted teeth.

"Hide you power levels!" Piccolo shouted to them all above the racket of the landing craft.

‘This is bad… This is very bad.’ Goku clenched his fists and stepped forward. Evil energy was radiating form the ship, and even Goku couldn’t tell how many of them there were going to be. The rushing air slowed and stopped, and silence sat like an affiliating blanket over the landscape. Luckily they were miles from anything and there were no innocents around to get hurt. The terrain was barren with a few outcropping of rocks and boulders here and there. It was a good personification of the dread and hopeless feeling that filled the frozen warriors.

The side of the ship opened with a very dramatic hiss of hydraulics and buzz of current in circuits. It reminded Bulma of a low budget science fiction flick she’d seen once. If she hadn’t been scared to the point of holding her breath she might have laughed. After a moment a small entourage exited by way of the ramp that had lowered it’s self.

A small white lizard like creature was on a hover device of some kind and seven veritable aliens surrounded him. Each one was different from the others, varying in size and color. They were all hideous, except for one, green skinned humanoid that had a jewel on his forehead that caught Bulma’s attention.

‘It’s a good thing I’m a married woman.’ She thought, as she looked the motley crew over.

Vegeta heard her thought and glared at her. She caught the look and sent him a mental apology informing him that he wasn’t her type anyway… ‘-He’s too pretty. He’s probably gay anyway, right?-’

Vegeta grunted in reply. He was too concerned with the fact that Frieza was here with most of his elite, including the Ginyu force as well as his two right hands, Zarbon and Dedoria to explain to her Zarbon’s dating habits. ‘He must not be taking any chances. We’re all dead…’ He wasn’t going to let anyone else know it was hopeless, so on the out side he remained his calm, confident self.

The ominous group paused several feet away and the small one with the hover device floated forward. "It looks like we’ve found our missing monkey, boys, alive and well, it seems." The white and purple alien squinted his eyes at Vegeta. So far he was ignoring all the rest.

"Vegeta! You don’t know how glad I am to see you’re alive and well!" He gave a cold smile to the Saiyan prince.

"Cut the crap, Frieza. Let’s not play nice and pretend you’ve been invited for tea. We all know what you’re here for. You know very well that I’m not one of your plaything minions anymore and that’s why you’ve come to try and kill me yourself." Vegeta growled threateningly at the one who’d spoken.

‘So that’s Frieza…’ Bulma thought, unimpressed. ‘He doesn’t look very dangerous to me. He’s so tiny and fragile looking, I wonder why Vegeta is so afraid of him.’ Bulma had always know of his fear for his former master since their bonding, but she hadn’t been able to see everything, or know exactly why Vegeta feared Frieza.

‘-Don’t be mislead by his present state. Just like with you, his size and appearance are deceiving and often lethal.-’ Vegeta chastised her inside her head. ‘-There is a power and strength inside him that should not be underestimated.-’ He warned.

Frieza smiled wickedly at Vegeta’s forward manner. "Fine then. What do you say we just skip the formalities and get right down to the killing? After you’re dead I’ll blow up this pitiful little planet and not give it another thought. It’ll be like pulling out a small thorn in my heel." He was glaring at them all with a menacing look. His face told them that he wasn’t bluffing, and that he really believed this wouldn’t be anything more then a stroll in the park for him. They were all bond and determined to prove him wrong.

"Ginyu, why don’t you and your team rid me of these pests?" The polite form concealed his command, but it was recognized for what it was.

"Yes, my lord Frieza, with pleasure." One of the tall ugly one’s grinned. All but Frieza, the cute one, and a big pink blob stepped forward and began to take their place in some kind of formation.

To Bulma they looked like an intergalactic cheerleading squad, and when they began to chant and pose she lost it. The tension in the air was too much for her to be able to deal with their moronic dancing.

"Give me a break!" She shouted above their introductions and they all froze. "You have no idea how stupid you look, do you?! I’ve had enough of this. It’s time to fight. En Guard!" She launched at the five stunned idiots and landed a hit on everyone of their faces before blasting out the other side of their tableau and turning to face the group. They were all turning to her with angry looks.

One with red skin and white hair gave her the look over. "Cocky, fast, and beautiful. This one’s mine boys! Leave her to me!" He stepped towards her and the remaining five turned to her friends. "Let me introduce myself, since you so rudely interrupted us before. I’m Jeice, and you, my sweet little tart, are in big trouble." He jeered at her.

"Shut up and bring it, you perverted weasel. You’re gonna find out I’m not that easy to trouble." She took her stance and faced off. Jeice tried firing a ki blast her way, but she easily dodged it and came up behind him to give him a hard kidney shot to the back. He almost bent over backwards in pain, but soon grew too angry to care how much he hurt. He slammed a hand into her chin and kicked her in the side. Bulma threw a punch at his gut and hit him square on. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Goku taking on Ginyu and Piccolo and Gohan fighting Baata. Trunks and Krillin both had their hands full with Rikyuum, while Vegeta battled Gurudo.

Her attention was momentarily distracted and Jeice got a hard hit to the back of her neck. She slammed into the ground and got a mouth full of dirt. She crawled to all fours and began to spit and curse. Jeice, meanwhile, came up behind her and grabbed her around the stomach. He pulled her against him and began to nuzzle her hair. Bulma was a little nauseated.

"Let go of me, you prick! She screamed, but he just crept one of his hands up to grab a handful of her breast. He squeezed viciously and Bulma lashed out with her elbow where she knew it would hurt most. His hands retracted instantly and she turned to send him a crushing blow to the face. Jeice was still doubled over, so she kneed him in the stomach and knocked him to the ground. She planted a knee firmly in his back and twisted his arm behind his back.

Vegeta had felt her distress and paused his own fight to rescue her when he saw her turn on her assailant and turn the tables. He smirked at her competence and returned to the waiting Gurudo. The four-eyed fish faced alien was ringing his hands. There was a mutual loathing between the two and Vegeta was anxious to get this fight over with out wasting too much of his energy of destroying the weakling.

He launched at his waiting foe and began to pummel him with punches and kicks. Suddenly the space in front of him was vacant and Gurudo was ten feet away, laughing at him.

‘I’d forgotten about that little trick…’ Vegeta kicked himself and vowed to pay more attention. Mistakes like that could get you killed. ‘I’m gonna have to get tricky, myself.’ He tiptoed back towards Gurudo, a plan forming in his mind.

A few feet away Piccolo was pummeling the big, blue Baata. Training with Goku had been beneficial and he found his increased skills enough to match the azure giants. Their battle was not about games; it was just all out war. Gohan stood by to watch and get in a hit whenever it was convenient.

Trunks and Krillin were the ones having a hard time with the big redheaded Rikyuum. He managed to take on both of them and still hold the upper hand.

Goku was toying with the leader, the purple, horned Ginyu, but he was starting to realize that he’d better just cut to the chase. He did an instant transmission and appeared behind Ginyu. Then, while the big purple alien looked for him he charged up and blasted a whole straight through Ginyu’s large chest.

He was dead in an instant and fell to the ground in a mass of blood and ooze. Around them, no one seemed to notice the feared leader’s departure, except for Frieza and his two henchmen who all frowned and glared at the Saiyan-gone-Earthling.

Frieza was expecting the rebels to be strong, but this was not what he’d hoped for. The leader of his strongest fighting force was dead and the other members of his team probably wouldn’t last much longer, by the looks of things.

"Dedoria, take care of that one." He pointed an icy finger towards the unsuspecting Goku and squinted. The round pink alien nodded silently and took off towards the clueless man.

Bulma noticed the interaction between Goku and Ginyu and saw Frieza’s finger go up. She also observed the fact that Goku was unaware of the threat pressing in on him. She increased the pleasure on Jeice’s back and took a deep breath.

"Sorry, pal, but this is where you die. I have more pressing matters and I really can’t have you messing things up for me and my friends, so…" She gathered as much ki as she dared and fried the struggling man beneath her. He didn’t even have time to be afraid. She rose from his charred remains and turned to fly towards Goku; his back was turned to her and Dedoria who was approaching fast.

"Goku!" She yelled at the top of her lungs. He turned just in time to block Dedoria’s fist to his face. They went into a blur of fighting and Bulma lost them in the fray. All around her miniature wars ragged on. Piccolo was finishing a beaten Baata, but he looked tired and out of breath. ‘How are we going to fight Frieza after we’re all worn out and exhausted?’ She wondered to herself. With Goku out of sight and Gohan, Piccolo and Vegeta holding their own, she decided to help out Krillin and Trunks, who both seemed to be having a hard time landing a punch on Rikyuum’s ugly face. She caught his attention by hiving a shout and Krillin sent a blast to his back.

His skin was barely singed and he ignored the bald cue ball to come after Bulma. ‘I’m going to have my hands full with this one. He’s much stronger then that sunburned creep.’ She flew straight at the intimidating fiend and then jogged to the side at the last second, spinning and kicking him in the head. His head was tossed to the side slightly, but he righted quickly and gave her a sickening grin.

Bulma powered up and sent at blast at Rikyuum’s stomach. This blow doubled him over and Trunks came in from behind to knock him to the ground. All three of the warriors sent blasts at the spot where Rikyuum had landed, hoping to overwhelm him.

"Alright, guys, that’s enough. We need to reserve our energy." She called to Trunks and Krillin. The firing stopped and the dust began to settle. Before she could get a good view, however, Bulma felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her and pin her hands to her side.

"I think Rikyuum was doing just fine, you don’t need to but in and mess up things." An unfamiliar voice whispered in her ear. She tried to struggle, but the blue arms around her were locked tight.

"Let her go!" Trunks yelled and took a stance next to Krillin in the air.

"I think you’ve got bigger problems to worry about, boy!" The man at her back taunted to her friends. Bellow them there was a sudden shout of rage and Rikyuum came flying out of the ground at Trunks and Krillin. They had no choice but to fight.

Bulma, on the other had was still wondering how she was going to get away.

"Let’s you and me have a seat and wait for things to settle down." She started to lower them to the ground and she waited patiently for the right moment to present itself. He took her over to where Frieza was hovering and put her face to face with her husband’s former dictator.

"Your strength is quite impressive for such a fragile being. Tell me, how did you get to be so strong?" He leered at her. She spit in his face. He wiper her saliva from his face and laughed at her. "Fine, I don’t really care. I was just trying to make conversation. You might was to remember, though, that you’d better behave if you don’t want things to be extremely messy for you. I can kill you in a second with a flick of my hand, and you’d best not forget that."

"Oh, I won’t. Now just try to get me to care. You can kill me, but you still won’t win. It isn’t the individual’s strength that conquers, but the efforts of the many. Killing me will only make the rest of them stronger. I’m less of a threat to you alive." She was only partly bluffing. What she said was true, but she did care if she died, but only because of what Vegeta had said about their physical bond. "When one feels pain, the other hurts, and when one dies, the other fails to breathe." That’s what he’d said.

Frieza seemed a little surprised at her words, but that was it. Even then it was more her brave tone that was shocking to him. People didn’t usually talk back to Lord Frieza. He found it surprisingly refreshing, and decided to let the remarks slide. He ignored her watched the battle going on.

Bulma saw Piccolo finish off Baata in a flash of light, and then he and Gohan quickly went to assist Trunks and Krillin, who was taking a beating at the hands of the livid Rikyuum. She couldn’t see Vegeta and Gurudo’s fight because of the lock of green hair that had fallen over her shoulder and blocked out half of her peripheral vision.

Instead she tried to focus in on Vegeta’s thoughts and presence. ‘…wish he’d stop doing that… won’t hold still…three seconds…long enough… good beating…’ She’d only caught small clips of his thoughts when Zarbon’s hands began to roam. First his arms had been folded over her chest, elbow’s in hand locked tightly in place, but now his right hand had gone to her stomach and his left hand worked it’s way to her right breast.

His face was on her neck and he was breathing in the scent of her sweat and her shampoo. She could feel him growing hard behind her.

‘Oh, great, another pervert wanna be rapist. Looks like I’ve got the opportunity I was looking for.’ She squirmed a little before arching her back slightly and raising her chest to his hand.

She could feel him smile behind her. "You like that, do you?" He whispered huskily in her ear. She tried to growl, like Vegeta did when she was turning him on against his will, and when he squeezed her breast harder she groaned quietly. "Don’t fight me, we could have some fun before you meet what ever fate Lord Frieza has in mind for you."

"Funny," she said in a deep, breathy voice. "I thought you were gay." Her stomach was starting to turn, but she knew that it was all for the better. She had to continue to act like she was tempted by her aggressive capture.

Zarbon chuckled from deep in his chest. "You’re about to find just how gay, I’m not." He was turned on by her spirit, and her blue hair. It reminded him so much of his own coloring. He dropped back a little so as not alert Frieza, who was intently focused on the fight in front of him, of his actions.

Bulma grit her teeth as Zarbon’s hand on her stomach dipped into her pants and cupped her womanhood. She moaned loudly and forced the bile back down into her stomach. The hand on her breast went to her mouth and he licked her ear.

"Not so loud my little pet. We don’t want everyone to know about our private little party." He stroked her clit with two fingers and she fought waves of revulsion. She pushed her backside against his hips and it was his turn to groan softly. His hand retracted from her pants and he turned her around in his arms.

‘wait for it…’ As Zarbon lowered his head to her neck he caught sight of the bite on her neck.

"What?" He smelled her again, more deeply. "Vegeta…You’ve bonded with Vegeta…"

‘Now’s my chance…’ she brought her knee up to his groin and delivered a shattering blow that made him loose his breath and his grip on her. His eyes were still wide with shock ass he gathered all the ki she could spare and sent him flying with a huge blast. She turned to flee only to meet with a hovering Frieza.

"Clever, my dear, but not clever enough." He smirked triumphantly over her as fear washed over her face.

‘Now I’m toast….’ She closed her eyes and waited her fate.

When Vegeta caught Bulma’s thoughts, ‘…pervert…rapist…’ he things were not going well for his mate. He decided it was time to end this hide and go seek he was playing with Gurudo. He went to a small out cropping of rocks and waited. A second later Gurudo appeared in the middle of the field and looked around. Vegeta waited until his back was turned and then he gathered his ki and flew straight at him. By the time the bug-eyed alien realized Vegeta was behind him it was too late to hold his breath.

He turned to face his attacker and Vegeta pummeled him with punches to the stomach, not giving the fish freak a chance to get his breath and stop time again. With the energy he held in his fists, Vegeta started to make a bloody pulp of Gurudo’s middle. He paused briefly to focus the ki and shoot a hole through his torn up gut. Gurudo was quickly finished.

He diverted his attention to where he had located his woman just in time to see her rack Zarbon and blast him away. She was about to make her escape, but she only managed to meet Frieza face to face.

He could feel her fear and knew that what Frieza had in mind for her could only be horrifying and awful. ‘You’re not going to have the chance…’ Vegeta flew off to protect his mate.

Goku had managed to kill Dedoria with out going Super Saiyan, but it had been close. Dedoria had gloated on his likeness to a Saiyan he had murdered named Bardock, a name Goku wasn’t familiar with, but seemed to know it had been his father, just the same. He felt suddenly very angry as he thought of the millions of beings this monster had murdered with out second thought. He didn’t deserve to live, and so Goku killed him. It took him a moment because Dedoria was strong, but that didn’t stop Goku very long.

Dedoria was very shocked when he realized that he was being beaten, and wanted to beg for mercy, but Goku had finished him off before he’d been able to. Goku turned to see Piccolo distract Rikyuum with a Masensako blast while Krillin sent a Destructo disk to sever the head from his body. As the last of the Ginyu force was finished off, all the fighters, minus Bulma and Vegeta, gathered to meet Frieza.

"Clever, my dear, but not clever enough." Bulma shut her eyes and Frieza moved in on the frightened female. Vegeta swooped down in between Bulma and Frieza and crossed his arms characteristically. Frieza gasped slightly and then smirked. "So it is true. The Saiyan Prince has bonded with a weak Earthling… I never would have thought you capable of such a humiliating practice, Vegeta. Is she the reason you chose to desert my service and join forces against me?" Frieza’s cold voice taunted.

"This woman has proven her worth, but no. I stayed because I decided not to be one of your peons. You cannot rule over me anymore, you cowardly lizard." His face was filled with hatred and disgust, but his voice was emotionless and cold.

Goku and the others fell in behind Bulma and Vegeta. They all looked a little tiered, but determination and will to win shown on their faces.

"Oh, look! The cavalry has arrived, or maybe I should say, the circus. Tell me, Vegeta. When you abandoned me for this rag-tag group of losers, did you really think that you could win? I never saw you as the suicidal type." Frieza’s confident air was annoying, to say the least. Vegeta clenched his fists tightly and bared his teeth at the white tyrant.

"I’m not the one who sits around in a little hover chair and watches weaklings fail to do my dirty work you sniveling coward." Vegeta started to move towards the smirking foe, when Bulma but her hand on his shoulder and pulled him back.

He resented her restraining him. If he stayed back he would appear weak and subject to a woman’s whims, besides that fact that the rage burning through him at that moment was enough that he only wanted to wipe the insolent smirk off Frieza’s face. He shrugged her off and started forward again.

This time the hand came in his brain.

‘-Stop, Vegeta! You’re too angry to fight right now. Your only going to get yourself killed, and then who will care whether or not you looked strong?-’ Her words were infuriating and he turned to face her. She gave him a stern stare down and he paused, just for a second, but it was enough for him to see the logic in her words. He growled deep in his chest. He didn’t like the idea of a woman having to watch over him. Not at all.

‘-Give it up, Vegeta. We need a plan.-’ She turned her back on him and flew to join the others. Vegeta followed grudgingly making a mental note to talk to her later about her conduct. If there was a later. Behind him he heard Vegeta laughing at his so-so retreat.

Calling over his shoulder he wiped the smirk off Frieza’s face. "Don’t worry, Frieza. We’ll get around to you eventually. We just wanted to give you time to un-strap yourself from that highchair you seem so fond of."

The circular cluster they made reminded Bulma a lot of a football team’s huddle and she almost laughed out loud. Piccolo was the first to speak out loud. "I’m all for going at this guy with everything at once. All of us together should be able to take him out quickly enough. He can’t fight seven of us at once." Most of the others seemed to nod approvingly at this suggestion until Vegeta grunted and laughed.

"You have no idea what you’re talking about." He crossed his arms and looked at the now fuming Piccolo. Objections were silenced by Bulma’s voice cutting in over them.

"He’s right. We’ll just get spent out and then he’ll be free to kill us all, like swatting a few flies. He’d see right through an all out attack and just raise his defenses until they were impregnable to any thing we could throw at him." The warriors seemed to consider this for a second before Trunks spoke up.

"What do you have in mind then? If nothing we do can beat this guy, then how do you suggest we win?" He seemed frustrated, yet sincerely curious to see if Bulma had a plan.

It seemed she did, and was just waiting for someone to ask before she got down to business. "I think you’re right about combining our strength. We are strongest together, but it has to be more structured. It has to be something he won’t expect. What ever it is, we have to do it before he has time to raise his defenses. One thing we have to our advantage is that he doesn’t know the full extent of our power, Goku and Trunks particularly." She didn’t say it out loud. She didn’t need to.

"But, Bulma, I don’t know if I can do it again. Last time it took me by surprise and I don’t even know how I did it…" Trunks seemed distressed and started to rattle on.

"Stop whining and making an excuses. Either you can or you can’t. Do it or don’t, but stop showing your weakness." Vegeta barked reprovingly.

Trunks looked like he’d been punched and then he grit his teeth and lowered his eyes form Vegeta’s challenging gaze.

"Anyway…" Bulma said irritantly. "What we need to do is…"

Frieza powered up and disintegrated his chair. All the while he kept an ear on the comical group making their plans. He found it amusing. They were stronger then most, and he might actually have use some of his power to dispose of these pests, but knowing what they were plotting would make things significantly less challenging. The female was amazing in her strategic reasoning, almost enough for him to consider offering her a place on his council, but he knew what a pain it would be in convincing her to join him. He decided to just kill them all and forget about this orbiting mud ball.

He started loosing patience after a few minutes. He had pretty much followed everything except for the mention of Dragon balls, something to do with keeping the green one alive, and whatever power they were eluding to in one of the Saiyans and the purple haired youth. He was looking forward to a few surprises, but it was time to start the fight, already.

"Your not going to conference all day, are you? I do have other worlds to destroy, races to annihilate. Being a cold-blooded killer keeps me on a tight schedule, you know." He had decided to let them finish their little chat, so they would think they had the upper hand before he blew them all to the next world, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to encourage them to hurry.

It was only a minute or so before they turned back to him.

"You guys know what to do then?" Bulma queried. When they all nodded she smiled and clapped her hands once. "Ok, then, break!" She turned back to Frieza and smiled. The others looked little confused, only Krillin seemed to catch her little joke and he smiled tensely. They all took their positions, except Vegeta, who took a moment to step beside Bulma.

‘-You do realize that Frieza heard every word of our doomed plans?-’ He seemed to have already accepted the fact that they were going to die today.

She turned her head to him and smiled knowingly. ‘-Of, course; I was counting on it.-’ She winked at him and then drifted off to her place beside Gohan.

Vegeta stood stunned for a second. ‘The little minx has a plan. A real plan.’ He smirked proudly. ‘There might be some hope for us, yet.’ He took his position and awaited the signal. ‘Only time will tell.’

Goku and Vegeta stood forward. As the strongest in the group, with Trunks Super Saiyan powers not to be relied upon, they would be the focal points for the attack. Piccolo took ground some sixty or seventy yards away. Trunks and Krillin stood sentinel over him because his life was too valuable to be risked. Piccolo hated being coddled and didn’t think he was going to put up with it long, but he vowed to try and stick to the plan, as long as it seemed to be working. If everyone but him died, the Dragon Balls wouldn’t do much good. They were only a sort of backup plan, safety net type insurance policy anyway. Trunks was to do his best to protect Piccolo, until he could summon his Super Saiyan powers, at which point he was to join Goku and Vegeta. Bulma and Gohan stood off to the other side as back up, incase someone went down.

The whole set up surrounded Frieza on all sides. He was facing Goku and Vegeta, but Bulma knew that he knew exactly where they were all at and what they were doing.

Without ceremony or speeches they started fighting. Vegeta and Freeza were first to go at it. Both Vegeta and Bulma were doing their best to keep the link between them down to a minimum, so that Bulma wouldn’t feel every hit that Vegeta took. They managed pretty well and Bulma only felt a tingle here and there every once in a while. It actually appeared as though Vegeta were winning.

Frieza seemed frustrated by the fact the Vegeta managed to elude most of his attempts and was landing hits regularly. Vegeta sent a ki blast at Frieza, who raised his shield and deflected the energy wave. They fought for almost twenty minutes before Frieza pulled back and they both stood their ground.

"Looks like you’ve taken advantage of the time you’ve spent here in hiding, Vegeta. I guess you’ve earned the honor of seeing my second form, after all." He tensed his whole body and began to change.

Goku took that opportunity to join in the fight. "Vegeta, I think it’s going to take both of us to beet him down, now." He took a stance next to Vegeta and waited.

"I don’t need your help, Kakarrot. I am stronger then he is." Vegeta sneered while keeping his eyes on the transforming monster in front of him. Vegeta had never been a very good team player.

"Then why haven’t you finished him off yet?" Goku seemed confused.

"Because it wasn’t a challenge to kill him before, but now I will see to it that he is properly put down." Vegeta’s answer put a look of shock on Goku’s face. Was Vegeta really stubborn enough to risk all their lives for the thrill of a good challenge?

Frieza finished his transformation and motioned for Vegeta to come at him again. Vegeta was more then happy to oblige him. They whirred in and out of sight, their movements were almost too fast for all but Goku and Bulma, who really only could follow because of her bond with one of the fighters.

Vegeta and Frieza’s blows were matched and it seemed as though there would be a stalemate, until Frieza started to power up and stopped holding back. Then Vegeta started to get pounded. He tried to raise his own power level to keep up with the white lizard, but only managed to protect himself from Frieza’s most devastating blows.

Frieza decided that he’d had enough of toying with the Saiyan Prince and started to transform once again. This time, Vegeta was too busy catching his breath to refuse Goku’s help. When Frieza was done, looking bigger and more terrifying then before, both of the Saiyans lit into him. Frieza’s speed was more then enough to defend himself from both of them, but he wasn’t getting any blows in.

This might have gone on forever, if Frieza hadn’t turned a hand to where Trunks and Krillin and Piccolo were standing and sent a heavy blast their way.

"Look out!" Goku yelled in desperation. Luckily, his friends were fast enough to get out of the way, and sustained only singed clothing. Frieza had successfully distracted Goku, however, and took the opportunity to land a hard blow to his stomach, doubling him in half. Then Frieza kicked him sky high before turning to Vegeta.

Next to Bulma, Gohan let out a roar of rage and shot after Frieza with only one thing on his mind. ‘Nobody hurts my daddy!’

"Gohan, NO! Come back!" He ignored her and tore out after Frieza. He was planning on landing a blow to the back of the monsters horned head, thinking that he wouldn’t see it coming. But, just before he connected, Frieza paused briefly in his assault on Vegeta and swatted him away like a fly. He crashed down not far from where Piccolo and the other two where watching with horrified looks on their face.

All three turned to Gohan, and Trunks ran to the boy’s side. With one hit he had damaged the boy badly, breaking several bones and causing blood to pour from Gohan’s nose.

"Gohan!" Trunks cried out as he knelt by his side and lifted him to a sitting position.

"I’m alright." Gohan said a little light-headedly.

"Don’t move. Stay put. I don’t want you to hurt yourself more by moving around. You took a pretty hard hit there, little guy." Concern was flowing through Trunks’ voice. During the time he’d spent at Goku’s he’d grown close to his future father. He’d never had time to really get to know him before he’d died in his own time. Now, he had a chance to see him as a child and watch him grow to manhood, but only if they both survived.

Trunks fury was building in him, and he felt himself nearing the barrier that he had breached before. He looked up just in time to see Vegeta get knocked to the ground and Frieza turned to give them a menacing smile. His eyes fell upon Piccolo and he raised another hand towards him.

"Since it seems you all care about keeping this green freak alive, I think I’ll dispose of him first." He gathered an immense amount of energy and shot it the Namek’s way. The blast was too wide to avoid in time, and Piccolo raised his defenses and braced himself for impact.

"NO!" Krillin yelled as he leapt in front of the blast. He took it full on and was knocked back against Piccolo, who was then thrown to the ground.

When the energy dissipated Piccolo sat up and looked at the crumbled Krillin at his side. He’d taken most of the heat, and it had saved Piccolo any serious injury. It had, however, cost him his own life. His body was burnt and broken and his eyes looked forward in a blank stare of fear. Trunks had watched the scene in abject horror.

"Krillin, no!" He stood and went toward his fallen friend. Piccolo placed a hand over Krillin’s eyes and closed them gently. Trunks froze in his place and felt the tide ebb higher. He turned to Frieza who looked slightly amused.

"What a shame. I wasn’t planning on killing that weakling so soon, but since he was so eager to die, I guess I can’t begrudge him his last wish." Frieza’s mocking face seemed to blow up like a balloon and danced in front of Trunks’ face. Trunks broke the barrier and his hair and eyes changed color.

Frieza stood in shock. He’d heard tales of the Legendary Super Saiyan, but he only thought them myths, products of the aliens’ egos. Besides, this boy didn’t appear Saiyan, but he figured it was possible that he was a half-breed. Frieza’s musings were interrupted by attacks from three sides. Trunks charged him head on, Vegeta attacked against his back and Goku blasted from above him.

Frieza was overwhelmed and found himself crumbling under the attacks. It seemed Goku had gone Super Saiyan as well. The possibility of his defeat enraged him and he used all the energy he could muster to blast the ki away form him. The back fired energy stunned the three assailants, giving Frieza time to undergo his third and final transformation. It was humiliating to have to go so high against such a small band of opponents, but humiliation was better then defeat.

He recognized the fact that a Super Saiyan was not to be taken lightly, and certainly two was even more serious. He wondered if Vegeta was also able to ascend as he himself transformed.

They all watched in horror as the Kold-jin was swallowed up in an aura of bright light and growing ki. Bulma went straight for her bag. It was time to take things into her own hands. These boys seemed capable of nothing but blowing things up and making impressive fireworks. ‘If you want something done, you have to do it yourself.’ She grabbed two ki enhancers out of her hidden bag and turned back to the battlefield.

Frieza had finished and was facing the remaining fighters. She was surprised to find his power had increased exponentially, but his size had halved. He was sleek and compact, and just as menacing as before. His tail whipped behind him gracefully as he smirked at the fearful faces he was witnessing.

"Now, you can proceed if you wish." He raised his arms beckoningly. "Most consider it a high honor to die by the hand of Lord Frieza in his final form. Not many have even seen this side of me before. Think of it as a parting gift." He flashed in to punch all of the men in the ribs and appeared back to where he had been standing before they even knew what was happening.

"Wow," Bulma’s jaw dropped. "He’s fast." She stated the obvious. Both Saiyans and the half Saiyan buckled down and attacked Frieza at once. They gave him everything they had, combo’s, special moves, individualized attacks, but none of it seemed to even phase the supped-up Frieza.

Not much later all three were spent and taking a beating. Frieza knocked Vegeta to the ground with a blow to the back. Goku went in for a hit, but only met Frieza’s fist in his face. He tumbled back wards and landed not-so-gently on the ground between Piccolo and Gohan. Trunks tried to sneak up behind their foe, but only managed to get snuck up on himself and tossed to the ground beside Vegeta, who was still spiting out rocks and dirt.

Bulma, unconsciously holding her side where Vegeta had several broken ribs, stepped up to the ring. The others were having a hard time getting up; she was the only one who wasn’t badly injured. And she was the one with the plan. It was up to her.

Frieza laughed as she moved into the unseen ring and lifted her head defiantly to him.

"Don’t be stupid, Woman." Vegeta rose to his knees and held out a hand to her weakly, trying to pull her back.

"I can handle this creep, Vegeta. Someone needs to teach him a lesson." Her eyes never left Frieza’s cold ones.

Frieza laughed again. "And I suppose that you are going to do what three Saiyans, two of them Super Saiyans, couldn’t do? A weak Earthling woman? You don’t have the power to stop me, and you know it." He smirked triumphantly.

"You’re right!" Bulma yelled back, never losing confidence. "As of right now, I am a relatively weak opponent for you, but things change. You’ve pissed my off, and a woman pissed is not something you should ever underestimate." She glowered at him with intense eyes as she raised one of the ki enhancers and slid it up her arm.

"Bulma, NO!" Trunks and Vegeta yelled in unison, then they turned to give the other a strange look.

"A woman has to do, what a woman has to do." She twisted the enhancer and felt the exhilarating rush of energy flood over her. Frieza looked on with part surprise, part curiosity, part amusement.

"You managed to increase your ki with that little accessory, how amusing, but I’m afraid it won’t be enough." He crossed his arms, waiting; wanting to toy with this new amusement for a while, till he tired of it.

"Not right now, but like I said, things change." She tucked the second ring into the back of her pants and went after Frieza. He dodged all her attempts with ease. After a minute or two Frieza started to look board, so she decided to turn it up a notch.

When she twisted the band again her energy more then doubled. She felt the air around her buzz with the ki she was emitting. The field of energy around her was more then tangible. This time when she went after Frieza he had to put effort into his deflections. He grinned at the challenge. This was getting interesting.

Once again, a few minutes later, Bulma twisted the ring on her arm and increased her strength three times over. She knew that this was her limit, if she twisted again she would start to burn out, but she had no intention of going any higher. She was just about equal with Frieza’s current power level.

"Time to play for real. Thanks for the warm up." She said in her distorted two-toned voice. She marched over to where Frieza stood waiting with a stunned verging on afraid look on his face. She punched him in the stomach, be blocked, barely. He wiped his tail around to trip her legs out form under her and she caught it and swung him over her head and into the sharp rocks at her feet. Frieza growled and powered up. He was running at the max now, and Bulma was still keeping up nicely.

They went at it in a fury of blurred moves that even Goku lost track of. Minutes later they both appeared, seemingly out of mid-air and out of breath. They were feet apart, staring each other down.

Still on his knees on the ground Vegeta could feel Bulma’s rush, as well as her pain. She was more hurt then she was letting on. He couldn’t help the feelings of pride that welled up in his chest, at the same time he worried that she wasn’t going to last long, Frieza still had the slight upper hand.

Frieza started forward again, but paused when Bulma relaxed and stood up straight, crossing her arms over her chest. "You might as well give up now and make this easy on yourself." She was purposely goading him. She was about out of fight, and it was time to move the next piece towards the checkmate.

"What are you talking about?" Frieza scoffed in anger and frustration. "I’m winning! It may take a little while longer then I’d originally planned, but I’m going to win." He was nearly screaming at her in a mad rage. His insanity was peeking out from his usually collected composure.

"Yeah, you’re probably right." He was surprised that she agreed with him again. "Haven’t you figured it our yet, Frieza? Your winning now, but as soon as I give my little invention a little twist my strength will double, or maybe even quadruple. But not you. You’re at you limit, aren’t you? My ki will rise while yours stays the same and then I’ll swat you like the pesky bug that you are." She offered her challenge, as well as her bluff, and he bought it. He had no reason to doubt her.

"With this key to power, my strength knows no bounds. My ki is potentially infinite. You may be able to count to a million with yours, but I can always count one more with my wonderful little invention. I’m practically invincible and… immortal." She flashed him a wicked smile.

His rage and fear and desperation were increasing. He was going just where she wanted him. And now it was time for the final trap. This was a win/win situation for her.

"Oh, and guess what, Frieza." She reached her hand behind her back. "There’s more. I don’t mean just more bad news for you, I mean more ki enhancers. Can you imagine? A Super Saiyan with a ki enhancer? Or maybe two or three?" She laughed and Frieza shrieked as she pulled her hand out with the extra enhancer in her hand.

"Hey, Goku!" She called to the standing man on the ground below them. "Wanna give me a hand with this creep. It would be selfish of me to defeat him all on my own." She raised her hand and tossed the golden ring down towards Goku’s waiting form, much to Frieza’s horror.

Sun glinted off the metal band as it fell end over end towards the earth. It shown brilliantly and Goku reached his hands up to catch the band, but was suddenly knocked aside as Frieza zipped in front of him and intercepted the pass. When they realized what had just happened, the faces of all the fighters dropped and fear and fury passed over them all, including Bulma’s.

"NO!" Piccolo roared.

"We’re doomed." Trunks whispered to himself.

"Woman! What have you done?"

Bulma’s face was one full of denial. "Oh, no. Frieza, you couldn’t!" She started towards him as he drew the small band over his hand as he’d seen Bulma do. It didn’t even go to his elbow, but he assumed that that wouldn’t matter.

He was correct. As he turned the ring he felt the power course through him. He smiled at Bulma as she froze in the air a few feet from him.

"Your too late, you stupid monkey’s whore!" He laughed back into her face. "Now it seems we have a stalemate of sorts. It will all depend on who can increase their strength faster in order to kill the other before the regain the advantage. He turned the band again, and the atmosphere all around them seemed to strain with the energy, as if it were a water balloon ready to burst.

Bulma’s face dropped in defeat. "There’s no way we can win, now. I’ve gone and thrown every chance we had out the window." She bowed her head in shame.

Frieza’s grin widened. "I’m glad you are able to see the truth, girl. I must thank you before I kill you. You have made my every wish come true by allowing such a precise thing to fall into my hands. I will be unstoppable." He turned the band again and again pausing only to adjust to the jolts of power that were coursing through him. The Earth was shaking and the air was electrified. Everyone except Bulma covered their head and tried to retreat as far as they could in to their selves. It seemed the end of the world was at hand.

Frieza was laughing like crazy, his voice twisted and his head thrown back in victory. He was so caught up in his triumph and ego that he entirely missed the smile that spread slowly across Bulma’s down turned face.

She delicately raised one finger and held it in front of her face. "Razor Shot," She whispered quietly as she looked up. Her eyes were glowing white with power. "Be True." She said as she pointed her finger at Frieza.

The mad white alien stopped his laughing abruptly as he felt the small amount of energy coming his way. He looked at the pin-sized streak of ki as it made it’s way towards him.

‘It’s going to miss me.’ He thought confidently. It didn’t hit him straight on, but it didn’t miss either. In fact, it struck its target just as it was meant to. The impact shattered the ki enhancer on his arm into a thousand tiny pieces. Frieza roared in rage, his high-pitched voice making all of the onlookers cover their ears. Time and space seemed to warp for a split second and then Freeza imploded and exploded at the same time. He suddenly ceased to exist. Everyone broke into cheers and shocked awe.

Bulma tuned the band down once, twice and then off. She been practicing with the adjustments and was able to perform them quite quickly. Now she raised both her arm in the air to her friends as they rose and began to walk towards her.

Her greeting was cut short by a third arm that suddenly appeared around her neck. Her joyous lock faded instantly as her air supply was sharply cut off.

‘Who…?’ Her mind whirled as oxygen slowed in it’s flowing course to her brain.

"Nobody move!" Zarbon’s raspy voice yelled in her ear.

Vegeta and the others stopped as they realized Bulma’s peril. "No! You leave her alone!" Vegeta yelled at one of his most hated acquaintances. He watched in terror as Bulma thrashed and writhed in Zarbon’s arms, unable to free herself, unable to breath. She was making a gasping choking noise that ripped Vegeta’s heart out. He could feel her pain and her panic as she realized that death was approaching her.

She had just killed Frieza, and now a bloodied, half dead maniac was going to strangle her to death. Not if Vegeta had anything to do with it. He charged Zarbon, only to be stopped as he felt Zarbon squeeze Bulma’s throat even harder.

She was seeing spots, and her head was swimming. She didn’t even hear the words that Zarbon spoke.

"This stupid witch nearly cost me my life. She humiliated me and now she’s going to pay." His hand tightened and she lost consciousness, slumping in his grip.

Suddenly Vegeta couldn’t feel her in his mind anymore, and it scared him. He felt her slipping away, and then she was gone from him.

Thoughts and memories raced through his mind in an instant. ‘She can’t be gone! I won’t let him kill her!" He felt rage like he’d never felt before and he didn’t even notice the golden aura that surrounded him.

Zarbon’s eyes widened in dismay as he realized what was going on, and what had happened. Bulma’s blow had knocked him out, and he’d missed the entire fight with Frieza. Only now, after he’d crawled out of the hole she’d buried him in to seek his revenge, did he realize that Frieza, his master, and all of his companions were no where to be found. And if that wasn’t enough, Vegeta, a very angry Vegeta, now had blond hair and green eyes and a very impressive power signature. That, and Vegeta was charging him.

Zarbon dropped his one liability and turned to run. That turned out to be a big mistake. Vegeta’s hand went through Zarbon’s back and stomach and appeared out the other side. His face twitched in pain before his eyes rolled back into his head and he slid form Vegeta’s arm and dropped to the ground. Dead.

Vegeta wasted no time turning to his fallen mate. He was at her side and pulling her into his arms, regardless of the witnesses all around him. He checked her pulse. Nothing; her ki, zero.

"No! Bulma, don’t die! You can’t leave me here alone!" He clutched her too his chest and began to rock her back and forth. She was becoming pale; all color drained form her giving her a dull look. Vegeta’s soul felt ripped in two. He felt part of himself dying right along with her.

He knew it wouldn’t be long before he joined her. His eyes sparkled with moisture. He clenched them shut and tried to block out the hole that had formed in his heart.

Then he snapped. He wasn’t going to give up on her, not yet. He pulled away and looked at her slackened form. He placed one hand over her heart and his other hand over his own heart.

His golden glow brightened as he closed his eyes. ‘-As we were once one, let us be made whole again.-’ His thoughts called out to her. His energy seeped into her and he dived deep into the blackness she was covered in. He let part of himself flow into her and fill her body, where she had once been, then he cried out for her.

A shock jumped between them and Bulma’s eyes snapped open, her mouth wide she inhaled quickly and deeply. She sucked in air like it was her only lifeline, and in truth it was. She breathed in and out several times before looking at the face of the man that held her.

It was paused in expectation, waiting for confirmation of her life’s restoration.

"Vegeta?" She questioned weakly. He smiled at her and pulled her tightly to him again.

"I thought I’d lost you. You were… you were gone." He stuttered on the words.

The others watched the emotional scene with awe and astonishment at the miracle they had just witnessed.

‘He really dose love her.’ Trunks thought with some sadness. He was glad that she lived, but it seemed as though she was even more lost to him then ever.

When Vegeta pulled back to look at her again he found her looking at him with unveiled love in her eyes. "Take me home, I’m tired." She leaned against his strong chest as he picked her up.

Trunks went to where Krillin’s body was laid and picked him up. Sadness overshadowed his happiness in victory as he remembered their loses.

"What’s going on here?" A familiar voice asked almost angry, but more worried and surprised then anything else. The startled Z-senshi looked up to find Yamcha, Tien, and Chaotzu standing confused a few feet away.

"Why is Vegeta here, and why’s he holding Bulma like that Yamcha asked with unveiled anger and jealousy.

Goku grinned sheepishly. "Hey guys! Guess we do have a lot of catching up to do! But let’s go back to Bulma’s place and eat first, okay? I’m starving!

Bulma passed out in Vegeta’s arms and everyone looked at him as if he’d lost his mind.

* * * * *